1st part of tenth floor

P.O.V. Aadi 

The next month is a collection of me collapsing from mental energy and training while taking one day break a week to check in with Lucien, it is clear they are testing my limits as well as how fast my energy fills up. It only takes a thirty minute nap to completely refill my mental energy due to it's extremely high purity, one hour if I meditate.

With such high replenishment rate and a person that is capable of making a safe area for periods of time we test for what else I can enhance besides the usual and known ones.

I can enhance speed, strength, agility, reaction speed, energy replenishment, energy control, senses control, body control, I can even increase the ability of a person to make there out put even more powerful. Like with Terrance I can not just make his barrier last longer but even stronger and more fortified, with Amara I can make her fire so hot it even began to distort the area around it.

I can only enhance abilities for a minute but it's worth is clear for all to see as it can allow someone to easily pierce through a monsters body or block a powerful attack, it is a life saver if the situation ever went horrifically south. Wyatt had mentioned allowing him to absorb the energy to see it's effect at a higher level but I refused, my energy is exactly that my energy it is not just something you can let someone have.

Entering another's mental realm is a highly intimate thing and is that way cause ones emotions and memories are tied to it, but the energy in my body is completely connected to me at all times even when healing meaning him absorbing some would be the same as him absorbing a small amount of the energy from my mental realm.

I don't tell him this but I do tell him I am unable to do so as there is a secret with my cultivation that could cause negative reactions if he did so.

He dropped it, and we continued our experimenting.

We are now set and ready to officially enter the tower two months after my eighteenth birthday, I am told with normal mobs to keep my enhancements to normal ones as it is best to last longer, but if Wyatt says to do so do it like in the practice room with Bree as having two mid A-grades is always better than one.

We are in the meeting room with everyone geared up and just waiting for the tower screen.

---Your team leader has chosen to go to the tenth floor, if you agree to the test do so if anyone disagrees then you will not be able to begin the test.

[Yes]

[No]

{Choosing no will make it so you can't attempt it for another week}---

"Yes" I say.

The other all give their affirmative and we are transported to a Hotel room looking around the room me and Pierce are the ones together in this room.

---The task is to have at least half your team survive a week in this village with a deadly fog descending upon it, the team able to find and deal with the cause of the fog will be rewarded  one revival coin per person. There are 50 teams participating in this event if you take more than a week to find the cause and fix it the seals on the door and windows will be worn down to the point the gas will flood the safe point. The team that lives the longest will have all members rewarded ten tower coins.---

Looking at Pierce for him to decide our course of action, although not direct competition and all can theoretically pass but if you want tower coins only one team can get it and a high level team will be targeted to prevent us from succeeding.

"Look outside if everything is okay we will wait until Wyatt comes to get us but if not we need to head out to a safer location to wait out him, preferably in a more easy and obvious spot if possible. If no moving put up a black handkerchief and wait in the closed safe room." Pierce says as he heads to the door and opens it.

The hallway is empty with no signs of any problems, we are right at the stairs leading to the lodges front desk and waiting area, in a obvious and open spot meaning easy for him to see and find.

Putting out the handkerchief we wait an hour when a knock comes from the door, "It's Wyatt open up and come downstairs to talk." We open the door too see Wyatt and Conner with each other, heading to the dinning area we see the rest already there, surprising as we had the easiest to find room.

  "Boss spawned on the highest up furthest back room with Conner with him he tracked us down floor by floor and only got to your floor last, he didn't need Conner to find yours though it was plain to see for all of us which one you were in from the second we came down." Adrian explains with a chuckle in between his words.

Sitting down I see that there are snacks and treats sitting around the wait area and the smell of food was wafting in from the area that had to be the kitchen, looking at the clock on the wall it read 5 o'clock a.m. it was breakfast time.

I look at Wyatt and then at the snacks, I don't say anything but he must have sensed my looking as he also looks around and sniffs the air and frowns.

"No one is to eat anything not airtight packaged and has no holes in it at anytime we were told to bring survival supplies and food is the first on that list, if this much food is available then there has to be a problem. Same with water, bed sheets, showers, toilets, and sinks if you don't check it for holes and open it yourself do not let it touch you as much as possible." Wyatt says with a serious look.

Finally another group of clearly climbers comes down about ten minutes later, in an hour all 50 teams are in the area but no one is talking or saying anything when a man with plates comes out and sit them on serving trays.

"Guest please enjoy the complimentary breakfast, a dinner will be served at 5 O'clock tonight while lunch is expected to be settled by you." He then leaves with a smile still on his face.

No one moves for a minute but someone steps forward and gets some food, seeing him eat it and be fine some people starting eating but a decent amount chose not to and stayed in there spots watching others eat.

Once they are finished eating it appears people are less tense and start up talking and getting to know each other, after breakfast is over we go to look around the building more.

Checking for other guests, we ask around for any information about what has happened to potentially cause this to happen. It comes up nothing as all the civilians have different stories or opinions on what happened, or folk tales that could link that are just not viable.

We all spend the first day going through all available information from books, newspapers, and even rumors to what would be able to do something like this but none of the viable options can be proven without going out into the poison gas to test toxicity and what it does to kill people. At night all decide to remain together to prevent any potential threats from other contestants or unpleasant surprises, next morning a scream tore through hotel.

Coming down to find two of the climbers tied up to the top of the stairs hanging from them, we had stayed in the room me and Pierce had arrived in and should have heard this but not so much as a sound happened last night to indicate any problems.

The only sound was muffled footsteps last night of the sounds of someone going to get a drink , only footsteps that were very light and quiet but to carry two bodies you either drag them or carry them and both would make distinctly not muffled footstep noises.

---A hidden group quest is activated, the civilians don't like a murderer running around and will get angry if not found, find and kill the murderer with viable evidence as proof. Get it right and you will be rewarded a tower coin, failure to kill the killer will result in the civilians attacking all outsiders to protect themselves.---

Silence from all groups present made it clear that everyone got the same message I look at the team these two were on and can see their anxiety and fear at this turn of events, they are now two members down against 49 other teams with something coming after them.

Wyatt asks, "Were they rooming together? Did they consume anything last night? Where is there room so we can look at the struggle and potential means of doing this."

They look unwilling but know they can't do anything but go along, we head to the room on the second floor to see the struggle and for evidence, but the room was clean and tidy with no signs of forced entry or anything knocked over.

It is my turn to look and I notice a bottle of purity water meant to help with impurity overload on the table next to the bed. I motion to the bottle for Wyatt and see his clear confusion as many adventurers have the habit of keeping one on them and some still keep the habit in the tower. But I know they don't just leave it lying around, they put it either on the headboard shelf if available or in there packets as emergency not on the bed side where you could knock it over in a panic.

I hesitate but ask, "Where do they keep there purity potions at night when not in a dungeon?"

I can see the men's confusion when I ask them outside the room, "Why would we know that we don't sleep in each others rooms?" but another team member comes forward, "Neither removes it from there bag, it is the first they bought when they joined the team and keep it as a good luck item."

I look at Wyatt as he turns to the bottle clearly realizing a difference, but no other signs of someone else or evidence for who had done it was there.

The walls were undamaged and the room clean except for the bottle, we head downstairs to get our chance to check the body. Wyatt told Kian to allow me to look alongside as I may spot odd things that look normal to them who are soldiers, looking over the body the neck has clear bruising and a snapped neck indicating hanging but no scratch marks on the rope or injured nails indicate they didn't fight the hanging.

I wait for Kian to finish checking the physical signs before I ask, "Can I do an energy scan to check the energy veins or is it against the teams agreement?" 

"Sure, but the energy in their bodies is long gone from there deaths and any leftover energy from an attacker has already dissipated." Kian says. I check the mental pathways or rather attempt to as I am blocked from sending in any external energy in there body, there absorption points are completely blocked.

"There is something wrong with their bodies external absorption points, they are completely blocked, I can't check the rest." I see worry flash, it should not be possible for him to be blocked up as he had purification bottles on his night stand but it was not used.

So now the question has changed, what poisoned him to cause such effect and how to identify those poisoned by it, no way to know for sure but they are among the group that ate the food yesterday and are dungeon divers so they may have had more impurities already in the body and this little bit more blocked up the pathway.

I tell Wyatt this and he sends Adrian to ask others to check there purity levels to see if anyone else had this problem, all of those who ate last night had this problem but it was also in some who didn't touch a bite or drink.

"Did they take a shower?" All those unaccounted for did, the food and water is both poisoned just as we had thought of.

We inform everyone and those with purification potions take some while also taking an antidote potion as you need to cure both the symptoms and the root cause. I contemplate how it can look just like a suicide when a person behind makes a comment.

"Did you make us out to be guinea pigs, why didn't you say anything some of you clearly knew to be careful and we aren't competitors so why did you all just sit back and watch. Maybe they wouldn't be dead now if you had, besides you still should have heard something when you slept but nothing. How do we know you didn't realize the poison and kill them off to get tower coins, if you have done this before you would know about this." I can see others getting into it.

Wyatt kept expressionless and said, "You came onto a tower floor thinking it will be a simple thing and ate random food that you don't know who made or what is in it and blame me for not warning you."

I can see the embarrassment of those who did exactly this even if they didn't voice it, it was clear who went with him and if given the chance would probably side against us.

They were the threats to them and if they teamed up to frame them for murder it would end poorly, returning to the body I think of how to further investigate the veins without absorption points open to push in energy but I end up attempting to use the release points.

With no energy leaving the body it is wide open and I can enter, the veins are completely open unlike what one would suspect.

I am now worried this is a black sorcerer but the sign of engorged veins are not there, looking at him I contemplate what could it be. Succubus a mid tier creature capable of tempting people into betraying each other and using them until they are drained dry.

But to know for sure I would need to cut open his head to check the brain of corrosion as it can't be detected by energy scans, I look at the other teams and make my case.

"I believe it may be a succubus, a young succubus specifically. As it needs the person weakened to be able to manipulate them, they also probably only absorbed the most nutritious part of the body to further development. I need to cut his head open to check for blackening in the right hemisphere as that is where it would feed."

I can see that most people agree to allow it but some appear to dislike the idea, "Someone else can cut it open I just need them to check for the signs."

"I'll do it at least I know I will do it respectfully." The team leader of the two comes forward to perform the autopsy for the check, after opening one head we remove the outer brain layer to show a completely blackened and hardened brain.

We now know what is killing them and what it is most likely using but the question is who is the things incubator, their own bodies are small malformed creatures that hop from one host to the next using any means to break the bodies natural defense response to let them control the bodies until complete absorption.

They usually choose pretty shells whether male or female and slowly incubate within the bodies until they completely absorb their looks and become them.

They are one of the most dangerous creatures not for those awakened but those unawakened and with there absorption holes blocked they couldn't absorb enough energy to fight it off and didn't have enough internal energy to do so.

With their meal done they went back into hiding in there shells and made them commit suicide to try and cover up the deaths by either poison being the cause or murder.

Telling everyone all of this I step back and wait for my orders, I see Wyatt give me a nod of his head in a type of well done. I feel a certain amount of pride at this as someone so capable complimenting me is undoubtedly a reassurance in my abilities as even if I am not as powerful I am most defiantly smart enough to make up for it.

I contemplate how to find the host the easiest way is by checking the pelvic region as it is usually has black veins around the reproduction area, but there is no way we can do that without complaints from the civilians.

Another way is an energy scan but again many will refuse to prevent private information on there strength from being known I keep thinking when a smell came.

The breakfast was once more out but no one touched it knowing it is most likely poisonous, I walk up to it and check it but I can't see anything strange from the porridge, grits, or boiled eggs. I take a breathe and pick up a egg and crack it open but nothing strange.

I check the grits and porridge but the same is true, I reach into my back pack and grab out a purity potion, although I had no need of it I kept it to look normal.

I grab one of each and sit down with the potion beside me as I lift up a spoon of grits for a bit, and immediately I puke it and my stomach contents out as it feels like something squirming in my mouth. I look at them and contemplate how the hell they ate it, "How the hell did you eat this it feels like something squirming in my mouth."

I can see the confusion on the faces of those that did, Wyatt comes up and takes a bite but no response. 

"I don't feel any difference in it, are you sure you don't have any problems?" I shake my head as I know I am healthy to a point no one else could match at my grade. I look at the porridge take a small tip in my spoon and once more put it in my mouth.

"It feels like slime or goo." I say as I spit it out again at the texture.

"Once more I taste and feel no difference then normal food." Wyatt says after taking a bite, clearly contemplating why such a drastic difference is happening.

I look at the egg and feel myself rejecting the thought of putting it in my mouth but do so anyway as I need to see the difference, taking a nibble I wait and swallow with a sense of confusion as it tasted no different then usual.

"It taste and feels normal with no difference at all in it, actually it taste slightly better than normal as it has a very fresh taste." I say.

"I get a better then normal taste as well, so it isn't your taste bugs being off. What if it is our minds being messed with to make us not register an off feeling? Why you don't get affected is interesting but with your energy purity your sensitivity to energy means you are less affected by such things." He appears very interested in this difference but will not mention anything else to protect ourselves.

"How much can our purity difference be for us to feel no difference and you to feel it so distinctly?" One of the women apparently did not like that statement.

"If you can break a testing instrument at Peak E grade with purity alone can step up and try if they disagree." Wyatt responds to the woman, no one does as they look at me in interest as such high purity means high potential.

We had little to go on but I think I know where the succubus are, I grab my spear coat it in mental energy and go to the bodies before promptly stabbing one in the pelvis area.

It takes two days of incubation for a body to show signs and the incubators will not know until it is to late usually, in dungeons you don't eat things found in it but they did here and so the most likely means of infestation is also the most likely food.

I can see the team looking ready to attack when the body jerked and tried to attack but I kept it pinned with my spear as Wyatt came up and cut it out.

"If anyone ate anything yesterday they may wish to get an abortion or you may have an unexpected child coming, one that will control you." Wyatt said as he attacks the other body and kills the other incubating succubus.

"And Aadi, well done." 

He then goes to the food we took bites of and burned it, I look at him in worry as he just ate the food.

He looks around clearly meaning he will say why he is unworried later.

---You have found the real murderer and killed them, all teams that actively participated will be awarded one tower coin each per body while the executioner and person who figured it out will be awarded ten tower coins per body each for there contribution.---

I can see the looks of greed flashing on faces at that as you needed one hundred coins to revive on the eleventh floor and 100 more for each floor above that.

Even a small amount now could mean life or death past this point and no one would willingly give it up, if this happens again then people will fight over who gets to do the final killing. Some may even begin to purposely poison others to get coins in there team and the succubus will be what killed them so they who poisoned them can claim it and kill it  and no ramification.

We were going to see an internal break down as they will try and deal with there competitors and now cash cows.