The small circular Ivory Tower Token lay unsuspectingly on the wood floor of Thane’s kitchen, and slightly leaned on Beta’s broken metallic silver hull. Thane commanded Beta to use its only skill, Assimilate. However, nothing happened. The three looked on at the mass of metal with dumbfounded faces before Bradley and Horacio turned back and glanced at Thane with dubious looks.
However, a whirring noise of rotating gears pulled the attention of all of their eyes. They looked back with surprised faces at Beta, intently listening and hawking at the ball of metal that rocked and trembled from the internal action happening within its shell.
Its damaged metal casing split in a straight line down the middle. The two spherical halves opened and flopped to the side, revealing many strands of silver metal that weaved into itself like muscle fibers. The silver muscle twitched and expanded, unraveling into a metallic double helix similar to uncompressing DNA, one of the building blocks of life.
Suddenly, thin wires shot out from Beta’s true form and pierced into the surroundings and at certain objects. It lifted into the air, pulling its body that connected into a circle from the strands that latched onto the kitchen ceiling. Some of the other needle-like tendrils stabbed the token, the fallen feathers of Sir Lancelot, and Beta’s hull, full of corroded metal.
The silver metal strands that formed a double helix and connected itself into a circle, shimmered in a pulsating white light, glowing and radiating ever brightly with each beat. The items Beta stabbed through burned a bright and intense blue and white as they melted and dissolved, absorbing into the thin tendrils and ultimately into Beta itself.
The double helix expanded. Parts of the center shot out and formed another spiral, becoming a triple helix. However, Beta’s evolution did not stop. It mutated and added on more and more helices as it started to coil back into itself. A web of silver slowly wrapped around like a cocoon, and Beta spoke to Thane.
“Master, Assimilation is partially complete, and evolution is in progress. Please wait twelve hours until completion. Beta will now undergo deep hibernation and will not respond until the process finishes.”
Beta added but spoke the remaining message to Thane telepathically.
Master, do not allow damage to my physical state during this time. Beta will be most vulnerable and is susceptible to irrecoverable injury in this form.
Got it. I will protect you this time, Beta. Thane replied back with resolute determination in his mind.
A feeling of reassurance came into his head from his connection with Beta, and Beta fell into a deep slumber. Not knowing what was fully going on, Bradley anxiously looked over at Thane.
“Thane, is your summon ok?!”
Thane responded with an unrushed and peaceful smile. “Yes. Beta is fine for now. It’s healing itself.”
“Can it do that? Not many creatures can recover by such strange methods. What kind of summon did you get? Who was the supreme being you contracted Beta from?”
Thane recalled the enormous pair of eyes and the entity’s even more enormous body that expanded into the cosmos. He couldn’t fathom the magnitude of its size. Thane snapped out of his memories and shook his head in response to Bradley’s question.
“Don’t know. It didn’t say, and I couldn’t get a clear look.”
“Well, Beta may be special, but Hond and Strauf are cooler! You lost this bet, Thane! You owe me one hundred push-ups!”
Thane frowned. “And how did you decide that? Beta isn’t even done evolving yet.”
“You mean leveling up? Mine are not too, ya know.”
“No, I mean this isn’t Beta’s final form. Beta isn’t leveling up.”
“Dude. What the heck? What is Beta?”
“See? So I won. My summon is cooler than yours. You owe me push-ups.”
“No! Horacio! Who do you think has the cooler summon? Hond and Strauf are cooler, right? Besides, I got a two-for-one!”
Thane glanced at Bradley and gave him a deadpan look. “Really, Brad? You don’t have to answer that, Horacio.”
“Hmmm… Well, I think both are pretty cool. They’re all unique.” Horacio said while seriously thinking about his new friends’ summons.
“Yours is too, dude!” Bradley exclaimed. “Thane, you missed it, but when Horacio’s summon used that ice skill, I was actually a bit worried someone would have gotten seriously injured. It was a powerful area of attack skill.”
“Haha! They’ll think twice before attacking us again!”
“Yeah! Speaking of skills, you guys should still have leftover points, right?” Bradley asked, and the other two nodded. “Then we should buy up skills to level up while trying to max out our stats. Maybe we should look into secondary classes as well.”
Thane nodded his head. “Yeah, I was thinking the same. There are a lot of secondary classes I had in mind, but there’s one specifically that I need to get first. I wanted a specialization within the warrior class for my secondary role. However, as badly as I want to, I need a specific non-combat class first. It would actually help the three of us max out some of our more difficult stats and maybe also speed up the process of increasing some stats in general.”
“What do you mean?” Horacio asked, tilting his head.
“Yeah, Thane. Enough with the mystery. Spit it out,” Bradly huffed.
“The apothecary class. What do you think is the most difficult stat to increase through normal training means?”
“Charisma,” Bradley immediately replied, and the two looked at Bradley with a weird look. “What? It is true. How am I supposed to make myself more handsome?”
“Bruh, good looks only account for a part of the stat,” Thane added.
“Well, I doubt we will be able to fully max out that stat anyhow,” Horacio said.
Thane grinned and chuckled evilly, “That’s what you two think! Bwahaha! Behold! My ingenious plan! I will become an apothecary and force potions down your throats to max out your potential!”
Bradley stared at Thane like he was dumb. “Dude. Then why don't we just buy the dang potions from the Marketplace? Should you not just focus on powering yourself up?”
Thane shook his head. “It would be feasible for now during the lower levels. However, as we increase in level, the required potions become more expensive. And the higher quality potions are not even sold but kept for private use. Additionally, we will eventually build a tolerance to those lower-quality potions and maxing out our potential will become difficult, almost impossible. So my thinking is this: I could make potions that max out our potential, not only for us but for our summons too.”
“Don’t forget to mention recovery potions too. I’ll take a set of ten of everything right now, Thane,” Bradley jokingly quipped while Thane shook his head with a smirk.
“Hmmm. I see.” Horacio said while tapping his index finger on Thane’s dining table. “Since you’re doing that for us, how about I take on blacksmithing and tailoring? I’ve done some metal work already, but not as an official class. I think it would be interesting while also benefiting the three of us.”
Thane and Bradley excitedly looked over at Horacio with large expecting eyes.
Feeling the pressure, Horacio added, “Don’t quote me on it yet. I don’t even know if it will turn out.”
“Yes, of course. I’m sure it will though. We appreciate the sentiments, man.” Thane said, patting Horacio’s back.
“Yeah! We just want all of us to grow and help each other out! So that now leaves me. Hmmm. What should I do? Something fitting as the future guild master. Hmmm…”
“You can be the cook,” Thane quipped, arching up one corner of his mouth.
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“No! How can a guild master also be the guild cook? Maybe a fortune teller? Or maybe something that buffs stats?”
“A cook, like I said,” Thane replied and laughed.
“No!”
“Hmmm… we would get good food daily along with buffs.”
“Not you too, Horacio!”
“Win-win, no?” Horacio said, shrugging his shoulders.
“That is only two wins! There are three of us. It needs to be a win-win-win!”
Thane and Horacio laughed, and Thane added, “Just choose what you want, Brad. Whatever you want is fine. But you guys were right. For now, even if I did choose an apothecary as my secondary class, I couldn’t make the potions we needed anyway. It’s going to take time. We need to use our remaining points and tokens wisely and use them on only the things we need, potions to help max out our stats being one of them.”
“Yeah, I do not want to read books all day in an attempt to try to raise my Intellect Stat,” Bradley stated. “Alrighty then. Let us get started and see what is available on the Marketplace screen.”
The other two nodded, and they all shouted, “Marketplace.”
Tower System Interface
………………………………….
(Tower Marketplace)
(Status screen) | (Quests) | (Inventory) | (Summons) | (Class Paths and Branches)
…………………………………
Welcome Climbers!
Please note that items bought and sold on the marketplace are not refundable or exchangeable.
There are three locations you can buy and sell from. Please select one of the following for further viewing.
(Ivory Tower Market) (Climber’s Bazaar) (Towers Auction)
Point balance: 1800
(Buy) (Sell)
…………………………………
Thane and the two others browsed through the different options. Some of the astronomical prices left the three of them ghastly pale with mouths wide open.
“Oh my god! A million points? Is that even possible to acquire!?” Bradley shouted while jabbing his finger at items on the screen shown on the ‘Towers Auction’ selection.
Thane looked over to Bradley and said, “Dude, it’s because you’re looking at the auction. Everything on there is more expensive, especially since the stuff on there is being competed for by Climbers of the other Towers. Just focus on the stuff being sold by the Ivory Tower and the Climbers of our tower.”
“Yeah, I agree. But damn, they’re mostly out of our price range,” Horacio added.
“We’re really poor and broke,” Bradley said with drooping shoulders, and it left a bad taste in Thane’s mouth.
“Why are you calling us that? Duncan says that to degrade us.” Thane responded with a stern voice.
“Oh, my bad, Thane. I just said it due to our financial circumstances. I forgot about the asshole.”
Thane sighed and said, “Haaa… It’s undeniably true. Now we have to figure out how to make some points and tokens before leveling up, which means we can’t take on too many quests, but then that will limit our income of points.”
“Hmmm… How about we gather stuff to sell on here? Seems like herbs are always in demand. Maybe we can find and sell other things too. We can slowly build the capital to buy the stuff we need before becoming self-sufficient.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea, Horacio!” Thane exclaimed.
“Yeah, good idea! Speaking of ideas…” A devious grin smeared across Bradley’s face. “You guys want to try something daring that would hit all of the above?”
Thane immediately felt chills from the mischievous look on Bradley’s face.
“No.”
“Yes!”
Thane jerked his head in shock at Horacio’s excited ‘yes.’ He sighed. “I guess that this shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
Bradley and Horacio grinned at each other and chuckled evilly. Their chuckle started small and slowly turned into wild and crazy laughter. Thane looked at the two weirdos, who loved getting into trouble, with a repulsed look. However, he couldn't help but crack a smile and laugh at their ridiculous and contagious preposterous laughter. They laughed till their bellies hurt before continuing their conversation.
“So here’s the plan,” Bradley said with an upturned corner of his lips. He lowered his head and huddled closer to the other two, whispering, “The cheaper potions don’t last long. To maximize efficiency we need to push ourselves to the limit. And what better way to hit two birds with one stone than to buy an agility potion and go herb hunting in the Wild? Increase in stats and also earning some more points, all before dinnertime. You guys in?”
“Hell yeah! Count me in, Brad!” Horacio jumped up from his chair and shouted with excitement.
Thane’s eyes peeled wide at the daring suggestion. “Bros! And what do you mean, count you in, Horacio!? We are not leaving the safety of the walls! Besides, how are we going to get past the gates with all of those guards?”
“I know of a secret spot where the guards won’t bother us as we leave and return.”
“Do I even want to know how you found this supposed ‘secret spot’?”
“You do, but I will not tell you, or else you will nag me like my parents.”
Thane remained quiet and looked at Bradley with a face that said, “Really?”
Bradley laughed it off and said, “Just think of it as running laps, Thane. It is not like we are going to invade the Dungeons. We will just take a fast stroll through the Wilds nearby and nab some goodies to sell.”
“The risks, man. What if we run into the Heathens?”
“It is unlikely. Climbers go out all the time, and the Dungeon wouldn’t bother attacking us while the Tower and Climbers are on high alert. So long as we do not venture too deeply and return before dark, then we will be fine. Think of it as on-the-job training. Besides, our summons can help us if any trouble arises.”
“You two do, but I don’t. But that’s not the point. We’re greenhorns who just became Climbers. Shouldn’t we climb the Tower first? It would be more safe.”
“The entrance to the higher floors is guarded. We are not permitted to climb the Tower unless supervised or after graduating. Besides, the stuff we can take to sell from the Tower is limited and of lower value. I will have Hond or Strauf protect you. So how about it? Take a run on the Wild side with us, Thane?”
“You two are doing this with or without me, right?” Thane questioned, and the duo fervently nodded their heads with glee. “Dang it. I can’t just let you two run off into danger.”
“You mean you can’t let us have all the fun, right Brad?” Horacio said, grinning at Brad.
The two laughed while Thane sighed. However, deep down he was excited as well, anxiously excited.
“Fine, but we will need some extra precautions. We each have to buy a couple of healing potions in case something goes wrong.”
“Dude! Don’t jinx us, Thane!” Bradley shouted.
Thane crossed his arms and seriously looked at the other two. “Buy them, or I won’t allow either of you to step out of my house.”
“See, Horacio. This is the real Thane. But I suppose he has a point. Come on! Let's buy everything and get going before night falls! Training starts now!”
Thane recalled Beta back into the soul space and opened the Marketplace window.
Tower System Interface
………………………………….
(Tower Marketplace)
(Status screen) | (Quests) | (Inventory) | (Summons) | (Class Paths and Branches)
…………………………………
(Ivory Tower Market)
(Climber’s Bazaar) (Towers Auction)
Please select a following category for further details.
Point balance: 1800
Raw Materials and Resources
Potions and Elixirs
Weapons and Armor
Rare and Unusual Items
Secondary Classes
Skills by Class and Specialization:
Class: Mage
Elemental Magic
Fire Ball (LVL 1) Costs 200 points - shoots a ball of fire at your foes, creates passive skill: fire affinity LVL 1, intensity of fireball and damage increases with level and fire affinity, consumes 2 mana upon use
Wind Cutter (LVL 1) Costs 200 points - sends a blade of condensed air at your foes, creates passive skill: wind affinity LVL 1, size of air blade and control increases with level and wind affinity, consumes 2 mana upon use
…
Mana Barrier (LVL 1) costs 200 points - forms a bubble membrane of mana around the designated target to block damage, can be further manipulated and thickened at higher levels, consumes 3 mana per cast
…
Mana Sense (LVL 1) costs 200 points - sends a burst of scattered mana into the surroundings, dispersed mana will relay any interference back to the caster, duration and range will increase with higher levels, current range: ten feet radius with five minutes duration, consumes 4 mana
…………………………………
I need some extra insurance. Can’t go with the flow with these two.
Thane bought a couple of skills and potions. Opening his inventory, he reached his hand and pulled out two skill orbs. The orbs burst in an explosion of gold sparkles as Thane absorbed the skills.
“You bought skills too, Thane?” Bradley asked with a skeptical face. “I’m pretty sure we won’t be needing them.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Thane replied.
Horacio nodded in agreement, and he also bought a couple of skills. Bradley sighed, being the last to buy some extra skills for insurance. After the two bought their items, the trio pushed up from the dining table and left through the front door of Thane’s house. Thane locked the door, and the three raced through a back alley with Bradley leading them to the kingdom walls.
The sun slightly tilted in the sky as they got close to Bradley’s secret spot. Near the same area blocking off the broken steps to the top of the wall that Bradley led Thane to a couple of days prior, Bradley pulled the three of them to the side of a building.
“This is an absolute secret between the three of us, got it? Swear that none of you will not tell another soul.” Bradley showed a rare serious face as he spoke his words.
Horacio smiled and raised his right hand to the sky, saying, “I swear!”
The two looked expectantly at Thane. Thane did not want to swear at anything uncertain he could not keep. His father was a man of his word and brought up Thane with the same beliefs. Thane did not say the words. The two just stared at him and made him uncomfortable.
Feeling awkward, he finally gave in and said, “Fine! I swear, too, alright! Happy now!?”
Bradley nodded his head and grinned. He spoke no more, putting a finger to his closed lips and showing the others. Waving his free hand for the other two to follow, he led the way to the sealed-off broken staircase to the top of the wall. Bradley hurriedly grabbed onto the support rails of the fence surrounding the partially collapsed staircase. He pushed off his feet, climbing over the fence before plopping over the edge and onto the ground. Thane and Horacio followed suit, and Bradley led them, skipping and leaping over the broken and collapsed pieces of the stone to an inconspicuous spot hidden in the corner at the base of the stairs.
Bradley turned around, still holding a finger to his lips, silently telling the others to remain quiet. He turned back and slowly removed piece after piece of piled stones, revealing a hole large enough to crawl through. Thane and Horacio looked at each other in alarm. There was a small unknown gap in the walls for who knows how long. Bradley crouched down and looked around before scuttling out through the other side.
Bradley’s hand reached back through the hole, hurriedly waving at them to cross over.