When the mission to kill a murderer appeared, the party members instantly heaved a sigh of relief. It was as if a heavy burden had been released from their shoulders. But then came another directive:
[Note: Josh is not allowed to hurt the target in any way.]
When they saw that, they couldn't help but give an embarrassed smile. They had been entirely reliant on him so far after all. The system wouldn't stand for such obvious carry anymore.
They felt like apologizing, but they weren't exactly sure why. Was it for freaking out? Was it for not helping one bit? Was it for thinking that Josh could be evil for a second?
"Alright, shall we begin exploring the place?" Josh said.
"Let's split up and—"AIYA suggested, only to get slapped behind the head hard by Joe.
SLAP!
"Is this a joke to you?! We are in unknown territory! Stop spewing bullshit and focus!"
"Yeah, but there hasn't been any danger so far and—" AIYA protested.
"So far! Exactly! Now shut up, or I'll insert these arrows of yours very deeply in your—"
"I get it. I get it!" AIYA instantly answered while shuddering. The rest of the party could only wryly smile as they saw their antics.
Was the archer stupid? Josh didn't think so. This ridiculous suggestion of his had gotten rid of the party's tension while reminding them of the possible dangers. Rankers were human too. They feared, and they doubted.
"How are we even supposed to find a murderer? Should we wait for a murder to happen?" Joe proposed hesitantly.
"I'm guessing either it will be a crazy guy starting a shooting or perhaps some insane one attacking lone victims in hard-to-notice places like…." That's when Minor stopped talking, flustered.
"Bathrooms, changing rooms, and cinemas?" Josh completed with a teasing smile.
"I didn't mean it like that." He gave an apologetic expression.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine as long as you never go anywhere alone." Josh smiled at him, laughing internally as the man turned white.
"Don't worry, my friend. I will DJ at your funerals." Emsee gave a thumbs up.
"Don't worry, my friend. I will bring some fireworks!" Joe added gleefully.
"Don't worry, my friend. I will bring my cute girlfriend so she can dance!" AIYA concluded.
"Why does it sound like you guys will be celebrating instead of mourning?!" Minor didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Don't worry. I'll be Climbing." Josh reassured him.
"?!?" Was his death not even worth crying over?! How sad!
They kept walking while chatting. For an instant, they almost forgot that they were in the Alter Tower. They kept observing the surroundings, but they weren't sure where to begin.
Everything was just too peaceful. There were couples on dates, friends hanging out, families going about their businesses, and singles exploring.
Josh couldn't help but chuckle, noticing the absence of the thieving youngsters. Had the Tower protocol deemed them too much of a fodder?
That's when they noticed something out of the ordinary. Next to a fountain, a little girl was crying. She had short blond hair, delicate features and was holding a white stuffed bunny tightly. She was wearing a shirt with an arrow that pointed to her right with the caption world's coolest mother. Did she get separated from her parent?
That's when Josh approached and started comforting the child to the utter stupefaction of the group. They couldn't believe their eyes. Was that the same man that had been stacking corpses recently?!
"Oh wow! When did they install this small fountain?" Josh faked an extreme surprise as he referred to the crying little girl as a fountain.
At first, she turned her head all around, trying to figure out what he was talking about, but then she realized.
"Sob. I'm not a fountain, Mister! I'm just sad!" she uttered between sobs.
"What?! You're sad?! Tell me what happened!" He had so much intensity, yet his tone sounded so goofy that she even stopped crying in surprise.
"That…"
"If you want, I can help you find your mother. Ah, but I don't work for free! I'll ask for candies as a reward! Hmm, or perhaps chocolate?" Josh seemed in a profound dilemma.
"You're weird, Mister! Who asks for candies for—" the little girl began chuckling.
"What?! Don't tell me you hate candies?!" Josh's face showed great horror.
"Of course not!" She protested, all trace of sadness gone.
"Ah, you had me worried sick for a second there." Josh faked extreme relief.
"Mister, please help me find my mom." She was politely making a praying motion with her hands.
"Alright, follow me. We'll find her in no time! Otherwise, my name isn't Captain Awesome Sauce, Protector of the Innocent, Handsome and Dashing—"
"Pfft! That's clearly not your name!!" She erupted laughing.
"If that's too long, you can call me Josh." He softly said.
"Alright, Josh! Ah, I'm Ness! Josh. Josh." Was she trying to memorize it?
In the distance, he could see the others whispering softly to each other. What good was murmuring if they didn't hide their lips?
"Am I dreaming? Can Josh really be that kind?" Joe said.
"No, more importantly, how is he so good with kids?! I don't see him as the dad type." Emsee added.
"Maybe he's used to kidnapping them." The others gave AIYA death glares. "I was kidding!"
That is how both of them reached the group and began searching for clues together. They tried calling the mother via the mall's intercom, but it failed.
They tried meeting the security guards, but they were only available for emergencies (apparently, this didn't count). Everyone was getting tired and annoyed by the lack of results.
"We should probably take a break. The kid is probably tired too." Minor proposed.
"No! I can keep going!" Ness adamantly refused while clenching her dainty little fists.
"Perhaps you're fine, but I'm tired!" Josh gave an exaggerated weary sigh. "Let's grab a coffee!"
That is how they all went to a Nebulabucks. It was pretty much like any coffee shop, but they sold sugary liquid deserts instead of real coffee. Oh yeah, everything was really expensive too. Then it was time to pay, except none had money.
"Minor. I'll let you take care of this one. Here, grab this gray fedora. Now, I want you to go near that fountain and sing. You already have the perfect outfit to perform too. Come back when you have enough funds." Josh happily smiled at him while patting his shoulder.
On the side, the incredulous shop attendant couldn't help but start snickering. These guys were definitely the oddest he had ever seen!
"Why should I?!" Minor exclaimed.
"Because the smile of a little girl rests on your shoulders. Fighting!" Josh then grabbed the drinks and brought them all to a table.
Meanwhile, the people nearby began approaching. They'd have a fun story to tell afterward: about a guy looking like a model singing to buy coffee.
"Alright, any idea what we could have missed?" Joe seriously asked.
"No clue, but we have to find her mother as soon as possible. It's like she vanished completely. Then again, this place is so vast!" AIYA sighed.
That's when Minor came back grimacing and slammed the hat on the table. It made a clanking sound. "There should be enough in there!" Before plopping on a chair. "Right, guys, I may have a lead!"
Josh went to pay while the others were all leaning forward, ears perked in expectation.
"There is actually a basement to this place. It acts as a temporary bunker in case of a natural catastrophe!" Minor explained extremely seriously.
"That's it! That's the missing part of the puzzle!" Joe exclaimed in joy, but then he seemed to realize how ominous a dark basement sounded.
That's when Josh came back. "Here is a keepsake. In the future, you will remember that one time you used your body and mouth to pay for drinks." He grinned as he handed Minor the bill.
"Hey, I was singing and standing in place! Watch your phrasing!" But then, when he read the actual thing, he couldn't help but show an incredibly shocked expression. "That's impossible!"
"Expensive, am I right? But, it tasted good, wouldn't you admit?" Josh chuckled.
"Yes! It was super delicious!" Ness cheerfully backed him up by the side. Just seeing her innocent smile made all of it worth it.
"Alright! Let's go and check out that basement!" Emsee said.
That is how the happy bunch made their way across the mall, this time in search of metallic trapdoors. Finding one, they opened it as quickly as possible, scurrying inside. To go down, there was an old-looking metal ladder.
They all made their way downward, soon reaching the ground. It was dry, and a whiff of an iron smell could be detected. The basement was dark and vast. Every footstep sent echoes reverberating.
"Wow! Ness, you are really brave!" Joe commented as they walked. She was bravely following along. She looked calm, besides the fact that she was clenching her stuffed bunny really hard.
"Indeed, here. Let me make some light." AIYA took a huge arrow out of nowhere. The tip of it then began to radiate a golden light that illuminated the surroundings. "A simple signal arrow. Useless in a fight, but pretty neat." He explained.
That's how they kept going forward. All until they turned the corner and couldn't help but stop suddenly. On the ground, there were bloodstains. It looked as if someone had dragged a human body on it.
"Ah!!!" As soon as she saw this, Ness screamed. She then ran toward the nearby AIYA before burying her face in his chest.
"It's alright. Everything is going to be alright. You don't have to worry. We will—"
He was about to say more, but then a silver dagger reached his throat and took his breath away. The little girl holding it was grinning, showing her full teeth.
On the ground, one could see a discarded stuffed bunny. It had hosted a sharp dagger all along…
Creator's Thought
Ness was such a sweet girl. Well, until she wasn't. What kills the most in the Tower is false confidence. That is how Climbers die. It looks all so easy so they lower their guard. That is the exact moment they perish. There is no do-over. The only regret for the ones that remain alive.
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