Richard handed over the ticket to the tower knight standing next to the entrance as we walked into the passageway. The familiar darkness of the tower surrounded us, and a strange feeling overcame me as we moved forwards. A feeling like I was being watched. It put me on edge, and I could feel my body tensing up. I had learned to trust my instincts completely after spending decades inside the tower. It’s not a place to be underestimated.
Richard summoned a ball of light and sent it to hover above the party. The little glowing orb banished the darkness and illuminated the walls and floor around us.
The first thing I noticed was how different the tunnel looked. Everything here was angular, straight lines and right angles. Like the cave was carved out instead of forming naturally. The floor looked to be tiled from polished stone with circular patterns running through it.
“I have not visited the first floor in over a year now.” Said Miko.
In front of me Yui was walking next to Miko. “We will have to stop by the chefcart on the way back. He does really yum skewers with slime and rabbit meat.”
“Oh! I read about that in the floor guide,” said Richard. “They theorised that his class gains bonus experience whenever someone tries his cooking for the first time.” He was looking down at a booklet while walking at the front of the group.
Everyone seemed so relaxed. I summoned a sword into my hand. The familiar weight of the weapon provided some comfort. I never thought of eating a slime. Memories of giant gelatinous walls of acidic pain and death, slowly creeping forwards, flashed though my mind. They were a real pain to deal with since they were completely immune to physical attacks and had to be killed with magic.
“Ah here it is. Chef Powin Flickerhand. Considered the first wonder of GorikTar tower. He is usually found on the first floor but will on occasion climb the tower for rare ingredients. He does not accept coin and only accepts ingredients in exchange for his cooking. In an interview, Powin said that most of the ingredients on the first floor are great for non-climbers and that he visits the slums every fifth day, feeding the hungry.”
Miko glanced back and slowed down to walk next to me. “What’s with the sword?”
I didn’t bother responding as the answer should be obvious.
A sly grin formed on her face. “Right. I almost forgot that you were a newbie.”
That caught my attention. I have not heard that word used on me since my first time playing an online roleplaying game back on Earth. I felt my mouth form a grin. “Newbie?” I scoffed. “I have been fighting monsters since before you learned how to put one foot in front of the other. Next to me, you’re just a filthy casual.”
She raised her hand in front of her mouth and tried to hide her giggle. “Video games don’t count, old man. I know all about your world. when I was just a cute little cub, dad would tell me a story about his gaming adventures before bedtime.”
“What she is trying to say is that we are safe.” Richard said from in front. “No creatures or traps will appear on the main path between floors. You should read the pamphlet they give out during registration.” He slowed down to walk next to me. “The reason why the path is considered one of the safest places in the tower is because you will never encounter other groups of climbers or creatures. If we sprinted, we would never bump into the group that entered before us, even if they stopped to have a picnic. A group must enter within ten seconds of each other, or they will be separated and will have to regroup on one of the floors.”
Small tunnel entrances started to appear against the left wall as we walked. I could feel a pull from the caves, almost like an invitation. A strong urge to enter and see where it went.
“Mazer holes” Miko said from my left. “There are two ways to get to the first floor. The tower entrance that takes you to the centre of the floor, or the Mazer holes which will lead to a random location on the floor.”
“They are called Mazer holes due to a climber, named Ron Mazer.” Richard moved one of his light orbs closer to a tunnel entrance as we walked by. “He split off from his team and entered alone.” With the orbs light I could only see a few metres into the tunnel before there was a turn. It looked more like a cave formed naturally.
“A month later he was found by a group who were exploring the uncharted zone. He was in the red and out of supplies.” Richard pulled back the orb to hover above us. “Mazer reported that he found a named creature leading an army of goblins. They were hunting Mazer for weeks until he encountered the group of adventurers.”
Mazer holes continued to appear every ten metres or so, always on the left wall. We continued walking and after a short time I noticed some light in the distance, spilling into the passageway.
“Finally. I hate this darkness.” Yui looked over to the three of us and smiled mischievously “Race you to the entrance.”
Miko laughed gleefully, already running past her and gaining a lead.
“Hey!” Yui yelled out while running after her.
Richard shrugged then followed the others at a jog. I could still feel the invitation from the Mazer holes, promising adventure and loot. Not trusting myself to ignore the pull if left alone, I jogged after the others.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I followed the others through the large opening and had to squint my eyes. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust and once they did, I was dumbfounded. I was expecting to see more passageways, tunnels, and ruins. Instead, I’m outside, under a bright blue sky. I could even see white clouds in the distance.
In front of us was a dwarven tower knight sitting behind a desk with a crystal ball. She opened her eyes and gave us a quick look over before closing them again.
I felt a poke from my side and saw Yui grinning. “Welcome to the first floor.”
Taking a few steps forward I turned around to look at the tunnel we just exited. The giant tower stood before me. The very same that we just walked in to. Looking up I could see the glowing rings and the walls of the tower reaching up into the clouds. “Are we really inside the tower?”
Yui laughed. “Hard to believe I know. If you think this is weird. Wait till you see floor five.”
We walked past buildings guarded by tower knights to a more open area where carts, temporary stands, and tents were set up. Adventurers were buying and selling equipment and other goods. On the other side of the market was a stone wall with a few tower knights watching from the top. We walked through the market to an open gate where a constant line of adventurers were coming and going.
The group were talking to each other. However, my attention was focused on the view past the gate. Lush green grassy hills sloping up and down like waves frozen in time stood before me. There were a few dirt paths that meandered off into the distance. Rabbits and small blue blobs of what must be the slimes here were dotted around the landscape. I could see some adventurers fighting the creatures alone or in pairs.
This place is a fairy tale compared to the tower I know. Even the air feels fresh here.
“Out the way, dreamer.” I felt a bump against my back and saw an orc stumble past me and fall on the dirt road.
I scowl down at the orc, angry at myself for relaxing my guard. The idyllic atmosphere caused me to lower my guard. The orc pulled himself up to his feet. He looked to be the same height as myself. His black hair was tied back and matched his dark obsidian eyes. He was wearing a finely crafted black leather coat with the front left loose and some grey pants. He was not wearing a shirt and bare muscles could be seen under his coat. The only armour he was wearing were full metal boots that ended just below his knees. Two axes were hooked to his belt. From the look of him I guessed he was some kind of warrior that focuses on speed over defence.
The orc straightened his jacket, took a step towards me, and his eyes flashed with a dim light. A light pulse of energy fell around my body before vanishing. It felt like getting hit with a small gust of wind. Interesting, this must be what being touched by another person’s mana feels like.
“Just who the fuck do you think you are, pink skin.” The orc stepped into my personal space and glared at me. “You must be the latest outworlder everyone is talking about.” His breath was surprisingly minty. “Let me give you a piece of advice. You might have been some great noble where you were from, having power to walk over others and push people down that you don’t like.” He poked my chest with a finger, leaving behind a brown smudge on my robe. I didn’t like that. I could feel a frown starting to form.
“Here you are just a powerless little level one nothing.” He pointed to himself with his thumb. “It’s the GorikTar clan that rules this city. You should think very carefully before you…” He went to poke me again. However, before he could leave another mark on my robe, I slapped his hand away. Maybe a bit too forcefully. His hand went wide, arm stretched out, and he was forced to take a few steps back to regain his balance.
Seriously, what is it with this world targeting my garments. I looked down at the smudge and brushed it with my fingers. To my surprise the dirt cleared away easily, leaving pristine cloth. That’s a relief, I wouldn’t want Sera to see me return with a dirty robe. I remembered that I gained an information skill and have yet to try it. Being curious about the robe, I used the skill.
[Novice Mage Robe]
Quality: Fine (Magical)
Weight: 3.5 kg
Value: 20 silver - 20 gold
Not much information, hopefully it will tell me more after increasing the rank. I Focused back on the orc. Let’s try being friendly. I gave a big smile. “Sorry about that. I am becoming a bit protective of my clothes. This one in particular as it was picked especially for me. But look” I lifted the section of robe where he poked me, “the smudge you left brushed right off.” The orc’s face started twisting up into an expression of fury and his hand moved towards his axe.
I moved forward and grabbed hold of his wrist and lowered my voice. “I’m not looking to fight. Here, I don’t have much, but accept this and let us go our separate ways.” I summoned and slapped a mana ball into his palm. “I don’t want to ruin this fine first day in the tower.” He said nothing in reply, so I gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked past.
Crisis adverted. Really, getting into a fight on the first day is kind of cliché. I went through it once already only to end up in a bloody pile. I won’t make that mistake again. I saw Richard a few metres in front of me with a horrified expression on his face. Past him, in the distance I could see Miko chasing Yui, who was killing and picking up rabbits in the nearby field.
Richard’s eyes opened wide. He looked to be trying to say something and was pointing a finger behind me. I turned around and saw something flying towards my face. I managed to catch it before it slammed into me and discovered It was my mana marble.
The orc’s shoulders rose and fell from his heavy breathing and his blood shot eyes were focused intently on me. “Keep your pathetic trinket.” His words came out so forcefully that spittle sprayed from his mouth. Fortunately, I was now some distance away so none of it landed on my robe. “What is your name, outworlder?”
I liked that, outworlder… has a nice ring to it. Maybe I could use that as my last name, Reigner the outworlder. He doesn’t look happy but maybe he was like the old me and hated casters showing off their spells. He doesn’t look like someone that uses magic.
“Call me Reigner, Reigner Outworlder. Yourself?”
He gave a snort. “Khemrok of Clan AxeTar.” His breathing slowed and his face no longer looked like he wanted to fight. He still looked mad but that could just be his default face. Resting murder face.
“Careful not to wander too far from the knights. Even though it’s only the first floor, dead adventurers have been showing more recently. Likely from engaging battle with someone way above their capability.”
Khemrok patted his leather coat and all the dust accrued on him fell to the ground. He then turned around and walked away along the outside of the fortified wall. I copied the gesture, patting my robe in a similar fashion and watched as particles of dust and dirt slid off the fabric and fell to the ground. Now that is cool. I turned and smiled at Richard. “Friendly fellow.”
Beautiful landscapes, open skies, and interesting people… You know what. I might enjoy my time in the tower after all. I spot the others in the distance and walked towards them.