Arise - Chapter 8: System Up

Regis dragged Astar and Danube over to the wall, ignoring the strange rock spheres on the floor, and shook them vigorously. Hoping they were alright, he called their names out repeatedly, his eyes brightening when their faces were no longer pale.

"Uhm…Where is this?" Astar groaned, slowly waking up from her deep sleep. Seemingly unaware, she tilted her head around, her eyes still unfocused.

Regis was so happy to see her up that he held her face close and shouted, "It's me! You were asleep and wouldn't respond, no matter what. Are you feeling ok?"

Her face heated up in his hands. Regis wondered if she was made of fire because she was burning up. Worried about her condition, he palmed her forehead in the same way Grandpa Folk always did to him when he was burning like her, and indeed, her head pulsed with great heat. She didn't look too good either, judging from her red face. "Are you sick? When I had nightmares, Grandpa would make me some nice stew. Is there a place we can get stew around here?"

"Get…." Astar stammered on her words.

"Get? Can you not speak properly? Do you need some water?" He rummaged around in his pockets with his free hand while he left the other on her steaming forehead. He wished he had brought some of the water he received in the tent. Then something shoved him back, Astar's hands pushing him away.

"Get off me, you idiot human!" Astar yelled, the reddish tinge reaching the tip of her sharp ears. A loud crack snapped through the air from her white shoes with golden leaf patterns lining the soles. She stomped her way over to him and pointed down at him. "Seriously. How were you raised? Did your parents teach you nothing, nothing at all? Where's your common sense and basic etiquette."

Taken aback by her sudden harsh words, Regis slumped his shoulders, a large weight pressing into his chest. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it, unsure how to speak against her fuming expression. Her last words struck him deeply. Feeling sick to his stomach, he barely whispered out, "I don't have any parents…."

"A-ah?" Astar's face fell. She turned away, biting her lips, unable to meet his eyes anymore. A soft voice reached him. "Oh…I'm sorry."

Regis wiped a slight tear about to drop. Since he was a baby, he had only known his Grandpa. Every birthday, every sick day, every venture outside, every slow day in the workshop, and every other day…it was all just him and his Grandpa. He only saw his parents when he went to the pieces of stone in the graveyard, but they never spoke back once. Even though it was impossible, he always wished for a miracle to talk to them, even if it would be for a few seconds.

"No. I'm sorry. I lived with Grandpa all the time. Please tell me if I ever do something wrong because Grandpa might have taught me some strange things. Big Sister already scolded me once." Regis bowed his head, hoping she would accept his apology. Ever since the incident with his first Tower opening, he barely interacted with other kids after they showered him in insults. 'I don't want to miss a chance to make a new friend.'

"Geez. What am I doing to myself?" Astar rubbed her temples, clearly distressed. She glared at Regis and sighed. "So it was only you and your Grandpa?"

"Yes. But it wasn't that bad. I spent most of my time watching him make clocks. He's one of the best!" Regis cheered up when he talked about his Grandpa, showing her the silver pocketwatch he made. He rambled on and on while Astar listened without saying a word about the memories he shared deeply with his Grandpa. He shared the lessons he was taught, which brought a strange, weird look from Astar.

"Ok. I see your problem. There was nothing wrong with you. You've just been misguided." Astar nodded with a frown. "Your big sister was right in saying not to say that phrase willy-nilly to anyone. Also, don't carelessly touch their faces without permission."

"But, Grandpa always did so for me when I was sick. He would check my forehead and feel the heat." Regis stated. "I was really worried about you."

"Hah. Like a noble elf like me needs worry from the likes of you." Astar crossed her arms and scoffed harshly. "Still, I accept your sentiments. In reward for your caring yet misguided actions, I will teach you proper manners and etiquette." She stretched her hand out, and Regis grabbed it, allowing her to help him to his feet.

"Thanks. I will work hard to learn and not make mistakes anymore." Regis declared, shaking her hand up and down.

Astar exhaled deeply and put on a weak smile. "We have a lot to work on. Why am I doing all this for a human? Though he is a cu…idiot." She mumbled out the last part. Regis failed to catch the last part; what about an idiot? He didn't understand.

"Looks like we're all up. What an awful nightmare…." Danube said groggily, barely able to strum his guitar. He looked around the room and pointed to the stone sphere by his side. "What are these rocks?"

"Who knows? Ask Regis. He was the first one up." Astar pointed to Regis.

Regis picked up one of the stone spheres and shook his head. He didn't notice these because he was too preoccupied with waking them up. Astar and Danube looked to be in deep thought, one strummed his guitar with a stern gaze, and the other paced around the room, picking up a stone and scrutinizing it before dropping it and going to the next.

Click! A strange sound came from the other side of the room, and another door appeared. Astar and Danube stepped in front, locking gazes for a second before nodding. Regis didn't know why, but they didn't let him go in front. Thinking about it, he did go first before, so it should be their turn. Regis nodded happily to himself with this train of thought and followed behind.

Inside was a strange place, the largest room he had ever seen. Square pillars of brick, stone, clay, and more protruded from all directions, the walls, floors, ceilings, and other pillars. Words formed out of the air, saying, "THE TEAM MUST REACH THE EXIT AT THE VERY TOP."

"Jumping to the top? Isn't that child's play?" Astar knelt slightly, drew in a deep breath, and ran out with all her speed. She leaped onto a pillar, jumped toward another, and bounced off its side. With graceful movements that Regis couldn't stop watching, she hopped to and from, reaching a sizeable distance up. "Aren't the two of you quite slow?"

"The arrogance of elves never ceases to amaze me." Danube's guitar played a rapid and upbeat tune. He jumped to the beat of his song, easily reaching Astar's place with a smirk along his face. "I see why you stopped here. This requires more people to pull through."

"Excuse me!" Regis shouted, getting their attention. "How did you do that?" At his words, their mouths collectively tightened as their heads staggered in place. Feeling awkward from their reactions, Regis hurried over to one of the lower pillars and jumped on top. He ran and leaped to another one, barely able to get his arms on top. After a few seconds of struggle, Regis pulled himself onto the second pillar.

"Right…he's from the 0th floor and a clockmaker. Why couldn't we get one of the more sporty types?" Astar palmed her face.

"That makes it all the more interesting. Why did someone give Regis those clothes?" Danube chuckled while strumming his guitar. He leaped down and shouted, "Hold on, Regis. I'm coming."

With Danube and Astar's help, Regis made it through a series of pillars. Some parts required multiple people to work together to pull themselves high. Since Regis couldn't move like them, they opted to throw him first toward the destination, and he made sure to grab them when they jumped and pull them with all his might. Full of sweat and smiling, Regis laughed and talked with the others who joined in the conversation.

After several hours, they finally reached the exit and exited the pillar room. Inside the room was a single pedestal with a handprint indented into the stone and a small needle pointing out from the center. Confused, Regis turned to his friends, who wore solemn frowns, which only confused him more. "What is this pedestal?"

Astar answered, "It is initiation. This pedestal is one of the many that is linked to the Tower. No one knows how old it is, only that the Tower placed it everywhere so that they could form the link."

"A link?" Regis asked.

"The only way a person can enjoy the Tower's benefits and use the abundant mana within it is to undergo this initiation. By placing your hand and spilling your blood, you link yourself to the Tower." Danube hadn't played his guitar at all during this time, showing how serious it was. "Why don't you try it first, Regis?"

Seeing the expectant gazes from the other two, Regis nodded and went over to the pedestal. The needle looked incredibly sharp, and he stared at his palm, hesitating. However, as a Climber, Regis had to do this to make his Grandpa proud. In a fierce swing, he slammed his hand on the pedestal, the sharp needle inducing a cry of pain from his lips. A strange heat welled up inside him, and his eyes began to burn, a great scorching sear overwhelming his head.

"Kuh!" Regis shouted, his eyes seeing double, triple, quadruple, and more until everything settled back into place. Then he saw a strange set of words floating in the air, written on a screen of light.

Name: Regis Folk

Race: Human

Strength: 10 [Increase of attack power and physical strength]

Vitality: 20 [Increase of stamina and recovery]

Agility: 12 [Increase  of speed and dexerity]

Endurance: 12 [Increase of willpower and decrease damage from injuries]

Spirit: 500 [Increase of mana capacity, control, and damage]

Skills: [???]

Traits: [???]