Chapter 174 – Floor 17: Part 1
Floor 16: A Hallowed Splinter (Failed)
Summary: You have failed to contain the Hallowed Splinter. The Soulshard of Nadar the Immortal has been destroyed and not contained as ordered. The gods had commanded you to bring the Soulshard to the HDC facility, but you did not adhere to that directive.
Reward: None.
You will be sent to a Punishment Floor.
Mathew leaned against the wall of the elevator and closed the notification. He was emotionally numb and exhausted. His wounds were healing quickly; the potions he had consumed were working their magic on his shattered body.
His armour was ruined, but he couldn’t find the energy to strip it off and find a replacement in the shop. Instead, he just sat there as his thoughts kept returning to his failures.
Mathew could see the destruction he had caused whenever he closed his eyes. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t been in control of his body; he still felt responsible. He knew that the spirit of Nadar had been too powerful to stop from possessing him, but the guilt remained.
He let out a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair.
“A punishment Floor.” Mathew whispered wearily as the elevator began to shift and move beneath him. He had no idea what to expect, and none of the other players he had met had ever travelled to a punishment floor.
Mathew couldn’t shake the thought that he deserved to be punished, that his failure to secure the Crown and protect the city meant that he should have to be penalized.
The potions flowed through his body, and after nearly an hour of rest, he opened the shop and purchased a new armour. Similar to his last ones, they protected him from the elements, had increased durability and had the standard cleaning enchantments. But they didn’t confer any special abilities.
Restocking his potions while he did so, Mathew drained the few units of Aether he had left. He hadn’t gained anything from the 16th Floor, meaning he was currently destitute.
The elevator slowed and came to a stop, and Mathew wearily climbed to his feet. The silver wristband began to vibrate and warm against his skin. Raising it to his eyes, he read the message.
Floor 17 – Punishment Floor – Mining Aether
Summary: You are a failure. You were unsuccessful in the task assigned to you by the gods and, as such, must make restitution. Recover Aether Crystals to pay your debt to the gods; only then will you leave for the next floor.
Current Debt: 500,000,000 Units of Aether.
Mathew’s eyes widened in shock at the number listed. His total Aether accumulated since he had entered the Tower were less than 10 million units of Aether. How the hell was he supposed to gather fifty times that?!
The message continued, and his surprise and concern increased with every word.
Punishment Floor Details of Note:
1. Blessings are blocked.
2. Shop is inaccessible.
3. Attributes are reduced.
4. Inventory is inaccessible.
5. Potions are ineffective.
6. Magical Enchantments have been nullified.
“Christ.” Mathew cursed as he continued down the list. He tried to open his inventory, but nothing happened. It was the same when he tried to get any response from the silver wristband. Nothing responded. The few potions that he had tucked away in his belt had turned grey, losing their colour and lustre. Even his armour lacked the normal glow associated with enchantments.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The elevator doors opened to a desolate, frigid world covered in ice and snow. Mathew shivered as the cold bit deeply into his flesh. The reduced Attributes made him feel weaker and more susceptible to temperature changes than before.
His feet crunched through the hard top layer of the snow before sinking down nearly to his knees. As the light of the elevator faded and it disappeared from sight, Mathew assessed this new Floor.
There was nothing around, just a few snow-covered hills and several rocky outcrops where the winds had scoured them clean. There were no buildings in sight or any signs of civilization. The sky was covered in dark grey clouds, and heavy snowflakes were constantly falling down onto him.
“What am I supposed to do now?” Mathew muttered to himself as he tucked his cold hands into his armpits to keep them warm. His armour was nearly useless; the stiff leather didn’t trap much heat, and the metal parts felt like he was wearing ice.
He hadn’t had a chance to root around in his inventory for supplies, clothing, weapons or anything useful. Mathew just hoped that he wouldn’t run into anything hostile on this floor.
Although, with how barren this world appeared, he doubted he would find anything.
A faint reflection in front of Mathew in the dim light filtered through the thick cloud cover. Stepping forward, Mathew knelt and brushed the snow off of an object.
It was a pickaxe. Picking it up, he studied it for a moment before familiar burning words appeared above it.
The Penitent Pickaxe
Summary: Wielded by those who seek forgiveness for their failures, The Penitent Pickaxe will be with you for as long as you can survive on this Floor. Use it to dig for Aether and offer it to the gods for their mercy and absolution.
Item Enchantments: Indestructible.
Mathew hefted the pickaxe onto his shoulder, unused for a moment by just how much weaker he was compared to the last Floor. The restrictions placed on him were brutal, and, for a moment, he seriously wondered if he was going to die on this Floor.
‘Maybe I deserve it.’ Mathew whispered the guilt weighed heavy on him. He was about to set the pickaxe down once again in defeat when something appeared out of the corner of his eye.
It was a Celestial; the floating spirit had apparently found him despite travelling to a new Floor. It slowly flew through the air, studying him with interest. The whispers returned, echoing in all directions, barely heard over the howling of the wind.
‘Lageness Must Zatize Us’
“You can shut up now; I still don’t understand what you’re saying!” Mathew shouted, his nerves frayed by his experiences over the past few hours. He raised the pickaxe and hurled it at the spirit in frustration and anger.
Predictably, the tool passed harmlessly through the Celestial and landed on the ground, where it sent a small amount of snow swirling into the air. Mathew let out a frustrated huff that created a white mist in front of his face before he slowly trudged to the Pickaxe and lifted it once more.
“Just leave me alone.” Mathew grumbled. Looking around for a moment, he picked a direction at random and started to walk. The Celestial followed behind him, floating above the tracks he left in the snow.
The dim light of day turned to night, and the clouds above cleared, allowing Mathew to see the sky. There were stars out, stretching across the heavens. There were also two moons, a bright silver one that lit up the snow and a darker, reddish oval moon that trailed along in the bright moon’s wake.
The night air turned even colder, and Mathew shivered uncontrollably when he blessedly found a small cave to block the wind. It was little more than a cleft under an outcrop, but it was enough to shelter under.
Unfortunately, there were no trees or brush to burn, leaving him in the dark and the cold. But he could feel something in the icy wasteland. There were traces of Aether here, and he could catch hints of its scent in the air.
Having found shelter and seeking to keep warm, Mathew lifted the pickaxe, found a likely spot to dig, and struck. Again and again, he dug into the earth, using the pointy end to break up the hard rock or frozen ground and then using the flat portion to scoop it out.
After a few minutes, his body warmed enough that he was no longer shivering constantly. After an hour he had a nice pile of rocks and soil on the cave floor next to him, and he was sweating profusely. After a day he finally found his first piece of Crystallized Aether.
The small, blue crystal was no bigger than a pea, but it was one of the most beautiful sights Mathew had ever seen, especially because the find came with a notification from his silver wristband.
Limited Shop Functions Enabled. Aether may be used to purchase basic supplies.
Note: Aether spent in the Shop must come from the Punishment Floor. Aether spent in the Shop can not be used toward the Debt.
Mathew tossed the pickaxe onto the ground wearily and opened up the shop. The Aether in his hands disappeared, and he found a new total at the bottom. That small crystal was worth three units of Aether. A pitiful amount, and he saw the option of applying it to his debt or purchasing from the Shop.
He chose to buy something right away. For three units of Aether, he got a cloak, enough rations to last him a day, and a ‘warming stone’ that the Shop promised would drive away the cold for a few hours.
It may have only been a small amount, but it was a start.