Chương 33: Chapter Thirty-Three: Future Problems

THIRTY-THREE Roan stared at the other man, not rising to the bait of asking him what their mysterious pact was. It was easy enough to deduce what it was based on how all the sect students were moving together, but he was getting tired of the drama surrounding this. When he didn't ask, Taoya sighed in annoyance and continued.

"It was simple. A Pact that we'd all enter the Thirteenth Tower together. That we would aid one another with the only objective being that we conquer this tower and stop the spread. We didn't know about this market system or think of the association until we were in, but everyone has joined it and so far is honoring the pact. Giving up our own gain for the greater good of the world."

"Congrats. You're not short-sighted," Roan said deadpan. Of course they'd realize if it was spreading that eventually it would spread to them, and with how long one could live by raiding the wealth and resources of the towers, they might still be alive to see their descendants affected by the transformation.

"That's how we thought of it too. Now, here comes the question. Will you honor the Pact?"

"You're inviting me into this Pact?" Roan asked, genuinely surprised.

"I nominated you. Some of the others are more hesitant to it, but I've seen your skill and more importantly your drive. If you don't get yourself killed, it's the type of drive that sees people finishing a tower. When we read the journals of the original tower conqueror's, it's people who have your drive that see it through."

"What's the full totality of this Pact?" Roan asked, shifting as he wanted to tell them no out of hand. The more rational part of him whispered to at least hear them out.

"There is no in-fighting. Group decisions by vote on how to clear floors. Alliances of support and sharing of resources. Honestly, it's pretty much what the T. C. A is."

"But it's not," Roan said. If it was, then they'd have simply just had everyone join the Pact and not worried about the association that Darren was trying to get off the ground.

"What else, Taoya?"

"If you don't join there will be no backlash. But you won't see the opportunities coming your way that will for others. Shared resources or opportunities or help to the degree the Pact members will work together. Maybe a single person, like me, would help you out. Maybe Moira, but the others won't go beyond the basic tenets of what the association demands."

"Sounds like backlash to me," Roan said.

"Naw. Backlash would be me killing you and hiding your body to keep our secret cabal a secret. You'd just be treated like a normal person is all. Just another association member," Taoya said. Roan felt a chill run down his back as he heard the words Taoya said and the serious look in his eyes.

"And if you do the impossible and break the tower's hold? What happens with the Pact then?" Roan asked.

"It'd stay in effect. Likely the association too. For too long we've allowed our separate aims for power limit our growth and the betterment of our planet. Even here we struggle with information sharing without the pressures of the outside world," Taoya said." This is a revolution. At least the start of one." Roan realized now why Taoya was being so careful dancing around the words.

The Elders of their sects or the professors and deans of the colleges wouldn't allow this wide spread of information and resources without a fight. Neither would the civilian governments. It would come down to a fight, eventually. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"I'm not interested in stuff like that. I'm here for personal reasons," Roan said, every muscle tense as he got ready to spring away if Taoya decided it was better for him to be dead than risking spreading the word.

"That's fine. Just know, the invitation is there. Also, not everyone here is who they appear to be. I'm not the only one who has seen the growth markers of the dead zone spread." Taoya got up and walked through the portal into the saferoom leaving Roan by himself." What did he mean by that? Other people here? Government agents or what?" Roan rubbed at his temples, already fed up with the cloak-and-dagger games. He'd come here for one simple reason." I just need to see if they're gone. Truly gone. That's it."

Reaffirmed by his decision not to get dragged into the politics of the outside world, Roan started to walk out of the area. They were all going to the same place and he didn't need to wait for Taoya and his heavy hitters to get ready.

"Did he say instance earlier?" The thought flared up as he walked down the halls of the crypts. Bones broke under the weight of his feet as he marched slowly. He checked the crypts around eye level, but there was nothing to be found. So close to Moira's base of operation he doubted that anything survived the scavenger teams.

"How many people did Bao say entered the tower every year?" Roan wondered to himself as he enjoyed having some privacy as he took his time.

"It was like, twenty-thousand? Twenty-five? But this year he said it was way heavier than last few years. The trains had been filled to the brim as they crossed the mountains from California or coming from Colorado. There had been so many tourists that tent cities had been set up in abandoned parking garages.

"Less than five thousand anomalies and a few hundred people at best in each of the saferooms? What's that, like six thousand people here? That can't be right. Unless there's multiple instances of this level taking place at the same time. The attrition rates are awful though, two-thirds in the first level?" Roan's words bounced down the hallway, preceding him as he entered the boulevard and found himself still alone. He turned and kept walking down the boulevard against the press of life energy.

"Then how many instances? How many of these Pact members are in the Tower and how far are they willing to go with their goals? Will they see me getting stronger as a threat to their plans?" His words were met with silence, but Roan knew the answer to them.

"Yes. Yes they will see me as a threat if I continue to grow strong next to them. It's human nature to evaluate and make threat-assessments. Maybe not now, but in two or three floors? What happens when we are ready to clear the final level? If I can compare to the strongest of them?"" They'll knife you in the back and cry about it later in their luxury homes. You'll be a sacrifice they made for their greater good." It was a grim thought as he thought of Taoya and Moira.

Both of them had saved his life already, but he couldn't risk placing himself in their mercy again. Not with this knowledge.

"Same plan, just have to be more careful." Roan tried to reassure himself but he felt paranoid now, more so than normal. An anxiety in his gut that told him to check every shadow as he walked. The remnants of Tyler's attack was easy to see and then he was past that and he continued walking. Darren and the rest of the heavy hitters would be in the final saferoom before one had to turn away. He had no desire to see or talk to them at the moment.

After an hour of walking, taking his time, he finally reached where he had been stopped the last time. The halls had came to an end and he hadn't noticed it before. There was just dusty black walls with torches and candles in them that stretched out in front of him. The breeze against his face was strong and the amulet was warm against his skin as he took a knee and waited. Roan could feel it. This was what they needed to do to finish clearing the level. There'd be opportunities here for wealth and more power.

With what he'd learned now, he just needed to think of the safest way of grasping it." Whatever it takes. I will clear this tower," He reaffirmed to himself as he shifted his stance and kept his warhammer on his shoulder. All he had to do was be ready to seize the opportunity when it came.