Sail went to sleep with the slight acceptance for the possibility that he would be waking up back in his wallpaper peeling room back home. Home being perhaps a term for his old house, his old body or his old reality. He would not be that surprised if this were all revealed as a dream soon but he awoke just fine.

  This floor of the tower was revealed to him as 'Marooned 50'. It was a survival challenge upon a solitary island where an individual had to manage 50 weeks alone without seeing or receiving help from another.

  Selkirk island was supposedly nothing close to the plethora of smooth living as was shown to Sail all morning. In fact, the absolute antithesis. The beach was once plagued by giant lobsters with jet streams that could pierce hearts and anomalies which randomly pulled ones feet through the sand and into the trenches of the sea.

  Climbing this floor was an awkward setup with various climbers isolated across the island all trying in tandem. If they ever so much as heard the voice of another they were cast out of the challenge with their marooned timer being reset back to 0. Without Illi being able to bail failed attempts on 'Marooned 50' the situation may have soon ended up akin to lord of the flies.

  As time went on, more and more marooner attempts were made and never heard back from. New climbers increasingly didn't wish to try. Other than the armada of lobsters, the sirens out at sea and the need to scavenge for all your shelter and food, there was the consensus that this floor was a challenge best built for one individual.

  The more attempting climbers, the more risk of accidentally failing the challenge of being marooned. Furthermore, with all the attempts in motion, it made the concept of starting at this point seem like a massive potential waste of time. You would just suffer in isolation for someone weeks ahead of you to clear it regardless. Though, as time went on, no one returned and 50 weeks had passed. A year of failed attempts.

  In time, with the climbers getting more restless and desperate, the floor was suddenly announced as passed. It had been done by a single man with one C rank skill. He alone had passed the 15th. A lanky and gritty man originally born on the 5th floor, 'The Frugal fruits!', had managed to hold out and stow away in the confines of some dank cave.

  Alone for almost a year he managed to hang onto his will, domesticating small island cats and holding out using the last slithers of some lobster meat. The tight claustrophobic pit of his home was equally dripping in water and blood every night. This cave was now neatly fashioned out with ropes, stools, tables and hanging torches.

  The entire space was completely smashed open deeper to host a restaurant and a bar. The specifics of this whole tale were currently being told to Sail in immense detail by the bartender, the spindly Rerki himself.

  "Yes, that love had taken a toll on me! My little Mariska was taken into the night.. Even cats are susceptible to sirens!!"

  Sail was sat at the bar sipping out of some sort of triangular coconut.

  "What happened to those Sirens? Are they still here?"

  "Yes of course, Most definitely. I give those seductive little barnacles drinks all the time!"

  "They come over?"

  "Yeah, they wheel 'em here as much as any other scrub. They're all climbers now, you not seen 'em knockin' round?"

  "I haven't seen one.."

  "Well remember, if they ever try flexin' there mouths singing at ya, you'd best suck em in the jaw i say. Those nights they were buggin me, those damn nights.. all buggin me and manipulatin' me. If i ain't had that knife i wouldn't have been able to keep stabbing myself to stay sane!"

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  A cat jumped up and perched in his hair as he kept going, always having something to say.

  The people of this place certainly had forged homes for themselves. If Rerki was to be believed in the way he told his tale, then you would certainly think this island was once pure hell.

  But for Sail it was quite simply an obvious paradise. He had always fancied some tropical trip back on earth and had once considered saving up what little he had to just fly away and try make do.

  Although he had never been to Bali or Podgorica as he once looked up, he figured that they couldn't hold a candle to Selkirk island. At least, his memory of google images couldn't compare to the sights he had seen today.

  In the morning Sail had stood posing on the edge of a cliff with waves smashing against the rocks. His obsidian figure was captured by some chunky thing that was apparently a camera. He was currently being sculpted by both Shilling and Denim together and had taken the rest of his time today alone and exploring.

  "Do you get all these coconuts around here?"

  "the trinut? Of course not son! These lovely nectars are from my home! I get them all imported. All me drinks! All my gentle fruit mistresses.. they have all said goodbye to me too many times before....never again"

  "Your floor? Oh, the fruits?.. Ill probably be watching movies about all these floors soon enough"

  "You don't know 'The frugal fruits'?? Who even are you son? Get your damn legs movin'. The towers a free ticket to explore you lazy sod"

  "Well I just arrived in the tower.."

  "Ohh.... What're you a ghoul then or smthn??? They did finally manage to pass that place yesterday, good on em'. Im stuck 'ere after all so I aint really heard it proper yet, i'll squeeze it all out of them when they come round. I'll let ya in on a secret ghouly.. there's gonna be all the big shots comin' here tonight. haha.. What do you think of that! Do come get another drink!"

  "...You actually think im a ghoul? Id say i look fairly human... Your not worried if i were one?"

  "HAR har, little pip. You wanna try me?"

  "Are you strong sir?"

  "clearing a floor on yer bloody own with just spit and tears does that. You wanna see my snap ya neck?!"

  "Im alright. What rank are you in the tower then?"

  "The peoples rankings?? Who gives a damn about public drivel"

  ".. so not high then"

  "Im just not suit for climbin' is all! If we're talking list of the strongest in this joint id definitely be up there!"

  "What can you do then? Other than raise cats?"

  "I can get me cats to claw yer damn eyes out kid. My skill is Hermit. The longer i stay 'ere the stronger i get! You'd best take yer bar fights elsewhere!"

  "I see... that was your reward for clearing huh... Your really are quite something mister. I respect you for getting things done by yourself. I myself basically climbed a floor on my own"

  "Ya did? So your that newbie then?"

  "Yeah that's me"

  "The lad that turns into a rock huh, well your ass didn't do it alone. I already know that much pip."

  "..."

  "Well..well i got through the main threats alone."

  "I 'eard they already got done up to 18th room already. You swept in and took the final blow, didnt ya pip? From wherever the hell ya came from. You look like any other pale ass Turing from the 1st to me"

  Sail and Rerki then had a long 'talk' about the nature of climbing floors. A sort of power scaling discussion which made the various staff workload much higher as their boss was currently doing nothing.

  "You know nothin' bout fixing broken wings kid. Those lobbers! Theyd shoot bright water lasers all through the damn night!"

  "Well you don't know the damn feeling of a giant rusted scissor around your neck. Your floor sounds more boring then difficult. Just some big lobsters and some loud mermaids? Try bringing some earplugs with you"

  Although they were arguing, Sail was having a swell time. Rerki was the first person who didn't immediately herald him in praise for his efforts. He even started to try talk a little more like him for a bit as they went along.

  Rerki finally left to go sort some things out after a while. Sail was planning to just check the place out for later but he had ended up already spending most his day here.

  He was hoping to later get a talk with September about watching footage of all the past climbs and was also a little excited to see Lantern again. Thus, he loitered in the cave, around and about until night set across the beach.

  People started arriving one after the next with Match clear in the front with sandals and a Hawaiian shirt. He caught glance of Sail and sat beside him instantly.

  "You've already been drinking? Its a good call, you might need it today"

  "Well its just fruit juice, no?"

  "It has its own properties. Fruits from the 5th are all basically drugs"

  "oh..."

  "Anyway, i need to tell you. We just finished scouting on the 27th floor"