Alyssa was listening to Dave talk and indeed, Dave made a whole lot of sense. Alyssa had witnessed his fight with the ape man and it was partly wanted to push her to help him since Dave would prove useful to them in the long run. Dave was the one whose ability solely befitted fighting even if he didn't quite understand it himself but it was their one way to reaching any of the 0th Floor doors that was unleashed by Zony. If they didn't take the chance now, there was no other option.
Alyssa looks at Sam, Luke and Jake to gauge their responses. As expected, they nodded, agreeing with Dave's suggestion. They were kids and had no much combat skill. If they went as they were without Dave, the chance of their survival would certainly drop by a percentage, no matter how minimal the drop would be. It was clear as day that Dave's presence boosted the possibility of them making it to any of the doors alive.
Alyssa breathed out as she was clearly left without a choice. They could remain here forever. Eventually, they would need to regather supplies and then what, there was no guarantee that they would be able to effectively and continuously dodge the invaders. Alyssa massaged the bridge of her nose in thought as she considered it. On her part, she didn't mind going if she was alone but she also thought about the kids in her care. Alyssa was no stranger to death or scenes that revolved around one, but she cared for these three kids. They might have been with her for a short time but she saved them, and she intended to make sure that they lived.
She couldn't guarantee their safety beyond the door. She couldn't calculate the extent of danger and risk they would be forced to take inside the tower and that was the reason she was hesitant with her decision. Nonetheless, there was nothing they could do except to dive into the tower. It was only a matter of time before an invading species would come upon them and that would be a worse situation to find themselves in.
"So… is it a deal?" Dave asked as he extended his hand for a shake.
Alyssa looked at his hand briefly before turning her eyes to him. She was impressed and, at the same time, surprised. Dave had no iota of fear in his eyes, instead she saw a gleam of resolve that burned inside of them. This made her confidence in Dave increase and also his fear in him. What she saw in his eyes was the determination to do whatever it took to fulfil his goal. Alyssa knew at that minute that Dave Mustang already made up his mind a while ago. Even if the four of them didn't want to go, Dave was not going to be stopped. He already knew that at some point, he would be entering that tower and didn't fight it.
Although she was hesitant, Alyssa eventually shook his hand, marking the start of their alliance, at least until they found themselves within the tower.
"Yes," Alyssa answered. "It's not like we have any other options."
She looked at the kids briefly. "We have to work together if we want to get out of here alive."
Dave nodded in agreement with what she said. They needed each other for their survival to be somewhat guaranteed. Just as they were still finalising their alliance, a panel window popped up in front of Dave.
[You have gained an ally]
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[You're growing stronger]
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'Huh?'
Dave's eyes fluttered severely as he quickly read through.
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[You have awakened your ability]
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'What the hell is this?'
Dave was utterly dumbfounded as he couldn't believe what he was reading. He had awakened his ability just now. He couldn't process it quickly and this was simply because Dave assumed that he was using his ability to fight his way through the invaders since the onset of the apocalypse. That was not the case! Dave had simply assimilated well with the mysterious spiritual energy that was introduced to their world, much like many others, and that was the fuel for his exhibited strength and speed so far. Not his ability!
Dave blinked a few more times. If he was alone, he would have probably screamed but if he did that here and now, they would think him to be crazy and wonder what the hell he was shouting for. Moreover, Dave has not developed trust in the group enough to let them in all this piece of information.
Bzzt~
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[Ability — True Monarch]
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== PROFILE ==
Name: David Mustang
Race: Human
Ability: [True Monarch]
Level: 3 [105/150]
Zony Points (ZP): 55 (45 ZP to level up)
== STATS ==
Stamina: D+ (75%)
Speed: D+ (75%)
Mind: D (75%)
Dexterity: D (75%)
Status: Alive (Healthy)
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'True Monarch…?'
Dave couldn't understand what that meant but for some reason, becoming allies with Alyssa caused this prompt to appear. He couldn't think deeply about this newly awakened ability inside of this place but surely, he was going to give it a thought. One thing he did pick out was the reason it appeared. All he had to do was to experiment on it to confirm if it was actually what he was thinking.
Dave was forced to contain his joy because of his environment but he knew that there was a change right now. He was not the same again. If just the acquisition of spiritual energy granted him superhuman strength and speed, even made him fall under the false impression that he had an ability then… Dave could only imagine what his true ability would do to him.
A smile formed on his face, causing Alyssa to keep alert as she didn't understand why the sudden change of expression.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
Dave looked at her and shook her head.
"Nothing," he answered tersely, not giving more than required.
Dave then looked at Jake, Luke and Samantha.
"If we all agree to work as a team, then let's shake on it," Dave suggested.