“You are quite correct. Our masters are quite bored with the current show. They’ve enjoyed what Imuril has given us up until now, but it feels more fun if they’ve each got someone to watch.”
“Won’t they lose their source of entertainment once the tower is cleared though? Why do they want it cleared? Will another one just come to replace it? One with an even higher difficulty?” Dot asked.
“No…” Alathein paused to choose their words carefully.
I knew that even if we were able to tell them everything, they likely wouldn’t believe us. Though the tower’s own system stopping us from speaking about other things is actually useful in this situation.
“You see the tower is” the next part of my sentence was turned into complete gibberish.
“Looks like we can’t explain everything,” Alathein sighed.
“How do we know you’re not messing with us?” Lefty asked.
“They aren’t.”
I was surprised at Quartz’s assistance.
“Look if you guys really don’t want to help me I can do all the-“
Alathein pulled on his hair tightly, “Imuril quiet.”
I bit my lip and looked away from their hand.
“Entertaining the monarchs after the tower is not important to you. As we’ve said before you have everything to gain from this,” I said.
“Provide the monarchs with entertainment, that is all you need to concern yourselves with. Now please ask some more questions before I finish Imuril’s hair.”
“You keep calling him-“
Quartz interrupted, “That’s personal to me, so ignore it.”
They all looked at Quartz.
“You said you gave us more time for the fortieth floor, why?” Lefty asked breaking the silence,
“Is it because it’s similar to the twenty first and the other guild floors?” Paeris asked.
I nodded, “The tower has a few established safe zones. The fortieth is one of them. The safe zones are more heavily monitored by the tower’s system and limit the monarch’s ability to observe them. When you arrive there, it will be the first time that they will be able to see it.”
“So, because you have no idea what the situation is there, and are simply making guesses based on what you know about the other floors and their inaction, you gave us more time to deal with that floor specifically?” Sailhin surmised.
“You were right in your assessment earlier. For all we know, Winged Mercy is guarding the door to the next floor,” Alathein said.
“If they are, then we will need help moving on. Will you be able to do that?”
“I won’t know our limitations until we get there, this Ylandyr person will be of use most likely,” I offered.
Sailhin seemed intent on meeting with him so roping him into the plan would be useful in keeping Sailhin compliant.
“Planning can be left to later,” Alathein chided. “Do any of you have any final questions before I leave?”
Alathein was finishing the final braid for Quartz’s hair.
They shared some glances between them.
“Probably nothing that wouldn’t be related to our plan…” Sailhin said.
“Good, then before I go… I would like to make something very clear. It would be best for you all to remember your place. You are here for our master’s entertainment and nothing more. You don’t have any cards to hold against them. If you displease them in any way, fail to be the entertainment they desire, understand that you will easily be discarded. Having a mana awakening removed from someone isn’t as impossible as it sounds. Though it is quite the painful process. And who’s to say you’ll be able to use mana in the future.”
I steeled my face, I didn’t look at them directly but out of the corner of my eye I saw them let go of Quartz’s hair.
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“Well, all done Imuril. Thank you for sitting so well for me.”
They merely made themselves invisible to anyone but me. They stepped behind me and bit at my ear.
“Put me on his contract list.”
I tried not to react to them. After all, they left me to deal with the collection of glares directed towards me from their harsh statement. I could tell they had left, and saw another message pop up. Repeating their request. I left it up but ignored it for now.
In reality, there was little that the masters had found unentertaining. Other than not climbing there wasn’t much this group could do to piss them off enough that they would consider the process of removing the mana awakening.
Well, other than harming the young master. Though that would be a very easy decision. The young master is the top priority.
“I was really hoping that they wouldn’t leave things on such a foul note. But here we are. Nothing much to do about it.”
“How were they all able to be here in the first place, isn’t this place restricted to us only?”
I was probably unable to reveal the details completely, though that’d probably do more harm than good as for their opinion of Quartz.
“It has to do with my administrative access to the tower’s system. I probably can’t go into detail about it, but I’ll try to discuss parts of it and see where the tower cuts me off. It has to do with Quartz’s official class within the system.”
Dot tilted her head.
“Class? Like with the adventurer guild?”
“Yes, however the tower has a different metric for assigning classes and it generally has no affect on one’s interactions with the tower, it is simply a means of classifying challengers and organizing information. For example Dot and Paeris are labled as mages, while the rest of you are fighters. They are pretty generic but I was” the next few words were censored.
“My class is summoner” Quartz tried, and it was allowed.
“So you and Fluffy are his summons? Then the others are his summons aswell?” Paeris asked.
“Not technically. Their appearance was used in place of their summons and the” more censorship.
“Fluffy has more friends, and Alathein and them just borrowed the contract temporarily.”
I was surprised by how much Quartz had figured out on his own.
“But you can’t use mana? How are you able to summon things?”
“Summons!” Paeris shouted abruptly, “I forgot to ask the mean one about the spirits on my floor!”
“They probably would’ve been censored. If you remember once you arrive on the fiftieth floor, we should be able to explain.”
“Paeris, and Dot, please limit questions to the plan. I’m sure Alcoroth can’t say much. I’d rather not waste time asking questions he’ll just get censored with.”
“Dot I’m sure the reason that Quartz can summon them is just because they removed the price for the summoning.” Paeris said.
Sailhin hit him.
“Right, the plan.”
“So do you really think there’s a possibility that Winged Mercy is guarding the door to the next floor?” Sailhin asked.
“It is a possibility, the reasoning for which has already been brought up. Let’s say that this Ylandyr person wants to clear the tower. If he is part of a guild with the same sentiment, why have they not cleared it? Winged Mercy’s authority reaches far beyond the tower. It would make sense if they wanted to keep the tower so that they maintain their power.”
“So meeting with him and seeing how much help we would be able to get to pass by any theoretical blockade would be the best plan.”
I nodded.
“We should also disguise ourselves. At least, Paeris me and Quartz. Up there, there will be even more eyes on which elves aren’t a part of Winged Mercy. We need to find Ylandyr as inconspicuously as possible.”
“Well, with my new tools I could probably craft some appearance changing tools. Though, if anyone knows you, they’ll see right through it.”
“What are the chances of my cousins beating us there?”
I tried answering but was censored. I then gestured to say slim and nothing happened to stop me.
“Wait, try signing something you know you would be censored for,” Brick signed.
“I manipulated the system to place the appearances of the others in place of the summons that are actually contracted in order to have them appear,” I signed.
“Wow so it only intercepts spoken word? That’s interesting. That means that you can discuss more things with us?” Brick signed.
“It appears that way. Though, only you, Paeris and Dodger are fluent at this point.”
“I’m fluent enough,” Sailhin said.
“This seems like a big flaw in the tower though, if it cared that much about what you were telling us wouldn’t it also sensor the signs?” Paeris wondered allowed.
“The tower is old. I imagine it only functions with a limited supply of information,” Sailhin offered.
“No! What about the library floor! I’m sure that there’s the slightest bit of information about non verbal languages. There’s so much in there, I wish I could’ve stayed longer.”
I chuckled, “the contents of the library are not connected to the tower’s system. And you’re right it is old, very old. There are many flaws within the system, and this is just another part that is able to be exploited for our benefit.”
“However, I doubt the flaws are abundant,” Paeris said.
“Would there be another way to get to the forty first floor? That way we don’t have to go through them?”
“It is possible,” I spoke this time to see if we were discussing something that they brought up, the tower wouldn’t interfere completely, “but I won’t know until we get there.”
“Right, there are no eyes on that floor… Our plan seems clear though, we disguise ourselves, find Ylandyr and figure out the situation on the floor.”
“I’ll need time to craft the items. And quite a bit of time since I need to make three sets. But it’s also my first time doing so, I’ll have to test it out.”
“Then we’ll have to spend the entire break period before continuing, and maybe even the break after the next floor. Is the maximum time still two days?”
“Let’s just see how long it takes me to do one and then we can calculate and prioritize. I’ll get started.”
Dot seemed to be more eager to get to use her gift then to assist in the plan. Either way, the end goal was the same and that’s all that mattered.
Everything had seemed to be progressing smoothly. Dot succeeded on her second attempt right before the time limit was reached. However, nothing ever goes as smoothly as we want.
And Quartz throwing a punch at Dot, was unequivocally an interruption no one could’ve foreseen.