Chapter 74 – Floor 7: Part 14

Eloise was dead.

Her body lay on the muddy ground behind Mathew, mummified by the whip that drained all of her vitality as fuel for an attack capable of harming an Apostle. Her sister knelt at her side, mourning quietly for her loss as several of the other survivors amongst the high-level players were gathering the remains of the dead for burial.

But Mathew ignored them all. He didn’t mourn for Eloise or any of the others that fell. He couldn’t bring himself to feel anything for any of them anymore. He was numb, beyond caring. This floor had changed him, making him into someone alien to his past.

He couldn’t remember much about his life outside the Tower. Even with his Mind stat giving him crystal clear clarity of his time in the Tower, everything outside was like a dream. And like every dream, the memory faded quickly upon waking.

Mathew had flashes of his old life. He recalled his parents, brief images of their time together. But it often felt like he was someone else, watching these memories of another’s life.

But he could never forget Emily. At least she stayed with him, driving him forward to see her again.

A moan came from the body at his feet, and Mathew’s mind returned to the task at hand.

Eloise hadn’t killed Samuel; even giving her life hadn’t been enough to eliminate the Apostle of the Outer Deity. That task had fallen to Mathew.

Mathew the Enduring. The Reliable. The Survivor. He had come through another battle alive, where so many others had not. After Eloise attacked, Samuel had been off balance and weak enough for Mathew to strike the man directly with multiple bolts of energy from his Blessing.

It had been his knife that killed him, driven into Samuel’s heart. But even that took its time, and Mathew could only watch as the Apostle slowly died.

Samuel lay on the ground, his armour cracked and broken. His mace was nowhere in sight, having been flung away by Eloise. The breath rattled in his lungs; the aura of darkness that had surrounded him constantly since leaving the Fortress had faded. If it hadn’t been for his high body stat, Mathew knew the man would have died long before.

As it was, he had very little time left.

“Mathew. I’m glad it was you.” Samuel whispered. The anger and hatred had faded from his eyes, leaving regret and sorrow. Whatever madness the Outer Deity had corrupted him had left, leaving only the man Mathew had known.

Mathew didn’t respond. Instead, he gripped the knife that had killed the apostle. Could the old Mathew have killed someone before entering the Tower? What would ‘Mathew of Manhattan’ have done in this situation?

“It had been so clear to me. A way to achieve my wish.” Samuel murmured, breaking off the words with a harsh cough. Mathew sighed. He placed his knife in the sheathe at his belt and knelt beside his friend. The third floor seemed so long ago. Samuel had been an arrogant prick, too self-righteous for Mathew to enjoy being around.

But he could respect him. Samuel saved their lives during the fight against the Goblins and led the players on the Seventh Floor for the first few months. Mathew owed him…something.

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Maybe listening to his last words would be enough.

“What was your wish, Samuel?” Mathew asked quietly. The giant of a man had never said why he entered the Tower, only that he had been ancient when he had done so. Mathew assumed he did it to regain his youth, a similar reason to many people.

“I wanted to see her again. My wife…it’s funny. I can’t even remember her name anymore. Or what she looked like. The Tower took that from me. It gave me my youth but stole my memories. The Outer Deity promised to return them to me, but that was another lie. They are all liars, Mathew. Remember that.” Samuel murmured.

His last breath exhaled at the end of his words, the Apostle died. His eyes lost their inner light, and Mathew could sense Samuel’s soul departing his body. It was off to wherever the Tower’s dead went. Sparkles of white light glittered in the crimson sun before disappearing.

“Maybe you will finally see her again, my friend.” Mathew whispered. Using his right hand, blood-covered and trembling, he closed Samuel’s eyes.

“It’s done then?” Greg asked, coming up from behind him. The battle with the fiends was finished, the monsters were put down and ended. None of them retreated. They never did. The army was now within the fortress, securing it for the next stage of the advancement.

The war wasn’t over, not yet. The Outer Deity had suffered a loss with its Apostle's death, but it wasn’t one that would cripple it forever. There was still an entire planet to be cleared of Fiends, with countless portals.

But that would come later.

“It’s done.” Mathew said, standing upright and wiping his bloody hand on his jacket. The magic in the item kept it clean, one of the only things on his body that wasn’t muddy or coated in blood.

“Good. Now we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Greg stated, coming up beside his friend and gazing down at the body of the Apostle.

“We paid enough for it. How were our losses amongst the army?” Mathew asked, and regretted it when he saw Greg wince.

“Bad. We’re still searching amongst the dead for survivors, but I estimate more than half won’t be returning to ‘Ruin’ with us.” Greg stated, and Mathew was about to respond when his wristband vibrated. A message from Righteous Subjugation had come through, and Mathew read it quickly.

“None of us will be going back. Righteous Subjugation is pleased and wants us to keep pushing forward. Half a dozen portals support more Fiends to the north.” Mathew explained the message, pausing for a moment at the end.

“Huh.” He said before holding out his right hand. Samuel’s Mace materialized in his grasp. Now Spotless clean, Mathew watched the demonic face on the weapon shift and twist as he recalled the message from Righteous Subjugation.

The god of Righteous Subjugation is incredibly pleased with your actions. As a reward, the Mace of Ruin, once owned by the Apostle of the Outer Deity, has been gifted to you and blessed by the Tower gods. It has been cleaned of taint and may be used freely on all future floors.

The mace, which always unnerved Mathew, changed. Its black metal turned silver, and the face morphed into a clenched fist, the symbol of Righteous Subjugation. It was light in Mathew’s hand; he could raise it easily, but he knew that to anyone else, it would be too much of a burden to carry.

The Mace of Subjugation

Gifted to Mathew the Enduring as a reward for the defeat of the Apostle of the Outer Deity, this weapon uses the power of the god of Righteous Subjugation to eradicate all foes.

Magical Enchantments: Increased Durability, Enhanced owner’s body stat by 3. Mana can be used to increase the force of all blows.

Owner: Mathew Larson. It may never be gifted to another or sold.

Mathew read the burning words that appeared above it before placing the mace in his inventory. It was a good weapon, but he rarely fought up close. Worse, he couldn’t give it away or sell it! Maybe he would find a use for it someday.

“Come on.” Mathew said to Greg, leading him away from Samuel’s body.

They had work to do. First, the Fortress would need to be cleared of any remaining Fiends and the army seen to. The wounded needed care, and scouts had to be sent out to survey the area. Mathew had to plan the next assault on the closest Portal.

Mathew spent the next two years amongst the army, clearing portals and destroying any Fiends they found before he finally heard a noise that he had longed for.

Ding!

“Congratulations! The 7th floor has been cleared!”