Chapter Twenty-One: The Others

I really don’t understand this place.

I’m half tempted to knock on the door again, but I decide against it after a moment.

Everyone here is a ridiculously high level, but you aren’t allowed to ask another person their level for some reason. Even the kids are double my level, and I can’t even see people’s entire icon if they are twenty-five levels above my own. I also don’t know at what point you get a title on your icon, which I assume is some type of class. None of the kids below level 25 had it, but for all I know there could be some other requirement. People I have seen could be level 100 or even higher, but I wouldn’t know because the highest person I have been able to identify is a level 36 guy whose entire class is just a glorified pre-heat button on an oven.

I breathe out slowly and get control of my growing frustration. Realizing that I am letting my confusion and irritation get the better of me, I engage <Fixation> and think of my current objective. Like a hot knife through butter, my skill cuts through my inner turmoil and I walk back to the front desk where I found Garf last time. Before I arrive, I cut most of <Emit> off other than a small trickle and then use my upgraded skill to handle the horrible itch that ensues.

Knocking on the desk similar to how Tobias did, I wait with a neutral expression as Garf finishes up one of the documents he was writing on before looking up at me with that same squint.

“One of them are on the way, just wait here.”

With that he goes right back to his work, and I am left sitting anxiously while I wait for another Fallen to arrive. Each minute in front of the desk feels like an hour as I stare down the hall waiting for the incoming friend or foe. I even begin to <Infuse> mana into my muscles in preparation, but a quick glance from Garf immediately shuts that idea down so I just stand awkwardly while cradling Pawl in my hands.

Finally, I hear footsteps echo down the hallway, and I see a large man appear. Blood rushes through my head and I can hear my heart pound in my chest as I immediately notice the lack of a level icon above him.

He has a strong jaw, harsh features, and a crew cut that looks slightly grown out. His behavior portrays nothing but confidence, but I can see in his eyes that he is uneasy as we both size each other up. I can tell he is multiple inches taller than me, not to mention double my mass, but I am not afraid of him.

We stare at each other for multiple moments, but I do not break the silence. The man is working his jaw, but eventually, he opens his mouth to speak.

“Are you from Earth?”

His question is slightly different than what I had expected, but I nod nonetheless. The small quirk of his eyebrow and slight clench of his teeth tells me that he was either not expecting me to answer or was surprised at my response. Both of these possibilities just confuse me even more than his question, but I do not speak up. He glances at Garf for a moment and then Pawl, before gesturing me to follow him by a flick of his head.

I keep quiet and fall into step behind him. We only walk for a few minutes to an extended portion of the building, but I watch as he glances back at me every couple of seconds as I refuse to walk side by side with him. Now that no one else is around, I fall further into my skill and watch the guy and my surroundings without blinking.

< Fixation Lvl. 2 -> Fixation Lvl. 3>

My mana and radiation sit waiting just underneath my skin, ready to burst at a moment’s notice.

We finally arrive at what seems to be our destination: A double door entrance into what looks like an attached side structure that seems to have been built after the tavern was constructed. The man glances back at me one more time before reaching toward the handle and pulling open one of the heavy wooden doors. As if in slow motion, I watch the door swing while I feel the mana raging through my body making my bones creak. My radiation is barely constrained by my will alone as I subconsciously wait to activate <Emit>.

“Is that you Seb?”

My body: tense with the itch to attack like a cornered animal, freezes at the sound of a nickname I haven’t heard in almost a decade. Multiple new faces greet me through the doorway, but I forget about them and search for the one that said my name.

On a bunk bed close to the door, I see a handsome looking guy around my age with golden blond hair and bright blue eyes. When we make eye contact, I can see the recognition on his face as he leans forward to get a better look at me. I struggle to quell the feelings of violence I had been prepared to unleash just moments earlier and stiffly open my mouth.

“…Wade?”

I watch a wry grin stretch across my childhood friend’s face as he gets up and walks over to the entrance. I just stand there awkwardly on the cusp of unleashing mass destruction or embracing my old friend. It would seem that Wade decides for me as he strides forward and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

“You know this guy, Wade?” The crew-cut guy asks with obvious suspicion.

“Yeah, I used to go to middle school with him!” Wade nods enthusiastically while slapping me on the shoulder with his free hand. He turns to face me while herding us both into the large room lined with beds and lockers. Turning toward me, his face suddenly turns into a mask of confusion.

“Wait a minute man. How did you even get here?”

The brief moment of happiness I felt from reuniting with my middle school friend is completely erased as I remember what I had come here prepared to do. I look around at the eight other faces that I do not recognize. There are people of all ages, and even a kid in the room looking at me with utter confusion. I see mixed emotions amongst some of the others, but the majority of looks I receive are not positive.

I slowly lower Pawl to the ground where he takes an attentive position near my feet. My hands clench and unclench repeatedly while I struggle to decide what action to take. Wade’s presence wasn’t something I was planning on, but it doesn’t change the fact that I was left to die in a cave alone by these people. I can feel my control over <Emit> waning and I let some of it slip while I shrug off Wade’s arm. The room is cold, so the added heat creates steam that curls off my skin and into the air.

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“You need to calm down.”

An icy voice penetrates the thick silence, and I slowly turn to a woman with storm gray eyes staring at me. I can see the tension in her sleek muscles and small veins peeking out from under her rich brown skin as she somehow manages to still look relaxed while standing in a position that screams she is ready to fight. Her stance doesn’t do anything to stem the feeling of danger I get while being surrounded by all of the strangers though, so I begin to catalog them one by one and measure my odds as fast as I can.

< Fixation Lvl. 3 -> Fixation Lvl. 4 >

There is the woman that spoke up who I can tell is dangerous. The big soldier-looking guy that led me here is also up there too, as there is no way they would have sent him to get me alone if he wasn’t capable. Another older woman stands in the back of the group, eyeing me with a suspicious look that I don’t like through the wild hair curtained across her face. All of them are Threat Level: High.

I see two girls around my age or maybe a little younger. Both stand in front of the young kid I spotted earlier who still looks confused by the whole ordeal. I also notice that when I swung my gaze toward the kid, I saw a man standing off to the side shift a little bit in the direction of the mini group. Is he the father of one of them? It doesn’t matter though. When I caught his mini movement, we made eye contact and he flinched and backed down instantly. This group is Threat Level: Low.

There is one other teenager standing around with his hands wrung together in a display of anxiety behind Wade, but I can tell he wouldn’t be an issue either.

Altogether, I surmise that there is little to no chance of me being able to take the group as of right now. For one, I don’t know their levels, and for two, I have no idea what their skills are. Realizing this, I reluctantly relax my body and let the mana that I had racing through my muscles begin to dissipate.

“Are you done deciding whether or not to be a dumbass?”

I turn back to the man that originally escorted me to the barracks building and give him a short nod. Everyone visibly relaxes other than the woman that told me to calm down. She drops her arms and stands up straighter, but I can see that she is just waiting for me to slip up. The motley group reorganizes themselves since the atmosphere has become less tense, finding seats on some of the nearby beds. I remain standing where I am and Pawl leaves my feet to go looking around the room.

The soldier guy walks over to stand next to the hostile woman and they trade a look before the woman fully relaxes and leans against one of the lockers. Now that everyone is settled somewhat, the man turns back toward me and crosses his arms.

“Let’s talk then. How did you get here?”

“Floor One door.”

“So, you cleared Floor One then?”

“Yes.”

“Did you do it by yourself or were there other people with you?”

“There was two of us.”

“Two? Where is the other person then?”

I just point behind me, and everyone turns to see Pawl currently peeing on an unused bunk.