animus_network

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I know we have a captive-created guide to the floors of the tower. Do we have a bestiary of any kind? It would be helpful to be able to learn what we can about the monsters of the tower, even if it's spotty.

I'll start. Does anyone know of a monster that can summon people's fears? Because there is one.

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When would you want to talk about this?

Whenever. I'm in the dorm hallways.

Okay, I'll meet you there soon.

[Time to hear this story and possibly get mad at him.]

See you.

[Yeah, he's definitely prepared for that.]

[Just gonna head to the hallway then, and give Aleph a small wave as she walks over to him.]

... So, can I ask what happened, then?

[Aleph waves back, then sighs.]

This starts with me promising Sealand I'd train him in swordplay. Have you met him?

[A blink, before she shakes her head.]

Ah, nope... Is he a country? [Since the 'land' in his name.]

Yes, he is. A very little one. He's about... [Aleph indicates with his hand] this tall and neither of my swords are good for someone that height. So I said I'd look for swords off monsters to see if I could get one short enough.

...And he wanted to come along.

[April slowly nods, understanding starting to appear on her expression.]

So, what happened when you took him along?

At first things were okay, I took out a few monsters, nothing big happened... and then God showed up. Since no one else could see Him, I figured I was hallucinating and I tried to ignore Him while I looked for the cause.

As it turns out, if you stay around whatever does that long enough, your hallucinations start becoming real.

[She bites on her lip, reaching up to rubs at her forehead. Which also makes it impossible to see her expression since her face is covered by her hand.]

And... H-He killed you?

And He killed me.

I'm sorry. I should have been more careful.

[There's actually no reaction, though her face is still covered by her hand. This is probably worse than her yelling, especially with how calm her voice sounds.]

... W-what about Sealand?

He got away safely.

Good... Was everything okay after that? [Stiiill no reaction. Someone is suppressing her anger again, which has resulted in an eerie calm.]

Everything was okay. I came back in the morning, and it was only my second death.

... Right... [Apparently something he said has triggered the anger, since she grits her teeth and moves her hand away from her face, her eyes narrowing up at him.]

'Only your second death'? That's not something to sound so casual about, even in a place like this!

I've spent nearly a year and a half in a tower full of vicious monsters, floors that can kill you, something deadly happening about every month, and so on.

During that time, I've died twice.

I count that as a success.

[Aleph meets her gaze. He knows it sounds terrible, but that's the reality of life in the Tower to him - he honestly believes he's done well.]

Even if that is a success, you shouldn't just say you've died in the same way as if we're just discussing the weather!

[Okay, she needs to calm down now and she turns away from him as she attempts to do this. The biggest downside of her anger is that she couldn't control it once it started.]

I'm sorry.

[He waits for her to calm down. There's not a lot he can say.]

[She does seem to be calming down, though her shoulders are starting to shake now and her voice sounds choked.]

You... Y-you damn idiot...

It's true. I'm an idiot.

[He wants to do something or say something, but the thing to do would be 'not dying'.]

D-dammit, I should just-! ... I should... [There's a sniff and a hand moves up to rub her eyes, though she still keeps her back to him.]

... I don't know what I should do...

I don't either...

[He sets a hand gently on her shoulder.]

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