Artellis's Story

【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя: #ec6901 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #301934 】

“...in order to pass, you must stay alive until the end of the hour! The timer begins on the count of three. Good luck!" The voice came seemingly from all around the field, making the ‘rules’ of the first test loud and clear. If it could be called a test.

“That’s it huh? Just don’t die?” Artellis mused to himself as he adjusted to his surroundings. An open field, but one surrounded by tall grass. For the moment, he squatted down on his haunches, remaining low and out of sight as he bit his thumb, thinking. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting with all the rumours about this place, but already he’d caught a glimpse of a whole new world inside here. A place far different to the tight, dank and smog filled slums he’d come from.

“There’s 500 of us. And we just need to survive an hour… Does that mean there’s something dangerous in here hunting us?” With that paranoid thought, Arty glanced down to his right hand, and the weapon he held there. Apprehensively, he began methodically adjusting his grip on the handgun, smoothly feeling over the trigger. If all he had to do was survive, then staying out of trouble would be the best plan. Even though he had cover hiding amongst this tall grass, he hated the idea that he could be approached from any side. He’d have to reposition somewhere that was easier to defend or more out of the way.

Creeping forward through the underbrush, stalking cautiously, the boy swallowed nervously. If he did encounter some sort of monster or danger, what then? Should he take aim and shoot? No, something that loud would just draw all the attention over to him. Perhaps he’d be better off running? He was fast, but who knew what the threats in here were capable of? Not to mention he could easily run into even more trouble if he was hasty. As he made steady progress forward, dirt and flora gave way to hardened rock as Artellis stumbled across a large boulder.

“Damn it, I wish I knew more about what was going on…” He grumbled. Slowly, he shifted himself to creep up the outcropping and peer over the horizon. He needed to get the lay of the land to find a hiding place, and also try and get an idea what was happening to others in the field. Somehow he felt that there’d be others far less cautious then himself, and if he spotted them that might give him insight into what he had to avoid around here. Just as he was thinking that, the sky and air around him erupted with what sounded like an explosion, causing the boy to flinch. What kind of monster could cause something like that? He'd need to find out and then make a point to stay clear.

Peeking over the edge and pressed tight against the rock, it was only when he cleared the top of the stone did he come to spot them as they landed seemingly out of nowhere. A lone figure, cracked the boulder heavily as they made impact, perching in place. “..!...” An uncontrolled noise of surprise escaped his lips, and Artellis quickly sunk back down the rock, covering his mouth to silence himself and trying to remain hidden as he shrunk his form down. Hopefully he’d go unnoticed by the individual. At least until he had a better idea of who they were.

Gritting his teeth, Artemis readied his trigger finger. If this was one of the threats in this field, he’d have to be ready.

Several meters ahead, Jin paused at witnessing the fall of a massive man taken out by a pale-haired girl. She was formidable in her counter, her style a mix of aether and precise blows. The other had lost the moment he'd opposed her, that was obvious enough. And his company missed the memo, going after her as well. With a giant boulder twice her size and hurled it.

Another behind her--standing too close was struck down.

This fight like the last ended in moments. Three numbers flared crimson beside her marking the remaining players on the field.

That many left huh, they got their work cut out for them. It's unfortunate how many of them won't survive after this. How many won't return to waiting hopeful families-if any. Or—

He withdrew the katana, the Colourless December and swung in an arc behind himself, the tip of the blade stopping short of some kid's throat. His target held what looked to be a hunter's knife. Edged and already tainted in another's blood.

The boy looked no older then thirteen.

"Stand down, don't force my hand."

The boy's dull eyes widened slightly.

A man shot forth from the grass, as though Jin wouldn't sense his approach. It took little effort for Jin to catch and knock out the other with a precisely aimed jab.

The kid took the opening to run in the other direction.

Jin's katana pulsed slightly. It's never done this before. Perhaps it's got something to do with being here of all places. He resheathed the blade and kept moving. No time to worry about it.

She had always lived her life under a blanket of equal parts arrogance and equal parts confusion. A single blink would reveal that she had transported elsewhere, the simplistic dragon lazily rubbing her own eyes in an effort to dismiss the prospect of a daydream in favor of an actual change in scenery.

Below her was a short individual, no words were spoken between the two as they were already well-acquainted. The voice that guided her. The voice that woke her. Her own strength did not need to be tested and she was promptly teleported to the testing area without a single fuss.

A plain of endless tall grass, a swaying dry thicket. A beating sun, heat adorning the cusps of the winds and flavoring the air with a distinct fever. Her enhanced senses gave her an idea as to where she was despite not even haven opened her eyes yet. Her skin felt sensitive as the blades flowed and scraped her body, her ears now being alerted to a form of direction as the instructions for the test echoed throughout the field. Fortunately, she understood what she would have to do. Though, her definition of staying alive would contrast in the fact that she would exercise almost aggressive tendencies.

Allowing her wings to sprout and grow out, her body begun to shift and undertake draconic properties. Vermillion scales would begun to adorn her skin, growing draconic claws on both arms as the fabric around her woefully unfitting outfit straining and tearing in response. Bending her legs into a crouch, she leapt into the air, leaving a wave of force in her wake.

Floating several hundred meters in the air, she begun to rush her closest opponents. Larger giants or snipers that have taken vantage points, she shrugged off any form of self defense and attacked at blinding speeds. Landing blow after blow that certainly placed her targets well out of commission, she broke her victims bones before rising back into the air.

Noticing a larger concentration of warriors, she scrapped her claws against her draconic scales to rain upon sparks before holding her throat and expelling a wave of Aether from her mouth. The Aether ignited the sparks into deadly explosions that exploded like fireworks., singing the grass and ringing the air for miles. As soon as she had finished her rampage, she landed on a boulder, forming cracks from her descent. Sibylle would've leapt back up to continue culling the numbers, only to notice movement due to her enhanced senses. Normally she would've left the little guy alone, only targeting people that her instincts warned her about..but it seemed a more fickle emotion had the reins at the moment. Fueled by a childlike curiosity, she lept from the boulder onto the plains below and strolled over to where she had thought she heard the noise.

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A few moments of silence passed. No one called out. No sounds of rapid movement in his direction. No sharp pain or scorching blaze to indicate his impending death. It seemed he’d gone unnoticed by that monstrous figure. With a faint sigh of relief, he uncovered his mouth. He didn’t get the chance to get a good look at them between his panic and the silhouette of the sun, but no doubt they were some giant, brutish lizard creature if the tail and wings were anything to go by. Just what had he gotten himself into coming to a place like this? If that was another one of the competitors, it’d be insane for any normal person to attempt a test like this if they had to battle a creature like that.

“Guess my luck is still holding out if I managed to avoid a monster like that…” Art mumbled to himself, relaxing and resting his hands on his knees for only a moment before he felt it. The shift of the air and the shadow that darted over his head. Immediately, his body moved on instinct and twisted into position, firearm drawn and levelled directly towards the figure that landed no more than a few meters from his position with a heavy thud. Dirt and stray strands of grass blew into the air as she landed, another singular beat of her wings sending them scattering about the clearing that led up to the rock as she turned to face him. It seemed she was observing him and his weapon with something akin to curiosity as she took a few steps forward.

“A girl…?” He thought to himself, pausing briefly in shock and surprise. From what he’d seen of her earlier, he’d expected some completely ferocious beast from nightmares. And yet, other than some additional and changed appendages, she looked human. Around his age, even. That thought - if only for a moment - made him hesitate on taking the shot. That, and her casual disregard for the barrel aimed straight at her as she seemed to scowl at him. Steadily, she continued towards him, unflinching. That complete lack of fear… Was she that confident that he wasn’t even a threat to her? Just how powerful was she? Nervousness creeping in as she drew closer, panic eventually settled in as Artellis felt like this might end up being the end of him.

“Stop right there! Don’t come any closer!” Voice shaking a little as he strained to make it louder, Art did his best to sound commanding. Despite his training, he was having trouble stopping his trembling, which really wasn’t helping him maintain a clean bead right at her forehead. Maybe it was the fact she’d practically backed him into a corner? There was no way he could clamber up the rock faster than she could either reach him or toast him to a crisp, and his only other exit path would be trying to sprint right past her. As he glanced in that direction, Art faintly noticing movement behind her. Focusing on it, he identified what looked to be a large black Chul, though it wasn’t exactly looking in this direction. Still, that didn’t mean it couldn’t be used.

Extending his hand out, he pointed to the monster just a bit beyond them and behind her. “Look over there! That’s the… sort… of… opponent you-” Artellis slowly trailed off as the hulking monster made a few strange movements, before it began toppling backward. At the same time as the giant was felled, another figure leapt upwards, visible only for a moment in a shining uppercut before dipping back beneath the tall grass. Like nothing had ever been there in the first place. Lowering his hand, his attention now fully turned back to the girl in front of him. It seemed that she hadn’t even entertained the idea of looking over where he gestured. Still, she’d at least stopped approaching, and was simply staring at him with an expression he wasn’t entirely sure how to read. Well apart from the fact it didn’t seem to be a happy one with a glare like that. Perhaps a hunter observing their prey? The thought brought his fear and nervousness back to the forefront.

“Timeout! We really don’t have to do this! I mean, we just have to survive the hour, right? We both want the same thing, yeah?” Raising his arms up and away and taking his gun off his target, Art was somewhat relieved she didn’t jump him the moment he let his guard down. Seeing as he seemed to have her attention now that he’d started talking, Artellis continued to do so, hoping to at the very least buy himself some time to formulate an escape plan if she wasn’t open to negotiations. “I mean, a cute girl like you shouldn’t waste her time with a guy like me, I’m not even worth the effort! Hahaha!” Throwing in a little flattery, Artellis could only hope for the best that this didn’t backfire. Maybe if he was really lucky, whoever went and took out that Chul would come and save him next...

The senseless mumble guided her to his location, coupled with him popping out from cover to aim his weapon at her. Her lack of caution was not exactly born from spouts of draconic arrogance, but more-so her own precious naivety. Walking with an aura of the upmost nonchalance, she entertained her own stubborn curiosity, ignoring the man's increasingly louder pleas and cries in favor of a continuous stroll that would seemingly not stop for nothing.

Similar to how he was studying her, Sibylle's intrusive eyes laid focused on him. His outwards appearance didn't scream abnormal, and he certainly didn't move like a trained warrior. Her instincts told her to dig deeper, but her own stubbornness seemed to tell her to dispose of the normie and attend to other matters. Her own seemingly casual bloodlust manifesting as she aimlessly continued her saunter over to the cornered man. Turning a blind eye to the giant-slaying that was occurring behind her, she eventually met the distance until she was well into breathing distance. Bringing her hand up and out, her motions made clear her intention to punch him into a coma.

However, she seemingly stopped in her tracks at the mention of a single word. One ingredient she had plucked out of a sentence of smooth charisma. Human speech was not lost on her, so it was only natural that she clung onto the meaning. A single utterance of the word "girl". Was he referring to her? It certainly was a time of great unfamiliarity. Showcasing her limited spectrum of emotions as it was made apparent that his panicked attempts to compliment her have seemingly broken through and yielded results better than he could have ever imagined.

As quickly as it came, her bloodlust drained as quickly as beckoned. Her previously simple but stoic expression growing soft at the mere mention of a single word. She had never been called a girl, more accustomed to being referred to as a beast or simply an "it". Furthermore, the compliment did well to confuse her, unmoving as she let her simplistic mind work in an effort to process the charmer's words.

At this point, it was unclear how they stood at the moment, up until an unnamed warrior leapt from a top the rock and brought his sword down in an attempt to slice them both clean in two.

Surely, she could move quick to dodge, but it seemed that she wanted to protect the source of flattery for a few moments longer. Leaping into the air, she knocked aside the attack and subsequently the weapon before bringing her claw around the assailants neck. She flew higher before letting go and turning her body, utilizing her strong tail to smash the poor perpetrator back down onto the earth. After the spectacle, she flew back down to meet Art, hovering a few feet in the air and bringing her hand on his head. Here she spoke her first words since her arrival.

"Don't die." Soft, almost monotone, her voice sounded soothing to the ears, a contrast to her almost horrifying abilities. After her display, she flew back into the air, taking a more defensive position as opposed to flying out. While not directly apparent, it seemed that the fickle dragon was interested in protecting him.

【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#483d8b ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #9b0044】

Therion checked his pocket again, the number was still slowly ticking down, meaning someone was actively taking out participants. "Well that was quicker than expected." In the distance, something was hovering about in the sky, no doubt one of the people responsible for the rapidly dropping number of contestants. "Speaking of rapidly dropping..." He turned to address the figure that had been following him for the past five minutes, "Have I walked into your ambush yet?"

In response to his question, a spear flew through the space where his head had been just a second earlier. Two more men emerged from the tall grass, wearing matching black jumpsuits; one was wielding a hook and the other had a needle tensely gripped in both hands. "You know that is a one-handed needle, right? And you're stance is all wrong, you have too much weight on your back foot." To the assailants credit, he took Therion's words to heart and adjusted his feet.

Another spear came soaring towards Therion, this one aimed center mass, but clearly the thrower was trying to push him into the other two. In response, Therion dropped prone, frowning slightly, "That's strike two. You won't like what happens if you get three strikes." The man with a hook darted forward, followed only shortly behind by the needle user.

Therion let out a sigh and drew the wand from out of his pocket, the thin silver handle was topped with a small red crystal and the flow of aether around it was slightly off. "Strike three. You're out." Lightning arced off the wand, moving through the path of least aether resistance, which happened to be the air around the hook. The hook's wielder seized up, unable to drop the hook that was now conducting thousands of volts.

With a light roll, Therion grabbed one of the spears that had been intended to impale him, made a quick calculation based on where the spears had landed, and launched it back at his assailant. "Let's see..." Therion's pocket blipped into existence, and just as the spear found its mark, the number of contestants still alive decreased by one.

Fried to a crisp, the man with the hook fell to the ground, unconscious if still alive. The needle user was petrified with fear, which worked just fine for Therion. Rising to his feet, Therion continued down the path he had been on, stopping only to pat the needle user on his back. "You need more practice kid, and you'll never get it associating with creeps like that." The kid's needle clattered to the floor, as Therion made his way to the flying figure in the sky.

---

As he got closer to the flying figure, it became apparent that she wasn't hunting people down, but rather, she was defensively flying around a certain point. "Which means she's smart enough to not dance to the examiner's whim... Hopefully."

"Hey! Yoohooo!" Frantically waving his arms, Therion did his best to draw the creatures attention. She appeared to be making use of some sort of flight item, and didn't seem to be afraid of being sniped out of the sky, which was fairly promising to find this early in the climb. "Heelloo! My name is Theri, I was wondering if you wanted to be friends?"

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Carefully regarding the half-girl, half… Lizard? No, she had wings. Dragon maybe? Well, watching her closely, Artellis was somewhat relieved when he saw that stern expression break for a moment, kind of like she’d snapped out of a trance. Wait… That worked? He could scarcely believe it. That was a good sign, right? And she was slowly lowering her fist, so maybe..? No sooner than Art thought that, did the girl in front of him immediately return to full alert, her body tensing and fist clenching. In that instant, panic set in Arty as he scrambled to prepare his own weapon. Damn it, if this was how it had to be then-!

In that instant, she leapt upwards, Artellis backing up in preparation for her assault before he saw it. In a spectacle of aerial finesse, the formidable girl dismantled the assault from another warrior, battering away their weapon in a shine of sparks before finishing with a vicious chokehold into submission throw as she slammed him to the ground. Artellis could only grunt in exertion as the earth cracked around the point of impact, a wave of dust blowing against him and the arms he crossed in front of his face to shield himself. And, as he uncovered them to survey the scene, she was there. Hovering mere centimetres from him as she reached down. His initial surprise and fear made him freeze to the spot, but despite the armored claws she had formed moments before, Art was surprised by how gentle the touch was as she squashed down his hair.

"Don't die." She spoke, and with a voice that was surprisingly more compassionate than he expected after the brutality he just witnessed. Mouth left slightly agape, Art could only dumbly respond as she released him. “I’ll uh… Try. Thanks…” Blinking a couple of times in disbelief, Artellis watched as she then took to the sky, flying closed circles nearby and around the rock formation. Maybe she was just staking claim to this as her territory..? As she left, Artellis felt all his stress leave him, and the breath that he’d been unconsciously holding suddenly released. Taking a deep breath, he fell back onto his ass, taking a seat on the ground as he composed himself. And to think, this was just the beginning... The first real test. What chance did he have trying to climb higher compared to someone like her?

Resting on the ground, he calmly watched the girl flying about, somewhat in awe of her strength, composure and... Other things. Well, if he wasn’t going to get to the top, he could only hope that someone nice like her made it. Nice to him at least. Scanning his eyes to the mangled body that had been crushed into the earth, he somehow felt others wouldn’t quite have the same perspective. “Wonder what her name is?” Art asked himself, not really able to ask her anymore as she flew high and out of earshot unless he wanted to shout at her like some idiot.

"Hey! Yoohooo!" As if on queue, the voice came from not too far away, but was clearly trying to draw attention with how loudly he called. Sitting up and dusting himself off, Artellis picked up his weapon and scanned for the source. It didn’t take long, as the guy was wildly gesticulating with his arms. How had a guy like that not been jumped, and yet Artellis had managed to encounter two different assailants despite trying to remain out of sight? Still, it wouldn’t pay to underestimate the fellow. Perhaps he was trying to goad them into a trap?

"Heelloo! My name is Theri, I was wondering if you wanted to be friends?" The boy continued, and it was about at that point that Arty realised he wasn’t being addressed at all. Theri as he called himself, seemed to have his attention fully on the girl flying above him, and though warranted, did sting Art’s pride a little. Still, was Theri being genuine? If he’d witnessed her destruction, maybe he didn’t want to be on her bad side? No, if that was the case, he’d have just steered clear entirely. Maybe he wanted to use her like some sort of bodyguard? Art could certainly see the appeal in that after what had just happened, but for some reason, that didn’t quite sit right with him.

“Damn it, what am I doing…?” Art mumbled to himself as he made his approach. He should be just staying clear and waiting out the timer, but instead he was-

“Yo! Nice to see another friendly face. Theri, right? I’m Artellis.” Giving a salute and wave, Art made a slow approach. If this was an ambush of some kind for that girl, he wanted to scope it out. He owed her that much at least, and he hated having unpaid debts. “But you have to understand, I’m a little skeptical. How can I be assured this isn’t some trick to axe off more of the competition?” Smirking and playing it casual with some confidence, Art attempted to pretend that the conversation was directed at him rather than his flying friend. Hopefully that’d get this guy talking and make him a little easier to read. Even as he awaited a response, Art kept his senses peeled for danger, assessing both the man in front of him, and the surroundings for potential back up. Faintly too, he listened to the movements of the girl above him, as he wasn’t entirely sure how she’d react to this development.

One thing was for certain…

The tall guy in front of him really needed a haircut. Dang those braids were long.

Continuing to scrap up a rain of bright sparks, a wave and a roar beckoned forth dangerous explosions, further culling the numbers dangerously into the double-digits, though Sibylle controlled her carnage in an effort not to fly too far from the man. In midst of her flight, she turned a deaf ear to the callings of the Ein Sof Prince, despite how outward his attempts were. A mix of obliviousness and simplistic focus lended itself to her arrogance and the dragon continued to fly around the perimeter.

Her eyes caught other noteworthy individuals. Listening to her instincts as they told her of their dangerousness, but her tether to fickly protecting her new found companion preventing her from disposing of them at the moment. Sibylle rubbed her eyes, let out a teary yawn before looking back for Art, noticing him inch ever so close to a man she had never seen before.

She understood not wanting to feel idle, but dragons like her are particularly territorial, and she couldn't help but feel that his safety was her responsibility. Twisting as she flew, her wings flapped with the rumbles of parted air as she darted towards the two. Landing on a knee between both men and cracking the dried dirt where she landed. Her eyes narrowed at the black-haired individual, her perceptive eyes studying his appearance quietly. While he looked unassuming, her instincts beckoned her to stay on guard, Sibylle bringing her hands up in a defensive position as she inched back until she was in arms distance to Art.

Not speaking a single word, she looked at the crackshot over her shoulder. Seeking to speak with her eyes alone, her usual expression gazed towards him expectantly, the fact that she was looking to him for advice on how to proceed made readily apparent. A sense of uncharacteristic unease was made present on her face, the poor dragon clearly not mentally equipped for anything pertaining to conversation.

【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#483d8b ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #9b0044】

“Oh?” Another man approached Therion, though he looked unassuming and seemed to be even-tempered enough. “Did he not notice the person above? Or am I about to get attacked again?” Making sure to keep his hands visible, Therion slowly approached the new arrival. In his haste to get the winged girl’s attention, Therion hadn’t even considered running into someone else first.

Casting a quick glance skyward, Therion realized he was being ignored by his initial prospect; rather she was milling about in the sky, seemingly without a care in the world. “Why would I spend time and energy to axe off the competition when the Tower was built to do just that ? More im-“ Therion’s eyes widened as he noticed the gun held in the newcomer’s hand for the first time.

Letting out an appreciative whistle, his calm demeanor suddenly evaporated, “That is a very nice piece you've got there. Definitely workshop work.” Therion’s eyes darted up to Artellis’s face, “You don’t look like someone from one of the big families…” His eyes darted back down to the gun, “But that baby can fire at least through the 30th floor. Maybe more…”

The thought muddled around in the man’s head as he tried to extrapolate two from some unknown variable. Five seconds passed before Therion remembered why he had run here. “Anyways! We both heard the same rules, right? We just stay alive for the rest of the hour; worst case scenario we part ways after that.”

For some reason, the winged ”...Scout?” Therion decided that the flying girl had to be a scout, and he had just attracted her attention somehow. For a moment, he was sure that she was going to attempt to subtract them both from the remaining contestants, but she turned her back to Artellis far too readily. The way she had landed was entirely too graceful for comfort; as if the aether wasn’t even there, like a creature swimming through a void.

Therion’s hackles slowly raised, “Did I… just kill myself?” Instinctively he reached for his wand, before deciding it wasn’t worth his time; she was way too fast, her claws would snap his neck in a moment, if Artellis didn't draw a bead first. “F-friend of yours, Artellis?”

“Between the three of us, we could pass this test and the next with ease. Maybe even the whole floor?” Slowly and carefully, he offered his hand to the winged girl in front of him. “I shouldn't have offed those two goons from earlier, they could have at least bought me time...”

His mind couldn't stop racing, there would be no way to run from the two of them,
"I started ogling his gun and let my guard down, I have to try and keep them both talking, o-or disarm him somehow, I-" PING PONG "Congratulations... Please form a group of two to five."

"W-what?" The pocket reappeared; its timer read that the sixty minute period had elapsed, "There are three thousand and six hundred seconds in an hour. We should have ha-" He had stopped keeping track of the time limit the moment he noticed someone was following him. "He followed me for just over five minutes, and then running into these two..." Therion's brow furrowed deeply, a hand raised to his chin in quiet contemplation, it was unusual for him to lose track of a simple countdown. "I got overexcited; I guess I was never really allowed out of the Workshop before. And now..."

Standing in front of him were two people, one of which was carrying a gun that could easily carry him through the the first thirteen floors, and the other was, was... not human; at least not in the traditional sense. The girl wasn't wearing a flight item, rather she had wings. She also had a tail, and claws, and any number of other monstrous features.

"Well there are three of us here, and if you agree not to try and kill me for the first twenty floors, I know some things that could help you guys out further up." Reaching into his pocket, Therion retrieved and opened a vaccum-sealed piece of beef jerky, offering it to the dragon lady and Artellis.

【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя: #ec6901 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #301934 】

As Artellis regarded Theri in front of him, he could tell that the man’s attention was divided, split between caution for him, and the girl flying circles about the area. Honestly, it was a wise move. At the very least, Art would have done the same in his position. Seemingly content that Art and the winged woman weren’t an immediate danger, Theri decided to answer Art’s question with what he could only take as a candid response. “Why would I spend time and energy to axe off the competition when the Tower was built to do just that ? More im-“

Cutting himself short, Theri’s eyes betrayed what caused him to draw pause, Artellis glancing to the piece of weaponry he had rested over his shoulder, before back to the man who was heaping praise on it’s capabilities. A workshop piece? I mean, he’d heard of the workshop, but something like that trickling down to the slums where he’d grown up was unlikely. Then again, he’d plucked it out of the trash from amongst a pile of weapons stolen from dead fools that got shredded by the Greasers. He found it hard to believe that anyone that went that high up the tower could have been taken down by his old gang of thugs, so then how did it end up here? Either Theri was mistaken, or maybe there was more to this weapon then Art realised? Just why had he even been drawn to it in the first place?

Putting those thoughts into the back of his mind, Art wouldn’t let the compliments to his gun throw him off guard. If it was that powerful, it might make him a target. Or Theri might have been trying to get on his good side by over-exaggerating. Still, it wasn’t worth worrying over. Not yet at least. Deciding he’d stayed silent long enough, Artellis butted in shortly after the comment about reaching the 30th floor. “Hah, you think? Maybe this baby’ll end up going further than I can, but until then we’ll see just how far we can go. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to work for one of those bigshot families I don’t belong to.” Grinning like he’d told a joke, Art continued. ”At any rate, you said you wanted to be friends, right?”

Theri stumbled out his offer, which Artellis had to admit sounded reasonable. For now, there was no reason to fight, and it did seem like this guy came alone. As long as he was cautious, this might end up working out in both their favou- The telltale shadow and rush of wind accompanied the heroic entrance of Art’s first apparent friend in the tower, the ground splintering some more as she struck a defensive pose, guarding him from Theri’s advances. Art wasn’t entirely sure what he’d done to earn her good graces, but he wasn’t complaining. In fact, this looked like it was really starting to work out. As she glanced back to Artellis, wordlessly communicating with just a gaze and a shift of her head. It was surprising to see something resembling discomfort on her face. Why? What exactly did she have to be afraid of?

“F-friend of yours, Artellis?” Stammered Theri, drawing something of a laugh out of Art. Striding forwards, the orange haired lad came up next to the dragoness, patting her a couple of times on the shoulder. “Yup. Easy there dame. As your friend, I think maybe we could learn to show a little more hospitality if someone’s not trying to attack us?” Flashing her a smile and a wink, Art saw no reason not to act jovial and friendly with her. After all, it eased his nerves, and realistically it felt like she could tear him and Theri apart easily, so there was no sense acting guarded around her. Besides, she was clearly trying to protect him.

“Between the three of us, we could pass this test and the next with ease. Maybe even the whole floor?” Theri added, moving up to shake with her. Wanting to ensure that the ‘transaction’ went smoothly, Art moved to be mediator between the two, taking her hand and helping her to shake with Theri, laying his own hand on top. “Well, I don’t know if I’ll be much help, but I see no reason why we can’t work together on this. Ain’t that right…- Oh yeah, I was so busy getting my butt saved by you that I never got your name. Or gave you mine. Name’s Artellis. Braid-boy here is Theri. Oh, and thanks too by the way. I definitely owe you for helping me out back there.” Getting the introductions out of the way, Artellis was about to wait for her response when the announcement came through to declare that the round was over. They were done. One test, out of the way. Taking his hand off the top of Theri and his mystery fan’s shake, Art let out a soft woop of celebration, along with a fist pump.

“Hey, would you look at that? We’re through to the next round. Didn’t even die either.” Giving a pointed look to joke around with the dragon-girl, Art continued. “And we already have a good team for the next round. Well, I’ll try not to slow you two down at least.” Giving them a thumbs up as the teleportation effect began to transport them to the next testing area, Art whistled and gave a mention of thanks as he took some of the jerky Theri had.

“Thanks man. Used to live on this stuff where I come from.” Taking a big bite, and chewing, Art continued to speak even with his mouthful. “Also, I won’t shoot you in the back, and I don’t plan on letting you near mine, so we’re cool. Not that it should matter, right? We’re friends. No need to oversell yourself with some vague notion of secret information.” Waving the jerky around, Art seemed completely casual and in his element as he chatted away. “And just don’t upset our friend here and I’m sure you’ll be safe. Probably.”

As more and more people started filtering in to the room, Artellis took note of the comment about there being a ‘head scratcher’ in the next test. Hopefully he’d be able to help with that. Taking a moment to scan the room to evaluate the remaining 80 besides himself and his newfound friends, Art steered the grounp over to a nearby wall to rest and chat as they discussed their newfound arrangement. ”So, think we should try to find another two to round out our group and increase our odds? Or do we prefer our close knit little team?”

Her curious orbs blinked twice, the simplistic dragon at least having the scattered awareness that her descent resulted in her stumbling upon an ensuing conversation she neither understood nor cared for. Still, the smell of the Ten Families was particularly pungent with their newfound ally. No matter his history, Sibylle felt the need to keep the man at claws length until he had the chance to prove his intentions.

Her body twitched from instinct as Art strode up to pat her shoulder, the next few pats not drumming up nearly the same jerking response. She could not explain why, but she couldn't help but feel at ease around the orange-locked man. Whether it was an beast's caution to a figure most unassuming or her sensing a kind soul or the ability to cultivate one. Whether the case may be, she could feel a spark from him and despite her simplistic nature, she uncharacteristically wished to see it flourish. She couldn't explain this feeling..but nonetheless, she always trusted her instincts. Sibylle took a deep breath as she noticed her studied gaze on Art had persisted for far too long, focusing her attention on Therion for a few sharp moments before finally relaxing her shoulders. As her arms finally fell to her sides, her tough crimson scales begun to dissipate into raining cinders. Shrunken wings, a smaller swaying tail and two large devil-like horns were the remnants of her draconic features as she shifted back to her base form.

"Sibylle." With a soft voice, she answered his call to introductions. As a slave, all she had was her own name, though she had not had much experience remembering it when her lifestyle changed to resemble that of a beast.

Her stoic expression seemed to shift at Artellis' ramblings, cracking a demure smile as soon as he finished. Whether her shift was due to his small joke, or the fact that he was undermining himself was unfortunately unclear, regardless, Sibylle returned his shoulder-tapping gesture from earlier by patting him lightly on the head once more. Her soft..somewhat demeaning pets acting as a silent reassurance in response to him feeling the need to mention that he would try to not "slow them down".

The same couldn't be said about Therion, however. Every moment her gaze met his, her eyes scrutinized into an almost childlike glare. Her mouth forming a pout at the prospect of being forced to ally herself with a Regular that smelled of royalty. Art's words alone were keeping her in line but it was clear that the dragon hated the prince for something that was well outside his control. Still, her now present lack of claws made apparent that her hatred would only manifest in petty glances and loud exaggerated huffs.

At the beck of what seemed like strategic conversation, Sibylle crossed her arms to show her aversion to contributing. However, her expectant glances with the group's sharpshooter explicitly showed that her vote was with him.

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Artellis seemed dismissive of the things that Therion knew about the upper floors, but it didn't really matter so long as they could find some sense of camaraderie, which seemed to be going fine so far. The only issue was... "She's giving me that look again!" For some reason it made him want to stick his tongue out at her and blow raspberries. It’s not like she could attack him in between tests, at least not without serious repercussions.

The waiting area was well-lit and the other eighty-three contestants seemed to have come from all over the tower. Certainly they could find another two teammates here, the question was whether or not they should. “Artellis and Sibylle don’t appear to trust or like me much… Two others could be valuable insurance against a knife in the back. Or they could be the knife in the back.” A plaintive frown slowly crossed his face as he scanned the crowd, while leaning against the wall he had been led to.

“Well the next test is supposed to be a head-scratcher, so we won’t necessarily need more manpower. I think our recruitment problem hinges on whether or not we're any good at riddles.” From personal experience, people who enjoyed riddles were more conniving, and therefore more apt for betrayal. Though they didn't seem to have any plans to betray each other, and he could probably crack whatever problem the next test posed, even if they couldn't. "Do I... Trust them?"

The words of a Great Family Head echoed in Therion's head, "Trust, but verify." The pink-hued ears of a beast-lady caught his eye, she was sitting with one other guy, which was perfect. Grabbing Artellis's arm, he pointed over to the pink cat and her human friend. "What about those two?" Without waiting for an answer, he began to all but drag Artellis over to the two while gesturing for Sibylle to follow; he didn't dare try to drag her around.

"Hello! My name is Therion, and this is my team leader, Artellis!" Pushing the orange-haired man forward, Therion gave a wide grin before whispering, "This is the part where you lay on the charm, Arti"

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Sibylle, Theri and Artellis; quite the merry band they made. The former didn’t talk too much, but she communicated a fair bit with her body language. For whatever reason, she certainly didn’t seem too fond of Theri, but maybe she’d warm up to him with time. Honestly he couldn’t tell what the difference was between Theri and himself to make Sibylle hold such different dispositions, but it was nice to have her act so warm with him. Doubly so for a cute girl. With her features rescinded, she was much less intimidating; a stark contrast from before. Hard to even imagine her eviscerating her enemies with the way she was pouting and clinging close to him.

Then there was Theri. Significantly harder to read with his body language; and with just as cryptic motivations for associating with him. If he was to be trusted, he just wanted to work together, but Art couldn’t determine if his kindness was just a facade as a means to an end. At the very least, he was incentivised to work with them for the duration they needed to remain as a group. The true test would be what he’d do once the opportunity came to part ways. For now though, it seemed he could be trusted, even if Sibylle didn’t feel the same way. Artellis would have to work to try and mend that divide, at least somewhat if they were to work together. Couldn’t have her glaring at him all the time

“C’mon Sibs, Try some. Stuff’s good!” Art had stopped eating the jerky, waving some in front of Sybille to break her line of sight to Theri and forcing the food into her hands to eat. Giving her a smile, Art looked like he was about to say something else, but instead gave a soft exclamation of surprise as Theri now hooked himself under his arm and started dragging him away from Sibylle’s side. "What about those two?" The boy commented as he pulled Art stumbling along. “H-huh? Hey, hold up!” With only light protesting as he staggered up with Theri, the two came to a stop in front of another pair. Dusting his arm off as he pulled free of Theri, Artellis gave a quick wave and chuckle as his partner began the introductions.

"Hello! My name is Therion, and this is my team leader, Artellis!"" Wait, what? Damn that Therion! Trying to ignore how ruffled he was from being thrown into the spotlight, Artellis briefly contemplated how he’d get his revenge after this scenario was done before quickly and smoothly slipping into chatter with the two potential teammates. “Haha, that’s right. Mind if we get your name, ladies?” Li-Seo, the human woman, and Moon, the cat-girl introduced themselves, the former helping Artellis with some of the legwork by assuming his intent. They certainly didn’t look particularly strong, but they’d made it this far, so that was something. And Li-Seo at least had a decent head on her shoulders if she knew why they were being approached. Hopefully they’d be more of a help then a hindrance if this all worked out, but Artellis couldn’t imagine Moon would be much use for anything with how tiny she was. It almost seemed like she was a little kid, and Art didn’t fancy himself a babysitter.

“Nice to meet you both. You’re absolutely right we’re looking for some teammates for this next task. Many hands make light work as they say, and we’d appreciate all the help we can get.” Giving them his best smile to try and be friendly, he first turned his attention to Li-Seo to try and win her over. “You seem pretty switched on, and we’re no slouch either. Sibylle back there may seem cute and not look too intimidating now, but you should see her when she gets going. Definitely the toughest in the room.” With that endorsement, Art decided not to risk a glance over his shoulder in case Theri and Sibylle’s bickering spoiled it. Instead, he turned his attention to Moon, Artellis squatted down to be at her height. “So, what do you say pretty kitty? Wanna be part of Team Artellis? The name’s still a work in progress.” As Art asked the question with another grin, he reached his hand out to start petting Moon’s head. She was pretty adorable so it was hard to resist. Plus it seemed like that Li-Seo girl got away with giving the cat pats, so why couldn’t he? Besides, she was just a little kid. Should be easy to win her over, right?

Her glare continued to persist, her sharp eyes unceasingly peering into the soul of her poor recipient until distracted by the movement of a dry piece of steak. She was initially drawn to the smoky scent but the swaying, pendulum like movements of Art's arm captured her attention for an extended period of time, similar to a feline's attention on a cat toy..or more appropriate, a bull's huffing gaze on a dancing crimson rag.

However, her focus broke as he dropped it into her hand. At this point in time, she was seconds away from biting it out of his hand, but this method, at least, was much more civilized (not that Sibylle cared). Focused on the jerky piece, she took a small nimble before gorging it whole. Allowing the smallish portion to snake down her throat without the need to even chew. While she wasn't at all picky with her food, she could at least process that what she had just consumed was traditionally delicious for the brief moments that it waned where her tongue could taste it.

Turning to receive more, these idyllic moments would come to pass, quickly broken as the group wandered their attention to a catgirl and her human companion. She donned a vicious look aimed towards the Ten Families perpetrator before following after the two. Her tail swaying with a slight flick as she walked shortly behind them.

As always, she took a passive role in their conversation, walking past Therion and standing in breathing distance to Art only to turn her head and look over his shoulder. Painted with a perpetual uninterested expression, her glance shifted into a childish glare as she watched Art's hand attempt to pet the smaller looking cat's head.

Perhaps she had been irked by a tinge of jealously.

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”Your companions certainly have an air of strength about them.” Ooo, ouch. Artellis tried not to let that comment sting too much to his pride, even if it was true. Theri and Sibylle certainly seemed to have a much more powerful aura about them, standing out from the crowd. He was just a pretty ordinary kid with a gun. Stll, as the conversation continued further, and it became clear that Li-Seo had somehow been observing them during the test, Art couldn’t help but comment back on his supposed survival prospects. “Oof, you wound me madam. Seems Sibylle’s the only one here with a vote of confidence for me.” Scratching the back of his neck and letting the thinly veiled insults glide off his back, the next comments about Therion made Artellis pause in thought.

“A member of the 10 families? Huh, he didn’t lead in with that, but that might explain the weird feeling I felt...” Thinking about it to himself, Artellis was a little surprised. Somehow he felt most members of the 10 families would introduce themselves with that name and title. Not only that, but surely they would have better plans than teaming up with someone like him? Just what was Therion’s story? With that curiosity in mind, Art wasn’t really paying too much attention when he continued to ramble and then proceeded to pet Moon, missing some vital warning signs. Gosh, she was so soft and fluffy. The sensation was short-lived however, as Li-Seo both warned and saved Art from a vicious mauling as the feline’s mouth chomped and claws swiped at the air. Reflexively, he recoiled back, a bead of sweat rolling down his face at how close he’d come to becoming a scratching post. "Do not pet Moon unless Moon says pets are okay!" Moon declared with a hiss.

“Okay okay! Don’t bite Artellis unless Artellis says… Scratch that, don’t bite me!” Responding in kind to Moon’s demand; Art’s antics seemed to have struck a chord with Li-Seo at least, who voiced her plan to join them. ”Wait… For real?” Artellis blinked, somewhat stunned that his goofing around was what won her over. Or at least, that’s what she said. Letting her negotiate the rest of the way with her partner, he turned back to Theri and Sibylle, flashing them a thumbs up. ”Not bad for the Team Leader, am I right?” Grinning, the sharpshooter felt daggers glaring at him, turning back to see the adorably angry face of Moon. "...but humans will not pet Moon unless Moon says so." The feline was clearly riled, which was easily recognised in her body language. Grinning some, Artellis couldn’t help teasing their newfound friend, at least a little. “What was that? Did you say you wanted me to pet you, Moon?~” Artellis squatted down again, clearly joking as he continued to poke and prod at Moon. Thankfully, not literally, as he kept his hands back and to himself, staying out of striking distance. “But I heard you say so. Moon definitely said ‘Pet Moon’ so…”