The crowd went silent, as if they were unsure how to react to the fall of the Champion. That silence stretched for what felt to Elijah like an eternity before, suddenly, they let out a collective roar that shook the very foundations of the arena. It wasn’t simply deafening. Rather, it was a sound so loud – so visceral – that it was physically painful to endure. However, Elijah felt nothing but elation at his accomplishment. He basked in the crowd’s approval, his chest heaving with excitement.

Then, he noticed a silver box glinting in the distance. It stood before the gate, his reward for another level conquered. The prideful satisfaction he felt was nothing new. He’d felt the same way, though to a lesser extent, upon winning bouts in his boxing days. Or when playing other sports as a kid. It was always addictive, and yet, it was usually fleeting as well.

Not so, this time.

Elijah knew how uncommon his accomplishments were. His first tower had been a series of misadventures he’d survived through cunning, good fortune, and simple endurance. However, the gauntlet he’d just run was no such thing. He’d fought, not via tricks or subterfuge, but in an even match against impossible odds.

And he had come out on top.

That he’d proven himself stronger than an entity like the Champion – much less the ten encounters through which he’d fought before facing off against the giant ogre – was a heady realization. Yet, Elijah knew he wasn’t finished. There was still one more level left in the tower, and if he was going to conquer it and survive, he would need every aspect of his unique abilities.

So, with that sobering realization coursing through every facet of his mind, he summoned Healing Rain and set about scrubbing himself clean. The water wouldn’t persist longer than the spell’s duration, but it still lasted long enough for an impromptu shower. He’d even packed a little of his homemade soap for just such an occasion.

He must’ve made for an odd sight, showering with his summoned raincloud in the middle of an arena that, at present, housed quite a few dead bodies. But the crowd never stopped cheering, which told Elijah that they weren’t even whatever passed for real people within a tower. Instead, they were just background noise. Meaningless, soulless, and inconsequential.

“I’ll still take the cheers, though,” he said to himself as he finished washing the soap – and all the viscera – from his body. The shower also served the purpose of reinvigorating and healing much of the damage he’d taken. However, he still had to use Touch of Nature to heal a few broken bones he’d sustained. All in all, though, he managed to make it out of the arena with far fewer injuries than he’d have suspected.

It was a rarity for him to get through a fight without being beaten, bloody, and on the brink of death, so he chose to enjoy it while he could. After all, he still had the Reaver to defeat, and he wasn’t so naïve as to think it would be any easier than the gauntlet he’d just endured. And given the fact that it would’ve only taken a mistake or two to send the previous battle careening in an entirely different direction, Elijah was wary of what he might have to suffer on the next level of the tower.

After he finished showering, he dressed in one of the outfits he’d bought back in Ironshore. He still had one that was undamaged, but he chose one that had already been subjected to quite a bit of wear and tear. As usual, he wore no shoes, as much because he didn’t have any as because his spells seemed to work better so long as his feet remained unshod.

Clean and rejuvenated, he returned to the ogre’s corpse and took the creature’s money pouch, which he tossed into his pack. Then, he retrieved the giant staff he’d lugged up from the other wings, then shouldered it before heading toward his reward. The chest was a lot bigger than the ones he’d received in the past, and as he approached it, he noticed that it looked slightly more elaborate.

He leaned down, then unlatched the clasp that held it shut. The lid popped open of its own accord, revealing a leather bracer. The moment he opened the treasure chest, a notification popped up, too:

Congratluations! You have completed Level Two of Reaver Citadel. Grade: A

To progress further, go through the gate and reach the third and final level.

Elijah pumped his fist in celebration at his grade. He’d only received a B for the previous level, but it seemed that he’d performed far better in his most recent challenge. The question remained as to how that would translate to his reward. The Sash of the Whirlwind had been invaluable so far, allowing him to move more quickly than ever before. Often, he likened it to time dilation, but it was really that his increased speed was accompanied by an adjusted perception of time. That gave him the opportunity to use his speed more efficiently.

Still, it wasn’t a huge difference, and he suspected that was because of his decidedly average performance in the previous level. Now that he’d gotten a higher grade for the second, he hoped that the reward would be that much more powerful. So, it was with eager hands that he reached down and grabbed the leather bracer. When his fingers brushed against the item, an expected notification flashed before his inner eye:

Reward for completing Level Two of Reaver Citadel:

Silver Bracer of Rage

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As usual, it didn’t give any indication as to what it would do. So, he picked the bracer up and turned it this way and that while inspecting it. As he’d already seen, the item was primarily made of black leather, but the back side, which was intended to protect his forearm, was plated silver. In addition, there were designs etched in silver thread across the whole thing. It reminded him of Celtic knots, but slightly off – as if it was a similar concept, but developed by a different culture.

But it was an interesting look, he couldn’t deny.

The inside of the bracer was lined with soft fur reminiscent of sheepskin, though with a silver sheen, and a leather lace on the bottom held the whole thing together.

Elijah unfastened it, then slipped the bracer onto his right arm. Once he tied the laces – awkwardly, because he only had one hand to do it – he felt a surge of power. When he opened his status, he saw that his Strength had improved by seven points.

“Nice,” he said to himself.

Given that Strength was the only attribute that he couldn’t directly boost via one of his enhancements, any help in that department was more than welcome. Still, he’d hoped for more. Even the Sash of the Whirlwind, which was supposed to be worse than the Silver Bracer of Rage – if the grades were meant to indicate anything – had an extra function in addition to the three points it gave him to both Strength and Dexterity. Sure, the attribute bonuses for the bracer was better by a point, but he’d hoped for an extra function.

Whatever the case, he intended to put the extra Strength to good use. After renewing his enhancements, he opened his status:

Name

Elijah Hart

Level

41

Archetype

Druid

Class

Animist

Specialization

N/A

Alignment

N/A

Strength

53

Dexterity

55 (45)

Constitution

53 (43)

Ethera

51

Regeneration

65 (45)

Attunement

Nature

Cultivation Stage: Cultivator

Body

Core

Mind

Soul

Wood

Hatchling

Quartz

Neophyte

His attributes were really getting up there, especially since he’d gained another level during the previous battle. One point per level in each category didn’t seem like a lot, but it definitely added up. Getting extra attributes via his equipment was nice as well, especially when it gave him an extra ten points in Strength and three in Dexterity. Added to all of that were the effects of his enhancements.

And when he shifted into his forms, the results were even more impressive. After all, Shape of the Guardian gave him thirty extra points in Strength and Constitution, which was an absolutely insane amount of power and durability. Similarly, Shape of the Predator gave bonuses to Strength and Dexterity as well, so when he was in either of his animal forms, he was an absolute terror.

And even with all of that, he’d struggled with the ogre Champion.

That was a sobering thought, and it brought him back to the reality of his situation. He’d done well so far, but when he progressed to the next level, he’d be forced to fight the leader of the Citadel. And Elijah knew it wouldn’t be an easy battle. So, he pushed his self-congratulatory thoughts away and focused on the path ahead.

The gate was open, but he couldn’t see much beyond the entrance. He stepped forward into the darkness, but he didn’t immediately progress to the next level. Instead, he followed a long, low-ceilinged hall for a few hundred feet before it doubled back and sloped upward. He kept going, hitting multiple switchbacks until, at last, he reached another door.

He pushed it open, revealing a featureless black plain of impenetrable darkness. Knowing that it was the way to the next level, Elijah stepped through and felt the familiar displacement that had come with progressing between previous tower levels. It only lasted a moment before his bare foot hit something soft.

He looked down to see an elaborate rug. Another second, and he saw that he’d stepped into a richly decorated corridor. Lined with doors, the corridor was lit by flickering lamps, and it featured a host of small statues, oil paintings, and tapestries.

And that was just what Elijah saw at a glance.

Before he could study it further, though, he heard voices coming from nearby. So, he shifted into the Shape of the Predator, then adopted Guise of the Unseen only a second before two elves came into view. One was a dark elf, with onyx skin and white hair, but the other was a light elf, with blonde hair and a fair complexion. Clearly, the enmities of the previous level meant nothing here.

Fortunately, the elves were either too distracted to see him or completely incapable of piercing his Guise of the Unseen, because they never even glanced in Elijah’s direction. That allowed him to get a good look at the pair, and he was a bit surprised to see that they were devoid of the armor every other elf he’d seen within the tower wore. Instead, they were both dressed like they’d stepped out of a period drama.

The female elf with the blonde hair wore a gown of deep crimson, while the male dark elf was clad in pantaloons, a blue tunic, and actual hose. Both wore copious amounts of jewelry and quite a bit of dark makeup around their eyes.

Elijah waited for the pair to pass by, then followed at a discrete distance. He didn’t know where he was going, so one direction was as good as any other. He trailed the two elves for a few minutes, listening to them chatter on about nothing as it became clear that they were a couple. Eventually, though, they led him to a pair of elaborately carved double doors, which they unhesitatingly stepped through.

From his position a half dozen yards behind them, Elijah only caught a brief glimpse of the room on the other side of the doors. But the moment he did, he realized that he’d found exactly what he was looking for.

Still, he waited for another elf to wander into the room, and he slipped inside before the door could close. After positioning himself in an out-of-the-way corner, Elijah took stock of the situation.

And it wasn’t good.

Around a vast table laden with a feast were seated two dozen elves. And at the head was a man – not an elf – that was clearly the Reaver. If Elijah hadn’t known from the man’s commanding demeanor, he would have gotten the picture from the notification that popped up the moment he laid eyes on the black-clad man.

Task: Slay the Reaver without alerting his subjects.