>>6189935The hardest to convince will be the oldest in the tower. The salaryman is not going to listen or respect a teenage girl, being 50 years old and used to automatically taking the lead. The fact he was the one who opened the door and was alone solidified that first impression.
That leaves the other two mortals.
The delivery guy looks like a typical blue-collar young adult and is probably the hardest working one. His clothing is dirtier than the rest with blotches of stains from grass and unidentifiable plant essences. He probably diligently went out of the tower to look for supplies and food. Probably the bravest of the three.
While the bar lady is missing her shirt, she has clearly taken it off and cut it up into bandages. Her flashy red blazer is the only thing covering her chest up. A tired look of a woman always working the night shift lines her face. You rather not have to harvest Mana from her; she took care of your cat by sacrificing her shirt.
These are all very interesting things to observe, but there's something else that catches your eye.
You see a pile of crushed cigarettes and ashes smeared about in a corner of the tower. Several of those cigarettes have lipstick staining on the butt; others were crushed underfoot thoroughly, while the rest have been burnt straight down to the filter.
Each adult in this tower is a smoker.
You reach into your backpack and pull out the strange box of cigarettes the Artist paid as a tax. If there is one thing you look forward to when the Guilds are set up for a proper government, it is regular and timely tax collecting. The Artist has not willingly paid up a share of his summoned vices like another bottle of Absinthe.
Taking the opportunity, you remove the Mask to show your undisguised face to the mortals before handing over the pack of cigarettes to them as a small bribe. They light up the cigarettes with joy. The air is thick with smoke as you begin speaking.
"I realize the situation is overwhelming. So I'll just focus on how we can get out. One is the defeat of the master of this domain. Something that is very dangerous for me since I'm the only warrior with a hope in defeating it. The second involves someone volunteering to give up Mana, a sort of magical energy that will pierce through the barriers trapping you here in this place."
There's a third option involve using the exit candle to get to the border of the hateful World and domain but these mortal don't need to know that. The look of shock and dismay is on display on every face. They don't even know what to say, the air is silent as each absorbs your request.