Ascend to the Sun (Sunny Tower of No Return Solo)

Reiki sat perched upon the highest point of the guild hall, staring off into the distance. From his vantage point, Reiki could see his next objective far off in the distance, the Mystic Tower. Even at this hour of the night, the tower was lit by sunlight. All who were curious as to the reason for the sunlight always vanished near the tower, yet letters from those who vanished still seemed to make their way to loved ones.

Such was the case with the job Reiki had decided to accept. Several days ago, a young girl about his age from Karakuri happened to be curious as to the mystery around the Mystic Tower. She departed and hasn't come back since. Her parent's being naturally worried, turned to Eclipse Soul for help. Reiki decided to take this mission upon himself. In addition to the rescue, Reiki had always been curious about the tower himself since he joined Eclipse Soul. He simply never bothered to look into it, until now.

About time to get going, don't you think? The longer we wait, the worse the situation could potentially get for that girl. I remember this one time your father and I... an elderly voice rang in Reiki's head. He sighed, standing up as steadily as he could as he continued to stare at the tower afar off. I think you told me that one already, Azrael... Reiki sighed, hoping to be spared from his uncles ranting. Ever since he consumed the dragon he found in ancient ruins during his training, Azrael kept rambling on about his past with Gellidus, all inside Reiki's head without a mute button. Reiki didn't mind it too much, since it gave him a chance to learn more and more about his father, though it did get annoying from time to time.

Anyway, you're right. No sense in just sitting around here staring at the damn thing. Let's go find that girl! he shouted, leaping off of his perch. A magic circle formed upon his back, sprouting forth his frozen wings as he blasted forth towards the sunlight.

As Reiki flew, he reached back for the satchel on his waist, making sure the lacrima he found in the temple Azrael guarded was still there. Neither Reiki nor Azrael knew what to do with the lacrima, so Reiki decided to just keep it with him at all times. Whether or not Azrael didn’t know how the lacrima was supposed to operate or if he just plain forgot, Reiki didn’t know. As long as the lacrima was with him incase an impulse came, that’s all that mattered to him about it.

Nearing the tower, the sunlight continued to shine brighter and brighter. Thankfully, it wasn’t blinding Reiki having just come from a nighttime environment. The light could be seen from so far out, his eyes had been slowly adjusting the entire flight. The towers true height became apparent to Reiki as he neared, stretching up beyond the clouds. Damn, this place is massive… Lemme guess, the girls probably ALL the way at the top of this thing? Alright, lets get this over with, quick and easy. he said aloud, as he angled himself to start ascending diagonally.

However, things weren’t going to go as easily as Reiki had hoped. Once he got to the actual grounds of the tower, his head collided with a huge magic circle in the sky that centered from the tower. He stumbled downward a bit, rubbing his head as he steadied himself in the sky. ...Why did I honestly believe it would be that simple? Reiki asked himself, as he looked up at the circle. Some kind of barrier magic from the looks of it… Well, someone wants to keep people away from the top of this thing…Wonder what exactly it is that’s going on. he thought, as he descended his way down to the front door. So, I guess we’re doing this the old fashioned way then, huh? Azrael asked, as Reiki punched his right fist into his left palm. No other choice. Let’s find out just what the hell is going on with this place! Reiki exclaimed, as he kicked the doors in and ran inside the tower.

The member 'EclipseEx9' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

As Reiki entered the tower and dispelled his wings, he noticed it was surprisingly empty. As he gazed around, there really wasn’t much in the first room. There were a few bookcases, some still upright whilst others were missing legs and toppled over, with books scattered everywhere. All the chairs inside were in a similar state. Everything was also extremely dusty, covered in cobwebs and even some spiders. It was also fairly dark inside, completely contrast of what was going on outside. Was this really the right place? There was a magic barrier outside, so someone had to be in here maintaining it. Yet there Reiki stood, in what looked to be an abandoned room.

Huh...maybe its just this first level? Where the heck are the stairs to the next floor…. Reiki thought as he walked further in, turning his head in every direction to try and find a way up. Oddly enough, there wasn’t a staircase anywhere to be found. Despite the size of the tower,the room itself wasn’t very big at all. Reiki searched the entire place in 30 seconds without finding a trace of anyway to ascend upwards, not even a ladder. Alright then…. how the hell am I supposed to go any higher in this damn thing if theres a barrier on that outside and no way up inside?! Reiki shouted in frustration, flopping down into one of the nearby chairs.

Sitting there, planning to just punch his way through the ceiling, Reiki saw a glimmer out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look at one of the downed bookcases to see that one of them was giving off a glow underneath it. Curious, Reiki got up and walked over to the bookcase, kneeling down to see what was causing the glow. The glow was coming from a rather thick book with a picture of a sun on it. As Reiki reached out and touched the book, a beam of light suddenly engulfed him and began lifting him upwards. He was then blinded by a brilliant flash of light.

The next thing he knew, Reiki was in a room completely opposite of the one before. This room was extremely well lit, the furniture was completely intact, and the whole room was much larger. Rubbing his eyes to try and get a better grasp of his surroundings, Reiki was greeted by a male a year or so younger than he was, with bright orange eyes and dirt brown hair, clothed in a bright orange cloak with a flame pattern all over it. Congratulations, you passed the first trial of the Order of the Sun! the man said, as Reiki continued to blink rapidly. Reiki was so confused he didn’t know what to say, as he looked around to see nine other young men and women dressed in similar garb, all staring directly at him. Well then….. at least this rooms nicer…

Reiki blinked as he looked around the room and the people that were there with him. Most of them were kids younger than he was, the only noticeable exception being the one standing in front of him. Trial? Order of the Sun? What are you talking about? Reiki asked, as he continued to mentally survey the room. “So you must just be a traveller who came to the tower curious of the constant sunlight then?” he asked with a slight chuckle. “That’s ok, that’s actually how a lot of us ended up here, myself included. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Kei Zentel, and this is the home to the Order of the Sun. We’re the Order that worships the sun for the benevolence it gifts to us each and every day. However, everyone you see here is just an initiate…”

As Kei continued explaining, Reiki found his mind elsewhere, taking note of what Kei just told him. Well now, this is just great. Guess this kids parents weren’t lying when she said she was writing home with letters about worshiping the sun. Also, pretty much everyone here is younger than I am…. it wouldn’t feel right knocking a bunch of kids senseless.. What do you think Azrael? Reiki thought, turning to his uncle for advice. “Well, I’d say going undercover is most likely the best course of action to take in this situation. It would be better to pose as one of them to get the information you need instead of attacking a bunch of younger children.”

Taking these words to heart, Reiki continued his mental surveillance. Trying to sneak in undercover didn’t exactly work out for him before. Though the cause for that was with a bunch of bandits he wanted to beat senseless. These were kids, well over half of them hadn’t even turned 13 yet. Guess you’re right. It seems like these trials are the only way to advance through the tower anyway. I’m gonna have to complete them if I wanna find the girl we’re looking for. Reiki said to Azrael, as he turned his attention towards Kei, who was still explaining. Alright then, count me in with you guys!

Kei stared at Reiki, a bit shocked at his response. R-really? Even after hearing how our last initiate was dealt with? Reiki nodded with confidence. Shit, I just realized I wasn’t paying any attention to what this kid was just talking about…Please don’t ask anymore questions. he thought, as Kei grabbed hold of his hands in excitement. That’s excellent! We can finally be a full group of 12 initiates again! Kei shouted, as he dragged Reiki over to the other initiates, who all had smiles on their faces in reaction to this news.

Reiki was now even more confused by what was going on. What do you mean by a full group of 12? There’s only 10 of you here….. Reiki asked, hoping this wasn’t already addressed in Kei’s speech. Kei let go of Reiki’s hands to look around at his fellow initiates. Huh, guess she’s still sleeping even after all that noise you made when you teleported up here. That Mikasa can sleep through anything…. Hang on just a sec, I’ll go grab her so you can meet her. Kei said, running off towards the back of the room. He stood upon a circular image of the sun engraved on the floor and was engulfed with a blinding light.

Meanwhile, Reiki was wearing an ever so joyous smile on his face. Mikasa, the girl we’re looking for? Awesome, we can just grab her and book it on out of here! This’ll be the easiest mission ever! Whilst Reiki was celebrating, Azrael was skeptical. Relax, Reiki. I highly doubt its going to be that easy. I think we’re in for more than a simple grab and run mission with this “Order of the Sun.”