We stepped out into an almost identical pavilion, except that this one was atop a grassy hill and there weren't as many people within as there were on the floor below us.

“Why was that such an obvious coded message?” I asked, taking Mezu off my shoulders and pulling the cloak off of him.

“Winged Mercy just threatened us to stop bringing in elves.”

“To stop? Do you have a lot of elves?”

“No, you just happen to be the third in the past month. Winged Mercy has the highest population of elves in their ranks. Though it's not a large percentage since elves tend not to even come to the tower at all.”

Kayden held his hand out and I passed the cloak to him. He took it in one hand and held out the other.

Alcoroth hit one of the earrings to remind me and I took them out handing them over.

Kayden pocketed them and immediately started walking.

“It looks like those two elves will be part of your party then. It would be best to get them started climbing as quickly as possible. If they have their own party already, then you’ll join them.”

What are the chances those two elves are possible Monarchs’ Avatars? I mean the other question was, did it really matter? The question mark I had seen next to the total means they’re either hiding a number they already know from me because they just don’t want to reveal any information, or that it depends on what I do.

I hoped it was the second thing and not the first because if it was the first then finding specific people would take too long.

“Well as long as I can start climbing as soon as possible, I guess I don’t really care who I’m with.”

We exited the pavilion and headed down the hill towards a group of buildings. The buildings themselves didn’t seem overly decorated. But they were organized in a specific way.

There was a group that was close together and near a large arena-like building. There were two rows of buildings a bit separated from them and then in the general distance and among the farmlands, there were buildings spaced out.

“This floor is owned by the guild. It’s mostly operated by the lower ranks, the higher ranks of all the guilds live up on the fortieth. There, they guard the entrance to the upper floors. Access to the floors owned by guilds is blocked off by whatever system is running the elevator. So, you can only press on buttons that you’ve been given direct access to.”

“So how do we climb after this then? Won’t we be using the elevator?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“The elevator will only get you to the twenty-sixth floor. If I tried to get to the thirtieth and you were with me. While we’d both step off together, I’d be on the thirtieth and you’d be on the twenty-sixth.”

“So that's why they’re training people here. They need to have people actually climb up the floors in order to even build the numbers to fight the guilds.”

Alcoroth clarified for me.

“You’ll take the elevator up to the twenty-sixth and then after you and your party beat each challenge, you’ll move on to the next floor the same way you climbed the first twenty. Once you’re on the fortieth you’ll have the ability to go back to any floor. Well, I say the ability but for any of the floors that you’ve challenged though there’s really no reason for you to do that.”

We made it to the base of the hill, and we headed to one of the buildings grouped by the arena.

“I’ll take you to a room you can use. In the morning I’ll send someone to take you to the dining hall. I have to get caught up on what’s happened since I’ve been gone then I’ll meet you at the dining hall. But if they close up before I get there, head to the arena with the others and I’ll meet you there.”

“Alright.”

The rest of the walk was in silence, and he led me into the building up to a small empty room and then left.

Mezu immediately jumped onto the bed and began to bounce on it. I lay down on the bed next to him. And it wasn’t moments later that the bag was dropped next to me.

“Is your general lack of understanding things the reason you refuse to open this bag, or even mention the person it’s concerning?”

Why couldn’t he just leave it alone?

“So, what if it does, why do you care?”

“Curiosity. I want to know what it is about this bag, that bothers you so much? It has had a greater effect on you than the young master eating your limbs. Which you got accustomed to, way too quickly that it is no longer a source of enjoyment for me. And yet, a simple bag and its contents make you react in such a way.”

“If you’re so interested just look inside.”

I turned away from him.

So what if I got accustomed to feeding Fluffy? After a few times of cutting limbs off, I stopped feeling pain from it. Plus, he looks so happy every time I feed him. Is it really all that hard not to be happy seeing that smile?

“It is not the contents of the back specifically that make me curious. Its how the contents of the bag affect you…. This is probably the last time you’ll really be alone so open it up and deal with it already.”

I stared at the wall. I didn’t want to open it now. Sure, I could lie to Alcoroth about why but I’m not good at that. It’d be harder for me to think up a lie that I think I’d even get away with it than to just tell him the truth. Well, part of the truth at least.

“Lyra and m… the wolf are the only two who died in the dungeon. Whatever is in that bag, he left it to me. I don’t think I can open that before I visit his grave. And I won’t be able to do that until we finish the climb so I can’t open it now.”

“We could have gone there before we started climbing.”

I turned to look at him. Why was he being so persistent?!

“I can barely understand why I got used to feeding Mezu my limbs. What makes you think I can even begin to understand this whole messed up situation?! Or what I even feel about the whole thing when I find out?!”

Alcoroth’s blank stare looking back at me wasn’t helping the situation.

“I don’t get it, any of it…. Why the hell did he try to save me like that and then die? And what the hell did he leave for me? Why did he even think to leave me something? And I’m an idiot so even if I open this I won’t understand.

“It’ll take me a while to even start thinking about it properly, and since you’re the only one here to talk to I’d have to ask you questions about it. If you want me to do this while not being distracted let’s just forget about the bag, okay?!”

My vision was blurry, and I wiped away the tears before they could multiply. I felt Mezu nudge me, but I closed my eyes, I couldn’t look at his face now.