A group of skeletons followed Odebus through the deep cavernous passages of the tower. Gab, Luke, and Evie were carried by a group of skeletons.

"As long as the group remains asleep, I will take care of the First Floor," Odebus muttered as he swung his staff.

The dead, buried for several centuries, rose from the ground and followed Odebus' command. The group moved closer and closer to the first corridor, and it didn't take long for them to encounter the pile of rotting human flesh and conches.

"I didn't imagine the entrance to be so desperate. Well, it's about time we took care of that problem," Odebus muttered.

"Wait, let their flesh and blood be used for the other two," he said with a wry grin.

Not a moment later, the flesh separated from the bones of the skeletons, and the blood separated from the rest. Odebus pointed his staff only at the three fainting ones, and to Gab flew the blood of countless innocent dead. This bored into Gab's body, and Gab swelled more and more. Flesh flew to Evie and drilled into her body through her throat.

If you saw the three children at the moment, you would think they were monsters instead of people. "What the children don't know is that if they can't withstand the emotions and suffering of the dead, they end up as their victims," Odebus murmured with a smile. It wasn't long before the pile of flesh and bones was emptied to its last crumbs, and only three very overweight monsters were left on the ground. A black oily mass flowed out of each of the three victims' orifices.

It was not long before the first screams of mutants could be heard.

For a brief moment, a familiar voice was heard sobbing, "I'm sorry. I should never have signed a contract with the guardian of the tower. I thought I could outsmart him, but in the end, I probably got outsmarted."

Alex never informed the rest of the group that he signed a mental contract with Odebus. After he approached the sleeping guardian.

The contract consisted of a couple of things. Alex will hand his right to physical self-determination to Odebus as long as he remained in the tower. As a reward, Alex will get the chance to leave the tower alive with new strength.

"Oh, I see. It seems like you noticed that the rest of your group will end up as your sacrifices for your strength. You, my dear, will get the right to see them grow stronger. I, or rather you, will execute them one day. You should have formulated a better contract. After all, I'm one of the guardians of the tower," Odebus chuckled.

"You miserable monster," Alex screeched, but none of his words left Odebu's body.

"You seem to have forgotten that you no longer have bodily self-determination," Odebus commented.

"Well, it's time we took care of the wretched creatures that plague this tum," Odebus commented before sending his skeleton forward to fight the group of mutants.

"Fight my subject and bring me victory. We want to give your kind the right to keep their freedom," Odebus shouted loudly to wake up and motivate the sleeping souls of the skeletons.

The group of unarmed skeletons ran against the group of ten mutants. The mutants destroyed them with a few blows. Since neither Odebus subjects nor the mutants were smart enough to use any battle tactics, it didn't take long for the skeletons to overwhelm the group of mutants. The mutants were surrounded by the Odebus subjects, and it didn't take before they were killed slowly. The skeletons slowly stripped the mutants from their flesh.

The caves were filled with the agonizing screams of the mutants, who long may have stopped being human but never lost the ability to feel pain.

Odebus watched the fight with amusement. The blood that got spilled slowly flowed in his direction before dripping into the goblet he held with his right hand.

Only after the goblet was filled did he sip it. After taking his first sip he muttered: "May the rest of the spilled blood be yours, Gab," while pointing his Goblet and the sleeping Gab.

A few hours later, the rest of the group woke up. Gab groaned loudly in pain: "Why did I get so fat, and why did I wet my pants?"

Gab's body seethed from all the blood that was pumped into him. More blood was pumped into him than he could handle, which is why he was still fat at the moment.

"Funny. I've gotten fatter but faster at the same time," Gab muttered as he moved. The only thing you could see was a ball running.

"Luke looked like a ball with spikes sticking out of it. I'd rather not touch him. Evie, on the other hand, unfortunately, also got fat. She's certainly fatter than I am," went through Gab's head.

He heard Odebus, who was again sitting on a throne and drinking from a goblet, say, "Another one woke up.

"Of course, my lord," Gab replied while kneeling on one leg. Odebus nodded before saying, "I expect you to clean the entire first floor. I'll give you three a day. I hope you don't disappoint me."

The other two fatties also immediately knelt down on one leg and agreed. "Time to go, Alex, ehm, I meant Odebus, of course," Luke replied with a smile. The group slowly walked into the cave while Alex continued to sip from his goblet.

"How does it feel to watch your motivated friends leaving for a fight while being the only one to know the fate that awaits them," Odebus murmured with a smile.

"Shut the fuck up," Alex tried to say, but no words came out of his mouth. The only thing you could see was a tear rolling down Alex's face.

"I could have sworn that I didn't give your body the permission to cry," Odebus muttered.

The three fat ones no longer fit side by side in one tunnel. "Luke, you go first," Gab cursed. "Why me? You go first," Luke threw back.

"Because you're a fat bowling ball with spikes," Gab retorted as he crouched against one of the bones protruding from Luke's body. "Alright," Luke conceded and began marching forward.

"I hope we'll end up skinny again soon. I'll never be able to marry anyone if I continue to look like this in the future," Evie commented, and the rest laughed.

"To be honest, I stopped caring about such silly things. I just hope we survive and manage to get Alex back in control of his body," Gab commented. "Me too man, me too man," commented Luke.

Evie slowly reached for Gab's hand and lightly pressed her body against his.

"Evie, stop that. You are way too heavy," Gab uttered in exasperation.

"Then get stronger so you can carry this noblewoman the way Luke gets carried by skeletons," Evie commented.

"You do realize I would die if I tried that," Gab chuckled before whispering to her, "thanks for cheering me up."

"Always, my dear," she replied back.