Chapter 14: ch14

Gray clouds obscured the first rays of dawn like an ashen curtain. The endless rolling hills of emerald sprawled out in all directions. Three sleek gray hoverbikes broke the monotony of the grassland, splitting the grass underneath them as they zipped above the ground. Jin rode with Zeirdin while Taeya rode with Dorian.

Willem rode alone. The week Jin and the twins had spent learning to ride had paid off. Without the aid of high-speed ground travel, the first leg of their journey would’ve been much more arduous. Zeirdin’s hair whipped around violently in the wind. He decided he should cut it soon. Trees were now visible in the distance. They would leave the hoverbikes at the tree line. The rental service would come to retrieve the bikes themselves later. It was worth the extra fees because the hoverbikes turned a three-day walk into a two-hour drive.

They arrived at the beginning of the tree line. The black striped birch trees stood tall and straight, gently swaying in the morning breeze. Zeirdin turned off his hoverbike and dismounted, taking a swig of water from his metal bottle. Everyone else followed suit. The group exchanged a few words before Taeya took the lead, and they took the first real steps of their journey. Taeya had a complete gear overhaul funded by Jin.

She decided to completely drop Galma for the time being and focus on brute firepower. Covered in dark gray heavy body armor, she wielded a shotgun. The twins opted for a more moderate kit, wearing medium armor and wielding assault rifles. Zeirdin took the rear of the group. The bird song resumed.

Something metal was lightly clinking around in Zeirdin’s pack as they walked. Probably his metal mug. The soft cushion of fallen leaves on the firm ground made for the perfect walking surface. The morning sun pierced through small gaps in the gray blanket of clouds. Nothing notable happened. Jin made light conversation occasionally, but it didn’t last long. Everyone skipped breakfast after oversleeping, and they decided they wouldn’t stop until lunch. If all went well, tonight they would reach the gate to the next floor and camp there the night. The area around the gate would be safe.

“What do you think the purpose of The Tower was?” Zeirdin asked. The overseer seemed to be alright with its new usage by outsiders, in fact, Ike made it even easier for newcomers to climb The Tower.

“Oh, right. My dad’s company did a lot of research on The Tower in the past. I think the accepted theory right now is that It was used as a weapons testing facility, as well as a training ground,” Jin said.

“Huh,” Zeirdin began to ponder and all conversation died again.

Three hours had passed since they began their trek through the woods. For the most part, the path they had chosen was flat. They walked at a brisk pace with Jin being the only person struggling slightly. Zeirdin marveled at how much lighter his back was, compared to his time on Floor 1. Circulating mana regularly and practicing the Cerulean Arts were slowly enhancing his body.

Jin sighed, “It’s nice that nothing has happened yet, but I just can’t relax.”

“I know what you mean,” Dorian agreed.

“I’m just excited to see the pit,” Taeya contributed. Floor 3 was primarily a massive crater. The pit itself was very dangerous, crawling with neofauna and androids. The group planned to take a route around the pit even though it would add a few days to their journey.

Gunfire erupted in the distance. Followed by the whirring of motors and the clinking of metal. Someone was fighting androids.

Dorian turned to Zeirdin, “What do we do?”

“Let’s go,” Zeirdin said. They sped up their pace to a run. Zeirdin’s gear was snugly fastened to his body, making for very little wiggle. With each step, twigs snapped underneath his boots. At last, the group broke through the treeline. No more birch trees. In front of them lay another expanse of green, this time lacking hills. It was a flat wasteland. The gunfire resumed this time to their left. Thankfully, they were not in the line of fire. A hundred meters away, a lone figure hid behind a fallen android, reloading its weapon.

Three grovewalker androids scanned their surroundings, slowly searching. From their jerky movements with many pauses, these androids were probably quite old. They typically roamed wooded areas and were only hostile to humans. With a rust-covered metal exterior, and long willowy limbs covered in tubes, protrusions, and moss, the grovewalker androids towered over the figure, standing at nearly four meters tall.

Finally, one grovewalker figured out where the figure was hiding. It swung its arm at the pile of rubble the person was hiding behind. The arm moved in a completely linear fashion, making an ear-piercing shriek of metal on metal as it made contact with the rubble. However, the person was quicker, dashing out from under the cover. They returned fire with short bursts of three bullets.

“Oh, no. They might be screwed, that’s an SMG, it won’t pierce the armor of that thing,” Zeirdin said, as they ran closer. Zeirdin guessed that the grovewalkers were completely out of ammunition and battery power for their energy weapons.

The figure realized the futility of low caliber ammunition against androids, tossing their firearm to the side. Darting around like a bat, the figure pulled out some sort of bladed weapon. Shooting forward towards the closest android’s legs, the speed was inhuman. As the group got closer, Zeirdin realized it was a girl. By now, the androids had noticed the presence of the newcomers. The girl made one elegant swing, making an arc of blue as the blade burst into light. The android fell to the ground in a deafening racket, its leg severed just below the knee. The other three androids made their way toward the girl in long linear strides.

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“We got your back,” Zeirdin shouted as they got into range, 20 meters away. The girl briefly flicked her head around, before giving a thumbs up in the air. “Aim for the blue lights in their chests, that’s where their power cores are,” Zeirdin said as they ran. He was the first to open fire, sending a barrage of an entire magazine into the midsection of the closest standing android. The deafening cracks melded together into a roar of gunfire as everyone joined in. Smoke filled the air carrying the odor of gunpowder.

The android’s chest burst into orange sending shrapnel in all directions as it collapsed to the ground. The girl took cover behind the first fallen android. Unable to walk properly, its protocols shut down its main power core and it stopped flailing. Before anyone could open fire on the next android, the girl shot forward like a swallow, her glowing blue-edged blade leaving a blue arc in the air as she severed both legs of the android. In a screech of metal, the rusted machine collapsed to the ground while flailing to stay upright.

It too turned off, its protocol deeming the situation hopeless. The last android reached the girl. It swung its arm like a bat, whistling through the air horizontally. The attack would normally disembowel most people. The girl’s eyes briefly flashed teal and she shot nearly three meters in the air, avoiding the swing completely. Three meters was high enough, the machine was hunched slightly from its strike, leaving its power core exposed. Swiftly, she drove her blade into its core. Blue sparks flew in all directions but it did not explode.

The machine powered off and fell backward, the girl on its chest. It clattered to the ground. Zeirdin was sure of it. The girl was a very skilled Lovac user. She also wielded a flux blade, a rare weapon.

“Holy shit,” Jin whispered, eyebrows to his hairline.

“FUCK, I didn’t get to do anything,” Taeya complained. She had fired a few inconsequential shots with her sidearm, her shotgun was way out of range at the time.

“Did you not see that shit?” Willem asked. Taeya grunted. The mysterious girl yanked her blade out of the android before sheathing it and walking toward the group. At about 5’6, she had ashen hair the color of rain clouds, and ocean blue eyes. Her face was nearly enchanting. Zeirdin remembered that she could cut him in half in an instant before he decided to be enthralled.

The other boys seemed to come to the same conclusion and stayed on guard. The gap of strength between her and Zeirdin was something he could feel from five meters away. He could tell she had left the bounds of what was humanly possible. Is she a leveled? It was surely possible. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was Level 3.

“Thanks for the backup,” the girl said.

“Yeah, no problem,” Zeirdin said. “Is that a flux blade? Aren’t they super rare? And don’t they require high purity zinnium to provide the high frequency- excuse me,” Zeirdin let his curiosity and excitement get the best of him. Everyone in his group looked a little surprised. Zeirdin never got excited or was very talkative about anything.

“Actually, yeah. Most people don’t know what this is,” She said as she tapped at the hilt on her waste. She black combat boots and uncommon light leather armor. None of her attire was common in The Tower. “By the way, I’m Lumia,” She said as she extended her hand for a handshake.

“I’m Zeirdin, please don’t break my hand,” He replied as shook her hand. Her hand was strong and calloused while gentle. It was quite evident she had put much of her life into the art of combat. Zeirdin was relieved she wasn’t an egomaniac. Outside The Tower, Zeirdin once met a man who almost broke his hand flaunting his Lovac. Zeirdin introduced his friends to Lumia. Everyone kept an air of respect for her which also lead to some awkwardness.

“Want to hang with us until the gate?” Zeirdin asked. It would be reassuring to have a warrior of her caliber around. It was no doubt with her Lovac skills her senses were very sharp and she could sense enemies from afar.

“Can I? It’s been a little lonely. Lot of walking. I just got to The Tower a few days ago,” Lumia replied. Zeirdin raised his eyebrows in surprise at the last part.

“We’d love to have you,” Taeya said. Zeirdin saw the look on her face. She desperately wanted to spar with Lumia.

“Agreed,” Willem said. Doryan and Jin nodded. It was settled. The gate was still probably another half-day’s walk away. The group decided to rest for lunch. Zeirdin gnawed on a mouth full of rat jerky thoughtlessly as he stared blankly at the overcast sky. The adrenaline always left him a little tired when it wore off. Jin and the twins chewed in silence. Taeya almost immediately got Lumia to spar with her through incessant nagging. Quick and nimble, Lumia went through Taeya’s defenses in two steps, stopping her fist at Taeya’s throat. Zeirdin watched half interested while Jin raised his eyebrows.

“Damn.” That was all Jin had to say.

They concluded their mostly silent lunch and resumed their trek through the grassland. Lumia was friendly but was still a little on the shy side. She refrained from revealing much about her background, opting to keep an aura of mystery. Zeirdin didn’t blame her. Most people were not very friendly in The Tower if it did not benefit them.

Zeirdin chatted with her a bit, talking about different plants, awful food they’d encountered in Lestag, as well as a heated debate on toad migration. He concluded that while he didn’t know a whole lot about her or her intentions, she had a good heart and he liked her. Everyone added her as a contact on their biotablets. It began to rain. Zeirdin groaned.

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