Tower Climber 5 (A LitRPG Adventure), page 13
He wanted to seize the moment, say what he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find a moment to get a word in.
He thought he might be able to build on Violet’s words and said, “I agree with the Elestrian queen—”
“Why don’t we bargain with the tower god-king?” interrupted one of the cat-folk diplomats. “Surely that would be the easiest option for all of us, no?”
“Bargain with the man who just assaulted all of our floors with the deadliest monster-wave any of us had ever seen?” balked the Flaron diplomat. “I cannot think of a greater gesture of weakness.”
Max tried again to speak, “Well, what about—”
Again the meeting descended into a chaotic shouting match full of name-calling and finger-pointing until a bellowing roar echoed through the room.
“SILENCE!”
Everyone went quiet and turned to the center of the room where Harold had stood up to loom over them all.
Now that he had commanded all of their attention, he gestured with his hand to Max and said, “Let the boy speak.”
A loud collective screech echoed throughout the room as everyone shuffled their chairs across the floor and turned to face Max.
Their faces were filled with shocked curiosity as the tower god representative wasn’t really supposed to make special allowances for any one member-state of the alliance.
Max took in all the faces looking at him now.
He finally had the floor to speak.
It was his chance to convince them of the best way forward.
It was now or never.
“As Queen Violet so eloquently put it,” Max began, “the alliance has faced grave threats before. It was only a few months ago that the Caesarian capital was attacked by The Fallen Angels, murdering the former tower god representative Sabriel. On that fateful day, many didn’t believe we would survive it to see the next. And yet we did. We banded together and fought off the threat, proving that if we work together we can achieve anything.”
Everyone listened with rapt attention as Max spoke. Some of their eyes were widening as they were beginning to see where Max was going with it.
They were awed that he might actually propose the unthinkable.
The unimaginable.
“It is my belief that the only way forward is to form a final army that will ascend to the highest realms of the tower,” Max declared. “We must wage war against the heavenly floors and the tower god-king himself.”
35
A stunned silence followed Max’s stirring recommendation for war against the heavens.
Max waited for a response.
A cheer.
An applause.
A reply.
Anything.
Do I need to repeat myself?
Before he could open his mouth and say anything more, the meeting hall erupted into laughter.
“You foolish boy,” shouted a Boldrin diplomat, who was speaking on behalf of the newly ascended Boldrin duchess, Rowena Wynson. “Do you know what you’re even saying? The tower god-king sits on his throne on floor-99 where he has total command over The Celestial Army that guards the entrance to the heavenly floors on floor-92. We wouldn’t get even close to the stairwell before the massive army surrounded and destroyed us. Such a conquest has never been attempted and, with good reason, it is the height of insanity.”
The cat-folk joined in with the name-calling.
Queen Violet looked at Max with concern and jumped in, “I stand by Max’s recommendation.”
That got another couple of laughs.
The room soon descended into another chaotic shouting match once more.
Eventually, the Boldrin diplomat stood up and said, “I think I’ve heard enough. The Boldrin’s position is we’ll continue to pay our dues to the alliance, which was formed primarily as a defensive entity against threats, might I add. But to speak of conquest and war and attacking higher floors, we will have no part in it.”
The Boldrin gathered his things and marched out of the meeting room.
The cat-folk soon followed.
Trying to get back control of the meeting, Regulus stuttered, “I think we will call this meeting to a close for today and hopefully we can reconvene in a few days’ time.”
The other diplomats and leaders grumbled and headed for the door and soon enough there were only a few people remaining.
“It was a rousing speech, Max,” Sakura said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
The compliment didn’t really make Max feel better.
“If it was such a rousing speech,” he asked, “how come so many people disagreed with me?”
“Because they’re scared,” Violet joined in. “Terrified, even. This might be one of the darkest moments in the tower’s history and that’s saying something.”
“Well, what are we going to do?” Max asked.
Harold crossed his arms and sighed, “We have to do something and we’re going to need everyone if we’re going to take on the heavens. If we can’t unite everyone, we risk losing everything.”
An hour later, Max continued the discussion on how to take on Nicolas Adler from the comfort of the common room in the human climber’s guild outpost in Caesaria.
It was nice to be discussing the situation with more like-minded companions like his sister and Casey.
Harold and Sakura were there as well and it brought back memories of The United Floors Alliance Tournament when many of them sat around this very common room discussing tactics and strategy for the games ahead.
“You have to remember, Max,” said Sakura, “all the tower races of the alliance are hurting right now. They lost loved ones in the monster-wave Adler unleashed on us all.”
“Don’t forget,” said Harold, “Caesaria is hurting most of all. They lost their leader. Their emperor. The city and its people are grieving.”
Max took a deep breath and said, “Everyone is hurting, but that doesn’t mean that they all collectively share the same opinion of not wanting to take on Nicolas Adler.”
“You’re right,” said Sakura. “We need to figure out who is on our side already and who we will need to convince.”
“In which case, it all comes down to two factions,” Harold added. “If we can get those who are resisting on board, everyone will follow suit.”
“And who’s that exactly?” Casey chimed in.
“The cat-folk and the Boldrin,” Sakura sighed.
Max pushed his chair back and said, “I’ll go and fix this right now.”
“I’ll come with you then,” said Casey, also standing up. “Toto, too!”
“Woah, woah,” said Sakura. “The less people sent, the better.”
Casey blinked in shock. “It’s only the two of us”
Toto squeaked.
“Sorry, ahem, I mean the three of us.”
Sakura shook her head. “That will make four, seeing as someone else will have to join you.”
“Huh?” said Casey. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll have to go no matter what,” said Elle, crossing her arms.
Casey looked at everyone quizzically. “Wait, why?”
“I’m a huge part of the reason why the different groups aren’t joining,” Elle said. “I’m a wild card. A criminal. A fugitive—”
“Not any more,” Max cried. “Sakura pardoned you. You helped save Zestiris and the other floors. How can they think—”
“It is what it is,” sighed Elle. “To some I will always be seen as a threat. A terrorist. A monster. The Scarlet Demon.”
“I think it’s settled,” said Harold, cutting Elle off from continuing with her self-loathing. “The Rainhart siblings will go as ambassadors for the fledgling alliance army and get the resistant tower races on side.”
“When you say it like that, you make it sound easy,” Elle muttered.
“Oh,” Harold grinned. “I’m sure it will be anything but.”
36
Lower in the tower, the leader of the cat-folk, Colette Couliard, sat on her throne in her ziggurat temple.
She was finishing up a meeting with her diplomats and advisors.
They were going over what had occurred at the emergency meeting of The United Floors Alliance.
It sounded as if the meeting had been a total failure.
No one had agreed on anything.
It was all just the chaotic shambles of a shouting match.
She was glad she hadn’t attended.
Her advisors had agreed that was the most astute political move available to them and she was glad she had listened to them.
“So what are our next moves?” the cat-folk leader asked.
“The alliance won’t move ahead without us,” said one of the diplomats. “We also don’t know what the new mysterious god-king has in store for us all. So, I believe our best strategy, is just to wait and see what happens next and then bid on the winning horse.”
Colette smirked.
It was a devious political strategy and she loved it.
“I like it,” she said. “Let us wait—”
At that very moment, a guard rushed into the throne room and approached the cat-folk queen.
The guard bent his knees and bowed to the cat-folk leader.
“What is it?” she said. “Why do you interrupt my meeting with my advisors?”
“Your highness,” said the guard, “two human climbers have descended onto our floor. Two infamous climbers, actually. The God-Killer and The Scarlet Demon.”
Colette scowled and looked at her advisors.
“Well, there goes our wait and see plan,” said Colette. “What should we do?”
Her advisors’ faces went pale and were lost for words.
“What do I even pay you for?” she snapped. She then turned to the guard. “I’ll tell you what. Tell the scouts and rangers on duty to arrest the two human trespassers at once.”
“Yes, your highness,” said the guard. “And what would you like us to do once we have them in our custody?”
The cat-folk queen smirked and then purred her answer to the guard, “Bring them to me.”
In the jungle of the cat-folk’s home floor, crouched a squadron of elite rangers, hiding in the bushes.
They were deadly silent, blending in with the surrounding shrubbery and shadows.
Their eyes were locked onto two targets.
Human trespassers.
A red-haired boy and girl.
Siblings.
They didn’t hide or conceal their presence at all, walking through the jungle like giant noisy bears.
Capturing such amateurs would be easy.
The ranger leader lifted three fingers, signalling when they were going to spring on their targets.
Three fingers.
The rangers lifted their bows and nocked special arrows that paralyzed targets, freezing them in a single location.
Two fingers.
The rangers narrowed their eyes, aiming bull’s-eye onto their target.
One finger.
The arrows flew out at the two human climbers, only for a massive ripple of energy to shoot forth, neutralizing all the arrows before they even made it halfway towards their target.
The elite ranger squad had no idea what was happening.
To them it was an impossible scenario.
There was no way the two humans had recognized their presence in the jungle.
They were an elite stealth squad.
Finally, the red-haired boy spoke up, looking in the direction of where half the squad was hiding.
“We know you’re there,” said the boy. “Let’s skip the fighting. I don’t want to injure you all. We seek council with your queen.”
37
Elle walked just behind her brother staring into his patch of shaggy red hair.
Her eyes narrowed with annoyance as she took in the back of her brother’s head.
Part of her wanted to complain, but she wasn’t sure if it was safe to speak amongst the cat-folk rangers who were escorting them to their leader.
They marched in a squad formation with Max and Elle in the middle of them.
Max and Elle’s hands weren’t tied, but in many ways, they might as well be.
They were currently straddling a very fine line between willing volunteers and captive prisoners.
As they marched through the jungle, she kept eyeing the different rangers, wondering what they would do if she made a sudden movement.
Part of her was curious to test them, but another part of her knew it would bug her older brother, and she didn’t want to mess up his plan.
She eventually sighed and leaned her head towards her brother, just above his shoulder and near his ear, and whispered, “I hope you know what you’re doing here. I don’t want to get killed by mere accident.”
Colette sat on her throne, listening to the steps of the guards escorting the two intruders to her.
She picked at her claws, unsure whether the incoming interrogation would be enjoyable or tedious.
A guard rushed ahead, announcing the arrival of the intruders, “We bring you the two human climbers, your highness.”
“Send them in,” said Colette.
Let’s see the faces of the two siblings who have caused the cat-folk so much frustration.
The two human climbers stepped into her throne room, surrounded by a squadron of elite cat-folk rangers.
Colette immediately noticed the similarity of the two siblings: their red hair and their sharp blue eyes.
“I would welcome you,” said Colette, “but then I feel like I’d be doing myself a disservice by honoring two intruders who have barged into my kingdom. Worse, it happens to be two intruders that have been causing issues for me and my people for some time now.”
Colette paused, giving the two human climbers an opportunity to defend themselves or apologize.
They didn’t say anything, so she continued.
“Max Rainhart you thwarted my people’s plans and humiliated us at The United Floors Alliance Tournament,” she said, before turning to look at Elle. “And you, The Scarlet Demon, not only tried to murder the entire team back then, but worked for an organization that has killed countless cat-folk.”
Colette felt the anger inside of her swell. A deep bloodlust was beginning to consume her and she wanted to order the guards to slice these two open right in front of her.
But she caught her breath.
She smirked, projecting a calm and effortless control over her emotions.
She tilted her head and looked at the boy and then the girl.
“Tell me,” she said. “What do you two have to say for yourselves?”
Elle locked eyes with the cat-folk queen.
The woman had sharp hazel eyes. The eyes of a hunter.
“So?” the queen continued. “Neither of you have anything to say? You came to my land just to what...stare at me?”
This woman is impressive, Elle thought.
The cat-folk queen had set the tone for the conversation now. How could they ask her for anything when she’d set up the discussion based on the fact that both of them owed her and her people an apology.
She’d trapped them. Barred them from getting anywhere close to what they actually wanted to discuss.
I hope you know what you’re doing, Max, Elle thought.
Her brother stepped forward and bowed to the queen.
“You are right, Queen Colette,” said Max. “We owe you countless apologies and I beg your forgiveness for every single one of them.”
The queen adjusted herself in her seat and leaned back, seemingly unimpressed with Max’s words.
“Is that all?”
Max shook his head. “No, unfortunately not. While I recognize forgiveness is not something that can be rushed, we currently lack the time or I’d otherwise have obliged you. We ask that your people join us in the fight against the tower god-king. Join our army. Fight alongside the alliance.”
Queen Colette did not respond, contemplating quietly.
Elle wasn’t sure if Max’s strategy was that convincing.
Is that all you came here to do, Max? Elle thought. You’re just going to ask her point blank?
She thought her brother might have a more effective strategy than the one currently on display.
Finally, Colette replied to Max.
“Why should we join forces with you? What is there to gain for us?” asked the queen. “We might seek alliances elsewhere.”
Elle’s eyes widened at that statement.
She hadn’t expected the queen to take Max’s offer so easily, but neither did she expect that level of response either.
Does the queen really think she can form an alliance with Nicolas Adler? Elle thought. I guess the pride of the cat-folk knows no bounds.
Elle turned to Max.
The meeting was quickly going downhill.
Colette had all the power in this room.
The decision to join their army was in her hands and the woman had no reason to rush the decision.
She could easily wait and see what happened next in the on-going conflict throughout the tower.
Tell me, Max, Elle hoped, tell me you had a back-up plan to this.
What Mad did next shocked everyone in the room, from Elle to the guards to the queen herself.
Max fell to his knees and lay his head on the floor, presenting the back of his neck to the cat-folk queen.
“I offer my neck to you,” said Max. “Execute me now, if you wish. If you slay me, you’ll have earned the very thing Nicolas Adler wants. He tried to kill me and my sister as children. So look, here I am, kill me now, and present my head to the new god-king, that will surely gain you power.”
“Max!” Elle cried. “What are you doing!?”
She couldn’t believe what was happening in front of her.
This is utter madness!
A guard nearby traded glances with the queen and he stepped forward, unsheathing part of his sword, a gesture that basically asked the queen, “Shall I oblige you, your highness, and chop off this human’s head for you?”
