Chapter 3 - The First Encounter
Tal’s snapped his eyes open as he came to coherence, alone and in unknown territory. “Let’s not make a habit of this”, he muttered.
A semi-transparent screen inscribed with letters appeared before him. ‘What the hell?’. The screen filled most of his vision, blocking any view of his surroundings. ‘Move you stupid thing. Move!’ he thought at the obstinate blue window. ‘Where is the minimise option on these things?’
Finally, after finding no way to minimise the prompt, Tal calmed down. That's when he began to read.
Tower of Judgement
Welcome, new Contender. The Tower of Judgement births untold opportunities. Face this Tower’s challenges and reap the rewards of your labour.
Progress through the Tower to earn your freedom and shape your newborn destiny.
After he finished reading the prompt, it minimised itself. Shooting off to the side, beyond his vision. But, unfortunately, another screen remained, still blocking his sight.
Tower of Judgement
Rejoice! There are many paths to power in the Tower Of Judgement. Being a Contender, you are unrestricted to pursue whichever of them you like.
Beware! As you have not formally paid for entry into The Tower Of Judgement, your time here will be fleeting. You will be ejected from the Tower in the near future. So do not squander your time.
To obtain an avenue of power, you can expand outside the Tower, complete an act of Binding with the desired Entity. The extent to which one can Bind is a factor determined by your own Spiritual Pathways and Soul Development.
Successful Binding comes with untold consequences and rewards. Prove your worth!
Tal’s eyes bulged as he took stock of what was very similar to player prompts in various games he had played. He was no stranger to skill systems from previous games he had played, and while he was excited to “Progress through The Tower”, he didn’t know enough about this ‘System’ or his location to feel at ease in the slightest. Even if various elements were similar enough to what he was familiar with. He decided he did not want to be on the end of an ‘unsuccessful’ binding. The absence of any explanation there could only be described as foreboding. Tal decided he did not want to know what would happen if this ‘System’ deemed him unworthy.
The screen suddenly vanished; much like before, it whirled off to the corner of his vision. Tal thought of the prompt, and it instantly appeared before him again, expanding itself. “Wicked... that’s some highly advanced shit”, he muttered. Despite how impressed he was, he couldn’t help the creeping doubt. Just how screwed was he?
That was when Tal noticed a blinking notification, one he had previously minimised automatically without reading the contents of it. He pulled the screen up again with a mental command. The responsiveness of his new interface surprised him. And made him a little afraid. Was he just some pawn in some advanced species game now? He didn’t know enough to make any sort of assumptions. At last, he read the prompt from earlier.
You Have Died
Your body will be reformed due to System Intervention.
Error...contender profile not fou-
[Injection Detected]
Countender Profile Found.
Beginning...
'I...died?’, he thought, ‘That can’t be right. This would make a pretty shitty afterlife'. He didn’t believe that was the case. That thing from before didn’t make it sound like that was the case either. ‘And what is that next part? My body has been reformed?’ he thought ‘did that mean...no. It couldn’t. They said I was incurable...Besides, I still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.’ Tal laughed morbidly; of course, he couldn’t help imagining a future where he would still be kicking it.
But it was past time to take stock of his situation. It was apparent he had been transported away from the safety of home into an unknown place apparently dubbed ‘The Tower Of Judgement’. Where or even what that was, however, was anyone’s guess. Tal narrowed his eyes, suddenly all business. ‘No reason to end my life any sooner than it alright is. This could be dangerous.
Mossy walls flanked him. Their only distinguishable feature was a small lantern giving off barely enough light to see where he was going. What Tal could see, however, was that the only moveable direction was forward, into the unknown.
With a shake of his head, Tal moved towards one of the walls, inspecting the lantern. It was held together by a simple metal prong dug deep into the wall. A rusty screw attached the prong to the rest of the lantern. Doing his best to avoid making noise, Tal tugged on the lantern. He winced as the screw made a snap that reverberated throughout the hall. But the lantern came free. “Bloody screwed if I had to go into whatever that is blind”, he mumbled. “At least I have some light now.”
On unsteady feet, he continued onward. Each footfall echoed throughout the deadly silent chamber. But soon enough, he came to an open section. From here, the hall split into yet more branches, each indistinguishable from the next and shrouded in impenetrable darkness. ‘Now, this is just stupid. Couldn’t I have been given some string? Even some breadcrumbs? This doesn’t seem so much of a Tower as a labyrinth. Or maybe a maze...’
Tal thought for a second, then walked by each branch. But unfortunately, he couldn’t feel any wind from either of the passageways. ‘That’s not good, he thought with a frown, ‘There mustn’t be an exit nearby through any of these. Or maybe there’s no exit at all...’ Tal tried his hardest not to think about that last option.
Tal thought back to his prompts. They seemed to want him to explore the depths of this blasted Labrinth. He wasn’t sure where he was supposed to encounter one of these so-called ‘entities’ he could bind with, but he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to do that either. The only option was to keep moving and hope that some solution to this hell-hole would make itself apparent, he decided. He couldn’t just wait around and wait to be rescued. Something told him that was never going to happen here.
‘Well...the first hall is as good as any, I suppose. Before he stepped through, he ripped a piece of fabric from his shirt and dropped it on the floor. Tal strode through the entryway only to return back to the other side the second he emerged. When he returned, Tal looked around. There was no fabric on the ground. ‘Now, isn’t that just great.’
Tal thought there were three distinct possibilities. First, in the seconds he had been gone, the room might of completely reset. Or perhaps some creature lurking in the shadows had stolen away the remains of his shirt...Tal couldn’t help the shiver that came over him at that thought. Lastly, the exit to the entryways might not stay constant, so he wouldn’t be able to retrace his steps. Neither option bode well. All he could think about was how little he knew about this strange environment he had been thrown into. ‘Like seriously, I couldn’t have been given a manual or something? Where is Google when you need it?’
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
But he ventured onward down his chosen path. His heart raced in his chest, but he kept edging down through the entryway. He tried to rationalise his thoughts, telling himself that what he was feeling was completely normal. It didn’t help. ‘Being stuck in a creepy old tower with no discernible exit will do that for you.’ Finally, Tal found himself out of the darkness of the entryway and at last into a room, this one, at last containing a few distinguishing features.
Two details didn’t escape him. One; a bronze and wooden behemoth of a door, sitting flush against the cobblestone walls towards the far end of the room. And the second; a large podium smack centre of the room. It was almost impossible to make out the centrepiece through the small mountain of life-like chains writhing atop it.
The more Tal looked at the bizarre configuration, the more a tiny body became apparent, moving in and out to avoid the chain’s grasp. It made a sort of odd dance, both erratic and yet with rhythm, as the chains sought to restrain and the figure sought to remain free.
A figure, not even a span in size, sheltered beneath. The figure noticed Tal as it moved in and out from the chains. Tal noted the slight opening of the creature’s mouth and widening of its eyes as they made eye contact. It was clearly just as surprised as he was. A pair of clipped blood-red wings protruded from its back and stretched over its shoulder, almost touching the small curved horns upon its head. The Imp-like creature spoke in a rasping voice befitting of its stature while still somehow dodging the chains as they swept around the podium. “Greetings, Human. I am Xuerix, one of few residents in this forsaken Tower and a master of the arcane.” Xuerix paused as if waiting for Tal to introduce himself. When no reply became apparent, the Imp ventured on, “I can see from your Status that you are very much new to all of this. However, I am a gracious host, so I will do you the honour of an explanation.”
Tal cursed internally as he was reminded about the game he had started playing before he was abducted. There, players had status screens that they could pull up anytime. And now, apparently, this creature, of unknown intentions, could supposedly see every minute detail about him. But then, an idea occurred to him. ‘If I can find this window myself, I might be able to glean some information!’ he thought excitedly.
“While here”, Xuerix continued, “the few creatures of infinite wisdom, like myself, can offer various boons to creatures like you.” The Imp smiled slightly. “I can assure you, what I offer you won’t be able to find anywhere else. In exchange for an oath of servitude, conditional on your binding, I can teach you to become a master of myriad disciplines. I can take you further in this world than you have ever dreamed. And better yet, once I am free of this stupid Tower, I will allow you to rule over all those lesser species. Ruling second to me, of course.”
Oath of Servitude
The Infernal Imp Xuerix has offered you an Oath of Servitude. Under the condition that you perform a soul binding with this creature, he promises to deliver on teachings to “become a master of myriad disciplines” and the promise of quasi-rulership.
Accepting this Oath requires you to serve under Xuerix in all matters. You must obey any and all commands, implicit and explicit. Additionally, as a factor of all Oaths of Servitude, your safety becomes the responsibility of Xuerix.
Tal frowned. Not visibly, of course. He didn’t want to give this creature any more information than it already had that it might use against him. He didn’t trust the thing. The Oath of Servitude, while suspicious in its implications, would at least grant him some measure of safety, though. However, Tal didn’t put much stock into the promises of the Imp. They sounded as empty as they could come for all he could tell. Losing all sense of freedom was a tough price to pay. Way too tough.
Tal got another idea; If just willing the prompts earlier to minimise and expand worked, surely he could just will his profile into existence. With crossed fingers, Tal thought, ‘Profile’ intently. Instantly, a window appeared before him. Tal just hoped it would help illuminate the danger he thought he might be in. After all, surely no benevolent creature would try to swindle him to become essentially a dressed-up slave.
Player Profile
----------------------------------------
Name: Tal Cael
Species: Human, Male
----------------------------------------
Stats:
Level: 0
Health: 100/100
----------------------------------------
Primary Attributes
----------------------------------------
Traits
----------------------------------------
Tal focused on the contents of the screen, skimming over the screen and noting the familiarities from the game of Valeria. His whole status screen was unsettlingly similar to that of the game. Though, if it was designed as a recruitment program as the old guy had said, perhaps that made more sense. Realsing he couldn't dwell on the past right now, he mentally selected the first header, ‘Primary Attributes’.
Primary Attributes
Dexterity: 10
Agility: 10
Strength: 10
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 10
Further focusing on each attribute brought a description of each. Tal came back to himself with a mirthless smile. From what he could see, he was starting from a truly blank slate, despite that he felt truly exhausted - though his treatments ensured that wasn't anything new.
By now the Imp had grown impatient, and Tal could see it on its face as it buzzed around more erratically than before. He took a deep breath, dismissing each screen with a mental wave. He could figure out the details later. There was too much information right now, and none of it was helping. He had to focus on the present.
Tal pulled his eyebrows down as a concentrated expression overcame his face. The prompts were gone. It was time to get a move on.
Tal readied himself, meeting Xuerix’s suspicious eyes “Well, Human. What will it be? A lifetime of struggle here, all alone. Or unstoppable supremacy by my side?” the Imp repeated expectantly.
Tal didn’t even deign to answer the scheming Imp. As he edged around the podium towards the bronze embroidered door, his footsteps did all the speaking for him.
“You’re making a mistake, petty human”, Xuerix began. He slowly began to emerge more completely from the mountain of chains. The Imp wasn’t even breaking a sweat as he effortlessly dodged all the chains snaking their way toward and around his body. What Tal mistakenly thought was a more petite figure at first slowly got larger and larger by the second.
Tal realised his mistake too late. He had played his cards too early, not leaving himself enough time to escape. His one exit, the large wooden door was too far away - he needed more time. “The only mistake I’ve made so far,” he paused for a long second, “is not getting away from your sorry ass the second I got in here”.
The Imp curled his hands into two meaty fists. A dull red glow grew around his fists, crackling with menacing energy. “Last chance, Tal Cael”, the Imp sneered. “Either serve me alive. Or I’ll find a way for you to serve me in death.”
Tal continued onward, keeping the demon-creature in sight, leaving plenty of room. Or so he thought. The Imp lurched out. Streaking away from the podium in mere seconds. It extended a dark red fist glowing with menacing energy towards Tal’s throat. There was no time to dodge. No time to move. The Imp was too quick. He wasn’t going to make it. Tal closed his eyes, trying to accept his fate.
A crashing boom rang throughout the chamber. Tal opened his eyes, somehow unharmed. A quick survey of the room revealed why. Frozen inches from his throat was the extended hand of the Imp. A thick ring of chains finally encased it. Slowly but surely, the chains snaked fully around the immobile creature, pulling it back toward the podium.
Tal whipped the sweat off his forehead. He jumped a whole foot in the air when a ding abruptly rang out in his head. “Mother of Chr-”
Rebalance the Scales (Quest)
1/?
The Tower of Judgement has many denizens. Whether they are Tower-born or from the outside world. Each denizen must pay its dues.
This Infernal Imp was donated to the Tower in exchange for another creature's entrance. This Imp killed its captor before its power could be properly bound to the podium, and thus the Tower, sitting before you.
For securing the assets of the Tower, it has seen fit to grant you a unique Mark.
Tal steadied his breathing. That had been close! He quickly checked his Status sheet - now displaying a section titled “Marks” with one entry. He knew he shouldn’t be looking at his status, not while still within proximity of the dangerous Imp. Who knew if it could break out again? But he couldn’t help himself from checking out the details of his new Mark with undeniable excitement.
Tower Marked [Unique]
The right path, a little clearer.
"Well, that's...underwhelming. Why can't it let me shoot lasers out my eyes," he muttered.
Finally, he ventured closer to the great oak door. His heart still hammered in his chest. He wasn't sure if it was from the fight or the excitement of his new perk, however lacklustre he was. 'Whatever it's making clear, it's definitely not these descriptions.' Tal gave two big heaves, and the door was sent creaking ajar. One quick step, and Tal darted inside.
The door slammed shut. He was locked in.