The tower of Wynd

Six years ago Gaius left and never came back.

The chaos caused by the debacle lasted months, with the Order of Edain sending people to search for him across lands and towns, even continents.

Amias had sat outside the temple waiting for him.

He sat for days, weeks and soon months, praying to the holy one Gaius would come back for him to no avail.

They could find no trace of the older battle cleric, a class that was more or less scarce already.

His master had just upped and disappeared.

One day master Anok approached him as he sat praying near the window. The elder master much, much older than Gaius, took one look at the boy with a sneer upon his lips.

"I will perform your mastery." Anok had said to him that evening. "Do not waste my time, your dedication should be to the holy one, not a deserter." the man spat, glaring hard at Amais.

Amias had not been allowed to speak up and defend his master, he could only glare as Anok prattled on with insults.

In his heart of hearts Amias knew Gaius had not simply left.

Something had happened.

The mastery had gone as it would have if Gaius was still present, if only the older man was there to see him become the battle cleric he’d aspired to be.

Tears burn at Amias' eyes as he's adorned with the headdress of Edain, the highest honor one could receive after reaching mastery.

Where was Gaius?

The years pass and pass until one even he's searching through his master's things. No matter if Amais too was a master now, Gaius would always be his master first.

He finds a book, one of the journals his master must have left behind. Amais picks it up, reading through the pages until he picks one line from the entries.

"The tower of Wynd." Amais reads, could his master have gone to this mysterious place?

He begins his research into the tower pouring through tomes and tomes of ancient lore. There wasn't much but from what Amais could understand the tower was a place of challenge, filled with demons and lost souls, wandering spirits and the like.

The more he read the more he couldn't understand what would make someone want to go to that horrible place.

"Why would master Gaius go there?"

The older man didn't have anything to prove, he was strong and skilled, the Order of Edain respected him and his name.

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Amais holds a hand up to his face as he's snapped out of the memory by Boaz calling his name.

"Listen well to me young one, I wish someone had told me these things when I entered the tower. Though most of all I wish someone had done for me what your master tried to do for you."

"I know, I was lost in thought. Where does the tower come from?"

"Of that I cannot answer, the holy one or one of the ancients must have built it."

"Why would an ancient build this?" Amais asks, sitting up. "You are sure this wasn't constructed by human hands?"

"No human could put hands to lay the bricks of that tower, death would come to them on swift wings."

Amais gulps, even the construction of the tower was shrouded in mystery, once again he wonders why Gaius would go to such a place to prove his mettle.

“You worry for him, that much is clear.” Boaz says. He leans back on to the infirmary bed with a sigh.

“To enter the tower you must make a trade, as I previously stated.”

“What am I trading?” Amais asks without hesitation, Boaz’s stern eyes soften at the eagerness of his tone. Feeling sorry for Amais, the old man shakes his head and exhales deeply.

“The most precious thing Amais, your humanity, your soul.” Boaz replies, the room falls silent once more and Boaz hopes now that Amais might take the challenge of the tower a little more seriously. Amais shakes his head.

“The soul is the one thing that belongs to us, why would the tower want it?”

“A trade, Amais.” Boaz says patiently. “Humans do not belong in the tower, in doing so you become a-”

“Wandering spirit and then slowly I become a demon don’t I?” Amais stares Boaz down, the man can only nod.

Amais nods to himself, making Boaz wonder if he had changed his mind.

“Yes, but in doing so you secure your place within the tower, there you must defeat 500 demons if you wish to return to the outside world.”

“I understand.” Amais says with a nod. “The number etched into your wrist is a counter then?”

“It is. The tally remains with you for the rest of your days, a bane to some a badge to others.”

“Tell me more about the tower please, what’s it like on the inside.”

“It’s not as you might think, every part of the tower is a room, only they do not look like any room within a house or a temple. Some rooms are dungeons, some are towns, some are homes but it is always the same, you must defeat the demon within it.”

Amais nods again. Steeling his resolve for what would most likely be endless fighting within the tower once he pledged his soul.

“You might be given many boons and chances to leave the tower, like I was, special occurrences and I would not think you a lesser man if you take them.”

Amais opens his mouth to protest but on seeing the man’s tired face he quiets, Boaz was only telling him because he wished he had taken the chance when presented to him. Amais sympathizes, he was not unkind to the man’s plight, just stubborn in his will to save his teacher.

All of Boaz’s other warnings he would heed. The man was only sharing knowledge.

“I cannot promise I will flee the tower once it gets too dangerous but know that should I happen upon a special occurrence I will try to give them to someone more deserving.” Amais says with a gentle smile.

Boaz chuckles.

“You’re a rarity, never have I met someone so eager to throw their life away. But I suppose a life lived on one’s own terms is a life enjoyed well.”

“That it is.” Amais says, returning the smile. “Does your arm hurt?”

Boaz shakes his head, waving the cleric’s concern off with his other hand.

“Will you tell me how you lost it?”

Boaz sits up, narrowing his eyes as he prepares to speak.

“I lost it to a Primal.”