As it turned out, the kobolds were just fine. In fact, they were more than okay, and their efforts to turn the tower into their home had certainly born fruit. The entry hall remained mostly unchanged, though there were a few legionnaires posted as guards. Why that would be necessary, Zeke had no idea, but he accepted it nonetheless.
By comparison, the Merchant’s Floor had undergone a dramatic transformation. Not in structure – that was controlled by the tower itself, and by extension, Zeke – but rather, in how the Kobolds had deigned to use it. Under Min Ferilik, they’d had a fairly primitive society based on mutual need. However, the time in the tower, or more accurately, exposure to the former slaves, had instilled in them a need for commerce. At present, the mercantile pursuits were limited to a barter system, but that was more out of necessity than choice. The availability of the gem-like beads that passed for currency in the Eternal Realm was limited, and so, they had chosen to eschew their use.
But seeing all the budding businesses – from produce stands to businesses selling the crafters’ products – Zeke felt certain that, left to their own devices, the area would continue to develop and implement currency into their economic pursuits.
The Residential District had seen slightly less outward development, but Zeke was happy to see that most of the kobolds had at least moved into the buildings. Although, he couldn’t help but noticed that they seemed to prefer to cram as many people into each one as they possibly could.
“Hopefully they’ll branch out a little. Develop some individuality,” he muttered inwardly.
“They’re not quite there yet,” Eveline pointed out. “Exposure to the former slaves will help, though. It will show them how to live like people.”
Zeke agreed, and the group continued on through the Residential District. When they reached the area that had been claimed by the aforementioned ex-slaves, Jasper and Eta broke off and headed to their own homes. Silik soon followed, making a beeline toward an area that had been taken by the more developed kobolds. Zeke couldn’t be sure, but he suspected that the big kobold was eager to reunite with the spiritweaver Kianma.
So, that left him with only Pudge and Sasha for company.
“What am I, then?”
“A parasite?”
“You’re really bad at jokes.”
“I wasn’t joking,” Zeke pointed out, though he did so with a slight smile that probably looked a bit odd because he was talking in his head. “Seriously, though – you’re always there, so I sometimes forget to acknowledge it. But I do appreciate everything you do for me.”
“Which is precious little other than…well, poking fun at you,” she said.
“You have your moments,” Zeke said, remembering all the support she’d given him. Sometimes, something as small as simply offering conversation, but others, she’d actively assisted him in his endeavors. Either way, the fact that he didn’t have to be alone all the time had certainly made his life easier. At worst, she’d kept him from running headlong off a cliff and tumbling into insanity.
“That’s assuming that I’m not just a figment of your imagination,” Eveline pointed out. “I am just a voice in your head, after all.”
Zeke gave a mental roll of his eyes. “Of course. But you did appear to my friends,” he said. “Kind of ruins that theory.”
“I’m sure you can get past that if you try,” she said. “Reality is no obstacle to properly motivated insanity. For all you know, none of this is real. It might just be in your head.”
“That’s a cheery thought.”
Eveline giggled. “That’s me. All sunshine and daisies. Not like I’m a demon, right?”
“Former demon. You’re something else now.”
“That’s true enough.”
The two continued like that as they made their way through the various levels of the tower. The Crimson Spring was much the same as it always was, but it was also far busier, with many of the former slaves taking advantage of the healing waters. The kobolds had clearly begun to make use of it as well. As far as Zeke was concerned, that was a good thing, and he made a note to himself to get Silik and the other kobold leaders to encourage it. Perhaps the excess vitality would help the kobolds in their development in some way.
Next up was the Craftsman’s Terrace, which, from a structural standpoint, was the most changed. As Zeke, Pudge, and Sasha stepped off the teleportation platform, they were greeted by a cheerful elf. She was missing a leg, which she’d replaced with a wooden peg. Still, she moved just as gracefully as any elf he’d ever seen. However, she had clearly been working, because her clothes were stained with dirt, and there were smudges on her flawless cheeks.
The moment she recognized them, she grinned, “Lord Ezekiel! I’ve been looking forward to your arrival!”
“Uh…I’m sorry. I don’t remember your name,” Zeke said. He’d never actually met her – at least as far as he could remember – but he had seen her before. In fact, she was one of his original barracks-mates from when he’d first arrived in Min Ferilik.
“Right. I’m Ka’alasa,” she said. “My friends call me Kala, though.”
“Alright, Kala. This is Pudge,” Zeke said, gesturing to the silent former dire bear. Then, he waved toward Sasha, introducing her as well.
“Fascinating,” Kala said. “I’ve never had the chance to meet many beastkin. My father forbade me from leaving the farm. When I finally worked up the courage, I wandered into the wrong tundra, if you know what I mean. Been mining ever since. But that’s not why you’re here, right? You came to see the farms.”
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“Uh…sure,” Zeke said. That was the first thing he’d noticed upon his arrival on the Craftsman’s Terrace. Before, it had been dominated by various crafting stations, ranging from forges to alchemy labs. However, a good portion of the terraced land had now been dedicated to verdant farms featuring row upon row of crops. “Lead on.”
Kala did just that, telling them how she’d engineered the Terrace’s transformation and personally seen to the farming efforts. She had plenty of helpers, but she had a host of agricultural skills that, while they weren’t very useful for combat, were incredibly potent. As a result, it was through her efforts that the people of the tower hadn’t starved.
And they wouldn’t anytime soon, either. The fields were extensive, covering acre after acre of the terraced mountainside. That, combined with the tons of meat Zeke had looted from the cyclops, would keep his people fed for years to come.
Kala was certainly enthusiastic about it, which she claimed was a bit of a change of pace for her. “When I was young, I couldn’t wait to get off the farm,” she said. “But now, I’ve come to realize that it’s my calling.”
After a few more minutes’ worth of a guided tour, Zeke and the others finally returned to the teleportation platform and, at last, arrived at the Lord’s Manor. Once there, Pudge and Sasha went their own way – probably to their respective rooms – while Zeke headed straight to the huge ruby that was the control crystal in the center of the manor’s lobby. Once there, he turned his attention to the Potion of Evolution, which presented itself as a small vial filled with glowing red liquid.
“Do you know what this is going to do?” he asked. [Inspect] didn’t give him any information, so he was clueless as to its purpose. However, the name was enough to suggest it would be something incredible.
Eveline answered, “It depends.”
“On what?”
“If you drink it or if you use it for something else.”
“Okay? So, the first, I guess.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say it would let you evolve one of your skills. It won’t be a full upgrade, unless that little potion is far more powerful than I suspect it is,” she said. Seeing that he clearly needed more of an explanation, she went on, “Think of it like the first step in evolving a skill. It’ll lay the groundwork for future evolutions, but it won’t really result in that much more power.”
“That sounds a lot like something I can already do, so long as I have enough time.”
“True. But that’s the trick, isn’t it? You really don’t like to sit still. The only times you stop moving are when you’re too injured to walk,” she said.
She certainly had a point there. However, Zeke couldn’t deny that much of his enthusiasm for the potion had faded. In his mind, he’d expected it to evolve his race or, at the very least, upgrade one of his skills. To find out that it would basically do nothing was a bit of a blow.
“I didn’t say it would do nothing, you dolt,” she said. “It’s an investment and, for you, a timesaver.”
“Seems a bit lame for how difficult that dungeon was,” he still muttered. “Okay, so what’s the other option?”
“Give it to the tower.”
“Huh? Is that even possible?”
“I think so. Probably. Like I said before, I’ve been examining it when I’ve had the chance, and I think it’s similar to your skills. It already evolves on its own based on criteria only it knows. This potion will give it a little boost. And with any luck, tip it over. It’s been a while, right? Since the tower evolved. So, it’s due.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Not at all,” was her chipper reply. “But if it doesn’t work, what do you really lose? You’ve already admitted that you’re not impressed with the other way, right? So, the choice seems pretty clear to me.”
On the surface, Zeke agreed. And he trusted Eveline – at least in as much as she wanted the best for him. However, it felt like a big decision, so he wanted to make sure he got it right. With that in mind, he went upstairs, and for the first time in months, enjoyed a nice, hot shower before going to sleep in an actual bed.
When he woke the next morning, he still hadn’t made a proper decision. So, he spent the next few hours working on his level fifty skill. He’d already laid most of the foundation, but the whole thing felt unstable to him. So, he’d resolved to perfect it, at least to the degree he was capable, before moving on to the rest of the skill’s structure.
“You know you’re just procrastinating, now,” Eveline said when he decided to take another tour of the tower. He hadn’t seen everything, and he reasoned that, as a leader, he owed it to the people who depended on him to at least know what was going on.
“I am not.”
“You definitely are,” she said. “And that’s not like you. What’s going on?”
He shrugged, then ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I guess it just feels odd to use something like that on the tower,” he admitted. “I mean, it doesn’t really help me that much, does it?”
“Well, that’s just stupid.”
“Wow. Tell me how you really feel.”
“I’m always honest with you, Ezekiel,” she stated. “You might not always want to hear what I have to say, but I’ll continue tot ell you the truth. And right now, you’re being stupid. This tower is a marvel the likes of which hasn’t been seen in the Eternal Realm for centuries. Maybe millennia. And to say that it hadn’t helped you is blatantly false. Tell me – do you think you or any of your friend would have survived this long without it?”
Zeke was on the verge of answering that question when he realized that she was right. He’d been thinking of the tower as some external thing, but in reality, it was part of him. In many ways, it was no different from any of his other skills. It was even more important than some.
So, after only a little more thought, he finally took Eveline’s advice and headed for the control crystal in the foyer of his manor. Once there, he retrieved the Potion of Evolution from his storage space, then asked, “So? How do I use this?”
“You pour it on the crystal.”
Zeke shrugged, then did just that. The moment the liquid hit the ruby, sparks of visible mana flew into the air, looking like he’d just taken a welding torch to it. An instant after he’d emptied the vial, he received a notification:
The Crimson Tower has evolved, gaining a new ability. Use it well.
“Oh, good. It worked,” said Eveline.
“You sound surprised.”
“I kind of am.”
“Seriously? I mean…really?”
“You needed a push, or you wouldn’t have used it at all,” she said. “I was reasonably sure. Call it fifty-fifty.”
Zeke groaned, then focused on the ability. He had some degree of awareness of the tower at all times, but usually, that knowledge was limited to his spatial storage. However, now, he’d gained a rudimentary awareness of the tower’s new capability.
“Oh, this changes everything,” he said.
And it would. The new ability was simple: it allowed him to summon a door that led to the tower. No longer would he be forced to bring attention to himself by summoning a tower that could be seen from miles away. Instead, he could be discreet.
By itself, that would have been enough to excite Zeke. But that was only part of the new capability. And it was arguably far less important than the real use.
“So, you can summon a door and the tower at the same time,” Eveline said. “That means you can –”
“I can put the tower somewhere permanent,” he interrupted excitedly. “That way, everyone in here can leave the tower at will. In the meantime, I can access it via the summoned door. I’m not saying it solves all my problems, but it’s definitely a big deal.”
Evelien gave him a mental shrug. “No need to thank me for my visionary foresight,” she said with a long-suffering and obviously fake sigh. “I’ll continue to toil away, unappreciated and oft-forgotten as you –”
“Thank you, Eveline. Really. You do so much for me, and I don’t really thank you that often. If there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know.”
She manifested in her visible form and grinned as she said, “Thank you, Ezekiel. I’ll hold you to that.”