Chapter 143

  World Gathers (III)

Cain had learned quite a lot over the course of a few beers with the three Conquerors -- Jake was a Brit poached by Germany. He was on a business trip there when the Towers fell and got stuck inside for months and was immediately 'bought' when he exited. Bren -- fully name Brendan -- was an Irishman who went to Australia for holidays and, just like Jake, got stuck there when the Towers fell and, rather than being poached, chose to stay there permanently.

The woman was Khristina, by birthright a Russian, but was poached by Britain about a month ago when she realized that the Russian government wasn't really paying any attention to her. All three were level 45, in line with his own party which surprised him quite a bit. But, then again, the Towers are abounding with treasures and opportunities; just like he and his own had their own food, so did others -- just in a different place.

Cain had brought them back to his place where Lana waited, curious about the new 'friends' her dad had brought home. Of the three, though all were shocked, Khristina was the most so.

"... you... you, have a kid?" she asked with an incredulous expression, covering her mouth.

"Ha ha, I know, right?" Cain joked, patting Lana's head. "Don't be afraid, firefly. These ruffians may seem like your everyday bandits, but they're kinda nice."

"..." Jake and Bren stealthily flipped him off while Khristina merely glared at him for a moment.

"H-hi," Lana nodded at the three. "I'm Lana."

"... your wife must be a saint." Jake sighed.

"Oh, she is," Cain chuckled as he sat down, prompting others to follow. "Seriously, I do intend to petition the Vatican to canonize her. I might have to inspire them first, though. Hey, sweetie, could you bring my friends a beer each? They're in the fridge. And get yourself some ice-cream while you're at it."

"Sure!!" the young girl exclaimed joyfully, racing over to the kitchen under the smitten eyes of the newcomers.

"She's adorable," Bren said. "Ye' lucked out, man."

"You musta been a saint your past life to get her..." Jake sighed. A saint? Cain mused with a strange look in his eyes. I wish...

"Where's your wife, anyway?" Khristina asked. "I'd like to meet a woman who can put up with you."

"She's in the Tower," Cain replied. "Fighting the baddies."

"... you left her there? Alone?" she arched her brows.

"What do you mean 'I left her there'? That's mightily sexist of you!"

"... really?"

"Bah, she's probably stronger than all you three combined," Cain shrugged as he took one of the cans from Lana. "Besides, she's not alone. There's like fifteen of them."

"So, you're pushing further? You need to slow down, man," Jake joked. "Now the pressure is on us to start clearing the first floor."

"It was an accident, an accident," Cain shrugged it off. "We just went in thinking it was a normal dungeon -- turned out it certainly was not."

"... a lot is changin'," Bren said. "Do you think anything will come out of this gathering?"

"Eh, some things will," Cain said. "Nothing major, I don't think. Everything will equalize in time, though, I imagine."

"What do you mean?" Khristina asked, taking a sip of the beer.

"Well, I mean, it's like war, right?" Cain responded. "At some point, we realized it's probably bad to keep dropping bombs on each other. And most of us stopped doing it... at least frequently. A similar thing will happen to the Towers. Eventually, people will start thinking of themselves as Conquerors first and as whatever country they're from second. Besides, even from what little I've experienced, the second floor is much harder than the first. Can you imagine, then, what the higher ones will be like? Will every country have enough skilled people to actually continue climbing?"

"Oh..." the three exclaimed in understanding as they fell deep in thought for a moment. "So, we just need time," Jake added. "Until we've figured out that the Towers aren't like natural resources."

"Something like that," Cain said. "More and more people are being driven away from them, anyway. It's not a picnic on the inside, as you know. Again, it will be like war. Some will volunteer, but most don't want anything to do with it. We're just still in the initial rush of excitement -- after all, it's magic," he said, lifting his right arm and summoning a tiny kindle of fire. "It's unknown, mysterious, enticing."

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"It's an adventure," Bren echoed the sentiment. "We've always been drawn to the adventures. The romance of it and all that jazz."

"It's like those romantic scenes in the movies," Cain chuckled. "When they're in the rain and it looks awesome and you're thinking 'damn, I wish I could have that moment'. But... when it happens to you, all you can think is how wet and cold and uncomfortable you are. The same thing with this," he added, vanquishing the flames. "It's all fun and games in the beginning, doing superhuman things from the get-go... but then you hit a wall. And that wall bricks you, breaks you, tosses you around... and if you're lucky enough to live, you'll likely never return."

"You hit a wall?" Khristina quizzed.

"Walls," Cain corrected with a chuckle. "But, turns out, I'm a bit of an M. I just... keep going back."

"... we all are," Khristina said. "My first time in, everyone in the group I was a part of died except for me. The second time... three out of ten survived. The third time... four out of fifteen. All the same... I love being inside. It's... freeing."

"Ah, that feeling," Jake chuckled, leaning back. "It's like you suddenly grew a pair of wings and was given the sky."

"Aye," Bren nodded. "But then the wings go up in fires, and you realize you gotta be careful. 'tis a hell of a place, the Tower. What's the second floor like, anyway?" he asked Cain.

"... different," Cain replied after brief thought. "Smaller, I think. But still jam-packed with things that can rip your soul out if you're not careful."

"Would you mind... if I joined you?" Jake suddenly asked. "Not permanently, as you put it, but just to see what's what on the second floor. For about a month or so."

"Count me in," Bren added.

"... fine," Khristina sighed when the other two looked at her. "Me too?"

"Sure," Cain replied. "But I won't be going back inside for at least three-four months."

"Eh? Why?" the three exclaimed in unison, surprised.

"What's the point?" Cain shrugged. "Don't become too enamored with that place, guys. The real life... is out here. Right now, if I was inside, I'd be fighting for my life. Yet, look at me, sitting here, enjoying a beer, playing with my daughter every day, just... relaxing. I go inside the Tower not because I desperately want to climb and get stronger... but so that when I leave, I can afford this kind of life."

"... not all asshole, huh?" Khristina chuckled lightly as she finished off her beer. "Well, to be fair, if I had an angel of a daughter like you... I wouldn't wanna leave either."

"That can be arranged!" Bren exclaimed, prompting Khristina to roll her eyes and Jake and Cain to laugh.

"Not even if you were the last lad on Earth, Bren."

"Ouch..."

"And gals keep sayin' 'shoot your shots, dudes'," Jake said. "And then they go and do this."

"Oh, my all means, shoot your shots," Khristina said. "Just don't shoot at me. My man... will be someone strong, kind, smart, but also have a sensitive side. He'll be a great dad, and be willing to wake me up with a finished breakfast every morning. And he'll love traveling and will be a great Conqueror--"

"--and my woman will be Cleopatra," Jake interrupted. "No, not like Cleopatra. I mean, literally, Cleopatra. Since we're speaking in fantasies here, right?"

"Oh, shut up. Just 'cause you don't measure up, don't mean there aren't guys who do."

"Lemme break that dream for you, Khristie," Bren said. "Even if you dug up every guy ever alongside those still alive, you might find one or two. Might. So, you may as well settle for the next best thing!"

"You?"

"Exactly!"

"Ha ha ha..."

"It's a sad world for a woman when you're 'the next best thing'," Khristina said, though still laughing with the others.

"What's so wrong with me, eh?" Bren pressed. "I'm plenty strong, have just enough smarts, and that sensitive crap? I'll find you a gay friend for that. Plus, I'm a rock-star in bed!"

"... oh God..."

"..." Cain looked at the three with a bemused smile, mellowing out. Luckily, Lana was clever enough to leave the living room and retreat back to hers, no doubt to watch cartoons.

"Wager in, Cain," Bren said after the two stopped their arguing for a moment. "Aren't I a presentable lad, eh? Ye, I got a bit of a belly -- but that's a good thing, right? It means I can drink like the best of 'em!"

"If I were a chick, I'd go after you," Cain said.

"See? Even he agrees!"

"What do you mean 'even he agrees'?" Khristina scoffed. "He probably married the first girl that ever let him touch her!"

"--wrong!" Cain exclaimed. "I married the first girl that ever called me by my first name outside my family!"

"--wait, what?!" others asked.

"I met Em' when I was a wee-young-lad," Cain chuckled. "We're childhood sweethearts, you could say."

"Tsk, lucky bastard..." Jake mumbled.

"Ah, he lived out the fantasy... you lucky bastard indeed..."

"Fantasy?" Khristina asked, puzzled.

"Ye," Bren explained. "When you meet this perfect girl and you grow up with her and you successfully go from just being friends to being bang-buddies and it all works out. But, by God, if it ain't the hardest route to achieve..."

"I had a girl like that," Jake reminisced aloud. "Briana. We met in kindergarten, played together all the time, went to the same schools..."

"What happened?" Cain quizzed.

"Fuckin' Jorn happened is what happened," Jake replied somewhat angrily. "Get this -- junior year in high school, I'm gearing up to ask her out, and this stupid fuckin' perfect-ass Swede with his stupid perfect face and hair and accent gets transferred to our class and of all the girls there... he asks out Briana! God, that guy..."

"Wow, you must have hated him."

"... not really," Jake shrugged. "We became best buds. We still keep in touch. The bastard's got three kids with her. They live in the mountains or some shit. Bleh, whatever. I'm a world-renowned Conqueror and he's some barbarian who skins sheep. At least that's what I tell myself."

"Ha ha ha..." Cain glanced at his watch, sighing that the 'meeting' would resume in just a few hours and that it would be back to geopolitics in which nothing of importance would be said for 99% of the meeting. Why do I have a feeling most of the questions will be tossed at me? He mused while drinking the last of his beer, drifting away while Bren and Khristina continued their arguing and while Jake fell back into his dreams of what could have been.