I've had enough, I can't take it

[twohares]

Coming back to his world after dying was like a dream—even more so when the worlds were reunited and the people who were trapped in the system were able to come with them to the new world. It brought its own set of complications, true, but the benefits outweighed all of that.

That said, when people came over, maybe it made sense that other aspects of the system ended up displaced as well. Whether this new structure was truly part of the system or it was simply displaced from their planet's own timeline was a mystery. The large building's architecture was reminiscent of both Mizuho's and what he saw of Japan's, so in this case, it really could go either way.

There had been other people who dropped in to investigate it, but there hadn't been any official reports on it yet.

All of that should have meant that they should stay away from it, but Genis's magic was stronger than ever, and he knew Takakage's had experienced a boost, too. While Lloyd was away on his own business and Raine was kept busy with hers, Genis didn't doubt that just the two of them could make a great team. Takakage's defensive spells always proved useful considering Genis's were all fire power.

Standing before the looming castle, Genis was pretty confident. "Are you ready?"

Comments

[thirdarrow]

[ Obligatory soundtrack. ]

In this case, 'easier' would be a subjective thing. The paths of the tower leading up to each flight of stairs were straightforward enough - just a couple of rooms and corridors, no mazes or booby traps.

The problem here lies in the hordes of phantom soldiers which it threw at any aspiring explorers. There is no end to them - while weak they may be as individuals, facing a full swarm made it much more difficult.

"Be careful. There are many monsters. Their danger lies in their numbers, so if you have any wide-ranging spells, they will be useful."

How far truly did this tower stretch? It would be a mystery.

[twohares]

That begged another question:

"How durable is the building?"

It was probably magical in some way - he could just about feel that - but he wasn't about to fire off any truly powerful spells just to be done in by the infrastructure. In the Tower of Salvation, he could use his spells freely. It was all stone and brick and probably other materials he couldn't name that made it possible to reach up to Derris-Kharlan. This building, while it also it went into the heavens, didn't look half as sturdy.

[thirdarrow]

"Quite, I believe. Many warriors and mages have tried to brave their way through this tower, but ultimately they were stopped by the endless hordes." And not the infrastructure. But then again, the Endless Castle is magical. It could have simply repaired himself.

"What I cast did not have any effect on the infrastructure, if it helps." And he is capable of many, many spells...

As they enter the entrance hall, the doors remain open behind them. The staircase leading up to the second floor has no doors either, while a shining portal swirls on the floor to their left.

"We can return here. There is a network of portals throughout the floors."

[ And the music changes... ]

[twohares]

That actually was a relief. As the enter, Genis takes in the area around them, trying to get a feel for it. The atmosphere feels oppressive, not wholly unlike the seals.

When he sees the portals, he can't help but remember his comparison to the Tower of Salvation. It might not be too different in the end. The fact that there was similarly familiar technology to Takakage was interesting, and possibly something to ask about another time.

For now, he files it away. He has his kendama in his hand, prepared to use it. Part of him's a little excited to actually be able to go all out with his magic again.

"Then we're going to take the portals most of the way? That'll save us some energy."

[thirdarrow]

"To some extent, yes." He raises one hand, and blue light begins emanating from the portal in response. "Some of them lead across swathes of floors, others skip only two or three. There should be a number on the walls, too." Sure enough, there was a '1' scrawled in dark red on the pseudo-wooden wall.

"There is actually some sort of supposed purpose to this tower. It has the power to conjure spirit forms of people who visitors have met. One of these spectres spoke to me, and it told me that this Endless Castle is meant as a test of strength. Of that, I have no doubt - but what concerns me is what lies at its peak."

Given the army of spectres that it makes...

"In my homeland, only one person managed to make it to the top, the Demon King Oda Nobunaga. But of what he learned, he never said a word."

Typical of his personality, really. But if the Castle was here...

[twohares]

That's not at all foreboding.

"...There are two of us, though, so it should be easier for us to get to the top. Your magic has gotten stronger since you got here, too, right?"

Strength, they had that. They had supplies, too, if they needed them. Maybe they should have looked into the nature of this tower a little more, but even with Takakage's experience, this wasn't going to be easy to prepare for. They might not have any time to bandage themselves up, much less make something to eat.

With that in mind, Genis pulls a small pouch of gels from his pocket and holds it out to Takakage.

"Here, take these when you're hurt."

There aren't many - gels are expensive - but he trusts that Takakage won't just eat them like candy.

As for the spectres...they really didn't have any choice in that. But they were just facsimiles and nothing more. Genis could handle that.

[thirdarrow]

"It has." He affirms quickly. "The previous time I visited, I was with only a handful of soldiers. They had no magical ability, and did not fare as well against the spirits." Especially since not all of them were good at crowd-clearing. "Since we are both mages, it would make things much easier."

The strategist takes the gel with a nod, placing the pouch in the pocket sewn into the back of his jacket.

"Thank you." The downsides to being unable to heal meant that one had to rely heavily on items. But he should be alright, if he calculated things correctly.

"Shall we?"

The portal hisses subtly when they approach it, staring to spit out mist - but it's a harmless one. Not everything here wants to kill them.

[twohares]

Besides that, spiritual enemies tended to be resistant to physical attacks; magic really would be more effective. It all made sense.

As much as Genis hated gels, they were useful in situations like this. Ideally, however, he simply wouldn't get hit and would keep his mana consumption to a reasonable enough level.

Walking towards the portal, Genis nodded. "Let's go."

[thirdarrow]

As they step into the portal, the mist shoots upwards and envelops them. There is the slightest sense of disorientation before it recedes again - their immediate surroundings do not seem to have changed, but the number scrawled on the wall did. It now said '40'.

Takakage's eyes flick up to the number, to where the stairway was, which has been replaced by a corridor, and to the descending stairs that are where the open doorway would be.

"... interesting." He indicated the floor number. "The highest I made it to was around the high fifties. We came pretty far up."