Return of the Tower Conqueror

  A Human Heart (IV)

Rick sat in a small corner of the courtyard, drinking a glass of whiskey slowly, his eyes curled up in a smile as he watched his kids arguing over something in the distance with Sarah, his wife, sighing and trying to interject helplessly.

He brought up his status window and sighed, looking over the numbers, the skills, the titles, and the items. There was a pair of devils in his heart, whispering and tempting, trying to outpace one another in their coaxing. One pleaded he quickly went back into the Tower, fearful it might be taken over by those who never left and were rising their levels all the time. The other, on the other hand, kept pointing at his family, asking him over and over how they would feel if something happened to him.

The two deaths, especially the kid's, were a wake-up call for him. He may have felt like a young man once again, tossing himself into battle like that, but he was not a young man anymore. It was dangerous, he knew, how addicting that feeling was, the ability to run at full strength for miles without a stop, to block a behemoth with his sheer strength alone, to be a dome of protection for those behind him.

He clasped his fingers into a fist, feeling that surge once again and taking a full breath. He felt every cell in his body vibrate, shaking in excitement as Mana flew through them. The exciting feeling disappeared as he exhaled, yet a pensive expression on his face remained. There was no right answer -- at least... he couldn't find one. He wanted to go back into the Tower, to join Cain once again and regain the same valor he had early on in his youth. But, at the same time, he needed to stay here, to take care of those he loved, and the entire empire that now needed complete restructuring.

"Mr. Garcia?" a soft, respectful voice dragged him from his thoughts as he saw Jamie, his personal attendant of sorts, standing next to the table.

"Something wrong?" Rick asked.

"No, sir. I only wanted to inform you that Mr. Gregory has arrived." Jamie replied.

"Ah, right. Invite him in."

"At once, sir."

As Jamie disappeared, Rick sighed once again and took a sip of whiskey, forcing every thought out of his head... yet failing. They returned right after, stronger than ever, swarming him.

He waited in silence for a minute or two before the rumbling sound of someone sitting down next to him woke him up once again. He glanced to the side and saw a young man he found himself envying more and more sitting, sipping himself a glass of whiskey. There was something so... free about Cain, Rick mused, that it was different to quantify. High hell or low waters, it seemed like nothing could reach the man, even if he knew that wasn't the case.

"That bottle's like 6000$, and I only have a few left," Rick said. "I mean, we are friends, but still..."

"Among the people I hate the most in the world," Cain replied with a faint smile. "The ones that hoard the booze... they aren't far from the top."

"... how's everyone?" Rick asked, taking another sip with Cain following in his footsteps right after.

"Dealing," Cain replied. "Better than I thought, anyway."

"So, they haven't tossed themselves from the rooftops?"

"You have some grim thoughts in that weird head of yours, old man."

"Oh, you have no idea," Rick chuckled, his eyes veering to the side where he saw Sarah forcefully dragging Delilah into the house while Chris stayed behind and laughed at the girl. "I don't think I can go back in you anymore."

"... 's that so?" Cain mumbled, his gaze following Rick's, lips spreading out into a smile.

"You don't sound angry."

"I'd be quite a piece of garbage if I did," he replied. "They're adorable."

"Yeah," Rick chuckled. "Been screaming at Sarah and me to teach them magic for days now."

"Lana, too," Cain said, drinking a sip of whiskey and taking out a cigarette, lighting it up. "Apparently, I'm a villain-levels of meanie for saying 'no'."

"Ha ha ha," Rick laughed, realizing how much he'd missed moments like these before the Towers fell. Moments where he could have a drink with other dads that just bragged about their kids' shenanigans. "We're yet to be seen as that bad, but we'll catch up soon."

"... you arranged the funeral for tomorrow?" Cain asked, glancing at him.

"Hm," Rick replied. "You coming?"

"Yeah," Cain nodded. "All of us."

"... I'm not scared of winding up the same," Rick said. "I'm scared of the three of them being on the outside. How do you fight it, Cain? 'cause I know you feel the same."

"... confidence," Cain replied simply. "That's all. I'm confident enough to always be able to return back home alive."

"That's some mighty-ass confidence."

"You aren't wrong in making this choice, Ricky," Cain said, glancing at him with a smile. "Magic or no magic, I'd give up the world for Emma and Lana, just like you would for Sarah and your kids. If anything, it shows how strong you are, to give up what you want for them."

"Ah, sometimes I really feel like you are the older one between us, you brat," Rick sighed, shaking his head with a lingering smile. "Why can't you behave like the rest of 'em thirty-year-olds and make jokes about how much you hate everything, but secretly love it all -- and unironically at that!"

"You're just jealous of my swagger, old man."

"... I really am." Rick chuckled, finishing up the glass of whiskey, draping his fingers around it playfully. "You're all I was when younger, and more. God, I wasted so many years on nonsense. Night upon night spent anxiously studying for the tests that never paid off, memorizing fancy words when meeting with investors to try and impress them, buying expensive shit to 'fit in'... all of it seems just so worthless, now."

"They're experiences, old man," Cain replied. "Without them, you wouldn't feel quite like that."

"What about you?" Rick asked.

"About me?" Cain mumbled, taking a puff of the cigarette. "What about me?"

"What's the 'experience' that changed you?" a strange and grim flash of light lingered inside Cain's eyes for a moment, shocking Rick. However, it disappeared quickly, as though it wasn't even there.

"Touching the bottom," he replied softly. "Puts things in perspective. We're kind of opposites in that way," he added with a chuckle. "It happened for me when I hit the rock bottom... and for you when you hit the mountaintop."

"Ha ha, yeah," Rick laughed mellowly, taking a deep breath as he glanced up to the sky. "You know, even if I'm not in there with you, I'll be helping you, Cain. I'll slowly build an empire for you and your party."

"... somehow, I think you're gonna be more useful like that rather than if you went in as a tank..."

"Hey!" the two laughed freely as the midday began etching closer to its end.

"From the last run," Cain added. "Diya and Jamal look like they want to return."

"... Diya? Really?" Rick asked, somewhat surprised. His impression of the girl was that she was woefully timid and withdrawn and that the experience like that would have curbed any desire she had to return into the Tower.

"She's a strong girl," Cain said. "Who has a chip on her shoulder the size of the Tower itself," he added. "I'm more surprised about Jamal. He looked the type to be in it while it's fun, but to bail once the shit hits the fan."

"... most of my life I thought I had people figured out down-pat," Rick said, sighing. "Yet, throw one wrench into the equation, and all we thought we knew... gets skewed. Not changed -- just skewed."

"I imagine it's only gonna get worse from here on out," Cain said. "You watched the news?"

"Yup," Rick nodded, a dark look in his eyes growing. "Just yesterday alone, over twelve thousand confirmed murdered. God, we're fucked up..."

"Yeah," Cain agreed solemnly. "So, you better do your job as a shadowy enterprise behind me well, lest I invite a suicidal maniac into the party on accident."

"... I've already begun," Rick grinned. "I've pinned around forty people who are outliners in terms of levels, and another extra hundred who are on a decent trajectory. Furthermore, we've already gotten eighteen items in the rent column. Most are garbage, but there are a couple that could be useful, especially for Diya. I'll have someone send them to you in the next few days."

"I've noticed that the magic grows weaker the further away we are from the Towers," Cain said. "So, there'll likely be some trouble stirred in the vicinity. You'll need a good factor of intimidation."

"I haven't survived in this world as a cutthroat businessman for nothing, Cain," Rick said. "Leave that to me."

"... a'right," Cain shrugged as he stood up and stretched. "Don't worry too much about anything. Once I get a bit stronger and have some time at my hands, I'll take you out for a stroll."

"What am I, a dog?"

"Yeah, a tiny, little, cute chihuahua," Cain replied with a grin.

"At least make a Doberman or something, geez," Rick laughed, standing up as well as the two began walking toward the exit. "But... thank you."

"Things will calm down, in time," Cain said, stopping just before the exit and looking back at him. "Until then, the world's a razor. I've no doubt in my mind that within days, there will be massive battles around the Tower that will likely drive away the 'next wave' of the wanna-be big-dogs. Hoard every item that you can get your hands on -- spend whatever money you have on them if that's what it takes. Once the things chill, you can have the world's most obscene and ridiculous monopoly."

"Hmm, I don't know about the monopoly," Rick said, rubbing his chin. "The items don't appear to be that rare -- it's just that the ones we've gotten are a cut above the rest. Well, several cuts, actually."

"The others can have the monopoly on garbage," Cain said, grinning. "But you have me as your insider source. Once I start feeding you gold, you better transform it into... uh... what the hell's more valuable than gold?"

"... for a smart guy, you are remarkably dumb, aren't you?" Rick said with a dubious expression, shaking his head. "But you're right. A thousand garbage items like those that I've been paid aren't worth even half of what some of ours are. I guess being seen as Mc-Rich-Items-Daddy while having the world's strongest suck my toes to sell them something... might not be that bad."

"You've got some weird fantasies over there, old man," Cain said as he opened the doors and stepped out. "Hold onto them -- as well as your dream. Who knows? Perhaps, in time, we might come to realize that our age may matter less and less..."

With the dubious and vague wording, he vanished, leaving behind stumped Rick who mulled over the words, quickly picking up on the implications. His cheeks flushed red with the excitement, but he curbed it quickly. Even if that was the case -- that the people would transcend past the concept of 'aging' -- it had nothing to do with him... for now, at least.

Shrugging, he spun around and walked back in, just in time to hear Sarah, Delilah, and Chris arguing once again. His lips curled up into a gentle smile as anxiety over his decision vanished, leaving him a man settled and renewed once again.