Tower of Endless: Death Granted Entry

While Moon was listening to Basil’s rant and his stories of the third floor, Ed stood at the edge of the branch, waiting for the incoming individual to land. His face had a look that screamed unimpressed.

Soon, the person finally landed, hair and armor the color of gold, handsome in a way that didn’t make sense, like an angel.

It was none other than the owner of the facility, Lucen.

"Your style is disgusting to look at." Ed attacked verbally first.

Lucen studied Ed for a moment from head to toe. "What’s with all these weapons? Are you here for a fight?" he asked.

Ed scratched his shoulder. "It depends; your face is quite annoying, so I might smash it a couple of times," he said flatly.

Lucen chuckled softly. "You won’t need so many blades."

Ed raised both his hands forward; he stretched four fingers on each. "I counted them to match every gap in your armor."

The smile on Lucen’s face disappeared. "Is that so?"

"I don’t like it when my prey thrashes around," Ed explained, his face the same.

"That kid has influenced you much more than expected," Lucen said mockingly.

"Who knows?" Ed answered, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

Lucen’s face hardened. "For someone so young who didn’t even live a single millennium, you’re quite rude to your elders."

"Act your age, then." Ed raised his nose and looked down on Lucen.

Lucen couldn’t help shaking his head, letting out a loud breath. "What a tiring person to speak with you are; all these years have failed to humble you."

"What about you humble me yourself; maybe I need that for my own good?" Ed mocked.

Lucen smiled softly, almost apologetically. "Didn’t the last one turn quite bad that you almost lost it for years?"

Ed’s eyes sharpened. "Did you bring it or not?" he asked.

Lucen looked into Ed’s eyes for a couple of seconds. "Here," he waved his hand, and in it, a small box came to be.

It was instantly thrown to Ed at a blinding speed, like a shooting cannon.

Ed’s arms moved effortlessly and caught it. He opened the box, verifying the contents. And once he did, he shooed Lucen away with his hand. "Now leave," he said in disdain.

Lucen opened his hands helplessly. "I came to watch the show," he explained.

Ed studied his face for a moment before nodding. "Fine, let me know if you want to book a round of humbling against a kid, O great ancient golden fox."

"You won’t oppose it?" Lucen asked, surprised, or so it seemed, that Ed agreed.

Ed frowned, his face full of disgust. "I know exactly where you can watch, what you can watch, when you can watch and how to get you not to watch."

Lucen paused for a second before laughing aloud... He shook his head. "Makes sense, but I’ll have to decline."

Ed didn’t take his casual decline as an answer. "See, for one, maybe it’s more helpful to you than it is to him..." He suddenly paused before nodding. "But maybe the old saying is true, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks." He changed his mind instantly.

Lucen didn’t seem offended. "True that; I actually have watched the three of you since that day you first ascended," he admitted instead.

Ed’s disgust didn’t wane. "You’ve been developing some nasty habits over your useless years of life."

Lucen smiled gently instead. "I have always wondered, how did you fit in with them?" he inquired.

Ed admitted right away and nodded. "Yeah, these two were always too good."

Lucen corrected, "A stubborn, talentless idiot, and a once-in-an-era genius who’s too nice to the point of being a fool."

Ed admitted right away again, nodding once again. "You can put it that way too."

Lucen wasn’t going to take his attitude as an answer. "How did you fit in?"

Ed shrugged. "I’m just a cook."

Lucen admitted, "I had my eyes on them."

Ed scratched his nose a couple of times. "You stink."

Lucen pursed his lips. "Your manners."

Ed ignored him; instead, he looked deeply into his eyes for a second. "This Tower, it’s full of people like you... Those who wanted to blind our eyes and steal our dreams."

Lucen had an apologetic look on his face. "Is that how I’m commonly seen?" he asked.

Ed raised both his eyebrows. "Not at all, you’re a man of great reputation. But I can’t help sniffing a bad smell on you."

"How?" Lucen demanded.

"A gut feeling," Ed answered before patting his large belly. "See how big it is now that I’m older."

He shook his head. "All these years, I couldn’t help sniffing that stink of everything you do."

With that said, both the ancient and the old stood facing one another. Unmoving, staring into the other’s eyes.

"Fine, Edmond, whatever you say... You’re proud and deservingly so, yet you have yet to suffer truly in your life," Lucen said sternly, unlike his usual demeanour.

"Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself," Ed advised.

"Lead the way," Lucen said right away.

"After you, elder," Ed retorted.

Lucen looked surprised for a moment. "I’m a guest here."

"You’re the owner of the facility; don’t kid yourself," Ed said, making a welcoming gesture.

Lucen didn’t look enthusiastic for another back-and-forth conversation with Ed; instead, he asked, "Just how bad are your trust issues?"

"As you can see, just that bad," Ed answered, following closely behind Lucen.

On the bench, still sipping his coffee, Basil told him too many stories of the Third Floor, too many that Moon was already—

"Oh damn, we gonna be rich as hell once we take these gangs down," he said excitedly.

"Yes boss, you’ll be king, not just boss." Basil, matching Moon’s enthusiasm, agreed readily.

"Just one full sweep there, we set for life," Moon added.

"You’ll no longer be Boss Moon, but King Moon."

"Don’t worry, I’ll knock your old Boss’ skull off his shoulder easy," Moon assured Basil before—

"Brat, come to the ring." He heard Ed’s voice calling him to the ring.

Moon suddenly snapped back from Basil’s tales; he looked at the now-empty cup in his hands, and the cup in Basil’s hands, still full.

He pursed his lips. "Next time we have coffee, let’s do it where you can drink," Moon said as he stood ready to leave.

"Sure, boss, stay safe... By the time you win the next round, we’ll be rich." Basil encouraged him before standing and sprinting somewhere.

Moon dropped the cup in a trash can on his way and slid the helmet visor back over his face.

By the time he was at the ring, he looked down and saw Ed already waiting for him.

"Did I make you wait for too long?" Ed asked, watching Moon descend the flight of stairs.

"No, not at all... I didn’t know the third floor was such a crazy place... I like it already," he said while the helmet hid his face full of excitement.

"Why are you wearing that helmet? I thought you hated them," Ed asked.

"Ah, I cut that thing on top, it’s useless and these guys had bodies and weapons too... They’re just scrubs whatever tools you give them," Moon explained, forgetting the real reason he brought the helmet entirely, before suddenly scratching his nape below the helmet.

"What was that?"

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