Master Of Chains-Chapter 11: The Tower Trial

One of the aliens lunged at Louis before he could even react. Suddenly, a shimmering force struck the creature, lifting it off its feet and slamming it against the wall with a painful crunch.

Louis staggered back, his breath coming in gasps.

"Behind you!" a voice rang out behind him.

He spun just in time to see another alien closing in on him.

A shimmering blast of psychic force struck the alien, sending it hurtling across the room and crashing through the shattered remains of the wall.

Louis turned to see a girl standing in the hallway, her sharp eyes fixed on the creature as her gloved hands radiated streams of psychic energy.

Her dark hair was pulled back, and her expression was one of pure focus.

"You're welcome," she said, smirking.

In the next instant, a metallic figure crashed through the window, landing with a heavy thud.

Servo-motors whined as the futuristic figure stood upright.

"Time to clear the room," The figure voiced as it raised its gauntleted arm.

Twin blasts erupted from his wrists, vaporizing the nearest alien.

The girl didn't miss a beat. With a sweeping motion of her hand, three more aliens were flung out the shattered wall, shrieking as they disappeared.

Within moments, the immediate threat was neutralized, the alien forms reduced to smoking piles of ash.

The ruins fell silent. Louis leaned against the wall, still catching his breath.

He was relieved, but he couldn't hide the feeling of being embarrassed.

"Thanks," he managed to say. "You guys just saved my butt."

The girl lowered her hands, breathing heavily. "You're Louis, right? The one with the alien Core?

"Louis froze. "How do you know?"

"We were at the arena," she said, brushing soot off her gloves. "Impressive moves. Jason was such a bitch."

Louis chuckled weakly.

"I'm Natalia," she added. Her sharp eyes softened just slightly.

The futuristic figure stepped forward, its visor slid open and retracted back, revealing a boy with tousled hair. Louis recognized him immediately.

"Connor?" Louis asked, surprised. "You're the genius tech kid from the academy, right? The one who built his own gear?"

Connor grinned. "Guilty as charged."

He tapped his glassy eyepiece, a faint glow came across its surface. "By the way, I'm picking up a signal. The scrolls—They are in that bell tower over there."

He pointed out the broken window. "If we hurry, we can beat the others."

Louis glanced out the broken window. In the distance, he could make out the charred remains of a building, its bell tower still standing against the ashen sky.

Just then, a commotion echoed from a different part of the village. Another team was in trouble, fighting for their lives against another swarm of aliens.

Louis instinctively moved towards the sound. "We should help them!"

Natalia stopped him, placing a hand on his arm."No. We can't."

Louis stared at her, shocked. "What? Why not?"

She met his gaze. "We risk losing the scroll. The simulation's designed to test us. Help others, and we fall behind. This isn't a rescue mission, Louis. It's a competition. Only three teams get out."

Louis looked at Connor, hoping for some support.

"She's right," Connor said reluctantly. "The rules are brutal, but they're clear. If we stop to help everyone, we'll end up like them."

Louis clenched his jaw. He knew they were right. If they didn't focus, they'd fail, and failure here didn't just mean losing—it meant being stuck in this nightmare.

"Fine," Louis muttered. "Let's go."

The three of them moved quickly, weaving through the ruins toward the looming bell tower in the distance.

As they arrive, Connor tapped his visor, which projected a glowing marker onto the highest window of the tower.

"The scroll's there, top floor. But..." He frowned. "I'm picking up movement—lots of it. Something's alive in there."

Natalia closed her eyes briefly, reaching out to her psychic senses. "He's right. The whole tower feels... wrong. There's something waiting for us. Something big."

Before Louis could respond, a slow, mocking clap echoed through the square.

"Well, look who's got a head start."

The group turned sharply.

From behind a half-collapsed archway, Oliver emerged with his two teammates who followed closely.

"Fancy seeing you here, Louis." Oliver crossed his arms, grinning."Aren't you the badass, Louis? That whole trial scene? Pretty badass, I respect you, man"

He extended his hand toward Louis for a handshake but Louis didn't move. He stared at Oliver's hand like it was poisoned.

Oliver raised an eyebrow and retracted his hand.

"Okay, tough crowd. Look, why don't we make this easy?" Oliver said. "Lets help each other survive whatever is in there and grab the scrolls, Eh?"

Connor crossed his arms."We're not stupid, Oliver. Just stay out of our way."

Oliver held up his hands in mock surrender. "Peace, genius. There's enough trouble for all of us."

Oliver's lanky teammate stepped forward.

"You three better watch your mouths about how you talk to us or we'll see who will makes it out of this tower alive." he sneered.

Natalia frowned. "Is that a threat?"

Before the tension could escalate, holographic display flickered to life in the sky above them.

[Bell Tower Scroll Challenge]

[Retrieve the data scrolls from the bell chamber.] 

[Warning: Area protected by Guardian-Class Alien Entities.]

[Only 8 teams may claim each scroll. Others will be repelled.]

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

Oliver scoffed, breaking the silence. "Looks like we're stuck playing nice. See you at the top, losers."

Without another word, Oliver and his team slipped into the shadows, heading toward a side entrance of the tower.

Louis and his team took the other way round. They moved quickly towards main entrance.

As soon as they stepped inside, the door slid shut behind them with a loud, echoing clang.

Louis turned, his heart pounding. "No way back, huh?"

Natalia looked up, nervous."Only way is up."

The group looked up, taking in the long spiral staircase that wound its way around the interior of the tower.

Suddenly, there was a growl.

Connor's visor lit up as he scanned the surroundings. "Whatever's in here, it's big. And it's moving."

Then, a low rumble shook the walls.

"Did you feel that?" Louis asked.

Before anyone could answer, a deafening roar filled the tower.

From the shadows, a monstrous alien emerged, its form twisting as it stepped into the dim light.

It was massive—easily six times the size of a human—covered in tough, scaled skin and resembling a giant lizard. Its limbs were thick and muscular, ending in clawed hands and feet that scraped the ground as it moved. Its glowing eyes burned with malice. When its mouth opened with a sickening hiss, huge, sharp fangs dripped with black ichor.

Louis froze. "What the hell is that thing?"

Connor's visor flickered with data. "Guardian-Class... and it's pissed."

The alien roared again, shaking the walls as it charged toward them.

Natalia's hands began to glow with psychic energy. "I hope you two are ready, because here it comes!"

Louis gritted his teeth.

"Core, come on," he whispered, reaching out to the energy within him. "I need you."

A flickering system screen appeared in his vision:

[Core Energy: 52%]

[Status: Recharge Incomplete.]

[Combat Enhancement Locked. Apologies]