King Gorges stood on a balcony overseeing the moonlit city of Dia'mon. The ever-beautiful Queen Morgaine came over, sensing his unease, and leaned on him, putting her head on his shoulder.
"What's wrong, honey?" she asked.
The king sighed.
"The nobles are taking advantage of the current situation with the Maajin. They're becoming more and more recalcitrant. I've been able to keep them in check, but I fear they may use the current happenings as a cover to make plots behind my back."
Morgaine sighed.
"So it's them you're worried about?" she asked.
"I'm most worried about them pushing for Billiam to be the heir, only to try and use him for their goals. That boy's too naive and always stuck in his fantasies, making him an easy target," King Gorges said. "I don't know why he turned out that way. I mean, look at Klara. She's level-headed and carries herself with dignity."
"Aren't you being biased, dear? Billiam may have his flaws, but he's still our son and being a Listowell has the zeal to make this kingdom prosper," Morgaine said reassuringly.
"Sometimes I envy Philip, with how diligent his children are. Even after he lost the thing he sacrificed the throne for," he said to himself while looking up at the moon. Memories flashed through the queen's mind, and she remembered her best friend, the Duke's deceased wife.
"Well, now's not the time to be down," she said, returning to the present. She turned Gorges' face toward her and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him into a kiss and pulling him into the bedroom.
Saleem pushed away the charged body of a mega centipede. She had seen Kojo enter the tower and decided to follow him in. She was, however, bombarded with waves of attacks from the beasts that dwelt within and was currently on the 95th floor, a cavern swarming with oversized bugs. She continued through a cave on her right.
(The tower was designed by Estelle using her Rune Magic to be a safe haven for all the rare flora and fauna that would have gone extinct in her battle with Demon Lord Minatoti during the Dark Days. However, centuries have passed, and the beasts were automatically transported to the outside world, though some were kept inside the tower to maintain the balance in the ecosystem that had been formed. Also, the extremely rare species or those with the highest possibility of being hunted to extinction were prevented from leaving the tower.)
"That's interesting and all, but why are you telling me though?" Kojo asked as he walked toward the exit of a cave, his hand behind his head.
(Idiot. What this means is, the tower will respawn any beast that dies within it after a certain duration, but any adventurer who bites the dust won't be so lucky. I'm telling you this because of your recklessness.)
"The Oracle skill really does come in handy, huh?" he stopped and looked in the direction from where he came.
"I feel like someone's watching me."
(, Hey, are you even listening?)
"Where does it even get all that information from anyway? It's certainly not you, Sysia. You're a sage when it comes to our world. True, there are similar principles that apply here, but you basically know nothing."
(Why do I feel like you're trying to insult me?)
"I'm not, I'm just saying."
(Oracle: Due to the evolution of the skill sage, after absorbing the Babel archives, you have gained limited access and can communicate and download information from the Libra Systems Database.)
Kojo stopped walking just at the mouth of the cave's exit.
"Libra System? Sysia....."
(Don't ask me, I don't know either.)
Kojo then remembered Koniko telling him about the creation story.
(Think it's got anything to do with that?)
"I don't know."
(I'll ask Estelle about it.)
"Yeah, I forgot she's still in there."
(She's not in anywhere. She inhabits the Mindscape.)
"..."
(Where do you think all the stuff you keep in your pocket dimension goes? The Mindscape is a subspace directly connected to your consciousness but separate from the current reality you're in.)
"Wha-Why didn't you tell me? That's way too OP even if it's just for storage."
(Since you're the 'game pro,' I thought you'd figured it out by now, but no, turns out you're even more empty-headed than I'd thought.)
"You're getting back at me for what I said, aren't you?"
(Touché)
Kojo walked out of the cave at the same time Saleem walked out of the cave on the opposite side. Their eyes met, and they froze. They were in an open field, and a breeze blew between them.
"What are you doing here?!" They yelled in unison. Kojo sensed the presence of someone watching him behind a nearby tree and fired a ball of pressurized wind at it, knocking it down. There was no one. Kojo knew the presence had vanished before he'd even gathered arcana in his hand to attack.
"You're so excited by the mere sight of me, I'm flattered," Saleem said, touching her chest in a gesture of self-importance.
"You misunderstand, proving a point."
"Which is?"
"That tree could have been you, but I don't attack people indiscriminately like some people," he said.
"Why did you come to the tower?" he asked her.
"Why did you come into the tower?" She ignored the question, throwing it back at him.
"Well, that's rude. I tried getting out of this place, but everything I do seems to lead me to the upper floors." He turned and looked at a giant stone door in the distance.
"I figured that if I cleared this thing, then I'll be able to get out of here." The ground trembled. They both faced the direction where a dust cloud was rising in the distance.
"Orcs?!"
A horde of Orcs came into view; they were naked and had crazed expressions as they rushed toward them, drool running down their mouths.
"Eeek!" Saleem shuddered.
"What kind of kinky stuff were you into, Estelle?" Kojo wondered. The ring tightened.
"Oh, so you can hear me from the other side, and you've been quiet all this while? Meaning you only talk when it's convenient for you. Huh?"
(Now's not the time. We can discuss this after we get out of this. Orcs have the unique trait of regeneration as well as nigh-infinite stamina. They also possess a strong sex drive.)
"I know," Kojo yelled, then paused.
"Wait, did Saleem just say 'eek'? That's the most feminine thing she's said."
(Do you want to become their plaything? Focus.)
"I hate to say this, but if we're going to escape, we need to work..." He turned, but Saleem was gone. She had already reached the gate and gone through.
"...together."
The Orcs pounced on Kojo, but he flew out of the way and hovered above them. From above, he observed their number, which looked to be in the thousands.
"Okay, I'm out," Kojo said, flying to the door, but it disappeared.
"What?"
(The only way to move to the next floor is by clearing the current one.)
"Just my luck."
"But come on, Orcs!"
"Well, guess it can't be helped," Kojo said, flying to the center of the horde and diving into them with such force that it created a shockwave which knocked them back, but they quickly got to their feet, climbing over one another to get to Kojo.
The sword materialized in Kojo's hand, and he made an earth axe with the other, the edges of both weapons dripping with a purple liquid. A magic circle appeared under him.
Skill: Poison King