Chapter 400

Arthur watched as the next monster core crumbled away, the last dregs of its power sucked into his body. He swirled it around his meridians, following the cultivation method he had studied to help assimilate it as quickly as possible while considering what his next steps were to be.

He had to go on the offensive, but the problem was that none of his skills or techniques were suited to that. Sure, he could conjure a Yin poison – but it was either stuck to his Imbued Strike or his aura. It wasn’t as though he could infuse it into a liquid and make someone drink it.

More importantly, his own technique created poisons were not that strong. They lulled a body to rest, drawing down the energy levels of the affected and making them wish to sleep. Eventually, causing numbness and sleepiness and, to some small extent, even forgetfulness.

Similar, in some ways, to the drug used on him. It didn’t, however, forcibly paralyze a body. It didn’t affect muscles in as direct a way, since it worked more on the overall energy pathways of the victim. There were advantages to his own technique – it was usable against almost any kind of monster, even those without highly active blood or liquid flows or muscles to freeze over. Not the poison that was used on him though.

Then again, he had a feeling that whatever poison that was, it was a manmade thing or something natural, extracted from a snake or a plant or something of the sort.

"Crafters... always tricky, those fellas..." Arthur drawled to himself, brushing the stone dust off his lap and standing up as he stretched. It was late afternoon now, close to time for dinner by the angle of the sun. There wasn't exactly a clock to set schedules, but eating as the sun started to set was common.

No point eating at night and wasting oil and wood, if you could just time it right and eat as the sun began to set. Also had the advantage of pulling people in, during the twilight hours when mosquitos were most abundant, which then reduced the number of fatalities and deaths from malaria and dengue.

You'd think, after hundreds of year, someone would have come up with a malaria and dengue vaccine - but thus far, the few available only worked against a few strains. Worse, it wasn't even as though either mosquito born disease changed that much; but there just wasn't enough money in it for the big companies.

If not for advances in vaccine development, they might never have even bothered.

"I wonder if we could..." Arthur shook his head, dismissing the thought. One day, he and the Clan might be powerful enough to consider owning large pharmaceutical companies and the like. Do good, and not just collect money; but he was far from that.

First, he'd have to survive dinner, and he still didn't have a way to go on the offensive.

"All defense here, no offense..." he sighed. All his techniques were blatant, up front dangers. Uswah would be the perfect person for this kind of quest. He was more the kind that would end the life of another in a battle. 

Which, of course, led to the question of why he hadn't, in the training ground.

"Still too soft-hearted, old man."

Shaking his head, Arthur made sure he was properly packing and, once more, hesitated over his spear. After a moment, he shook his head and left it behind. Just like Tun Rahman laid out punishments for attacking - or getting caught attacking - another participant, bringing his spear was likely to attract unwanted attention.

In the main hall, he found to his surprise only Asman there as yet. Taking a seat beside the man, he cocked an eyebrow at the Malay gentleman after his greeting, a silent query for more information. Or just an invitation to speak.

"Have you given up, yet?" Asman said.

"On climbing the Tower?" Arthur shook his head vigorously. "Not a chance."

"No lah. On the case."

"Oh, that. Eh..." He raised his hand and waggled it back and forth. "Maybe they'll slip up?"

"Maybe. Boleh agak-agak, ya?."

Arthur snorted. He was definitely not going to guess.

"So you all done this before?" Arthur gestured around the empty room. "This particular variation? Because I hadn't heard of it much."

"It's not common. But, when we're not here we're...." He stopped, hissing and clutched his head. After a moment, he shook it, returning Arthur's puzzled stare and stating. "Tower tak suka."

"Huh. Never heard of that..."

"Only us lah." He smiled, wryly. "Normal Climbers don't have to worry. Can live life, real seok, ya?."

"Oooh, so you have juicy info."

"I wish." 

Arthur fell silent, looking around the room, watching the ghostly servitors come in and deposit plates of food, move on after a bit. He couldn't help but wonder, what was not being said. Why, if such an event was not common, how they knew what to do. Were they all captured that long? Asking that question had Asman shaking his head, moments later.

"Don’t ask. We shouldn't even have told you lah. But Nor..." he sighed.

"Doesn't like the rules, does she?"

"Sedikit," though he said the word for small, his arms were held out by his sides, so far that he almost struck Arthur. "You know how it is, eh? Some people, just cannot be trusted, you know?"

"And you can?"

Asman shrugged.

"Can you, talk about yourself?" He gestured upwards, indicating the ceiling and hopefully, the Tower.

"Nothing to say lah." Asman said. "This my chance, and I failed, you know?"

“Friends? Family outside?” Arthur prodded.

“Tak ada.” Asman shrugged. “I was a gamer, play a lot. But when my system blew up, the UBI not enough, you know?”

Arthur knew. It wasn’t even enough to live, most times, not unless you were staying two or three to a room and didn’t mind having a rather boring meal routine. Of course, the fact that Asman even had a gaming rig of some sort spoke of hidden depths.

Then again, they were on the tenth floor. Everyone here had hidden depths.

"So you came in, because...?"

"I might have borrowed a bit," Asman said, grinning. "Had to, but then, they kena nak saya repay. And I tak boleh, so... I mausk and they collect the UBI for me."

"But they stop it, when you register..." Arthur trailed off, realising how stupid he sounded. Of course there were ways for people to enter the Tower without being registered. Of course the triads and tongs and other gangs had figured out a way to bribe the guards, to enter information wrong or look the other way. Then, they could continue collecting money while the person was within, and pad their pockets.

You had to admire it. It was an almost victimless crime. 

"Then, you don't want to get out?" Arthur asked, eventually.

Asman snorted. "Of course I do. You know how much I miss a good char kuey teow?" The man made a face. "Nothing here tastes right. And, if I'm out, I can live big, you know?"

"Yeah... I kinda do." Arthur sighed. "About the others...?"

Before he could complete his thought, a voice cleared itself, making Arthur turn. Standing there, arms crossed was Nor, glaring at Asman and Arthur in-turn. Asman smirked and Arthur, well, he just grinned.

Couldn't blame a man for trying.