One Week After the Raid on The Garden…
A man clothed in pure black stalked the halls of the complex, his body covered in thick, grayed furs. His body was muscular, his size that of a monster, hulking with a mass of muscles and flesh, towering over any other who would come near.
As he walked, tens- if not hundreds- of men stopped their menial tasks, snapping to attention and saluting him, only moving back to their duties once he gave the word. A smile crept across his face as he thought of the power he had, the strength to control the lives of his people. Two curved short swords sat alongside his hips, gleaming in the brightly lit structure of the complex, obscuring his form in an oppressive glare as his weapons glistened in the light.
He'd cultivated this for years… Three years he'd been stuck on this lousy layer, surrounded by death and destruction. It only took him embracing his plights to thrive in them, to use them as they used him. Now, every man, woman, and child within a hundred campuses knew his name, knew to fear the S that represented his dear friend.
He opened a large, oppressive door, the hinges creaking slowly as he pushed it open, revealing a detailed, expansive room. Unlike those found within the liminal structures that dotted the horizon, this room was fit for a king. Lines of banners flew from the upper walls, whilst large, golden chandeliers fell from the ceiling, casting the large hall in a bath of soft light. The room itself was larger than that of a convention center, the space toweringly massive for such a simple room.
His predecessor hadn't cared much for décor, something he worked to remedy the moment he took power into his own hands. The Strollos were no longer a band of ragged ruffians and misfits, they were a true power, a nation of warriors. There was no local power comparable in terms of skill, not even the Garden themselves, save for that bastard, Matsuo. His face scrunched in anger as he thought of that name.
Matsuo
The only other gold-tier human besides himself in the southern-edge campuses, a mage type fighter who controlled nature within the palm of his hands. The battles they'd fought… he shuddered at the losses. Even for him, it was excessive. Still, despite the loss, it laid the foundation of what they were today. He had Matsuo to thank for his position.
The floors of the room were a stark, polished stone of some sort, if which he did not know. They were painted a deep blue, and his shoes clacked against the hard tile as he walked, giving him a royal gait. At the edge of the expansive structure sat a solitary stone chair, shaped in the image of a throne. It was adorned with tall, deadly spikes along the shoulders of the throne, the back of the chair carved in the image of a large S, with the bottom edge of the letter twisted and conformed into a writhing tail, that of a snake.
His changes turned his role of leader into that of a despot, a king fit to rule the masses from his throne. The accompanying campus, which was abnormally large and fortified in comparison to the other neighboring complexes, towered over any other, and for good reason. He stepped past the empty throne, which sat in wait for his presence, walking towards a unique part of the room, a large, metallic device, with various wires, electronic parts, and circuitry poking out from it, sparking occasionally.
A teleporter… To have one of these devices under his control was incredible. He held the cradle of Human civilization within his hands, the power to reach the places no man could find…
The Skyscraper
After two years of exploring the second layer, mapping its intricate structures, walkways, and bridges, cartographers realized one interesting thing. After years, they discovered a strangely familiar set of complexes. When continuing onwards, they found that they were the same. The campuses formed a massive ring around a central void, or so they thought, until they discovered the teleporters.
He was there when they first discovered it. Just after the arrival of the 2nd wave, when he was just a weakling, the first human took the teleporter. They returned just weeks later with news of a staggeringly large structure, a tower of scaffolding and living quarters that dwarfed the greatest cities on earth. Not only that, the structure also had many layers of verticality, leaving dozens if not hundreds of floors that could house all regions of humanity, stretching onwards for what seemed like an infinite space.
Of course, it didn't come with just benefits. With the discovery of the Skyscraper, so came the Variant and Chieftain tiered monsters, those beings that could rival- and still rival- humanity's finest warriors. If brutes were monsters on their own, Chieftains were gods made flesh. They tore the armies of the first pioneer groups apart, wiped out entire legions of Gold-tier humans, until finally humanity gained a foothold, and the rest was history.
To have one of the famed teleporters for himself… it was a dream come true. The man smirked devilishly as he thought of the possibilities, the infinite power he held over the local region. He decided who went in and out, who could escape his grasp.
Good. My nation will rival the Great Four soon enough.
Skycorp, The Collective, The Order, and the Council of Iron… Those four pillars of humanity had reaches within every aspect of their society, even outside of the Skyscraper. Their influence had cost him dearly in his goals for expansion, and he was dead-set on making them pay for every essence.
He seethed at the thought, angry at the life he was forced to live, free of the Collective's ruthless laws, free of their peeping militia, who tranced about the outer territories, taking those who had to make the hard decisions to survive. No longer!
Crreaaaaak~! The large gated door that pierced the edge of his enormous fortressed opened slowly, and as the axles creaked open, in the doorway stood a small man, shaking violently.
"R-Remus Black! Er- Lord Remus- I have news for you, sir." The man was frail and unfit, his slim body a sign of his cowardly lifestyle, cowering behind the comfort of Remus' walls as he conquered the campuses. Truly someone unfit for his rule.
"What is it, Darren?" Remus said bluntly, taking a seat on his padded throne, which held small cushions along the edges. He pushed his arm along the length of the rests, placing his palm along his chin. "I have no patience for the menial tasks of everyday life. Say you've brought me something entertaining."
Darren panted for breath, his legs shaking. Clearly he'd run for miles, his pathetic stamina changed only slightly from the newly awakened. Remus sneered as he waited for the man to catch his breath, his mind flicking open his status screen as he waited.
[Core: Silver]
[Soul: Bronze]
[Traits: Masterful Crafter (Species Only)]
[Species: Human]
[Status:]
[Strength: 45]
[Constitution: 41]
[Dexterity: 37]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Spirit: 19]
[Charisma: 22]
[Abilities: Domination, Binding Contract, Water Manipulation, Aura Manipulation, Knife Mastery (Silver)]
He inspected his status with pride, admiring his stats. He was over four times as strong as an average human, a true powerhouse that could take on most of what was thrown his way. He didn't hold a candle to the elites of the Skyscraper, at least not yet, but he plenty of time to gain his strength, all while his enemies grew fat with peace.
"The Garden is expanding, sir. Advertisements for new arrivals, soldiers, workers, and more have been sent throughout their neighboring campuses. It seems they've been hit rather hard, sir. What should we do?" He twiddled his thumbs nervously, biting the inside of his lip as he awaited Remus' reply.
"Expanding, you say?" He trailed off, falling into thought. "If they're desperate… it might be time to make a move. Send a few scouts along the road to The Garden. I don't want to make a move unless we can get Matsuo out of the picture." His smirk grew into a deep grin, and he stood, his long legs closing the gap between himself and the man in an instant. He chuckled, and brought his massive hand into the sky, before slamming into the man's back, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Well done, servant!" He exclaimed, chuckling loudly. "Pick up double the food at next meal. You've earned it." He stepped back, his face turning to the sky, only to be met by a blunt, dark ceiling. He moved out of the exuberant throne room, making his way to the solitary entrance to the complex, a wide bridge that stretched forth at least a mile. He stared out at the unending expanse of void, his eye catching small flickers of movement within the first few complexes he could see, the flicker of armor, of a torch being lit in preparation for the night. Speaking of which…
As if on queue, the lights flicked off, plunging the complex into complete darkness. For a moment, he was at peace, the worry of an incoming raid plunged from his mind, before taking one last, long look at the nearly infinite world beyond his own.
Snap!
The sound of a twig cracking rang out, barely audible among the quickened movement of his loyal army, who moved to secure the area in case of threats. Ignorant to the noise, they barked orders whilst Remus stood at attention, his ears preening, searching for the source of the noise.
A flash of movement pierced his periphery, a blur of blackened clothing landing with a thud. The humanoid figure, covered in a deep shadow that blocked their features unfurled their arms, their head darting from side to side, looking for anyone else that may be lurking in the shadows. There were none.
"You…" the man's voice was familiar. He could recognize it in his sleep if he wanted to. "You were the one with Jason, his right hand man, no?" He pointed to Remus, finally stepping forward into the light, revealing a set of messy, uncombed black hair, which fell down below the man's eyes. The monstrously tall man even with Remus himself, the two sizing each other up before Remus even dared to speak.
"M-Matsuo?!" Remus screamed, half in anger, and half in shock. To think, his greatest rival, greatest enemy, and greatest ally would be here, in his compound? He laughed a deep, hearty laugh, before unsheathing his twin blades, the short swords gleaming with a layer of blue energy, which wiggled and writhed, as if alive.
"I don't know why you're here, but I gotta thank you…" Remus slid forward, his belt clinking against the sheathe of his blades as they swung on his hip, inching towards the man who'd haunted him for years. His face was twisted into an inane smile, looking almost manic in the loosely lit environment. "You really did me a solid, killing Jason for me. However-" He pushed his blades together, the loose, red metal shared between them sending sparks into the air, showering the area in light. "I gotta kill you here."
Matsuo looked up at the towering figure, his muscles tensed in place. Despite the threats, his face was completely calm, his eyes darting around, looking for any other threats.
"Hah-" He smirked. "A dog like you finally got some power, eh? Matsuo said teasingly, crossing his arms across his chest. Behind his back, traces of wood began to gather along his body, wrapping himself in a protective armor, but staying just out of sight of the bullish man. He was a weapon, ready to strike at any moment.
"You think you can best me cause you became a king?" Matsuo asked, leaning his face towards the tensed man. "You aren't a ruler, you're a tyrant. I've seen what you've done with the place. It's beautiful, ain't it? Better than the scum and muck you were living in a few years back." He snapped his fingers, his body instantly surrounding itself in a wooded, protective armor, looking like a knight on a crusade. "It'll look a whole lot better when I kill the lot of you."
Remus snarled in anger, gnashing his teeth together and wildly swinging his sword towards the thinner man, his blades whooshing through the air, as if carving space itself as they fell. He laughed internally as he watched the edge inch towards the waiting man, who didn't even move out of the way. As they moved closer and closer to splitting the man in half…
His blades met air. He crashed into the ground, leaving a circular crater of cracked concrete, which sat underneath comfortable carpet floors of the complexes on this layer. The area exploded in rubble, shooting pebbles of concrete outward, like a grenade sending a wave of shrapnel into an enemy, yet Matsuo was nowhere to be seen.
Where did he go?! He spun around, only for his arm to be pierced with a thick, wooden tip where his neck was just a moment ago, now embedded within his arm. Across the length of the wooden stake was a familiar, pulsing energy, twisting among its length. Spear Energy…
"Weak" Matsuo said, sending another stake towards the man, hoping to end the fight here and now, yet it was apparent that the man wouldn't be fooled twice. He spun on his heels, slashing the sharpened weapon away, sending it plunging into the ground.
Matsuo summoned a spear made of waxed, sharpened wood, holding it carefully in his hands. He spun it around his palm twice, his palm gracefully grazing against the smooth texture of the weapon, before lunging forward, thrusting it towards the waiting king.
Clang~!
The weapon stopped in place, a metallic sound ringing out through the terrace as both knife and spear energy collided together, the deadly force expunging itself into the empty void. The two didn't hesitate, their blades ringing out again and against as they exchanged blows, each fighter just barely managing to block the others' attacks. The sound of fighting echoed throughout the entire complex, catching the ears of the many soldiers who stood at attention, yet none moved an inch for their boss.
Their movement were too fast to process, moving in a blur as they collided again and again, kicking up dust from the carpet as they feet skidded along its soft expanse. This continued for roughly a minute, before the two separated, catching their breaths as they stared at each other, their previously cocky faces twisted in concentration.
Blood drained from the wound Remus Black had taken, his left arm moving just a bit slower than his dominant arm. With each blocked attack, he'd grunted in pain as the powerful, overwhelming strength of the wooded weapons slammed into him, opening his wounds further.
Remus spat off the void, his feet clutching the carpet as he pushed himself further, his speed heightened. He moved faster than before, faster than his enemy could reach, as he finally landed a blow, the blade piercing the length of Matsuo's arm, digging into the wooden armor and just barely piercing his flesh, sending the man reeling in pain. He didn't bother waiting for him to recover, lunging again towards the man, who now left a small trail of blood in his wake.
Chink!
The blades were stopped in the blink of an eye. Before he could even blink several wooden appendages had emerged from the ground, wrapping themselves around his arms, sending them to a sudden halt. He struggled and squirmed as the tentacle-like limbs wrapped themselves further around him, pushing his blades away, slowly trying to disarm him. He roared, puffing out his body as hard as he could. His restraints groaned against his resistance, but held… until they didn't.
Snap! The first restraint began to tear, the rest soon to follow, and Remus was back on his feet, his eyes a blood red.
"You rat! Scheming, conniving little BUG! I'm going to tear you apart, rip you limb from limb, and put your impotent head on a pike. I'll parade your corpse around like it's the fourth of fucking July!" He charged towards the man, who stood calmly. He underestimated Remus, he didn't even think of him as a threat. The fool! Remus thought, and his blades sparked as he enveloped them in another layer of energy.
The two exchanged more blows, with Remus barely managing to keep pace with the man's superior speed. He twisted and turned as spears would appear from the environment around him, launching from the walls and hurling themselves towards him with deadly precision, only to be deflected at the last possible moment. His mind grew light as he strained every piece, ever fiber of his senses, observing the battle around himself, like a bird from above.
This constant, overpowering offense refused to cease as Matsuo pushed himself to his limits, his body tensed intensely as he unleashed wave after wave of attacks towards Remus. Nothing he could do would push past the man's defenses, yet he knew that sooner or later he'd be able to hit him, it was only a matter of time.
Remus cried out in pain as a blade slashed along his chest, leaving a tiny mark of blood in its wake, barely able to cut into his skin. He staggered as a small flurry of cuts emerged along the length of his body, falling to a knee as he continued to fight against the onslaught of attacks. I'm failing… he was starting to slip, a few more strike breaking through. He knew his time was up.
Suddenly he felt something within himself begin to change. He felt an overwhelming sense of calm, of peace, as if he could understand every single action between the two in an instant. He felt the spears of wood that shot from the ground, or from his enemy's arms. His eyes widened, his pupils glowing a bright, light blue as his senses enveloped him, expanding beyond his body. What's happening to me?!
[Your understanding has deepened]
[Ability: Knife Mastery (Silver) has evolved into Knife Mastery (Gold)]
His perception expanded around his weapons, enveloping the carpet, the walls, even the blood on the floor was captured within his enlightened state. He watched as the attacks he was faced with seemed to move in slow motion, carving slowly through the air, afterimages of light trailing in their wake.
He sidestepped the next attack, his mind almost too fast for his body to follow. He danced with what seemed like practiced ease as he narrowly avoided the next several attacks, an oppressive grin slowly growing on his face. He activated [Aura Manipulation], enveloping his body in a small, red glow. As the aura reconnected with itself, he felt a burst of strength explode within himself, and his body grew lighter.
This was one of his strongest trump cards. He'd carefully cultivated his aura and his control of magic for years, carving it into one of the strongest boosts he could give himself without crafting a new ability. He'd learned around a year ago, from an Adamantine level elite who traveled the outskirts, giving advice to those who asked for it.
Aura was something unique to each person, a combination of their attitude, nature, and control over magic that boosted their own personalized ability outwards, affecting them or the people around them in certain ways. Once he managed to earn the ability, he gained access to a berserker-like state, but over the course of several months he'd manage to carve out the flaws, giving him a massive boost to his stats, with nearly no side effects, at least until the ability expired.
Matsuo gasped as the man disappeared before his eyes, too fast for his own to follow any longer. He glanced around, desperately looking for some sign of his massive frame, but found nothing. Fuck! What can I do? His mind spun with possibilities as he searched for any sign of movement, searching for answer. Screw it!
"AAAAGH!" He roared as he slammed his fists into the ground, a massive wave of roots exploding from where his fists met the floor, sending the surrounding area into a frenzy as a blanket of rocks, chunks of wood, and thorns exploded like shrapnel, pelting the walls in a layer of debris. He panted, gasping for breath, clutching his chest as a sharp pain racked his body. Did I get him? He asked himself, searc-
"Ack~!" He gasped as the sleek, red blade of a short sword cut through the side of his chest, its bright blue energy sending a shockwave throughout his body, cracking his skin. A small torrent of blood spilled from the cracks in his armor, showering the carpet in its sticky, sinewy liquid, staining the carpet a scarlet red. Matsuo fell to a knee, his legs shaking in a mixture of pain, exhaustion, and fear.
"Feels like years I've waited for this…" Remus stood over Matsuo as the man clutched the wound in his chest, teeth clenched in pain. "I guess it has been, eh?" He chuckled, dropping to a crouch above the man, watching his dying expressions with glee. He leaned in closer, his voice barely a whisper. "I hate you. So. Much. I hate you so intensely, I've forgotten what started it all. Isn't that funny?" He let his blade trace the skin along Matsuo's arm, leaving a tiny cut in its wake. "I don't even understand what made me hate you, but I will tear your people to the ground, just to spite you. With you out of the picture… they're all just lambs to the slaughter." He flicked Matsuo's forehead, his joyful face twisting into that of anger. "That's what they get for serving under one like you. A head on a pike is too kind, don't you think?"
"Bah-stard…" Matsuo gasped out, his energy slowly draining. He watched from the ground as Remus slowly lifted his weapons over his head, his blades glinting slightly with deadly precision. Time seemed to move more slowly as he watched the blades fall, slowly creeping closer and closer to his exposed, prone form. There was one more option, however…
Clank!
Remus' blades collided with a hardened, wooden shell that suddenly spread expressively throughout his body, enveloping Matsuo in a cocoon of wood. Grunting in anger, he thrust the point of his weapon towards the shell, coating it in more of his knife energy, which couldn't seem to penetrate the stone-like structure.
Then the shell exploded.
A rocket of shrapnel flew into Remus' skin, sending him tumbling to the ground, screaming in pain. Even his eyes were not safe, a few small points of wood stuck in his eyelids, which were luckily closed as the attack occurred. He looked like he'd fallen into a pit of cacti, stuck all over with pointed thorns. As he recovered, and opened his eyes once more, Matsuo was gone.
He regained his footing, sprinting back towards the throne room, knowing where the man was likely headed. I can't let him escape! He pushed himself as hard as he could, his form seemingly bending as he flashed towards the location of the teleporter.
Once he entered, a flash of yellow light bathed the room, blinding Remus temporarily. When he finally blinked out the oppressive light, he found nothing but an empty room, besides a few servants cowering in fear in the corner.
Matsuo was gone.
"DAMN IT!"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Matsuo gasped as he fled through the teleporter, emerging into a deep alleyway. He'd only been in the Skyscraper a few times, but the unfamiliar metal floors still shocked him every time, suddenly losing the extra support from the comfortable carpet of the outer layers. He emerged in a dark alley, the dark, licorice black panels marking this as the "ground" floor of the Skyscraper.
He had an epiphany? Mid-fight? Madness! He thought to himself, thinking back to Remus Black's sudden, explosive growth. He'd nearly died due to his carelessness. To find gold-tier weapon energy on this layer… he must've been a master of his blade, a true genius of his craft. It was rare to find anything above silver-tiered energy on this layer. Most elite warriors died to Variant-level thrall, with only the rare few masters achieving gold-tier before heading into the third layer. It was clear Remus needed to be dealt with, one way or another. He paused, the pain of his wounds finally returning, and he clenched his teeth, observing his surroundings.
He was between two buildings made of a scaffold-like structure, with beams of metal poking out of the corners of the domiciles, creating a small staircase to the next layer of housing. He looked up, observing the skyline that never seemed to end, a collection of rectangular structures that poked out, creating a spiraling layer of structures that seemed to stretch to eternity. Of course, he knew below was a similarly endless, but the never-ending hordes of thrall that hunted the halls of the massive giga-structure were simply too dangerous, even for a gold-tier human such as himself.
He got to his feet, clutching his still bleeding chest, whish gushed freely in the open air. He concentrated with a grunt, and soon the wound was enveloped in a bandage of leaves, keeping himself from losing more blood. He'd need to see a healer once he found his way into the territory of The Collective, or perhaps The Order, whoever would help him solve the mystery that nearly killed him.
When someone took the teleporter, they emerged in the skyscraper in a random place on the ground floor, as long as there was space. The building itself was the size of a massive city, able to house millions of people within its winding halls. Once someone took the teleporter from the outside, they were placed randomly throughout the Skyscraper, as long as there was space to go. He was clearly on the outskirts of its territory, as seen by the shoddy architecture and stacked houses that teetered like a tower of soup cans. Once he got closer towards the inner sanctum of the Skyscraper, he'd be able to finally see the modern, city-like towers that resembled something like the inner layers of New York, sprinkled with bright, neon lights and functioning electricity, a luxury never seen outside of the Skyscraper.
He slowly made his way towards the city, limping as he made his way through massive crowds of people, each dressed in ragged clothing, layered in holes. Life was not easy for those less fortunate throughout the Skyscraper. It's a shame… he thought. The good these people could do in The Garden would be substantial to their growth.
Hours later, he finally witnessed the true scale of the inner city, a true mega-city, that housed the headquarters of the four Great Powers. Years ago, they'd split the Skyscraper into four quarters, equally sharing the space of the giga-structure, and allowing for themselves to work individually, occasionally working together in a time of crisis, but usually they remained as friendly rivals. Matsuo looked around for signs of occupation, his eyes scanning for a flag or symbol of whatever power owned this quarter of the Skyscraper, and quickly spotted the symbol of SkyCorp. Whilst their insignia was plastered over every market and store within the second layer, they had special markings within their own territory for lost travelers.
He passed through the well-decorated towers, watching as officials and awakened passed by, covered in layers of armor, or wielding massive, flowing weapons of energy. Many of them were Gold-rank like himself, but on rare occasion he sensed the core of a Platinum-ranked awakened, a true powerhouse of this layer. They would be the elites of the Great Powers, just under the Adamantine rank humans, those who had enough strength to take on nearly anything on this layer.
As he dodged between alleyways and buildings, he stayed in the darkness, carefully watching every movement that may have been a threat. He continued for another hour, the towering tower that held the symbol of the collective looming on the horizon. To him, it shined like a beacon, guiding him to his eventual salvation. He cautiously made his way out of SkyCorp. territory, avoiding the massive intersection that serves as the center of the Skyscraper, and the massive plaza that housed hundreds of thousands of people.
He breathed a sigh of relief once he finally made it to The Collective, his tense shoulders finally relaxing as he entered through the glass doors that served as the entrance to their headquarters. He spotted a receptionist sitting near the center of the lobby. The floor was engraved with a massive symbol of the collective, a planet cut in half, surrounded by a golden wreath, similar to that of Julius Ceasar. Underneath the insignia, a few words were carved into the ground, clearly in latin.
Ad Bonum Omnium, Beneficium Multis
"For the good of all, and the benefit of many" The phrase was a bit cheesy, but it aligned with the more modern interpretation of democracy, being ruled by a council of elites, who served under a chairman, the founder of The Collective, Chairman Kenneth Thorne, the man who united humanity. They acted as a police of sorts throughout the Skyscraper, even getting deals from the other Great Powers to enforce their own laws. They arrested criminals, conducted operations against those who contested humanity's survival, formed hunter teams to take down powerful monsters, and performed studies and research on the strange phenomena that occurred within the second layer.
After speaking to the receptionist, he was granted entry to meet with Chairman Thorne himself. As he entered the clean, yet simple office, the man greeted him with a bright smile.
"Ah, Matsuo! What a pleasure to see you once again, old friend." The man was a giant, with a subtle, but muscular frame that pulsed as he stood up, moving to greet Matsuo. His hair was grizzled and gray, and scars covered the length of his limbs, giving the impression of a powerful veteran. In reality, he was that and more, a survivor of the first wave, and the first human to slay a chieftain-level thrall, the highest tier of monster on this layer. As to why he never left for the third layer, Matsuo would never know.
He embraced the older man, who could easily crush him with a thought, and sat down across from his desk.
"I apologize for the sudden visit, Chairman Thorne. I'm afraid it's an emergency." He said, finally catching his breath. The hours of trudging through potentially unfriendly territory made him unable to rest, in case a stray rival or even a high-ranking thrall happened upon him.
Chairman Thorne raised his eyebrows curiously, leaning forward on his desk. "An emergency? I was under the impression that you were able to handle anything outside the Skyscraper. What would cause someone as prestigious as you to ask for my help?" Matsuo would think the man was taunting him, if not for the serious expression he wore. It seems like he was genuine.
"Strange happenings have been occurring with the second layer. First, a stray brute-class thrall happening upon a group of newly-awakened from the fifth wave, leaving a single survivor, and then a massive raid, the biggest I've ever seen before, slaughtering my people before I could contain it. I understand this is nothing compared to an adamantine class awakened such as yourself, but for my people, where the highest level is a silver ranked awakened, they don't stand a chance if things last longer." Matsuo twiddled his thumbs, thinking furiously as he watched the man's reaction, seeing something glow within the man's eyes. A curiosity, or perhaps vested interest in whatever was going on.
"And you come to see me? why?" Chairman Thorne asked, his face solemn. "You're aware we can't move our forces from the Skyscraper. It's simply too much. What would you want me to do?" He shook his head, his bright yellow irises shining in the barely lit room. They looked like a predator in hiding, patiently waiting for their prey to make a mistake.
"Do you have an answer for something like this? Brute class thrall emerging more commonly in the outer ring of complexes, and even more towards the inner ring… something like that would have to come from the Skyscraper itself. We've seen rapidly changing environments from our scout teams. Uninhabited and abandoned complexes have changed. The rooms contain new designs, food is restored, and on top of it all, we've seen strange behavior of the monsters in the areas. This is clearly the doing of something in the Skyscraper. Nothing else can shape the layer like this." He furrowed his brows, staring into the piercing yellow eyes of the monstrous man before him with intensity. He could hear a pen drop in the shared silence.
"I don't know what you'd be accusing. You think we'd have something to do with the changing environment? The layers are a mysterious place, Matsuo, you know that more than most. Perhaps after a few years, things naturally change." The chairman stood up, his muscles tense. "I will not have you making blatant, untrue accusations against my organization. Leave." He pointed towards the door. "You will receive no help from us."
Matsuo jolted to his feet, his anger overtaking him. "You condemn us to die?! I don't know what your operations are here, but all evidence points to you, or the other Great Powers, as the culprit. You know it, I know it. I believe we've shared enough history for me to know when you're lying, Chairman. It seems your optimistic ideals only go so far…" He turned to leave, but a voice stopped him.
"Don't you dare presume to tell me where my ideals should lie. What we're doing will benefit humanity on the second layer, once we learn to control it. You have no right to presume my intentions! Fo-" He stopped himself, covering his mouth forcefully, calming himself down. "I've said too much, perish the thought." He said, ushering the questioning man out.
Matsuo was shocked, the outburst extremely unusual for someone like Chairman Thorne. He silently turned to leave, his shoes thudding across the hard, metal floor. His mind raced with a million thoughts. Control it? Control what? What in the world could he do that would change things so drastically? I only pressured him to see if he had any understand of what was going on… but if he actually is the cause of these incidents-
"Gurghhh~!" He let out a grunt as he felt a sudden, piercing pain in his chest. He slowly turned, blood forming in his mouth as he stared at the massive longsword that stuck through his chest, piercing his heart. He fell to his knees, blood streaming down his body as he turned back towards the Chairman, who now stood just a few inches behind him, a saddened smile along his face. "W-why…?"
"I'm sorry, dear friend. I shouldn't have revealed too much. I hope you can forgive me, for the good of humanity." The Chairman patted Matsuo's matted, black hair, ruffling it as he would his own child, before pulling the blade pack, swiftly putting an end to his dear friend.
Memories flashed before his eyes, scenes of carrying a younger, unconscious Matsuo through a pile of bodies, his sword dripping blood. He heaved, letting a small tear fall down his cheek before turning back to the corpse of the man he treated as a son.
"I never should've saved you"