Escape From Tickle Tower

32

The three of them slowly ascended to the top of the staircase. Once they reached the top, Alice opened the door to find a set of barracks. To their surprise, they immediately found the crystal that led to the first floor. “Talk about an easy way back.” Rachel said as she walked past her muscular companion. Her eyes scanned the area, noticing a few more people dressed in different attire around. She recognized a few of them from the other floors from their garments alone. “What is this place?”

“No idea. Looks like an arena though. Like where the fighters reside.” Perrine said as she walked into the barracks.

Alice followed behind them, closing the door behind her as she scanned the area. While she walked, her eyes landed on a tall, Muscular, bald man wearing all black armor. She couldn't catch more than a glimpse of him before he turned away from her. However, her eyes couldn't help but stare at him as she followed the other two. After a few seconds, she pulled her gaze away.

“You guys want to ask around? Or maybe we should just try to find the staircase ourselves?” Rachel asked.

“Well, I doubt it'll take long for us to find it. If this is an arena, then it shouldn't be anywhere near the center.” Alice said as she caught up with the others.

“We could just walk around for a bit and try to find it.” Perrine said as they continued to walk around. Rachel and Alice agreed as they walked around the barracks.

After a few minutes, the three of them found a couple of guards in front of a door. “Asking time!” Rachel said as she ran up to them, leaving Alice and Perrine behind. She stopped right in front of the guards, smiling as she tried to look through the solid stone doors. “Hey! What's behind here?” She asked softly. However, the guards kept staring ahead, ignoring the woman before them. “Hello? Anyone home?” She said in an annoyed tone. She watched them for a few seconds, allowing Alice and Perrine to catch up. Once she was fed up, she reached her hand out to the door.

However, the guards immediately unsheathed their blades, holding them between Rachel and the door. The village woman jumped back in surprise, staring at the guards as they held steady in their new position.

“I wouldn't press them if I were you.” The three of them heard a woman say from behind them. They all turned around, noticing a woman with long black hair, heavy armor, and red eyes. “You three are new here. What brought you up here?” She asked in a cheerful voice.

“We were looking for the staircase out.” Perrine responded shyly.

The woman nodded while looking ahead, smiling as she walked up to the guards. When she did, the arms guards immediately returned to their former stance. “Well, you're looking at it. Unfortunately, we do have a rule here. Only winners can move on to the higher floors.” She said softly.

“So we just need to win a fight?” Alice asked.

“Not just a fight. A tournament. Don't worry though, we will be starting a new one soon. You three can participate. Just follow me and we will get you signed up.” The woman said as she turned around and began to walk away.

“What's your name?” Alice asked, making sure that Rachel and Perrine wouldn't follow just yet.

“Ollisa.” The black haired woman responded. The three women looked at each other before following her through the barracks. After a bit of walking, they made their way to a wooden desk with a pile of papers on it. “Here you go.” The heavy armored woman said as she placed three of the papers on the desk. She placed a pen on each with a smile. “Sign up and I will make sure to fill the last slots needed for the tournament.” She said happily.

Rachel, Alice, and Perrine all looked at each other hesitantly. “Is there no other way?” Perrine asked shyly. However, Ollisa only shook her head in response, causing the three of them to look down at the desks again. They all took the pens and signed their names on the paper.

As soon as they did, Ollisa took their papers and handed them two anklets each. “Put these on. They're to make sure you don't cheat and that we can punish you if you do.” The black haired woman said with a smile. The three of them put on the anklets, with Alice hesitating a bit as she did so. Once they were put on, they stood up and looked at Ollisa. “Perfect! Now just sit by and wait as we finalize placements. If you want, you can ask the other fighters for tips and advice.” she said before walking away.

The three of them watched as the armored woman walked away. They waited for her to disappear from view before turning to each other. “So, what should we do?” Perrine asked.

“Unfortunately, we can't do much about the door. If what she is saying is true, then we are forced to fight to leave. The question is, how many of us can leave at a time?” Alice responded.

“Well if it takes a while for all three of us to leave together, then so be it. I don't mind waiting for you two.” Rachel said with a smile.

“Then we'll need a game plan for the tournaments.” Alice responded as she looked over at the redhead.

“We can aim for two of us in the finals. Then no matter who wins, one of us will be freed. Then the previous winner can throw the final match.” Perrine suggested.

“Good idea. I'm fairly certain I can do that. You two will just need to make it to the finals.” Alice said with a smile.

“I'm sure we can make it. But first, we'll need to figure out what kind of tournament this is.” Rachel said as she turned away from everyone. “Let's go ask around, okay?”

“Actually. I wanna ask someone something privately. Mind if I split off real quick?” Alice asked softly. Rachel and Perrine gave the older woman a confused look. They stared at her for a few seconds before nodding. Once she got the approval, Alice turned away from the two and walked off.

The warrior woman retraced her steps, walking past magicians, warriors, and more before walking up to the black armored knight. “Hey.” She said while staring at the bald head of the muscular warrior. Slowly, the ginormous man turned around, looking down on the black haired woman. His gray eyes stared down at her, but she didn't budge or even flinch. The two stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. “Not even a hello?” Alice asked as a smile formed on her lips.

“You should leave.” The armored man said as he turned back around.

“Johnny! C'mon! We haven't seen each other in forever and this is how I'm treated?” Alice responded.

“You shouldn't be here. It's not a good floor.” The muscular man said without turning to look at her.

“As much as I appreciate you looking out for me, I don't think I can. I need to get to the upper floors now and unfortunately, the only way up is to win.” Alice explained.

“Do you even know what you signed up for?” Johnny asked.

“I'm thinking a standard tournament, similar to what we had on the second floor.” Alice responded.

“You were deceived then. There's two ways to move on, make your opponent surrender, or make them pass out. You can use regular combat, but tickling is also allowed. Be prepared, you will need to tickle to survive here.” He explained while turning his head. He saw the fear in Alice's eyes as she came to the realization of what she signed up for. “I see you didn't expect this. Either way, I'll see you in the bracket.” The armored man said as he stood up and walked away from the leather armored woman.