Hunter's ears perked up at Tower's question.
Tower: Do you hear that, Hunter?
Cautiously, Hunter listened, but all that reached his ears was the distant plink of water dripping. He scanned the corridor, ensuring he was alone. Well, if you didn't count the potential beast infestations, which, for the moment, seemed to be leaving him in peace.
“I don’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Should I?” Hunter tensed and infused chi into his eyes and ears, heightening his Second Star Refiner senses. Even with this heightened awareness, he couldn't detect anything unusual.
Tower: I asked because I wanted to bring your attention to the sound of an incomplete task. As long as you hear the sound of water dripping, you still have work to do.
Hunter halted, crossing his arms, making it clear he saw through Tower's attempt at diversion.
“Nice try, but I’m not falling for it. You asked me a question to avoid answering the one I asked you.”
When Tower remained silent, Hunter shrugged. What mysteries lay beneath? Some elusive beast or holy grail equivalent? Tower's secrecy fueled his curiosity, but he knew better than to appear overly eager.
He strolled on, following the sound of water dripping. Finding a puddle on the ground, he examined it with caution, relieved to find a regular clear puddle—not one of those murky leech-infested ones. Looking up, his keen eyes found the gap in the overhead pipe, and he removed a metal bracer from his inventory, forged with Tower’s guidance.
“Tower, do you know what trust is?”
Tower: Trust is a psychological state characterized by the confident expectation of the reliability, integrity, and benevolence of another party in situations involving vulnerability or risk.
“Okay, that’s one way to explain it. Well, if we are going to continue working together, we have to completely trust each other. If you tell me what is down in the basement, I won’t tell a single soul. Already, I’ve proven I can do that, as I haven’t even told my sister about my pact with Claude.”
Tower: I agree we need to trust each other. However, there is some information I cannot share with you even if I wanted to. While my archives are back online, not all memories were restored. You cannot tell anyone about the pact with Claude because you are compelled by the NDA.
Hunter arched his brow. “I don’t need the NDA to be proven trustworthy. The reason I say we need to trust one another is that whatever is going wrong in the basement, I can help fix it. I…”
Tower didn’t let him finish as more text scrolled in Hunter’s vision.
Tower: It is a long story, and we both know that time is not your friend. Trust that I will tell you when the time is right.
Hunter resisted the urge to yell. How many times in his life had people told him that?
“How many more leaks are left to fix?” Hunter gritted his teeth. “I’ll fix them, but only if you tell me something you are allowed to share with me about the nature of the basement. That way you can keep it short and simple, and we both get something we want.”
Tower: There are eight leaks remaining. Fix the leak above you, and as you walk to the next one, I will tell you a little about what is down there.
Hunter grinned and quickly set to work fixing the bracer in place and adjusting it with his hands until it was a snug fit.
“Thirteen leaks fixed, seven left to go. I’ve done what you asked. Now tell me about the trapdoor and the basement.”
Tower: Take a left at the next junction in the corridor. Once you have the remaining leaks fixed, I urge you to pay close attention to a new notification and carefully read it. It is quite different from the ones you have received before.
Hunter nodded. “Before I reach the next leak, tell me everything you can about the basement.”
Tower: If you recall, I mentioned that I believe Claude is the new source of my energy. I cannot feed off celestial energy in the Divine Realm for two reasons. By being summoned here, I was cut off from the source; that is the first reason. The second, more concerning reason is that my energy core was tainted by the ogres and is at a fraction of its former strength.
Hunter blinked, coming to a sudden halt, rocking back on his heels.
“Hold on, you’re saying you have an energy core?” The longer the silence stretched, the dumber Hunter felt. He started to walk again. “I’m sorry for interrupting, Tower. I just never realized you had a core. Where is it…” He trailed off, looking down. “It’s down in the basement?”
Tower: Yes, and given its current state of distress, the core defense mechanism is on a red flag alert. That is why I chained the trap door and put up warning signs to ensure you would not investigate them before you reached the guild room the first time you stepped inside my walls.
Scratching his jaw, Hunter, reminded of his grimy state, longed for a nice soak in the bath. But he wanted to know how effective Tower’s core defense stood. It was the wellspring of Tower’s power, and if it was vulnerable to attack, it could spell both their doom.
“What can you tell me about the defense mechanism?” Hunter flashed a cheeky grin. “Are there really Moskovy ducks down there?” He made no attempt to hide the skepticism in his voice.
Tower: Yes, they are down there, but they were placed there by my creators. They were trained to guard my core with their lives and attack anything they see as foreign—that includes you.
Hunter scoffed. “I can handle a couple of ducks.” His false bravado worked like a charm, provoking the response Hunter was looking for.
Tower: Take the wax out of your ears. I told you these are no ordinary ducks. Even at their Bronze Rank Mana cultivation level, they could tear a Refiner stage cultivator to shreds in seconds. My creators also ensured they are invincible, so you cannot kill them. But you do not need to worry about them slicing you open to feast on your entrails with their blade-sharp tongues and webbed claws. Because once you set foot in the basement, a fire element will trigger a furnace attack, incinerating you in seconds.
Hunter’s mouth went dry. He might have to rethink setting up a leech farm in the basement.
He wasn’t ready to give up on the idea yet. “Can’t you just override the furnace trigger and tell the ducks not to attack me?”
Tower: I am afraid it is not that simple. My creators included a failsafe so I cannot intervene with the furnace or the ducks. A manual override is needed, but you won’t need to risk that once you are seen as part of me. Now we have arrived at the next leak.”
Hunter pulled out a bracer from his inventory and set to work. “How can I be seen as part of you?”
Tower: Please focus on fixing the pipe. If you become distracted by reading my reply, you are bound to make a mistake.
Hunter frowned and resisted the urge to slam the bracer into place. “I’m not that easily distracted.” It took all his self-control to keep his voice even and measured.
When no response came from Tower, Hunter began fixing the pipe while muttering annoyance to himself. A thought struck him. “Did the ogres attempt to break into the basement? It sounded exactly like something those power-hungry fiends would do.”
Tower: Yes, those wretched ogres breached the trapdoor once before…it was horrendous…
Hunter had only heard about ogres of legend—they had thick hides forged in the fires of hell and could tear an oak tree apart with their bare hands.
A wave of sympathy washed over Hunter, and he decided to give Tower some space. A silence settled between them as Hunter fixed the remaining pipes. Arching his back and placing his hands on his hips, Hunter surveyed his work with a sense of deep satisfaction. His limbs were beginning to ache, and a nice bath would work wonders.
Tower offered Hunter directions to the bathhouse. A notification popped in his vision on his way there.
Tower: Before you read that notification, I would like to thank you for fixing every single leak. I feel better than I have in eons. You asked earlier about how you would become seen as part of me. Your new notification will provide the answers to the questions you asked.
Hunter turned to his new notification with a mixture of curiosity and nervous excitement.
His jaw dropped open.
[Congratulations, First Initiate. You have completed a discovery task in the renovation scheme of work for Tower (information redacted). Tower status changed from Derelict to Under Repair. By repairing the leaky pipes, you have been awarded the title Handy-man and earned an upgrade for Tower (information redacted) from Broken to Foundation Phase: Milestone 1.]
“Redacted? Isn’t that just a fancy way of saying you're censoring the information I have access to?”
Tower: I am not responsible for the redaction. Do you remember I told you not all my memories were restored after the ogre invasion?
“I do. Is there a way to restore them?”
Tower: Yes. I believe so but right now that is not our priority.
Who knew towers could have amnesia.
Hunter barely had time to digest this information when the smell of sweet jasmine and sandalwood wafted by on a warm breeze. Following it to its source, he found the bathhouse.
Tower: Please deposit your kilt in the stone basin situated on the wall. Cleansing water is now available on this floor of my tower.
Hunter stripped bare and placed his kilt into the basin.
“So you can wash and dry clothes here, use water and wind elements, but where do they come from?”
Tower: I believe Claude feeds the energy to my core, but the elements I gather from resources around me—the air, the stone, and earth beneath me…however, Claude isn’t the limitless well of energy I used to have in the Divine Realm.
“If your core is limited in power supply and the Refiner Gate takes a lot of energy for simulation, that would explain why there is such a strict time limit to complete the gates.”
Tower: I am glad you made that connection. Now it is time for a bath before you overpower the sweet jasmine perfume with your stench.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Hunter jumped into the bath. It wasn’t even close to half as pleasant as the one in Eunice’s private space. Refreshed and in a clean kilt, Hunter inhaled, enjoying the rejuvenating sensation of his Second Star Refiner body.
Tower had increased the temperature in the bathhouse until he was fully dry. Wiggling his toes, he really needed some strong footwear. He still had to return to Mercos and collect his rusty dagger. Checking his storage ring’s inventory, the straw bale took up quite a bit of space.
“Tower, you mentioned the guild locker; do I have access to it now?”
Tower: No, you need a spiritual connection, as mentioned in my status update.
Hunter was about to press him further when a purple light flickered in his vision.
Tower: A spirit messenger was sent to you from Nicander of the Roaming Cultivator’s Guild. I will grant it entry to this tower, but you must accept it by tapping Yes in the communication notification that is flashing purple.
Hunter froze. A spirit messenger from Nic? It had to be urgent. Spirit messengers were rarer than hen’s teeth and more expensive than a phoenix rewards chest filled with an emperor’s crown.
Hunter's jaw dropped as he scanned the spirit messenger once more.
Tower: I sense you are surprised by this, Nic? It seems very straightforward that he is requesting you to return to Death Island.
Folding the paper, Hunter glanced around the guild room. He had wanted to complete the Refiner Gate, but Nic's message was unusual.
In all his time on Death Island, living within its confines, he had never realized that Big Nic had access to a spirit messenger. Spirit messages were rare; only the rulers and elite academies used them for urgent messages. His own parents had access to them due to their higher status in Delphare, but even then, their use was infrequent.
He frowned, recalling that the last spirit message he’d seen was sent by Emperor Konstantinos to his father before he left the family for the demon scourge. It was the very day he had found out his mother had Scale Rot.
Hunter crossed his arms. "Tower, how much time remains for the Refiner Gate?"
Tower: 0.30 tradaka moments, 94 hours.
Time was ticking by faster than he’d liked.
Nic's spirit message had felt unnecessary if its purpose was only to inform him about a change in servitude status. In fact, his message lacked any mention of the Filo scroll or Magistratus Dimus, suggesting that there was more to the message than met the eye. Hunter had to pay him a visit to find out what he truly wanted to talk about, but it surely wasn't related to mentorship.
Ninety-four hours.
Even with the time difference between the tower walls and the outside world, Hunter would lose precious moments needed to complete the Refiner Gate. Tower had already pointed out that he was lagging behind compared to his predecessors in completing the gate. He had to make up for lost time inside the gate before returning to Delphare.
And even when he did visit, he would have to keep his visits shorter than before. As far as he could tell, spending an entire day outside the tower equated to one hundred and twenty-six hours of his time within it.
"Tower, is the Refiner Gate prepared?"
Tower: Are you?
Hunter smiled and opened his inventory. "Almost."
Tower: Checking your inventory a hundred times now?
“Not this time.” Hunter's gaze shifted past the items in his inventory. He pondered the golden blush apples, needing to make more elixir, but his attention was drawn to the pulsating orange glow of the two loot items. He decided to examine the first item.
[Item one: Chi Bloom Storage Pendant. Common Tier.]
The additional chi storage pendant would be useful, but likely more so when he advanced to a Founder stage. He hoped by then, he would have learned how to cultivate chi on the move. While he could hold on to the pendant until then, he didn’t want to miss out on an item that might be more useful now. He returned the pendant to his inventory and shifted his focus to the next item.
[Item two: Lucky Rabbit's Paw. Epic Tier. Luck displacement imbues the user with luck devoured from others.]
Hunter’s eyes widened at the item tier level. As far as he’d known, he’d never laid hands on an epic tier item.
He rubbed the stubble on his jaw line, trying to avoid the immediate temptation based on its tier status. Hunter had already challenged fate and faced a fair share of bad luck. Now, he needed some good luck on his side.
The item's description was rather vague, not specifying whether it would bring good or bad luck. Relying on it would be a gamble compared to the chi pendant, but considering his plans to fight Tower Monsters, acquiring more chi seemed feasible. If he gathered enough chi, could he access the chi from the pendant to break through quicker?
Finding another Lucky Rabbit's Paw, even an epic tier item, was a rare opportunity compared to the common tier chi storage pendant.
Hunter returned the Lucky Rabbit's Paw to his inventory.
Tower: Have you decided which loot item you would like to equip to your inventory?
"How do I go about that?"
Tower: Drop the item you wish to discard, and I will take care of the rest.
"Easy enough." Hunter retrieved and tossed the pendant. It’s metal clinked across the stone floor a few feet in front of him. The storage pendant rippled in waves before fading away leaving behind the smell of burnt rubber.
Three other items remained in his inventory that he had not yet examined: the Divine Order Skills Scroll and two loot items from defeating the Boomerang Bunny.
Hunter saved the Divine scroll for last.
[Bane of Blight Thorn. Rare tier. Bane of Blight Thorn is tipped with Blightbane toxins, which once activated will rapidly spread through water-based liquids. One-time use consumable.]
"Based on what that poison felt like coursing through my system, one time is all it would take to bring at least a Refiner Stage cultivator to their knees." He replaced the poison thorn in his inventory and proceeded to examine the next item.
In his hands, the thin leather strip was soft yet durable, tied around a thumb-sized sabertooth tooth.
[Sabertooth Pendant. Rare tier. A Divine gift from the gods, purification of poisoned liquids. Aether-based energy type.]
Hunter's eyes widened at the sight of the leather necklace with the small sabertooth pendant. He not only held a Divine scroll but also received one of his three Divine gifts.
The sabertooth pendant held greater potential than his apple blush elixir. Hunter groaned for not having it before his encounter with the Boomerang Bunny. Still, the pendant relied on aether, given its origin from a beast. But could he activate it without access to that energy type? Surely so if it came from the gods.
Hunter decided he’d test the sabertooth pendant's purification ability later. With the pendant returned to his inventory, he turned his attention to the final item: the Divine scroll. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation as the scroll unfurled before him.
[Divine Order Skills Scroll: Clay Horse Triskellion Scroll. Three techniques with three levels of mastery to aid your ascension on the Path of Holly and Horse.
Technique One: Dust Storm. Ranged attack combining Earth and Wind chi.
Mastery Level One: Dust Storm Whip. Combine and project Earth and Wind chi to strike your target.
The following two mastery levels are locked until level one is mastered.]
Hunter paused, absorbing the information and allowing everything he read to meld into his mind as though it were a distinct memory. Dust Storm seemed to be a straightforward concept, a ranged attack that combined Earth and Wind chi. He only had an Earth affinity, but Claude had mentioned another chi energy pending that only needed to be awakened.
Hunter’s stomach nearly leapt out of his chest with excitement. If he received this specific scroll, geared toward Earth and Wind chi, it meant he needed to awaken his hidden Wind affinity.
He sighed. His mother held an affinity for wind.
Combining two elements at the Refiner Stage was a heretical practice, but he had seen Nic simultaneously use Earth and Water chi in the cemetery for smoothing the gravesites.
He smiled, eager to see what other skills he could learn from the Divine scroll.
[Technique Two: Divine Durability. Use chi to increase durability.
Mastery Level One: Elemental Resilience. Use chi to increase resilience.
The following two mastery levels are locked until level one is mastered.]
Hunter furrowed his brows. The description of the technique remained vague, even at the mastery level.
The stone floor cooled his legs as he sat down and closed his eyes, thinking about the meaning of Divine Durability. As he relaxed, a distant memory surfaced – Mistress Arista's silver braid nearly flinging into Pheres' face as she ranted about the empire. "...undeserving of their access to all the Divine benefits. If anyone thinks this system is broken, they’ll get a slap in the face."
She slammed her cracked cane onto the desk, an inscription glowing along its handle as it restored itself whole. Hunter inhaled, focusing on the details he’d brushed aside as a child.
His eyes shot open.
The inscriptions on her cane were the same as in the scroll. Divine Durability was a way to bring the elemental essence out of any object.
He withdrew his knife-broom and concentrated on the loosened Soulvine twine securing the makeshift spear. Focusing his intent and Earth chi, the twine glowed a pale bronze, tightening the loose threads and firming out the knots. He tugged the blade, and it held firm against his pull. With the durability skill, his weapon improved in its strength.
Still seated, he returned his knife-broom to his inventory and read the final technique:
[Technique Three: Summon Darkling Swarm. Use chi or aether to summon beasts.
Mastery Level One: Titano Scarab 1. Use chi or aether to summon and control a darkling scarab.
The following two mastery levels are locked until level one is mastered.]
“Wow!” Hunter’s fist pumped the air. “It feels like all my birthdays came at once!”
An item and a skill that used aether meant he’d have to locate a source for that energy type, but both looked promising. At least the skill also allowed him to use chi. He stood, more than amped to re-enter the Refiner Gate.
***
The intricate details of the golden horse adorned the Refiner Gate, its mane etched with finer lines. Hunter, uncertain if the enhanced vision stemmed from his status as a Second Star Refiner or from defeating a higher-level boss, examined his inventory one last time. A small amount of golden blush apple elixir glowed—a simple necessity if needed for a boost in health.
Tower: Would you prefer a Tower Monster or Tower Defender for your final gate boss?
A notification flashed in his vision, distracting him from the question.
[0.30 tradaka moments, 93 hours, to gate completion]
[Respawn at fiend boss location or shadow boss location?]
“Tower, I know we covered this, but why are you referring to them as a Fiend and Shadow boss?”
Tower: Now that you have killed multiple bosses, you have the option for which respawn location you would like to begin. Each boss level represents the Tower Monster and Tower Defender hierarchy levels of difficulty. I can describe it in greater detail again if you prefer.
Hunter waved his hand. “Sounds complicated. I prefer visuals. Do you have a map or blueprint like the one you gave me for the bathhouse renovations?”
A second scroll unfurled, revealing a pyramidal hierarchy similar to what he'd expect for an emperor's commanding army.
[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/64792192cebc5b13fea7f600/0e5d40c7-3d3d-40ae-95b9-f852951e07cb/Scroll+back+gate+boss+structure.jpg?format=750w]
“So the final boss could be a tyrant if I choose the Tower Monster, or a warlord if I opt for the Tower Defender?”
The Tower Monsters in the Refiner Gate had since been only rabbits, and he’d gained plenty of experience fighting them. The hoplite he faced earlier seemed to be a mere Peon boss, and he hesitated to confront a more strategic and heavily armored warlord.
“Respond to the Shadow boss flag. I'm ready for whatever Tyrant boss you've got for me.”
Tower: May you be the first initiate to complete the Refiner Gate.
As the gate radiated white and opened, the white respawn flag waved as Hunter faced the collapsed burrow where he first encountered the Mega Rampage Rabbit. His knuckles tightened as he gripped the knife-broom, pacing around the burrow entrance. No light shone from the cracks of dirt. Whatever the next boss would be, the Tower Monster wouldn't emerge from within.
A notification bar flickered into view behind the dirt mound.
[Mega Rampage Rabbit XX. No one ever wants to face a mommy who’s more than pissed off because you left her no choice but to use a rampant rabbit from now on since you killed her husband and children. Have you no shame?]
A light rumbling tremor shook the ground, as if Tower needed more energy to summon the final monster. The birds overhead fell silent as Hunter circled around the burrow and ventured through the edge of the forest.
His heart pounded as time ticked on with each step. Despite the notification, there was still no sign of the mommy bunny. He slammed the base of the broom down onto the grass.
“Where in Hades’ hell is this boss? Tower, are you holding back on me? I’m ready to fight.”
His legs wavered as the ground quaked beneath him, with a massive shockwave ending in a steady thump behind him.
Loose dirt filtered the air as Hunter covered his mouth. A large shadow cast over his shoulders. Without hesitation, he twisted around with his knife-broom ready to attack the Tyrant boss, but lunged at the last moment attempting to dodge the incoming furry leg. He’d barely leapt when the massive paw slammed on top of him, crushing every bone in his Second Star Refiner body.
You have died.
The blackness of death enveloped him, and consciousness slowly returned as he found himself outside the Refiner Gate.
Nothing had prepared him for this. He needed a new plan.