Fandom &nbsp; [Closed] Tower of God: Alpha Perspective

The One Eyed Bandit · Jun 17, 2020

"So what, it's like a camera?" Areum picked up the mirror and examined it as the clerk detailed the particularities of its functions. She ran her fingers over the silver gilding that lined its frame, allowing her skin to sink in and out of the intricate network of crags and carvings. If the girl were to be frank, she didn't really see the point of the thing. She was pretty sure her pocket could serve the same function and then some, but on the other hand, it was very pretty.

"I can't say I see the practical point of this kind of thing. I guess a souvenir is right, huh?" She joked, half to the clerk and half to herself. "But, seeing as that's what I'm in the market for anyway..." She started to reach for her Pocket, but her voice trailed off as she heard another patron enter the establishment. On reflex, her eyes darted over her shoulder, just in time to catch sight of the horned perpetrator as she forced her way into the conversation.

Without skipping a beat, whatever semblance of composure she'd managed to recollect since her flight from the testing site crumbled. Ji-Hyeon. The horned woman was clearly trying to hide her identity but did she think she was idiot?

She knew what someone with a busted arm looked like when they walked. It was a familiar enough sight in the mirror, after all. Between that, the amazonian build, her green hair, the grating voice, and the obvious attempt to go incognito, the identity of this 'mysterious customer' was painfully obvious.

And she did mean painful.

It was like someone had forced her to drink an inky-black potion of negative emotions. She could feel all the anger and frustration of the last hour past welling up again, a bubbling hot spring of irritation welling up in her gut and threaten to transform into a geyser. Her lips drifted closed, and she slid the trinket back onto the counter. A short time passed, and her eyes lingered on the other woman. She could very well tell what would happen if she tried to speak to her right now. It'd be like using a needle to puncture a balloon.

Once she realized where she was looking, her attention snapped back to the storekeeper, if only for a moment.

"Nevermind." She spoke bluntly at the blonde Regular, and placed the mirror back down on the counter with as much gentleness as she could muster. If it weren't for the tattered folds of her dress, it would've been easy to see her muscles tense with the stress of restraint. Her cringe, then, was especially deep when the mirror rang out with a sharp metallic clack, despite her efforts. In the instant that followed a triad of emotions flashed across her eyes, each too brief and faint to distinguish, and then she fled from the store.

At first, she walked slowly, each of her footsteps intentionally laboured as to control her pace, but by the time she'd made it to the exit, her gait had morphed into a proper storm. Once she was within the outside crowds, the girl was only a slight bit of acceleration short of a run.

Every muscle, instinct and desire in Areum's body was screaming at her. She wanted nothing more than to confront the woman, to put her in her place and belabour he with all of the grief she'd put her through; but, a part of her she thought wiser held her back. She could remember it well enough. All of the conflicts she'd started, all of the confrontations she'd thrown herself into, yet she couldn't remember a single one of them making her feel even the slightest bit better.

Just tired. Regardless of if she won or lost her little verbal jousts, all she ever felt afterwards was just tired.

QuirkyAngel

simj26

Azure Sky · Jun 17, 2020

Exnor

He was lucky to say the least. He did not get injured even once throughout the whole ordeal. Yet Exnor could only feel a sense of emptiness as he walked towards the arena. He was surprised about Nyra's direct way of addressing him. She had her own strengths, that is what Exnor believed initially. But she was the same as other Anima. Her Shinheuh where yet other slaves. She was not special. She was the same as others. In fact, what was he thinking? Anima by definition were given that name and position because of the ability to control those creatures. Exnor had that talent as well, but he refused to cultivate it. Controlling other creatures to do one's bidding. The technique of cowards and weaklings. Once one got beyond their pets, they were subpar at best. What a sad family he was born into.

He finally reached his destination. There she was, waiting for Exnor. He vaguely remembered her attempts at trying to appear tough, and her mentioning that she found Exnor disappointing for some reason unknown to him. He could guess what she wanted. Probably upset that he attacked her pet jellyfish. What a hypocrite, controlling them against their will and then showing anger when someone attacked them. Exnor looked at Nyra with his usual defying eyes. Then again, he was a hypocrite too in a way. He realised he didn't care much about Shinheuh. He pitied them, but they were weak enough to be mentally controlled by other weaklings. Weak minds in powerful bodies. The idea that Exnor could eventually defeat any such creature with his martial prowes made him excited.

"Hello, fellow hypocrite. You are likely here to talk about your jellyfish. Let me make this quick: yes, I did attack it. No, I feel no remorse. No, I do not feel the need to explain myself, especially not to you. No, I no longer feel respect towards you. And no, your so-called disappointment, or any threat, has no value to me whatsoever." He smirked, blunt as usual. Was Nyra gonna try and use words to downsize him? Fat chance for that to work. Was she going to attack as he presumed? He would disable her control over the fish and just show her the vast difference in strength. She had her fair share of tricks and powerful Shinheuh, Exnor wasn't going to deny that. But he did not fear the Shinheuh she had, and it would have been laughable for him to fear Nyra herself. He did, however, entertain the idea that she left a trap somewhere. Maybe an invisible Shinheuh. He did start to sharpen his already supernatural senses with Shinsoo. He could pick up even the faintest level of noise, or smell. Pressurized water instead? He'd jump. Giant Shinheuh that would swallow him up? He had a B-Grade dagger. Good enough to carve any of her eels nicely from the inside. Despite his overall confidence, however, he did not underestimate Nyra. Since Tok, Exnor stopped being that arrogant.

Minerva

It was a long day. She almost died, had it not been for Ji-Hyeon's way of dealing with things, Exnor's help (although his demanour did annoy her initially), and the help of Ranker Weiss. That, coupled with the past even of fighting Naseon and having a hollow victory, made Minerva realise she had severe limitations in certain combat and situational departments. She needed more training. More varied training.

"Father, you were wrong..." She thought to herself. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted with the apparition of an unexpected guest. Minerva watched confused as Illiam brought a flower. It was in a bit of a sorry state, but Minerva found the gesture sweet. Too bad he ruined with what followed afterwards out of his mouth. Or rather, the way he said it. He ruined the moment.

"Annoying tone. And very poor choice of words. Also, glad I wasn't taken from you? Is that a confession? I am so terribly sorry, but it can never work between us. I'll have to refuse." Minerva crossed her arms, puffed her cheeks and turned her head to the side. After hearing if he could stay there for a while, Minerva took a better look at him. He was in an unusally sorry state. Almost...vulnerable.

"You can stay, as long as you don't try to annoy me further." She said. As always, a softie.

QuirkyAngel · Jun 17, 2020

Ellia Aris Khun + Derrick

Holding the watch she’d found among Ophidian’s wares, back facing the area of interest, Ellia watched, from the conner of her eyes, as Aerum Eurasia stormed out of the store as soon as another person entered. Well storm wasn’t exactly the right word. It started slow at first, deliberate, as if attempting to reign in the fire within, then gradually picked up the pace.

She recognized the Eurasia scion of course, even with her tattered garbs. As one of the nobles of the Tower, Ellia had taken it upon herself to study all the Great Families and memorize the name of (most) its members—Ranker or otherwise. Politics, and not accidentally insulting those within the noble circle, required that much at least. Aerum Eurasia was especially notable.

There’d been a lot whispers about her when she’d been selected as a potential Candidate.

Even more when she was disowned. Not due to weakness, or improper conduct, or even treason against the crown…but for disobeying her mother. For running away from home and daring to take the Princess Selection test in the first place. In that sense, she and Aerum were completely different. Ellia’s whole life had been listening to her mother. She couldn’t imagine breaking free of the familial bonds that tied her to the only one who truly cared for her. Couldn’t imagine giving up the security she’d known all her life.

Therefore, when she’d first heard of the story of Aerum Eurasia from her mother, Ellia had been mildly curious about the girl. Aris Khun had been talking politics when she brought up the topic, of course—further proof of the Eurasia family’s dissonance from the crown. However, Ellia found herself wondering if Aerum Eurasia was happy making the choice she did.

Judging from what she’d just witnessed…Ellia guessed not.

Blue eyes drifted to the horned figure that had driven Aerum Eurasia away; Female (probably), from the sound of her voice, with a muscular build and green hair. The gait, and the way the arm was held, suggested an injury even with the sleeves covering up the cast—unless of course normal people walked with their arm held up in that manner. Her face couldn’t be seen behind the mask, but the fact that she attempted to hide her state suggested bravado…or simply a desire to not stand out and not be targeted by those that would prey on the weakened.

She did say she was climbing, after all.

Derrick had yet to respond to his second customer, too busy lamenting the crack on the mirror that formed when Aerum “gently” put it down. Mr. Wicker would undoubtedly have to be told and Derrick, poor Derrick, would have to be the messenger. Not the High Ranker probably didn’t already know. The Galleon was a Guide and his main position was Light Bearer, after all. Therefore, the likelihood that Mr. Wicker had a lighthouse somewhere recording the events in his shop was high. Ellia couldn’t feel it. Her skills weren’t nearly enough to challenge a High Ranker. However, probability and logic didn’t let her underestimate someone who’s managed to climb the Inner Tower.

“I am also climbing the tower,” Ellia couldn’t put a solid reason as to why she’d spoken up to fill the silence. Curiosity perhaps. It wasn’t every day you see a normal Regular scaring away someone from the Great Families.“There are two weapons I noticed over here that stand out, but remain within a relatively affordable price range.” Affordable for her at least. "Perhaps they would peak your interest..."

“Ah! You have good eyes, Miss Ellia,” Her comment seemed to have woken Derrick from his depressed, semi-panicked state and he was finally able to give his second customer a good look. The blond clerk led his masked customer to where Ellia was standing, though his hands gestured to one of the weapons Ellia pointed out. A thin red needle. “This here is an ignition weapon crafted from the soul of the master strategist and fisherman, Carmenz Valeo. When ignited, the weapon will talk to you and, in its wisdom, guide and/or assist you verbally through battle. It also makes for a good companion if you’re looking for a friend.”

Personally, Ellia had never heard of Carmenz Valeo.

Derrick then pointed to the other weapon Ellia called to attention—a long katana. “And this one’s been enchanted to be tied to its wielder’s will. It won’t break so long as its wielder’s will for victory doesn’t.”

“Who’s the enchanter?” An enchantment was only as strong as the sorcerer that created it, after all.

Derrick shrugged. “Beats me. I only know what the Boss tells me. By the way, where is Lady Khun?”

“Training is finished for the day so Mother decided she wanted to visit some of the clothing shops in the area. I expect she’ll be here for at least another week.” Or however long it takes Ellia to get a grasp of the Petals of Lightening technique. Once she got the basics down, the rest was just training. “Then I really must continue climbing. Give my thanks to Mr. Wicker for the advice.”

“Did he tell you were Ajax is?”

“He gave me the path I need to take to meet him. The rest is up to my own skills, timing, and luck.” She also knew the guide’s pocket number. “I’d like to purchase this watch as well.”

“Done,” Grinning, Derrick returned his attention to the masked customer. “The affordable ones for most Regulars are all in this area. Let me know if there’s anything else that catches your eye…or you have a particular weapon or armor you’re looking for. We also offer custom orders to repeat customers if you find something you like, but want it to be re-modeled a bit to your liking. Our owner has ties to the Workshop so it isn’t a problem,” Derrick glanced to Ellia as he said the last part and coughed. “So…uh…I’ve been reading the manual for the android and I’m wondering if you can explain this part to me…”

Ellia hadn’t written the manual. His boss had. Evelyn Wicker been the one to guide its creation, so naturally he knew how to operate it and an employee asking their employer for work-related assistance made more sense, logically speaking. However, Ellia ~~was a pushover~~ saw no reason not to help so, after nodding politely at the masked woman, followed Derrick back to the counter where his book was.

simj26

(mentioned:

The One Eyed Bandit )

OverconfidentMagi · Jun 17, 2020

Ha Naseon

Ha Naseon was floating in darkness. Nothing to feel, nothing to think about, nothing to torment himself with, no goal just out of reach to slowly wear down his body and soul. Pain began to bleed into that peaceful dark world as his mind dragged itself back towards consciousness.

"Hey Hana, can you show me how much progress you've made with that technique you were struggling with?" Her voice was cold even after his mind filled it with affection.

"Sure, but I haven't gotten much better since last time," a younger Naseon smiled up at her. He'd had a hard time even forming the baang, and it had barely sucked in any extra shinsoo before exploding weakly. But she didn't laugh at him like his brothers and sisters had when they'd found out that a Ha was trying to learn how to control shinsoo instead of focusing on the family's special enhancement techniques. They hadn't even seen how pathetic his attempts were before laughing. However poorly they thought he'd do, he was probably worse.

After thinking for a few moments, she asked, "Can I offer some advice?"

"Of course!" His reply was instant. She was the entire reason he was trying to learn shinsoo control. No matter what she said to him, if it was her voice saying it he wouldn't disagree.

A blue-white baang formed in her palm. Unlike his that had formed slowly and grown in size, hers came together fully in an instant, all of the shinsoo she needed responding to her unspoken request. "Don't worry about forming a baang right now, you'll get better at that with time and practice." Her words spoke to the comparisons he'd thought but not said, like she could see right through him. "The purpose of this technique is supposed to be defense right?"

Naseon nodded. "It's supposed to suck up a wave controller's attack, but whenever I add shinsoo to it it just blows up."

She thought some more. "It's probably because the amount of shinsoo you can control is low. Once you add more shinsoo to the baang it grows larger and surpasses your maximum. Then-"

"Boom. So I just need to keep practicing putting more shinsoo into a single baang until I can handle it?"

"That would work up to a point, but for a defensive technique you'd want it to be able to handle a big attack coming your way. If the baang could only handle your own maximum shinsoo output it'd be pretty useless against a skilled wave controller."

"You're saying it's useless!? So harsh." He'd been so upset at hearing that the technique he'd worked on for a whole year already was useless.

She realized she might have gone too far as well. "It might not be useless. I'll think about it some more and do research."

When they met again the next week, she'd really put time into figuring out a way Naseon's technique could work. "Compression," was her solution.

"Compression?" Naseon didn't know what she meant until she demonstrated on a rock, shrinking it slightly and then returning it to its normal size. The compression was amazing on its own, but remembering that many years later, what was much more amazing was that she'd probably taught herself to do that basic compression just in the week since they'd last spoken, all so she could help him with his own half-assed technique. She was so talented and amazing it was scary.

"It's not the best solution, but if you compress the baang as it absorbs shinsoo, I think you could maintain it for a little while even if it's beyond what you can control."

"Really? That's great! So if I learn how to do this compression thing I can make my technique work!"

"There's a problem with this solution though. The baang won't be stable, so it's likely to still explode on you if you keep it around long after it's absorbed a lot of shinsoo. And if it's compressed, the blast could be bigger than you realize. You might hurt yourself even if you catch the attack."

Naseon remembered the confused look she'd given him then, since his own face had lit up with excitement. "You're saying I could catch the attack and then have it blow up in their face too!? That's even better! Thank you Renari!"

[Nautilus] The technique that meant the most to Naseon. He'd come up with [Seaweed] by simply copying how she'd used shinsoo, but Nautilus had been something he'd some up with that had only been possible with her helping him. He'd had the idea, she'd guided him. It was special to him, even if now he could see the technique's many flaws and weaknesses. The ideas of a child rarely held up to the tests of time. Why was his half-waking mind choosing to replay this now? Was there even a reason?

Naseon's mind surfaced back into reality. His body hurt. Breathing hurt. When he finally opened his emerald-green eyes and squinted at the light above, there were the remnants of tears still hiding in the corners. In the immediate rush of pain and confusion at his surroundings and situation, his dreams were completely forgotten.

"Oh, you're awake?"

The nurse that had been in the room sounded more surprised than relieved. His injuries this time must be pretty bad. They felt pretty bad. "Damage, tell me," he barked for the woman to skip to what he cared about. Four ribs in splinters, two more well broken, with the organs beneath a mix of stabbed by his own ribs or crushed beneath the foot responsible for his present condition. Shit, was that all? He'd felt enough pain that he'd thought it was something actually serious. "Did you get the bone back in its place at least?"

"Yes. Surgery was done to locate the displaced shards before the bone was set and light healing applied to hold it together. Longer-term recovery will need rest and time. You should keep from moving around to much for a week at least and only minor exertion for a month at least."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, just if my ribs were back where they should be." His body complained as he pushed the blanket covering him off.

"Sir? You really shouldn't move around. You're severely injured. Frankly you shouldn't be up and talking with your injuries and the medication you were given."

"Drugs. I don't need that filthy stuff. Ack-" He tried to bend himself up from the bed but the pain from his chest and ribs forced him back down.

"Sir, please just-"

"Leave. Get out." When the nurse just stood there unsure what to do, Naseon applied shinsoo pressure. The monitors in the room cracked, and then her glasses cracked and the stupid woman fled the room, and Naseon was alone. Weeks? Months? Who did she think he was? He was a Ha, and so long as he could will his body to move, it would obey. At least that was what Naseon told himself as the pain of trying to sit up brought him to tears. His head hit the soft hospital patient pillow. This was so stupid! He needed to get up! He had to find out what had happened to the test. His team had lost, there was very little chance that had changed from when he'd lost consciousness, but he needed to find out if that meant he'd lost as well. Every time he failed a test it meant his goal moved further and further away from him. He couldn't afford to keep repeating tests.

Naseon's fingers explored his injured stomach. That was a lot of bandages. Ah, there was the main injury. He could feel the stitches where either his ribs of that girl's heel had pierced his skin. That was where he tore off the bandages and prodded the wound. Tight stitches, not much room to feel the wound itself. So he tore out the stitches and reopened the injury. Glowing green shinsoo poured into the gash as he explored his body with careful shinsoo tendrils. It felt just like the nurse had said. So long as he didn't move around too much his organs should be able to heal, and the bones just needed time to fuse back together. His lungs had been bruised... so that was why breathing hurt so much. He filled his chest cavity with shinsoo tendrils, surrounding his lung and organs in shells of stabilizing shinsoo, and wrapped his ribs tightly. Naseon tried to sit up again, and aside from a spike of pain behind his eyes and blood from the wound it felt much more doable than before. He gathered another baang of shinsoo and sealed the wound with it. If he maintained that shinsoo keeping everything in place and focused all of his body's internal shinsoo enhancement on the injured parts... Naseon figured he'd be able to fight again after a few days, go all-out after a week or so. Not bad. He'd just have to stay on good behavior.

He made sure to leave his room before that annoying nurse decided to come back. It was far from pleasant or ideal, but by wrapping [Seaweed] around his uncooperative limbs Naseon was able to shuffle slowly down the hallway. Where was he going? He had no idea, he just knew he couldn't lay in bed resting. He couldn't just sit around. Staying still always felt like wasting time, like giving up on something... something. Naseon heard a person speak in the room he'd just shuffled past. Was that Minerva's voice? He wasn't sure he wanted to see her, but he didn't know where he was going and she was someone he knew, sort of. He could at least ask her what had happened with the test.

So he knocked on the door, which had been left slightly open and swung the rest of the way with his clumsy application of brute force. It was indeed Minerva he'd heard, but she wasn't alone. Naseon's green eyes found Minerva in the bed with Illiam sitting beside her. Suddenly he didn't want to be here. "Sorry," he apologized for intruding and reached for the door with shinsoo tendrils that were far more dexterous than his own body at the moment. "Sorry for interrupting," he apologized again. He glanced at Illiam, his own apology reminding him again of his mistake yesterday - was it still yesterday or had he been out longer? - attacking the regular. "And thanks for dealing with John," he added to Illiam. "He really needed to get hit a few times." Naseon retreated from the room he shouldn't have approached in the first place.

He stopped in the hall slumped against the wall, only holding himself up with shinsoo gripping the wall like ivy. Why was everything reminding him of her right now? Getting hurt, pulling himself back together again, seeing those two... His body hurt, his mind was a mess, and his chest ached. It'd be really convenient if he could blame all of what he was feeling now on a concussion and whatever concoction of drugs those quack doctors had forced into him. Suddenly he felt exhausted. Maybe he should have listened to that annoying nurse and just stayed in bed.

Andrita · Jun 18, 2020

To say the least, Seo Young honestly expected to be somewhat brushed off. But to be honest, she was never expected to be somewhat brushed off to such a degree as she was. A simple puffing up of the cheeks could eb considered on Seo Young's face. She then proceeded to try and follow the young man who tried to be helpful. To say the least she was capable of keeping up, she was on her Deer Shinheuh and galloped onward, being surprisingly a lot faster than it's massive size depicted, being able to outmanuever the other individuals and was neck and neck with Jo without much issues.

"Mister Jo. I really want to help you let's be honest. I don't want someone to sacrifice their lives for no reason. Please trust me " . She said, her Deer Shinheuh being ready to fight if need be. In all honesty, she truly does care and wants those to be capable of climbing the tower without death unless it's truly forced upon them. Once she becomes a High Ranker this is her ultimate goal: That of a True Pacifist. She also hated killing beasts too but it seemed making friends with this massive Shinheuh seemed not likely.

OverconfidentMagi · Jun 18, 2020

Collab post with

Azure Sky

Lo Po Bia ExnorvsNyra Carciphi

Nyra stood alone in the center of the arena. As usual, there was a clear bowl cradled in her bandaged arms, and two more lay on the ground on either side of her. A basic observer floated overhead, watching Exnor since he'd entered the arena. Nyra herself hadn't bothered to meet his eyes, keeping her gaze downcast.

"How shameless," her soft voice carried through the space surprisingly well despite her not seeming to raise her volume any. "You weren't content with losing on your own, you felt the need to try to drag others down with you. Is this what being on a team means to you?"

"Now you're just speaking nonsense." Exnor facepalmed, confused at what she said. Losing on his own? What was she talking about? Was that why she called him there? Really? He was not going to get caught in her pace.

"I'm not very smart myself, so I'll try to say it right this time. Here in this arena, you lost. You lost because you're weak. That's not an insult. I'm weak, so I can't be mad at someone for being weak or losing. But to not feel even a little bit bad for losing, for being weak, when you're supposed to be a part of a team, others that are supposed to be able to rely on you..." Nyra's voice that had gotten stronger as she seemed to get angry now fell back to its normal softness. "That's disappointing."

"But I gave you a second chance," she continued without looking at Exnor. "I hate teams more than anything. I hate Illiam more than anyone. But I stayed a part of the team to pass the test. If that wasn't what you wanted, then you should have left the team. I'm angry at you for hurting my shinheuh of course, but I'm more disappointed in myself for leaving it with you in the first place. I should have known by now that small things like teams and trust are completely worthless in this tower." Here, just like the testing floor. Teams were always like this.

"What defines strength is not winning, or losing. But what you learn from it. Ji-Hyeon's win against me yesterday means nothing if she cannot defeat me a second time. Game or not, and meager damage to both parties aside, I did lose. But I also learned from it, and I will grow from it." Exnor took a short pause, still lookig at Nyra intensly with his golden eyes. "As for me being weak... There's many types of weakness. I would know. I was born in a rather pathetic family: Lo Po Bia. A family that prides itself with subjugating phyisically stronger creatures with weaker minds than them, using the special skill of an Anima. A skill that I thought you did not use. Sadly, you do, whether you realise it or not. How can I tell? Because I have it as well, although I refuse using it. That is where my attitude changed. It is easy to hide behind others and make them do the dirty work. Fundamentally, that is cowardice. That is true weakness. Not even one member of my family was up for the task once I got past their pets. Same with any other Anima." He paused again, looking around the arena.

"That is selfish, I agree. My way of thinking is also selfish, as I only care about things that are of direct interest to myself. Teams are formed out of selfishness here too. Did you not trample over other to get here? Did you not do it without a second thought because you wanted to achieve something? You can paint it pretty, like you tried hard not to hurt others, or did not kill anyone, or just tried to survive. But does that mean anything to those that fell for you to rise? Do you truly only wish to survive? You actually want to climb. Like everyone else. My only gripe is with the method." Exnor sighed and looked at Nyra again. "I assume my point of view sounds as foreign to you as yours does to me."

"No," Nyra answered without hesitation, "that's mostly right, I think. We are all selfish. Me being angry at you daring to lose is entirely selfish. You lost while on my team. If that girl hadn't been a fool, she would have chosen to take Illiam for her own team to guarantee her passing the next test. If that happened, I would have lost the test. That's why I'm angry that you dared to lose and then not care at all."

"I always care that I lose. If I didn't, I wouldn't learn from it. Bad move on my part, I agree. I have no proper defense to that one." As always he was frank. "For that, I am sorry." Exnor could have gone on about his battle junkie tendencies, but he knew it was a foreign concept to Nyra.

"Don't you think that's far too arrogant of you? Everyone climbing the tower has to do so by whatever means necessary, using every scrap of power they can manage to get their hands on. You look down on anima because they use the skills they have to climb while rejecting your own. Do you really think so highly of yourself that you can climb the whole tower while half-assing it like you are? If you have any power at all, use it to climb. If you won't, then your dream is a joke and your loses are all earned."

"Ouch. Harsh." Exnor smiled. "I know I am arrogant. But not that arrogant. I do look down on people, Anima especially, and that is indeed my own demise. I was born with a strong body, and a high affinity to Shinsoo, that many do not have. The sad reality is there are maybe less than a hundred of Regulars of the same rank that could put up a fight... out of billions. Weakness is a strong word. Stubornness and hot-headedness are more proper. Also," Exnor grinned, revealing his rather sharp teeth. "I like that challenge! Wait until we reach the top to judge wether or not my dream is a joke." As always confident in himself.

"Illiam is stronger than you," she said matter-of-factly. "Von Hare is stronger than you. John or Drake was stronger than you." She paused. "I think I'm probably stronger than you."

"Ehhhh. That's not a lot of people. And you? Or your Shinheuh? Nuance is important, you know?" Exnor was excited.

Nyra finally raised her head, but still not quite looking at Exnor. She looked around the arena. "I'm glad we talked," she said. "I agree with you about more than I thought. But no matter how much we agree, I didn't ask you to come here to talk really. And you don't seem to have a good reason for hurting my shinheuh, not that I thought you had. Don't worry, I won't kill you. If you'd killed a member of my family I might, but since you only tried, I'll only hurt you." She closed her eyes. "Hear that Yazi, Siri? Only hurt. Don't kill." The observer retreated higher into the air.

Pshhhh!

The moment Nyra finished speaking, Exnor appeared before her using his superhuman speed. His arm was very close to her forehead, ready to release a blast of Shinsoo point blank. His bloodlust was palpable. "You did not even react." Exnor looked at her with cold eyes. Exnor did not want to bully her further if he did not need to. He would blast her, though, the moment he'd see even a movement from her Shinheuh. Choice was hers.

Nyra did not even react. That was not hyperbole, the girl hadn't so much as flinched or looked up at Exnor closing the distance between them, not in response to his implied threat. Without a word from her, two massive bodies burst from the bowls on the ground. A thick golden eel that looked large enough to swallow two Exnor's on top of each other and an only slightly smaller and thinner second eel with inky black skin and sharp yellow eyes. Yazir'el and Xir'ain, the two pit eels that had been with Nyra whens he'd began her climb, and her strongest shinheuh. Without hesitation, their long whip tails ending in a sharp hook lashed out to cut Exnor into three pieces.

Exnor had just one card to play at that point. The Shinsoo in his hand dissipated as he placed what seemed to be a golden key on Nyra's forehead, the moment he chose to touch her.

[Freiheit], his technique to disrupt skills. Particularly those of Anima. It would have at least hampered her eels for a while. But ... she wasn't there. Ah, a projection. Coward to the bitter end. Why was he not surprised?

[Lux Chains]

Chains covered his entire body as he also enhanced it with Shinsoo and prepared for impact. The tails hit, shattering the chains and still leaving nice cuts on Exnor as he was sent flying for towards a wall. He felt that but...

"Heh..."

It did hurt but...

"Hehehehe..."

He was... happy?

"Gah. Hahahahahahahahahaha. I..." his eyes turned slith-shaped. "I live..." A sadistic grin on his face.

"For moments like these!" His bloodlust reached new heights. That was it. That was when he did it. He subconsciously unleashed his mental prowes. His talent since he was born. That of an Anima. The skill that he hated. But it did not work like for others. It just made Shinehuh confused. Because his emotion towards them was not that of an owner towards a pet. It was not even pity as he thought. It was hatred. Because Exnor hated Shinheuh more than anything. They reminded him of himself... just another creature trapped in a cage called the Lo Po Bia family.

The two large eels hissed in pain and shook their bodies as if trying to fight off something invisible around their bodies. The projection of Nyra, maintained by the lighthouse floating inside it, looked around, clearly unsure what was affecting her shinheuh. She glared at Exnor, but again not quite in his direction as she wasn't looking through her projection. "Yazi, Siri. Protect." The eels retreated back to the projection, clearly still struggling against whatever Exnor was doing. "Calm," she said, and the projection began to hum softly to the massive creatures.

"Eh?" Why? They were acting strangely. What happened to them? Exnor was confused. It looked like they were struggling with themselves... Exnor put his hands on his head. In horror, disgust and anger. At himself. It was him. His dreded Anima skill. He could not accept this. Not like this. His bloodlust faded.

"I can't accept winning like this." He blitzed out of the arena, at full speed. "Maybe some other time..." He was apathetic.

Whether it was hearing the nostalgic tune or Exnor leaving the arena, Nyra's eels snapped out of the odd state they'd been put in. Siri hissed in annoyance while Yazi roared in anger and tighteneed its body to rush after its fleeing prey. "Yazi, no," the real Nyra's command rippled through the shinsoo as she entered the arena from a side entrance. The golden eel hissed and stood down. Exnor was fast, probably as fast as any regular on this floor. Yazi could chase him, but by the time she caught him there'd probably be others around. Attacking Exnor in public would be problematic for all sorts of reasons. But she still very much intended to hurt Exnor for attacking a member of her family.

After gathering her shinheuh in their bowls, turning off the projection and recovering her lighthouse and observer, Nyra stood in the arena again, thinkingabout what she should do now. She could return to her "team's" room. Maybe Exnor would return there as well. Any reservations she'd had about facing Exnor directly had been evaporated the moment he'd turned and run. He'd shown himself to be prey, and predators had no reason to fear prey. Or maybe Illiam would be there instead. The thought was slightly less unwelcome than it had been just yesterday.

"Pathetic... This power is pathetic. I...am pathetic." Exnor thought to himself as he ran. Why did he run? He ran because he refused to use the power of an Anima to defeat Shinheuh. But wait... Nyra left her bowls there. There was a projection. She could not have been far. Exnor remembered something and facepalmed. "The bowls were right there damn it." He could have tried to break them if he was not so upset.

He stopped running, reaching the relaxation area. He was feeling down. Why did his Anima powers activate? If they were to activate each time he faced a Shinheuh... would his dream of rejecting everything about an Anima disappear forever? He was a natural at it, his parents explained. But so what? Who cared. Exnor didn't. Causing a bunch of feeble-minded creatures fear, confusion, or a sense of subordination was not something he felt proud of. Yet...

Running away was even more pathetic of him. So he couldn't become an anti-Anima. Not at that specific point in time at least. But he would, eventually. Until then, maybe try the path of a... Counter-Anima? He pondered. Not really exciting. But he was not strong enough to control his own powers. Not yet.

"I need more training." Exnor walked back from where he came from. If the Shinheuh where still there.

"Decide to try to pick up the pride you dropped in your rush to leave?" Nyra hadn't expected Exnor to come scurrying back immediately after fleeing like a scared fish, but she wasn't opposed to continuing. Actually, she very much wanted to settle things sooner. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you ran away from our date, leaving a girl alone surrounded by scary monsters."

Exnor looked at Nyra and sighed. Was she this happy that Exnor ran away? She probably thought he ran because of her Shinheuh. Now she was acting smug. "Big words from a person born with no pride to begin with." Exnor just thought out loud. He then took out a little coin and tossed it at Nyra. He wanted to check wether she was real or not.

"Attack." Black and gold blurred through the air, slicing the coin in half and continuing towards Exnor.

"I dislike this but..."

"Stay back!" Exnor mentally interferred with the Shinehuh again.

Yazi and Siri recoiled from Exnor. It seemed he was doing the same thing as earlier to interfere with her shinheuh. It was a bit different from what she'd expected, but only a bit. Nyra knew she wasn't very smart compared to other regulars, but she wasn't dumb enough to challenge a Lo Po Bia family member as an anima without a plan. "Yazi, Siri. Calm." Her command rippled through the shinsoo and her eels. Instead of fighting to overpower Exnor's influence over her shinheuh, she simply disrupted it enough to release the eels from either effect. And with the eels' release from her control and Exnor's confusion, Nyra walked forward to confront the Lo Po Bia boy herself.

Psshh!

Exnor just blitzed as he did before. Passing the Shinheuh and attempting to finger flick Nyra on the forehead. As a guy that could casually smash concrete, that would hurt regardless.

It was the real Nyra this time. She flinched at his approach and there was resistance when he made contact. Not much resistance. The girl was sent flying, her body bouncing and rolling across the ground. She didn't move when she came to a stop.

A deafening roar shook the air as both of the massive eels reacted to Nyra being hurt. The larger golden eel charged with its entire body at Exnor as the black one passed over Nyra as if checking on her before it hissed and swam to join its sister in attacking Exnor.

"Attack each other!" Another command. But they were not listening. Oh well... Damn it.

He jumped in the air and pushed himself near Nyra again with [Supernova] through jet propulsion. Followed by a quick Shinsoo blast to her general leg area. If one of the Eels would protect her, he could delay the combo attacks of the Shinheuh.

The black eel shielded the girl with its body as the second one came at Exnor from behind, its massive mouth open to swallow the boy whole. The black eel had its mouth open as well, though it wasn't in range to bite Exnor for now.

Repeat. Jump and go backwards using his [Supernova], and throwing his dagger tied to a Shinsoo chain to one of the eel's eyes. If it worked, that was fine. If it didn't, he would be in a pickle. But... he liked the struggle.

Yazir'el twisted her massive head around to chase after her nimble prey, but her sharp needle-like teeth closed on air. No, there was something solid between its teeth. The eel reared its head back and pulled on the golden chain caught between its jaws.

"Oooahhhhhhhhh!" Exnor caught something big. And was pulling his chains very strongly. Enough to pull him too. He was trying to oppose it, but his natural Great Family strength was lower than the supernatural prowes displayed by the eel. He generated another chain in his other arm and proceeded to whip the Shinheuh in the head.

Yazir'el growled as she was hit but refused to loosen her jaws. And while his sister held Exnor in place, Xir'ain lunged forward, first hitting the chains between Exnor and the golden eel with its tail to jerk the human closer and restrict its movement further, and then going in for the kill with its own needle-lined maw.

Exnor had to reluctantly disperse the chains the Shinheuh where holding, losing his beloved dagger forever. He swiftly generated chains in his free arm again, empowered his body with Shinsoo and swung both chains with great force and speed, again using them as whips.

The black eel twisted its body as it retreated from Exnor, and again the eels seemed to trade off which one was attacking. This time it was the golden one again, a wall of golden scales coming at him as it simply swung at him with the side of its long body. And already the black eel was turning back for its next go. The two creatures were coordinating even without the control of their master.

"I did fight way stronger Anima, but these eels are really something else." Exnor thought. They could damage him, but he had very few opportunities to damage them. Annoying. Very annoying. He was not strong enough to fight them in close quarter combat... He would eventually die. He should have run away...

"Oh well...I refuse!" Again Exnor covered his body with chains and braced for impact. Chains destroyed again as he was sent flying into a nearby wall. It hurt, a lot. He slowly got up, and punched himself. That woke him up.

"Umm... The test is over." A voice reverberated through the arena. It was Sasha, who appeared between the eels and Exnor. She was told by higher ups to stop the Regulars that were making cracks in the walls of the brand new arena outside of tests.

"If you wanna kill each other, how about going outside? The weather is marvelous." Sahsa took a look at the aggresive eels and smiled in a sinister way.

"Want me to eat you?" She said as her bracelet cracked, reverting her to her true, uncompressed height which slightly tore her clothes. The Shinsoo pulsed through the arena and the security cameras were acting funny from the pressure.

The two eels hissed and roared at this new creature getting between them and their prey, momentarily confused by it puffing itself up to appear larger, but not much larger. The black eel was more wary than his sister, so it was the golden eel that decided to attack Sasha, its mouth open wide enough to easily swallow her even with her added height.

"Yazi!"

The eel slamed its mouth shut and turned away at a single word from its master. Nyra had sat up, rubbing her eyes and head. The bandages there were stained from the dirt of her landing as well as darker lines where her forhead had split from Exnor's flick. She looked to Sasha once her eyes had focused, but she spoke to her eels. "Getting to do what you want is no excuse for ignoring an order. I told you to hurt, not kill." She slowly got to her feet, the black tail of Xir'ain helping her up. "And you know you aren't allowed to attack someone unless I tell you to or they attack us first." The golden eel rumbled in complaint at being admonished as it swam back to hide its massive body behind Nyra's tiny one.

Seeing the way Nyra treated her Shinheuh made Exnor think that her approach was indeed different from other Anima. But it was strange. They cared about her, but she still controlled them. Was it because their tiny brains would not handle more complex trains of thought? Not like Nyra had particularly complex trains of thought but...

"Ouch." Irrelevant at that point.

"By the way, to which of you should I send the bill for the cracks in the wall?"

"Ehhh..."

"You will share the bill? Wonderful!"

"Eh?"

"I'll pay," Nyra said, golden eyes staring coldly at Exnor. "That should be enough," she finally said to him before picking up her glass bowl and turning and walking towards the arena's exit. The two eels glared at Exnor as they followed her, shrinking down as their long bodies disappeared back inside the bowl.

Exnor sighed and took a look at the now taller Sasha.

"Excuse me."
"Yes, young Lo Po Bia?"
"Can you..." He bowed. "Teach me how to punch harder?"
"Hmmmmm..." Sasha smirked. "It will be dreadful."
"I am ready for that."
"You may die."
"Business as usual."
"Heh. What do you desire?"
Exnor smirked. "To subjugate all Anima."
"Interesting..."

Azure Sky · Jun 19, 2020

Minerva and Von Hare

"Wha-?" Interrupt? What exactly? Minerva pondered for a minute. Oh no, no,no. Minerva jumped out of bed while grabbing Illiam and going to the door, a short while after Naseon closed it.

"You're wrong! You didn't interrupt anything!" Minerva exclaimed, with a faint blush in his cheeks. "Tell him, Herlaa!" Minerva pleaded desperately.

"Rom-com shenanigans already?"
"Huh?" Minerva turned around to see Von Hare, back to his "usual" rabbit-man form. He was in a sour mood as he didn't get to kill his target (Drake), but hearing that the man was crippled because of his own stupidity made Von Hare feel a bit better. Living in suffering was better than dying painfully. A fitting end for a guy like him. He also learnt from Weiss about the concept of Reverse Flow Control, after enquiring about the technique Drake used to stop him from moving. Minerva's reactions elevated his spirits a bit more. She was funny. He saw that Ha dude and the snake arm guy were there as well. He sniffed, he sensed a very common smell. The smell of confusion, coming from Naseon.

"Muuh!" Minerva puffed her cheeks. "You're all a bunch of meanies." She wanted to say more but she saw the rabbit glancing over at Naseon. "Oh, whatever, I don't care anymore."

"Did you want to ask me something, Ha Naseon?"
"If it is a confession. I suggest you reject him. Real keepers bring flowers, or carrots."
"Shut up with the highest respect, Von Hare."
"Lapin..."

Minerva awaited Naseon's reply.

Rantos

25Th Floor- Jungle Test

Oh, the kid was an Anima... Pretty powerful looking Shinheuh...

Jo observed the young Regular as they both ran away from the huge reptile. Ah yes, the huge reptile. For the love of Phantaminum, how could this kid be so calm in such a situation? He seemed very confident...

"Very well, I will listen to your plan."

Meanwhile, a yellow Shinsoo shot hit the reptilian Shinheuh from behind. It lost its balance temporarily, causing it to stop running. It looked around, confused. The confusion slowly turned to anger, which quickly turned into rage. It was firing Shinsoo blasts everywhere. Jo looked at the scene with a pokerface.

"I will listen to your plan really well."

Andrita

OverconfidentMagi · Jun 20, 2020

Ha Naseon

Von Hare. The rabbit. The strongest regular currently taking this floor's tests. Naseon's pride had ignored his existence this whole time.

"Confession?" Naseon's emerald eyes looked at Hare properly for the first time. "Sorry, I already have someone I've decided to love, and I won't waver on that." He was able to say that without a hint of embarrassment. He looked at Minerva's flushed face and then Illiam's... Oh, so that was how it was. "If I got the wrong impression, then I'll apologize for that." But he didn't mean it, not really. Since he'd gone so long without caring what others' impression of him was, Naseon couldn't really sympathize with Minerva being so concerned about what a stranger thought was going on between her and Illiam.

"It didn't really need to be you specifically. I was just looking for someone to ask about the test. How it went, who passed... I don't know anything that happened after I got taken out by your teammate." His body complained about keeping his arm up, so he shifted to lean his back against the wall. "Unless I missed some crazy comeback story, I assume my team lost?" He let out a defeated sigh. During the test he could fight and struggle until the very end, but it was already over, so all he could do was accept the result and try again next time.

QuirkyAngel · Jun 20, 2020

Floor 22 - Dinner at Sugar Palace (Part 1)

(Collab with Brendanfp Rantos simj26 starring Ajax, Selicity, Gladioli, Yeong-Su, and Minseo )

It was no coincidence that Ajax had chosen their dinner meeting place to be in an all-you-can-eat buffet known for its wide selection of cakes and confectionaries. No coincidence that he’d chosen a table next to the window where a colorful platter of sweets was set, presumably left out in the open for any at the table to take their pick. There were other non-sugary options in the restaurant of course. Pastas, vegetables, meats, seafood, etc. A place of variety and quantity was selected over quality since Ajax didn’t have a clue about the sorts of food the other Regulars would like. He’d simply acted on the information provided by Selcity and Sweet while, at the same time, considering what the others would want for dinner, the location, and the likelihood of a certain Princess stopping by.

Ajax checked his pocket as he set down a plate of fish for the lazy, white cat curled in the seat. Upon smelling her dinner, Selicity, the white cat, immediately sat up, jumped on the table, and started gnawing at the cooked marine life.

“I’ve already sent the coordinates, so they should be here soon. You should go ahead and pick out what you like, Miss Sweet. It’s a self-serve restaurant.”

Gladioli Sweet’s eyes lit up like many fireworks in the sky during a festival when she caught sight of the food spread out in front of her. "Whoaaaaa!" she could only exclaim in awe. She had never seen such a display of gluttony set in front of her before, much less had the opportunity to taste it. She had always been one for thrifty expenditure, and always found the fortitude to resist splurging on any more than she needed, on account of the limited space in her wallet. Unable to summon any more words in response to Ajax's invitation, she could only nod dumbly, before she set herself upon the food, foraging as much as she could fit upon a single plate.

Selicity stopped eating for a moment to lift her head and lick her lips. “Are you sure Princess Haewon will show up?”

“Based on what you two told me about her, there’s a high probability she would choose an establishment like this one to dine,” Ajax replied to the cat. “But data is just data in the end. If people could be predicted solely based on data, the tower would be much easier to climb.”

Taking a seat at their table, Ajax simply watched as their new sharpshooter gathered as much food as she could in a single plate. Not being a picky eater was a good thing. It meant he didn’t need to worry as much when making purchases or preparing food for their new teammate. Judging from how her eyes lit up at the sight of all the edibles spread out, Ajax guessed she was sort to reserve her points for the climb. Proper practice for those who wanted to get to the top of the tower, really. If only Selcity practiced such frugality, Ajax wouldn’t be the one in charge of their collective points. Alas, financial budgeting wasn’t one of the finer points of the Cat Sidhe’s skill set when he’d first been introduced to her. Their team didn’t actually eat out much since Ajax didn’t eat and Sel was content to consume whatever food was prepared by the living ignition weapon, but, in Ajax’s mind, acquiring teammates was well worth the expenditure.

His boss, at the very least, approved.

“Oh, by the way Miss Sweet, while you’re eating, could I also bother you to keep an eye out for our target? Let me know when you see them arrive.”

"Hm? Oh yeah sure," Gladioli replied, muffled,as she returned to their table, carrying a veritable mountain of food in two plates, some of them already shoveled into her mouth.

***

The light of day had long since dwindled to nothing, and the air was cooler and damper than it had been... midnight had arrived. The night sky was clear, only illuminated by smattering of luminous stars and the radiance of the full moon.

Minseo stood awkwardly before the wide wooden doors of a restaurant. To her left floated a single stark white lighthouse. Its light has been dimmed so that its light was not so blinding. On her left stood her partner, Yeong-Su. The two had come here to discuss a partnership with an odd pair they had met earlier that day, and Minseo was taking the meeting very seriously. She had even put in a bit of extra effort into her appearance, which she usually didn’t worry about. She wore a plain white shirtdress and her hair was placed up into a bun. The thought of wearing more classy shoes had crossed her mind, but in the end the comfort of her sneaker had won her over. Her eyes raised to the large neon sign above the door frame. Soft pink light from the sign invaded the surrounding darkness. Sugar Palace, the sign read.

Minseo turned to her partner, “Well, this is the place,” she sighed as she gestured at her lighthouse which displayed the same name, Sugar Palace, in a message from Ajax.

“I can appreciate his choice in restaurants at least.” Yeong-Su spoke from behind his partner. Directly behind. During their walk over, Yeong-Su had been riding Mun’s heels so to speak. His feet dragged as they were pulled by a string, made for his convenience, and tied to Mun for his comfort. As they stopped, and Mun turned, Yeong-Su finally took a step away so she wouldn’t be looking directly into his chest. “Must we really Mun?” One more time Yeong-Su made his hesitation known. As if the myriad times before this moment weren’t enough.

Minseo took a moment to dismiss her lighthouse back into invisible mode. She heard the underlying uneasiness in her partner's voice. It made sense. They were considering entering into a partnership with a strange pair of individuals they had only met hours ago. One of whom they had no information on at all. Simply put, if they went through with this, it would be a lot of change at once. Minseo furrowed her brows and averted her eyes for a moment, “Look, I understand how this must make you feel… all the change I mean. It’s gotta be hard.” Suddenly Minseo shifted her gaze from aversion to intense cold focus, “This is an opportunity that we can’t just pass up.”

Yeong-Su was worried for a moment. She was dressed to the nines, nine layers that brought Yeong-Su to wretch. Yeong-Su was worried the woman before him was someone he no longer knew. Worries crushed one and all under the weight of Mun’s cold expression, that remained still the same since the day he had met her. Yeong-Su was the first to move now, opening one of the doors as to let Mun inside. “I’ll leave the talking to you then.”

Minseo nodded in agreeance and then entered through the overly large door frame. A second later the door closed audibly behind the two as Yeong-Su entered behind her. The pair proceeded into the establishment scanning the tables for the odd duo.

***

Meanwhile, from a rectangular table near the corner of the room, next to an open window, where a lamp from above shone...

"Sir?" Gladioli addressed Ajax, as she swallowed her mouthful of food, her eyes glancing towards the pair that were carefully weaving through the tables, noting their behavior--darting eyes, searching for familiar faces. Easy look to recognize.

“Ajax is fine,” The living ignition was trying to forcibly wipe the fish bits that clung to Selicity’s face with a napkin. Taking care of a cat was no easy task, least of all one that was lazy, ate messily, violent, and hated taking baths. “What is it, Miss Sweet?”

"Those guys," Gladioli took a breather to recover from her food, then continued, "seem like they're looking for someone. Do you think that's them?"

“Yeppers, that’s them.” Selicity nimbly dodged Ajax’s napkin. Even with the various food smells in the air, it was easy enough to Sel to catch the scent of the Icefish and Mun Minseo, whose shinsoo smelled a bit like a cross between a cod and minnow in her mind. Lifting her head to face the pair Gladioli pointed out, Selicity called. “Hey Minseo! Yeong-Su! Over here!”

Azure Sky · Jun 21, 2020

Minerva and Von Hare

"We all passed, except John Wu, who was disqualified for being a C-rank in disguise. We don't know what his intentions were..." Which reminded her. "Although he continuously asked about Herlaa here and his team mate, Miss Carciphi." Minerva looked at Illiam with suspicion in her eyes. But then she sighed. "You must have angered him with your demanour." She concluded, thinking about Illiam's personality. Von Hare listened to the conversation until that point and decided to walk away. He took out a carrot and started eating it while doing so.

"Mister Hare?"
"Ehhhh, what's up doc?"
Doc?
"U-umm, I was just curious." Her eyes lit up as she took out a tablet and stylus pen. "What species are you? Where were you born in the Tower? Is your ability to transform a racial trait or a Shinsoo technique? Are all members of your race so strong?" She was like a very driven journalist.
"Oh..." Von Hare took a short pause before replying. He was uncharacteristically quiet for a while, which made Minerva concerned that she offended him somehow.
"I apologize. i didn't mean to-..."
"Moon Rabbit..." Another short break.
"My species is known as Moon Rabbit. My transformation is indeed a racial trait." Another short pause. "I am a firm believer that strength comes from potential." Implying there could be both weaker and stronger Moon Rabbits than him. He started walking away, while Minerva made notes on her tablet. He didn't reply to her last question but that was fine for-... "I am from the outside." He continued to walk to the end of the corridor.

"Eh?" Outside? Did he mean Outer Tower? Well yes, everyone was from the Outer Tower. Was he making fun of her? Outside? Outside... of the Tower?
"W-wait!" Too late. He already left.

Rantos · Jun 21, 2020

Illiam Herlaa
Tags:

OverconfidentMagi
The noise was good. The sweet static song that so many sudden entrances caused was comforting to Illiam. Figures burled and voices were heard. Though the words were hardly processed. That was fine, just as well he could tell what was happening from the tone and texture of each word that crossed his ear. Minerva was flustered, and as her warm hand grabbed to hold Illiam's he had no doubt her face must have been just as warm and all the redder.

Then Hare, Illiam felt the sour tinge in his voice. Felt it run up and down his spine with every word, as his words reminded his body of every dreadful sensation experienced in the last few hours. And as the sour shocks worked their way up his spine, hitting his brain, Illiam let them fade naturally, passively. His voice reminded Illiam of the hunt, failed or otherwise, painful or otherwise, it was another welcome distraction.

Naseon, the first contact. And as Minerva dragged Illiam out of the room, as she and Hare talked, it was Naseon's face Illiam's eyes drifted to. It was his face that caused the hunger in his stomach to grow. Though their interactions were brief, the all too deserved pain he inflicted only hours ago was something Illiam could fall in love with. Even if it was a retrospective love. Should they climb, and should they meet, Illiam wondered if his eyes would be able to look away.

All three of them, their chatter filled Illiam's head, and for a moment, it was nice to forget. Their voices pushed back the voices of those who existed as nothing more than an ambiguous goal in his mind. That which with equal probability could still exist within the Tower, or be nothing more than a memory. No. Stop. Thoughts like that are best left obscured, weighed down until they can no longer rise by the chatter of those that for now, remained before him.

It was when Minerva let go of Illiam's hand that the words faded into something more than white noise. Eager pen strokes taking note of the Moon Rabbit named Hare. Though not much else came from their talk as the rabbit left soon after. Illiam was disappointed too, he shared Minerva's curiosity. But, one thing for certain, "Guess that makes him an Irregular too. Glad to have that confirmed." He spoke aloud, for both Minerva and Naseon's sake.

simj26 · Jun 25, 2020

Sasha and Ji-hyeon
There were a few things to be done before Sasha could start training with Exnor. For one, she needed to fix her bracelet. Or, to be more precise, have a certain someone fix it. She just needed to thread lightly. As long as no one recognized her "decompressed" self, it was all fine and dandy. Better if she would not be seen at all. Exnor and Nyra did see her, but seeing their lack of reaction whatsoever, and the rather dark arena, she felt it was safe.

>>Message: I need a new bracelet. Thank you.

"And sent. Ok, now, I just need to try and bypass everybody in the area."

"Bypass who now?" Han Ji-hyeon rounded around the corner, her functioning arm scratching irritably on her cast. Chalk it up to luck, having returned from her shopping trip to bump into this situation.

Damn it...
"Oh, hello Han Ji-Hyeon. How's your arm?" Sasha tried to be jovial, and used her usual "cute" tone, but her now matured voice and increased height really made it wierd.

Ok, that's not going to work.

A strange expression flickered across Ji-hyeon's face, as she glanced at Sasha, something like recognition, but that look disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. "You're that assistant," was all she remarked, almost as if she was voluntarily ignoring the obvious changes to the lady's appearance.

"Ah, yes I am. Sasha here." She smiled. At least the Regular didn't know who she was. Thank Enryu that youngsters these days have no interest in the history of the old days, was what she wanted to believe, but the millenia thaught her to be cautious. Exnor was a wild-card himself, but he had no attachment to the Lo Po Bia, or Zahard, so he was relatively safe, she thought.

"'Sasha', huh?" Ji-hyeon looked amused. "Well, 'Sasha', I probably should be going." Ji-hyeon turned halfway, then paused. Something shifted in her expression, like she was coming to another conclusion. "Y'know something, 'Sasha'?" She turned back around. "You're just the person I'm looking for."

She rubbed her cast again, her expression unreadable. "I need to get stronger," she spoke calmly. "And you're as strong as they come. Or so the stories say, anyway."

"Ehhh, I can help you, sure, but stories? Hehe, am I famous?" she still played dumb.

Ji-hyeon scoffed with an almost amused grin. "Who knows?" Her expression quickly darkened, and she turned her focus to her broken arm. "I feel as if I've lost something climbing this Tower. I need to find it again. Please," she raised her solemn gaze to meet Sasha's eyes, "I need to get stronger. I have to get stronger." She dropped to one knee, bowing her head in respect. "I'm asking you this- please train me! I'll endure anything and everything you can throw at me, I swear it on my name."

It seemed she misunderstood Ji-Hyeon. The woman was a prideful warrior. Strong enough to bow and beg for it. It took guts to admit one's limits. She would have told her there was no need to bow, but that would have been insulting in this case. "You're the second who asked." She said, giving up on the cute tone, her voice devoid of any perceivable emotion. She did however have sympathy for her.

Almost like my young self...

"Very well. You and Lo Po Bia Exnor better be prepared. It will be hellish." Two students in one go. Two people that would help shape a better Tower. At least she hoped.

"By the way," She almost forgot to ask. "What is your desire?"

A look of surprise, then one of deep thought crossed Han Ji-hyeon's face. A second of hesitation passed, before she answered, her tone measured and calm.

"Power."

Sasha, real name Akasha Zahard, smirked.

We're more similar than I thought.

collab with