Sarah woke up to the sound of wood, crackling away in the eternal fireplace. She felt more rested than had done in a long time. There was still no way for her to tell the time, but she had slept for almost eleven hours straight. Stretching out, Sarah sat up and placed both feet on the warm floor of the master room. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she noticed that both of the undead children were sat beside her bed.

'They look quite good to say they were dead yesterday,' she couldn't help but think while ruminating in how the Necromancer class could be used for good. 'Create Undead, combined with Revigorise, are quite something.'

Sarah's stomach made its presence known, informing her that it had been quite some time since she had last eaten. Looking at the empty shelf above her, she couldn't help but feel depressed. The food that had once sat on them now was long gone and Sarah couldn't help but feel annoyed at herself for not rationing the meat properly.

'I knew I shouldn't have eaten the last of it yesterday. I wonder if Leo would like to treat me to dinner?' Sarah couldn't help but laugh at her crude joke, it would be mean to mislead Leo after all, but it reminded her of the fact that he often did the same thing. He was a random character.

"Are you two hungry?" She asked the children beside her. They both looked at each other before shaking their heads in unison.

'Will they even need to eat now that they're dead?'

"Not until you bless them with a soul, Master. At the moment they are nothing but walking corpses in a state of suspended animation."

'It's not like I have the souls to spare with getting this place up and running and if they're not going to starve or rot away then there's no rush.' Sarah still slightly regretted turning the children into undead, but it had been done. There was nothing she could do to change that now.

If the undead twins weren't being examined that closely they could easily pass as normal children, but a closer inspection would easily reveal the truth. Sarah was also beginning to teeter on the lines that being partially dead was much more preferable to that of being actually dead. Not that she knew what staying dead felt like. Sarah had already come back to life more times than your average person should be allowed to, but she was also hoping that granting the children souls would alleviate the undead problem.

It was to be seen.

Sarah left the children in the master room and made her way downstairs. She wanted to see how Ariel had gotten on with the trial's advertisement. As she reached the first floor, however, she was at a loss for words at the spectacle playing out before her.

Sebastian was in the middle of finishing of a challenger as Sarah entered the room. The life-sized chess pieces were being moved magically through the players thoughts and Sarah couldn't help but feel awed as she watched the game play out.

'This is amazing!'

The conclusion, Sebastian hammered his opponent without mercy or breaking a sweat. Sarah had been wondering how blessings would be given when a challenger won, but she would still have to wait to find out.

With the game over, the challenger was led downstairs by Sebastian where he left the man with Ariel. She explained that he would be able to challenge Sebastian whenever he wanted, but he would have to queue up if he wished to do so.

'Queue?'

Sarah looked to the left and only then noticed the three more people currently occupied the seating area. Two men and a woman were sat quietly, waiting for their turn to challenge the Game Master.

"Excuse me, Sir Devon. It is your turn to take the trial. Are you ready?" Ariel called out to the man closest the door.

"Y-yes. I am ready."

"Good. Come over here and I'll explain the rules one more time." He did as he was told and approached her desk. "The price to challenge the tower is a small silver. Now that might seem like a lot, but how often do you come across the chance to earn a stat point in intelligence. Or the opportunity to buff the same stat for a time period of your choice. Their are five rewards to choose from considering that you can beat the Game Master of course. All prices are subject to change and non-negotiable, or refundable. After hearing that, would you still like to take the trial?"

"Yes," he pulled a small silver coin from his pocket before placing it in the desk.

"Very well and good luck. You may make your way upstairs. Your trial is on the first floor. You are not permitted to advance any further and once your trial is complete you are to head back down to receive your reward. " Ariel motioned toward the door that Sarah was stood beside and smiled as she caught sight of her master.

'Damn! She was that good with her words that I almost want to take the trial myself.'

"Thank you." Sir Devon bowed to Ariel before moving around Sarah to get to the door. After he had gone, the other two people in the waiting area moved seats to be closer to the door. Not that Ariel was sending them in based on how close they were sat. The diligent receptionist had a list in front of her and had recorded who came in and when. Sarah approached the desk and as quietly as she could, she said, "Can I see you in the stairwell please, Ariel?" The receptionist was happy to oblige and the two women moved from prying eyes.

As soon as the door was shut, Sarah turned to Ariel, the shock clearly written across her face. "How did you get those people in here? They were avoiding the tower last time I checked. And so many as well. Whatever you did, Ariel, you're a genius." Ariel was beaming thanks to her master's praise. "How many people have challenged Sebastian since I was asleep?" Sarah was curious to know how it had gone since she crashed last night.

"It was challenging at first as it would appear that I am not able to leave the tower. For reasons beyond my comprehension, there is a barrier that prevents me from passing the door. That said, I got one of the undead children to go outside and hang the sign on the wall opposite our building. After that people just kept arriving because they want to increase their intelligence. So far, Sebastian has had twelve challengers and none of them have claimed victory."

Ariel was still radiating as she gave her report. Sarah's compliment had had a bigger impact of the ghostly receptionist than she thought it would. The biggest shock, however, was the fact that Ariel's had sent one of the undead children outside alone

"You can't send them out there. They're undead. I worked hard to make sure people wouldn't see them last night." Sarah began to complain until she saw Ariel's mood take a sudden 180.

"What I meant was, you should have woke me up. I'd have done whatever you needed doing outside. So please, don't send the children out again. I don't want to be caught before we've even begun." Sarah's stomach once again voiced its own opinion, only this time it was much louder than it had been in the master room.

"I'm sorry, Master. I would not have dreamt to wake you for such a thing. I was waiting to ask you if would let me possess the young girls body though."

Sarah looked at Ariels non-corporeal form, remembering that she was a summoned soul. She then thought of the soulless child upstairs, putting two and two together before chastising herself for not realising sooner.

'I already have two summoned souls!'

"Yes, Master," H.B replied from the confines of her ring.

'Well if you already knew that, why didn't you remind me of it?' she asked.

"I thought you were aware and just waiting for the right time to combine them, Master."

Sarah looked at ariel as though she'd lost the ability to be shocked and that this might as well be the norm now. "You want to inhabit the body of the dead, yet not dead, girl upstairs?" She asked in a serious monotone.

"Yes, Master. Please may I?" Ariel clasped her hand together in front of her chest in a pleading motion.

"Fine, whatever. Things can't possibly get crazier than they are, right?" As though her mouth was a nuclear bomb and she herself the detonator, the door to the tower bursts open just as Sarah finished. Popping her head through the stairwell door, Sarah saw a man, dressed head-to-toe in brilliant white, swagger into the reception area like he owned the place. He was fiddling with a the small spectacles sat on his nose when his gaze fell on the peeking woman.

"Are you the receptionist?" He asked.

The man had an air about him. One that said he had money and influence aswell as being used to getting his own way. Sarah pegged him as a haughty officer. A man fresh from the academy who'd never seen a day of active combat in his life.

'Fuck no.'

Things weren't always as they seemed in this new world, however, and the multi-deathed Lance Corporal was quickly beginning to grow accustomed to that fact. The man was rich and definitely used to getting his own way. It was evident by his demeanour and lack of respect.

"Well? Are you deaf or what?" He blatantly insulted Sarah.

"No. I am not the receptionist. Are you the prostitute we ordered?" Instantly annoyed at the man who had obviously kicked her door open, thankfully the tower was made of asshole-proof magic, Sarah didn't hold back as they began throwing insults back and forth at one another. It didn't last long, however, as the female child from upstairs, who now happened to look exactly like Ariel, only small, appeared between them from out of thin air.

'No fucking way!'

"I will not allow you to talk to my master in such a contemptuous tone. I am the receptionist and if you continue to behave in such a rude and disrespectful manner, you will force me to deny you entrance to the tower for a set period of time. If you apologise to my master, however, I may overlook your unruly behaviour and still let you attempt the trial." Ariel was cool as hell as she laid down the law. In the body of a twelve year old child no less.

Name: Ariel

Class: Receptionist - Level 12

Title: Deadly Receptionist

Skills:

- Booking In Level 5

- Barring Level 2

- Materialise Level 13

'How come she has a teleport skill, but I don't? How is that fair? I'm supposed to be the tower's master.' Sarah couldn't help but feel frustrated after using Identify on Ariel.

"Hmm. Who left this little snot here? Little brat, it's not funny to mock adults now you better disappear or else I will have to..." The foul-mouthed trespasser wasn't able to finish his sentence before his feet left the floor and he was prompt ejected from the tower.

Sarah was so shocked that she'd all but forgotten that Ariel had managed to learn teleportation while she still had not. She also thought it was kind of comical, how the pompous fool had been magically kicked out and she couldnt help but laugh. Sittingbin his rectum, the man's face was bright red as he began shouting at the top of his lungs.

"What the fuck? Are you joking me? How dare you? Let me in. Let me in, right now!" He started banging on an invisible barrier, one that prevented him and anyone else deemed unworthy of entrance. "You can't do this to me! Do you know who I am?"

"Nobody speaks to my master like that so it does not matter who you are," Ariel replied, speaking from her side of the barrier. "The tower is open to all who can afford it and your status means nothing while inside. You will do well to remember that next time. Seeing as this is your first offence, I will be lenient this time only. Your ban will last for seven days. After that time, if you come back sincerely, I will permit you entrance once more." Ariel then closed the door on the him before he could let his rage spill out further. , leaving him to his own devices returns to Sarah.

"Don't worry, Master. I will make him grovel at your feet before he re-enter the tower," she smiled. The three remaining spectaters alternated their gazes between the woman and child after hearing the smaller-one's words.

'We should have just sent him to Solus. He didn't seem like the type of person that has a good impact on society.' Sarah realised that was the darkest thought she had ever had and tried to forget it. Thankfully a distraction was close by.

"Excuse me, are you the master here? That's what the receptionist said, right?" The woman sat at the front of the queue gave up her spot to approach Sarah.

'Oh for fuck sake, Ariel. That's why I wanted to speak in the stairwell.'

The receptionist did not receive the angry thoughts thrown her way as she smiled with her cute little face and jumped up onto her chair.

'Fucking magic.'

Sarah turned back at the questioning woman who had turned up hoping to earn some stat points. "Yes, I'm the Master. Although I despise that title. My name's, Sarah. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Melanie and the pleasure is mine. I can't believe that you're the master of this building. That's so amazing."

"Erm, thanks?" So... what can I do for you, Melanie?"

"I was wondering if you were hiring at moment? I kind of need a job and this place is just so cool."

"Hiring? You mean you're looking for a job?" Sarah wasn't expecting to have a conversation about employment so soon after waking up. Then again, she hadn't been expecting most of what had happened to her do far so she chalked it up as another log on the fire.

Melanie was nodding over enthusiastically and Sarah could tell how much effort it would be to talk her out of it. Giving in almost instantly, as she had done to Ariel a few minutes ago and because it was still morning, Sarah agreed and hired Melanie on the spot.

"Fine. First of all, Ariel is your boss. Do what she says when she says it and everything will hopefully be fine. Your pay will be around one silver coin a week. I'm not sure if that's good or not, but you can discuss it with your supervisor if you're happy. We only opened earlier, but business seems quite good, so fingers crossed. Number three..." Sarah moves in close to Melanie and whispers in her ear. "Do not attempt to go near the final trial. You might possibly die as it's not ready yet." Melanie nodded while turning white.

"Good. Now that that's sorted, I need to eat. Ariel, I need some funds to buy breakfast. I'm absolutely starving." The small receptionist bounced over to her desk and removed a small pouch.

"Could I have some too, Master?" she askedas she handed the cash over to Sarah.

'Oh yeah. She's possessing an actual body now. Granted she was undead before, but revigorise combined with possession make her look like any other child. Although, for arguments sake, I suppose she is actually alive now. Does that mean I'm like God. Bow before my power,' Sarah chuckled inwardly.

"I think you may be getting a little carried away, Master."

Sarah coughed into her hand trying to hide her embarrassment. It was easy to forget that H.B could hear her thoughts from inside the ring. "Yeah. Of course I will, Ariel." She took the small pouch and stored it in her ring before leaving the tower.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Sarah called, still sore and wondering what she had to do to earn herself a teleport skill.