Alex searched for an hour until he found the man he was looking for.
Alex entered the building and into the hall where the Archer resided. After some investigating he had found the place. It was where the government mercenaries congregated and wasted time away in. The small place was nondescript and out of the way. Only after stopping and speaking to another mercenary did he get directions to meet with Archer. At this time of day, the man was alone.
"Archer," Alex announced "I've come to discuss a matter of mutual benefit. I am sure that you have heard the news circulating around the city."
A single raised eyebrow was the Archer's immediate response "You and Angela, intend to seek to join me and my team? Are you ready? Are you planning to abandon Thornhold?"
"Precisely," Alex responded, his voice unyielding. "We possess the necessary skills and fortitude. Many factions are desperate to climb the Tower now, to combat the undead hordes in pursuit of higher levels. By now the whole city as well as the people of Earth have heard the Seeker's declarations. I can't be left behind."
Upon hearing Alex's explanation, the Archer's face hardened, his eyes adopting a grave and resolute expression. "You'd be better off seeking an alliance elsewhere," he stated, his voice resounding with an air of finality. "We have no ongoing obligations to one another."
The harsh rejection was a blow to Alex, but he stood his ground. "Give me a chance to explain," he implored, an undercurrent of urgency infiltrating his voice. "We are formidable, resourceful. I don't have many friends or allies in the Tower. I know I can rely on you and that you and your team will succeed in getting to a city."
An uneasy silence descended upon them, the Archer evaluating Alex with an intense, penetrating stare. "Only if you attain level 21 and you must do it in five days when we leave," the Archer eventually declared, establishing his terms. "That will show us that you're powerful enough to stand with us in battle and are serious about this."
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Alex said, "That's a reasonable condition," nodding his agreement. "We'll reconvene in five days."
"Don't forget to gather anything you might need during our travels. I will not be packing extra food for you or carrying your tents. If Angela is to join then she will be responsible for joining the other crafters in the evenings. She along with them will repair gear that gets damaged during the trip."
"I understand," said Alex with a nod. "Thank you for letting us join you." He paused for a moment waiting to see if the Archer would add anything else.
With the negotiation concluded, Alex retraced his steps back to Angela, his mind alive with the monumental task ahead. The Archer's ultimatum was daunting, yet there was no turning back now. As he stepped into their shared workshop, Angela glanced up from the workbench, her fingers dusted with metallic particles.
"Did the Archer consent?" She inquired, her voice a blend of eager anticipation and apprehension.
"Yes, but only if I can progress to level 21 in the span of five days," Alex revealed, a spark of resolute determination gleaming in his eyes.
“That will be a rushed work to complete but knowing you, you will get there even if it is only in the hours before the deadline.”
"We need to get ready to leave with the raiding party. You will be responsible for getting yourself as high a level as possible and the crafting of some better gear for myself. As a part of this deal, you will also join the crafters repair items during the trip."
"I understand. It will be a good small way of earning experience and I will be able to watch how other crafters work," said Angela. “Now you should get going. I don’t want to miss my opportunity to get to the third floor because you weren’t fast enough.”
Angela shooed Alex out of her workspace and shut the door behind him. He turned, his body full of energy and started to jog toward the nearest gates. Alex brought up his status screen, a record of how far he had come and how much he needed to grow.
<<<>>>
Name: Alex
Path: Magic (Sub-Path: Lightning)
Rating: G
Level: 19 (8%)
Abilities (1/1):
Manipulate Electricity [F]
Tower Points: 1770
Percent Soul Captured: 0%
<<<>>>
“Almost two full levels worth of experience. Whether it rains or shines I need to be actively hunting down the undead even if I can no longer carry the loot that they drop. I will have to consider leaving the non-smithing materials I find in an effort to gather more for Angela. I’ll need to be careful staying out there without a storm to assist me, but I have done it before. I know my limits and when I can safely push them. My goal is so close, and I will make sure I can reach it.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Alex was out on the battlefield each day until he was physically too tired to do anything. He went on mini-expeditions beyond the walls and explored a few miles. Though he only took those distant trips when he was protected by storms above him. At the end of his day Alex rested and gave what he collected to Angela while transferring some of his point earnings to him as well.
After the second day of fighting, he got new gear made by Angela. The new knives and armor were made with some of the better resources he had collected. In all the set was built to fit a level 20 climber which he was quickly approaching. The new set of weapons cut through enemies quicker than before and tore into the undead’s flesh.
He kept his feet light and dodge under attacks while waiting for openings. When the time was right he struck. Alex practiced his skills in preparation for the longer journey. It was estimated that they would be gone for a full week. A week where they would be no safe zone or walls to protect them. Alex would have to rely on his fellow climbers to keep each other safe while people slept and rested.
During the second night Alex dropped off a portion of loot and then returned to the wall. Despite his tiredness a large storm was overhead. All he needed to do was harness it safely from the comfort of the wall. He didn’t need to worry about the undead sneaking up on him. The only thing he had to worry about was his mana level and how effective his attacks were.
Even though the Tower did not share an exact number or percentage for his mana, Alex had learned to guess at how quickly it refilled and his total share. From experience he knew that if he bottomed out his mana then it would be slower to refill than if he used his magic in short bursts. He used this to better time his magic making his time in battle more effective. Each fight was timed and practiced so that he wasted the least amount of mana each time. If he only needed to call down a little lightning instead of a large burst then he controlled his mana to do so.
Early on the third day of his repetitious fight Alex passed level 20. His experience ticked up after stabbing more ghouls. He felt refreshed and a surge of power. With his level up, Alex gained more mana, and his sensory abilities grew. The range at which he could use his echolocation was expanded as well.
While Alex focused all his time on combat, Angela was busy in her rented workshop. Due to the tight deadlines, she effectively stayed in her crafting room all the time. She bought enough food and slept in a corner of the crafting room. Whether she was buying a few new materials or selling off weapons she made. Angela only left her place for business.
Once the crafting of Alex’s gear was completed to moved her attention to the battery prototype.
Using her knowledge of the first prototype and the knowledge from Earth she improved and crafted the battery. First, the positive and negative terminals were smelted and formed into slabs. The two slabs were made of metal. Once crafted she slotted them into place on a new battery pack.
Then Angela created the electrolyte. This required the most experimentation and the Tower offered many unique and magical alternatives. Ultimately she decided on a paste made partially from electric affinity plants and blood from small electric monsters. Once the right mixture and combination was decided on by Angela she started to assemble it.
The terminals and electrolyte were sealed in and assembled in order. Then, the battery was ready to be charged up before use.
“Today is the final day,” said Alex with a pause. “How has your crafting gone?”
“It has been quite beneficial. I have been testing some stuff and I am ready to present to you the new battery pack version 2,” she said.
“That is awesome. Want to run me through how to use this thing?”
“Of course. I don’t want you to accidentally damage anything and blow the battery up or yourself. Now let me go over the controls. On the left side here is the current switch. It can be switched between charge mode, release mode, and off. Charge mode allows you to funnel lightning into this spoke here,” Angela tapped the one she indicated. “Do not try and funnel lightning otherwise and don’t try and release lighting while it is in this mode. Release mode does as it describes and will let you easily channel lightning out of the device. Powering it off leaves it in an in between state and helps to preserve the battery components. As you have seen with prototype one do not mess with how the battery is supposed to work or else it may explode or throw out lightning that you don’t expect. Finally, I have slotted the battery into this convent backpack solution for travelling. You will have to tell me how it is long term because I didn’t wear it much myself and have not seen how it does in heavy movement and fighting.”
“This is awesome.” Alex went to pick it up. He slid the straps on and adjusted them to his body. The weight was noticeable but was not more than a full bag of loot on his back. “It feels comfortable, but I am not sure where I can keep looted items unless I make myself quite top heavy.”
“That is something I had to just accept. This battery is currently built for function over form in its prototype design. Right now, I can't shrink the components and size without reducing its total capacity. Maybe if I could get access to other materials from other floors.”
“I see. I will test this out and will let you know how the user experience is. From there improvements can be made.”
Alex and Angela concluded the conversation and Alex took the battery pack with him for testing. Rain clouds were above but the storms had not completely arrived yet so today was a perfect day for testing. He could feel the energy stored on his back with his senses and he was eager to see it be used.
When Alex got to the top of the wall he flicked the button to Release. He focused his magic on what he wanted the energy to do and started to command it. The electricity shot forth from the battery and circled his arm for a moment before flying toward its targets. The blast flickered forward and struck the skeletons with perfect accuracy. The skeletons were suddenly ash and charred bone. Alex smiled and continued to attack.
After thirty minutes the battery ran out of charge. He flipped the battery to charge mode. Alex looked at the thundering sky above. With focused energy and intent Alex called the lightning down on himself. Thunder popped his ears as the energy flowed back into the battery filling it back up. He switched the battery off letting it stay dormant as he switched to using the natural storm’s energy instead.
A few hours later at the end of the day, he checked his status.
<<<>>>
Name: Alex
Path: Magic (Sub-Path: Lightning)
Rating: G
Level: 21 (3%)
Abilities (1/1):
Manipulate Electricity [F]
Tower Points: 450
Percent Soul Captured: 1%
<<<>>>