Chương 445: Interlude - Third Ascent (III)

Jack's chest heaved, sweat cutting through the dried blood and grime caked across his skin. His clothes had long since stopped resembling clothes, shredded down to salt-stiff rags that clung to him in strips. He had pushed hard. Viktor had told him to reach the Oasis fast, for very justified reasons, and honestly Jack hadn't needed much convincing once the possibility of the place getting crowded came up, something he already hated back on Earth. Here… yeah, nope.

And so here he was, after a few incidents and near-death encounters with ambushing Climbers… at the edge of the Oasis, or The Tower's Lobby, as people had taken to calling it on online forums. Several gazes found him as he crossed in, pulses hitting his mind from different directions, all of them readable now at his current SP. He ignored them. Too tired to bother, and in no rush to make commitments to people he didn't know. At the divider, birds came at him fast.

He sidestepped four in one clean motion, leaned left as two more grazed past his skin, and put his fist through the last one hard enough to feel it dissolve on impact before his arm had fully extended. He kept walking. People approached him. He waved them off without breaking stride.

Half of them had the energy of someone trying to recruit him into a pyramid scheme with extra steps, and the other half kept their eyes on his gauntlets a beat too long, the kind of friendly stranger that smiled wide and wanted something very specific. Neither interested him. He took in the surroundings. Despite how fast he had pushed, there were already dozens of faces around him, a few rough wooden structures thrown up here and there.

If it was already like this on the outer edge, he had a feeling the area near the lake would be considerably more crowded, maybe a few hundred to a thousand. Could be worse. His immediate aim was to hunt sharks and spiders as fast as he could, and put down three more Climbers to hit the cap, yet he had only covered a few kilometres at a decent running pace when a pulse hit his mind. He had received plenty on the way in, this one, however, stopped him cold.

Clean and focused in a way that made everything else he had received feel like someone shouting across a crowded room, the kind of signal that had traveled a significant distance and arrived sharper than most at their level could manage point blank. He slowed." Jack, I presume? This is Mei. I am one of Alonso's former teammates, and one of his chosen, as I believe you are aware. Ishaam will come and find you." Jack felt his heart skip a beat. Mei. Ishaam.

Names he knew well, faces he had seen across several broadcasts and forum threads, members of Gen-1 who had become well-known on Earth by now, even if not nearly as famous as Alonso or the rest. He kept moving, uncertain whether to slow down and wait or just keep pushing toward the lake. Seemed rude to stand around doing nothing while someone came to him, but also rude to make them chase him across the Oasis. He settled on a light jog, forward progress without going flat out, and told himself that counted.

He had only kept that up for a minute or two when the air around him shifted. The pressure beside him changed without warning, something displacing the space next to him cleanly and quietly, and then a figure was simply there, keeping pace with him as if he had always been. Young. Early twenties at most, definitely younger than Jack, with an easy grounded bearing that had nothing to do with age. Indian, lean, two daggers sitting at his waist with the casual familiarity of someone used to it.

They both slowed to a stop beside each other. Ishaam extended a hand forward.

"Nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Ishaam." Jack looked at the hand, then at the face, then back at the hand. He knew exactly who this was. Had watched the broadcasts. Had read the accounts. Had seen what this person was capable of. Jack was about to shake it when he noticed the blood-stained gauntlet still on his hand, and awkwardly pulled it off before returning the gesture with a firm shake.

"Yeah," Jack said, and then cleared his throat slightly.

"Yeah, I… yeah. Pleasure to meet you, mate. Genuinely."

"Alright," Ishaam said, reaching for two pouches at his waist.

"These are for you." Jack grabbed the pouches on instinct while his brain took a moment to catch up. He looked inside and went quiet for a second. There were a lot of orbs in each. He put his hand in and felt the rush hit him immediately, 49 orbs dissolving into his skin in a wave that pushed his mind sharper and his body looser, stronger, more his own than it had felt since he stepped through. He did the same with the second pouch and felt it land just as hard. He stared at Ishaam for a moment.

"Eh… damn. Cheers. Were those the sharks and spiders?" Ishaam nodded.

"Awesome," Jack said, already warming to him.

"Don't mention it. Let's go meet the others then." They ran toward the lake, and as it came into view Jack slowed slightly, taking it in. Wooden structures dotted the shoreline in every direction, most of them basic pole tents packed reasonably close together, though a handful looked like proper cottages someone had put real time into. The closer they got to the water, the denser it became, people everywhere, fires burning, the low hum of a few hundred Climbers going about their business.

And then, maybe thirty metres from the bank, a wide clearing opened up, with nothing but a low fire burning steady, the smell of grilled shark drifting from it, and a handful of people seated casually around it.

"Well, hello there," Viktor said with an easy smile on his face. Jack nodded, then felt the rest of the gazes settle on him and… bloody hell. He couldn't quite explain it. It felt like a quiet collective weight pressing somewhere below conscious thought, the kind of thing your instincts picked up before your brain had the chance to weigh in. These people… were definitely not normal.

The space the rest of the Oasis had quietly left around them made that point clear enough, but standing inside it was something else, alright. And then his eyes found the weapons. The double-bladed boomerangs. The two talwars resting blade-down in the dirt. The two-handed dark blade leaning against a log, frankly an unreasonable size for one person to carry. And then… Was that a bloody sniper rifle!? His eyes widened before he caught himself, and he found several amused expressions looking back at him.

He coughed once and straightened up. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Ehm," he started.

"Jack. Nice to meet you all, I guess."

"We meet in person at last, Jack." The old man extended a hand with that particular warmth that immediately made the whole thing feel less like meeting legends and more like showing up to a family dinner slightly late.

"Name's Viktor. Yes, yes, the old retired guy that called you," he waved a hand dismissively at himself, already moving on, "anyway, sit and eat, lad." He looked Jack up and down with an amused glint.

"You look like you've had a rough couple of days."

"Arjun," said the one with the sniper, giving a short nod from across the fire.

"Mei," said the girl with the dark matte arm coating, glancing up briefly from what appeared to be a small structure she was absently assembling in her free hand.

"Your gauntlets are non-conductive composite, yes? Interesting choice. I suppose you want to follow the Body Path?" Jack stared at her for a second.

"Ehm. Not sure… maybe?"

"Camila," said the one with the boomerangs, giving him an easy wave and a genuine smile before hiding a chuckle.

"Nice fit, by the way." Jack blushed as he glanced down at what remained of his clothing.

"Siddharth," said the man with the talwars from the far side of the fire. He looked at Jack with a calm, direct gaze and said nothing more. Jack nodded back, suddenly feeling very aware of his posture. He looked at Ishaam beside him, who gave him a small, encouraging nod.

"Right," Jack said, settling himself down by the fire.

"So. Shark, then. Smells good." Viktor laughed and handed him a skewer. Jack was honestly more hungry than he cared to admit. Thirsty too, yet before he even thought to ask, Ishaam handed him a big makeshift jar of fresh water, which he really appreciated.

"So, Jack," Viktor said, leaning forward with that easy curiosity of his.

"How was the trip? Any unusual encounters?"

"Well… a few, yeah," Jack said, taking a bite. It was really good!

"I see," Viktor mused.

"How many 'encounters' are we talking about? All seven?" Jack shook his head.

"Still three short, eh… Viktor."

"Good," the man said, and then reached behind him without looking, and a moment later three orbs drifted toward Jack with a casual nudge. He barely reacted as they absorbed, the rush moving through him clean and familiar.

"Some spare ones," Viktor said with a grin.

"Collected from a few brave souls who took a strong interest in a lone old man with a fancy sword." Jack nodded, his brain still lagging as he processed it all.

"Right, eh. Cheers, really appreciate it," he said, not denying his body what it wanted as he gulped down half the jar in one go. They kept the chatter going for a bit, the fire crackling low between them, Jack slowly easing into it as he got his fill. Viktor stood up with a stretch, rolling his shoulders.

"Alright then. We should get moving before things get crowded." They all rose, collecting their weapons with the unhurried efficiency of people who had done this before. Jack stood up with them, caught slightly off guard by the pace of it all, but fully on board. Truth be told he was ready to move. He had never been particularly fond of crowds, and glancing around, new Climbers were flowing in every minute, the outer edges of the clearing already beginning to feel closer than they had been.

Mei and Arjun had the raft ready at the bank, a flat wide platform of lashed timber that looked considerably sturdier than its construction suggested. Mei crouched at the front, her shards spread flat against the timber, using them as conductive anchors to pull the raft forward through carefully directed magnetic force.

Several of the others pressed their own weapons flat against the wood at intervals, adding their share of pull in the same direction, the combined force moving the platform across the water in a slow but steady glide. Beneath the surface, invisible to the sharks through whatever his Awakening allowed him, Ishaam swam at the rear, both hands flat against the timber, legs driving them forward. The lake opened up ahead of them, dark and wide, the surface sitting completely still.

It stayed that way for about a few seconds. The first fin broke the surface off the left side, then two more to the right, the water displacing in long smooth lines as the shapes closed in beneath. Camila was already moving. Both boomerangs left her hands in a low flat arc, curving wide before sweeping back through the cluster on the right, each blade carving clean lines through flesh and fin before returning to her grip. The water on the right turned dark and churned with what remained.

The one on the left came up fast, launching from beneath the surface in a tight arc toward the edge of the raft, jaw already open, rows of teeth catching the light for a fraction of a second— Slash Jack didn't see the motion. One moment the shark was mid-air, the next it had a single clean line carved through its skull exactly where the core sat, so fast the blood hadn't even begun to pour as the massive body began to drop toward the raft.

Siddharth then rose from his crouch in the same breath, drove a measured kick into the falling carcass, redirecting its weight clear of the platform, and landed back on the raft with a controlled pulse through his blades to disperse the remaining force. The timber barely shifted beneath him as the shark hit the water a metre clear of them, the lake swallowing it in a slow red bloom.

Jack's jaw loosened slightly before he caught it, as he made a quiet mental note of exactly where he stood in the power hierarchy of this group. The raft kept gaining speed as they pushed the pace, everyone contributing their share, Jack sending waves to assist Mei at her direction, the platform cutting through the dark water with surprising efficiency.

The lake churned red behind them as Camila worked the outer range and Siddharth handled whatever came close, and eventually the small isle came into view ahead, a rocky steep protrusion rising from the centre of the lake, the dark opening of the hole visible at its peak. After that they moved through the dark underground tunnels, Jack strangely at ease with them from the countless simulations he had run.

Yet he knew that what felt routine now had cost Gen-1 real lives to map, every turn and branch paid for in blood by people pushing into the complete unknown. He kept that thought close as they made their way forward. It took a few hours, steady and uneventful, before the stairs appeared ahead, light bleeding down from beyond. The whole group slowed to a stop at the base.

"Alright then," Viktor said, looking up the stairs.

"Spend your week wisely. We will see each other on Pangea next." They all nodded, each carrying their own version of the moment. Siddharth stood still, eyes on the light above. The exit he had given everything to find once, that had stayed out of reach no matter what he sacrificed to get there. And here it was now, waiting at the end of a path they had walked in a few hours with not even a scratch between them.

He felt something strange settle in his chest, hollow and deep at the same time, the particular weight of arriving somewhere too late to be the person who first needed to get there. He knew what lay ahead. A new stage, a new road. And he would walk it the way he should have walked the last one. Not as a leader carrying everyone else's survival on his back. Just as himself. Arjun looked at him for a long moment. Ishaam did too. Neither said anything. They didn't need to. One by one… they stepped through.

Jack found himself in the white room, the marker hitting seven, the timer starting its count. He let out a long breath he hadn't known he was holding. That group back there was something else. Viktor had done a lot to put him at ease, the old man earning Jack's approval despite his earlier misgivings, cracking jokes about ASCENT in a way that made it clear they were very much on the same page about certain things. The others had followed suit in their own ways, and it had helped him settle a bit.

But still, standing beside them, moving with them, watching Siddharth cut a shark like that before his eyes had even registered the motion, he had felt the gap clearly. The 'rookie' was probably the most accurate description he had for himself right now. And yet here he was. SP above 3%, a strong squad, possibly the best at this point, a weapon that felt like it had been made for him, and the first real stage ahead of him. He thought about the mutation coming next. What would he get? Would it suit him?

Work against him? Change something fundamental about how he fought, or even who he was? He had no way to know, yet he had learned somewhere along his life that worrying about what he couldn't control was a waste of the energy he needed for what he could. So he let it go. His mind shifted to Alonso instead.

Somewhere far above all of this, in a place where the weakest creatures probably viewed the entire Oasis population as something beneath their notice, carving a road that had already gone far beyond anything humanity had a name for. Jack looked down at his fists, the gauntlets catching the white light of the room. He wanted to get there. And he wanted to arrive as himself, recognised for what he had built with his own hands, his own blood, his own stubborn refusal to stay where he started.

Not as Alonso's friend, but as Jack. He closed his fists slowly.

"Wait for me, pal," he said quietly as he raised his gaze.

"Wherever you are… I'll get there."