Chapter 14 – Floor 1: Part 6

Maria and the others had returned to a horrific mockery of life and would not stay dead. They had joined the ranks of the undead, and no matter how many times Mathew burned their bodies or one of the other people in the town cut them down or blasted them away with magic, they would return the next night to haunt and torment them again.

Mathew incinerated them until nothing remained but ashes, but they returned night after night. What had been horrible and terrifying had morphed into something worse than a nightmare. It had become pure torture.

He walked slowly through the town, too tired to respond to the greetings of the others. They were all in a similar state. What had happened was unprecedented. No one who died in the past on this floor returned to life. Something different had occurred during the attack on August City, but no one was strong enough or willing to find out what it was.

All he could do was carry on, destroying the undead and gathering Aether. After another week, Mathew earned enough to level up but chose to upgrade ‘Create and Control Flames’ to its second tier.

He could now create two fires while using half the materials. It cut down on the amount of work he had to do during the day and made him more efficient at fighting the undead. But it had the unintended consequence of giving him more free time.

When he was alone with his thoughts, they were unbearable. Mathew hadn’t experienced someone close to him dying before. He had never been confronted with that kind of loss. Worse, it was right in front of him, staring at him in the face and trying to kill him night after night.

Shuddering, Mathew drew his cloak closer around himself as he returned to studying his work. He had found that the trench around the town wall only provided so much space for him to work.

He needed a line of sight to the material he would be igniting, and with the way the wall curved and how the undead mostly approached a single side, Mathew was limited to how many he could destroy at a time.

Mathew’s solution was to purchase rope from the ‘Shop’ and attach it to stakes driven deep into the ground. By making a ‘U’ shape, he could lure a large group of undead into a single spot where he had littered the ground with leaves and tree branches. The rope would burn, but so would a dozen or more of the undead.

He had tried a miniature version the night before, and it worked well at trapping several of the undead, so he was expanding it.

The work kept him busy and his mind from wandering to more unpleasant topics. Too bad it couldn’t stop the dreams.

Last week, Mathew had dreamed of Emily and her mother surrounded by the living dead. They had been ripped apart by teeth and nails, only to return to join their ranks. He had trouble sleeping since then, only risking it when he was so exhausted that he knew the dreams wouldn’t find him.

Finishing tying the last knot, he ran an eye critically over what he had done, searching for flaws. He gave it a few test tugs to ensure it was secure before returning to the town. He still had to purchase a few things from the Temple and plan for his next level-up.

Letting out a huff of air that left a cloud of white mist in front of him, he stretched his aching back and walked back to town.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

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Create and Control Flames III

Allows the user to summon a single fire without the need for combustible material. User can manipulate existing, non-magical flames within sight. The user can control the size and shape of the fire at will. The ‘Mind’ Attribute determines the duration of summoned flames.

Cost: 10000 Aether.

Level Requirements: Four

Mathew reviewed the Blessing while trying to plan how long it would take him to earn enough Aether. He needed three thousand Aether to reach level three, and it would take him six thousand to level four. By that time, the amount he earned from the undead along the wall would decrease significantly.

He would need another month to reach level four and another few weeks after that to upgrade Create and Control Flames. Finally, another month after that for level five.

Mathew sat in the temple, tapping his finger against the wooden floor as he leaned against the stone wall. Could he stay another two months in this town? But what other choice did he have? He didn’t want to rush it, not when Maria and the others had perished trying to clear August City.

But the thought of staying here for that long was dreadful. Mathew had been here for weeks already, and he had seen a dozen other ‘Firsties’ arrive. To his surprise, two of them were from his Earth. He had helped them as much as he could, but there was only so much he could do.

Despite his best efforts, they had lost one the first night after an undead had made it through the gate before they could close it.

Letting out a sigh, he banged the back of his head gently against the wall. He was interrupted by the moaning wail of the undead, heard even through the thick stone walls of the temple. Dragging himself to his feet, Mathew hurried to the scaffolding, where another night waited for him.

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Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when the moans and screams of the undead reached their peak, Mathew forgot that life existed outside this floor. It was easier, in a way, to ignore Earth and all the people he had left behind.

Focusing on burning one pyre after another, watching the flesh melt from bones and leaving nothing but ash behind required a unique mindset.

Now and then, when he was alone in his house in the morning, and he couldn’t sleep, Mathew would laugh until tears came out of his eyes at the thought of trying to explain this hellish floor to people outside the Tower.

Would they believe him? Would they think he was insane when he described the satisfaction he felt in annihilating his enemy? Would they think he was sick for participating in the betting and the games the defenders had created to pass the time?

Who could kill the most undead in a given time period? Who could take out a specific creature while leaving the others untouched? How long would it take for him to burn away a body until there was nothing left?

Maybe they were all a bit insane.

Mathew snapped his fingers, watching as another pyre near the treeline erupted into a towering bonfire. He had taken to mixing oils, grease and alcohol to his piles of debris. Anything that would let it cling to a body better.

He was getting better at killing, becoming more creative in how he did it. Sometimes, he would stay up in the mornings, talking with the others and coming up with ideas on how to be more efficient. More often, it was trial and error.

Mathew’s traps had been a success. He could corral dozens of undead for a few minutes, long enough for him to ignite the pyre and burn them down. Plus, he didn’t have to risk damage to the wall. As he grew stronger, his flames reached further, and it was becoming a problem for those fighting on the wall.

It's better to have it at a distance.

“Mathew!” A voice called out. He ignored it, his mind wandering.

“Mathew! Hey, the sun’s up! You can stop!” The voice repeated, and a hand gripped his shoulder. It was one of the other high-level players in the town. He forgot his name, but they used to drink together when Maria was still alive.

“You alright? You don’t look so good.” The man repeated, and Mathew stared blankly at his face for a moment before he remembered. It was Greg from Vermont. But not his version of Vermont, but another one. A multiverse of Vermonts.

Blinking his eyes, Mathew shook himself out of his daze. Christ, what was happening to him?

“Yeah, I’m good.” Mathew assured Greg. The man stared at his doubtfully for a moment before nodding.

“Alright. Let’s get a drink.”