His breathing turned steady as they entered into the new realm of the tower. Even though he should know that he was safe, with Mikella by his side along with all the other Experts and Journeymen he trusted–he still felt off.
Like visiting a warzone he didn’t want to be a part of. The way his hand was grasped to the point that his bones felt like creaking also signified Mikella’s feelings. He turned to her, seeing her hold his hand throughout the transportation.
She looked back at him, almost accusingly. “Just wanted to make sure you don’t teleport away from me or something.”
He didn’t know whether to take that as playful banter or a serious note of worry. Either way, he was thankful even if his hand felt like being crushed.
She let go, realizing and apologizing about the power in it. Just to be safe, he was already flaring a weak Endurance buff on himself with his runes, so it didn’t go as far as breaking it. They turned to the others who also appeared along with them. Then they spun back around to their new surroundings.
The last two towers had some sort of theme–their tower was like being stuck in a castle with knights and dragons, and Alex’s was some strange torture room filled with chains and obelisks.
This time, it felt like they were transported into some temple based in some desert. There were colored cobblestone walls, or perhaps sandstone from their beige to amber coloring, and rugs covering the entirety of the floor of the hallway. There were even some abstract stone vases that were placed in intervals between each other across the halls, and once again there were the same similar doors, though rather than the wooden ones from the first tower, they looked like giant iron doors with small windows that had bars across them.
Rather than some sort of temple, it was like a dungeon, in a literal sense. The reason it felt like a temple was due to the vases and statues standing on top of small pillars that looked like objects of worship, with small braziers hung via chains across the hallways lit in blue flames.
It was different from the fluorescent lights from the first tower, but it still gave off that ominous feeling like before.
“Everyone alright?” Cloud asked, getting everyone’s attention.
“No sign of undeath, so I’m good,” Myra commented. She had a light smile on her face, showing how everyone was feeling deep inside.
The best thing about this tower so far was that there were no signs of zombies attacking them, filled with undeath. Still, that didn’t mean that they were out of danger yet.
“I’ll take point,” Piker stepped forward. “Zeke, use your barriers if you feel that something’s coming up.”
Zeke nodded as the group went ahead across the hallway. The air felt stifled, but it wasn’t bad as they spent a few minutes traveling the hallway. Mikella went forward with her Cloak to check through the bars of the doors, but found that it was too dark to perceive.
Piker tried opening it, his bastard sword at the ready, but it was locked tight. Not even a powerful pull from the strongest Val was able to get in, the handle to the door completely shut off.
“Now this is strange,” Val said. “You said before that when you were at the tower, your levels were just below 10, right?”
Zeke nodded. “In the first tower, we also had doors that didn’t open. But half the time, we opened them to find nothing of worth inside.”
“It was a real pain in the ass,” Mikella shook her head. “But you’re asking how tough these doors have to be if you can’t force yourself inside, right?”
Val nodded. Cloud rubbed his chin as he thought.
“There’s not enough evidence to find out how these towers work. I thought it was just a strange dungeon before being told that these were actual works of gods. For now, let’s keep moving forward.”
“We don’t have the time to check any door anyway,” Zacharia mentioned. “If it’s locked, no point wasting energy.”
Everyone agreed to Zacharia’s sentiment and moved onwards. Even though they were supposedly safe from the bastion army as they had no way of getting into the tower, as far as they know, they still need to hurry with clearing the tower.
After getting through the hallway, they entered into a large circular area, filled with the same furnishing as the hallway itself. However, this time there were some odd things in here. In this case, this looked to be meant as a cafeteria of some sort, but the tables and chairs were wrought and destroyed, as though some messy accident occurred.
Just when Piker was reaching towards the center, his sword at the ready, shuffling noises echoed and caused some of the rubble of the broken wooden furniture to clatter and break.
“Piker!”
Zeke shouted as Piker instantly held his sword up at the incoming foe pouncing at him. Contrary to their beliefs, Piker was sent tumbling to his ass, his sword still up while gritting his teeth.
The creature gnawed and roared straight at him, revealing its sharp fangs and glistening saliva as it traveled down to Piker’s cheek, causing it to burn and sizzle upon impact.
“It’s… acidic!” Piker shouted before pushing away the strange creature with a kick, getting it to be tumbled away.
Before the creature could realign itself and charge, it was blocked by Zeke’s barrier and stabbed multiple times by both Myra and Mikella alike. While the Experts were busy with one, three others came into view, and that’s when the Journeymen came into the scene.
Val rushed and sliced off two of the heads of the creatures before anyone could bat an eye with her sword. Zacharia measly pulled one’s head towards himself and slammed it at the floor with a mighty crunch, causing the floor itself to break and shatter into dozens of cracks and lines.
Cloud flourished his hand out and a dozen or so glowing flames cascaded out of his palm, taking out the hidden creatures that were hiding within the circular room by some strange means.
Zeke watched in awe as compared to before, Cloud and Val were clearly high up in their power. This was due to the Sphere of Inheritance taking their power away before, but now showed that they have no qualms fighting now. As Zacharia was built more for defense, it was already impressive enough that he slammed a creature to death with just his hands.
Meanwhile, Zeke looked back to find that the girls and Piker were still dealing with one of those creatures. It was a strange sight–it looked similar to a lizardman with a prolonged head and snout, and large fangs with a small tongue slithering out and hissing at them. They stood on two legs, but both arms and legs had claws sharp enough to scratch even Piker’s armor, capable of handling some tough punishment.
These weren’t ordinary creatures, and Zeke blanched when he identified them.
> Temple Lizards, Level 63
Journeymen? Zeke thought in horror. They were supposed to be weak enough for a Beginner to take on, weren’t they?
The revelation didn’t put Zeke’s heart at ease even after taking out so many of these powerful monsters at once in a matter of seconds. The Experts could look better but at this stage, it wasn’t surprising that they’d still have difficulty against an unknown opponent, especially for someone so wily and fast like the Lizards.
After their deaths, as usual, the monsters didn’t disappear, leaving the bodies so that anyone could loot them. Mikella did the honors of looting every one of the bodies, figuring that perhaps those who were formerly part of the tower would get a different loot drop.
Unfortunately, none of them dropped anything of value. Well, when it comes to skill books. Equipment, on the other hand, was plentiful.
“Leather armor crafted with such fine details and precision,” Val said, admiring the well-cut leather and armored padding of the chest piece. While it didn’t fit either of them, being a little too bulky but not enough for Zacharia and Piker, they decided to keep them in their storage packs. They found at least three armor pieces of good quality. “This is how you found those equipment pieces from before, right?”
Zeke nodded. “I’m already figuring out that this tower is meant to train those that were taken. First, learning about combat, then rewarding them with good equipment and books. Still…”
Zeke lowered his head, the levels of the lizards still bashing at his skull. Even if it was in the middle of the Journeymen infested biodome, it should’ve been easier in here than outside. Wasn’t it?
Even if the people here were trapped within the biodome, which was already crazy enough as it is, the monsters shouldn’t be so strong.
“Zeke, let’s keep going,” Mikella said, tugging at his arm’s cloth. The look on her face showed a hint of urgency, reading his mind.
“Yeah,” Zeke nodded. “Let’s keep going. They might…”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Zeke trailed off, but shook his head. He didn’t even want to think about it, but for now, he kept hope in his chest as they moved on from the room.
After getting out of the room, which surely should’ve been a death trap, they went through several more large rooms like this one, only in different shapes and sizes. The lizards were well versed in hiding themselves, using the surroundings matching their colors like annoying chameleons with claws and fangs. However, while they were tougher than most normal nimble creatures, they were cut down easily thanks to the Journeymen.
The Experts also took in the fighting, now that they were slowly getting used to things. They got some decent XP, and once again found themselves a plethora of loot. However, not a single one had the books that the tower was famous for, at least to the two foreigners.
And finally, they managed to level up for once after a long, long time.
> Level Up! You are now Level 41. You gain 2 free points (2 FP total).
>
> You have gained +3 DEX from your class.
> You have gained +3 INT from your class.
> You have gained +3 SPI from your class.
It was a good thing for them, especially since they haven’t leveled up in a while despite killing many monsters before.
But despite that, dread started spreading across Zeke’s chest. Each time they find a locked door, they keep moving forward to another one, making it a quick and easy process. They kept going this way for about an hour, to which Zacharia called out.
“Let’s take a quick break,” He halted everyone, getting their attention. “With the way things are going, we can find an easy place to defend, and recover our resources.”
“But we can still keep going,” Mikella answered back. “Besides, weren’t you the one that said that we needed to keep moving and not waste time?”
“Yes, I did,” Zacharia nodded. “I also said that once we get out, we’re going to get back into fighting against Bastion. I’d rather we get back to the best possible condition rather than head out weary and tired.”
Mikella gritted her teeth behind closed lips, but she didn’t say anything else. Zeke figured that Mikella wouldn’t try arguing with the general with his vast experience, even if she disliked about 80% of his actions. Not that he blamed her for thinking that.
Without another word, the group found a decently small room devoid of anything valuable (they checked) before sitting down and resting their laurels. Piker and Myra were already resting well, being the ones who had to fight the hardest while Mikella was dealing the quick and damaging blows thanks to her fast strikes. That didn’t mean that either were lacking or being lazy. If anything, Zeke was being lazy as he was just conjuring barriers to stop the monsters in their tracks rather than just defending them.
Still, seeing everyone sitting down made him uneasy. It reminded him of the days back at the tower, despite how short that time was. Even if they were okay with no barriers protecting them, it made his fingers fidget. Mikella noticed that as well, and stood up.
“Can we at least check our surroundings? We still got a lot of energy to spare,” Mikella asked the others. “And… maybe we can find something decent while we’re going around.”
“Are you sure?” Val asked. “I know you two have experience in this, but I still prefer we go together.”
“Perhaps it might be better this way,” Cloud answered, once again receiving a glare from Val. He raised his hand. “There’s no way that those two would be in danger with Zeke there. Besides, as long as they don’t go too far from us, we can always get to them in time. Rather, making them stay here would probably be counter productive.”
Val pressed her lips tight before her shoulders slumped in resignation. “I can’t help but worry, alright? Promise me that you two won’t go too far? Zeke, I’m counting on you to take care of Mikky.”
“Always,” Zeke said without hesitation. “Let’s go.”
“I kinda don’t like how you readily answered that question,” Mikella answered back with a frown before following Zeke, but in the end chuckled as the two headed out.
A moment later, the two found themselves on their own once again in the same tower. While the interior was different, a wave of nostalgia hit them.
“I’m so glad that Clara isn’t here,” Mikella said, her voice soft. “You know she’s been having nightmares about this sometimes?”
“Yeah,” Zeke nodded, scanning their surroundings to the best of his abilities “I’m not surprised. She’s so young, and we saw some pretty bad stuff.”
“That and us getting hurt,” Mikella answered. “She thinks it’s her fault we got hurt so much.”
“But it wasn’t,” Zeke answered. “Though you probably told her that dozens of times, huh?”
“Sure did,” Mikella nodded. A frown entered her face. “Where do you think the other survivors are?”
“Survivors…”
Zeke had a difficult time accepting that rather than being foreigners or visitors, the truth was that they were survivors. Shaking his head, he answered.
“I’m just hoping they’re not psychopaths like Alex.”
“Actually, do you think there are more people here, like the three of us?” Mikella asked.
“Huh… didn’t think about that.”
The two talked like this, and while they knew it was dangerous, it helped settle down their beating hearts. With the situation being like it is, they were trying to do what they could to help calm themselves. Zeke wanted to thank Cloud for his support–he knew by now that they were too unsettled for being near in the same situation as before.
When they kept walking, Zeke continued to open doors left and right. While some opened up and revealed absolutely nothing, another was utterly locked. They continued pacing forward, making sure not to get too far away.
Mikella herself opened a door, seemingly normal compared to the rest of the steel doors, and checked inside. Zeke was just about to try and find another door when Mikella yelped out of nowhere.
“What?!” Zeke shouted, running towards her. He saw Mikella’s eyes widened, her hands covering her mouth in shock. His heart dropped after seeing that–what kind of monster would make her react like that?
He was already charging up a barrier and ready to fight even if Mikella wasn’t able to. He stepped over to her side to see the inside… and he paused.
His hands dropped, all his mana winked out of existence. His heart raced faster and faster at the sight.
Inside was just a normal room as before, with the same furnishing and the desolate air like the rest of the tower. The only difference this time was that there were skeletons–human skeletons.
There was a pair of them, and one was easily an adult, and another slightly younger. The bones were different in size and shape to be anything else. The skeletons had bits of rotten skin on themselves, with bloody and torn clothing covering them. But that wasn’t the only part.
Around the two skeletons were varying degrees of leather packs–Storage Packs, the same as how they found their own. But Zeke didn’t care. He approached the two skeletons, with Mikella tugging at his arm.
“Wait, Zeke,” Mikella pleaded. “Don’t…”
Despite her words, clear fear entering in her tone, she followed with him, still tugging at his arm. Zeke was just trying to comprehend what he was seeing. But his mind already told him the answer–he just didn’t want to accept it.
The reason why the angel just told them about the dungeon as though in passing, and why she didn’t bother answering their question about potential survivors.
Because there were none. They died in this tower, and like them, they were surely taken against their will.
Mikella shook, her eyes beginning to brim with tears as she gasped harshly, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked away, particularly from the younger skeleton hugging the adult skeleton tightly, as though they died together in peace.
Zeke wanted to look away. The more he looked, the more he referred to themselves, and what would have happened if either one of them died, or all three of them had died. If they didn’t work together, got lucky, and managed to get out in time… they would’ve ended up the same way.
All without any rhyme or reason, all for the sake of some god that put them there. He gritted his teeth.
These gods took them against their will to do something, no matter if they bring in children or not. They take them to this horrible new world where they have no choice but to fight and survive, learn the skills and head out into the open world. But for these two, even if they did get out, they would never be able to survive in the biodome. It was impossible for them from the start.
So what was the point of all this? What was the point of surviving in this harsh tower, only to die like this anyways even if they were released? Perhaps it was a mercy that they died there. That way, their despair of never being able to get out of the biodome would never hit them.
They never had a chance. They had no way out. That alone brought Zeke to grit his teeth tighter, his body shaking with rage.
He felt something coming out, but he didn’t care. This tower, what it represented–it can all just burn down.
“Zeke, what’s going–!”
Val was the first to appear in the room along with the others following suit. But they all stood stock still after seeing the skeletons. They looked at the two, who stood there gazing at the fallen survivors, each with differing expressions.
Mikella looked wrought with grief and despair, but there was a hint of madness circulating through her eyes. Zeke, on the other hand, had a still face, but his eyes glowed bright turquoise.
“Zeke!” Cloud shouted, approaching them, but then the air suddenly shifted and a wave of pressure ensued from the two.
It brought the others to feel the intensity behind his mana, radiating like a faucet from deep within his core.
His collar, the one that had contained his magic this whole time, started to burn his skin from the intensity of his mana. Small blue sparks coiled around the collar, his neck bulging with veins from the pressure of the collar as well as his own attunement running rampant.
“Zeke! Stop!” Cloud shouted, the others readying to either fight or flee depending on what might happen. “Control yourself. You’ll kill us all if you explode now!”
Zeke could barely hear anything. Even if Cloud was telling him to calm down, and he was right–he didn’t care. What was the point? He might as well just blow up if whatever might happen in the future is laying right in front of his eyes.
But as he was ready to explode with every fiber of his being, wanting nothing more than to just let it all out, he felt a hand on his arm again. It was Mikella.
Her visage looked furious, but not towards him. Instead, that bit of madness transformed into a look of determination. She held onto him tighter, her grip readying to break his bones from the sheer power.
“Zeke… We need to calm down,” She said. She was trying hard not to lose it, unlike him. “We can still survive. We can still have a future. But we can’t lose it now. Not yet.”
Mikella shook her head. She looked up at him.
“We need to think about Clara.”
Even as the rampaging emotions, the whirling mana, was ready to explode, Zeke closed his eyes and took a big breath. He inhaled, then exhaled, and kept doing so as he felt his mana being forced to dissipate through his own will.
It was just on the cusp of losing his control, but he managed to bring it all back down. The sparks flowing through his collar disappeared as the veins calmed down from his neck. With all of his pressure gone, the air returned to normal as he fell to his knees.
He was just so angry, and now, he was tired. He was so tired, he just wanted to sleep. Mikella fell down with him, laying her head on his shoulder.
She closed her eyes, and let out a big breath.
“...We’ll be fine,” She said, her voice soft and gentle, like a wind chime on a hot day. “As long as we’re together, we’ll always be fine.”
“...Yeah.”
That was the only thing Zeke said, because all he wanted to do now was just rest.
He should’ve taken the break like they said.