"Hey! Wait up!" Shouts a jogging dwarf.
"Haha, you'll never make it on time with those slow legs of yours!" An elf says, effortlessly gliding along the ground.
"She's right. This is what you get for not doing the nightly strength and stamina trainings." A lumbering orc spits out.
"I'm a dwarf! We run slow! Bahhh... Just wait... for like... 30 seconds... Oh I'm gonna die. I told you I wanted to be mage!"
"Mages have big staffs. Can you even carry that?" A nearby human says. Both the elf and dwarf burst out laughing.
I couldn't take it anymore. I took an alley and got away from all that nonsense. I'll take the side streets to school. There's only 3 more days until final class selection and we're finally going to learn all the requirements for whatever class we choose. I don't know why they make it such a big deal. All the most famous climbers are either Spellswords, Dark Knights, or Templars of the Night.
Spellswords are pretty self explanatory. Take your classic fighter. Give him buffs to make him run faster, make him a bit stronger. Put his sword on fire. Bam. Spellsword.
Dark Knights are a bit of a different ball game. These guys love armor. The heavier and bulkier, the better. Tower shields. Giant swords. Strength and armor is their jam. They can definitely take a punch or two though. Plus with the dark stat they can phase in and out of shadows to dodge attacks, keep bosses focused on them with taunts and use shadow chains to lock them down. Pretty neat ability.
Templars of the Night. Now when I first heard that. I thought shiny black armor. Nope. Not even close. These guys are assassins. Through and through. They love to stab all the beasties that get in our way. Most of the blood thirsty people go for them. They don't have magic though. Use internal energy and stuff to make their weapons stronger and do all kinds of weird stuff.
Almost like martial artists. Another popular one. Magic takes on many forms here in the tower. Enchantments, fireballs, lamps, runes, internal energy, yaddah yaddah. All that stuff is magic. Though most of the pure magic classes die young.
The warriors and such are all fighting beasties up close with the caster and healer in the back right? What about the beasts that like to hide for a bit? Free mage meal. Yum yum. Happens all the time from what I hear. Healers not so much. Need those to survive so people watch em a bit more.
Not that any of those matter to me. I have absolutely no idea what class I'm gonna end up choosing. There are hundreds of choices. Each specialized to do just about anything. All are usefull in at least one scenario or three. Although that could be as much as you'll ever get used. In a tower filled with endless scenarios. Everyone has a shot at the big time right?
If only. I'm not that naive. With an audible sigh I keep trudging on to school. Not much else to worry about until they give us more information. Only a few more blocks to go.
I turn onto a new street. My world is about to turn upside down in a few days. Seems so calm right now. I pass by the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse offers us a way to travel between floors we've beaten the boss at before. We can go to any floor that's been cleared at least once as long as those who've cleared it take people with them but no one can leave the town.
The only exception to that rule to that is the classless. We are stuck on floor one until age 18 when we pick a class. Only adults climb the tower. Although the age is different for every race. Elves don't get to climb till 60. A few types of beastman climb at age 5. Scary right?
I'm already 18 and just waiting to graduate with the current group of students. Maybe one or two of us will make it past floor 50. Unfortunately, it rarely happens. We've spent the past 850 years in this tower. Learning everything we possibly could. And we've only made it to floor 62. Officially it's 854 Tower Years. Everyone's suns revolved at different paces so it's only 300 days though.
All languages were unified into a single one all those years ago. It'd be hell to try and remember 30 something languages. Old human ones, Elven, the gutteral tounges, Orcish, Dwarven, whatever the reptiles used to speak in if you consider that a language. So much easier now. The Great Magi was immensely powerful.
I take shortcut through an alley. Another two blocks on the other side and I'm at school. Plenty ahead of schedule. There's an old man wrapped in blankets in the corner. I hope he doesn't bother me.
"Pssst, hey there little one. Where might you be going on such roads?" The old mans voice whispers.
Uh oh. Not good. I know I our school isn't in the best part of the floor but I really can't do this now.
"Listen I don't have any money. I'm just on my way to school. Please, just let me go." I say frantically.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Now where did you come up with the idea that I wanted money?" The old man steps out from the shadows. "The tower has plenty available to those who climb. You don't climb. Not yet anyway."
I can't argue. He's right. We are only provided the most minimal of funds by those chosen to teach us. We don't even get to stay with our parents on whatever floor they birth us on past age 6. Then we're teleport butt naked into the Lighthouse on floor one. Not that I ever knew my parents. I was an orphan. The only human in my orphanage too.
"What is your name boy?"
Relieved I say, "Cole. My name is Cole."
"No last name huh? Well you see Cole, I have something for you." A blanket covering the bottom of the old mans face shifts slightly. Revealing a wrinkly, toothy grin. "A gift. Something that will change everything for you, but there is a catch. As with all good things."
I don't know whether to run or actually hear him out. I have to admit I am somewhat interested. "What i-is it?" I barely utter.
He grins once more. "The tower gives us weapons and armor. Beasts are aplenty for food. Trees can be cut for fire and houses. Money is given for completing floors."His smile darkens and he takes on an aggressive tone. "Yet one more resource eludes us. Just one that we can never gain more of. Do you know what that is, boy?" He nearly spits out at me.
I barely manage to shake my head.
His voice takes on a musical quality and deepens impossibly.
"Time. It's time, and now I offer it to you. Take this mantle from me, for I grow weary."
Confused and scared, I only manage to nod in fear.
"Good. You've accepted. Now my dearest sentient. Embrace Eternity."
The last thing I remember was his smile. A sad one.
----------------------------------------
I sit up with a jolt, my head pounding and vision blurring.
"Where am I?" I ask to the darkness and trash littering the alley.
No one is around me anymore. I can hear the sounds of life on the streets. The markets calling out wares nearby. Wait... markets? The markets don't open till Midday. I was on my way to school way before then.
"Ah shit! How long was I out!?" I get up and start running. At least I attempt to anyway. I immediately fall right back down. These are the 3 most important days of school and I can't miss them! I try to move again and that's when I notice I have a blinking icon at the bottom right corner of my vision.
I'm not suppose to gain access to the interface until I pick a class, 3 days from now on graduation day. Yet there it is. We are taught to use voice commands to navigate the interface until I change it in my settings. What was the notification one again? Ah yes. I'm dumb.
"Notifications!"
My vision swam one again.
Warning! Someone is forcibly changing your race and class!
Race Human removed. New race: Eternal
Class added. New class: Voidwalker
Access to interface granted.
Updating settings.
Named updated: Cole Koufax
Congratulations. Have a good climb!
Recieved new buff: Touched by the Void. (Permanent)
-Void abilities are increased by 100%
Recieved new buff: Timeless. (Permanent)
-Will only age when Age setting is toggled on. Default is off.
Recieved new buff: Open ended. (Permanent)
-Offers additional choices for rewads and paths to new floors.
Recieved new buff: Experience Boon. (Permanent)
-Experience recieved increased by 5%
Recieved new stat: Void
-Grants access to Void magic. Higher levels grant more powerful magics.
-Grants access to Void energy. Higher levels grant more powerful bonuses.
-Can only learn void based magic skills and energy skills.
Recieved new magic skill: Void Blast
-Sends out a blast of void damage (Magic Affinity + Void stat)
-If used on self or party member heals proportionate amount of damage.
Received new enchantment skill: Void Infusion
-Adds void damage to current weapon. (Half Void stat)
-Adds void touch to current tool.
-Equipment crafted with void touched tools grant Touched by the Void buff for the wearer. This is a stackable effect.
Received new energy skill: Void Palm
-Adds void damage to martial arts (Half Void stat)
Recieved new passive: Battle Affinity
-Increases resistance to mind altering affects.
-Keeps the mind clear in stressful situations.
Received new passive: Voidwalker
-Grants an additional 2 Void per level.
-Grants an additional 2 stat points per level.
-Grants an additional 10 Mana per level.
-Grants an additional 10 Energy per level.
-Grants increased bodily regeneration.
Holy shit. What just happend to me? It looks like I just become the best class ever. I doubt any of the others I'll look at will have these bonuses. I could become anything with these abilties. Magic, martial arts, healer, hell even a crafter. I could do anything with this.
I don't even have time to think over everything before I hear the noon bell. I am astronomically late and I have to burst out running toward class. I'll have missed the exit speech and probably the first few workshops. I stop right before I leave the alley. Wait. I already have a class right? That means I could leave the floor right now. Never going back to school sounds so tempting.
There is still the bonuses from the workshops though. Skills and magic spells. Not to mention armor and a weapon. Alright I'm going brain, I'm going.
I make my way toward the final few days of classes still. No idea what excuse to use. I'll just wing it. Usually works.