Chapter 13

“Heard you had a tough break,” I said as I sat beside the lone figure at the corner of the table. Nyle was bent over a cup of ale, dejectedly drinking from it as the others around him enjoyed the revelry.

He glanced up at me, bit off whatever response he’d been about to say, and offered me a smile. “About time. I was wondering when you’d die.”

I sat beside him, my own mug in hand, and a turkey leg in the other. The turkeys were creatures from the third floor. Some sort of fat, and extremely delicious, bird. Fat and juice dripped from it as I took another bite. It had been seasoned with various spices, giving it an intense flavor that made my tongue tingle.

“Only made it to the second floor,” I said dejectedly.

“Better than me.” Nyle said sullenly.

“How’d you even fall out of a tree?” I asked with a chuckle. His face turned red as he looked away.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He said gloomily.

“Come on,” I elbowed him. “I promise I won’t laugh.”

“Fine…” He took a deep breath. “The initial branches I climbed on were strong and stable. They felt sturdy, like rock and the courses we trained on. But higher up,” he shook his head, “they started to bend a little. I thought that was fine and was making my way higher to look for the portal.” He sighed, “and then, the branch did more than just bend. It snapped.” He grimaced as he relived the moment. “I hit so many branches on my way down, and then, died.”

I broke my promise. Nyle glared at me. Then he laughed as well.

“If it makes you feel better,” I said as I caught my breath. “I slipped and fell in a stream.”

He smiled at that and took a drink. “It does,” he nodded at me, “so, how’d you die? Tell me everything.”

I did just that, filling my best friend in on my first climb. Unlike with Commander Phyr, I didn’t leave out the embarrassing parts. Nyle and I had been close friends all through training. We not only supported each other, but we shared our mistakes and failures with each other. He was like a brother to me. By the time I finished, his obvious foul mood had all but subsided. If I had to guess, word had gotten around about his unfortunate death, and people had been mocking him the whole time.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“So,” he said once I finished. He had his own turkey leg now, and was happily eating the food, “now that our first climb is over, what happens now?”

“We keep climbing.” I said simply. “Easy as that. We go back in, and we get stronger. We push on and climb higher and higher.” I grinned, “we’re Climbers now, after all.”

Nyle looked at me inquisitively. “Is that all?” He asked. He looked into his drink and sloshed it around. “Is that all we do? Just climb the tower, die, and repeat the process?”

I looked at him. When he put it that way… I shook my head, “It’s what we’ve been chosen to do.” I said firmly. “Its why we have the Mark.”

There had been little talk of what would happen to us after the Reaping. All we’d been told was the Reaping was the final challenge we’d face, before becoming climbers. We knew the roles of climbers. Climb the tower, fight monsters, and keep those who weren’t climbers safe. I’d always assumed the latter was done by doing the former.

“So we just go in, every day, kill monsters, and fight?” Nyle sighed, “I’m just having a hard time seeing what the point is in all of that.”

“There’s probably more to it.” I stated. I took another bite of my turkey leg, though its taste was no longer as tantalizing. Nyle’s shift in mood had done that. “Maybe once everyone’s done, we’ll learn more?” All I’d known for eight years was training. Training to fight monsters and climb the tower. But Nyle’s questions were valid. What now? Was this all we were meant to do? I thought back to the Acolyte’s cryptic words. Thought back to the Commander’s final words before I went to receive my blessing.

“Maybe,” Nyle finished his drink and offered me a smile. His face had a red tinge to it, he’d drunk apparently. Which made sense, considering he’d been the first recruit to complete The Reaping.

I followed suit, chugging my drink and slammed the mug on the table. I slapped him cheerily on the shoulder, trying to lift his mood, and mine. “We’ll climb together,” I said confidently, “I’m sure once you gain some levels and we climb higher, you’ll see there’s more to it. We’ve got a purpose Nyle. We’re blessed by the Tower.”

His smile grew a bit larger, though his eyes stayed shadowed. “Maybe you’re right,” he said softly, “at the very least, I’m looking forward to seeing more of the tower.” His smile reached his eyes, the darkness fading away. “After all, my first visit was painfully brief.”

We both laughed, and the laughter, for the moment chased away the weight of his questioning words, though I could feel their roots had already taken hold. What did it mean, to be a Climber? I’d need to answer that question, before I could figure out what type of Climber I wanted to be.

I took another bite of the turkey leg, and this time, none of the flavor registered.