9.9.7. Chapter 6: THE FALL.

9.9.7 watched as the young man fell. There was no landing, no handrails to break his fall. Nothing to stop him at all.His fate was all but sealed.However, at the very last moment, the figure that had taken him down twisted midair. Stretching out her arm, her limbs elongated and took hold of a ledge. Her other arm wrapped around him like a snake. Applying a little force, she pulled them both back onto the wall and immediately took hold of another ledge, still holding on to the guy.The rescuer was a skinny redhead with pale green eyes. What was strange—or rather, what felt strange—was the fact that her skin looked hard and tough. Hardened limbs. Even her face looked like it had been carved out of a piece of wood.Unblinking, unmoving… unsettling.She spared 9.9.7 a glance and motioned upwards with her head.Looking up, 9.9.7 saw a giant boulder headed right towards him. He hurriedly switched lanes, causing his hand to slip on a greasy ledge.Greasy ledges, falling boulders, and retracting handles. Just what was next?"We are not going to get out of this," the girl said.9.9.7 glanced at her. His face blank. "Why did you save him?"She smiled. "We are not going to get out of this—at least, not all of us. I'll need a shield in case they decide to start throwing arrows or something."9.9.7's expression did not change one bit, and she continued. "Besides, you two looked like friends chatting and saving each other in this carnage. So if you want him to survive, then you had better start thinking. Think about how I can survive."9.9.7 sighed inwardly. Of all the people he had to encounter at a time like this."The handles retract at timed intervals, and the boulders are triggered by the ledges. A form of code. A few of the ledges have been coated with petroleum. Any moment now, I'd be expecting fire," he stated simply."So they plan to kill us all?""No. That'd be too little entertainment for the guests. They'll provide us with a way out.""And then what?""And then we'll survive," he stated simply.She stared at him for a moment, then grinned. "I like you. I'll leave it to you, then. Make sure you spot that way out. I'm 7.2.1, by the way. You must be 9.9.7?"9.9.7 ignored her, scaling the wall as she followed closely behind. At some point she had grown an extra limb from somewhere and used it to hold her captive above her head as she scaled the wall. 9.9.7 did not entertain any thoughts of releasing him. Scaling the wall came first.The ledges, the boulders, the grease—they were all leading up to something. So was the melody. The sounds each ledge made as it slid in and out of the wall.Thump, thump, ring. Thump, thump, crash.Another boulder was approaching.The first thought would be to maneuver to the left, and many did. But the left was coated with grease, and a whistling sound could be heard from within the wall.7.2.1 stretched a limb towards a ledge on the left."Don't move," 9.9.7 said.Blast. The left side of the wall was gone in an instant.Apprehension filled the rest of the climbers. Fear embedded itself deep within their hearts."Is it over?" 7.2.1 asked."No. It's not."Laughter rang out from somewhere. When they finally located the source of the outburst, they saw a man—probably in his mid-thirties—holding a pair of gauntlets. Not just any gauntlets, but scaling gauntlets.The set came as a pair of gloves with features that made them adaptable for scaling tall structures."How did he get them? Where did he find them?" The questioning voices of the remaining participants could be heard."I saw it. A ledge slid sideways, and inside was a pair of gauntlets.""Is that right?""There must be more, then."They nodded in agreement. The man who found the gauntlets was long gone, so people applied his method—forcibly slamming into the stone ledges of the wall.Some were lucky; others, not so much.As more and more ledges were destroyed, there were fewer places to grab onto. A few did come out with tools, though. Some more useful than others.Gloves, a crude dagger, a pistol, needles, ropes. Various sorts of tools.The participants' gossip and whispers could be heard, jubilant over their findings.It didn't take long, though. They quieted as grating sounds could be heard from deep within the wall. The sounds kept getting closer and closer."Let's go," 9.9.7 whispered urgently."What? Can't you hear them?""Exactly why we need to leave… before they break out."The sounds ceased, and order returned to the remaining participants of the trail. Their frenzied minds calmed, and they returned to scaling the wall.Things were not going to be that easy, though.Soon, from the slight openings in the wall, a tiny creature emerged. At first glance, it was really nothing to worry about—but everything in 9.9.7 told him it was wrong… Very wrong.A scream was heard further up. The man who had first discovered the gauntlets was in a frenzied state."Get off me, bastard!" he yelled.At first glance, it seemed like nothing was out of place. But on closer inspection, things became clearer.A worm had latched onto him.It didn't take long for him to shake it off, though. He cursed and went about his way.However, a moment later, more worms emerged from the walls. Countless grey creatures enclosed him, latching themselves onto his flesh. He let out a yelp, desperately trying to escape the clinging mass of viscous organisms.The others watched as he writhed in pain. Desperate screams filled their ears."Help me! Please, help me!" he yelled.Silence. It didn't take long—once again, there was silence.The group hesitated. Considering he was the leading participant, anyone who tried to move further would have to get past the now-silent, still body of the man.No movement was made. No sound was heard.Slowly, the man moved—his gloved fingers wrapping around the ledge.He turned.---

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