Killing their way to the top (3)

Ed and his crew did not even wait to find out the results between the two teams. They walked away in the heat of the moment. They went quite a way before Ku Jian noticed that her blank card was getting slightly grey.

"Eh?!" she exclaimed and Nti Anem glanced at her card.

"You get points for all those who died back there it seems, as you basically convince them to fight," Nti Anem said.

"But, were they not already going to fight?" she asked.

"You conducted the battle; the fight they are fighting is basically on your instructions. I am going to assume trickery is allowed here," he said.

"Trickery? They wanted to fight. I only showed them the way," she said with indignation.

They walked for quite a while till the sun started to go down, only then did sit around large tree roots. Nti Anem snapped his finger and a ball of fire appeared at their middle, suspended in thin air.

"Oh? So this is the power of an energy manipulator?" A voice said, startling only Ku Jian. She turned around to find Baskii walking into the light.

"Ya, Old man! Don't appear like that!" she scolded and he laughed slightly.

"I understand the energy manipulator knowing I was around, but why do you know, Boy?" he asked Ed.

"Boy? How dare you called Brother Ed a boy?!" Ku Jian fixed him a glare from the depths of hell, but he just brushed it off. Ed, on the other hand, did not bother to answer.

"Why are you here?" Nti Anem asked.

"I came to check up on you..hehe,"

"Are you the reason we have been walking for the entire day without meeting a soul?" he asked casually.

"You said I try to kill the boy, right? That is what I'm trying to do," he said.

"What?!" Ku Jian shot to her feet and shifted her glare to Nti Anem.

"Kill him slowly? I did not think you were so incapable," Nti Anem said.

"You all are impatient to leave this place, you did not bother to gain any experience. By the time you see no one enough to kill your way out of this level, you will understand pain," he said.

"We could always give up and leave the tower without climbing it. We walk into your little city and kill everyone," Nti Anem said and Baskii froze for a second, then broke out into a laugh, "Yes, that is possible,"

"The people in this city are helping you regain your power. It may be slow, but it is happening," Nti Anem said.

"You are the one who dared me to kill him," Baskii said.

"And you send small fries? Play little tricks?" Nti Anem asked, "How about a deal?"

"Huh?"

"Seeing as you did not care if they died, I will guess that you wish that they do die. By setting this killing tower that forces people to fight, people are dying and you are getting stronger," Nti Anem said.

"Well? What do you offer?"Baskii asked, not bothering to deny anything.

"We must leave this place and continue on our journey. Get us to the top floor. We will kill enough people for you. After all, small fries dying do not really give you enough juice," Nti Anem said. At this, Baskii laughed heartily.

"I always knew you were not a good person Apteil, even while you were the creator's right hand,"

"What do you say?" Nti Anem asked nonchalantly.

"The last ship is leaving the top of the tower in one hour. Kill your way to the top then," he said and the scene around them warped and they found themselves each at the bottom of three staircases suspended in a void room. The stairs glowed slightly, allowing Ed and the rest to notice that there were others on it at different steps. Just when Ku Jian opened her mouth to ask those around them where they are, a voice sounded from out of the void.

"An observer, a blood queen and a rankless arrive! The tower declares they participate in a slaughter battle. They against you all," the voice said and the three immediately felt a wave of bloodthirsty glares descend upon them. On Ed's staircase, a man stood staring him down as though to eat him whole, the thirst for blood in his eyes more personal than all the rest.