Jerry
The bandit carefully listened to the Raswalt translate the raspy man's rant into his own ear — That is, before he suddenly raised his voice, causing the Raswalt's volume to increase tenfold for a split second and shock the goat into a half-bleat/half-yelp. He frowns and takes a step back, withdrawing his dagger as his eyes quickly scanned the area.

```fix
"Damn gadget!.."```

He growled, tempted to yank the thing out after its little stunt. Nevertheless, those thoughts were put aside as soon as he spotted a second person — A sleepy-looking woman — lazily peering down at him and labeling him an 'intruder.'

```fix
"Ehy, ehy, can ya really call me an intruder if I'm inside the wa-"```

A faceless knight - No, *Two* Knights, vault the wall and face the bandit. Both men stiffly brandished their weapons with the second knight named *Keir,* Stabbing at Kuo's chest with reckless abandon - It was almost as if they didn't have anything to lose. Kuouo sidesteps to the left with ease and pursues a non-lethal counter; He attempts to grab their forearm whilst fully extended, intending to twist it forward and jam his dagger down their elbow with enough force to impale and shatter it.

```fix
"Shit man!- C'mon, I dunno if all three of you guys are from different factions what with the different get-ups and what not. But goddammit, at least let me explain myself - 'less you wanna end up like all of those damn knights in there!"```
Dolores
He was too far away to hear the man speak from the other side of the wall, but with the sudden appearance of the woman atop the wall he was alerted, he stood rather suddenly and drew the rifle from his back, moving close enough to hear but still give the bandit his space.
```diff
- "I certainly doubt this is going anywhere good" -
```
He muttered as the knights leaped over the wall, their armour should be much easier to bypass then the previous foes, and there were less, unless they possessed some sort of secret trump card the battle should not last long.

As the word "Kill" Was uttered he let fire at the woman, though undoubtedly she would quickly retreat to cover. Keir was more of an immediate threat but firing on him risked hitting his companion, so he let fire on Qe, the bandit could clearly handle himself anyway.
```diff
- "It seems the people who inhabit this structure know nothing of 'Diplomacy'" -
```
Charles
*"Heh. Heheh. That'll do... Stupid rootrott'n deer... Corpses... Ever the hell you are on the other side of that gat—"*

He chuckled to himself, before rudely being interrupted by not only the sound of someone *Speaking,* But *The activation of ranged weaponry, bolts of energy whizzing overtop the gate.* Kovrot had already retreated to cover long before even speaking the word 'kill', rendering her out of danger's reach, yet the bolts whizzing over the gate and above Aatkei's head would be startling, nonetheless.

*"**Hell!** What in the good-blooded fuck'n— Wizerds?! M'fucken wizerds?!"*

—The man yelled in shock, taking several steps back from the wall.

*`Outer gods bedamned it! Were it just some deer 'n that addict Kovrot fell sleep again I'd be ables 't steal a few of her grains! Maybe even make up for this month's distinct lack'a blooded pay... Damned wiz-erds, though? What'n the hell are those piss-armor knights doin' in that tower?! Thought they didn't know bouts the whole Arue Arcana...`*

Aatkei withdraws his dagger, preparing for the worst. *Though, when worse things do come to worst, he'd never actually be the one to fight...*
Reginald
The watchdog's attack misses fully, and Kuouo was able to pursue his counterattack without resistance. The knight, witnessing him attain a grasp on its own arm, does not flinch, and instead blankly stares from beyond its mask towards the bandit, as if lacking of the intellect or means to even *Counter* Him. Indeed, it seemed as though both of the knights were lacking of intellect, and solely operating off of the instinct to **Follow a command.**

That is all to say that **Kuouo's attempt to quite literally shatter the knight's elbow, does, indeed, succeed.**

The knight does not flinch in plain, idly staggering back after its elbow has been shattered. It seems to attempt to prepare another attack, yet, seeing as its arm is broken, it would be a futile attempt. The watchdog-knight falls clumsily to the ground... It seems the two are wholly incompetent.
Stephanie
The second watchdog-knight was to move in as soon as Keir had been incapacitated, yet was struck by several oncoming energy-bolts fired from afar. As was for the other knight, Keir, great incompetence and a lack of apparent thought-process plagued the watchdog Qe, who, upon being struck by several bolts, simply flounders to the ground, losing hold of its straightsword.
Matthew
*`"Hmmm... Hmmm..."`*

The sound of the woman's voice — or, more accurately, the sound of her humming and breathing — is heard again, from beyond the gate.

*`"Hmm... Hmmm..."`*

...And again, in the same rhythm, a short period after—

*`"Hmm... Hmm..."`*

And once more, on the exact same tempo. Perhaps, instead of humming, it is instead the sound of *Snoring;* For, the gate-watcher Kovrot was sound asleep, her face rested against the table set atop her elevated station alongside the wall and gate.
Jerry
Kuouo brushed off the rotten knight's second meager attempt, punching it into the stomach to add an extra '*Oomph*' to the already-falling opponent. Kuouo bends down, scrunching up his nose as he grabbed Keir's dagger from his person. His eyebrow twitched, engulfing the dagger and throwing it at Cumhall - Not towards his body, but rather mere centimeters from his left foot. The fire around the blade burned brightly, hinting at the bandit's restraint from outright attacking the man.

```fix
"I blatently told ya not to follow me, yet here you are. Last warnin'!"```

Kuo growled; any respect he had for the man before was quickly wavering by every second he didn't heed his commands. Kuouo followed up, disarming the second unconscious knight and casting their sword several meters into the forest. 

*```It's odd though, they ain't like conscious or awake or whatever.. These are totally bein' controlled like, bloodbendin' or Kankuro puppets. And that smell, eugh... They're definitely dead.```*

Kuouo took a step forward, opening his mouth to make another attempt — Only to be interrupted by a lazy rumble eminating from the girl's nose. Not once, not twice, but THREE times. He sighed both a breath of relief and disappointment, lowering his stance as he called out beyond the wall.

```fix
"Oi! You there, behind the wall. Lower yer weapon and come out. I jus' wanna talk and learn more about this place. I don't wanna fight, much less kill ya if I don't have to."```

Kuouo tapped his foot, thinking of more convincing things to say in attempts to de-esculate the conflict... After all, he's usually the one causing trouble on the opposite end. He snickered and looked through his inventory for anything he could use as a bargaining chip.

*``Aha!``*
He pulls out a cheap glass bottle filled to the brim with a delectable reddish-brown liquid inside. *His favorite.*

```fix
"If ya want, we can share some info over some fireball whiskey if ya want. You jus' gotta call off the sleepin' chick and you're just gonna hafta n o t attack me if ya don't mind. Deal?"```
Charles
*"Talk?! Learn?! Fight?! Y- Yer a fucking wizerd, man! Bite your bastard tongue and get the right-blooded fucken hell outta here! Ain't no bedamned thing from that forest that do any good 'scept herbs for sleepin'! Out of here, I saids! 'N what do you mean, 'fire-ball whis-kay', uh?! Some sorta solar spell, eh? Fuck right off!"*

As the watchdog ""Knights"" Were vanquished without much effort, the man beyond the gate yells profanities dismissively back at the voice which attempted to coax him into opening the gate. Some shuffling can be heard — and then a loud ***Creak...***

*"Move your it-bit-no-tit ass over, y' fucken addict."*

—he whispered, his voice coming from further up along the wall than before.

*"Oh, y' had some left... Heheh... Might as well..."*

Purloined.


...A pause, and he then peers his head over the gate, briefly.

*"Like I said! Fuck! Right! Off! You donno who you're messen with, man. I'm a man who's carried this duty for decades, y'bastard! And I'm right outta pay! So I'm blooded pissed, stupid fucken' wizerd. Fucker off, now!"*
Jerry
Kuouo snickered, unscrewing the bottle and taking a swig of the fireball whiskey himself. The bandit skillfully flips his dagger around his paw and sheaths the blade, placing his hands on his with the whiskey tucked between his index and middle fingers. 

```fix
"Huh? Ya guys don't got any alcyhol in this place? Must suck, this has cinnamon and it goes down pretty smoothly believe it or not. Kinda dangerous if yer not careful cuz it packs a punch and gets ya buzzin' real quick, daheh!"```

It became pretty apparent to the bandit that this guy didn't pose much of a threat... For now, anyways. It just so happens, by chance, the light wind picked up the spicy scent of the cinnamon flavored alcohol. 

```fix
"Anyways, I ain't no wizard - I mean, sure I can cast fire magic an' shit, but it ain't a 'solar spell' like those knights inside are usin'. I won't lie t' ya, in my world I'm both a dangerous bad guy anda dangerous hero too, I 'spose - But like, I'm tryna chill here and find out 'bout what this place is, ya know? If I wanted to, I coulda just scaled the wall on my own and avoid you guys altogether. Know what I mean?```

Kuouo strides forward with confidence, tilting his head and scratching his horn while standing in front of the gate.

```fix
"Now are ya gonna stop actin' like a pussy and share a drink with me or not?"```
Charles
*Sniff, sniff...*

The man gives two brief whiffs, as he stared down skeptically at the figure of the bandit positioned at the gate. Aatkei, donning what almost appeared to be a highwayman's outfit (complete with a bandana-mask that covered the lower half of his face) adjusted the cloth blocking his nose, better catching the scent of the alcoholic, cinnamon-y beverage upon the breath of the artificial wind. His visage shifted from that of a frown to that of slight surprise and interest, as he raised a brow.

*"Not a wiz-erd, huh...?! Then how do you 'splain all those bolts of, what, fucken... Lunar energy or whatever's the hell that blooded stuff was, hurtling way over the gate, eh?!"*

Aatkei yelled, still slightly aggravated, yet his tone shifted slightly, and he quieted his latter words:

*"Alc'hol and whis-kay, you say, though, uh? Never seen the like in m' life. Say, eh, what's that stuff about, anyway? Cinnamon? Drink it?"*
_ _

Aatkei folded his arms, his dagger still held in his left hand as he stared down over the gate. While he wasn't quite intent on overcomplicating matters and potentially ruining his own source of income by letting the intruder through the gate, the long-eared man with almost grayish skin seemed a tad interested by the description Kuouo gave of the whiskey. The scent was... Very unique, and *Very* Pleasant.

It seemed as though he was elevated atop a platform on the other side of the wall, still staring down. He briefly looked to his left — likely where the woman who seemed to be asleep lied — giving an upwards nod, before staring back down at Kuouo.

*"Anythin' like those warm herb drinks that wench drivin' bastard makes..."* He pondered, quietly...
*"Oi, you wizerd intruder. Gimme that. I wanna sees for m'self."*

He leaned over the gate, tapping its top twice, waiting for Kuouo to offer up the bottle. Since he didn't show open, hostile intent, and Kovrot was asleep... Hey, maybe he could get something *Worthwhile* Out of this shift, huh?
Jerry
Kuouo quickly switched the bottle's position, holding it by the neck of the bottle and raising it up to the man like he was safely passing a blade.

```fix
"Again, I ain't a wizard. Those bolts are from an... Well, I was gonna say associate, but I don't even want the bastard followin' me - And if he gets closer, then I'mma hafta beat his ass since I already warned him from when I was inside the damn tower - But yeah. That guy fired at ya, and I woulda prolly foughtcha too if ya took a swing at me. Now take just take a lil' swig of that, it's good stuff I promise! I'll even letcha get buzzed if you hurry up and lemme through."```

Kuouo flashed him with a light smile. The bandit kept a bottle of whiskey on him at all times, whether it be for its intended purpose or for tricky fights where he could use it to his advantage. Like any social drinker, alcohol always tasted better with company - And in this case, he didn't mind sharing, *Especially* In exchange for information and trust.

The bandit frowned, reminding himself that there's still an issue tailing behind him. He awaited the results from Aatkei's taste-test, impatiently glancing behind himself and attempting to ensure Cumwall wasn't to get any closer. He closed his eyes, reconnecting his magical link to the fire engulfed around the thrown dagger from earlier in an instant. From there, he clenches his fist and causes the flames around the dagger to explode into a wall of fire that burned no hotter than the max temperature on a modern shower (140 fahrenheit - 60 celsius). *``Okay, that's my last, last warnin'...``* Cumhall could either tank through the fire or walk around the wall, but either option would add a few seconds to manuever around.
Charles
*"Whis-kay, whis-kay. Better not be a fucken potion you've brewed up, ya blooded wizerd."*

Aatkei reached down, grasping the bottle of whiskey. Hoisting it up to his face, he glared at it intently, gave it a sniff, and swirled it around in its glassen container, before lowering his head behind the gate.

*Ssssiiiippp...*

*"Ehum, hey... Not bad..."*

Taking a cautious, small sip of the liquid, he swallows, with a slight grin.

*"Not bad at all..."*

Swirling the liquid about within the container once again, he sheathed his dagger took a *Full* Swig, downing a good two-glugs or so before leasing his lips from the glass bottle. A brief pause, as he gives a satisfied breath—

***"Ackh! Pleghck! Fuck! What in the hell?!"***

—and the spice of the cinnamon *Scorched* The throat of the man who had never tried such a beverage before. He coughs and wheezes, lowering the bottle of whiskey, yelling profanities as he recovered from the throat-tickling sensation, slamming his fist against the other side of the gate.

*"Lyin' bastard! It was a blooded potion, you fucken hells-spawn lun-lunar..."*

And then he was hit with the *Buzz.*
_ _

*"...Lunar magicks, eh..."*
*"Heh, maybe I was a bit rash, heheh... That's not a bad feelin' at all..."*

...He paused, composing himself, before poking his head back over the gate.

*"Heheh. Heheh... Guess I am gettin' paid after all, heheheh..."*
*"I was wrongs about you, wiz-erd. Maybe y'ain't a blooded bastard intruder like those piss-knights... This is just like the good stuff, 'em herb drinks the wenchdriver bastard makes up. Not bad at all, not bad at all..."*

He lowers his head, and Kuouo can hear a brief ***THUD*** — an impact, as the man landed *Just behind* The gate.

**`Clink, clank, clatter...`**

***`P-chok!`***

A lock comes undone, and the gate slowly creaks open.

*"You wants in, y'said? Heh... Well, they ain't payin' me, anyway. Thought the Thorn-Crowned was gonna bring some blooded order to this fucken village. Guess nots, cause I ain't gettin' any pay. Dumb bastards're tak'n me for a **Branded** Exile... Shit-veined bastards don't understand how this Floor even works."*

*"Anyhow, you brew a good potion, wizerd. C'mon, c'mon, through the gate. That 'ol addict gal Kovrot's sleepin' sound, all that `taarei` in 'er brain. Just don't make too much noise, eh?"*
Jerry
*``This guy sure is takin' his ti- Oh yeah, jus' drink the whole thing why don't ya? Well, as long as he lets me in.``* Kuouo rolled his eyes, a snicker soon following after Aatkei's harsh response to the spicy drink.

```fix
"Hey man, I told to take a small sip first and t h e n I'd give ya a couple more gulps. If it's yer first time, then of course it's gonna hard comin' down. I guess ya ain't ever have this stuff before, but it's not somethin' to take lightly.```

And then Aatkei was hit with *The buzz.*

*``Holy shit this guy is probably the lightest lightweight I've ever seen. That shit kicked in inna whole ass minute.``* The bandit nodded along, smiling as he was finally no longer deemed as a 'blooded bastard intruder' like the knights within — Though it puzzled him... Why were the valiant knights *Inside* The tower called intruders? He'd have to ask sooner or later. The gate *Clicks*, *Clanks*, and *Creeeaaaks* Open, finally allowing the bandit entrence into the world outside the wall.

```fix
"What 'zactly is a branded exile? - Doesn't sound good if they ain't payin' ya. Not much sense in givin' yer labor for free if ya ain't get shit for it. If you're gonna put effort int' somethin', I advise makin' it yer goal to get somethin' out of it at all costs!"```

Kuouo walked through the gate, immediately swiping his bottle of whiskey back into his grasp and taking a half-swig before kicking it closed behind him. Finally, he faced the man with an open hand and a friendly smile on his face.

```fix
"The name's Kuouo Aiche Dee - 'Course, y'can jus' call me Kuouo or Kuo, daheh! Promise I won't any more noise than I'm already makin' - Though ya might wanna go ahead and lock that gate. Pretty sure everyone else is pretty hostile... I wouldn't blame them though, we got ambushed and that place has been a battleground since, ya know? If anything, the people in there have a bigger chance of wakin' her up than I do.."```
Charles
*"Beeeh, whatever the hell, wizerd."*

He spoke in response to Kuouo's usage of the word *'t h e n'*, allowing him back his bottle of whiskey when he went to swipe it. With a slight, subtle, yet culpable scoff, Aatkei fiddled with the locks on the back of the gate, with a slightly satisfying series of clics, clanks, clatters, and finally a ***`p-chok`***, just as it had been unlocked.

With a flick of his wrist, Aatkei sheathed his dagger at his left hip, subtly displaying of his proficiency with the weapon while also showing his lack of intent for further hostilities. Aatkei grumbled at Kuouo's questions, and responded with some frustration.

*"Oh man, y'better believe I don't give labor for free. Slack'n round all day when there ain't no pay, 'n even when I do give a good shot at those damned root-rotted animals, pay's all the same anyway. 'Course, time ain't the most valuable of things in this blooded village. Most've us exiled bastards 'n whoresons are one'n-the-same, cursed about with life lastin' much longer than it's got any right tah."*

*"But em bastards pay me only enough to, what, once in every four months... Well, ehh... Heh, well, I ain't goin' there."*

*`That fae wench... Exotic as all hell, man. Ain't seen nothin' like 'em on the second floor.`* 

Aatkei pondered silently, turning his back on the gate. Now that Kuouo had passed beyond the cobbled wall, he could see the rest of the First Floor: a long, trailing path before him, leading to a **Moderately-sized village that surrounded the base of yet another gargantuan greattower, overgrown with some sort of large, tendril-like blue root.**

_ _

*"Branded exiles..."*
*"Ain't a worse stigma in the whole Ark `[VEKTET]`—"*

—the RASWALT system buzzes; a hiccup in its translation. The word Vektet had a unique meaning in-it-of-itself, yet the usage would be akin to the nature of the Ark — a ship designed in a tale that just about anybody would be familiar with.

*"...Than being a branded exile. Y'see, this village is made of 'n by exiles, the whole lot. Earliest inhabitants were all of those cast from the glories of the upper floors... Those who stepped out'f line against Tvoktei, the heretical architects and deadweight workers of the Astrolabe, then 'em faedwellers of the Fourth... Dunno if anyone's ever dropped from the Fifth, though."* 

*"Anyhow, this 'ere First Floor is known as the Exile's Watch. Been that way since that **Fucker** Aazkue forsook his duty. Turned this place into a blooded cesspool, is what he did. Cause of him, this place was turned into the gathering of all rotten souls in the whole of the Ark. `[VEKTET]`Entirety of this here floor's residents are exiles, or descendants of exiles. That's t' be expected. But Branded Exiles are a whole 'nother breed of cessblood. Those're the type that performed the most wicked of sin, 'n had the root deliberated straight into their brains. Root-rotten monsters is what they are, 'n deserving of their damned fate too." *

Aatkei continued along the path, yet paused, staring back at the sleeping figure of Kovrot, sleeping at her post.

*"...'ey, you said there's others behind you? Beegh... Won't do any good to leave 'er behind, then... Much's she's a bitch... "*

—he said, swaggering back over to the unconscious figure of Kovrot. Slowly, he lifted her up and about his shoulders, carrying her on his back.
Jerry
Kuouo pursed his lips at being left hanging like that, but seeing as this guy didn't really understand the direct translation of 'whis-kay' then it was safe to assume it was simply a matter in cultural difference. Kuouo's experienced it himself as a monster in a human-majority world, this was just another case of it and nothing else. 

He walked down the path alongside Aatkei, following the trail with his eyes and spotting another gigasized tower, snuggly wrapped and possibly entagled by the blue tendril-like root. The bandit put two-and-two together, figuring it might have to do something with the 'root-rotted' Aatkei kept talking about.

The bandit almost winces at the sudden hiccup in the translating system, not wanting a repeat of the volume issue from before. For some strange reason, the system translated 'ark' into '[VEKTET].' Could that be implying that this super-structure is some kind of ship? *``No it can't be... There's a whole ecosystem on this floor - It's like another world here with different plants and everything!``* The bandit tuned back into Aatkei's explanation of the first floor's inhabitants.

```fix
"Alright, so outta that whole bit ya just explained, I got three questions. Ya said that pretty much anybody that falls outta line with this 'Tvotkei' gets thrown down here, right? Who is that guy?```

He asked, reluctantly stopping while he awaited Aatkei's retrieval of his co-worker. He wasn't particularly excited about the possibility of her waking up and either attacking him or chewing out Aatkei. He'd have to make sure to keep his volume in check.

```fix
"Secondly, this root yer talkin' about... Is it the same as the root in that tower? What kinda shit does it do? Why does it turn others into monsters? And thirdly who is '**Aazkue**'? I fell one knight within the tower and a friend o' mine fell a giant knight in the tower behind us and botha them kinda spoke about him in their last words..."```
Dolores
He thought for a moment about arguing with the bandit but decided not to, there was no point in causing possible conflict. Instead he stepped back and continued to wait, until he was sure that no one was coming.
He sighed so much for teamwork, they would have to find their own ways out.
It seemed he had only one way forward, through the gate, and inconveniently past Kuouo.
First he needed to get past the gate however, that would not be an issue however, he had a drone after all but it was just then he noticed, it was missing.
Noble
The drone evidently had been given a mission. Collect as much information on the VEKTET and its functions as possible, and so had occupied itself by trailing ahead, scuttling amongst the flora adjacent to the path like a weird crab and eavesdropping.
Dolores
```diff
- "Just a fareweather friend.." -
```
He sighed and reached through the bars of the gate, and crushed the lock within his mechanical grip, he stepped through and pushed it closed behind him, drawing his rifle and pressing the barrel to the metal, he fired multiple times heating the metal, then gripped it and pressed it together, melting the gate closed to make up for the lack of a lock, he didn't want to be rude after all.
He would continue slowly, keeping enough distance ahead as to not upset the bandit while he thought of a solution.