Arise - Chapter 10: The One

"An elf, a musician, and a young boy. Quite a unique combination we have here." The skeletal face man smiled, stretching his skin to a pale white, and spun his hat around his finger, playfully observing Regis and the others. He held his hand out, and a silver tray appeared out of thin air, carrying three scrumptious cookies. "As I said, would you like some cookies?"

"I do!" Regis waltzed over and reached out to grab a cookie, but a fierce tug on his collar forced him back, his neck burning from the cloth digging into his skin. Regis choked and coughed, taking a few moments to gather his breathing. He turned and saw it was Astar who had pulled him.

Astar let go of his collar and knelt on one leg, bringing her hand over her chest. "I bow before the Floor Master."

Curses! He screwed up in terms of manners again. Regis hurriedly followed Astar's motions and said the same words. Danube snickered and swung his guitar behind him, bowing with his legs straight, back bent at a right angle.

"Rise, young Climbers." The Floor Master said and then laughed, his mouth wide open as if the jaw had unhinged from its sockets. "Someone is overly impatient." He tossed a cookie at Regis, landing perfectly into his mouth, and Regis bit into the baked good, sweetness instantly numbing his tongue. He chewed and chewed, tasting the deep chocolate, crunching on the mild almonds, and melting the fudge layered inside.

"Delicious!" Regis exclaimed. The taste was indescribable, almost as good as the cake Big Sister Yvel had given him earlier.

"It's passable. If you want to eat something good, elves have a pretty good fried donut glazed in the sap of the bonbon trees." Astar bragged, nibbling on her cookie.

"Oh?" Regis rushed to Astar in excitement. "Can I try some?"

"I don't have any right now. You idiot." Astar flicked his forehead, smiling faintly. "If you show good manners and etiquette after following my teachings, I will gift some to you."

"Don't fall for her tricks, Regis. You can buy it with your money in the city. There's nothing special about it." Danube interjected, licking the chocolate off his lips while he played a wildly fast tune, his fingers sweeping up and down the guitar strings to produce strange warped sounds.

Astar clicked her tongue and waved Danube away with a scowl. Oddly, the two weren't close, even though he got along great with them. Regis wondered how to fix their relationship, but his thoughts were interrupted by a clear snap from the Floor Master.

"Run along then to Orsusten City. There is much for you to do in the City of Beginnings." The Floor Master said.

Running ahead, Regis rushed past the Floor Master, excited to discover what Orsusten looked like, having never seen much outside his home and district. His clean shoes clacked on the long tunnel road, and a rushing wind swept to both his sides as other steps joined him. Peering from side to side, Regis smiled at Astar and Danube, whistling a delighted tune to which Danube strummed an upbeat song.

"Your [Agility] stat is so slow. We caught up in no time." Danube stopped playing and spoke.

"It's only…." Regis forgot his stats, so he called out, "Status!" and the status window appeared in his sight.

Name: Regis Folk

Race: Human

Class: Undecided

Strength: 10

Vitality: 20

Agility: 12

Endurance: 12

Spirit: 500

Skills: [???]

Traits: [???]

"12…." Regis pouted. "Why is it only 12? How do I train it up?"

"Your stat growth will depend on your class and the traits that follow along with it. You'll see when you get your class." Astar explained, tying her green hair back in the meantime. "I'm more concerned about the Floor Master."

"Who is he?" Regis glanced back. The Floor Master was gone.

"There are 99 floors to climb, all ruled by a Floor Master. The Tower itself chooses the Floor Masters, and they handle everything that happens on their floor. They regulate the tests and are the sole rulers of their floors. Their word is the law here." Danube played a low groaning tune. "The man we met is the First Floor Master."

"Then why are you concerned?" Regis asked Astar.

She scoffed, "Why would a Floor Master be here to watch us? They don't have to come down themselves unless something drastic happens. It shouldn't be any of us, but if it's about your unbelievable [Spirit], then you're in bad luck." She giggled and patted Regis's back.

"Is it that serious?" Regis grew afraid, darting his eyes to look for the Floor Master.

"Just keep your stats a secret. Don't be a fool like before." Danube suggested.

…….

Floor Master Saleos floated past the linking pedestal and down the sprawling platforms. He entered the next room and frowned deeply at the three stone orbs on the floor, waving his hand to whisk one into his grasp. In all his years as a Floor Master, ever since the Tower had chosen him, Saleos saw many interesting prospects and incredible events, but this…was different. Turning the stone orb over, he studied every inch and sent in his mana to rouse it.

"It's just a stone?" Saleos dropped it and went over to the other two, trying to fill in the once-transparent pearls with his mana. They both failed to return to their original state. A sweat dripped down his forehead, and for the first time in many years, he felt uncomfortable, a flicker of something indescribable congesting his chest. He shuddered and stared at his shivering hands to realize that emotion was fear. "Impossible…."

He had received a distress signal from this room and went to investigate. It was odd from the start. The gremlins should have done their work and let the kids go after a certain time, the usual process that went without problems for ages, the signal being a mere formality. Saleos recalled the three Climbers who came from this room, the elf with a powerful bloodline, a son of the Sonus Family, and a strange child in incredible mana-woven clothes. None appeared out of the ordinary, and none should have the power to do this.

Even if the gremlins lost or someone did have the natural power to drain their mana, the orbs couldn't have transformed into bare rock. Draining mana was one thing, but turning the substance of the orb into rock was impossible, at least according to what he knew of, and he had lived for a long time. Taking off his top hat, Saleos bowed in respect to the fallen gremlins. His hands still shook from the strange fear in his heart. Whatever swept through here was an utterly terrifying existence.

"I'll have to investigate. Something is lurking on the floor. I can't let it interfere." Saleos swore to himself, put away the three stones into his storage, and flew away in a rush.

…….

Stepping out of the tunnel, Regis halted and widened his eyes, gazing in wonder at the sight before him, an incomprehensible jumble of things stretching from left to right. Strange bird-liked objects soared through the air, but they didn't flap their wings like any bird Regis knew of; they didn't resemble birds at all. Some had large wings of metal, others resembled blocks he had as a child, and the rest had strange shapes he couldn't describe.

Under his feet, a great path of strange flat stone stretched far down, surrounded by great, tall structures of glass, stone, and metal, their heights reaching so far up they pierced the sky. The people were plentiful and busy, garbed in clean clothes, a strange fashion like his current uniform. His eyes wandered everywhere, unable to decide which one to stick to. How could he decide when so much splendor and wonder existed before him? Before he settled on a place, his body was pushed, and he found he was stuck in the ocean of people, forcibly strung along and tumbled around by the waves of ceaseless crowds.

He struggled to get through, reaching his hands out to try to push back against the crowd. Then, a hand grasped his and pulled him along. Unable to see who it was, Regis followed, believing in the warmth this hand gave him, a firm grip but also caring like his grandpa's. After a few moments, he finally made it out of the crowd and gasped for air.

"We can't take our eyes off you for a moment. God, you're so troublesome." The hand that grasped his was Astar's. She clenched tightly and tugged him along. "Don't let go of my hand."

"Ok," Regis nodded, worried his hand was too sweaty. He blushed and meekly followed Astar and Danube, who teased him in whispers about how it felt to hold hands with an elf noble. Astar seemed to hear them because she snapped at Danube, sweeping her kicks at the bard but not letting go of Regis's hand.

"Here we are!" Astar smiled and let go of Regis's hand, wiping her own with a handkerchief.

Regis scratched his cheek in embarrassment and followed Astar and Danube inside the strange building. Instantly, a wave of cold air blasted his body, and Regis shivered at the sudden chill, wondering how the inside of the building could be so different from the outside. Past the glass doors, many people, garbed in the same clothing, spoke with others, guiding them into different rooms, and one of them came toward Regis.

"Welcome to the Class Appraisal Quarters. You three must be new Climbers. Follow me." He was a worker of the place. He led them into a separate chamber where all the sound was cut off, leaving only the sound of their breathing. Inside it was an orb swirling with rainbow colors and pulsing with a low hum.

"Place your hands on the orb, and your class options can be selected. They will show up as bubbles. To select one, go toward a bubble and absorb it. That shall be your class forever."

"Go first, Regis," Danube suggested. "I like the opening act you bring every time."

"Astar?" Regis asked for her opinion.

"Feel free. I have an idea of what my options are." Astar stretched her arms and sat down on the bench, observing him intently.

Gaining their permission, Regis went up first and placed his hands on the grooves on the sides of the orb, the colors swirling and concentrating around them. His vision became shrouded in darkness, and his ears heard nothing. When the darkness cleared, Regis found he was not in the same place, standing instead in a world of pure white, similar to the place behind the Tower's door.

Something bubbled up from the white floor, a clear bubble containing a star inside. Wasn't there supposed to be a choice? Confused, Regis stared around and saw no other bubbles, growing increasingly confounded. Since there was only one choice, he had only one way to go. Regis reached out to the clear bubble, and it zipped ahead, sinking into his chest.

A strange voice echoed in the white world.

YOU HAVE CHOSEN CLASS: [THE ONE]