Regulars

Winston and his new teammate Zarhan walked for some time, not finding any person to get into their team.

Within this short time frame, Winston had deeply analyzed Zarhan's astral projection and ether body.

His entire astral projection was bathed in a Red glow, a colour that meant passion and extroversion, along with a secondary colour which was yellow, symbolizing happiness and extroversion. However, within, it held a tinge of blue, which meant coldness and stillness and that one who is in thought.

Seeing this, Winston felt both relieved and wary. Relieved because his new teammate wasn't simply a mindless brute, someone that doesn't think before acting. And wary because of the same.

On the outside, the man appeared quite rambunctious, and truthfully, he was. But within, somewhere he held a calculating personality as well, however small it may be.

Winston nodded imperceptibly to himself.

"Man! We're not gonna find any teammates like this!" Zarhan yelled while summoning forth his pocket.

The pocket held a timer that ticked down, no counting 3:43... 42... 41.

Seeing this, Winston's eyes narrowed.

Not getting a teammate means failing the test. Though I won't be thrown back into the outside, there's always the possibility that I wouldn't be able to reenter the tests.

Although he wasn't too knowledgeable about the modus operandi of the tests, Winston felt like not taking any chances.

Immediately, he deeply scanned the air waves. Then, finding nothing worthwhile, he stabbed his sword weakly into the ground.

"Wait." He said softly.

"Huh?" Zarhan looked confused. His eyebrow was raised as he looked at the silent figure of Winston.

Closing his eyes, Winston repeated a phrase seven times.

The person closest to us.

The person closest to us.

The person closest to us...

Although he was somewhat doubtful about divination, since he somewhat remembered about using specific languages to utilize divination, which he didn't know, he couldn't help but try in the common language of the tower, Macsethian.

Even if he remembered incorrectly, and divination could be used without any specific language, it was better to try. Imagine him failing to get a teammate because he kept thinking that dowsing rod seeking needed Hermes language, when in fact it didn't.

He wouldn't be able to show his respect to the Fool.

Praise the Fool!

He yelled in his mind at the end and let go of the hilt of the sword.

The sword stood still for a moment before pointing slightly to the right. The surreal sight of the sword hung midair without falling over was strange to say the least, but then again, it was possibly the least strangest thing he had experienced in these days.

Winston grabbed the hilt of the broadsword and motioned for his teammate to follow him.

"This way." He said simply.

"Woah! What did you do just now! Is that some special shinsu art!? Are you a shinsu user!?" Zarhan yelled, hurriedly following along.

Shinsu? Winston expressed his doubt in his mind, but didn't dare voice them out.

Having the Marauder's sense of observation was transcendentally helpful. From the short sentences, he had deduced the fact that Shinsu might just be something that was common place in the tower and was mundane knowledge. And the way Zarhan had spoken about the so called 'shinsu users', Winston felt that they might just be something special.

"Who knows?" Winston smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you'll find out in the future." He continued.

Zarhan looked at him weirdly.

Can't you just answer the question? He thought in confusion.

Indeed, Winston was well suited to be a beyonder of the Coward Trio pathways.

Speaking of, the fact that divination was not in need of the special languages was a deep relief for Winston. Obviously, it could also be possible that Macsethian itself was capable of doing the same at a smaller scale, but Winston doubted the fact, considering how commonplace the language supposedly was in the tower.

Actually, won't I recieve some mystical knowledge at some point in the Marauder pathway? Or was it the Apprentice pathway? Winston mused while walking through the grass.

Just then, they walked into a smaller clearing, about 2 meters in diameter. At the same time, Zarhan yelled with fervor.

"Hey, look! A potential teammate!"

Winston looked at the figure of the young man that had appeared before them.

The young man stood at a height of 6 foot 1 inch, just as big as Winston himself. He had dark black hair and eyes of similar colour. He wore a beige robe, loosely fitting on his thin and lanky figure, making him look somewhat comical; if not for the large stain of crimson blood that marred the entire front section of the robe.

His eyes were a little maddening, constantly shaking and were a little red. Streaks across his cheeks suggested that he had been crying.

"Bro... are you alright?" Zarhan asked, gazing at the newcomer strangely.

"Y-you guys... w-will you please be my teammates!" The man yelled, stuttering in between the words.

Winston narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. Zarhan looked back at him.

"Visible mode." Winston said and a spherical ball appeared beside him. His pocket.

The pocket still counted down on the timer.

0:57...56...55...

"The time's running out. We won't be able to find anyone else. We'll just have to make do with what he got." Winston said, almost whispering.

Zarhan nodded. Then, a silly smile appeared on his face.

"Well! You're in luck today little man! We just happen to lack a party member!" Zarhan said. He walked towards the young man and patted his back wildly, making him stagger.

"Ah! Thank you very much!" The young man yelled, flustered.

"What's your name? Mine's Zarhan!"

"M-my name is Amon!" The man yelled. Suddenly, hearing his name, Winston's footing staggered and he almost stumbled down into the ground.

What could he do? The name was all too familiar!

"What's wrong?" Zarhan asked him, seeing him so stoked by the mention of the young man's name.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Just a familiar name, that's all." Zarhan somewhat narrowed his eyes, almost imperceptible, however, the change was caught in Winston's eyes.

"My name is Winston Heath. You can just call me Winston." He said.

"Of course, Mr. Winston!" The man yelled.

Winston didn't bother correcting him. He could call him whatever he so desired. It was not his job to bother with the young man. If he wanted to add the little bit of respect to his name, he would let him do so.

"Fhooo! Man, I was almost worried that we wouldn't find anyone! Glad we did!" Zarhan said, sitting down onto the ground.

I wouldn't be so happy just yet. Winston thought looking at the nervous figure of Amon.

We don't know his capabilities. Going forward, we would surely need to take tests as a team. When that happens, if he's a good for nothing, we'll be under great disadvantage. He shook his head. There was no use thinking about it at this time.

With only 10 seconds left, the only think they could do was form the team.

Thinking of anything beyond that was simply a waste of time.

Before long, the time came and the voice began to count down from 5.

Winston, Zarhan and Amon touched each other's shoulders, and eventually, as the countdown hit zero, a distant cry was heard.

Winston couldn't quite hear it correctly; perhaps it was something about turtles?

Anyway, with a flash of light, they were transported from their place to another.

~~~

Winston closed his eyes for a moment, the sudden flash of light coming as a surprise. Before he opened them, he tapped his thumb and ring finger twice, turning off the spirit vision.

It was always good to be cautious in such matters. He wouldn't want to accidentally see something that he shouldn't have and turn into a puddle of blood on the ground. It was always a quick and efficient way to kill oneself in the LoTM verse.

He opened his eyes and looked around.

Where they had appeared, seemed to be some sort of a hall, easily capable of hosting more than 500 people with more than enough room to spare still.

The entire hall was sparsely filled with dozens upon dozens of other regulars, the other contestants of the test.

At the far end of the hall, there was a slight splatter of stairs which led to a tunnel like walkway; beyond which what lied couldn't be inferred.

Winston, seeing that there was no perceptible danger in activating spirit vision, tapped his fingers and the waves once again filled his eyes.

Silently, he gauged the other contestants.

The majority of the regulars were somewhat battered and bruised, some even badly damaged; a result of the fighting that had ensued downwards.

"Woah! This is what I'm talking about!" Zarhan yelled with a smile, the spear hung atop his right shoulder.

Amon at the side also looked around in amazement and shock.

"There's a lot of people here!" Amon said meekly.

"Those are all our enemies! Watch out Amon! Keep keen observation!" Zarhan told Amon nodded seriously.

Winston ignored them and continued to gauge the other regulars.

Just then, his sight landed on something.

A gigantic collection of brilliance, an epicenter of a tumultuous hurricane, the eye of the storm that flung the waves around itself like it were an adult pulling along splinters of paper.

The large collection of waves seemingly took the shape of a sword like bladed weapon, tampering at the top, jet black in colour; which he could see with his spirit vision, even thought the sword was covered by cloth. The entirety of the glorious wave dance that seemed to be happening around the sword almost occupied half of the hall, appearing blinding even.

It was to the point that Winston seriously considered himself having some brain damage, considering that he had not noticed such a terrible disturbance first. In fact, the entire thing was terribly hidden, right until he had casted it's gaze at the one that held it. It was a weak looking boy with innocent eyes. He had brown chestnut hair and the same brown eyes. His overall figure was seemingly petite and looked extremely weak.

Winston's eyes widened in confusion and in shock.

Then, the sword trembled. And with it, the waves too.

Winston hurriedly teared off his eyes from the sword as he felt a slight irritation in his temples. He looked the other way, wanting to ignore the sword and it's holder entirely.

I'll scan the other side and turn off the spirit vision. He thought.

As his eyes scanned the other side, his gaze fixated on another peculiar person.

It was a lady, quite short in stature, green in colour and yellowish brown eyes. She had short brown hair and held a peculiar weapon in hand.

It was a large hook like structure, more like a fishing rod than a weapon used to practical combat. The weapon was slung over her shoulders.

However, the peculiar thing was the same. A turbulent raging current of waves all around itself, forming a circle with it as the epicenter.

The weapon trembled again, and with it, the waves too.

Tapping his fingers hurriedly, Winston turned off his spirit vision.

What the fuck?!

~~~

A/N: Throw me dem stonez.