God's Tower System

The hooded stranger had an air of grace about them as they stared at Jackson.

The stranger wore a long dark hooded robe that covered their body except for their hands and feet, their face shrouded underneath the cloth.

"I won't ask again!" Jackson snarled as the hooded figure shook their head, "Hard way it is, then!"

Jackson rushed forward, reaching out for the stranger's left arm as they deftly dodged, spinning to the side.

Jackson grabbed the sleeve of the stranger's cloak, pulling hard as he attempted to drag the other person to the ground.

The stranger spun, using the momentum of the spin to kick him in the chest, knocking him back.

Jackson stumbled backward before rushing forward once more to grab the stranger's left leg, attempting to trip them.

The stranger turned and raised their foot, avoiding his grasp. Jackson reached out and caught the back of their knee, tripping the person.

The stranger fell to the sand, rolling midair and landing on their back. They flipped over and quickly stood back to their feet, staring at him.

Jackson charged toward the Mysterious Stranger, who began to run towards him, laughing lightly. The wind whipped through the air as the sand flew up behind him.

The stranger jumped into the air, spinning and avoiding his arms as they flipped over him.

Jackson spun, kicking off the ground and shooting toward the Mysterious Stranger.

The Mysterious Stranger spun, avoiding him. Jackson anticipated this, pivoting simultaneously as he turned, reaching out and grabbing them by the back of the hood.

The Mysterious Stranger twisted, breaking Jackson's grasp as their hood was pulled back, exposing the face of a stunning, tanned beauty with short, curly brown hair and large, bright amber eyes.

"A girl..?" Jackson asked, standing casually as he stepped forward, "How did you get here? I thought a floor was instanced unless you were on a checkpoint floor!"

She smiled at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes, and said, "You're a lot stronger than most Climbers, aren't you?"

Jackson tilted his head, puzzled by her question, and replied, "I guess."

She nodded, smiling at him. He took a step forward, and she clutched Khione tightly.

"Why did you take her?" Jackson asked, raising his hands toward her.

"She was mad at you, so I am taking her to be happy with me." She responded calmly, stroking the unconscious cub.

Jackson furrowed his brow, "Why did you hurt her? How did you stop me from returning her?"

"I didn't hurt her, and she's just sleeping. She doesn't want to come back to you; I'm not doing anything." She explained, holding the cat close to her.

Jackson looked down at the little kitten and sighed, shaking his head; then he looked at the young woman and spoke, trying to hide his concern, "Then wake her up and let me see for myself!"

She shrugged, shaking her head, "No need; she wants to return to you anyway."

"Give her back! I don't want to hurt you!" Jackson threatened.

She laughed and looked at him, "Not while I have her. You wouldn't want to hurt your precious partner, now would you..?"

She smirked and then playfully tapped her lower lip, "Although, now that I think about it, since you formed another contract, you might actually do it!"

Khione's eyelids twitched as she began to stir awake, and she opened her eyes, looking around. She looked at Jackson, then the strange female, confused.

The woman looked down at Khione, smiling gently, as she whispered to the kitten, "Go back to sleep, sweetie."

She turned to Jackson and meowed, squirming as she tried to break free.

"Let her go!!! She wants to come back!!" Jackson yelled, taking a step forward. The mysterious woman stepped backward, pulling Khione away.

"Shut up!" She shouted at him as he halted his advance. She pulled the squirming kitten toward her face speaking softly, "He replaced you. Do you really want to go back..?"

Khione meowed loudly repeatedly, squirming in her hands as the woman sighed and nodded, "I don't understand, but I'll accept your choice, little one…"

She knelt, releasing the kitten as Khione ran to Jackson as he knelt down, jumping into his open arms.

He hugged the little creature to his chest, standing as he rubbed her head softly as she purred loudly.

"Thank you…" The young man told the mystery woman as she stood there watching, "I didn't replace her, for what it's worth…"

"What would you call it then?" She asked, tilting her head.

He paused, considering, then answered, "I couldn't replace her! Even though we haven't been together long, she holds a place in my heart forever!!"

"If she hasn't been with you long, why form a bond with a second so soon?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips and staring at him.

"I didn't have a choice!" Jackson replied, "It's not like I planned this!"

"You're wrong; you did have a choice. Neither of them needed to be contracted; you could have set either or both of them free." She argued, glaring at him.

"Are you crazy?! Any Climber would be an idiot not to form a contract with either Khione or Umbra! Who are you to judge me??" Jackson asked, his temper beginning to flare as he returned Khione.

***

Meanwhile, on the 99th floor in a futuristic office building, the ten Floor Guardians were in a massive office sitting around a large conference table.

A large black screen floated in the air close to the wall as all ten stared in confusion as Elissa stood and pointed to it, rewinding the footage until just before Umbra hatched.

The footage normally played until Jackson chased after the mysterious woman as it turned black again.

"What is causing this blackout?" One of the guardians asked, pointing to the screen.

"Not entirely sure; anytime I've gone to investigate, it's vanished without a trace. It used to be sporadic, once in a few hundred thousand climbers, but it's happening too frequently around Jackson.

In addition, whatever the cause is, it also has been hunting the larger beasts The Tower is generating…" Elissa explained.