The five sat around a roundtable, surrounded by the void. One sits in a throne, their skin gray and cracked; built more like a broken porcelain doll than a man. Their short brown hair and green eyes look straight at the chessboard on their board.
Another sits upon a simplistic bar stool, this one around 6’7 with long platinum blonde hair tied back in a high ponytail. His blue eyes, the same shade as the system, hidden behind square wireframe glasses.
The third is sitting in a plush reading chair, wearing their medium length bright blue hair down, with their purple eyes staring in curiosity at the screen in front of them. They continue looking the screen over.
The fourth is busy staring at the screen over the blue haired one, with red hair that falls down their back and seems to form little wings behind them. Their eyes and nails the same shade of golden, with circular glasses upon their face.
The fifth is simply tapping the table, as though waiting for someone. Their black hair covering their eyes, although they ensure their annoyance is still well known with the way they lay back in their bean bag with their arms crossed.
Finally, the sixth had arrived after they had left, “Well, why the long faces?”
“Ah, finally. Welcome back Heavenly Dealer of None.” The blonde haired one spoke up, simply pointing across the table at the one with wings to cover their eyes. The one with eyes covered by their hair tilts their head up to stare at the sixth.
“Yeah, I get that I’m late good ‘ol Head Admin,” Heavenly began speaking, before leaning across the table, “C’mon Unfortunate Ends~ Why not defend me from this onslaught of accusations?”
“Now why would I do that?” The cracked skinned one speaks up, staring up at Heavenly, “It seems like a pointless endeavor. Especially after you tried to kill the most interesting puppet.”
“C’mon, won’t any of you defend me?”
“Now, now, I’m not accusing you of anything.” The Head Admin speaks up, laying their hands down upon the table. “Rather, I liked your idea. Might reuse it for Floor 99.”
“Oh? And why may you do that?” The light blue haired one looks up from their screen, ignoring the red haired one’s annoyed look down at them, “I’d definitely say it’d be far harder to pull then.”
“Hahaha!” The Head admin’s laughter shakes the table, “Now, I can see where you’re coming from Of All To Choose, but don’t you understand how easy it is to manipulate that bard?”
“Hm, manipulate this, manipulate that…” The red haired one finally speaks up, dropping their head dramatically before standing back up, “Isn’t the brawl with Shadowing Voices on floor 41 plenty to prove that they’re worthy of being gods?”
“Wait what do you mean brawl?” The one with their eyes covered well by their hair sits up from the beanbag. “Painted the World Red, what did you mean? Isn’t that Floor 50?”
“Ah, well it was meant to be a bit more of a surprise, but I suppose your challenges are almost all done…” The head admin says, a minor hint of annoyance seeping through his tone, before shifting attention upon Heavenly, “Although that was highly uncreative and cruel of you to take over my challengers.”
“What? Can’t those two get a break?” Heavenly leans back floating in the air, taking a defensive tone to their voice. It seems these six can’t do anything but talk. “Besides, it’ll hurt them more if you take my idea for Floor 99~”
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“Hm, but Shadowing Voices, are you okay with being pushed forward to Floor 41?” The Head Admin ignores Heavenly’s movements. “It’ll be as the boss, and I feel a good threat.”
“I suppose I could do that, but why was I pushed forward so far?”
“Ah, they’re just a bit…” The head admin taps the table, as they look up towards the nothingness surrounding them. “...stronger than they would be normally. So I have to push forward a few things, and cut out those more… Strength building floors between floor 40 to 50. I’ll have to find other things to replace them, but I’m sure they won’t be too memorable.”
“They’ll be rushed, won’t they?” Heavenly glares at Head Admin as the little wings that cover his eyes flap out. “Not that it matters, it’ll mean my appearance on floor 75 will be all the more enjoyable!”
“You’ll also be pushed forward to floor 60. Floor 75 and onwards will be more focused on team building I think. These guys are strong enough already. And thanks to those two’s…” The Head Admin interrupts himself with a pause, unfolding his arm towards Painted the World Red and Of All to Choose, Painted still watching the screen more than listening, “...move, with Judine and Pallad, the party may not want to have a strength building floor.”
“What? It was a good plot. Besides, Ruler actually gave the permission for a time loop floor!” Of All to Choose began speaking, “Although Judine definitely caught on too fast… Did you tell her?”
“Nah, but I put Pallad through a loop first,” Painted the World Red speaks up, sort of defensive and clearly refusing to make eye contact with anyone in this room, “and I think it changed him even if he just thought it was a nightmare. I think when Judine saw her ‘death’, it probably made the changes Pallad went through make some sense.”
“Well, I did slip some little things into her system…” The Head Admin shrugs, pulling some bread out of their inventory. “For example I removed the ‘wake up’ message, or the buffs for sleeping, since y’know, they kinda were forced asleep.”
“You did what?” Shadowy Voices looks up, or at least faces Head Admin, and just kinda stares blankly, “That’s a pretty big change… And I’m sure absolutely pissed somebody off.”
“And that’s why you’re headed for an early-” The Head Admin takes a deep breath, “I mean, that’s why you are to be sent in early. The time is nigh for the heroes to prove themselves isn’t it?”
The Head Admin’s eyes shift onto the chessboard, as all the pieces move to surround the giant tower in the center. All eyes are upon the board, as despite there being only 5 on the board now, there are still a perfect amount for the Head Admin’s plots. Even if there won’t be a new God of Magic, thanks to Heavenly, there’s no point in rushing anything.
Heavenly stepped out of line, but they need a god of insanity. That divinity was always tough to hold onto. The Head Admin opens up the five’s status windows, if only to check up on their power. Maybe they’ll need to get some EXP through achievements within this next floor before meeting up against Shadowy Voices.
They’ll have to kill him anyway, but it’s unfortunate. Nobody gained EXP, except for Clara, hopefully to replace the old god of Life. But there needs to be a god of War, a god of Void after Shadowing is taken out, a god of Insanity after Heavenly, and even a god of Fate thanks to the intruder of the Godly Realm.
It’s an unfortunate fate for the old gods, but the system is designed to be fair, to negate talent for the most part. And upon the first set of failures, they shall be corralled to become gods. And the intruder is working harder than anyone else ever did.
Therefore they shall be rewarded. To punish someone for their efforts would be cruel. And The Head Admin stares blankly on at all five, no all six of their status screens. Five of them are the nice blue hue he designed them to be, but one is a terrible red, with just a single word across it, stating [DECEASED].
He taps on the window. There were others, but these were the only six that had truly gotten past floor 40. The only ones willing to activate the hidden condition he set. And one of the special ones still died.
He set up those five, and one of them died already. He laughs a little bit as he kicks his legs back. “Alright, Shadowing, do you want more puzzle based rooms leading up to you or combat?”
And I'm not going to be posting for a little bit!
I will be back though, maybe with a different story, or with the continuation of this one!
I will absolutely be back with this story eventually though, I have an ending plotted out, and just need some more time to think of what got them there~
