Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

Chapter 98: The Ascent

While Nova ate, she kicked her legs like a giddy child before finishing up and jumping to her feet, "That hit the spot! Thanks a bunch."

"Sure thing," Finn said, standing up as he looked up at the monument. "Do you know anything about this statue?"

Nova put her hand to her chin, closing one eye as she peered up at it as if intensely analyzing it, "Hmmm…nope!"

"I see," Finn said.

"I'm not getting what it's about either," Jasper admitted.

There wasn't anything to go off of, only that the statue held some sort of significance in reaching the distant keep.

All the while they each scoured the perimeter of the colossal monument, Nova walked along the edge of the platform while humming to herself.

"Hm-hm…Hmm-hmm…Hm-hmm," Nova hummed cheerfully.

Finn had the misfortune of being right beside the girl that was in the world of her own while trying to carefully inspect the foot of the statue.

"Can you keep it down?" He asked while looking at the boot of the monument.

Nova continued her humming as though not hearing him, though he knew for sure she did. All he could do was shake his head before turning his focus back to the monument, having to continue listening to the incessant humming.

"Y'know, I'm starting to think the ol' goober meant a different statue?" Jasper remarked while tapping his hand against the right thigh.

"I find that hard to believe, there's not exactly a plethora of broken monuments, I imagine," Magnus contested, standing at its front.

It was hard to see how the statue would even benefit in reaching the divine castle, seeing as it was up in the air.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm," the humming from the lackadaisical woman continued as she circled around the black-stone base of the statue.

It finally tested his patience as he stood up, "Cut it out, would you—ouw!"

A wince came as he stood up from his knelt position, finding the top of his head smacking up against something solid.

"Click"—he felt something push in and make a noise as he stepped back while holding his head. It was the pommel of the sword held by the fractured statue, having a section pushed in.

The monument began to rumble as if shaken by an earthquake, forcing those that inspected it to quickly back off.

"Did you…do something?" Jasper asked, stepping away.

"I think so?" Finn answered.

Nova excitedly pointed at the statue as it began to turn in the ashen soil, "It's straight out of that movie! Oh, what's it called…?"

"Indiana Jones?" Charlotte presumed with a finger to her chin.

"Yeah, that one! Totally Indiana Jones!" Nova clapped her hands together.

The outward enthusiasm wasn't exclusive to the messy-haired, young woman as Finn found himself watching in awe as the momentum turned itself.

It began to move as the stiff material used to make it croaked as if being forcibly bent by an unseen force.

"That sword—it's raising," he watched.

The headless monument raised its chipped blade to the floating island. A golden glow surfaced from the tip of the dormant sword, producing a line that reached from the statue's weapon up to the heights of the airborne domain.

One by one, platforms forged of soft, cerulean light extended from the front of the statue, ascending all the way to the floating territory.

"It's a bridge," Charlotte observed.

"A bridge with a lot of steps, and no railings…Eurgh, I'm not a fan of this," Magnus quietly grumbled, taking the opportunity to light up a cigarette.

Finn meant to take the first step to see how the platforms made of light felt, though he was too late as the hoodie-touting girl hopped right in front of him before he could even put one foot on it.

"This looks like fun! Beat you to the top!" Nova playfully said before hopping to the very next platform with her arms out.

From helplessly sleepy to singing and hopping around; It was beginning to feel like to him that he was having to manage a child.

"--Shouldn't we wait a bit?" Charlotte suggested before stepping onto the first platform.

Nova had already hopped her way over to the fifth section, bringing her a good dozen meters off the ground as she turned back for a moment, "What for? I wanna see the castle up close!"

"But–" Charlotte tried to reason, though found the eccentric girl already moving onto the next step.

Finn gave a pat on the shoulder to the spellblade with a quiet sigh of resignation, "Good try, but I can't deal with her either."

"She's a free spirit. I didn't know somebody could still have that much enthusiasm left–you'd think the world isn't ending," Magnus remarked.

"Some people handle things differently. I doubt she's ignorant about what's going on," Finn said, watching as the girl became more distant up the ethereal steps. "That unmoved cheerfulness though…It reminds me of somebody."

"Finn," Charlotte lightly brushed his arm with her hand.

Just the mere thought of a past friend brought Finn's eyes to be glossy, though he pushed away the intrusive reminiscence with an exhale, looking over, "Let's not fall behind–I don't want to let her get caught up in something alone up there."

Ascending the glowing platforms was simple enough, though looking down didn't bring an encouraging sight as Finn kept his eyes up. A few steps behind, he could hear Magnus struggling with the heights–

"Just keep moving, just keep moving…" Magnus repeatedly told himself while sounding one moment from heaving.

Up ahead, Finn could see the energetic girl a dozen platforms in front, bringing them into territory with the clouds themselves after enough steps. As he got closer, the scale of the hovering region created a fluttering sensation in his stomach as he stood there a moment.

Chunks of land simply floated in the air, with hanging vines in abundance and waterfalls that cascaded down the sides of the floating fortress, though did not fall to the land below.

The castle itself, of glistening marble and towers that reached for the heavens, felt none more imposing than that moment as he looked upon them.

"Finn?" Charlotte said, on the step right behind him.

"Sorry–" He quickly apologized before continuing the ascent.