{That should do it.} The voice whispered in delight as it seemed to finish its task. {Now, Pawn, my new playing piece. Do you think you can survive while trying to save this world?} The whisper asked from behind me.

“I have to do what now?” I ask while blinking in surprise.

{Either you win my little game which will save this world while also stopping me from finding and destroying your world.} The pressure of the dark tightened around me.

“So, I just have to do what? Find some balls and capture some magical creatures?” I ask while trying to shrug under the heavy pressure.

{Basically, yes. You will have 1 year to defeat all the Tower Guardians, otherwise you lose.} The darkness pulls its pressure away.

“What towers?” I ask with a chuckle, thinking I was being underestimated.

{These 5, for now.} The voice whispered as five blazing lights shone through the dark void pushing it away. The curtain of darkness vanished as the lights from the towers dimmed down to reveal the morning sunshine and cool sea breeze.

“Those?” I stupidly replied while blinking at the stunning view. Large black spires with a glowing rune on their tops were scattered around before my view. One sat atop a gigantic volcano that was actively spewing lava down its side. Another hid slightly behind the peak of the crazily tall mountain. “How did they get up there?” I asked while viewing another tower on top of a cluster of smaller mountains.

{You should have no problem defeating these in only 300 days.} The whispering dark wisp behind my ear said with glee.

“What’s so special about these towers anyways? Do I get a reward for beating them?” I ask the voice while I begin to stretch.

{Make that 200 days.} The voice said in a grumpy manner.

“Seriously?!” I turn to spin around and only face a dim cave and set of stairs, I glance around worriedly.

{That’s a better reaction.} The whisper purrs from behind my ear.

“Why do I need to beat the tower?” I ask the whisper while turning back to the view. The tower in the east seems to be high on top of a large flat plateau, with large moving flying shapes around it.

{They Lock the Land.} The voice stated in a serious tone. {You want to meet those friendly strangers again, you had better unlock their Tower and hope their souls survived.} The whisper chuckled evilly at the last part.

“I beat a Tower, and I get back people’s souls?” I look down at the nearest tower, it seems to be only a day’s walk away. “Wait a moment, I’ve been down there…the bones, what is-” A force silences my mouth.

{Too many questions, not enough entertaining. It’s time to play.} The voice whispers before a clapping noise sounds out. {I’m curious as to what those young fools did to my warmachine’s programming, looks like the soul binding is stable, for now...} The voice mumbles just loud enough to hear as it fades away, leaving me totally alone on a stone pedestal as the force disappears from my mouth.

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“Well, let’s try to focus on our current goal, staying alive.” I take a few deep breaths before shaking out my body. “Alright, so, towers… Let’s head to that closest one and check out what it’s all about.” I say with some excitement and freeze before I jump off the platform. “Wait, what did it mean, defeat the tower? Are they filled with those stronger Pals?” I take a look at the stunning strange scenery with terrified amazement.

{Almost forgot.} The whisper touched the back of my neck while popping back up.

“Ah!” I shouted while jumping in surprise. “Shit!” I flail my arms as I skid to a stop right on the edge. “Of course…” I sigh as I accept my fate and fall just a short ten foot drop, onto my back. “Ow…” I groan as the air hisses out of my lungs.

{Here’s a little gift from me, to my new favorite Pawn.} The dark shadowy figure stares down at me from the ledge. The Paldex pops into view before turning into light and attaching itself around my left wrist. {Now it’s hands free, and voice activated.} It said with some pride.

“Thank you, uh, dark one?” I mutter as I roll onto my feet. A heads up user interface appears in my vision. “Woah, this is cool. What are the technical points and how can I get some?” I ask it while looking at a grayed out image of a bonfire.

{You were a good choice.} It mumbles to itself. {Collect Essence and Grow your Existence.} The voice whispered in my ear.

“How?” I asked with an excited grin on my face.

{Kill, capture, make, take, destroy, or force your will on others to do it for you.} The voice explained with excitement. {Your Paldex will track your essence amount as a level. You get a point for every level, while some tech guides have been scattered about.} The voice chuckled some as a shower of light erupted from behind me.

“What are those?!” I shouted as the streaks of light travel across the lands in my sight.

{Go find them, if you want to know.} The voice says as the dark figure fades away. {It’ll be no fun if you die too quickly, so here.} The spot where the black voice disappears bursts into two orbs of soft light.

“Are those items?” I look at the glowing balls hovering above the ground. “Wait, where are my clothes?” I pat my topless body. “Seriously!?” I shout after checking the backpack for any of the items I previously acquired. “Empty…” I sighed as I hung my head for a moment.

“Oh well, better get started then.” I took in a deep breath to chase away the negative before walking over to pick up the items. “Hmm, ‘One-time use, Weapon Schematic’ and ‘Pal Sphere Schematic’. I wonder what that means.” I say as I store them.

[DING] A chime rang out with a small burst of light. [Essence has leveled up. Essence Level is 1.] A machine-like voice spoke while a text notification appeared before me. [All Level 1 Tech has been unlocked as a reward.] It follows up with a soft chime.

“Yes! Now I can make those magical gathering tools and… the mighty club.” I roll my eyes at the selection of a ‘weapon’. “I wish I could see what’s available for future levels.” I close out the Paldex screen as I walk up to the ancient looking statute before me. “What a way to start a day.” I sigh as I learn against the statute to enjoy the sights for a moment more.

[Tech Point Acquired/Jump Point Registered] The chime rang out with a deeper voice speaking beneath it.

“What the…” I jumped back to watch the statute slowly take on a bluish hue of a soft glow. “Fire?” I sniff as I smell the familiar scent of burning pine wood with some meaty aroma to it. “Cooking fire?” I turn my head to the side to see a campfire with some meat roasting on spits above it. The cook seemed to be covered in thick leather hide armor with a well used shotgun resting on their laps. “People?” I wandered over to see if the gun wielding stranger might be friendly.