The Officiator launched into a description of telepaths, and my enthusiasm dimmed. The information that he could share turned out to be more limited than I’d been led to believe. Certain details were valuable though.

  The fact that a telepath needs line of sight to use their powers for one. That they couldn’t read minds in the way I’d feared was another. Climbers and other higher Grade beings are imbued with a series of natural mental barriers that block their abilities. These barriers take time and effort for a telepath to bypass. Apparently, the only way Billy would be able to fully read my mind is if I was unconscious for a significant amount of time.

  “How significant?” I asked.

  The Officiator stared at Billy, his eyes moving back and forth as he calculated. “At least several hours.”

  He went on to say that nobody was completely safe. That it would only require a minute or two of conscious effort on the telepath’s part before they could read a hidden emotion or a vague desire on the forefront of their mind.

  “How would I know if one was trying to get inside my head?” I asked.

  “The obvious brute force attacks a telepath might employ can be seen via Aura Sight. But for the more refined abilities like mind-reading, you would begin to feel a sense of derealization.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It will be the subtle sense that the place you’re in isn’t real. Everything will look, sound, smell, and touch the same. Yet it will start to feel off, like it’s somehow wrong in a way you can’t articulate.”

  He went on to explain different telepath Class types which varied, but could be boiled down to those that enhanced their own minds like enhanced recall, greater perception, greater learning ability. Or they focus on various psychic attacks, like the one I’d felt earlier. Some telepaths prefer a mixture, but that makes them weaker than specialists.

  “Speaking of weaknesses, their abilities come with heavy costs,” he continued. “The main one being that they have to heavily invest into the Intelligence stat, thus leaving them much physically weaker than other Climbers.”

  The conversation ended there, and most of my follow-up questions were ignored. It seemed I’d learned all I was going to learn about telepaths for now. But then it occurred to me that there might be others encountering Way stations like this one and asking similar questions about myself.

  Out of curiosity, I asked, “what do you know about Blood Reavers?”

  His eyes flickered as he tried to retrieve information from some ancient database, then he frowned. “Very little. Do not let one cut you lest they form a connection to your blood. Do not get close to one. Range and overwhelming force are recommended when dealing with one. Do not leave their body behind. Burn it until there is nothing left. Do not…”

  He paused.

  I gestured for him to continue. “What?”

  “Do not form a party or a group with one. They will attempt to feed on your strength when your back is turned. That is all my records indicate about Blood Reavers.”

  Hmm, it wasn’t anything new. But it could be a concern if others learn about my Class and ask about it. So far, only Damian and Hugo know. Wait, no, that’s not right. Billy would’ve seen my name and Class come up when he attacked me. I had to understand him better before I could consider trusting him.

  My mind went back to Billy's journal. “What would make a telepath write down the same facts over and over again?”

  The hologram shrugged. “Some mind abilities can affect older memories. It’s possible that he has to refresh those memories in order to hold on to them. You should be wary though. An ability with a high cost like that is going to be very powerful.”

  “Can you give me an example?”

  He frowned again. “No. My information is limited. I cannot answer that question.”

  Well, so much for that.

  “Other than breaking line of sight, are there other ways to defend against telepaths?”

  “My information is limited. I cannot answer that question.”

  These responses were a double-edged sword. Sure, it was frustrating that it wouldn’t give me more information. But on the flip side, that meant that others wouldn’t be able to learn much about my Class. Other than the fact that they shouldn’t trust me, which wasn’t so bad. At this stage of the Tower climb, that kind of paranoia had been baked into all of us by now.

  A pneumatic thwump banged against the wall to announce a package had arrived. My cloak had returned.

  As the drawer in the wall opened up, I paused. To anyone else, the cloak would’ve looked the same, but there was something different about the texture. It looked softer. Like dark folded ripples of black water frozen in place.

  As soon as I touched it, a new message appeared.

  [This message is for you and you alone. Do not share it with others and do not share the cloak’s new status. Having an item of this rarity would make you a target for lesser gods, let alone the other Climbers. The only reason you can wield an item like this at your level is because you have been Void Touched.]

  They’re talking about my hand. The scar that won’t heal. I’d thought nothing of it since then, but apparently it had done more for me than I’d realized. That also means that this could’ve only come from the true Officiator who was still hiding from Vhar somewhere within the Tower.

  The message continued on.

  [Things are heating up, as more rules are being broken. As soon as I saw that you had sent your cloak to be customized, I intercepted the order and made some additional modifications. Usually something of this Grade would give off more of a signature. You’re lucky then that the base material was woven by those gifted in the art of deception. The cloak naturally obscures its own power by maintaining a doorway to shadow and funneling its power there until it is needed.]

  *Item Identified!* [Umbral Mantle of the Void Touched (Legendary: S-Grade)] – This cloak has been enhanced to standard S-Grade toughness against force, elemental, and magic damage. Where it excels though is in repelling and absorbing all forms of shadow magic, as well as deepening your connection to the shadows. Part of the Mantle has been permanently absorbed into your being and cannot be removed from your Core. This item cannot be taken from you without your death.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Permanent Upgrades

  -  The Inventory Pocket Enhancement: Same as before, but can now include organic matter as long as it does not exceed the size requirement.

  -  Blood Regeneration Integration: All of your clothing is now under the Mantle and can be fully restored with your blood healing ability.

  *DING!* You have gained [Shade State (Rare)] – This ability allows you to fully conceal yourself within any shadow, regardless of how your cloak is worn. Only those with exceptional sight will be able to perceive you when this state is active.

  *DING!* You have gained [Shadow Step (Legendary)] – This ability allows you to instantaneously travel between shadows of up to a hundred feet when Shade State is active.

  Well, this is a hell of an upgrade. It’s telling me that I can teleport between shadows if I’m already inside of one, and Shade State will make blending into the shadows even more effortless than before.

  I was immensely grateful, but it frustrated me that there was nothing in the message to explain what being Void Touched meant. I almost asked the hologram and then stopped myself. Even just using the term out loud might give me away.

  More aggravating than that was that the room was too brightly lit to experiment with my new cloak and there were no light switches anywhere. Another feature of the room to keep guests from getting too comfortable.

  “Woah, looking good!” the hologram exclaimed with two thumbs up. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  “No, I need a break. Do you have an off switch?”

  He nodded, and the projection vanished. Presumably I could call him back at any point, but I preferred being alone for the moment. I needed to think about what I’d ask the real Officiator if I got the chance again.

  A sense of dread came over me. A gift of this magnitude wouldn’t be given out of kindness. Things must be getting bad if he thinks I need an S-Grade item now. But then I wondered what could be worse than everything I’m already facing?

  ******

  Another hour passed before Billy stirred. When he finally opened his eyes, I was standing over him.

  “We need to have a talk,” I said.

  Billy tried to open the pod, but the lid wouldn’t budge.

  I waited until he stopped trying and said, “Yeah, it’s locked from the inside to prevent patients from opening it in their sleep.”

  His eyes grew cold. “Let me out of here.”

  I smiled, trying to keep things light. “Well, that’s going to depend on you.”

  He stared at me. I silently counted to five, and then said, “yeah, that’s not going to work either. The whole pod is shielded in case a patient tries to use their abilities. It was a good try though.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Like I said, we need to talk. Now, I’m perfectly happy to let you out of there and work together on the next floor. I’ll even talk to the others about letting you tag along with us, if that’s what you want.”

  Billy could sense that I was getting at something. “And what do I have to do in return?”

  “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “How this conversation goes. Let’s start with a basic one. Why didn’t you kill me back there? You had the drop on me.”

  “Did I?” he smirked.

  “Don’t get cute.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You were interesting back in the cage. The way you fought. And then there was everything after with Vhar. I didn’t kill you because I wanted to see what you’ll do next.”

  It was a very child-like justification, and if Billy was an ordinary twelve-year-old, then I would’ve believed it.

  “That’s it?” I asked.

  “Yes!” he snarled. “It’s because you didn’t seem boring. This! This is boring me.” He hit the glass with his fist. “Let me out!”

  Hmm, claustrophobic maybe? Or is it the loss of power? He’s used to being in control.

  I remembered the way he toyed with those men in the cage. Now I have to work out if you’re only a monster or if there’s something deeper going on. I can’t just ask because a monster would just as easily lie.

  “Before you said you were interested in hearing people’s last words. I was willing to accept that before because there wasn’t time for anything else. But we both know that wasn’t the whole story. Every man killed by you was done in a different way with a blade, and those in the cage you killed in a way to maximize their suffering.”

  Billy calmed himself and he returned to looking bored. “Is there a question?”

  “Why?”

  The anger slowly rose within him. “Why do you care? They invaded our home, kidnapped us, and put us here! As far as I’m concerned, every non-Climber in this place is complicit.” There was anger in his voice, but it was muted compared to before. His reason for wanting to hurt them was plausible, but I didn’t fully buy it.

  It was time to go deeper.

  “I found your journal. Why do you write down those things repeatedly? Are they memories?”

  “You went through my things?” More coldness again.

  “When trying to save your life, I went through your bag looking for a health potion.”

  He laughed sarcastically. “Yeah, and let me guess. My journal just happened to fall out of the bag and open up on a page, and you just happened to read it.”

  “It happened while I was trying to save your life. So maybe you should save the righteous indignation and explain what I found.”

  He looked at me quizzically. “Or what? Huh? You’ll leave me here to rot? I don’t think so. I think you’re bluffing. I think it would weigh on your conscience to leave me here until some other Climber comes along to kill me.”

  I wiped the emotion off of my face and my eyes became hard. “Your journal demonstrates a form of mental instability that, combined with your powers, makes you more dangerous to me and my friends than the average Climber. Your fighting in the cage and the subsequent floor demonstrated several psychopathic traits that could make you dangerous to myself and others. I will absolutely leave you here if I think you’re a threat.”

  Billy sighed. “Okay, I get your point.”

  “But we haven’t even gotten to the severed finger you carry yet.”

  He could tell by my look I was serious. I had to hope he believed the lie that I would leave him behind, because truthfully, he was too dangerous for that. Either I take a chance on him or I kill him. I’m not leaving a potential enemy behind to come after us, especially not a psychic one.

  Billy grimaced in frustration. “This is a trap. Anything I say could be a lie.”

  “That is true. But again, to reiterate, I saved your life. Now I’m not expecting gratitude, but I do want you to think about what happened before. How you left your bag behind and nearly died going back for it. And before you say something about me starting the fire that caused you to black out, remember this. If it wasn’t the fire this time, it would’ve been something else another time. Lone wolves don’t last long in the tower.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “Take emotion out of it, and see that there’s a practical utility to having others look out for one another or that can do things physically that you can’t.”

  He looked away to consider my words, then he turned back and asked, “what do you really want from me?”

  Good. He was coming around to the idea of working with us. A psychic in the group could be useful, but joining us would come with a couple of conditions.

  “If you’re with us, then no more torture or deathbed confessions. If one of us gets into trouble, then you’re expected to help and likewise, we’ll do the same for you.”

  He looked at me like there was a catch. “That’s it?”

  “Yep. You agree to those terms and tell me about what was in your bag, then I’ll let you out.”

  He groaned. “You’re still on that?”

  I folded my arms and waited.

  He grunted. “Fine. The finger belongs to one of those soldiers back there. I used it to permanently unlock the door to the office by pushing a red button. I held onto it in case I needed it again. The journal is just me refreshing some long-term memories to avoid losing them. One of my abilities allows me to pick up certain information from those that I kill, which can interfere with my other memories.”

  Potentially losing important memories like that sounded awful. “Is it worth it?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

  Fair enough.

  Hugo: Damian still says no, but I’ve changed my vote to yes.

  I’d been relaying every part of our conversation to them. It was mainly to keep them in the loop, but on the off-chance he does take me out when I open the pod, I’d want them to be prepared.

  Hugo: Don’t worry. If he does kill you, I’ll avenge you so hard.

  Lucas: Thanks buddy.

  I unlocked the pod and took a step away, while trying to not look like I was backing away from a potential predator. Of course, he didn’t see the Hemorrhage Gate on the floor behind him, ready to skewer him the instant I felt so much as a migraine.

  Billy slowly sat up and hopped off the bed. I’d left his bag beside it and he went through it to check what was there. Nothing was said, but I think he was grateful that his family photo was still there and that I hadn’t mentioned It.

  He slid the small pack over his shoulder and gave me a nod that said he was ready. “I’m not committing to anything long term,” he added. “But you might be right about it being useful to team up. For now, anyway.”

  We reached the stairwell door at the same time and there was an awkward pause as we waited for the other to go first.

  After a moment’s pause, I took the lead and opened the door. Past it was a narrow set of the stairs leading down into the darkness.

  I began the descent, and Billy’s soft footsteps followed in my wake.