It feels like no matter where I look, there are at least five people below me whenever I open a hole to look down. But if there's any good news, it's that there aren't nearly as much people on this floor. As for the few encounter we've had on this floor, let's just say they're sleeping peacefully with a big bump on their head and there may or may not be a pile of shit next to them.
Following the map that Wanjing had, we found the stairs, but it doesn't take a genius to know that we would likely be found immediately if we actually used them. Located in the centre of the tower, it's an open stairwell that allows anyone in the nearby halls to see who is on them. With how difficult it's proving to be to just reach the first floor, let alone the ground floor, I can't help but feel like I should have taken my chances alone and tried to dig my way in instead.
Although I'm not completely certain on the time, it should be close to an hour since we first got teleported in and we still haven't found a way down. So rather than only struggle to find an empty room beneath us, I start thinking of a way we might be able to sneak through the stairwell. As I am thinking back to try and remember anything that can be of use, I recall that sight is related to light, as for how, I don't actually know, so I'll have to try a few things.
I continuously try new ways to work with light as a way to hide us while also continuing to peep below us for a way down. To our surprise, we actually found an empty space and immediately went down to the first floor. I double-check to make sure no one else is around as I check beneath us again for an empty room to the ground floor, but as expected, it's full of people. As for the hallway beyond this room, I don't even need to check, I can clearly hear the many footsteps of the people moving about beyond the door.
"So what now? I don't think we can really leave the room," Wanjing says.
"Hold on, I'm thinking."
I should have paid more attention when I was in school, I can feel it, it's on the tip of my tongue but I just can't remember who light corresponds to sight. Rather than spending any thoughts on what to do next, I put my focus on trying to remember those old science classes, but my thought process is interrupted as I hear the door begin to open.
Shit, there are too many people in the halls for me to ambush whoever is trying to come in with my bat. There isn't any place for us to take cover and hide as the room we are in is small and consists mostly of shelves of paper.
Just as the door opens slightly, we hear a voice call out, "hey! I found the papers you were looking for."
"Oh, thanks, saves me the trouble of looking through here," another voice says as we then hear then door shut.
"That was too close for comfort," I mutter.
"Yeah, I get the feeling this won't be the only occasion as well. We should probably consider jumping back up to the floor above us, there was a significant lack of people compared to here," Wanjing says.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."
I create a platform to lift us up towards the ceiling and create an entrance to the room above which like before is still empty.
With a bit more peace, I return to thinking about how I can use light to hide us. In addition to trying to recall my school days, I also check through the description in the System for my Light Manipulation and in doing so I find the hint I needed to remember. Bend the visible light around us and it should effectively make us invisible.
It takes a few attempts to get the feeling for it down, but after around thirty minutes I manage to make my arm invisible before transitioning over to bending the light around my body as well as Wanjing's who's on my shoulder. As for how long I can keep this up, not too long, at best only two minute and a half. Doing this is a bit taxing on me and require a great deal of my concentration.
We come up with a plan to get close to the stairwell and using the temporary invisibility we descend straight to the ground floor and quickly dig our way down after finding an area where we can remain unseen for just a moment.
As we arrive at the corner of the hall that leads to the stairs, I begin to bend the light around us and make a dash for the stairwell, jumping the railing as I spread my wings and glide down to the ground floor. It's a good thing there isn't anyone around the second floor to notice the abnormalities of my start-up in the hall and my wings allow for a relatively quiet landing. From the looks of it, a couple of people nearby noticed our landing but don't do much as they can't see anything, I also ignore them and move quickly, trying to find a relatively isolated place before and follow behind someone who is entering an empty room.
Moving right to their side as they move to close the door, there is only the person we followed and one other in the room. With the door shut, Wanjing jumps off my shoulder and shifts to her humanoid form, putting the woman we followed into a chokehold and begins to drain them as I dash forward and beat the daylights out of the man sitting behind a desk.
Doing as we did before, the two are chained up by me and stuffed into a corner as I create a new set of walls to hide them while Wanjing spreads the shit Serabane gave her. With the scene all cleaned up I create a tunnel beneath us as Wanjing shifts to her small Taotie form and hops back onto my shoulder. Jumping down I seal the entrance behind us beginning our journey to the hidden underground sections of the Tower.