Above, Idris felt the rope undulating in his hands. While wiggling the rope meant halting at every level, the motion conducting to him signified the guaranteed safety of a floor.

Tap— Tap— Tap—

Calculating the story Theodore had descended onto, Idris vaguely heard the hefty clicking of hard heeled boots approaching him from behind.

He knew who it was.

"Great news Qi Rui. The 18th floor is clear for landing." Idris turned around and told Qi Rui about Theodore's discovery.

"Congrats to him! He must have been shitting bricks before finding a safe spot." She commented while fiddling with a strange device enveloped around her hands.

It was a robotic device attached to the joints on her hands like gloves. From Idris's perspective, the mechanical glove looked similar to the intricate design of exoskeletons he has seen in many sci-fi movies.

"That looks like some advanced technology right there. Where'd you get that from?" Although Idris's personality was timid and taciturn, even he couldn't help but to point out Qi Rui's hand exoskeleton.

Clicking a final strap into its socket, Qi Rui flexed her fingers as the jointed device assisted her action. "It's nothing particularly amazing. Just some fabrication of the police corps."

Intercepting Idris's look of skepticism with a stern gaze, she added on in a carefree tone. "It's up to you to believe me or not. I just happen to be in a really good police corps." By the time she ended her sentence, Qi Rui has sauntered pass Idris, wrapping her fingers and exoskeleton around the sturdy elevator cable extending down the pitch black abyss.

Idris remained quiet, still warily observing the robotic glove worn by Qi Rui.

'Maybe she really is an agent or a spy like we suspected.' Idris thought, getting one step closer to his speculations earlier.

"Get over it! A flimsy glove shouldn't ruin our guild's dynamic." Qi Rui's voice and the screeching of friction echoed throughout the empty shaft as she slid down the elevator cables without any protective gear, relying solely on the machine wrapped around her hand. "I just happen to also have an extra pair of climbing gear on your desk. See you downstairs Tyler."

Idris stood in silence, grasping the cardboard picture frame in his suit pocket. Shaking his head resignedly, he returned to his desk.

"Welcome my guild fellow members! What's your name? Oh my! How rude of me to not introduce myself!"

Blabbering about in pride, a scrawny man gestured his hands in the air in excitement as he scanned through the group of people in front of him.

Opening the elevator panel for the 'hero' descending down the elevator shaft, none of them expected a weirdo who had an obsession with fantasy to show up. But nonetheless, Theodore was a beacon of hope to them. While they were clueless and lost, he at least possessed more information about the bizarre situation than any of them combined.

The department working on this story ends their shifts earlier than Theodore's. Fortunately for the remaining six employees still working overtime, only one of them turned. After successfully overpowering the lone zombie, they didn't dare to leave the premises at all. With a world overtaken with chaos and blood thirsty monsters, none of them were willing to exit from the emergency door.

"You there… Roko is it?" Theodore leaned forward and read out one of the employee's name tag. The man he targeted had the biggest size in the group, but of course, nothing comparable to Idris's towering stance.

"Yes it is." Scanning Theodore up and down, Roko replied.

Theodore nodded, remembering his name. The unsteady voice on the other side of the elevators belonged to this man and Theodore recognized it.

But that wasn't the main reason Theodore paid extra attention to Roko's name. Instead, it was because Roko was the one who pried open the elevator panels.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

What Idris perceived as an undulating motion was actually Theodore stroking the rope connected to him enthusiastically. As any sane individual would react to a man jerking off a rope, Roko's opinion of Theodore's ability may have shifted slightly.

"Ok Roko. Since you're the biggest guy here, I'll consider giving you a decent position!" Rubbing his chin, Theodore declared. "From now on, you are part of the fight department! Sounds good?"

"Fight Depar—"

Not waiting for an answer, Theodore finished Roko's sentence. "Great! Now we have more manpower!"

"Hold up! I never agreed to…."

An abrupt metallic screech emanated from within the elevator shaft, cutting off his rebuttal mid sentence. Swooping out from the empty shaft like an elegant falcon, a voluptuous figure somersaulted into the hallway, landing perfectly on her two feet.

"Good job Theodore! As expected of a guild leader." Stunning the survivors with her dramatic entrance, Qi Rui tilted her head up to let her voluminous hair cascade behind her ears. Blinking alluringly at the five survivors, she fluffed her hair with her fingers. "I assume he's introduced himself. Isn't he just so reliable?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"We love his bubbly personality!"

"He was so heroic!"

Entranced by Qi Rui's charisma, both men and women survivors declared their undying support for Theodore, including Roko, who a second ago was still doubting Theodore's ability.

"Incredible news to hear!" Covering her lips with her hands, Qi Rui smiled with her eyes.

"She stole my spotlight again…" Theodore murmured in dissatisfaction. Rather than being enchanted by his leadership, they were attracted by Qi Rui's charisma instead.

Equipped with Qi Rui's supply of climbing gear, Idris has by then descended the dangerous drop cautiously. He could smell the pungent odor of oil and musty oxidation during his descent, irritating a certain part of his brain.

With the undersized harness coiled tightly around his waist, Idris's weight was sufficiently sustained by the rope attached to him, but his heart strained in unease. Years of mindless working and grief has somewhat severed the operation of his senses and emotions, yet there was nothing that would have prepared him for such a major upheave in his life.

Rappelling down the elevator shaft, Idris found the agape elevator panels and made his way into the 18th story.

Theodore was barking commands at the two women and three men in front of him at the end of the corridor, while Qi Rui fiddled with the mechanic device in her hands, scrubbing off some grime and filth off the center of its palm.

"Ah cavalry is here." Theodore grinned cheerfully at the sight of Idris, motioning him to come over. "Tyler, this is our new members!"

Showcasing an potent demeanor, Idris guided his eyes onto the fellow survivors and simply nodded. It was enough for the survivors to cease their little shuffling as they tried to embrace the unusual dynamic of the group they have joined.

"What's the next move Theodore?" Idris asked with his deep voice, taking off the backpack slung over his broad shoulders. He proceeded to pour out the contents inside, revealing a diversity of lethal kitchen ware.

Thanking him with a firm pat on his back, Theodore begun to hand out the equipment to his fellow members. "Our ultimate destination should be the center.... the obelisk that spawned outside."

"According to Theodore, we should be able to make our way down through the emergency exit on this floor." Approaching them, Qi Rui continued on the plan. "If we are coordinated enough, we should be able to reach the heavy duty trucks parked at the basement. From that point on, reaching the obelisk should not be a huge problem."

As Theodore explained the survivors' unanswered questions, Idris one again caressed the cardboard picture frame etched in his front suit pocket. The strategy seemed straightforward, yet it was precisely this that evoked nervousness in Idris. Perhaps Theodore's knowledge and Qi Rui's mystique compensated for the strategy's risks, but nothing is ever completely guaranteed.

Calming his heart down with the photograph of his family as comfort, Idris glanced out the architectural glass where the silhouette of a towering structure could be seen.

"Time to execute the plan Tyler."

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Idris averted his eyes away from the obelisk outside and onto the man standing beside him. Unlike usual, Theodore bore a serious expression. "Thinking about your family again?"

"No. Not this time." Idris sighed.

Gazing longingly at the outline of the towering obelisk, Theodore seemed to have made a vital decision. "Expressing emotions aren't your thing, but I know you're a smart man. Trust me on this one Tyler." Before pointing into the distance, he hesitated to check if any ears had picked up on his discussion. "Though that alien structure ain't omnipotent, but it might have something you're looking for."

The moonlight splashed its mellow rays on Theodore's face. Despite only being in his late twenties, his youthful facial features suddenly appeared more grizzled than his actual age.

Was this the immature friend he's known since childhood?

Idris didn't know. But it didn't really matter.

Theodore had slapped Idris in the back, laughing away the grave atmosphere. "Cheer up a little Tyler! Have I ever lied to you? Never mind, I probably have. But trust me on the promise I made. That tower has good stuff waiting for you, if you're willing to strive for it."

"You promise?" Idris clenched the cardboard picture frame gently, whispering as a speck of hope ignited his heart.

"Pinky promise!" Theodore snickered, reaching out his pinky finger as he wiggled it passionately. "Let's do this Tyler."

"No. I'm not pinky promising at this age."

"Oh come on Tyler!"

"No."

"For old time's sake!"

"I guess… fine."

Idris and Theodore's pinky intertwined awkwardly under the glossy moonlight, signaling a reestablishment of their long lasting friendship.