Notail Simulator Beta (4/4)

"Fine, I'll do it again and show you that it's safe. =3"

Without a thought in your mind, you hopped onto the button. There was a loud click. You looked to the sky, ready to see the fantastic light show like before. It was a shame it was morning. It wouldn't seem as impressive as it did at night.

You waited.

It was only seconds since you pressed the button, but nothing had happened. There was a grinding sound. The ground the statue stood on seemed to be attempting to lower itself while the ground next to it slid over allowing another figure to raise. They seemed to be both stuck, whatever mechanism that controlled this situation had failed.

The others looked to you in confusion, hoping you would explain what was happening. The clicking and grinding noise of failure stopped as if the mechanism understood that it couldn't keep trying. The new statue slowly withdrew into the tower.

But you felt a sense of dread as it lowered itself.

It had been less than 40 seconds since you stepped on the button when you heard a loud snap.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 4 is rolled.

The orginal statue plummeted suddenly.

You could hear it hit something.

Break into pieces.

And then hit something large and made of glass.

The tower rumbled.

You turned around and ran. Yelling for both of them to get down the stairs. Tiger kid leaped to his feet and grabbed your hand as you ran by. He knew you were now more prone to tripping while running and despite the situation made sure you wouldn't trip over your own feet and right off of the tower.

E-4 was pulling their bag up to put it on after laying it on the floor to take a load off to rest as you passed them.

30 steps.

That's how many steps you and Tiger kid ran down until a light engulfed the area and the top of the tower blew up.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 16 is rolled.

Due to Tiger kid making sure to hold on to you, you didn't fall when the tower started crumbling apart.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 11 is rolled.

Tiger kid, while extremely shaken, was just fine as well. He pulled you forward to keep moving down, but you let go of his hand and stopped in your tracks.

Where was E-4? They took longer than you two to move due to having to retrieve their supplies.

You looked behind you, the light coming from the tower bathed everything in such extreme light it felt like a dream.

There was E-4.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 7 is rolled.

E-4 clung to one of the stairs, their body against the side of the tower and their only lifeline, their claws dug as best as it could into the rock.

E-4 wasn't like you. E-4 wasn't strong.

That's why E-4 needed someone like you around. To do the lifting.

The heavy bag that caused them to delay their escape worked against them now. They likely wouldn't have been able to drag themselves up even without the bag, but now the bag made sure that their arms would fail them sooner than not.

All the knowledge in the world wouldn't save them from their fate.

But strength could.

You didn't even think as you ran up the stairs and grabbed E-4's hands to prevent them from falling.

Thank goodness E-4 was so short. Had they been as big as you, there would have been no hope in you being able to pull them up with their bag on.

E-4 is going to yell at you for suggesting they go up here.

...................

If you let go of E-4 right now, no one would know.

.............

E-4 is going to be mad and kick you out if they live.

.......

You would be the leader of the swarm.

You were told that killing other notails was wrong.

But no one would know if you let E-4 go.

No one but you.