Shining Stars and Precious Jewels

Chapter Twenty - Meeting

-Khun POV-

It didn't take long for Bam and I to head back to our base after our date. We came back to find Endorsi intently discussing something with Rak. "Hey Princess," I snarked. "Get anything out of her?"

"Actually, I did, as a matter of fact." Endorsi snickered. "Surprised?"

Before I could answer, she moved on.

"We've been waiting for you guys to have a meeting to discuss what we know now. Come on."

We followed her into our impromptu meeting room (really just our dining room). Shibisu, Hatz, Anaak, Lauroe, Hockney, and Elaine were already there, waiting.

Endorsi stood at the head of the table. "I was talking to Rachel, and she's being threatened, or blackmailed, or something like that. Somebody out there is telling her to kill us, and we need to find out who."

"She might not be trying to kill all of us," Hockney pointed out. "For all we know, she's just going after Bam."

Isu nodded. "That could be true." He looked at me and smiled sheepishly. "There's a high chance she just went after you because she hates you. You do piss people off easily."

I shrugged. "It's true."

"Either way, we need to figure out who this mystery person is," Elaine said. "It's kind of hard to narrow it down. No offense Bam, but a lot of people want to kill you. I'm almost impressed that someone as nice and sweet as you could have so many enemies."

"No offense taken. You're completely right. We know Jahad definitely wants to kill me, which is why he sent Ari Lea after us. I don't think he'd use Rachel as a pawn though...she has ties to Arlene as well, which is ultimately the reason why he hates me," Bam mused. "It could be someone within FUG as well. Not everyone was happy with a regular becoming a slayer candidate."

"It probably isn't Jahad," Anaak agreed.

"I don't think it's FUG," I said. "I think it's someone outside FUG and Jahad, someone we previously thought was a neutral party."

"Rachel did say they were 'ancient and powerful,'" Endorsi replied.

"Maybe it's Poe Bidau Gustang?" Bam suggested. "He's a family leader, and things with him and Jahad aren't great right now. I don't get why he would help me though, and be so hesitant to help Rachel."

"I was thinking along the lines of someone-or rather, something else. Something that would feel threatened by the presence of another regular in the tower, but can't directly interfere."

Isu's eyes widened. "You don't mean-an administrator?"

I nodded. "Logically, that would make the most sense. I don't think administrators can directly interfere with people outside of their floor. Therefore, they would need a pawn-"

Endorsi finished the sentence. "-to send after Bam! It all makes sense!"

"How are we supposed to stop an administrator?" Hatz demanded. "The only person who's ever done it is Enryu, and he was the second strongest person in the tower! Bam's nowhere near his level."

"It could depend on the administrator," Isu said thoughtfully. "If it was, say, the 5th floor administrator, all it could do is send pawns. It can't leave its floor, and we would never go back there."

"The only question is, which one?" Elaine asked.

"I have an idea in mind," Bam said quietly, frowning. "Headon."

"Headon? Why would it be Headon?" Endorsi asked. "All the old rabbit does is choose regulars."

"When I first entered the tower, Headon gave me his special test. It was completely rigged, and he didn't even give me a pocket. If it wasn't for Yuri and Evan, I would be dead. He's the only administrator who's actively tried to kill me," Bam replied.

"We're all missing a piece of the puzzle." All of the heads in the room swiveled to look at Anaak. "Hwaryun. She's missing. The coordinates we received weren't from her. It's safe to say Rachel's allies probably captured her."

"They kidnapped the guide, who is arguably one of our most useful allies, and used her to set a trap. They didn't realize that I was alive, and how powerful Bam had become, so the trap failed. However, we'll have to rescue the witch eventually, so they have more opportunities. As for why they kidnapped her, Hwaryun managed to bring Bam up the tower with FUG as his guide. She is one of the best tools we have to get to the top, which Headon, or whoever is going after Bam, will by trying to prevent. It's a well thought out plan," I muttered.

"We'll have to save her," Bam decided. "I can't leave her behind."

I thought I heard Endorsi discreetly mutter "yes you can" under her breath.

"Well, what are we waiting for, turtles?" Rak yelled. "Let's get the red turtle back!"

——

Well boys, gals, and nb pals, this took a long longer to put out than I wanted it to. I've been super busy, and I don't have as much time as I used to. Until I get a bit more time in my schedule, I'm going for an update a month, which I know isn't a lot, but I'm trying. Thank you for being so patient with me! <3