The sixth floor is a stark contrast to the rest of the skyscraper. Wooden planks cover the walls, blocking out most of the light. The office cubicles have been pushed aside, creating a large open area that looks like it was once used as a shelter.
Erley wonders, glancing at Myora as they walk through the dimly lit space.
'What happened to the people here?'
Myora holds a small box in her hand, her expression focused. Erley asks, his voice low.
"What is that."
She looks at him briefly, then back at the box.
"It's a small radio."
Erley glances at the radio for a second then focuses at the darkness broken by faint rays of light, beyond the orange light.
They continue walking, the faint static from the radio filling the silence. Suddenly, the static crackles, and a faint voice comes through.
Myora says, her voice steady.
"Hello?, do you copy?"
The response is broken and distorted.
"Aff...irma...ti...ve"
Myora crouches, placing the radio on the ground.
"I don't have much signal, we will head over there in around a month."
The voice on the other end struggles to respond.
"We... will... be there... in a wee—"
The signal cuts off abruptly. The skyscraper shakes, and one of the few remaining lights flickers out.
Erley thinks, his grip tightening on his sword.
'Probably a tentacle.'
Myora says, picking up the radio.
"We have to go,"
She shares some last words to the radio, then turns it off.
"We’ll start heading there in two weeks. Expect us. Best of luck."
She stands and starts heading back toward the stairs, Erley following close behind. More lights go dark as they move, the tension thickening with each step. Erley says, glancing over his shoulder.
"Hao might be in trouble."
Myora doesn’t stop walking.
"He will be okay."
They reach the stairs and begin their descent. A loud crack echoes through the hallways of glass, and Erley looks around to see lifeless tentacles scattered across the floor.
Turning a corner, they find Hao. He’s sitting on a mound of severed tentacles, the setting sun casting a golden glow over his bloodied form. He looks up at them with a tired grin.
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"Hey.. how are you guys doing."
Myora signals for him to follow, and they continue down the stairs without another word.
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Back on the first floor, Annie is awake, sitting next to Moen and sipping water. She hears footsteps and tenses, her eyes widening as Hao’s voice rings out.
"Hey, Annie!"
She turns and runs toward them, her steps clumsy but full of relief.
"Guyyyyys! I missed you!"
She throws her arms around Hao, who winces in pain.
"Where were you?"
Hao rubs his side.
"We were- Can you please stop hugging me? it hurts."
Annie steps back, her expression sheepish. Hao continues,
"We were finishing the mission."
Myora walks to the center of the room, her presence commanding. Annie looks at her, tears welling in her eyes.
"Stay here,"
Myora says.
"I will scout the area from the highest point i can reach before that thing up there notices me. Be ready to move out, that thing is bound to go back to sleep after the damage Hao dealt."
She rushes out of the room, leaving the others to gather around Moen’s unconscious body. Hao collapses onto his back, groaning. Annie sits next to him, while Erley goes to sit on the other side of the body.
"Fuu, that was a lot, even for me. Those tentacles were no joke!"
Annie looks at him, her curiosity piqued.
"Tentacles? what the hell is up there?!"
Hao glances at her.
"Something big. We don’t know what it is, but it started lashing out at us with its tentacles."
Annie shudders, glancing at Moen.
"Thank God I was unconscious! I wouldn’t want to fight whatever that is. Though my dream was pretty scary too."
Erley, sitting nearby, looks at her.
"Really? what was it?"
Annie frowns.
"There were five lights around me, even though there are only four of us. It scared me at first, but I tried to reach them. Every time I got close, they moved further away. It was... frustrating."
Hao smiles, pointing to some broken furniture.
"Mine was similar, except I kept seeing that furniture over and over. It wasn’t frustrating, just boring. I ended up stabbing myself with my sword to get out of there."
Annie looks at him with concern, then turns to Erley.
"What about you Erley?"
He lies back, staring at the ceiling.
"Me? I didn’t dream about anything."
----------------------------------------
Outside, Myora climbs a ruined building near the skyscraper. It reaches about the sixth floor, giving her a clear view of the surrounding area. The skyscraper looms beside her, its walls covered in pulsating tentacles.
'Gross.'
She scans the horizon, her eyes narrowing as she spots distant lights piercing the eternal darkness of the ruined city.
'Should be about a day or two of walking.'
The lights are faint, barely visible, but they’re there. Myora’s face betrays a hint of worry, but she quickly pushes it aside and hurries back to the group.
----------------------------------------
Back inside the skyscraper, Myora rejoins the others. Moen is awake now, talking animatedly with the group.
"Yes... I was running after you guys, but you wouldn’t turn back! Don’t ever do that again!"
Annie smiles apologetically.
"Sorry, Moen. We won’t don't worry."
Myora sits down, and everyone turns to her. Erley speaks first.
"So? where and when are we going."
Myora looks at the group, a faint smile on her face.
"It’s a couple of days walk. We’ll rest here for a day. Some of us are exhausted, especially you, Erley. You need to heal."
The group smiles, the tension easing slightly. Hao jumps to his feet.
"Fine then! I’ll train hard for what’s to come!"
Everyone looks at him, and he grins.
"Let's spar, Myora!"
She closes her eyes, the faint smile still on her face.
"Fine. We’ll spar for a bit, then sleep in a couple of hours."
As Myora and Hao move away to spar, the sound of clashing metal fills the air. Erley, Moen, and Annie continue talking, their laughter echoing through the room.
"Hao is gonna regret that."
Erley points to a broken spear.
"Anyways, Annie, what happened to your spear?!"
Annie’s smile falters.
"Ah, it broke during the fight with those weird humans. But don’t worry, we’ll fix it when we get back. I’ll use one of Myora’s swords for now, even though I’ve never used one before."
Erley glances at her.
"I could teach you."
Annie’s eyes widen in surprise.
"Really? I’d appreciate that!"
Erley smiles.
"Go ask Myora for her sword. We’ll train for a bit. I’ll do my best to teach you, even though it’s more instinct for me."
Annie hurries off to get the sword, and Moen looks at Erley curiously.
"What about me?"
Erley glances at him.
"Sure, I can teach you how to use a sword too."
Moen points to his shield, confused.
"No, no sword..."
Erley looks at the shield, then back at Moen.
"Ah, I don’t know how to use a shield, but I’ll practice with you if you want."
Moen nods eagerly, his excitement palpable. Annie returns, waving the sword in her hand. Erley stands, and the three of them move to a cleared section of the skyscraper to train.