YM778.TV Chapter 18: Next time
"But take it as an invitation and acknowledgment from one strong Awakened to the other," he stretched his hand in invitation. "How about it? Join me to climb the Tower and I will promise you riches."
Jael had seen a lot of rich brats, but this guy seemed to be the most shameless. "You sent someone to attack me, and now you want me to join you? In your dreams. Now get away from there or I will be forced to move you." He followed his words by lifting his hand, shifting his flesh until the fangs pointed outward.
Thayer maintained his smile. A good smile, his father often tells him will solve matters faster than any other thing. And while he didn\'t truly believe that, he knew a smile could smooth things over. "What do you want? This is the Tower. I can give you anything you want if you join me."
Jael was genuinely surprised. "You are right. This is the dungeon; anything I want, then I will take."
Thayer lowered his hand, a small frown marred his face. "But that\'s not always possible. Of the Climbers of each set, only about five percent will become Ascendant. And even smaller will become High-rank Ascendants.
"I am rich. My father richer still. Name what you want."
"You are boasting with your father\'s money." Jael was just seeing more and more of this Thayer. He\'s like a small child in the playground who boastss that his father can get him the most expensive toy and try to make others play with him.
"Of course, I boast with my father\'s wealth. I didn\'t ask to be born with rich parents, but I am, and I will take full advantage of it. You are destined to get a powerful Codex, will you take advantage of it or not? Millions are born with a common Codex.
"Life is not fair, and we all have a starting point. In the end, it all depends on what you do with the time you have before the race is over. Well? Do you want to join my team?"
Jael...was shocked. He thought this would be the usual throwing of weight around but Thayer made sense.
He scowled and some of the intensity in his eyes lowered. "I\'m not joining your team, and you can take him with you," he waved at Tim. "But next time you try such things again. Prepare yourself for the full consequence."
Thayer smiled, \'Interesting indeed. Temur and Litha, and now Jael. All strong Climbers. I want to have them but he turned towards Tim; now is not the time\' "Very well. But know that the offer is open. Anytime."
He picked Tim up with his left hand, holding him by the cuff of his shirt. Then he scrolled through his Codex phone. "Ah! It\'s bad market today. Only the lightning aspect is for sale. Well then, thunderbird wings will do just fine."
He clicked on his phone and a notification ping entered; the next second, blue wings covered in lightning materialized on his back. With he powerful flap and a gush of wings, he was lifted into the air. "Until I see again, Litha!"
Then he was gone, leaving behind the smell of ozone and a single blue feather.
Jael blinked and returned his hand to normal. "What. Did he just buy...that?"
Temur slapped him on the back and sent him staggering. "Not bad for your first official fight in the Tower. How does it feel like?"
Jael rubbed his back, noticing briefly that Hermit had healed his body and plus the natural healing of Iron body. All that and the buzzing in his blood made him smile wide. "I like it!"
Litha snorted. "Thayer\'s Codex is a complex ones where he gets to interact with it personally. He can buy anything on it as far as I can tell."
"Anything...like the wings that carried him?" Jael knew Codex are different in range and uses, like some who could use their own as weapons to fight but he\'s never seen this type before.
"Yes," Temur said. "The last time he tried to test us. He fought Me and Litha together. Although it wasn\'t a serious fight, we get to know he could ever buy attacks like fireballs or gravity fall."
Jael looked at the direction that Thayer went and shivered; goosebumps rose on his body like small pebbles as excitement bubbled. How many strong Awakeners are in this set climbing the Tower? He couldn\'t wait to find out.
"Come I\'m hungry. Let\'s go, and we will celebrate Jael\'s first victory in the Tower!" Temur tried to clap Jael in the back again but he dodged it.
Litha nodded and smirked at the look on Temur\'s face. Then she gestured at Mopi who was looking at them all with a small smile on his face.
***
Arkin came down from the 94 floor, where he was overseeing the building of a new temple; he came down here to the 102 floor because he was told that all preparations were ready.
And what did he find? Dead bodies! And his devourer gone! He spent a lot of resources to put it together. He had to bribe a lot of guilds to look away from his side. All that for nothing!
And what will his sponsor think of this?
He shook with rage, and his hands trembled as he picked a bloody knife from his worktable; he sliced a bit in his hand and then sighed in relief.
The small communication crystal on the table glowed and illuminated the dark room. Arkin flinched from the light. His workshop is a mess of bodies and drawn pentagrams; everything is touched by red.
The small crystal vibrated then a voice came out. "High Priest. I have located the Devourer."
Arkin stiffened and his body calmed instantly.
The voice continued. "But...it might be a bit difficult to extract and...."
"Summon the Dark paladin in the area. It will take a while before my squad come from the upper floors. I think I want to see this."
"As you wish, High Priest. Hail Chaos."
"Hail Chaos."