When Lith returned to his family’s home, he found everyone but Fayde relaxing in the living room, eating from a tray of snacks. They had all changed out of their armor and were now in more loose shirts and drawstring pants. They were still covered in grime and dried blood, but they were all wearing new clean clothes. Lith wondered where they came from.
“Welcome home Master Lith.” Said Anthropo. It was holding a bundle of black clothes. “Perhaps you would like to change into something more comfortable while you wait for the bath to become available?”
“Yes. Thank you, Anthropos.” He said as he took the clothes. He walked into the living room towards the stairs but noticed six shining objects on the kitchen island. “Are those the reward chests?”
“Yes. Master Fayde has requested that they be opened when everyone is done washing and resting.” It answered.
“Fair enough.” Lith answered as he continued upstairs.
Several hours passed as everyone washed up one at a time, then quickly retired to their rooms for rest. The next morning, Lith and Anthropo made breakfast after moving the reward chests to the coffee table in the living room. The chests were small, able to easily be carried in the palm of the hand. It didn’t make Lith excited at the prospects of what waited for them inside the bronze chests.
Almost as an exact replaying of last week’s breakfast before they went to the first floor of the tower’s combat levels, the family filed down for breakfast. Lith and Anthropo had prepared breakfast sandwiches for everyone. Thick cuts of something resembling bacon with other similar vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, and avocado, plus an egg. It was essentially a breakfast BLT, and every part had its purpose. Meats to replace lost blood. Veggies and eggs help promote healthy skin, so their scars faded well. Lith’s healing had done a good job keeping them together, and he felt like their bodies replenished their resources quicker and more efficiently. Still, he thought it best to ensure their bodies had the nutrients necessary for healthy functions.
“Everyone ready to open their boxes?” Fayde asked as they finished their meal.
“Hell yeah!” Guidry shouted as he raised his arms in excitement.
Lith and Anthropo picked up the dishes before Lith joined his family around the coffee table, Anthropo staying at the sink to wash them.
“Thanks, Anthropo.”
“Of course, Master Lith.”
“So,” Lith said as he sat down at the chest, they all had designated as his. “Everyone ready? Are we doing this all at once or taking turns?”
“We can go one at a time.” Fayde said as she looked to her grandson. “Let’s start with the youngest.”
“Yes!” Guidry said as he opened his chest. Laying in the chest on a red bed of cloth was a small alabaster disc with the face of a wolf engraved into it. He picked it up, looking it over. “What the heck is this?”
Enki activated Identify. “It’s an Upgrade Token.” He said as the glowing in his eyes dimmed. “It’s of uncommon rarity and has the type of armor or clothing, so I guess that’s what it’s supposed to be used on. It has the theme of Alabaster, so I guess it’ll turn your clothes to stone? I have no idea really.”
“Gears, can you bring me my robes?” Guidry asked his Allum.
“Of course, Master Guidry.” Gears said as it walked upstairs for a moment, promptly returning with his freshly washed and resewn blue robes. Gears had done such a great job of washing and repairing the robes that at first Guidry thought they were brand new. He put the token to the clothes and was presented with a system screen.
Upgrade Token
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Armor/Cloth
Theme: Alabaster
Use on Mage Robes (Common)?
Yes No
Guidry immediately hit yes on the screen and the disc disappeared into motes of light that fell into his robes. As the lights disappeared into the robes, small lines of light grey thread appeared in the threads. Within a moment, the lined turned into patters on the robes. Guidry lifted and unfolded the robes. It was now adorned in a grey wolf motif on the front. The collars and sleeves had stone like embellishments woven into them. As he examined the robes, he was presented with a new screen.
Mage Robes of the Alabaster King (Uncommon)
Toughness +20, Lightning Resistance 1, Slash Resist 1, Pierce Resist 1
“Oh wow!” Guidry exclaimed as he read the description of his new clothes. “It boosts my toughness and gives me lightning resistance, slashing resistance, and pierce resistance.”
Enki whistled. “Twenty points isn’t half bad. That’s four levels worth of free points you can pocket now.”
“Nice. I didn’t know that our armor could offer damage resistances, let alone attribute boosts.” Lith commented.
“I’m going to go get changed.” Guidry said as he stood from the table. “No one open their box without me.”
Guidry rushed upstairs and a minute later came down in his upgraded robe. He looked very noble. The wolf motif was perfectly placed on his chest and abdomen. The rock like embellishments adorned his collar, cuffs, and the train of his robes. It even had a grey sash that was wrapped around his waist.
“Very handsome.” Trevor said with a smile as the admired her son. He was already growing quickly, and this world would make him grow up even faster.
The opening of the bronze chests continued, each of them receiving an Upgrade Token. Matia received an Upgrade Token for her shield, turning it into the Kite Shield of the Alabaster King. It gave her the same attribute bonuses as Guidry’s robes and sported a similar wolf motif made of metal on an alabaster base. Enki was next and his token was for his quiver. It gave him a twenty point boost to his dexterity and gave the arrows from his quiver wind resistance +1 and piercing +1. The quiver itself was now coated in grey fur and the arrow heads were a smooth and thin alabaster stone with nearly transparent edges. Trevor, similar to her younger brother, got an Upgrade token for one of her short swords. She was hesitant at first, but used the token on her left-handed sword, transforming it into a claw mounted on a hilt bound by leather. It was appropriately named Claw of the Alabaster King and had the same boons as Enki’s new quiver full of arrows. She wasn’t sure what wind resistance +1 would do for her new sword, but time would tell. Lith decided to pocket his token for later use, as upgrading his currently altered clothing seemed pointless to him at the moment. Fayde, last to open her bronze chest, also got a token for her swords and used it on her primary shashka, turning it into the Fang of the Alabaster King.
Directly following Fayde using her token, their level up screen appeared, presenting them with attribute boosts, free points, and new, improved skill options. Fayde was presented with elemental sword skills, Flame Blade, Wind Scythe, Waterfall Cut, as well as two other skills Dividing Strike and Aura of Dominance. Flame Blade set her weapons ablaze with her mana. Wind Scythe let her throw a projectile of condensed air with a swipe of her blade. Waterfall Cut increased the reach and power of her downward slash. Dividing Strike used spacial forces to split almost any object. Lastly, Aura of Dominance created a domain around her that weakened the effect of a person’s Will and Toughness attributes. She was split between Waterfall Cut and Aura of Dominance, but eventually decided on Aura of Dominance.
Lith was presented with Mana Strike and Purify again, but was also presented with three new skill options, Air Step, Leeching Aura, and Regeneration. Mana Strike and Air Step would both increase his combat efficiency. Air Step would allow him to walk on air for a moment, which would improve his maneuverability. Purify and Regeneration both fit into a Healer’s skill list, with regeneration allowing one to regrow or reattach limbs using the caster’s mana and the affected person’s vital energy. Leaching Aura was a standout skill, however. It created an area around him that would slowly sap the energy of people around him and boost the loss to Lith’s own attributes. He wasn’t sure about how strong enemies on the next floor would be, but with how quickly combat was going at the moment, the skill, despite how good it could be, would be ineffective for him currently. As handy as Air Step could be, Regeneration would be the better choice he decided. It would allow him to not only better take care of his family, but anyone else in the tower as they climbed.
Trevor was given Vanishing Blade, Burning Slash, Blazing Trail, Root Bind, and Hand of the Trickster as skill choices for her tenth level. Vanishing Blade and Burning Slash were both sword skills. Vanishing Blade turned the blades of her short swords invisible to everyone but herself so she would know their effective range, turning any piercing strike she made into a gamble. Burning Slash unleashed crescent flames from her blades as she swung them. Blazing Trail was also a fire-based skill but was also a movement skill. It created a tunnel of fire that she could quickly move through. It also burned anything in her path as the tunnel formed, but it could not allow her to pass directly through solid objects. Root Bind simply made thick roots from the ground creep up and grasp the legs of a target. Finally, Hand of the Trickster allowed her to grab things through containers, like if there were money in a pouch or treasure in a chest, she could slip her hand through the container itself and grab something from inside without opening it. A lot of the skills were enticing for their own reasons, but Trevor had a fondness for fire, and between Burning Slash and Blazing Trail, Burning Slash appealed to her ideal combat style the most, giving her a ranged option.
Enki’s skill choices were Teleporting Arrow, Pinning Shot, Misty Shroud, Mistic Eyes, and Invisibility. Teleporting Arrow generated two small portals, one in front of the bow where the arrow would be launched from, and another that could be placed at any point in any direction for the arrow to exit through. Pinning Shot would shoot an arrow that anchored itself to a surface and create a brief barrier on the end of it, trapping a target by whatever appendage they were hit on. Misty Shroud created an area of mist around him that obfuscated him from view but allowed him to see through clearly. The mist would also follow him for however long he had it active. Mistic Eyes would be his third eye-based skill if he chose it, and it would allow him to see the mana around him, natural and mana generated from skills and spells. The last skill, Invisibility, was the most appealing at first, giving him the ability to disappear from normal vision. But if someone else had Mistic Eyes, it would render his skill pointless. Maybe he should focus on ocular skills? He was the spotter of the group after all. He was making do with his archery skills already, and being able to detect an ambush before it happened would serve their group well. Enki chose to follow this path and selected Mistic Eyes.
Matia was surprised by her skill options. She had Earth Strider, Stone Spike, Quaking Step, Summon Golem, and Wrath of Gaia. They were all earth themed. Earth Strider created a connection with the ground beneath her, moving her anywhere still connected to the earth within an area around her. Stone Spike manifested a sharp pillar to impale a target from any hard stone around her. Quaking Step allowed her to step down with force, creating a wave of shaking ground around her. It could create an opening in an otherwise impenetrable defense. Summon Golem was straightforward in that it summoned a stone guardian to help her in combat. Wrath of Gaia conjured a massive earthen hand used to crush enemies. Of all the skills, Summon Golem seemed to be the most useful to her. It would use a portion of her mana to summon the golem, leaving her with the rest to use for Alabaster Skin, but if the Golem could take the majority of the hits, she could save her skill as a last resort and focus more on offense. She chose the skill.
Guidry was the last to choose his skill. They were all themed similar to his last skill selection. Storm Wall, Zepher’s Breath, Chain Lightning, Coursing Step, and Calamity Field. Storm Wall called down a wall of lightning filled clouds. He could create them in any shape, length, and height dependent on how much mana he expended. Zepher’s Breath allowed him to expel powerful gusts of wind that would push even the Alabaster King away from him. Clain Lightning was a better version of Spark Bolt that could arc between opponents. Coursing Step was a movement skill that let him become lightning and move to an area of his choosing. Calamity Fields caused lightning to strike down all around him, striking any enemy not protected by some means, also potentially striking enemies twice or more. Guidry had mana to spare with him putting his free points into Will, so he chose Calamity Fields as his skill. It would save them time when taking out weaker enemies.
With their skills chosen and free points distributed after their fresh level up, the family took the day to relax and go over their plans for the next floors. The goal of the tower, and possibly the system as a whole, was to create their own path in their new world. They were the first to enter the tower. The first to enter the portal and clear a combat floor. The first to level. Depending on how the rest of the climb of the tower played out, and the ongoings in the world outside of the tower, they might be relied upon heavily in the future.
“Anthropo.” called Lith.
“Yes Master Lith?”
“Get in touch with Bas’set. See if Marcell wants to come over here or if he would rather have me go to him. I should talk to him about the tower before we go for another climb.”
“What are you going to tell him?” Fayde asked.
“Just about the Tower and The System. Anything referring to our unique situation will stay out of the conversation.”
“You plan on giving them your token, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” He said with a smile. “There was a young man, Julius, I believe was his name. Marcell had him heal my hand since I was out of mana.”
“You’re betting that the reward chests aren’t a bonus from the ring, but the better skill options were.” She pressed.
“That I am.”
“And if you’re wrong?”
“They we can say it’s because we cleared the floor first.”
“And if we fall behind?”
“We just have to work hard enough to make sure we don’t.”
“Sometimes you being a masochist is a bad thing.”
“Mom!” said Trevor, Enki, and Matia in unison. “We don’t need to know that.”
Lith laughed as he walked behind Fayde’s chair and kissed the top of her head. “You like it, my domineering goddess.” He said in a whisper in her ear. “Ow!”
She had grabbed a handful of his hair and was pulling his face to hers. He looked into her silver blue-green eyes which held passionate violence. He smiled before giving her a mutual kiss.
“Master Lith.” Anthropo chimed in. “Bas’set has relayed that his Master Marcell will host you in his party’s residence for a meeting.”
Later that day, Lith and Anthropo stood outside of a large, gated collection of houses. They all seemed to be multifamily homes, and while the gates did not separate the properties, the entire community area was surrounded. There were groups of people sparing with their Allum in large sand boxes. Everyone seemed to have different weapons, clubs, swords, polearms, daggers, and staffs from a variety of origins. It wasn’t just men either, women were working just as hard at training with their tools of war. Lith looked on in admiration as he approached an opening in the gate where an older man wielding a clubbed staff stood with his Allum, almost as if they were on guard duty. Lith stopped in front of the man as he extended a hand.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Hi.” Lith said.
“Can I help you with something?” the man asked, his hands not moving from their position on his weapon and hip.
Lith scratched the top of his head since it was clear his hand wasn’t going to be shaken. “I was told this is where Marcell stays. Is he available?”
“Why would Marcell want to talk to you?” Lith noticed that the man put emphasis on the word ‘you’ but understood that their collective first day in the tower had already seen some conflict.
“I promised I’d give him some information about the tower once my family and I were done showering and resting.” Lith said with a smile that, he hoped, came off as sincere.
“And how would you know more about the tower?”
“My family and I spent a week in the first combat floor before everyone else arrived.”
“You’re part of that crew?” The man asked as he looked over Lith again.
“Yeah, I’m part of Par Ma’at.”
“What do you know about Par Ma’at?” he asked, raising his brow.
“What, like my family or the meaning of Par Ma’at?” The man didn’t answer, just looking questioningly at Lith waiting for an answer. “There’s my partner, Fayde, my stepson, Enki, my stepdaughter, Trevor, my daughter, Matia, and my grandson, Guidry.” The man was still looking at Lith with a questioning glance. Maybe the man was quizzing Lith on what Par Ma’at meant. “Par Ma’at means House of Ma’at. It is from Khemet, which was what Egypt was called during the time of the Pharos.”
“Good to know you acknowledge culture. Doesn’t tell me who you are.”
“Oh! I’m Lith.” He said with a chuckle, realizing he forgot to introduce himself.
“Mhmm.” The man grunted, seemingly displeased.
Lith stood there with the man for a moment in silence. He was waiting for the man to invite him in. The man knew why Lith was there now, and who he was. Should he ask to enter? Thankfully the silence was broken by a call from a familiar face.
“Antoine! Let him in. Marcell has a meeting with him.” The voice came from Julius who was walking out of a house at the center of the compound.
Julius, like Lith, was wearing white robes, but Julius’s robes still had the sleeves attached. A notable amount of sweat could be seen on his face and darkening his robes. Had Julius been working out too? The older man, Antoine, motioned his head for Lith to enter, his eyes never leaving Lith as he entered the compound.
“Remember to respect where things come from.” Antoine said as Lith passed through the gates.
“Yes sir Mr. Antoine. Always will.” Lith said with a nod.
“What was that about?” Julius asked as he and Lith met inside the compound.
“He seems to take his position as guard seriously.” Lith answered as Julius led them towards the building he had just exited. “Just making sure I was the person Marcell was supposed to have a meeting with.”
“Yeah, Antoine has been standing at the gate since he talked with Marcell a few hours ago. Dante is going to relieve him in a bit.”
“Dante is one of the guys who escorted me back to my home, right? Him and Tremel.”
“That’s right. Did you speak with them on the way?”
“No, I heard Marcell call for them as I walked away.”
“You heard that? You should have been out of ear shot by then.”
“You haven’t noticed any changes since the beginning of this, have you?”
“Yeah! I used to be two hundred and sixty pounds.” Julius admitted as he patted his stomach. “But the extra weight left me as some weird red mist when I was in the white room. Didn’t you have something similar happen to you and your family?”
“I did.” Lith admitted with a slight smile. Julius had just given him valuable information. If he was to make it seem like he and his family had gone through the integration like everyone else, he needed to know what they all had experienced. Was it bad to lie, especially to a potential ally? Without a doubt, it was. And it weighed on his conscious. So, he would make reparations, giving back what he earned to those who did not get their unique advantage, even if that meant giving up on his own progression. “I had sciatica before all of this. The same red mist seemed to have rid my body of the damage causing me debilitating pain.” Lith elbowed Julius on the arm lightly. “And I shaved off a few unwanted pounds as well.” He said with a laugh, tapping his own stomach.
“We should save this conversation for Marcell. Little point in saying everything twice.” Julius said as he opened the door into the central house.
Calling it a house was true, but also an understatement. It was a large, two winged estate within the compound. It reminded Lith of the White House, where the Presidents of the United States lived during their term, except this house was made of seamless dark steel instead of white marble and wood. As they walked inside, Lith took note of people holding each other, some crying and others conversing. Most were adults and their children, with others of similar ages running around with their Allum bringing small plates of food and glasses of water. Other people with clipboards and writing instruments were talking to groups of families. From what Lith could overhear, they were talking about living arrangements. Hours had passed and yet some people still didn’t have a place to call home.
With so much space, you would think finding a place to build a home would be easy. Then Lith remembered that on his way here, he passed several families seemingly being escorted around. Those without an escort were being verbally harassed by other groups of people. Sometimes, an escorted group would pass by this scene and one of the guards would come over and talk with the group being assaulted before they all rushed past him. Lith now knew they were all being brought here, and as he looked around, he noted that they were all black or indigenous persons of color. Racism was alive and well it seemed. Lith felt rage swell in his heart. Combat wasn’t allowed in the city, as it was a safe zone. You could fight in the arena apparently, but that was done by proxy with the Allum. How that worked he had no idea. Lith just knew that he really felt like punching in the face of racist assholes. Like that Nathaniel guy. He hadn’t come out and said it, but the way he acted as Lith was walking away came off as white fragility. He didn’t get his way, so he got mad and decided that violence was the best course of action.
“Lith?” Julias said as he put a hand on Lith’s shoulder. “You alight man?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Lith said putting on a sorrowful smile. “Just seeing the effects of what is happening to all these people here…” He trailed off a moment. “Let me know what I can do to help when we are done with the meeting.”
“Marcell actually wanted to talk to you about that, I think.” Julius said as he guided them to a second story room in the right wing.
“Marcell.” Julius said as he knocked on the double door to the room. “Lith is here.”
“Come on in.” Marcell said.
Julius opened the door to the room revealing an unarmored Marcell and his Allum, Bas’set, looking out of the window. The room had two couches with a table between them. It was rather bare otherwise, but what could you stock in a room when there was nothing really to stock a room with. Marcell didn’t turn around as Lith entered, so Lith walked over to the window. Bas’set moved as he approached, joining Anthropo to the side of the room. They stood there in silence for a moment.
“What do you see out there?” Marcell asked, his eyes fixated in the distance.
Lith took a moment to observe the scene before them. It was the same as what he saw when he stood outside. There were people training I the sand pits with their Allum. Others were walking in and out of the buildings of the compound. Others were simply wondering about the compound. A group outside of the gate came running inside, heading straight for their building. No one but the group being escorted were making a fuss. And yet all of their faces seemed a mix of hope and loss. Beyond the gates, Lith noticed a group of pale skinned young men standing across the way from Marcell’s compound. As a young man ran back to the group, another was sent away in the same direction. The group didn’t look intimidating to Lith, but that could have been because he knew he was stronger. To everyone else, the people inside the compound, those men represented everything that should have died a long time ago. Bigotry. Hatred. Racism. Classism. The system of the old world, which should have died the moment they were initiated into their new reality. Humans truly were flawed creatures.
“Division.” Lith said as he staired at the group of pale skinned people across the way. “And Hope.”
Marcell moved finally, looking directly at Lith. Their eyes met. There was a fire in Marcell’s eyes. Passion. A desire to grow and see his community grow. Lith felt for him. He wanted to see his own family grow. But should it end there? Should all that he cares about be his own family? He already made his decision, however. He would help Marcell and his community grow. He would not be what caused the prejudices of the old world carry on into their new world.
“It’s good you can see things clearly, Lith.” Marcell said as he stepped back from the window and moved to one of the couches. Lith followed him and sat on the couch opposite him. “Strange name by the way.” He continued as he took a sip from a glass of water. “Where does it come from?”
“It’s old Greek. Means stone.” Lith answered as Anthropo brought him a glass of water, which he also sipped.
“And Anthropo?” Marcell gestured to Lith’s Allum.
“Same origin. Means human.”
Marcell laughed. “A human named Stone, and a machine named Human. Man, are you strange.”
“Do you know what your name means, Marcell?” Lith asked as he set his water on the table.
“War.” He said, also putting his glass to the table. “Roman, however, to your Greek. It’s a derivative of Mars, God of War.” Marcell smiled. “And Bas’set is just Khemetic inspiration. So far as I know, it has no real meaning aside from being a name.”
“It’s not a combination of Bast and Seth?” Lith asked “A protector Goddess and a war God.”
Marcell’s toothy smile shrank to a smirk. “You got me.” He rose his hands as if to say, ‘I give up’. “More versed than I took you for. But enough of names and origins.” His hands came to rest in his lap as he crossed one leg over his knee. “We’re here to exchange information.”
Lith and Marcell talked about their integrations, Lith prompting Marcell first to make sure the information Julius gave him was accurate. He had left out the white, ghost-like entity that answered a few questions before they were forced to choose a class. Lith offered up a similar story, explaining that he held out questions until after the trial was selected, which his own ghost allowed because no questions were asked. He had no real explanation for why they showed up seemingly a week early. There were no waves of mass disappearances. Had they gone missing a week early during their dinner? That didn’t make sense to Lith. Sum seemed to absorb the red from their galaxy’s projection at the same time, saving their own for last. Something else must have happened. Time dilation perhaps? What could or couldn’t an all-powerful system do? Of course, Lith left that theory and any mention of Sum out of the conversation. It would remain a mystery for both of them. Lith gave Marcell the details of their weeklong excursion into the first combat floor, highlighting Matia’s inability to select a skill at level five, but not disclosing what the skill was, which Marcell accepted. The personal growth of one person might interfere with the growth of another. He explained how leveling worked, and their theories on the attributes they all had now, teaching Marcell how to bring up his own status screen. He did go over the fact that there were different kinds of skills one could learn. Defensive, offensive, aura, ocular, and spells.
“There is one more thing.” Lith said as he took out his upgrade token. “We each received one of these after we completed the floor. Our Allum were waiting with them inside our homes. They came in what the screen called a Bronze Box. I’m not sure if we got it because we were the first to clear a floor or if it will be granted to everyone as they clear a floor.” Lith placed the token on the table and moved it over to Marcell, who picked it up and observed it.
“What is it?” Marcell asked.
“It’s an upgrade token. This one in particular is for clothes or armor, so anyone should be able to use it. It has a theme based off the boss monster of the floor, the Alabaster King.”
“You haven’t used it yet?” Marcell asked as he looked it over. Lith shook his head ‘no’. “So why show this to me?”
“I want you, or someone in your group, to have it.” Lith stated, his eye meeting with Marcell’s again. They held the stare for a moment, gaging each other’s reactions.
“Julius.” Marcell called.
The door opened, revealing Julius who had been standing outside for them to finish.
“Yes Marcell.” The young man answered.
“Use this on your robes.” Marcell said as he tossed the token to him.
Julius fumbled the token a bit before clasping it tight in his hands.
“What is it?” the young man asked.
“A gift from our new friend.” Marcell answered.
“Oh.” Julius said as he looked it over. “How do I use it?”
“Place it to your clothes and accept the system prompt.” Lith advised.
Julius touched the token to his clothes and tapped something imperceptible in the air. They watched as his pure white robes gained a light grey embellishment. In contrast to Guidry’s robes, Julius’s did not gain a wolf motif on his chest. The cuffs of the robes instead were cut, trimmed, and lined to form an open wolf mouth. He also got a wolf fur shawl that lay over his shoulders. Lith’s eyes widened as the divergence from his grandson’s clothes, and a bit of regret filled his heart. He had expected the robes to look exactly like Guidry’s. Lith looked down as his own cloth wrapped arms and hands. What would have happened if he used the token?
“Regretting your decision?” Marcell asked as Julius looked over his new clothes.
“Would be lying if I said no.” Lith admitted. “But I’ll undoubtedly come across something else as we climb.”
“Hmm.” Marcell considered as he looked over Julius. “You fight with your hands even though you are a healer?” He asked Lith.
“Yeah.” Lith answered. “That’s how I got my hand injured.”
“I see.” Marcell said as he looked over to his Allum, Bas’set. They didn’t speak, and Lith assumed that they were communicating with the Allum’s unique ability to read the surface of one’s mind. What was being said? A moment later, Bas’set bowed slightly to them both before leaving the room. “Give it a moment.” Marcell said as Lith looked at him inquisitively. A few minutes later, Bas’set had returned with two sleeves of armor. “For you.” Marcell offered.
“I can’t take that.” Lith said. Marcell was giving him part of his armor which would help him survive the climb of the tower. To take part of Marcell’s protective gear from him didn’t seem right.
“We shared information, although it was mostly you giving us information we lacked. On top of that, you gave us a gift from the tower. Before all of this I would have taken it and given you nothing.” Marcell admitted with a sigh. “But this is a new world. You’ve given me and my people an advantage in sharing your resources unprompted. I have a feeling it’s because of the social climate from before. Let me be clear. We don’t need pity or handouts. We need allies. Allies share resources. You made it more likely one of my healers would survive this trial so I’m doing the same in return. Quid pro quo.”
Lith nodded, his head lowered. He had been setting himself up in the role of the white savior unintentionally and in spite of his indigenous latine heritage. Marcell was right. They didn’t need his pity or a handout. If they were supposed to face their new reality after the trial ended, they would both need allies.
“Thank you, Marcell.” He said after a moment of personal introspection. He stood and took the armor from Bas’set. “Do you mind if I put them on now?”
“Of course.” Marcell insisted.
It took Anthropo and Bas’set only a minute to fit the armor to Lith. Undoing the cloth ropes on Lith’s arms and hands, they made a lattice work that secured the metal rerebrace to his upper arms. The lattice work distributed the weight over his shoulders and chest, as he had no padding, pauldrons, or breastplate to attach them to. The gauntlet and vambrace were essentially one piece connected with long leather gloves. The leather straps of the vambraces tightened just below his elbow and above his wrist, restraining it in place. Lith flexed and tested the range of motion in the armor before letting out a few jabs.
“It fits well.” Lith said as he sat back down. “Thank you, Marcell.”
“As I said, quid pro quo. No need for thanks.” Marcell replied. “There was one other thing.”
“Of course.”
“I’m sure you’ve noticed the hostilities around town.” Marcell more suggested than asked. Lith nodded his head in agreement. “The Allum are still preventing physical conflict from happening in the city, but some people are still using segregation tactics to weaken and disenfranchise the BIOPC community. They are being pushed to housing areas further and further away from the portal. We understand that portal access is unrestricted and that anyone can enter the portal at any time, but we are already seeing sections of the city being policed, for lack of better words, in favor of, and I’ll just say it, white people.”
“What would you like me to do?” Lith asked.
“If you see it happening, try to stop it. If your family sees it, have them stop it. If you can, bring them here or find one of my people to bring them here.”
“How will I know which people are yours?”
Marcell snapped his fingers. Bas’set went over to a small box and removed several identical items. It walked over to Lith and handed him six identical items. They were small golden wing pendants.
“We’re calling ourselves The Golden Wings of Ra. These are the emblems we are using to signify our members.”
Lith looked at the emblems for a moment before attaching one of them to his robes. The Allum were capable of basic manufacturing and procurement. It’s how their homes were maintained with food and drink, and the space clothes Lith and his family wore when they got back from the first combat floor. Ra was the first God King of the Khemetic Gods, more commonly known as the Egyptian Gods. Ra was the God of the Sun, Order, Kings, and Sky and was typically depicted as a man with a hawk head. The emblem being a golden wing was a nod to the belief that the skin of the Gods were gold. Why did Lith know all of this? Because Fayde practiced Khemeticism, the religious belief in the Khemetic Gods of Egypt.
“I understand.” Lith said putting the five other pendants in his belt pouch. “I’ll be sure to help anyone I find and send them your way.”
Marcell nodded in thanks. “With that, I believe our business is done.” The men shook hands. “Be sure to come by if you discover anything new. I’ll send messengers if we discover anything as well.”
“When do you think you’ll enter the portal?”
“I plan on taking a group in later today. Just waiting on a few people to get back from escorts.”
“Best of luck, Marcell.”
“Best of luck to you too, Lith.”
Lith stopped to help every group that was being harassed by the would-be policing force on his way home. While he couldn’t attack the men, he could walk himself into them. With his higher Strength and Endurance attributes, he would cause the men to fall over, and the Allum could do nothing because Lith was casually walking into them. He was stopped from stepping on them, potentially breaking bones. It was his way of testing the limits of what the tower and the Allum considered an attack. It also served as a way to demoralize to the would-be police officers in their shining armor. They weren’t the people with power here. He and his family were. If they wanted power, they would have to give up their policing efforts and climb the tower themselves.
Lith kept having to backtrack towards Marcell’s compound but would always run into a group already being escorted to some secured living areas to have their Allum build a home. One person would break off from the group and take over Lith’s escort. Sometimes the groups would thank him, but others just looked at him with confusion in their eyes. It ached his heart with each group, to see people trying to enforce a broken system of racial discrimination. The system brought out the truth in people. Society was gone. Nothing but the Allum could stop their inhibitions. But would that end once the trial was over? He didn’t have an answer.
What seemed like hours later, Lith made it back home. His family was worried about what had taken him so long and where he got his armor from. He took the time to explain his conversation he had with Marcell, passing on his request to help people around the city. With no hesitation, the family agreed and pinned their own golden wing emblem onto their respective attire. They spent a few hours going off in pairs to help Marcell’s efforts before retiring for the evening. Tomorrow, they had another floor to conquer.