Humankind was a force to be reckoned with. 

Do not take us lightly. 

At the pinnacle of our existence, we dominated over the world and all its inhabitants. We were like gods, molding and shaping the planet as we saw fit. All living creatures knew to fear us, or at least fear our guns and weapons. Many sequential animals served us as pets and wagged their tails at our beckoning. Those that were smart fled upon sight of us. We stood unbeatable, standing on top of all creatures.

And yet, in a blink of an eye, we graveled on the dirt, comatose or dead, as dismembered and dissolving body parts in the belly of the abyss. 

The fall was hard. 

We fell fast and deep before shattering and understanding how fragile our power truly was. Mankind once controlled the world, but now our proud rule was no more. An unforeseen predator like no other turned humans into prey, toppling us from our throne and overthrowing the dominance we had on the planet. 

In the beginning there was only one. 

It appeared out of nowhere, tearing open the ground from deep within the bowels of the earth; yet, it was never part of the planet. Maybe even the universe. Curious and foolish, we explored the open chasm and found entire worlds, full of abundant resources, floor after floor below ground. Greedy, we traversed deep into its depths in search of the honey it gave us in the form of treasures. 

But the sweetness only lasted while the trap was set to lure in puny insects to their doom. It was smart and cunning; at first, it only took a few people, leaving the others to return with riches that would last multiple lifetimes. The returnees’ fame and fortune drew the attention of the world, and the world overlooked those who perished. The rewards outweighed the risks, and it became the new gold rush. And that was exactly what it wanted. 

Greedy humans lusting for its grand prizes and unbelievable fortunes came in droves, feeding it, growing it, and giving it more. Yet, we could not stop. The honey trap it set was too alluring, too addictive. 

And then the rewards changed. 

They got even better. 

It was simply no longer just rare materials or luxurious unique items, phasing into existence as rewards. A contract to obtain unforeseen and unimaginable power was given as an award for conquering the lower floors. It was a deal with the devil, and we took it and wanted more. Once large companies and the governments of the world got involved, those who were skeptical ceased to refrain, and they also entered the chasm. But once the global powers started to dive into the abyss, that was the final nail that sealed the coffin to humanity’s fate.

The predator acquired a taste for our flesh, but what it was truly preying upon was the human soul. It consumed the body, but worse, it enslaved the mind and soul. And through those it enslaved, we learned of its name: Dungeon. 

But one Dungeon was not enough to overtake humanity; one Dungeon would not crumble humankind to its knees. 

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

However, there was not just one, but many. 

Endlessly many. 

The single Dungeon that first appeared was but a mere scout, scouring the universe for prey to report back to its superiors. And it found a delicacy in the form of billions of humans, which it feasted upon and ate its fill before calling forth its brethren to join. 

One by one, the Dungeons came. One by one, they slowly consumed the human race. We then grew alarmed and realized the Dungeon’s scheme, but it was too late. There were already too many Dungeons swarming the planet, but also too many humans now under the enemy’s control. 

Before, all that dwells in the Dungeon never left the boundaries of the abyss. Humans assumed they would be safe so long as they did not enter inside, since monsters that the Dungeons controlled could not step foot into our world. But we were wrong yet again. The Dungeons attacked, invading with unrelenting force by sending an endless torrent of those it controlled into mankind’s domain. 

We fought back. Shots were fired. Missiles were launched, even the great cataclysmic bombs were deployed. But all of it was easily thwarted. The bombs were long dismantled and useless. It was a joke played upon us to break our spirit. And it did. 

The humans that the Dungeons enslaved, long gave it knowledge of our weaponry. It quickly adapted, covertly targeting and disabling mankind’s defenses and communications when we foolishly scoured inside its jaw and belly. 

Madness ensued when we lost the ability to defend ourselves. It was then a free for all. The Dungeons showed their warmongering side, taking what they pleased and burning down or annihilating all remnants of human history and technology.

However, in our moment of darkness and despair, when all was fallen and nothing remained but peril and hopelessness, the Towers pierced down from the sky and stabbed into the earth. They radiated and illuminated a path for survival in the ever consuming darkness. The Towers took in the last of our surviving race and gave us a way to fight back. Faced with near annihilation from the invading Dungeons, the appearance of the Towers was a much needed reprieve from almost certain destruction. 

The Towers provided aid in the form of a contract with an ancient power called ‘The System.’ Through this power, the Tower and their System saved the last of humankind from extinction. Since then, for ages, we built up walls that formed kingdoms around the Towers that provided us a way to resist and fight back against the hordes of Dungeons. 

But it was all too strange. 

Some suspected the Towers to be just like the Dungeons. The powers given by both were similar: a System. But unlike the Dungeons, the Tower’s contracts were not forced nor did they provide the same abilities. Although the System was used as a base construct for the power granted to humans from both the Towers and Dungeons, what each side offered were distinctly different. 

The Towers’ contract sought a symbiotic two-way relationship. However, the Dungeons’ simply enforced slavery. Anyone would choose the former over the latter. If they could, that is. Not every person was qualified to obtain the Towers’ contract; children and teenagers were not permitted, nor the old and the weak. The Tower only wanted fully grown, healthy able-bodied foot soldiers. 

And so with the end of human civilization, a new form of society was created: those that were deemed worthy by the Towers, and those that were not. Humankind never got along with one another throughout the ages. A mere difference in appearance could make one dislike another, even hate them. The lack of love and sympathy for their fellow man and woman was possibly a natural human fault; it continued even as we were nearly wiped out. 

But being chosen was not some small mere insignificant detail; it meant obtaining the power to survive and defend oneself from impending harm from the Dungeons. It was unfortunate for those unfairly treated and unchosen, but the world tended to be more unfair than it typically was post-apocalypse.

In the end, regardless, those in power made and decided the rules. And although humans were no longer at the top of the world, for those still living amongst the Towers, the chosen Climbers of the Towers stood on top of the others. Described as defenders from evil and war-heroes, the Climbers followed the biddings of the Tower to defeat the Dungeons. 

Many assumed the Towers merely used them for their own gain, and they were right. The Dungeons were the Towers’ enemy. They used us to fight their war for them. However, the enemy of an enemy was a friend. Especially, when they equipped us with the power to fight back. 

It all worked out as both used each other to fight a common foe. The Towers were in a sense humanity’s liberators, at least some deemed them as such. But it was true. We hoped it would be true. 

And the first of these so deemed saviors was called the Ivory Tower.

Rising from the center of the bustling Lazar Kingdom, the massive Ivory Tower pierced into the clear blue sky. Like a beacon of hope, it shimmered gallantly, standing tall and powerful as humanity’s last protector and savior. 

But we understood little of our towering saviors.