At the top floor of a skyscraper a figure was looking at a massive city below him. He was a burly man with long gray hair and an equally long beard. As he stood there the door to his office swung open and a tall woman with a hourglass figure and jet black hair strode in.
" Even though I don't mind it, as a secretary you should really knock before you storm into my office." the old man said while shaking his head.
" I'll keep that in mind Master Roderick." The secretary said as she bowed in front of his desk.
"Anyway, how is my grandson doing?" Roderick asked as he turned around and sat at his antique oak desk.
" Young master Dmitri is currently level 11 and is currently making preparations to leave the starting city Anedel in order to find a grinding spot. The secretary reported after inputting something into the tablet she was holding.
"That's good, anyway how far are preparations going on that project." Roderick asked
" All arrangements are going as per your instructions. We should be done in a couple months." The secretary sighed, she had been very busy over the last months as the master had intiated a project with her as the overseerer. Giving a small nod Rodrick dismissed his secretary who bowed and walked out of the office, closing the door as she left.
Leaning back Roderick stared at the ceiling, he appeared calm but if one looked closely they'd see nothing but worry in his eyes.
***
On a desolate battlefield littered with bodies and the heavy stench of blood a lone figure sat in a lake of blood.
[ You have fulfilled the trial requirements ]
[ 5 minute rest period before the start of the third Trial ]
Xarier had fought tooth and nail over the last 2 hours. He lost his left arm and an eye just trying to fight against the ever increasing waves of enemies.
He had killed over 60 of these oni's; sometimes he used his stealth to ambush them and sometimes he ran trying to single out individuals for one on one fights, but as his wounds proved the implementation was way more harsh than theory.
After the 5 minutes ran off Xavier watched as the battlefield churned and distorted; replacing it Xarier stood in what seemed to be a prison cell. Feeling a familiar sensation where his left hand stump should have been he was relieved to see that his injuries were gone and he had his full vision back.
[ Third Trial: Escape your captors and reach the city port ]
Looking at the system prompt Xarier's brain almost crashed. " What does this frickening tower want from me?" He was starting to think if he really wanted what was at the top of this place.
Begrudgingly he got up and assessed the current situation. He was standing in a cell about the size of a bathroom. The only thing stopping him was a wooden gate at the front of the cell
Walking up to it he tried pushing it and to his surprise it swung right up. As he slowly made his way out he was led through a long dirt corridor.
Along the way he found the unconscious body of the person he assumed to have been his guard. Walking closer he recognized the black armor and Oni mask the guard wore, it was the same as those he fought against on the previous floor.
After some pondering Xavier had an interesting idea of how he could go about escaping.
***
In a military fort set up in a bustling city; many guards and officials were going about their duties oblivious to the fact that one of their most wanted criminals had somehow managed to escape.
From a trap door near one of the courtyards in this fort a soldier arose and cautiously scanned his surroundings. As he saw that there were not many people around he started making his way to a gate that seemed like an exit to this place.
As he made his way he didn't have to react when someone placed their hand on his shoulder stopping him from moving. The soldier just stood there frozen as he thought that he had been caught.
" And where do you think you're going, Usuke? ", a deep and gruff voice asked the man who he thought was his subordinate.
" I apologize sir I left something with the front gate guards and I was going to quickly go pick it up then return." The voice that answered him sounded like he was subordinate but there was something off with it.
Just as he was going to inquire about the change in his voice they heard a voice calling out for him. Sighing he let go of the man and told him to hurry and return to his post.
Xarier had been shitting bricks this entire encounter; he had stolen the armor of the guard and was going to blend in with the other guards but he couldn't even sense the person who grabbed him by the shoulder.
Beneath the mask Xarier had cold sweat running down his back as he made his way to the main gate. Upon reaching it he took out a piece of wood with a wolf insignia on it and showed it to the gaurds; he had found it on the unconscious body of the soilder and blieved it to be a sort of ID.
After verifying his identity he was allowed passage through the gates. Stepping out he was met with the view of a busy intersection; in the street directly in front of him there were various stalls and vendors shouting to draw in customers and average people buying goods. The whole place looked like he was in old kyoto.
"The first thing I need is information on where the docks were." After considering his next step he approached one of the stalls. Seeing a tall soldier make his way to his stall the vendor became anxious that he had done something wrong.
"What is the direction to the nearest port?" Xavier asked the man. Blinking a few times the vendor wondered how the hell a soldier didn't know the way to the port of the city he was protecting but did not want to take the chance of angering the soldier he pointed to the west of where they were standing.
After getting the information he wanted he started making his way in that direction. Pleased with the progress Xavier began to think that he had past the worst. As he ran in the direction the vendor had pointed he faintly heard the sound of what seemed to be sirens. Knowing that it came from the prison he just escaped he knew sticking around would only end up in him returning there so he ran with renewed zeal.
After a few minutes of running through streets and alleys Allister could finally see the sea and thus the port on the horizon. Just as he was going to leap for joy he heard a gruff voice behind him.
" To think you would use "that way to escape. Aren't you so creative?"
Feeling the very blood leave his body Xavier turned his head around while still running to see the last person he would want to meet on his way to freedom.
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DaoistLZZAn4 thanks for the support you are today's honorary Hashira. Big thanks to anyone who read my work, appreciate it.
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