The remaining days passed too slowly, but they passed nevertheless.
Esme spent her time learning the limitations of her healing ability. As it turned out, she could heal far more than she gave herself credit for. Cleansing the skin of scars was something possible if she exerted enough time and energy into it. So, with the help of a few other Climbers, she quickly came to understand she couldn't heal War as efficiently thanks to his own freakish nature.
This discovery aided Worthy, who was forced into a few more days of fighting with Walkyr. During this time, the young man improved well enough to be commended by both Cross and Walkyr. He wasn't at the level of a professional, but he knew enough of the basics to stand above other boys his age.
The group that'd attacked him while he was rummaging through dumpsters would be in for a rough time if they tried to fight him as he is now. Granted, this would've been the case if the boy was armed that night regardless, so he questioned the true extent of his growth a little.
Damage sustained in his fights with Walkyr were all quickly healed by Esme, who did not seem to suffer much from the usage of her Reward unless she had the intention of pushing her physical energy into the process, which rapidly accelerated the recovery process. Broken ribs and bones became commonplace in the last few days, to the point that their average bout of a fight per-day turned into two, and eventually staggered into three.
Each time they fought, the duration of it went on longer. Worthy evaded attacks when he could and countered, more often than not falling into a subtle trap Walkyr left for him. Other times, he avoided these traps altogether, predicting them and moving to attack a different way than what the gunslinger was prepared for.
That was not to say Worthy was giving the man a hard time. If Walkyr wished, the fight could've ended within the first several seconds. He didn't wish for the fight to end that soon, thus it did not. He exerted a level of effort he expected the boy could manage.
Sometimes, he was left surprised when the child exceeded his expectations.
Worthy was someone who fought for his life at every moment. As someone who chose to climb in his youth, much younger than anyone Walkyr had seen take on a challenge of this magnitude, there was the risk of death at every turn. That's why the boy fought like every mistake would be the end of his life. Mistakes were made, but only when there was nothing else to be done, when Walkyr had set a trap too efficient for the child to escape.
The child's survival instincts were expected to take him far, as far as they could take any child. Plus, he had a bag full of gear that he'd hardly used. The boy always carried the bag with him, so that no one would get the idea of stealing it, but he'd only withdrawn a knife from it. It was a mystery to everyone what else was within it. It'd remain a mystery too, until he needed to withdraw something new.
He had a bag of tricks that left a looming feeling of danger in the air. Particularly because Walkyr, who'd cough a glimpse of the child's crimson dagger, understood that it was an enchanted item. If he was equipped with a dagger capable of absorbing blood to charge itself, then he most likely had even greater equipment buried somewhere in that bag. In fact, the bag itself was most likely enchanted to contain a sum of weight disproportionate to its size.
It'd be important for the next step of their journey.
Because when Worthy and Esme were having a conversation while eating breakfast, the entire structure trembled.
Chandeliers shook and glasses rattled. A few artworks were knocked from the wall, clattering to the ground unceremoniously, some of them breaking apart. Briefly, a luminescent energy poured through the safe haven, and a warmth followed that encompassed and outlined the inhabitants of the sanctuary.
"What…? Hey, what happened?"
"I feel invigorated… Walter! Let's have a brawl, old bastard!"
"Woah! This… It feels amazing!"
Worthy felt it too, an unexplainable feeling of inspiration. He was already determined to climb, but now he felt that he could reach the top of the tower and far beyond it. His past worries became foolish, complacency an illusion crafted by his immature mind. He could conquer the world if he had the drive to.
"Ms. Esme…" He didn't need to say anything else, the woman nodded, a glimmer in her eyes.
"Yeah, I feel it. It feels good. Scratch that, it feels effing spectacular!" She looked like she was about to bounce out of her seat. Hell, she nearly did — if not for the self-restraint she learned while gambling, putting on her poker face and keeping herself composed.
Worthy on the other hand had stood up without realizing it, his feet in his chair. Ideas blossomed in his mind, various methods he could use to try and escape the floor. Hell, maybe the tower might try to run away from him by the time he's finished!
The source of the energy made itself known with heavy footsteps, which were initially confused for a massive heartbeat.
There was only one person in this place capable of producing those sounds. Unless a monster had wandered in somehow, then their personal beast had just woken up — alas, he did.
Throughout the Devil's Den, a voice boomed, almost as loud as the bartender's. "Apologies. My dreams were not pleasant, thus I ended up activating one of my Rewards absentmindedly." The voice of War Reaver announced his awakening, and his arrival to the central hub of the sanctuary.
Worthy and Esme were quick to abandon their tables and hurry in that direction. They were excited to see War, but that wasn't the only reason they were in such a hurry. No, it was because now that the man was awake, things would change rapidly.
"I… thought long about what I'd do next in those dreams of mine. And… I do not think I will delay any longer."
No one had the time to speak to the man, because he was making a speech just as soon as he'd woken up. Why would he wait? Outside of the walls of the sanctuary, there were innumerable people dying every minute. The tower was occupied by thousands, maybe millions of Climbers. On this floor alone, there were far more than a few thousand people trapped.
"Escaping this place has proven to be… troublesome. A task far too tall to be expected of even a hundred men. I have walked these lands longer than anyone, and thus I am aware of the continuous changes the First Floor has undergone. Witnessing them first hand, I also understand the reality of this circumstance."
When Esme and Worthy arrived at the central hub, the main lobby, War was already surrounded by hundreds of people who'd been gathering during the initial quake and subsequent burst of energy. There was not a single person on this floor who was not hearing his voice, even if they weren't here to see him directly.
"Thousands of people remain trapped on this floor, unable to ascend or return. Prisoners, trapped in a cage that promised fulfillment. Your lives had been stolen from you the moment you entered this place, if not somehow before then. The existence of these settlements have kept you safe, however…"
A lengthy pause ensues, as if War is hesitant to continue with what he is about to say. Unloading a harsh truth onto the world upon his awakening was unsavory enough.
But people have to hear the truth, or they'll live in a hopeless illusion. That is a fate worse than death.
"Settlements are no longer safe. In my blood, I feel a rising tension unlike anything I have ever felt. Something greater than even I has festered awake. I cannot stop what is to come. These settlements will fall, and those who are weak will fall with them. The world that you have come to know will become scattered beneath your feet, then you too will become shattered alongside it."
Worthy had a feeling things would be bad, but the way that War Reaver spoke sent a chill through his spine.
He'd spoken highly of the man, proclaiming him to be the most powerful person he knew. That fact remained true, but it was now also true that the strongest human present was utterly helpless in the face of whatever disaster approached.
Maybe the Tower was trying to cleanse its wastes. The First Floor had become impossible to clear and overcapacitated by humans, so a theoretical cleansing protocol could exist. It'd be unheard of, and completely unfair.
"Those of you who have made a life here, I hope you will forgive me for my words… You will die. The places that have been safe are no longer safe. The homes you have known as settlements — even the Prime Settlements — will soon cease to exist. You will be left with only the wilderness to reside in. I am sorry."
Hundreds of people had come to enjoy their time here. It was a trap that mercilessly pinned them to this place. Safety brought ease to their hearts a long time ago, and thus it'd be difficult for these Climbers to remember the survival instincts they possessed when entering. If there was nowhere safe, then that meant that those who'd grown weak, or injured, or were overall inexperienced to begin with, would all die once the danger arrived.
"I cannot describe the approaching dangers. There are many things, some that are as mighty as I… and many that are mightier. Thus, I call upon those who still have the will and tenacity to fight. Join me in my conquest. I will conquer this floor before all hope is lost."
Worthy's mouth ran dry.
'So we're all on a timer. Everyone.'
At first, he thought that as long as War was around, the worst couldn't come to pass. This idea might've remained… but it was temporary. Threats that not even a Holy Knight could stop were crawling their way, in forms that War could not explain. Worthy could only imagine what this hellish landscape would look like after it passed. Perhaps it'd take on a form only possible through illusions or one's twisted imagination. A theoretical state of being beyond comprehension.
The thought made the child shudder.
"Today, I will depart for Middle Town with Walkyr. There, I will pray to meet as many mighty warriors as I can find. Afterwards, we will set out on a final adventure. We will seek out an abomination that can open a gateway. Then, we will try to lead as many as possible to the next floor."
There wasn't much detail to the plan. They'd unite a group and try their best to find a way out of here before everyone died. It was a desperate endeavor. Desperation from the strongest man in the world was never a good sign, ever.
Someone finally mustered the courage to ask a question:
"...You're… joking, aren't you? How long could you have known about something this serious, without telling any of us?"
It was a massive bombshell, a massive turd in the face of the inhabitants of this floor. However, Worthy knew the answer even before War said it. The man didn't know until his hibernation. No one knew the various Rewards that War Reaver possessed, but if a child could receive unordinary dreams in the tower, so too could a Holy Knight.
"I only learned the truth before awakening, which is why I awakened in such a hurry… in such a panic. I imagine that those possessing clairvoyance will have seen such things at around the same time as myself, perhaps earlier."
Unfortunately, Worthy's dream was not nearly as meaningful as the dream of someone who could see the future. It was a strange dream nevertheless, but still one that hardly carried importance, for now.
War came to the closing of his speech, caring about time now more than ever, "Anyone who wishes to join me will have eight hours. That is how long it will be before I leave. Gather your things. Collect yourselves. Say your goodbyes, if you must. There is no guarantee you will return to this place — there is…" War left the last part unfinished.
'There is no guarantee this place will be here when you return, is what he was going to say.' Worthy had become familiar with harsh truths, since he lived in one.
The place he'd been calling home for the past week, eating, training, and sleeping in… will most likely be gone, eradicated by whatever the Tower is preparing to throw at it. Leaving such a fine place was disheartening, for sure.
It also felt necessary, because remaining here after this speech was a fool's errand. Yet, the boy suspected that among these hundreds of people, only a few dozen would be willing to leave.
The rest…
Well, there's no telling what'll happen to the rest, since there was no telling what was coming to bring ruin to their way of life.
"Regardless," the man finally continued, never finishing his thought, "I hope that those who are brave will join me. Even if you are weak, I pray that you will supply your aid to this cause. Only by working together can we hope to succeed. Because, if not…"
His eyes scanned the room a final time. He had memorized all of these faces, and perhaps knew the ones he would never see again already.
"If we cannot work together, all human life on the First Floor of this tower — all that come after ours included — will be swallowed."