Scene 2 - Archer

The voices pounded into Saren brain in a torrent of water suffocating him making him gag and choke on his breath as he reached the fifth floor. He could feel himself reaching the limit of his heart taking the abuse from the sound driving him insane.

The floor before this he fought his first contestant instead of a glass doll that was most welcoming to rip him to shreds by making him a pin bag. But the agitation clawing at his body was too much to bear alone making no choice but to call out his weapon spirit.

“Archer come out and talk with me.”

Like a ghost, a man appeared behind Saren wearing a gray torn robe. His robe was open at his chest revealing the slim men's rock hard muscles with a scar running down his face all the down his chest. His hair hung low like Saren big sister Len covering his eyes. Honestly, he looked more like a drunk hobo ruff around the edges you find sitting in the alley.

Still, the man's face wasn't that bad to look at and was charming in its own way, “What is it, trainee? Do you want another lesson in archery?”

Saren shook his head, “Second Master Archer talk with me the voices in this place are driving me mad is there anything I can do?”

The spirit frowned decking Saren on the head, “What second master? I told you to call me Archer! And what about the voices just use your qi to block them!”

“Eh? Archer, how do I do that?”

Placing his hands behind his back Archer instructed, “Ues your qi boy and imagine a wall around your mind. Although this isn't the best method since it isn't a technique it should be enough to get you through this tower trainee.”

Hearing Archer answer Saren felt a little embarrassment lift in his stomach at something so mind-boggling dumb he should have thought of it in the first place.

Of course!

It was so simple that he started right away focusing on his mind he started making a thick shield around his brain. It wasn't smooth or perfect there were places that were thicker and thinner all around. It wasn't pretty but with the barrier put up in his brain the voices that hammed in his ears grew to whispers.

He was able to focus again breath and take stock of his surroundings. He had just reached the fifth-floor meaning at this time all he had to do was go up four more floors and be finished when he finished this one. If he remembered correctly he had about two more days until he would be forced to fail. Looking up at the ceiling Saren could notice a clock ticking down with an hour left remaining.

Since they could only move eight hours a day he figured he made pretty good time getting to the fifth floor and decided to make camp at the entrance. He remembered that the only safe spots were at the beginning of the floors and didn't wanna find out what happened if he broke the rule of traveling.

Saren and Archer talked for a bit about cultivation and how to better shield the mind with qi. Every so often a glass figure or contestant appeared to where Saren stuck an arrow in their head or went in with his battle knives.

At the end of the time limit, Saren was exhausted mentally and physically from all the fighting and voices. Thankfully when the time limit ended no more people or glass figures appeared allowing him to tend to his injuries and eat some food.

His eyes had grown heavy and Saren wanted to sleep badly. With his mind made up, he asked Archer to watch over him and wake him if anything dangerous happened. Taking his clothes off and washing his body of sticky blood with some water he changed into new clothes.

He mused about becoming an awakened that could clean his body with mana. Qi could do it as well but it took more effort and he needed all the energy he had to keep ascending.

Rolling out his sleeping bag which was thick and warm he crawled inside with his blades at the ready. He made sure the zipper wasn't zipped up for easy access out, Heavy eyes Saren didn't go to sleep right away and thought about his siblings. How he missed them the real ones instead of these glass figures that tried to trick and stab him death.

How were they fairing? Were they facing similar challenges? If so were they in this shitty glass tower of death? Who could say just thinking about it wouldn't give him answers. He just had to keep pushing forward and pray everyone made it.

Other than that a selfish desire clawed in his mind about wishing to read a good book. He had beforehand handed the demon king and princess book over to Rune for safe keeping. He regretted it now thinking he could have finished it by now. There were afterall 21 volumes and he hadn't finished the first one.

Putting his useless thoughts away Saren cleared his mind and hit the pillow entering a deep slumber in an instant. While his trainee slept Archer watched over the room by floating over Sarens body cross-legged using a bit of Saren qi to set up a warning system.

Later on, he'd have to teach the boy to do this unconsciously. But there was a time and place for things so he would baby the boy for a bit until they got out of this place.

Then the harsh training his old master had put in place would be set in motion. Just thinking about it made Archer chuckle and Sarens body unknowingly shiver.