The Hunt Begins

“Please, just listen to me!” Christoph yells out from behind.

My journey continues through the extensive halls of Torynth, as I follow behind Kedaz’s lead. After declaring my intentions, Kedaz had walked up towards me, seemingly wanting to be of help as she knew the paths of the halls better than I ever could.

It seems she wants revenge just as much…

Unfortunately for her, I have no intentions of satisfying such regrets…but I won’t let her know that…

“Getting to Bruno’s party will be a difficult one, Mr. Nehman!” Christoph states as he hurries behind alongside Zadek, “The warrior parties have managed to make it all the way up to the thirty second floor! If you wish to make it that far up, you will be forced to encounter plenty of Tori along the way. Is that truly what you wish?!”

I halt in my tracks, and return Christoph’s concern with a confident smile, “You said it yourself. Lennon’s party was looking to sell me to his group, probably to get some of the material they had gotten from the monsters…I mean, Tori, on the upper floors.”

I lean in towards Christoph and stab my index and middle finger into my temple, “If they’re so chicken, and are only looking to survive, then it means the meeting point between Lennon and Bruno would never be on the upper floors where the main frontal assault is.”

“Still,” Christoph asserts, “You haven’t been here for long. What can you possibly achieve above floor sixty six? I believe it is best that we remain here and continue to train you with the weaker monsters along this floor, before we climb our way up and make your presence known to Bruno and his party.”

I stare at Christoph, appalled by his consistent pressure to remain where we have been. I then fold my arms, and ask, “For a person who has experienced this place so many times, and for so long, for what reason do you seem so afraid of climbing up?”

Christoph pauses, and shakes about. He then finally calms himself, and places his hands on my shoulders, “Listen…the upper floors…what lies there…the things that lie there…the people…they do not follow the rules of common logic!…”

“So you would rather us remain here, until you die of old age in a few months time? Have you no shame as a so-called explorer?” I ask, with a smirk.

Zadek begins to sign towards me aggressively, before Kedaz takes hold of his hands softly and shakes her head. Christoph looks towards the twins, before turning his attention back to me.

“...I…am actually currently on the run.”

“...from who?”

“From a certain group. The first group to ever band together in this place. The majority of them have been through thousands of cycles, even more than the hundreds I have gone through.”

“And what’s so fearsome about this gr-”

Christoph places his hand carefully across my mouth to shut me up, before glaring directly into my eyes as a fearsome warning not to ask any further.

However…that could never work on me.

“I said…” I say after gripping Christoph’s wrist and ripping it from my mouth, “what is so fearsome about this group?”

Christoph appears astonished by the intense grip my hands have, causing him to switch glances between my right hand and my face for a brief moment. “What is with this…strength?”

“I did different types of martial arts growing up.”

That’s a lie.

“Now answer me.” I finished.

Christoph slinks into a state of internal panic as he falls to his knees, causing Zadek and Kedaz to become hostile towards me. However, before things become worse, Christoph mutters, “Let’s just say…they come from civilizations where atrocities are commonplace…and committing them here has now also become their commonplace. Not only towards the Tori…but towards others as well.”

“And what did you do to piss them off?” I ask while letting go of Christoph’s wrist.

“...I…left the group.”

…I see.

I bend down to Christoph’s level in order to stare directly into his eyes. A cheeky grin appears across my face, as I grab the top of Christoph’s head.

“It seems Mr. Christoph here was a sinner just the same as they were…”

Christoph’s eyes appear empty as they also stare into my own.

…just not as powerful as they were.

I stand up properly once again, and look towards the halls that Kedaz has been leading me through, “I don’t care much for this group you speak of. They aren’t my concern. I only care for value. In sustenance, materials, and of course, power. In this place, it seems only two of the three are necessary. So until this group of yours can prove such value to me, I do not care to run into them.”

I then turn my attention back to Christoph and the twins, “However…because the three of you have, I will be making use of you. Since you are so adamant about avoiding this group because they will certainly do worse than kill you, I can’t have that. Therefore, I will climb as high as the fifth floor above.” I point towards Christoph, “Which floor did you say we are currently on?”

“The sixty sixth floor. Also known as the lowest floor, or the spawn floor.”

“Great. Then I will climb as high as the sixty first floor above. I have someone I want…no, need to meet with once more. And I have a feeling this Bruno character will be the one to lead me back to her.”

“And what if you still cannot find her by the time you reach sixty first floor?”

Suddenly, that same uncomfortable feeling of immense displeasure wells up in my throat, as I imagine the possibility of allowing Chen to slip from my hands once more. The image of Chen’s mark and her form circles within my mind to a great effect, making my tongue drool at the idea of taking it for my own, but also making my throat dry up at the thought of letting her get away again.

Finally, after twisting my neck and swallowing an uncomfortable ball of saliva, I open my eyes again, and stare towards the group of three that is knelt before me.

A false smile appears across my face, “Then we will do as you wish…and return to this floor.”

Christoph’s expression turns from dismay to joy at the thought, while Kedaz seemingly appears frustrated after Zedak signs the message towards her. Zedak then begins to sign towards Christoph, prompting Christoph to relay his message.

“Zedak would like to know your origin. He says he has never seen a human be so unattractive to the Tori that they would rather avoid you than approach you.”

…this damn brat…

“Tell him I said not to worry about that for now,” I reply, trying to hold myself back from aggravating him in return, “Just show me the way to the sixty first floor.”

“I think I’ll stay.” Christoph says as he slinks back, “Please, allow the twins to accompany you. I’ll wait for you all h-”

I aggressively grab Christoph’s collar and quickly sniff him three times. “What did I tell you before? I will be making use of all of you. Not two of you. All.”

I swing Christoph forward in front of me, and beckon the three of them to lead the way.

“Now then…let’s go hunting…together…”

***

Nothing. No creatures in sight. No screams to signal their incoming arrivals. No corpses to signal their passing through. Even as I confidently glide my new black diamond dagger across the hardened walls, the results prove much more different than before.

“I’m confused. When I first came here, there were so many bird monsters-”

“Tori.” Christoph corrects me.

“...Tori, that just making noise would result in hearing at least ten different types of screams. What happened to all of them in such a short time?”

“We don’t know either. Three days ago, we were situated on the sixty fourth floor, and saw a horde of Tori racing towards the floor guardians. Almost like they wanted to climb the floors themselves, and escape from something.”

“Floor guardians?” I initially ask with a shocked expression, before quickly returning to normal, “Actually, that shouldn’t be a surprise to me at this rate. Let me guess, they are the strongest Tori across each floor…and beating them means you can climb up higher and higher…”

“Yes, and no. They may be strong, but they won’t fight you. They are simply there as passageways for creatures and humans to move from floor to floor. And three days ago, a lot of Tori seemed to wish to climb up higher and higher, which is rare because even Tori are known to kill each other when they occupy the same space. Yet, they all seemed so…collectively worried…”

Christoph strokes his beard softly as he stares back towards me, “Now that I think about it…you arrived three days ago, didn’t you?”

“Relax,” I wave him off and stare towards my black diamond blade, “I have nothing to do with it. Must have been a new spawn or new Tori. When I came here, they were all after me just like they would be for anyone else.”

…except for that swift bird after my mark was revealed…surely, that has nothing to do with it, right?

It’s probably best not to mention that small detail.

“But as I said,” Christoph continues, “Even today, the Tori left on this floor are not even going near you. Which makes it easier for us, so thank you…but that’s also very strange. In all my time here, I have never seen this happen before.”

Hmmm…this mark has its perks after all…

Suddenly, out of a nearby corner, a large Tori walks out from it, with rainbow colored wings and a crystallized snout that takes the shape of an Aardvark’s. Blood drips from the Tori’s mouth, as it eats the remains of what seems to be another Tori.

…it was all a lie.

The Tori screams out, leaving a tremoring sound wave that reverberates across the halls for a few seconds. However, it doesn’t choose to attack, nor flee. Its eyes simply remain focused on our position, while its mouth continues to dine on its current meal.

“How strange, indeed.” Christoph states as he stares forward, “This one doesn’t seem so bothered by us. By now, we would usually be in the midst of a death match right about now.”

Christoph then turns back to me, “It seems my speculation was wrong after all. Whatever the case, it seems not every Tori is necessarily avoiding you. Perhaps it's someone else…or something else…maybe something within you, then?”

…his sharp mind is useful…but also starting to look pretty dangerous.

“What makes you say that?” I ask as I fold my arms.

“Well…I have been here long, you know.” Christoph replies with a confident grin.

“Well look at who’s feeling self-assured once again…” A cheeky grin appears across my face, “Not even a few minutes ago, you looked like putty in my hands.”

“Do not become so haughty, Mr. Nehman.” Christoph’s gaze returns to the Tori, “It’s not you that I fear in this place.”

Suddenly, Christoph reveals a strange small contraption from his jacket pocket, akin to that of a large swiss knife but with a hardened shoebill’s beak making up for its base. He then hands the large swiss knife to Zadek, who gently opens the swiss knife in half, handing the other half over to his twin sister.

“And of course I would appear so assured in such a situation.” Christoph continues, “I told you already, I used to be a member of the strongest party in this place. A low level Tori like this is child’s play.”

“So much so that you wish for children to fight for you instead, huh?” I ask cheekily.

Christoph laughs, “There’s one thing you should know about these two.”

Zadek and Kedaz move swiftly towards each side of the rainbow feathered Tori, which results in the Tori’s screaming at an even louder tone to scare them off. However, Kadez and Zadek continue forward at a quick pace, unperturbed by its warning. The Tori then drops the remains of its previous foe, and begins to dart towards the twins at an even quicker pace than they have been running at, with its wings tucked tightly inside. Its large rainbow colored wings then begin to split off from its body as it nears Zadek and Kedaz, covering the entire hall area behind it. Soon enough, I notice the slight motion of its feathers begins to detach from its wings, clearly aiming for a clean ranged attack against not only the twins, but all of us in the same hall.

“Duck!” I attempt to yell out, only to have my mouth covered quickly by Christoph as he continues to stare forward with a confident grin.

When did he move back to my position?…

The Tori screams out once more, before it slides its right claw forward across the hollow sand, with its left claw trailing closely behind. The Tori’s wings quickly swing forward, pushing out plenty of its sharp feather tips forward in our direction.

However, to my surprise, the twins both continue their motion, but move quickly to pin their backs against the stone cold walls of the halls at the same time, appearing to be sliding across the halls in order to avoid the Tori’s attack, but also still move forward instead of coming to a complete stop. The hail of sharp rainbow feather tips then flies directly towards Christoph and I, but Christoph smoothly grabs me and tucks me into his now extended jacket, forcing me into a crouched position with my knees close to the ground.

None of the sharp tips managed to graze my skin, even as I see plenty of them fly past my current position situated with Christoph. The next thing I am forced to hear, but unfortunately unable to see, is the horrific screams of the Tori that charged with its assault, leaving me all too curious. I quickly force myself away from Christoph’s protection, attempting to still have a peek at the action but left only able to see the Tori already defeated, with detached claws and wings.

…they’re good.

“I told you I have been through this rough cycle about three hundred and forty times, correct?” Chrisoph asks with a proud grin, as I turn to my left to see him staring at the now dark blood drenched twins, “Well those two…have been through even more cycles than I have…in a much shorter time period.”

Suddenly, three more Tori, similar in appearance to the Tori that had just been killed, appear from the corners a distance ahead of us. Their screams reverberate throughout the halls at an even higher frequency, as if swearing revenge for the passing of their comrade.

“I never realized Tori could come in packs,”

“Well, they are monsters, after all,” Christoph says as he cracks his knuckles and walks forward towards the twins. Zadek and Kedaz turn their attention to three Tori ahead, but remain in place until Christoph places his hands softly upon both of their heads.

“Have no fear, Mr. Nehman. You can leave them all to us.”” Christoph iterates loudly, causing the Tori to return his sentiment with even louder screams.

The twins dash towards two of the grotesque creatures respectively, leaving Christoph gallantly striding towards the remaining one while twirling a new weapon he had been hiding inside the right pocket of his sleekly designed pants.

For a brief while, I am forced to look upon the mayhem that befalls my eyes, even in the cover of darkness that enshrouds these dangerous halls. Blood flying all over the place. Louder and louder screams reverberating deeper into my ear drums. And finally, a proud German’s smile along with the demonic glares of blood drenched children.

A sinister grin appears across my face, a distance away from the rest.

They’ll do just nicely.

***

I place my right hand tightly around Christoph's left arm, smiling brightly as I near my face close to his. Christoph begins to panic, before asking, “Listen, I know you might be very grateful and all, but please don’t tell me you swing that way?”

“Swing? That sounds like a great idea!”

Christoph blushes and seems to panic even more, “Now, hold on!”

I grab Christoph’s left hand, and lift it up high, before grabbing the lapel of the jacket he’s wearing with my other hand, and spinning him around. By the time Christoph had finished spinning, I already found myself getting comfortable in the fitting of my new jacket.

“Yeah. This’ll do!” I say confidently.

Christoph finds his balance, but stares at me in confusion, “What? Did you just…rob me?”

“Rob you? Don’t be so rude, Mr. Schmidt. I am simply acquiring a new tool for my own survival,” I fix the jacket upright against the back of my neck, “With this, situations here will be easier to deal with. You have my thanks,”

Christoph sulks, “...but…that’s the only one I ha-…”

“Shhh…” I whisper as I place my finger carefully across Christoph’s lips, “You did well.”

Suddenly, an immense burning sensation rises across my upper body, causing me to scream in pain.

What the…what’s happening?!

As quickly as I can manage, I rip off my new jacket from around me, and throw it onto the cold floor, checking to see if it is the reason why the burning sensation came about. After a few seconds, the intense pain subsides, forcing me to realize that I am unable to wear my newly acquired jacket, for reasons unknown to me.

“What is the meaning of this, Christoph? What have you rigged my jacket with?”

Christoph, similar to the twins, appears puzzled at the situation, but walks over to pick up the jacket from the floor, and stares at its inner layer.

“There’s nothing like that in here. It’s simply made from the material of an InsecTori found on the forty ninth floor capable of hardening its outer skin to block any incoming attacks…”

Christoph slowly turns to me, and looks towards me with a concerned expression. The twins both follow suit, seemingly now convinced that I am a bigger threat than they originally thought me to be.

“Say, Mr. Nehman…” Christoph begins, “...you’re not hiding anything from us…are you?”

I stare towards Christoph, before giving slight glances towards each of the twins to read their current expressions of angst. After a brief moment of silence, I chuckle, and look confidently towards the three standing before me.

“Nah. Not a thing.”