"Good to have you back," Arthur said to Cassie.
She offered him a wan smile in reply, the entire party ready to teleport over to the next platform. He knew - as did she - that that feeling was not entirely unanimous. If nothing else because she and Lam Kor had joined the rest of the scavengers, making use of the marker while the boss was waiting to respawn to get their own tokens.
He cared not. Then again, he understood she had her own battles to fight, and the cut along one cheek and the disheveled appearance she had shown him last night was more than evidence enough of that to him. But not everyone - namely Yao Jing and Rick - were accepting of such things.
As for what Mel thought, she kept it close to her vest.
"Best to learn the dangers from your guide," Cassie said at last. They were about to leave, for the longer expedition to the second platform. Breaking their way through the first platform floor would be tough, but not impossible. There were even marked routes, though how dangerous those were depended on your status with the local gangs.
As always.
"The second platform should be interesting," Arthur said, nodding back at Kim as she waved the group on. He kept pace with ease, letting his gaze shift around with studied ease. Not looking down more than once or twice, a flick of his gaze to check for footing before moving on.
That was the mistake they made, the novices to hiking. One reason his tsifu had taken them out, quite often, to walk and then beat them till they stopped looking down. Forcing them to keep their head up, to watch for problems. Walking in the woods was different, for there were no paved paths, no flat and easy steps. Because of that, many looked down, more worried about falling on their faces than getting their face eaten by a falling spider or other monster.
Of course, by the fifth floor, those who failed to understand the dangers of such Tower floors were dead. Everyone had learnt to look up, through hard lessons or the kind words of others.
"When we came in, the most recent shift was just coming in, wasn't it?" Cassie said. "We had a few detailed reports, but I'm still amazed. Lizard humanoids, giant salamanders and those komodo dragon variants." She shuddered. "I looked the human variants, you know. What they did."
"Eating people alive, poisoning and infecting everyone?" Arthur muttered. "Yeah, Kim says the Tower variants aren't much better. Other than the fire-variant. That one just burns you when it bites, rather than infecting you. Unless you're really unlucky."
Arthur twitched as he heard the snap of a bowstring. The flicker of an arrow passing nearby, pinning a spider before they even neared it caught his attention. Lam wandered over, jumping upwards lightly as he used a movement technique to reach the heights of the spider and yanking the arrow out. He gripped a nearby branch with one hand as he finished dealing with the corpse and stone before dropping down, avoiding the webs with casual ease.
Waste not, want not, especially in the middle of a Tower.
"You both seem to have improved," Arthur said, casually. He could see traces of it, in the way she moved, in the way Lam moved. The pulse of energy that was sheathed in her body as she ducked back and forth, utilising the movement techniques even as the team spread out, beating back the monsters around.
"I had time to train and cultivate," Cassie said, easily. "Even practise a little." Again, his gaze slid to the wound on her face, the slight darkness appearing above her hip. A wound, not closed as yet. After all, she did not havve his healing technique bolstering her Tower upgraded recovery speed. "Did you?"
"My team's been working hard at it," Arthur confirmed. He tapped his pouch where a handful of stones still lay, remnants of the stones from the last expedition that he had not sold off or used in the meantime. "Though there's never enough time, as we all can chime, in."
A flicker of a gaze, a slight roll of her eyes. But she swiftly changed topics. "So, that woman that moved in... your new floor captain?"
"Yes. A new friend," Arthur nodded. "Same with the two who came with her." Which he did want with him, but his Seniors already had their second floor teleportation marker. No point in them coming along to get it again, not when they could spend time reinforcing themselves further.
"Your seniors," Cassie corrected, mildly.
"Yes." He wondered how she'd learnt, not that he was trying to hard it much. Still, always good to know how far she'd penetrated the confidences, how fast she learnt things. He might not like playing politics, but he was learning.
"Surprising how good they are. Or so I hear." She cocked her head to the side. "Lots of hidden tigers, eh?"
Arthur snorted. "Not that hidden. He has a website."
Cassie laughed softly at the rejoinder and then paused, helping him deal with the incoming hornets. The group fought, fast and furiously but not at all worriedly. Dealing with such creatures was simple enough, even if Yao Jing was clutching at his arm, hissing in pain as he dealt with the sting. He was shuffled inwards, a paste bandage slapped on his arm before the group moved on.
They picked up the conversation, not long after.
"Former Tower climber?" she asked.
"No. Never." Arthur shook his head to punctuate the point. "Tsifu hates the Towers. Thinks they're a distortion - a curse - upon us all. Thinks that it lets people ignore the now, the real world, instead of fixing it."
"But he trains you all."
"Yeah." Arthur grimaced. "Let's just say he's not happy about it." He didn't explain the final testing, the agreement they all made to pass his final test before they tried for the Tower. Not just a variety of other skills they had to showcase to have - like hiking or camping - but the final fighting test. A kumite, just with weapons and his Master as the final opponent.
Luckily, he didn't make them have to beat him, just survive.
Old memories. Good ones too, though... "He understands what we have. But we all promise to help out. Get those who don't survive jobs, pay for the food and meals of the others."
"He could get sponsorships." Cassie offered.
"With you?" Arthur shook his head. "You all have your own masters. Your own trainers. Tsifu would never consider himself better than them. Or take their places. Anyway, he likes what he does."
She nodded again. Noted how he never actually named the man, or the school itself. Cautious. A flicker of regret, that she had while turned away. Neither one was directly looking at the other, more unconscious of the other person's location to the right. Her attempts at drawing him close might have backfired, and she regretted it. A little.
Even if she wasn't sure she would have changed things. He kept adding complexity, allies. If she didn't get him as a close ally before he exited, there was no guarantee he would be one after. And that kind of failing was one that she might not survive, when her grandfather looked into it.
Well, survive at least in terms of standing. They weren't actually going to kill her, unlike some of the other Clan and Guild families that had cropped up from what she'd heard. Scary really, how much some people took to the Towers. She was glad her family wasn't like that - they just tossed you aside if you failed them.
"I'm sorry, you know," she said, eventually as the day started waning. They'd talked, about other things, inconsequential matters. A lot of complaining about accounting and numbers and logistics and her own pithy comments. A little light on details on his part, though she wondered if he knew how much of a picture he'd painted for her... But then they'd fallen silent. Fighting and keeping watch had a way of making even the most talkative to silence.
"Kenapa?" Arthur asked.
"For trying to draw you in. But you have to know, it wasn't because..." She trailed off, shook her head. "I did, I do need the help. And it wasn't just for me. He's going to cause trouble, for you. Won't like it, make it harder... His side of the family, they control the media companies. The sponsorships."
"I'll survive," Arthur said. "We'll survive. I can't... I won't start now. Too much rests on this, and I'll not get caught up in a proxy war." He sighed. "We might end up growing slower, but that's fine."
"Is it?" she asked. "You know who else will want you, right?"
"Everyone and their dog?"
"The government."
Arthur hesitated, looking over and she turned her gaze to meet his. Serious, all too serious. She wondered if he had thought of it, and seeing his eyes, she thought she did. Fear, worry, dread. No surprise, that.
After all, no one wanted to deal with the government. Wanted to face the kind of pressures they could apply, when they wanted something. Entire corporations, families had disappeared or been forced apart.
If he had further thoughts, he kept them to himself. Just offered a nod. And in that way, the rest of the night passed.