Twentieth floor

I gather 6 months worth of food and water, a sleeping bag, a tent, 5 sets of my current outfit including back up masks, basic cooking items, climbing gear, basic potion making items, and some first aide medical items. Although I am healer there is a chance of me running out of energy in a emergency situation making me unable to heal someone, I also needed some for myself so as to deal with any potential injuries as healing doesn't work as well as on oneself as it does on others.

With everything packed in camping bags that I can carry I prepare to start up the next floor, from this floor onwards your ability to access a space storage item is blocked and so any items you bring up needs to be on your person or you will bring nothing with you.

"Go to twentieth floor" I say.

---You have chosen to continue without a team, you will be randomly assigned to a group of people based off their teams needs and whether there is available space in the team for you. You will be assigned to random strangers doing this is a higher risk do you still choose to continue.

[Yes]

[No]

{Choosing no means you are unable to reattempt for another month, please choose carefully.}---

Without hesitation I choose yes and am transported to a large town area with a fountain in the center of the open area.

---You have been assigned to a team, the team members will have a ! symbol over their heads for the next ten minutes. Find them then link up to get your task.---

Looking around I see 7 other people nearby who have the symbol over their head, I head towards the center area to make meeting up easier for us and the others also head towards the center fountain after a little all 8 of us are together.

---You have met your whole team, the task is to survive a month against the oncoming invasion of demons in this area, the more people that survive and you help save will be scored and by the end the team with the most points will be rewarded 10 tower coins per person. You are allowed to do whatever you wish for survival, the disaster starts in three days. Your team must have at least half of the members remaining by the end.---

I look at the team and all of us are wearing items to cover our identities and have backpacks on, it is clear they are not all that interested in each other and no one introduces themselves or tries to take over as leader like in the first ten floors.

I take a breath and come forward, "I am a healer, I can help us get points in the task by saving civilians. I also know first aide, potion making, and weapon repair so if need be I can also perform those task, you can call me sprout." I do not mention my ability to buff as being both healer and buffer is no different then revealing who I could potentially be as someone with two rare attributes like that is not common and will point directly to me.

I see some of the tenseness leave a few at that statement as having a healer in such situation is ideal, it means scoring points potentially and that is a thing everyone wants as points can be spent every ten floors to buy rare and impossible to get anywhere else items.

Like potions to increase cultivation speed or physical enhancement potions that directly put ones body to the physical limits of their current energy grade.

It is easily the difference to life and death for some and having even a few more is a thing worth celebrating, especially as this is a task were you will get to keep all points gained at the end so getting even one more is one more guaranteed point and we share the points so no internal fighting will occur.

With that out of the way each gives a pseudonym, black jack, tiger, water whip, fire fist, john, Katana,  and Jimmy.

With us all having something to call each other I tell them I will get us access to a bunker and will set up a safe spot for us there as well and to put civilians to help in rescue as well as to make a healing area so to put any injured people when the time came.

I spend the first day searching the area for some place empty and a bit far from most spots while still being close enough to reach important spots like food and potion ingredients in ten minutes in case of emergency. I found an old drainage area from when the area must have been popular and is no longer in use, although we will do some cleaning the city made sure not to leave any disgusting matter in here when they closed it making it decently clean besides the dust and signs of bugs and rats that scurry through here.

I tell the other and we spend the next two days cleaning the area up, setting up places to sleep with our tents and setting out the blankets some of us had found over these few days along with the extra food and water we have been able to squirrel away from some things thrown out that are still perfectly fine to eat. 

Like some almost stale bread that had no mold or other problems but slightly hard, noodles that can last a while and have no meat or sauce on them because they were either under or over cooked at a restaurant.

The water was easier as there was a nearby stream that was perfectly clean for now so we got as much as possible in buckets and brought some back to keep.

No telling what those so called demons will bring with them or do to cause such a city to fall so quickly in only three days but it must have something to do with either food or water in the coming day meaning any food or water from this point on should not be touched.

With our small base set up the third night comes and screams start to sound throughout the city, we rush out to try and save people to get bonus points.

Leaving the safe spot we made we see a person stumbling around in the dark with injuries on them that look quiet severe, a clearly broken leg and arm along with two unidentifiable bite wounds on their neck that go quiet deep and over lap.

However before we get to close the person turns around and we see that their chest area has been gouged out with part of their face missing clearly this person was dead but still moving, it was a ghoul made by necromancers most likely and it is quiet easy to handle. Fire fist attacks it first he hits it clean in the heart that is showing where the necromancer has most likely put the enchanted item in, but instead of collapsing it attacks him biting him clean on the arm.

He yanks himself back and bashes it in the head so hard it's brains explode killing it completely seeing as it didn't get back up, I go up to fire fist to treat him but when I push in energy to heal it I feel another energy trying to invade as well.

I immediately abandon healing him to corner this energy and hold it in the wound, I grab my spear and without warning chop off the area above where the wound is.

I throw the detached part away and back up to see their reactions, they immediately are on guard and fire fist is bent over in pain, I look at the arm while no one is doing anything and it starts to squirm and mutate gaining black veins around the wound as well as signs of rot as though it had been disconnected for days instead of seconds.

"What the hell is that, why is his arm changing?" Someone else appeared to also have followed my focus and seen it as well.

I turn back to the others to see them looking in the arms direction I approach fire fist to heal what I can and give first aide to alleviate any potential future risk, checking his body as I heal him their is no more of that unknown energy in his body meaning I got it all out with his arm.

"I sensed it in his arm when I went to heal him, I believe it to be a type of energy infection that travels from one host to another most likely by biting and with no certainty I can heal such problem I removed it before it could spread. I apologize for my rashness but I believe it to be the best call I could have made. " I explain.

There is a somber mood in the air as we all know what it means for an energy disease to be here, it means near untreatable without a priest as they are the only known ones with the ability to cure people with such things.

"I think I should be thanking you instead, I probably would have ended up like that woman from earlier otherwise. At least I know you know when to make the right call in an emergency, besides it will regrow once we finish the floor, better then the outcome if it was in our world where I would need to wait months to heal." Fire fist says clearly understanding about my call despite the pain it brought.

I sigh in relief and take fire fist back to our base area, since he is now seriously injured we will simply have him remain behind to watch over and protect our base, he can also take care of any people we bring in the future.

With this knowledge we head out and know to check over anyone we plan to bring back so as to not let them turn while we are carrying them, although the incubation time is fast from the looks of it there is no way to know if everyone's immune to it is bad or if some will take longer to turn after being infected.

We come across two more turned people and one infected who is to far gone, we took any food, clothes, mattresses, blankets, and hygiene item we could but we are hesitant to use any of it since there is no way to know what could have caused those not bitten to turn.

We spend the whole of the fourth day making trips to and from the base with items we had found but most places were empty around here as we chose a place with low population and most people where at the housing area on the other side of the city when the outbreak happened last night, meaning no one to rescue but also few of those infected people.

But any survivors know this is a area with low population and will head this way in the opposite direction of where the densest area of those things are.

Over the next few days we will have plenty of people coming who we can help out and I intend to check all guest with my healing abilities before they can enter base so as to sense if there is any infection in them as I can feel it.

Meaning after these next few days I will remain with fire fist to keep watch over people to prevent any sudden eruption of infected in the people we save.

With the first 5 days over the sixth day comes and we meet our first survivor who is unfortunately infected despite not having any wounds meaning they are simply taking longer to incubate in them, I told them this and said I could condense the energy into one area and cut it off but it would be painful.

They refused saying I was sick in the head and just wanted to mess with him, he storms off and we continue searching for people, that happens another two times one with a woman and child and another with a older man.

All called me insane and ran off not like I can blame them if they think I am lying they have no way to know it is possible to be infected without being bitten, though you would think they would assume it based off people turning without being bitten first but denial is human nature and everyone wants to survive.

When the day draws to a close we find a young girl running from a small group of four turned one of those turned was the man we had met this morning and the daughter of the woman we met is also there.

We kill the infected and I check the girl dressed in slightly battered and low quality by tower residence measure clothes, which just means used in rather then newer and nice fabric, and a black bracelet.

I check the girl over and she is uninfected by the virus so can come back with us, it is also a hint on why some are infected and others not as she is clearly from a lower household but fine while all those from good households are infected. Meaning whatever it is that infected them in the first place is something only the middle and upper class of the tower residence has access too.

It is nice to know as all the items we grabbed where from the lower grade stuff usually only for those with low income as the are the ones that were the most abundant. "You are welcomed to come with us as you are not infected at all and don't have any risk of turning, if you want we will give you food and water until the government comes to deal with this." I tell the girl.

She nods her head but refrains from speaking, picking her up I carry her back to the base were fire fist is waiting and I can see his joy at the fact we came back with someone.

We take her to the small child tent and set it up for her along with giving her a bag with a sleeping bag, a week of food, and ten water bottles so in case she chose to leave she would have all she needed. Although we prefer she stayed if her mother or father was found we would need to let them make that call.

With the day over we turn in for the night with two people watching the drain hatch to guarantee safety.

The next day we are once more off to the rescue killing turned and checking for infected but all the people we check whether woman or child is infected, even the lower living older people are infected but a few have believed us when we told them and one agreed to the surgery if we promised to provide food and water until emergency response came.

We promised an after removing the left lower half of his arm the part removed immediately rotted like the other one, I can see the look of horror as the man it was removed from sees it after he is healed enough to not be in pain.

He is the only person that day we bring back and when he sees fire fist with his whole right arm removed I can see his relief at not being the only one.

The next day we come across a large group of survivors moving together and we approach them and tell them of the potential of already being infected without being bit but they already knw that, we offer to remove it like with other and they insist on watching me do it first to see it work pushing forward a boy wearing old clothes by tower standards and with a black bracelet on his wrist.

I check the boy and he is uninfected, "I can't do it because he doesn't have the infection in his body, something I have seen with another child also wearing a black bracelet like his. We are from a different area so can you tell us what that represents."

I can see the look of disbelief and clear hostility at that as they appear to trust me less due to this, but a older man comes forward on a cane with a bad left leg. 

"It means the child is born with an unattached mental realm and so can't awaken no matter what, they are never given any thing but the basic needs to survive and to be kept in good health. I volunteer to do the procedure in front of them, I will let you do it to my left arm might as well keep my problems on one side." He says.

I check him and notice he has an extremely small amount and I only need to remove three finger to get it all, I do this and the fingers rot in front of the people in seconds showing my judgment right I also inform him of his less than normal amount.

"Enhancer drugs are given less to old crippled people and none are given to those untalented children, it is the only thing that the government has complete control of that all residents use so consistently. You said you haven't come across any other uninfected but hose two proves my theory right." The old man says and the others behind look ready to attack the old man but also unable to challenge that assumption.

So the group of 13 follows me back with the two old people having lost only fingers and hands, the three children having lost their hands as well. but the remaining 4 people have it removed below the elbow and 3 have their entire left arms removed. 

Those now missing entire left arms where high potential adventurers that drank more enhancers then normal people.

We now know both what is causing the infection and that none of the things we brought back could nave the cause on them, we return to base with the group and they are given one person tents to adults and two people tents to those with kids. I also give the boy his own child tent along with the same stuff I gave the other child with no guardian in sight.

The group asked why they weren't given that stuff and I explained in case the parents came and decided to take them away I give them this so they can have the basics at least.

They all stopped complaining as it was a reason none could really argue with because the other three children have their parents there and their parents have chosen to remain here but the same can't be said for these two separated from the parents.

Of course the chance they don't have any is possible but neither have spoken a word and refuse to even hint at whether they do or not so I can only be cautious.

From this day onward for the next week we get between 5 and 20 people who agree to the surgery, it is far more common for those in groups to agree I we do it in front of them to prove it, by the 14th day and nearly half way through our test we have about 104 survivors and we continue to bring in closed food from outside along with drink since we know those are uninfected.

I have also started checking every one every morning to make sure no one has had a sudden reemergence of the infection and we are clear.

You can see the civilians calming down with each day that passes and no one turns randomly, they have started to truly trust us not just gamble on us for the chance of survival, the parents of the two untalented children still have not appeared but that is fine as they are beginning to come out of their shells and respond to small questions.

When the fifteenth day hits with 113 survivors now here is when a change happens as we awaken to the sound of banging on the drain hatch on the ceiling and from the sound coming from the things banging it isn't human.

We gather around and unlatch the drain hatch allowing it to swing down with that ten turned fall down into the area and we immediately destroy their head, but one is slightly faster and evades going for one of the people. We see it and immediately get it before it can get to them by impaling it's head with my spear, killing it easily.

They are clearly smarter and faster then before meaning they are either growing stronger or the person turned was a stronger person but seeing as even some knight ones we have come across where normal it is better to assume they are getting stronger.

We contemplate what to do as before they couldn't find the base but now they did meaning something had to have attracted them to us, maybe the smarter turned person smelled us or something. No because that person was bitten turned so most likely there should be more of those and they haven't come yet so how, the easiest way is someone led them here.

Going to look around the outside we find remains of a person sat in the alleyway entrance that our drain hatch is located at, someone had purposely led those things to us.

We look at each other through our masks and all clearly know what this means as it means we are targeted and seeing as this is a free for all one we are not safe from them now that they have found us. We discuss what to do when one of the people of the drains comes forward to help set traps as that is what he specializes  in and is able to help prevent this problem in the future.

With our base updated with deadly traps and people now working together to dig an emergency evacuation tunnel in case the traps failed the team returns to looking for survivors but we make sure not to go anywhere with a dead end.

We are ambushed twice more and get away with no injuries but we need to find those doing this and fast or they may just outright attack us or poison some supplies in the area.

At the twenty day mark we have 192 survivors in our base and a small escape tunnel dug to attach to a separate drain area that is also not in use and the drain hatch leads out into an old abandoned factory most likely for dumping their waste.

We also set up traps around that exit incase anyone found it as well as setting guards in that area to keep watch.

By day 25 we have 300 survivors and are completely full of what can fit in this drain area, if we bring anymore they will be transferred to the other one by the tunnel to prevent those tracking us from following us to the other drainage exit.

With today as the last day we have only 305 rescues and are waiting for the military aide sent out to represent the end of the task to show up when at midnight of the thirtieth day when banging is heard on the lid of our drainage hatch. We open it a little with weapons ready when men in uniforms stand outside and cheering is heard from the people behind followed by the tower announcement.

---Your team is the one to save the most amount of civilians, rewarding ten tower coins to all members, your team will now be sent to the next floor when ready---

[Team xa1221:

Contribution list:

1st-Sprout

2nd-Katana

3rd-Jimmy

(Expand to see full list)

Team ranking:

1st-Team xa1221

2nd-Team Talon

3rd-Team Night hunt

(Expand to see full list)]

We a randomly put together team had successfully placed first in a floor against far more powerful and capable teams, I see many of the people of my team celebrating, we have gotten 305 points from this bringing my total points score all the way to 1,055 points.

I intend to save as nothing in the current store interest me so I will see on the thirtieth floor if there is anything I need. I reappear in my single room with a door leading to the forge area that I had bought last time, leaving the tower I head home to check in with Lucien and tell him I completed the floor in first place despite the random team assign.

I hope the next team is as good as this last one.