Broken Tower Saga: The First Swordsman

            Wrik's eyes widened and felt little goosebumps in his arms. The item Ryat brought out something he was very much familiar with. This key of weird shape was something he got one as well—he got through luck in the wheel of fortune in the trial sanctuary.

            At that time, he had no idea what it was, nor now, but he had a deep intuition about it that was related to something broader and the scene before him proved him right. At first, when he touched the item, he felt an unimaginable amount of greed and the urge to possess the item. He could tell it was some effect of the key, yet he did not let go of it.

            "I reckon you have one of these as well?" the bald man asked, giving him a clear look at the key.

            Wrik thought for a second, then gave a small nod. There was no way to hide it now. "Is this the reason they assault us?" he asked. It was almost incomprehensible to him.

            "Most likely," Ryat answered.

            "What is this thing?" he asked, sucking in a cold breath.

            "Honestly, I'm not sure myself," the bald merchant said. "And, I'm not sure if I should tell you that or not."

            "If you want me to trade it to you, you have to explain a few things to me first," Wrik said at once with a firm tone.

            Ryat looked at him carefully and smiled. He gave the key to Wrik. "That one is fake," he said. "I'm not sure if the one you have is fake or not."

            Wrik inspected the key with his eyes and found no sign of it being any different from the one he had. On another note, this one did not fill him with greed or majesty. Was that the reason it was fake? He thought and found out it was not. It did not feel with its majesty and greed because its aura was contained through a coating and when his will pierce it, he could feel the greed quite clearly.

            This one was far stronger than the one he had. His facial expression distorted a little, and the overwhelming will to possess it came to him. With single self-command, he restricted most of its effect on him, and continued to inspect it. He needed to know why this one was fake. What was the difference between the one he had and this one? He might find out if the one he has was real or not through that.

            In between the process, his face had turned rigid and eyes cold. There was no way for Ryat to pick up any of his emotional undulations when he was like that.

            After scrutinising the item for a quarter of an hour, he found another distinction from the one he had. The aura it possesses did not appear to have the nobility as the one he had, and more importantly, there was something odd about it. From his first look at the key, Wrik felt warm energy inside it, intoxicating. This one had the intoxicating energy as well, but it was not warm in the slightest. It was cold and murky.

            'Was that distinction between real or fake?' he wondered and gave the key back to its owner. "Now you should tell me what this key is about?"

            Ryat arched his brows and pondered if he should clear out some truth. "I'll trust you one more time," he said. "But I expect you to not speak a word outside this space. Not to your brother or friends."

            Wrik nodded approvingly. He thought this guy would bring out some contract or some other item to bind him, but he did not like it the last time. Quite puzzling, even he himself would not trust himself that much.

            "Humanity has reached the peak of civilization, and the end of time will come again," Ryat said, now lighting a cigar. "Well, it actually came already. Two and a half years ago, a legion holding ten thousand Infectors had attacked Ravanka. Something like that had not happened for a few decades."

            Wrik raised his eyebrows. He asked about the key, yet Ryat started to soothe. He did not interrupt, thinking the merchant was starting from the beginning.

            "You have been involved in the tower for a few months now," Ryat continued. "You probably noticed some tension."

            Wrik nodded. From the appearance of Borgemen, who never left their shades to Scythe. Even at the parties he had been to, he noticed some odd tension. Something deep might have been undulating that he had no idea of. Before he thought it was all normal—after all, he was here for only three months.

            "To tell you all I know, it would take more time than you currently have," Ryat said, releasing a smoke out of his nostrils and mouth. Surprisingly, it did not cloud the room with the smell of smoke as it soon sucked out by the vehicle. "The nobles are preparing. They know if the end hits them, there is a little chance of them escaping. Even the big houses like Kavan, Rudyard, Sanyal had not escaped from and history proved the bigger the establishment, the easier it to fall.

            "I'm not sure who attacked you and your companions. It could be some of the nobles playing with rogues or it could be a rogue force entirely who smelled the aura of the key from you."

            "How did they find out I have the key?" he asked.

            "I'm sure, I or your companions did not leak out anything," Ryat said. "They could have examined it thoroughly or they could literally smell it on you."

            Wrik frowned.

            "I'm not bullshitting," the bald man said. "There are few people who can see things in people, though it was quite hard to get an answer, it can still clear out many things."

            His eyes widened as he released a breath. "Is there no way to hide from them?' he asked. If that was true, then there should not be many things to hide in the tower.

            "There are some warding abilities, but it only works if you are stronger or in the same length of power with the other person," Ryat said. "And another way is to have someone else stronger coating his halo around you. The latter is full proof and far harder to get too."

            Wrik nodded and knew once again his knowledge was so far limited here.

            "Now there are two ways for you to get here," Ryat said. "The simple and safe way is to trade the item with the short and shady merchant who will handle everything from here. While the latter you should know already."

            "Join you in the illegal business?" Wrik sneered. The man before him seemed to be nonchalant about the entire thing, carried on with the smoking. "You have not told me what this key is for yet?"

            "First tell me, if the one you have is real or fake?"

            "I'm not sure. I did not have the item with me, so I can't compare the two at once," he lied with a straight face. The truth in it was that they did not know if it was fake or not, and the rest was just crap. It was in the spatial pouch which was left on his inside chest pocket.

            Ryat did not complain. "If it is fake, there should not be any problem for you to trade it to me," he said. "And if it's real.. ."

            "Tell me what this key is for exactly?" Wrik asked.

            "I have already told you many things already," the merchant said. "How about this, if you agree with the offer, I'll tell you everything I know about the key?"

            "This again," Wrik said, squinting his lips.

            "How about I give you a hint?" Ryat teased. "The key should be something that hides a bigger thing, and the thing could be important to you. Remember why you entered the tower in the first place, Wrik Everknight. You can't go anywhere if you play by the rules. Especially with that surname of yours."

            He gritted his teeth at first, and then a question appeared in his mind. "What's wrong with my surname?" he asked at once.

            Ryat did not answer the question, but asked something else entirely. "Are you free this Sunday?"

            "Yes," he said, sighing. He would not get the answer he was looking for anytime soon.

            "Great, I will pick you up from your resort, then. Be ready in the morning. I'll bring you to observe something," the bald man said. "Now you should leave. Your friends should be waiting outside."

            Quite a time had progressed as they had conversed inside and, knowing he would not get any answer today, he stood up from the seat and was about to leave when he heard Ryat.

"You don't have to make the decision now. There is still time. Little it may be, it should be enough."

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End of Chapter: The Reason. 

Next chapter: The second floor.