Classless Ascension

At the Fallen event, Gemini was about to arrive! 

Josh trailed behind the old woman until they reached a large castle ballroom. It was so sumptuous that the little girl accompanying them couldn't help but utter excitedly.

"Wow! It's like a true fairy tale!" 

Was all this nothing but a deceptive front? Dario hadn't given him any news yet, and no one seemed to realize that there was anything wrong.

Josh's gaze darted everywhere. There were only happy people in colorful clothes, dancing to the music. 

"They should be there any second now." The old lady softly mumble. 

That's when the lights went out, and the music abruptly stopped! A spotlight then lit up as a man slowly appeared in a corner. Josh instantly recognized him as that one recruiter from Gemini who had looked down on him. 

But, there was something strange. His mannerism was utterly different. The previous meek appearance he had shown on Arcadia was nowhere to be seen. He moved confidently and fearlessly. How strange from a man with a target on his back. 

Perhaps it was thanks to the four Climbers that could be faintly discerned on the side. They moved along with him while assuring his protection. They appeared extremely alert, and it would be hard to bypass them. 

Josh mumbled a low: "Who's this?" After all, he was donning a different appearance at the moment. 

"This is the man who had the wonderful idea to organize this reunion." The old woman softly murmured. 

So it was. A man who classified people by their usefulness just happened to be the host of an event with a sketchy contract entry gate? Very sus!

He stopped in the center of the room before addressing the crowd: 

"Thank you all for coming today! Gemini is happy to be receiving everyone. I would like to raise a toast to humanity. Because no matter where we hail from, we are all part of the same family. Enjoy!" 

Then came the explosive sound of clapping.

— Clap clap clap! — 

Everyone around was all smiles, praising this short speech as if it were great. The little girl was already leaving to enjoy the party. Josh stayed behind, shaking his head slightly. 

"What are you thinking?" The old woman gently asked him, grabbing some punch for the both of them in passing. 

"We're all part of the same family is what he said….then why is it only us Fallen here?" He uttered with a sigh. 

"Because they can't understand. Could you imagine the people of this world's reaction to what we consider great? Superheroes? They're nothing more than cosplaying Climbers. An old ship and an iceberg? Who cares! Some guys playing with lightsabers—"

"I get it. But the people of this world aren't so different from us. Hell, at this point, we are the people of this world already." Josh sighed once more, taking a sip. 

"Don't you sometimes miss the Earth?" She asked. 

"The Earth? No. I miss people. But, I'll get them back one way or another." Josh stated with conviction. 

"How?" She raised an eyebrow. 

"I'll get to the top, get that wish and bring them back." He elaborated his "simple" plan. 

"What makes you think that the wish thing is even real? Isn't that pretty much a rumor? What if even the gods can't bring them back?" 

A rumor, was it? Josh was half-asleep when it had happened, but the voice had been real. The promise had been real too. Either they could bring his loved ones back, or they had been lying from the start. 

"Then I'll make them pay." Josh nonchalantly, stating a fact. 

"The gods?!" She jumped in surprise.

"The gods." 

"O_O" She froze. 

He sounded so serious! In his voice was confidence that bordered insanity. It was way too powerful! It reminded her so much of her late husband. It was that confidence of his that had caused the old fool's demise.

She lowly chuckled while wryly commenting: "Hearing you talk, it sounds like you've met them." 

"Clear more Hellish Floors, and you will too." Josh casually dropped this bomb. 

"What?!" She spat out some punch, gasping. 

"I'll be exploring the place for a little bit. Talk later." Josh excused himself, not letting her place any question, leaving a flabbergasted old woman behind. 

He could feel her heated gaze on his back as he decisively left. She was hooked and would probably relay that information to her superiors, right? 

His previous target was brash and had been easy to goad into meeting him alone. This one was guarded and would be more troublesome. Even if he took the appearance of a member of Gemini, it would be hard to make the others leave. 

He had to make it so the careful man would wish to meet him in private. He would let the recruiter be the one to come to him. 

"Ah, this sure is nostalgic, well maybe not the good kind of nostalgic." Josh shook his head, observing his surroundings.

A song about being blue was playing, and the horrid dances from Earth were back. Then there were the boring chips too. Why couldn't they have the spicy ones he had eaten at the arcade?! 

The old lady made her way toward his target before whispering something in his ears. That's when the man turned his way. Of course, Josh didn't notice at all— or so it seemed. 

That's when the Gemini peeps made their way toward him. The recruiter was showing a bright smile. 

"Hey there. What do you think of the event so far?"

"It's fine." Josh perfunctory replied. 

"Fine, not good or great? I'll definitely need to improve the next time I organize it then, haha." He happily bullshitted. 

How annoying! Was there a need for all this small talk? 

"Did you need something?" Josh asked, perplexed. 

"Lana told me that you might know some things about the Tower. How would you like to discuss for a bit?" He requested with the best business smile ever. 

"Isn't Gemini a big guild? I'm sure you guys know more than I do…." Josh replied, reluctant. He even gave a "reproachful" glance at the old woman for bringing the attention to him. 

"Haha, being big doesn't mean that we know everything. Please, I'd be happy for us to have a meal later. Would you give me this pleasure?"

"A-alright." Josh reluctantly nodded. 

"Perfect! I'll see you later then. I just have a few things to take care of for now." Just like that, he was gone. 

Later, was it? Would the MTA come knocking before their meeting? What if he made a deal with Allistair directly? If Gemini was plotting against Metropolis-C, then perhaps he could "borrow" his target to complete his mission.

As the group left, Josh saw the recruiter whisper at Lana. It was probably something similar to "You better be right about that guy. He seems like a fool." 

What now? If he kept pushing, it would only seem suspicious. The best thing he could do right now was to wait and stay in touch with Dario. 

He slowly went for a walk, finally stopping in a room converted into a small movie theater. It was currently playing that film about a robot terminating people. Perhaps this was where his love of killer robots stemmed from? 

He could already hear some people lowly whispering:

"Yeah, this model of terminating robot was designed by X and cost Y to make..." 

"This movie broke the box office, it was huge!" 

"I love this actress, for two amazing reasons..." 

Talk about dumbasses! Sure, they were whispering, but at a regular human level. Climber senses could pick it all up easily. Luckily for them, Josh didn't care as he sat in a corner, minding his own business. 

He checked his UW: 

- Josh MF Malum: Any news? 

He had to wait for a few minutes before a reply finally came. 

- Dario the Dragon: We've requested help from a renowned appraiser. Hopefully, he'll be able to tell us what we're dealing with exactly. He's on his way as we speak. 

- Josh MF Malum: Is it the owner of Eons by any chance? If it is, I'll have to say Hi. 

———

"Ahem, do you mind!"  A random guy interrupted Josh while pointing at the soft light coming out of his UW. 

"What? I'm in the last row, just look forward..." He replied. 

"It breaks the immersion! There weren't any UW on Earth!" The man righteously said. 

"Yeah, how about you shut up and watch the movie." Josh sighed, ignoring the idiot. 

(The man began huffing and puffing but who cared.)

———

- Dario the Dragon: You know the old man from Eons?! 

- Josh MF Malum: Oh yeah, we're totally friends. So, what happens if he determines it's something evil? 

- Dario the Dragon: Then the MTA and Draconic will be moving to subdue everyone involved. 

Subdue everyone involved? Oh wow. Would Gemini fight back? What about the Fallens? He felt like today had been way too much waiting. This was why he loved Climbing. There was no bullshit. Mission —> Rewards, that was all! 

Humanity was the one complicating everything. Men had added a credit cost to the entrance, men had established a guild Ranking based on the Floors cleared, and men were currently blocking it for investigation. 

Humanity was a royal pain in the ass at times! Just as he was lost in thoughts, a deafening explosion sound resounded! 

— Boom!— 

Ah, this sure was nice! On the screen, a T-8000 was getting blown to smithereens. Where it once stood was now a large quantity of gray smoke filling the entire shot. Wait, no, it wasn't limited to the screen!

From every corner of the room, smoke began to gush out. The spectators couldn't help but cheer as they witnessed such lovely attention to detail. It made them feel as if they were in the movie, how wonderful! 

Well, there were a few snowflakes: "My popcorn! There's gonna be smoke in it! Noooo!" Yep...first world problem. 

Josh couldn't help but praise the effort silently. The fog was subtle but didn't break the immersion. After all, anything too high-tech would have destroyed the retro feel. Well done! 

But suddenly, the huge smile on his face turned a little stiff as he noticed how the other Fallens reacted:

"Cough— cough— what the hell is this?!" 

"My throat hurts so much! Wait, it's the gas!!"

"Don't breathe! Anyone has poison resistance pills?!"

"I have some, but they're not fucking working! We need gas masks!" 

That's when one of them turned toward Josh, who was still on his seat, not showing any discomfort. 

"You! How the hell are you still fine?! Help us!" 

"Yeah, sorry, but I can't help…." Josh shook his head. 

"Stop bullshiting me! Fucking do something!" 

That's when a wobbly Climber seemed to have a flash of insight. He pointed at Josh, his face distorted in rage. 

"He's the culprit! He's the one that released the gas!"

"He's the asshole that was on his UW the whole movie!" 

"Hand over the antidote right now!" 

"Get him, talk later!" 

"Fuck him up!"

That's when about 20 Climbers of various levels charged his way, screaming at the top of their lungs only to violently cough from the smoke. 

"C'mon, give me a break." Josh could only sigh…