Chapter 2

I blinked as my vision flashed. Passing through the white light had blinded me, my entire body tingling as if I’d plunged into a vat of ice water. As my vision returned, the tingling was replaced by warmth. I blinked again, taking in everything.

A sprawling expanse of greenery lay all around. Vibrant colors that I’d never before experienced in the drab, dark world that existed outside of the Tower. My eyes strained against the bright light, and I fought against the tears that came unbidden. Tears of pain, and also, tears of joy. It… it was beautiful.

Everywhere my fellow recruits stood, doing the same as I. We’d rushed in, charged and excited, ready to face our deaths within the Tower. Now, we stood dumbstruck, frozen by the sheer beauty of it all. We’d been teleported to the center of the first floor, the outlines of glowing sigils at our feet the only thing depicting the entrance, and exit, to the Tower. A slight breeze blew around us, just strong enough to tousle my shaggy black hair. Beside me, Nyle’s dark hair, tied back in a ponytail, rustled slightly.

“It’s, unreal.” He said to me, and I nodded. We’d been told stories of what it was like within the Tower. At least, to a degree. The first five floors held greenery such as this. Expansive fields of green, vibrant strands known as grass, areas with large objects made of wood called trees, and various other such things. We’d been taught them all, but to see them, when our world before had been nought but stone, was an overwhelming experience.

“It’s a miracle.” I replied.

“How is this all possible?” Nyle asked aloud. The more I looked around, the more I wondered as well. The first five floors, I knew from our teachings, were what provided the city with most of its resources. Those who were farmers, lumberjacks, miners and the sorts, were tasked with traveling these floors and harvesting resources. They could use the fertile ground to grow plants, and there was said to be an abundance of animals on the third and fourth floor that could provide meat and valuable materials for crafting.

However, those weren’t tasks meant for climbers. Climbers had a much more important task. Climbers, as the chosen of the Tower, had the most important roles of all. Not only were we expected to keep the others safe from the dangers of these lower floors. But we were expected to climb, finding the path to each new floor, ascending higher and higher. For past the fifth floor, the end of which was guarded by a powerful monster known as a Floor Boss, the Tower changed. The dangers increased, but so too did the valuable resources that could be acquired. The higher one climbed, the more important these potential finds could be. From magical armor and gear to special or unique ingredients and resources, to ancient knowledge and lore. Discovering and acquiring such things were what climbers were meant to do.

“It’s all the Tower.” I whispered to Nyle, so in awe of everything that I didn’t wish to disturb the air with my voice. “All thanks to its will.”

Nyle scoffed. He’d never been much of a believer. Enough so, sure, that he didn’t wish to risk the ire of the Tower Keeper, but not to the level of devotion as most of us. Still, faced with everything we were seeing, surely now, he had to be convinced. The Tower was everything.

“Well then Ash,” he said with a small smile. “It’s best we don’t keep the Tower waiting, eh?” He drew his sword from his side and pulled his shield off his back. I did the same. Sword and board they called the fighting style. A perfect balance of offensive and defensive capabilities.

I nodded at him and grinned. Some of our peers had already drawn their weapons and departed. Others were wandering about, a few literally sitting on the ground, touching grass. There’d be time to do such things later, I figured. Right now, Nyle was right. The purpose of the Reaping wasn’t to gawk at the Tower’s splendor. It was to boldly push forward. To begin our first climb. And, to die.

Without another word we departed. The area before us was massive. Our sprawling city, which by all accounts held a good ten-thousand people, could be fit multiple times in the expanse. High above was a shining white ceiling, a good sixty feet in the air at least. That glowing white was what provided light for the expanse. Somewhere on this floor, existed the path to the next. A portal, according to our training, that would teleport us from the first floor to the second.

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As per our training, we were not to work together. This task, the first climb, was a sacred one. Even if someone we saw was fighting a monster, or going the wrong way, we weren’t to help. Within the Tower, the only certainty of the climb is yourself. Or so Commander Phyr always said. Meaning, the only thing we could ever truly rely on was our own capabilities.

I broke away from a group of recruits after a few minutes of jogging. Most had decided to skirt around the mass of trees, known as a forest, at first. Likely still trying to take in everything around them and enjoy their first moments within the Tower. I wasn’t so patient. There was too much to see, too much to experience. I didn’t want to waste time on the first floor. I wanted to climb. Every floor, according to lore, got tougher. The monster density increased, and the rewards for slaying those monsters, grew too. I didn’t want to waste time on weak monsters. I wanted a challenge. And, more than that, I had another motivation. Whatever our enemies dropped, be they materials, currency, or gear, was ours to keep. And there was one thing, above all, I’d always dreamed about. Well, other than being a climber. And that was the thrill of gaining new and powerful gear.

The wooden shield on my left arm was little more than a thick inch piece of wood, shaped into a basic shield. It had two leather straps, one that I put my forearm through, and another to hold onto. My short sword was just that. A simple, iron blade, requiring the bare minimum of metal to craft. They were cheap, mass-produced objects given to all recruits, for their first climb. Meaning, compared to what we could find within the Tower, or what we could commission to be made for us with materials we acquired, they were trash.

I pulled up short as movement within the forest drew my eyes. A cracking sound, like something snapping. My eyes focused, more use to the darker lighting of the forest, than the bright light out on the plains. There was a shadowy figure shambling through the woods, clacking and clattering as it shifted. I planted my left foot forward and raised my shield protectively as I turned my body slightly to the side. I held my sword back slightly, using the shield to protect my body, my sword at the ready to strike. My breath tensed, and I fought my nerves as anticipation flowed through me. Even though I wanted to reach the next floor as quickly as possible, I couldn’t help but feel excited. This was it. My first monster. My first fight.

The creature turned its head towards me. It was short, roughly three feet in height, covered in sorry excuses for armor, all made out of wood with iron randomly plastered here and there. Like a kid playing warrior. In one hand it dragged a club, in the other, it held a dead, white fluffy creature. A rabbit, if I remember correctly. The creature cocked its head to the side, looking from me to the creature in its hand. It was a goblin. The basic monsters of the first floor. Green skinned, small and frail, with sharp angled features, and floppy oversized ears.

The goblin opened its mouth, as if to speak. I tensed, waiting, glancing about quickly to check for any signs of additional monsters. The woods were empty, save for me, and the monster. It closed its mouth, looked back down at the creature in its hand, as if battling with a decision. I steadied my breathing and took a cautious step forward.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH.” The creature suddenly screamed. I flinched, the high-pitched sound piercing my ears. At the same time, the creature reared its arm back and chucked the blood stained, white fluffy creature at me. Instinctively I raised my shield, the wooden board blocking the incoming projectile. I grunted, somewhat surprised at the weight of the object. I was pretty sure I heard it splatter against the wood as well, and felt wet, hot liquid rain down on me from the sides.

But, I didn’t have time to worry, because I realized, in that moment, the mistake I’d made. Raising my shield to block the flying mass of fluff had blocked my vision. And in that time, the little goblin had acted.

“Son of a,” I grunted as I felt a wooden club crash into my kneecap, sending a flash of pain through my leg. “Bitch.” I growled as I swung my sword at the offending goblin. The creature’s face shifted from a grin to a bewildered look as my blade cut into it. The goblin’s head rolled, and the creature fell to the ground, dead. I stood, shakily, as I caught my breath. I’d done it. I’d killed my first monster.

I looked at the gore splattered shield, and the body on the ground, the neck shooting a geyser of red spray. My excitement was replaced with repulsion, as the sight, and smell, hit me. The goblin, or maybe the splattered creature on my shield, smelled vile. I fought the sickness in my stomach, which was intensified due to the throbbing pain in my leg. Unfortunately, unlike with the goblin, I didn’t win that battle.