Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 74: Warped World

After a moment of consideration as he looked between the others, it seemed they all at least agreed the petite figure wasn't dangerous.

"Alright," Finn accepted, opting to follow the turtle-shelled woman through the mist.

"If she does anything odd, I'll blast her," Magnus whispered to them.

Despite speaking quietly enough for his words only to be meant to the ears closest to the cannoneer, the Mist Courier glanced back.

"That would be only fair, yes," she said as if hearing him clearly from up ahead.

Magnus acted as though he didn't speak, while Finn quickened his pace a little to move closer to the peculiar guide. Through the fog, there was an unseen trail, passing through the abundance of crooked trees, though the turtle-shelled woman seemed to know her way around.

"You called this the "First Order"--what is that?" Finn asked from behind the guide.

"This world you see here," the Mist Courier softly spoke, tilting her head to look up at the sky of land as rain trickled both ways. "It's fading away; a transient place, not meant for eternity."

"What's that have to do with us?" Jasper further pressed.

The Mist Courier glanced back with her crystalline eye at those behind her, "The First Order is the initial obstacle for humanity. If you are able to overcome the First Over, this fleeting, wet world, then humanity will be one step closer to salvation. One step safer from the end."

"Wait, what does that mean?--" Charlotte asked.

Before any further answers could be given, the Mist Courier came to a stop as the fog revealed a destination in itself. It seemed to sprout from thin air; a small, humble house of pale wood amidst the veiled forest.

"Come in," the Mist Courier welcomed, turning the handle of the door. "Your answers are not fleeting; you will have the opportunity to get them over a warm meal."

"…That doesn't sound too bad, right?" Jasper asked, patting his own stomach.

"I don't know," Magnus said, still holding his suspicions.

Finn didn't know which side he sat on, not sure if he could trust the guide quiet yet as he passed through the doorway of the small, forest-settled home. Stepping into what was hardly much more than a shack, only lightly decorated with a room or two, it settled in that he may very well be in a different realm entirely.

'The Tower…Just what even is it, if it holds even things like this?' Finn wondered.

"Sit," the Mist Guide insisted, seating herself at the end of the wooden table.

It was a bit cramped, though Finn sat himself down, with Charlotte beside him and Jasper to his right, bringing Magnus sitting across. A quick glance around brought him to replace peculiar trinkets on display on the old shelves; jars holding glowing butterflies, vibrant powders, and even crystalline growths.

"I take it this land is much different from your own?" The Mist Guide asked.

"Right on the nose there, mate," Jasper confirmed.

There were already bowls set on the table and a cauldron of piping-hot stew that smelled of meat and vegetables; an alluring aroma that one's stomach could not deny. While the softly-spoken woman sat there, it was Jasper that figured that they weren't going to be served, so he did it himself.

"Cheers, mate," Jasper said, dumping a serving of the hot stew into his bowl.

It was a bit odd to see the knight so nonchalantly accept the meal amidst the peculiar circumstances, though Finn watched the others give in to the temptation of the warm aroma. Charlotte filled her bowl up, then Magnus, leaving Finn the odd one out as he finally went along with it as well.

"Do not be shy," the Mist Guide assured. "Eat to your heart's content. While you're in this home, you're safe from the outside. But once you leave, it is a cruel world out there."

It hardly sounded any different from what the normal everyday life had become; a cruel reality was simply just reality at this point. Small creaks of the wooden floorboards came from each movement they made on their chairs, accompanied by the constant rain outside that ran against the small home's exterior.

Finn watched as Jasper quickly started eating, dipping his spoon past the small opening in his helmet, though turned his attention back to the guide.

"Are you from this place? This world–it's part of the Tower, isn't it?" Finn asked, staring right at the woman of blue complexion.

"Everything is part of the Tower," the Mist Guide answered with an unmoving expression. "Your world is no different."

"What're you saying? The Towers only recently arrived," Magnus asked, putting his spoon down.

"Yeah, that can't be right," Charlotte said.

Despite their doubts, the small woman remained with an expression unmoved by their disbelief, "The Towers themselves are gateways, tethering so many worlds into its boundless form. Your world was always a part of it, only the door only just opened."

"Gateways? So, do you mean each of the floors–?" Finn began to ask.

"Yes," the Mist Guide confirmed with a nod. "Each is a world of its own, perhaps an isolated part of it, curated for your exploration, but a world nonetheless."

"How high does it go? How many floors are there?" Finn asked, replaceing himself at the brink of many questions answered.

Yet, as desperate for information as they were, the Mist Guide only shook her head softly, "That is something I am not privy to. I only know what few things I know, that is all."

"Right…One answer, two more questions arise. I wonder if we'll ever reach the truth," Magnus remarked with a sigh.

"I'm not surprised in the least, mate. If anything, I'm grateful we got any sort of answer," Jasper said, tapping his spoon lightly against the wooden bowl.

The sprinkles of information given by the mist-residing woman brought Finn to silence as he sat in the seat, looking up at the ceiling as the sound of rainfall lightly tapped against the other side. It felt so utterly vast, thinking of the countless realms tethered to the Tower, yet it only made him feel small; it was a suffocating feeling, one that made him wary of the scale of it all.

"Finn?" Charlotte quietly called to him.

He snapped back into focus, looking over at her, "Yeah? Sorry, just thinking." He said.

"Yeah, I am too–I mean, can't really not think about it, right? If we really are stepping into all these other worlds, just like ours, but different," Charlotte remarked.

"It doesn't change what we have to do," Finn said. "We have to reach the top."

Magnus added in, turning the remark towards the guide, "Speaking of that, how does this place factor into that? You said this "First Order" place is an obstacle for humanity. How does our involvement here further our goal?"

The Mist Guide sat there for a moment before resting her chin atop her hands, "Once you vanquish the lord of this fleeting realm, your world will receive a "Boon."

"A Boon?" Jasper asked.

"I cannot tell you what it will be, however, it will be a monumental blessing in aiding humanity as a whole," The Mist Guide answered. "An opposing force to that of an "Impact."

"Something that massive? I imagine it can't be easy, then…You said there's a "lord" of this place we have to defeat," Finn pointed out. "What's that about?"

The small woman pointed towards the circular window near the ceiling, which brought a glimpse of the glistening castle sat beneath heavenly light, "The one that must be vanquished resides there–"The Keep of The Storm King."

"Some sort of Super Boss, by the sounds of it…" Finn mumbled, putting it into game terms for himself as he put his hand to his chin.

"I don't like the sound of that one bit, if I'm to be completely honest here," Magnus said, scooting his seat back. "It might be best to return now. Just through the pond, right?"

While the cannoneer was in a hurry to dismiss the objective given to them, beginning to stand from his seat, that notion was quickly shut down by the mystical guide.

"I'm afraid that is not possible," the shelled woman said.

"What? What's not possible?" Magnus asked, sitting back down.

The Mist Guide clarified, as all eyes were now on her with such a pivotal revelation emitting from her lips, "Until the First Order is complete, those that enter cannot leave."

"Seriously? That's got to be some kind of joke, right? What am I even saying…of course that's how it is," Magnus answered himself with a shake of his head.

Finn could feel some of the sharpness of the swede's words pointed at him, being responsible for leading the others into such a place.

"There is no rush. Take it at your own pace," the Mist Guide reassured them.

After a hearty helping of stew and some time to digest what the situation was, Finn left the small home, stepping back outside alongside the others. The warped scenery of the world felt more encapsulating, with that sky of trees looking down at him; it might as well be his new home for the time being.