Chapter 40 – Floor 5: Part 1

Trapped in the empty elevator once again, Mathew’s wristband began to vibrate as burning letters appeared on the wall next to him.

Please select a new Discipline.

“Confirm.” Mathew muttered, and the words disappeared, only to come back again with a different statement. There were three small pictures on the wall now, with descriptions of his options beneath. Familiar with the process, Mathew carefully studied his choices.

After experiencing the problems ‘Coward’ influenced on his psyche, Mathew was going to be very hesitant with his following Discipline. Each floor was becoming more dangerous, and he didn’t want to have to fight his own Discipline along with whatever he was facing on the floor.

Discipline: Allurer

Rarity: Uncommon

Attributes per Level: Body +, Mind +, Spirit +

Summary: You have a way with words. People inherently trust you, and you have always used that to your advantage. A sweet talker, a silver-tongued wordsmith.

Unique Blessing: Charm

Summary: Using your abundant charisma, you attempt to charm a single humanoid within the range of your voice. If you succeed, the charmed humanoid will regard you as a close friend. Once the blessing ends, by your choice or after an hour, the charmed humanoid will know you used your power on it.

Note: Your willpower will compete against your target for success. If you fail, expect a hostile reaction.

Cost: Free (Granted as a floor completion bonus.)

The image of this Discipline was of Mathew, his arm over the shoulders of another person who was looking at him with near devotion. This form of Mathew was wearing similar clothing to what he wore now.

Mathew felt disgusted by this Discipline. He wasn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination, but something seemed terribly wrong about forcing someone to become friends with him. What secrets would they be willing to reveal, or actions would they perform, under the effects of this blessing?

After putting this one of contention, he turned to the next.

Discipline: Operative

Rarity: Common

Attributes per Level: Body ++, Mind +

Summary: Infiltration, solving mysteries and extracting information. You use every scape of knowledge to accomplish your goals. Nothing can remain hidden from you if you are dedicated enough to uncover it.

Unique Blessing: Disguise

Summary: You can make yourself look different for an hour under the effects of this Blessing. You craft an illusion to disguise your clothing, body and equipment. A foot taller or shorter, fat or thin, you can shift your features slightly to appear as a different person. But the illusion isn’t reality, and a single touch will alert others to your deception.

Cost: Free (Granted as a floor completion bonus.)

“Like a secret agent.” Mathew commented. He had been involved in solving a mystery, so it made sense that this Discipline would present itself. He was curious about the comments the gods made about his actions on the last floor that they had granted him these strange disciplines.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The thought immediately made him feel a pang of regret. He had let Albert die and Ben Olson escape. Rationally, he knew there was nothing he could have done to keep the Sheriff alive, but it still stung. He couldn’t help but think that maybe if someone like Samuel had been there, Albert would have survived.

Shaking those thoughts away, Mathew considered this option for a Discipline. Disguising himself could be useful, he supposed, but every floor he had been on had thrown him into either combat or being the focal point as a champion.

He didn’t really see the need to hide who he was. It was possible it could be invaluable in the future, but he had been making do just fine as it was without it.

The third image was the strangest one of all. It was of Mathew standing behind the corner of a building on a dark street, a broad grin on his face as he made a rock fly toward a shadowy figure walking down the road in the distance.

Not having a clue about what this Discipline was from the picture, Mathew skimmed the summary.

Discipline: Trickster

Rarity: Rare

Attributes per Level: Body +, Mind ++

Summary: Magic is a gift, a blessing from the gods. Instead of its intended purpose, you use it frivolously and often for selfish means. A trickster who delights in obscuring the truth, using your blessing in strange and outrageous ways.

Unique Blessing: Catapult

Summary: Pointing at an object that is not being worn or carried, you may have it travel in a straight line at high velocity before falling to the ground.

Tier 1: Object must be one pound or less / Thirty-foot travel distance / Slow velocity

Tier 2: Object must be three pounds or less / Sixty-foot travel distance / Medium velocity

Tier 3: Object must be five pounds or less / Ninety-foot travel distance / High velocity

Cost: Free (Granted as a floor completion bonus.)

Of the three, ‘Trickster’ was the only one that appealed to Mathew. ‘Allurer’ was distasteful and disgusting, while ‘Operative’ seemed to be only helpful in a few situations. With the Trickster’s blessing of Catapult, Mathew could already think of some synergies with his ‘Control Flames’ Blessing.

He could fling a container of oil or something similar and light it on fire.

“I’ll take Trickster.” Mathew confirmed, and the familiar rush of energy swept through him again. Unlike his previous Discipline, Mathew’s clothing didn’t change at all. Perhaps it was time for him to spend some of his accrued Aether on magical items.

“I have sixty-five thousand, and I’m sure there’s something good in the shop. But I’ll wait until I find out what the next floor holds. I would hate to spend it on something I don’t need.” Mathew reasoned with himself.

Upgrading ‘Catapult’ to tier 2 would cost him sixty thousand Aether, meaning he needed to choose between items or the upgrade. He wanted to test it first before making a decision.

“Judgement.” Mathew stated, looking at his wrist expectantly for the statements regarding the gods and their opinions of him to show.

The gods have chosen to withhold judgment until you have completed the adjoining floor.

“Strange.” Mathew commented, never having experienced that before. Why would they want to wait?

The elevator let out a loud ‘Ding’ to announce that he had arrived at his destination. It hadn’t been more than a few minutes since it began to move, making this one of the fastest transitions between floors Mathew had experienced.

Before the doors opened, the burning words providing the summary to the floor hovered in the air above his silver wristband, the first time it had ever done that. Typically, Mathew would exit to a Floor and then receive the summary. An uneasy feeling began to grow inside his stomach as he read it.

Floor 5: The Pit

It has been a month since the Greater Mimic impersonating Ben Olson vanished from Arlen, Texas. Leaving a trail of bodies in its wake, it returned to where it had been born, The Pit. Sealed decades before by a party of Champions, the Pit has once again been opened, and the Earth is in danger.

Objective: Journey into the depths of the Pit with the other Champions and seal it once more.

Mathew had to reread the summary to ensure he read it correctly. If it were true, and he had no reason to doubt it, the elevator had brought him to the same Floor, only forward in time. He would be returning to the same world he had just left a month later.

“The Pit.” Mathew muttered in worry.

Albert had said it was on the border of California and that the army was still stationed next to it to ensure that nothing went in or came out. If it had been opened again, there was no telling what dangers lurked within.

Ben Olson was something called a ‘Greater Mimic.’ Mathew wasn’t familiar with the term, but it sounded like he was a shapeshifter of a higher class than the ‘Lamp’ and the ‘Truck’ he had fought. To be honest, Mathew wasn’t looking forward to another confrontation.

All of his opponents so far had been relatively unintelligent, even the Goblins. Ben Olson had been intelligent, cunning and cruel.

The doors opened, and Mathew returned to the world he had just left.