2nd Floor: Devil's Playground

**Date Started:** June 23, 2020
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Previous Role-Play:**
**Next Role-Play:** N/A
**Users Involved:** User:GeminiVIII, User:The Outlandish, User:GalaxiaWW, User:Jmayfie01, User:PuddingCups, User:Lemasters30, User:Imnotfallen, User:Justtochi, User:Dal101, User:Shoshiki
**Setting:** 2nd Floor, The Tower
**Characters Involved**:
**Regulars:** Headon, Kkaeda Te-O Hubur Lapis, Ary Lennox, Sangeo Baegsang, Bo-ram, Aleumdaum Emilia Floret, Selena, Mule Sun, Asuryan, Skye Sable
**Rankers:**

## Heaven's Ladder

"What do you desire?" A voice echoed through vast darkness, bathing its surroundings in a black shroud. Deep within the black sat an unassuming figure, no clear features, no clear path, sat alone in darkness. The tower was somewhat a home for lost souls, some find ways of distracting themselves, they build kingdoms, find jobs, worship a god. However, they all desire the right to climb, the right to want, the right to be greedy, the right to power. See, the true gifts of the tower are only allowed to those who are destined to climb, and what awaits at the top is more than anyone could ever imagine. So much like the rest, they sit in darkness, awaiting the light of Headons will to illuminate the path for them so that they can carve it out.

Light began to creep into the darkness, illuminating the once shadowy figure more and more. Enormous doors opened before them, and from out of it sprouted a being of short stature, at least compared to some of the beasts that inhabited the tower. He donned a simple blue outfit and a long staff with two glorious blue orbs on each end. His most distinctive feature by far were his ears that rose high above his head and his pearly white grin that spread from his abnormal eyes. There was no mistaking it, this figure was to some the only real god to inhabit the tower. Headon, caretaker of the Tower.

"Pick up your head, My child. I'm here to award you with the chance to climb the tower, to be the savior within your own otherwise depressing tale. Stand tall. Some would kill for this chance, some already do. So come, join me and climb the tower." Headon uttered, holding out his golden staff, placing the end under the figure's chin, lifting their head up and guiding them into the light of the inner tower.

Soon enough, the figure eagerly stepped into the light, stripping their body of the darkness and illuminating themselves in light. This figure would go on to become a chosen regular, the group that makes up the majority of the inner tower. Young, old. Short, tall. Blue, red. They all exercised their right to climb the tower, aiming to ascend to the place of a ranked, some even farther, they're what the tower is built around, new generation after new generation. Thousands enter every day, and only a fraction make it past the hell they call the 2nd Floor.

"Seems we have an uninvited guest banging at our door...I can't wait to see what fun this next group brings. Maybe they'll even bring down the tower. Well, I mustn't be rude, I should greet our guest, it's been decades. Let's hope my hospitality has stayed the same since the last few..." Headon remarked, disappearing in the blink of an eye, the light of the inner tower dissipating as the doors closed behind him. Next stop, the Floor of Tests!

## Trial and Error

Consciousness. It had felt like his body had been pieced back together after disassembling and becoming energy to transfer to the next location. It was similar to the one thing he craved: sleep. Yes, he wasn't too familiar with the concept of it, but his body recognized the ancient act of totally relaxing oneself and not thinking. The young man's tired eyes looked around to analyze where exactly he had been transported to. A cage of sorts stood in the center. An intimidating cavern would be the backdrop. It seemed odd to wake up within in almost never-ending cave. The atmosphere of the cavern was ominous, as if eyes peered from the darkness to observe what was within the cage. Here and there, a growl and a rumble could be heard. One could assume creatures lurked in anticipation. The cage itself, golden and intricate as if handcrafted by royalty, was quite large, stretching quite a distance, further limiting the space for the hundreds of regulars that stood within the cavern. Surrounding the cage was grass tall and flowers enough to reach the upper thigh of a person. The feel of the inside was similar to that of a savanna.

He noticed others also awakening just as he did. Nameless people, for now, enemies or allies, he wasn't sure. He yawned and stood up to his feet. Kkaeda Te-O: a member of a branch family related to the Eurasia Family. His desire for climbing? At first, it was to find purpose for his own life. However, something else intrigued him. Those few seconds of blissful nonexistence that occurs between one floor and the next. It hadn't happened long enough for him to truly remember it and now it was fading like a strange dream that occurred just before waking up. He had to feel it again.

His curiosity lowered his defenses just a bit but he was well aware that people would do whatever they needed to get what they desired, including slaughtering those who stand in their way. To be safe and secure himself, he would do so by hiding behind a pillar that protruded from the cave's ceiling and into the ground. Multiple pillars existed. He awaited any movement or approach.

"They really don't prepare you for the landing." A young *girl*...*boy*...**person** stood too their feet, dusting themselves off as they stood within a large cavern, filled to the brim with people just like themselves, regulars preparing themselves for the challenge up ahead, some looked ruthless, some look like they wouldn't make it a day, they just hoped they didn't appear to be the latter. They looked around, standing within the tall grass, flowers surrounding them and crystals high above them on the walls of the enormous cavern, the room was lined stone to stone with people, it was almost crushing to a person of such small stature.

They rustled with their shirt collar and fluffed their hair a bit, tying it up, making it seem far more boyish than their general facial structure would imply. "I really hope this disguise does the trick. If I had more time, I would've died it. But like the rest of my life, I never got the chance." The boy? threw his hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning the crowd over and over again. "All the waterways, some leading into death, some leading to life, some leading to disaster and some to property. They all weave into each other somehow, almost like a quilt, telling a story before it was written, somewhere in there is my path, lost in the mix." The boy muttered to himself.

His eyes somehow trailed off to the large blacked out cage they all surrounded, the waterways in his mind all centered around that one. "So much...blood" One large river appeared in his mind, daunting, terrifying and blood-red. It sent shivers down his spine, almost every waterway lead to that one, connecting to the bloodied waters, contaminating each and every path until they were all blood red, only a few paths remaining *pure*.

"If what I'm seeing is anything near correct, whatever's in that cage is soon to be the death of nearly all of us." He uttered, leaning back on a stalactite and running his hands through his hair, a nervous smile plastered on his face. A true challenge was yet to come

In another cluster of regulars on the farthest side of the cavern to the east stood a short boy with white hair and a sword on his hilt, donning a brightly colored yukata. From just his appearance alone, it was clear as to which family he belonged, if not that it was the way he carried himself and the sword at his side. He's a member of the Arie Family, however more specifically, he belonged to the Ary Branch. Ary Lennox, his dreams for reaching the top of the tower were much like many others, he wanted power, but not for himself. He grew up as a young boy admiring the Arie Family. More Specifically, he admired their swordsmanship. Their ability to slash through almost any foe was admirable at the very least. Their unpredictability, using their blades as not only a means of offense, but a means of protection, every slash protecting their being whilst also projecting it forth, it was magnificent.

As a boy, he dreamed of representing his family as a member of Zahard's Royal Army. To some his dreams seemed foolish, climbing the tower in hopes of fighting for someone else, but that's in no way how he saw it. He planned to climb the tower for himself, to one day be apart of the sword to break through the veil to the top, if he made it that far. He simply stood amongst the crowd, his stoic disposition was almost annoying to the people around him, he huffed with every few seconds that passed, holding his head up high, looking down upon others even though he was almost the shortest one there. He clutched his blade, ready to strike at any moment, because in a place like the tower, you had to be.

The flash of light flickered once more, marking the appearance of another potential regular. His dark skin, silver hair and golden eyes quickly garnered the attention of some. With a suspicious glare on his eyes, he switched back and forth from each of the candidates there. Even if he didn’t notice it, his body was already rising up and stancing into position, ready to react. He held a silver staff on his left, strangely tattooed arm.

“What is this place?” He muttered to himself. “That white rabbit said something about another test? *Sigh*...And just after I wake up. How long was I asleep again? Probably a couple of days...” Zalahar looked around, after taking note of each individual around him, he noticed the location. A dark, large cave with what seemed to be endless trails and waterways. “Uhhg, too humid.”

Not too far from him, he noticed the particular presence of a young man, white haired and with quite a determined look. He didn’t know what it was, but something deep in him became interested in that person. A few seconds after, Zalahar immediately dropped to his knees, a searing pain that felt as if it would devour him, emanating from his left arm. “W-What is this?!” He glanced at his arm and then back at the mysterious young man. The pain subsided shortly after, as he began to stand up again, drawing a few stares from the other regulars.

Zalahar glanced back, at each one. And the pain seemed to come and go on specific instances, patterns maybe? No, something more. “I see...It’s *them*...Who are they? And...” He widened his eyes, straightening himself as he grasped his staff ever so tightly. “What...am I doing here?!”

And as people were seeming to panic, one boy who has a decent height with brown hair and beautiful scarlet red eyes spoke. "Hey, hey. Let's not panic or else things will get worse." He seemed calmed, as he was looking around the area taking note of everyone. What he wanted in the tower? A bit of power sure, but he also wanted something else. Nothing evil, but nothing to great either.. All he knew during this moment though, was that he has to stay alive no matter what.

"... Huh?" Another flicker, another person. At a random place of the cave, light gave form to another figure. Though not giant, but exceedingly tall, the blue-haired man stood out from the rest of the crowd, with a fairly large body and scars scattered all over the skin that wasn't covered by his clothes.

Sangeo didn't know what to expect from the tower, but if one looked at his face, they would presume that his experience so far wasn't the best. With a grumpy, yet menacing expression, the man gazed upon every other individual inside the cave, handling a silver trident that seemed taller than himself. With no clear goal, but one certainty, he knew that these people would either be companions or stepping stones on his path to the top of the Tower; however, it was too soon to tell. For now, he waited for another creature to give him instructions, just like in the First Floor, enjoying the humidity of the place.

Emilia knew what was happening. Ever since she was a child her parents talked of what a privilege it was to climb the tower. To fight against the odds for your greatest desire, your one wish. It always reminded Emilia of a birthday cake, when you blow out the candles all your dreams are supposed to come true.

As a blue light once again illuminated the cave, a small yet beautiful young girl could be seen. While some of the regulars seemed shocked or disturbed by the teleportation, Emilia flipped her hair, tossing that long pink braid behind her. Looking to her satchel, she felt for her weapon and then nodded, looking around at the competition.

"Hmph. This will be easier than I thought." She mumbled, an arrogant grin on her face as a hand moved to her hip and her foot tapped with impatience. She wanted to get this party started.

Selena sat in a dark corner of the cave, she wasn’t scared because she had her own friend with her stored away. Her parents never told her much about the tower so this was all rather new to her, all she knew was that reaching the top of the tower proved your strength and it would mean you could get whatever you truly desired. The problem was, Selena’s desire was one she knew that she could never achieve even if she did make it to the top of the tower. She didn’t cling to the hope that anything would change by climbing up a hellish prison.

The girl took out a sunflower seed, planting it into some of the dirt below her, making sure to dig it deep into there. That way, the next young girl that comes here might take it as a sign of hope. Her eyes moved towards the other people, all different looking and seemingly all thinking about what led them here. Selena May be from one of the ten great families but that would mean nothing if she didn’t prove herself.

"Dammit..." was the slander that came out of the mouth of a nearby lilac-haired girl, hugging her knees as she curled up on herself in a corner, having voluntarily withdrawn herself. Well, so it might seem from an outside perspective. Bo-ram... wasn't exactly a girl, but presented himself as one to look more fragile and helpless. He knew pity was hardly known in the Tower as he had heard tales of treasons, broken friendships and selfish sacrifices of comrades met along the way. In the Outer Tower, it was far more common, Plus, he hadn't planned to be selected in the first place.

The circumstances that lead him to arrive to the Second Floor weren't exactly happy... Thinking back on it, he was tempted to bawl his heart out. But while he may have been in a drag, he wasn't exactly intending on making a show of himself by crying like a little girl. Byeong-Ho would've told him to smile and hold his head high. And if his brother couldn't be with him right now, he'd climb the Tower for him, and would meet as many interesting people as he could and see as many stunning locations as he could for him.

And perhaps at the top of this Tower, where you could get whatever your heart desired, he'd get to meet his dear brother... Clutching his weapon - wrapped into a cloth that hid its true nature - with determination, he prayed that whatever Gods were at work in this Tower would hear his wish and grant him to him. Because truly, there was no one more precious to Bo-ram's heart than Byeong-Ho.

Mule Sun licked his fingers, his entire focus lying solely on the bits of chips residue that remained at his fingertips. He seemed somewhat surprised by the sudden change of scenery, but the darkness, the grazing of the grass against his skin, or even the others mattered little to him. His blue eyes fell upon the cage, inspecting rapidly before merely shrugging.

*"Maaaan, this really happened at the worst possible time...though I guess it's inevitable."* a smile formed on his lips. He was finally a Regular, one who would bring his family's name to fame, or at least that's what they wanted.

"..." a dark-haired regular sighed as he leaned up against a rocky outcropping. Compared to the relatively fresh appearance of the other regulars, Asuryan looked tired, with an almost haggard look upon his face as he leaned his bow up against the stone. "Lord Headon could not have shown up at a better time..." Asuryan mumbled to himself, pulling a bandage from his pack before slowly wrapping it around a shallow cut on his left arm. He winced as he pulled it taught.

Picking up his bow once more, he looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of the world around him once more. "So this is where the god takes you, what a strange place..."

Skye skated through the mass of Regulars like a blur of purple. She examined them quickly as she moved, taking note of their heights, builds, any weapons on their person, marking up speculations as to their abilities in case she needed to fight or team up with them at one point or another.

There were a few that stood out to her, though. The boy masquerading as a girl, for one. She remembered her own days like that, some experiences fondly and others not so much. Then the girl digging a hole and burying something. It was small, and not shiny, so it couldn't have been a bauble. The woman didn't spare enough time to look more closely.

The one who drew her attention the most was the tall blue haired man with the trident. She skated directly up to him, stopping inches from collided with him, and pressed herself onto what would be tip-toes if she wasn't wearing roller skates. He was almost a foot taller than her, but she got as close to his face as she could, taking a deep inhale as she did so.

"You seem different from the rest of them. More like....me. Plus I like the look of your..." She gave him a slow look up and down "Trident. I think I'll keep you." She skated around to Sangeo's side, loosely looping her arm around his own as she did so.

“A cave...Really? I hate enclosed spaces...” Hunter walked around the other candidates, carelessly bumping his two massive feathered wings unto some. He hoped around the ground and some rocks, making careful his boots didn’t touch the water. His glowing red eyes observed his surroundings, darkness was of no consequence to him. And among the recruits, there were a handful that clearly stood out from the rest.

“Well, this seems like it’ll be more of a challenge than I thought. Some interesting birdies here.” His attention was drawn towards the short young man who smelled of chicken. He turned his head away in disgust. The two silver haired ones and the drowsy-looking one seemed like some he had to keep a close eye to. He checked his watch, it had stopped for some reason. “Oh...I have this pocket thing now.” He said to himself, casually checking the new device given to him by Headon. His eyes continued to look around the cave, noticing the altitude of it, and the cage not too far from his position, as he casually placed his hands in his pockets, flapping his wings slightly after stretching them. “I hope they’re on time...”

"Testing, Testing. 1...2...3" A sweet and childish voice rang out from high above the regulars, echoing against the tall cavern walls. High in the sky floated a large pink heart, spinning around slowly almost as if it was a disco ball hanging above a club, but alas, that was the farthest thing from the case.

"Hello, All! I'd like to extend a warm welcome to the second floor of the tower. As I'm sure you know, this floor determines whether or not you've got what it takes to take on all the scary stuff that lies above!" The voice remarked it's child-like sound and demeanor was very uncharacteristic within the tower to some, but to those with knowledge of the tower, specifically this floor, it'd send a chill down their spines.

"I won't bore you with all those formalities, after all, most of you will be dead in just a few moment." The voice giggled, if the group wasn't already on edge, they were now.

"We are now commencing with the first test of many! The rules are simple...Survive until the 500 drops to 100, and do so by any means necessary. Click!." The voice said bluntly. As their words cut out the walls around the regulars began to crumble, opening four separate doorways, opening up the cavern to four deep tunnels, however, the doorway was still blocked by the rubble for the most part.

If that wasn't shocking enough, the cage in the center of the room began to rumble and shake, deep growling ringing out from each side of the cage. Instantly four cage doors swung open, smoke leaving the cage as it opened. Mere moments passed when four large beasts crept from the cage, each armed with large meat cleavers, reminiscent of minotaurs, they each scanned the crowd, breathing heavier and heavier, their eyes growing just as erratic as their breathing.

Just then, they each bolted forth, baring their blades forward, slashing at any regular in their range, slashing them to bits. In just a few seconds, blood rained upon the entire cavern as the regulars were driven into chaos in panic, trying their hardest to make it out of the cavern as fast as the possible could.

"Have Fun..." The childish voice ran out, leaving a giggle echoing against the walls of the cavern as utter chaos took place. At this point, not only were the minotaurs killing regulars, but they began to kill each other, nowhere was safe anymore, this had truly become a game of survival. Every regular for themselves...

"..." Lapis stood in terror for a moment as regulars scattered in all directions, being slaughtered one by one and killing each other on top of it. He dropped to the ground, squatting down on the ground, holding his head in his hands, his eyes shut. He sat there for a moment, being trampled around as people scrambled for their survival.

"What's the correct path..." Lapis pondered on his thoughts, his mind clouded with endless possibilities, some ending in death, some ending in injury, some ending in what seemed way worse, but only one was the right path to take.

"Got it!" Lapis exclaimed, jumping up to his feet and dusting himself off, impending doom inching closer and closer to her as the beasts slashed through wave upon wave of regulars. She leaped into the air, jumping above the crowd, landing on the rubble, she swiftly sped across the rubble, speeding across the tavern to the farthest door from where she once stood, speeding deep into the darkness, riding only on the path in her mind. As a guide, this was her ultimate strength.

Lennox took a deep breath, scanning the crowd as chaos raged around him, he sped off along the crowd, moving along with each and every panicked regular. Even though he followed suit with the rest of the group, He seemed to lack the fear in his disposition, his movements were quick and his mind clear. The only reason for his actions...were because he couldn't see over everyone...

"DAMNIT!" Lennox yelled, slashing his blade forward, cutting into the backs of three regulars that ran before him. He then rand up their backs, using their motionless forms as a ramp to rise high above the crowd. He swiftly sheathed his blade and began to run across the heads of several regulars, using them almost like stilts to get around, much to their dismay.

He soon made his way to a deep dark opening, doing a front flip off of a large man's head, spinning in the air as he leapt over the rubble and into the dark expanses of the cave.

"Wha-" Te-O couldn't even finish his statement before blood began to rain from the carnage caused by the beasts that had been unleashed on the regulars. His adrenaline kicked in and his decision making process went into overdrive. He wasn't one to get scared too often, even the concept of death comforted him, but going up the tower was something he needed to do. He had a point to prove to himself. He decided to run down a separate pathway, different from the one he saw the male with white hair run into. *I should stay away from him. He seems pretty skilled.* he thought to himself as his body became consumed by the darkness of the cavern's tunnel.

Tenshi Chūjitsuna front flipped over a regular before snapping their neck with a twist of their head, landing, then running into a path, his luck brought him this far. "Sorry, I'll be sure to pray for you later.." he said, convincing himself that doing this wasn't in vain, or so, he hopes.

Sangeo was too lost on his thoughts to hear the administrator's announcement, for his mind focused on a single stalactite that hanged from the cave's ceiling until another contender bumped on him amidst the chaos, bringing him back to his senses. He looked around startled, like someone who had just woken up from a bad dream, watching people fall and die as they tried to escape from the beasts that lead the massacre.

He didn't feel threatened or scared, but his first instinct was to move. However, one of his arms was restrained, which he quickly noticed that another person's arm was resting on it. He didn't know who this person was, but, in the meantime that he was out, anything could have happened.

"Did we get married?" He asked, looking at the girl's face, as his opposing arm moved almost instinctively, stabbing the first person that passed past him with his trident. The blood soaked the ground, forming a puddle from where a dorsal fin emerged, swiming around in circular motion.

"I'm sorry, but we can't go on with this marriage." He continued before she had the time to answer, his expression looking less menacing and a lot more serious. The dorsal fin on the ground started to advance, extending the puddle in a single line towards one of the openings. Sangeo unwrapped his arm from hers, following the line of blood between dead corpses and the desperate crowd.

"I'm sure you'll find a better man. I'm just... not fit for this kind of relationship" He addressed the girl one last time, waving at her with the back of his hand as if trying to end the nonexistent relationship in a dramatic way.

Emilia stared blankly, the scene unfolding before her was so painfully chaotic! The creatures that had broken free from captivity had a certain hideousness, the kind that can only be invented from the darkest of ones mind. Then again, the tower was a cruel place! Whether these had been born for this trial or simply taken from their home on a different floor, they were a problem now and apparently she wasn't the only one who saw it like that.

Of course, aside from the literal monsters there were figurative ones. Regulars who wished to wipe out the competition before it even began. As the shadow of a sword hovered over her, she could tell she had been the target of one of these regulars.

"What a puny little girl!" The man ferociously growled, swinging his broadsword down as if he was some sort of executioner. From analytical to annoyed, Emilia's emotions were easily expressed through her expressions and if the armored man could have seen the look on her face, he might have ran away. Unfortunately, the predator became prey. Pulling a silver rod from her bag, she used it as some sort of pole in order to vault the man, testing him by blowing a raspberry. "Good luck loser." She teased, running the other way with a giggle as one of the gnarly beasts charged at the man and ripped him to shreds.

Normally she would have felt guilty, but he had tried to kill her first! That was all his fault. Flipping her braid, she ran towards one of the exits hoping that luck was on her side. She didn't have time to pick and choose, no... this was up to fate.

How awkward! Selena was simply nursing a nearby flower in the dark cave until she heard the voice say that they would be fighting each other? How crazy is that! She knew the tower was known for having rather dangerous tests but even her family didn’t warn her about these types of trials. Oh well! It’s time she took a stand and learned to fight for herself. Just then, the floor beneath her dropped and she saw multiple tunnels, soon following Te-O but was interrupted by a ferocious beast of a man charging towards her.

“How scary!” She reaches into her pouch and took out a seed packet that had a strange marking label on it, once opened, a giant sting ray emerged from it, vanishing as if it disappeared into thin air. As the man charged towards her, something hit him and sent him flying into a wall, accidentally impaling him on a sharp rock. “Oops!” Selena frowned, as the sting ray made its self visible. “Good job Buddy.” She hopped on it’s back, following Te-O down the Tunnel. The sting ray was her pet, being from the Lo Po Bia family, she had gotten one when she was little as an Anima and raised it on the farm.

Bo-ram jumped to his feet with the announcement, peeling off the protective tissue around the weapon he had been clutching to reveal a short sword. He barely had time to dodge one of the creatures charging him, its weapon grazing him badly enough to cut a strand of his long lilac hair.

A cry of indignation rose from the crossdresser's throat. "Hey! I'll have you know this took years to grow!" he protested as he quickly slashed the creature's vital points, enough to slow it down, before starting to run alongside the other regulars towards one of the exits - the one Emilia had picked, not that he knew the girl's name - quickly jumping away every now and then, when the monsters got too close to his liking. He was quite agile for someone wearing clothing considered impractical for exercise, but living off petty crime had its advantages when it came to agility training.

Sun made no anxious motion, or rapid choice even as the Test Administrator explained the test, unleashing several beasts upon the regulars in the cave. People screamed and ran for their lives, yet Sun merely tapped the top of his foot upon the cave's floor, as if warming up.

"So...basically, I just have to live?" a large man attacked him, taking Sun's stretches as a sign of weakness. Instinctively, Sun bent his upper body to the side, repeating this motion several times as the other contestant tried to slash him time and time again. "You're slow." Sun's back foot swung forward in an arc, crashing against the man's neck which caused him to collapse on the ground.

"I could try talking to one of those animals but I dunno..." he assessed his options, his eyes eyeing the various contestants that begun to move. Finally, his eyes fell upon a window, a space where none of the beasts were attacking. Sun began his sprint, dodging, kicking and jumping upon various regulars to do so as he took a new path, down the cave's middle.

Asuryan sighed at the announcement, picking his bow up to put the first arrow into the back of the neck of the regular in front of him, a young man whose entire body posture spelt that of complete surprise. Asuryan was relatively old for a regular, a man at the age of one hundred and twelve, and he was far more experienced than most here.

Two more arrows had been let loose by the time the regulars around him had begun to react, a lifetime of war having honed Asuryan better than any training regimen could have hoped to. His home had been at war for centuries, fighting its rivals for longer than anyone living could remember. He had grown up between battlefields, having fought on and off for more than seventy years. It was this experience that told him quickly that killing one or two regulars at a time wouldn't be sufficient. The faster this phase ended, the less time there would be for mistakes to be made.

Looking towards the beasts in their rampage, he quickly noted that while they were targeting the nearest prey, they were ignoring the larger groups of regulars towards the edges. Larger groups that if thinned would quickly reduce the regular count within the cave.

He drew his bow back, aiming for distance over speed as he took aim. His bolt let loose, the arrow shot across the field, between several packs of regulars as it struck the blade of the beast, careening towards its eye as he sought to use the pain to push it towards the largest pack.

Asuryan didn't bother to see the results of his shot, quickly beating a retreat into the northern tunnel as he knew that if he missed this shot, he wasn't about to get another one.

"Chaos! Sweet sweet Chaos! I wonder who will come out of this alive? I can already see a few toys I'd love to play with." A small woman remarked, standing before a large collection of screens, watching the chaos unfold below. She stood within a dark room, filled to the brim with toys and stuffed bears, reminiscent of a nursery. As she watched in delight, the door to the room spread open.

"Are you done having your fun. Madame Mary Bell?"A man entered the room with a bow, half of his face completely scared and burned, the other housing through black hair and carnelian eyes, reminiscent of the Yeon family. At first, it wouldn't be clear what he was referring to, but upon deeper inspection, the room they stood upon was coated in blood from top to bottom, the corpses of multiple large beings laid across her floor.

"Yes, you can dispose of them. Those last test takes were disappointing, let's hope this next group has some promise." She grinned not taking her eyes off of the screens for a moment. "While you're at it, Yeon. Have Ragna rearrange the paths in the cave to trap these regulars together, send in a few more beasts too. Mary Bell slipped a stack of papers forward, it seemed to be profiles on each and every regular, the one that lied on the top seemed to be a girl who donned long purple hair, but not much else was seen.

"Right away, Madame." Yeon reluctantly slung the lifeless corpses over his shoulders like they were simple rag dolls, grabbing the stack of papers and getting on his way. However, not before taking a peek at the screens. "*Bless their souls, so they may leave this floor alive...*" Yeon thought to himself, heading out of the room, his eyebrows curled down into a scowl as he went deeper and deeper into the building, leaving chaos to unfold behind him.

## Dead End in the Deep End

As the chaos unfolded, the blood of several regulars would be spilled, many failing to protect themselves from the beasts, and those who could fail to protect themselves from others, it was an all-out massacre. A hunt where the hunted are hunting each other. As the ran for their lives, they would feel the ground shaking beneath them, at least those who were still alive. The original paths began to shift, being blocked off to trap them inside the caves, each path no longer led their own way, but intertwined together trapping people in endless deadends, each with their own beasts to deal with, the minotaur like beings coming from almost every direction at this point.

### Swords and Arrows

Lennox raced through the caves, his hands gripped onto his blade and not letting up for a moment. Due to his small frame and quick speed he was able to swiftly traverse through the battlefield untouched, weaving through the crowd, escaping any physical confrontation. However, as the ground beneath him began to shake, he stopped in his tracks, the stone around him changing, suddenly cutting off his forward path and separating him from the rest of the regulars it would seem.

"What is this." Lennox remarked aloud to himself, looking around at the empty path, slowly walking through. As he crept further into the cave, he would be confronted by a dead-end, a small corner full of crystals it was connected to two other paths, each the same as the one he took to get to where he was. So rather than running up and down the same path, he hopped up onto a large crystal and laid his sword across his lap, awaiting the arrival of an enemy, or the end of the test, whichever would come first.

Asuryan skidded across the ground, the beast's sword grazing the air just in front of his face as he slid between the monster's legs. Raising his bow skywards, he shot up between the legs of the beast, its roar of pain echoing throughout the cavern as the archer didn't even bother to slow down. Sprinting forward, he could hear the beast's lumbering steps behind him. The cave narrowed the further he ran until he left the beast behind him by virtue of it no longer being able to fit down the tunnel.

The young man took a moment to collect himself, sidling further down the tunnel until it began to open up again. A drop was before him, an easy thirty feet down into a larger cave below. Dropping down, he found himself in a field of crystals, and a path to either side of him. The archer knocked another arrow, slowly pathing his way down the tunnel until it opened once more, revealing a silver-haired child sitting on a particularly large crystal in the center. Looking up at the regular's relaxed demeanour, he figured that he wasn't too worried about people coming near him, a confidence that many of the regulars he had run into lacked. Deciding to play it cautiously, Asuryan called out, "Friend or Foe?"

### The Sun, The Flower, and the Blue Stone

Sun ran through the path he traversed, unaware or at least indifferent. of whoever would follow. Though, the more space he covered it felt as if the path was shifting itself, and connecting with others as if the administrator moved it through their will.

His feet skidded across the ground, coming to a stop as darkness no longer covered his visage, instead a wall of rock did.

"Jeez...I should've paid attention." he scratched the back of his head casually before he began to laugh to himself.