The Elder lent me some support as I took a few steps. It took some effort to make sure I was putting one foot in front of the other. I have not felt this uncoordinated in years.
“What was in that drink?” I manage to mumble out.
The Elder Knight laughed and I could feel the vibrations from his deep baritone travel through me “It’s called Honey Nut liquor. Harvested from a tree found on floor thirty. The sap is diluted down with honeyed water and needs no extra processing.”
We moved through the building and went up a flight of stairs, down some interconnecting hallways, and up another flight of stairs. I was more focused on placing one foot in front of the other but spending the better part of 27 years inside labyrinth like caves built in the habit of keeping track of my movements.
A cold wind hit me in the face as we stepped through a doorway. The elder had led me to docks filled with an assortment of boats. It took me a moment to realise that they were floating not on water but hovered in the air. We were high up, at least a hundred metres from the ground. The city looked beautiful stretched out in front of me from this high up. The streets were lit up with all manner of colourful lights and filled with crowds of people. I could even see an ocean in the distance. A long road led away from the tower. It led to a bridge that was built over the ocean and connected to an island. I could see that there was another larger island further away in the ocean.
“Beautiful.” Was all I could say. It was almost overwhelming after spending so long in the tower.
“Quite a sight, isn’t it? I like to come out here in the mornings just before the sun rises. The craft are called mana cruisers, and as the name implies, require mana to run. Tinker Hammer, a Dwarven and Gnome guild created these once it was discovered mana could be used for more than just powering spells. Since then, mana has become a vital part of the city.”
The elder led me onto one of the cruisers, he opened a door and guided me down a small stairway. Inside was a room, maybe five metres wide, with a crescent shaped couch in the centre facing towards the front of the craft. Behind the couch was a crystal ball at chest height supported by a wooden pillar that led into the floor.
Knight Elder Torak sat down and stretched out his arms, resting them on the back of the couch. “Come, sit down and enjoy the view while we make our way to the guild hall.”
Taking a seat, I could only see the curving wooden walls of the craft surrounding us. “What view? Unless you are talking about yourself. If that’s the case, I should let you know that you are not my type.”
Laughing the elder makes a motion with his hand and threw something towards me. I caught it in reflex and saw that it was a water skin. I looked back to the elder to see him grin. “Just water. You should drink it slowly. It will help you sober up before we reach our destination.”
Mac walked into the room and leaned over the couch.
“Here you go” he placed a pair of sandals on the cushion next to me. He then walked over to the pedestal and placed his hands on the crystal ball. A second later, the walls vanished in a blink.
I dropped the waterskin and grabbed onto the couch, my heart racing as my fingers sank into the soft cushions. Looking down I could see straight down the side of the Tower and watched as the waterskin fell… and plopped down next to my feet. Looking closer I could see wood grains where the floor was. The walls and floor did not vanish. The wood itself was almost completely transparent now. Picking up the skin I took a sip and leaned back into the couch. “That’s one way to sober up, I guess.”
“We will be departing now. Let me know if you need to move and I can adjust the floors.” Mac looked like he was floating with the transparent floor under him.
The ride itself was amazing. The sun was setting as we made our way through the skies. Looking around I could see other cruisers sharing the sky with us. Slightly right and to the front of us was the ocean. Hundreds of ships were coming and going from the connected island. As we got closer, I could see the island had several piers with a large number of docked vessels.
The architecture of the city visibly changed as we travelled along. The centre of the city was a mash of differently styled roads and buildings with many different colours. The sector we flew over now had a more uniform look with the roads being made from the same grey stone.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Directly in front of us was a large beautiful looking Japanese styled castle. Attached to the castle was a tall pagoda with lanterns lighting up each balcony that ringed the building. The cruiser passed over a stone wall and elder Torak turned towards me. “No need to go mentioning what we talked about today. It will only make things complicated.”
Not sure on his meaning I just nodded. I don’t particularly care if people knew my story but looking at how fractured this place seemed to be so far, it might be safer to keep quiet. At least until I have regained my strength.
Mac navigated the cruiser towards the pagoda, and we came to a stop next to an attached sky dock.
Disembarking from the cruiser onto thick wooden planks, I saw two figures standing in front of us. One of them looked to be Yui, wearing a white kimono, embroidered with cherry blossoms. The other figure, an older man, was wearing a plain dark blue kimono.
Elder Knight Torak shook hands with the man and bowed. “It’s been too long, my friend.” The man returned the bow and placed a hand on the elder’s shoulder. Elder Torak took a step back, looked to me, and gestured towards the man. “This is Hiro Gushiken, head of the Ex-terra guild. He is the current and longest living Hero, of this world.”
Now that caught my attention. From what I knew, there could only be one. For him to be the longest living hero, he must be pretty strong. Normally I could get a feel for how powerful someone was, but everyone here just felt the same. I assume it’s because I have no reference to my current strength compared to others.
“Hiro, this is Reigner, the first human to be summoned here in over a hundred years.”
I gave a little nod and wave. “Hello, Mr. Gushiken.”
Hiro bowed his head towards me. “It is good to meet you Reigner. Please just call me Hiro”
Yui walked over and took my arm in hers. “Come on. I’m sure you are eager to see the Awakening stone. We have some plum wine we can celebrate with afterwards.”
The thought of alcohol right now churned my stomach. Breathing in I could smell Yui’s perfume. Lavender. “Please, no more alcoholic drinks for the moment.”
Hiro and elder Torak talked softly to each other as they walked in front of us.
“I won’t say no to some plum wine.” Mac said from over my shoulder. I had completely forgot he was with us.
Inside the pagoda looked even more beautiful than the outside. The floor was a rich dark wood. A waist high rail adorned the edge of a large opening in the centre. A series of cherry blossom trees were positioned between floors, which were lit up from orbs of different coloured lights floating between the branches. I couldn’t help but stare as we made our way through.
We continued walking through ornate wooden passageways until we reached a room with a large crystal ball in the middle. The crystal had to be at least a metre in diameter. Blue and purple clouds swirled slowly around a glowing bright red light in the centre. The room itself was illuminated by the crystal, with blues, reds, and purple colours moving across the walls and floor. In a circle surrounding the crystal were several pillows, large enough to sit on comfortably.
“Beautiful, like a sunset.” Yui said from next to me. “I love coming in here to meditate”. Leaning close she whispered. “Don’t tell Master Gushiken, but sometimes I like to bring some snacks and wine in here when hiding -uh taking a break from training.”
“So, this is where you went after you ran off in the middle of sword practice last night.” Pulling my eyes off the crystal, I saw Hiro looking at Yui with an amused expression. That’s some hearing.
Walking up to me, Hiro took my arm from Yui and guided me towards the crystal. “Yui told me about this morning.” Patting my hand gently he continued “I was gifted this Awakening stone by a being that lives in the upper floors of the tower. There is none more powerful outside the Tower itself. Come, place your hands on the stone so you may awaken your class.”
My hands trembled as I placed them against the Awakening stone. It felt warm against my skin. Red lighting built in the centre of the crystal and flashed from cloud to cloud. It was hypnotic, like looking into a lightning storm.
The lightning started striking my hands, and I could feel it pounding into my body.
I tried to pull away but found that I was stuck. I felt something, not pain but some kind of energy, traveling through my body. It was building inside me. Looking at the back of my hands a thick, black, red, and yellowish substance started to seep from the pores of my skin.
“Everyone, out the room!” Hiro urgently yelled from behind me. The sounds of feet running on wood quickly followed.
Feeling like I was about to burst I closed my eyes and yelled.
A shockwave exploded from inside and I could hear a series of splattering noises all around me.
I fell to my knees and realised I was no longer glued to the awakening stone… I felt amazing… and was naked, again.
A blue squared, slightly transparent window appeared in front of me with the word “Congratulations” displayed. The window faded after a moment and gave me a clear view of what happened.
The once beautiful wooden floors, walls, and pillows were now covered in what I can only call a mixture of tar, pus, and blood. Looking out the doorway I could see the walls of the hallway were also covered, apart from a man shaped silhouette. Looking at the floor of the hallway I saw Mac, sprawled on the ground. His back looked very gruesome… and wet.
Hiro moved inside the room quickly and took my hand, his face concerned. I felt energy starting from his hand, run down my arm and move though my body. He sighed. “That was a lot of blood. I was worried you might have perished there.” He gave a light chuckle, “You have quite the health pool for level zero”.
Hiro looked over to Mac, who was now carefully getting to his feet, his back, completely covered in muck. “Yui-chan, please ask Sera to bring us a fresh set of clothes for Mac and Reigner.”
Hiro helped me to my feet. “Come. I’ll show you to the baths.”