Skyborne Raider

The massive door does not react. Solid surface doesn’t move an inch. Mike backs up, and we all gaze up at the door.

“Maybe the boss you killed had some sort of key?” suggests the caring girl.

Meanwhile, I look up and focus my eyes on the facade of the tower. Maybe there are handles, buttons, or hinges? I mumble to myself, but Mike seems a bit off again. He moves closer to the tower once more, extending his arms as if trying to hug the door.

“What are you doing, Mikey?” Astrid asks.

What the hell? My eyes rest on him.

“Nothing. I was just trying something.”

I ignore this weird and extremely suspicious behavior and move around to inspect the tower from different angles. There’s one particular spot above the door that’s way too high for a normal human. But for a tall one? Like the skinny wizard, whose toothpaste use I've just halved.

I grin, feeling excited, despite having no clue if this will work or not. I pick a random round pebble from the ground and aim precisely at the spot. With one eye closed, I prepare my throw.

*Click*

The pebble hits the spot, and some sort of metallic brick pushes slightly inward, then returns back after a second.

This is enough for me to guess—there must be more of these. For what else would such a contraption even exist?

Since it retracts so fast, I think it must be pressed either for a long time or maybe more of them at the same time. I continue to scan the surface.

“There!” I point my finger up again.

"Hey! You've going to solve this all yourself?" Astrid raises her eyebrows and gesticualtes.

*Whoosh*

I throw my pebble at the second brick.

*Click*

It does exactly the same as the first one.

“Now together?” I ask, looking at Mike.

Mike looks at the spot and picks up my pebble that bounced back. I go and grab another one and aim.

“One, two, three!” I count.

*Click* *Click*

Both buttons go inward and then return back.

“I think we need to search for more of these,” I suggest.

Astrid guesses another spot. “This one? But it’s too high for me.”

“It might be it,” I note.

She chooses a medium-sized stone and aims.

“Why don’t you try to open it or break it with your new superpower?” Mike taunts, and I notice the confusion, hatred but even a guilt in his eyes.

“Ssh, stop it!” Astrid pulls his hand and whispers something to him.

What the heck? What's he mad at me for now? That I accidentally gained fifty-plus levels and he didn’t?

It cost me a lot of pain and trauma. Heck! I was almost burned alive, crushed alive and even tried to commit suicide.

God knows how long this had been building up in him.

I'm really fed up with these stupid remarks and outbursts, and I don’t enjoy this company at all. Unstable, unpredictable, and jealous—what even is this? He was different just moments ago. Is this some sort of multiple personality disorder or what?

I should just leave them both for good.

One more! One more moment like this, and I’m gone. But I’ll do it quietly, slipping away while they sleep.

What do I really miss here? Protection and company? I’ve never enjoyed any company in my life at all. I managed my whole life alone; I can do it here too!

The girl is nice, but I’m constantly afraid that if I even look at her, he’ll pierce me with his eyes.

That cat is the only useful resource as he scouts the area. But apparently, he hates me too.

Last time he spoke to me, he told me to die. So this is it. Tonight, I’m gone!

I stop my inner dialogue, realizing they’re done talking and waiting for another throw. I hope they didn’t notice my frown.

“One, two, three!” Astrid counts.

*Click* *Bonk* *Click*

Mike throws at the first, I throw at the second, and Astrid accidentally aims for the second too. Our stones collide.

This eases the situation a little as we chuckle.

Another round, but this time Astrid misses the second brick.

“Ahhh, sorry. I’ll do better.” She aims more carefully.

*Click*, *Click*, *Click*, followed by a *Heavy thud*.

"Yayy!" Astrid cheers, trying to ease the invisible tension.

I take the first step towards the tower door and push them with my back since my arms are done.

Mike steps in and helps to push with his arms. The heavy metal door opens surprisingly easily, revealing a small room with a stairway leading up. It’s empty but fairly illuminated from the top.

Mike rushes up the staircase, using his arms to propel himself. Astrid follows him slowly, but I stay to explore the entrance. I believe she’ll stop him from doing anything shady.

I touch everything I can in the room. There isn’t much, only the staircase and the door. But I like to investigate thoroughly. I squat and touch the stone floor, checking how it’s made. Simple or advanced masonry? Is it modern? Is cement even discovered here? I wonder, examining the door hinges and lock system, but I can’t crack the logic behind it.

As I decide to go up, I hear loud footsteps running down the stairs.

Is he done?

“Nothing up there, just an empty chest, no weapons, no valuables, no food. A bunch of old papers.” He tells me on his way out. Astrid follows and looks at me.

I slowly walk up the stairs, cooling my hands by sliding them over the metal armrests. I don’t know why, but I like this tower. It’s dark and quiet. Some might find it depressing or haunting, but I feel cozy here. The walls insulate everything well; no echo, no sound from the outside. It’s neither too cold nor too hot, and there’s no draft at all.

I can imagine making this a base. Finally, after a long climb, I enter a tiny circular room. It’s filled with simple dark wooden furniture, one large open empty chest, and a few paper scrolls. Small windows circle the room, making it even better. The vantage point they provide is unmatched. There’s no bed, but I can imagine this is better than anything I ever had. Even home. I look around as if it’s already mine.

Oh boy, I wish I’d fallen into that hole alone. I can take care of myself here. This could be my ultimate base. I realize this could be my one-room apartment, a shelter from enemies and weather. My own place for me and my thoughts. And now my thoughts darken. The idea of being alone here, essentially being immortal, is almost ecstatic.

I can cultivate my power, hoard food and items. So many thoughts and plans emerge in my head. I can feel I hold my fate tightly in my hands.

Now, the ultimate question. Should I get rid of my company and claim this as my house later on? I probably won’t be able to open the door again. I’m already thinking of a contraption to craft for that purpose.

I sit on the side of a small cabinet and pick one of the scrolls. Let’s see what you’re hiding. *Empty scroll*

What? I exchange it for another.

*Empty*

Surprised, I pick another one. Empty again.

“Maarkus! Come down. Quickly!” Astrid yells.

“This will wait.” I sigh.

I take all the scrolls and stash them in my inventory. They fill up all my available slots, which total sixteen. The cutlery I arranged before was possible to stash as a set.

“What the hell do they want?”

I’m leaving them for good. Nothing can change my mind now. It would take a miracle to make me reconsider. I walk slowly down and out, looking back, hoping the massive door won’t close.

Mike is standing behind the giant red fox, pointing at the ground and talking to Astrid.

“What are they doing?” I wonder as I approach them.

“Fuck!” A shiver runs down my spine.

There are two human bodies lying on the ground, side by side. Fuck, this is disgusting.

Didn’t I just plan a minute ago that I wanted to make this my base? Knowing these are in my backyard is haunting. Not knowing if reanimation is a thing here or not doesn’t calm me down at all.

One corpse is barefoot, and the other is wearing highly damaged black boots. They both have the exact same black trousers with pockets, military-looking, definitely not from this world. The upper body has a ripped warm shirt, with claw wounds on the neck. As my eyes finally land on their heads, an uneasy feeling emerges.

The face is that of a solid man in his 50s, with a few wrinkles and gray, almost white hair on the sides. The exact same face is on the other corpse. They look like copies.

“What do you think?” Mike looks me in the eye and asks. “Twins or the same guy?”

I look at the first corpse that is barefoot. It’s missing a pinky toe.

“Look at the toe.” He bends down to the second corpse and tries to remove the boot from the matching foot.

It’s badly chewed up, and the boot material is tangled with the flesh. It doesn’t come off without ripping the foot.

“Leave it, Mikey!” He stops immediately and stands up, straightening his back. I approach the bodies closely, looking at the missing toe.

“My theory: This guy is the same, just like us. And he killed the fox with a gun.”

“Again with this gun of yours?” Mike rolls his eyes.

*Gun clicks*

“Yes, he’s right.”