Chapter 71 – Secrets

[Sam]

Sam found himself immediately pulled into Gideon’s pace, being dragged across camp to a makeshift cantina made up of benches, small tables, and dreary eyed soldiers staring into their cups.

Sam had been afraid of this, and he thought he was actively avoiding Sarah’s group. He didn’t expect to find them on the front lines. Gideon had rescued him, and he was plenty embarrassed about it. Sam had gotten separated from his group in the chaos of an ambush. That’s when Gideon showed up to save the day. He grimaced again at the thought. He hadn’t actually been charging at the enemy soldiers so much as trying to run past them.

Now he had accidentally told Sarah about Jack. Hannah’s going to murder me, he thought.

That wasn’t the worst of it, though. The worst was having to talk to Gideon. He couldn’t even look him in the eyes. He wanted to throw up every time he thought about the guy and what Jack was going to do to, or at least try to do to him. Sam thought he had mentally prepared himself for the task, but one look at Gideon and his resolve crumbled. So, he opted instead to look anywhere but at Gideon.

Gideon noticed instantly and had been pouting about it the entire time.

“Ok.” Gideon said, pushing a rather large tankard across the table to Sam. “Last we spoke, you were a scrawny mage scared of his own shadow. Now I find you charging headfirst into battle, sword in hand. Tell. Me. Everything.” Gideon said, a large, charming smile on his face.

Sam’s mind raced for a response. He wasn’t sure what to tell Gideon. The fact that Jack’s alive was already out of the bag, but he didn’t have to give out any important details.

Maybe I can just give him an abridged version, just keep the stuff about Jack to a minimum. That should be fine. Sam thought to himself.

“Sammy? Are you still with us?” Gideon asked, snapping his fingers in Sam’s face. Sam flushed; he had been in his own head thinking up a response for far too long.

“Is this about Jack? I don’t care that your friends with him. I’m not the jealous type.” Gideon winked. “Although I do have a few questions of my own, if you don’t mind. Namely, should I be worried about Sarah’s safety?”

“Jack would never!” Sam said, almost angry.

“I apologize for the insinuation. It’s just that I know so little about the man, and he seemed to have hurt Sarah somewhat severely.”

Sam just nodded along. Was Gideon dating Sarah? He wondered, trying to calculate the age gap between the two. It had to be at least 10,000 years.

“So again, adventures? Stories? Tell me everything!” Gideon said after another long pull from his mug.

Sam peered into his mug. Did he get me a smoothie? Sam wondered, taking a test sip from the mug. It tasted like strawberry banana.

“This is really good.” Sam said, taking another swig.

“Thought you might like it. Nonalcoholic for my friend who doesn’t drink!” He said in mock cheer.

Sam found himself smiling. He really liked Gideon. The man seemed to genuinely enjoy his life in the Tower. He chased after experiences and was always happy to swap and exchange stories.

Sam found himself unprompted, telling a very abridged version of his misadventures with Jack and Hannah.

Gideon was the perfect audience. He oooh’d and ahhh’d with perfect sincerity. He laughed raucously at him and Jack getting charmed by the Sirens, only for Hannah to be their savior. He gasped dramatically when the werebears showed up. Before Sam knew it, he was filling Gideon in on details he should have left out.

“And then Jack cast a supercharged version of his Storm Step ability and caused an avalanche-“ Sam started to say, only to immediately cut himself off.

“An avalanche?” Gideon mused, his eyebrows going high. “He’s sounding like quite the powerhouse. What sort of core does he have?”

Reality kicked back in and Sam felt his mouth run dry. Think Sam. Think. He chided himself.

“Oh yeah!” Sam said, trying to change the subject. “Speaking of Jack, look at this weapon he found.”

Gideon cocked an eyebrow as Sam pulled out the [Sparrow’s Flintlock] and slid it over to Gideon.

“Ooooohh, a magic gun. And it’s an Andurian at that. Tell me – how on earth did you come across this?”

“We got it as a reward for some quests we did in Clearglen – You already know about magic guns?”

“Of course. They are quite popular on the upper floors – if you aren’t a mage, that is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mages tend to get a little stingy when it comes to infusing magic and technology. They don’t like people being able to do what they can. If you plan on training at a mage academy, don’t let them know you have this.” Gideon said in a tone of warning.

“And Andurian? How did you know he made it?

“The glyphs on the barrel. I’d recognize them anywhere. In fact, a lot of people would recognize them. I’m going to reiterate what I said earlier, Sam. Be careful who you show this to. Andurian was a dangerous man.”

“Dangerous how?”

“It’s complicated, really. Lots of nasty inventions born at the expense of countless lives. Depending on who you ask, some might tell you he’s the greatest inventor the Tower’s ever seen. Others will tell you he is the Devil made real. You might even say he’s the reason everyone hates humans. Lots of people want to purge any sign of his existence from the Tower. Several others collect everything he’s ever made. I’d never tell you to sell such a unique item, as it undoubtedly contains several secrets yet discovered, but you could fetch a ludicrous price on the auction house for something of this nature.” Gideon said, still inspecting the flintlock.

“Everyone hates humans? Does that mean Andurian was a human?”

“It’s believed so, yes. Or at least human adjacent. He was part of the six major races who attempted to clear the Tower upon its creation.”

Sam had a million questions, and they all came out at once in more of a “Blegh” sound.

“Indeed.” Gideon nodded.

“Tell me.” Sam tried again. “Why does everyone hate humans?” He decided to ask first.

“Perhaps I can answer your questions with a brief story.” Gideon said, taking another long pull from his tankard and flagging down a server for another.

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“When the gods created the Tower, they didn’t intend for it to take this long to complete. Five prime races most dominant in the universe were the first to enter the Tower. The Orcs, the Elves, the Undead Legion, the Dragons, and the Dwarves.”

“That’s only five, you said-“

Gideon held up a staying hand, hushing any interruptions. “The gods sent their strongest creations to the Tower, fully expectant of them being able to clear it instantaneously so they could destroy existence and remake what they refer to as a true paradise. Then something strange happened. An uninvited guest showed up to join everyone in the Tower. Humanity. No god laid claim to this creation. I have it on good authority that war in the heavens even broke out trying to figure out where the humans had come from.”

“So people hate humans because we showed up out of nowhere?”

“People don’t really hate humans. The gods hate humans. Your existence is something even the all-knowing gods can’t explain, and if there is one thing the all-knowing hate, it’s the unknown. So, they create quests encouraging people to kill you.” Gideon said matter of fact.

Sam gulped at that, eyes going wide.

“Not all gods, mind you. Some are utterly fascinated by humans.”

“And Andurian was part of this first group of humans?”

“It’s quite likely, yes. Although everything is a bit shaky, to say the least. There aren’t really any history books that date back to a millennium ago. We only really know what the gods tell us and what hints we can derive from the dungeons and floors and monsters the Tower creates.”

“If you’re a dragon, does that mean you’ve been here since the beginning?”

“Not by a long shot.” Gideon said with a chuckle. “I’m an offshoot of an offshoot of an offshoot. When the initial races were wiped out, the gods set out to recreate them. Tweaking them. Changing them to something even more capable. They would raise their creations in their own separate domains waiting for the day the Tower chose them.”

Sam nodded along. Filing another fifty questions away to ask Gideon later.

“So…” he said slowly, still unsure what to do with all the new information. “Can you help me decipher the user manual and make bullets for the gun?”

“I would love to. We’ve got a blacksmith set up. Let’s go find out what we can do!” Gideon said, standing up in excitement.

Sam stood up to follow, and then grimaced, dropping back down to his seat.

Sam had let himself get too caught up in Gideon’s pace again. The man was so interesting. He was a wealth of knowledge, and he was down for anything so long as it involved some sort of adventure. Sam thoroughly enjoyed both Gideon and his company.

But Jack is going to kill him, Sam reminded himself.

“Ya know what? I better not. I need to get back to my troop, anyway. They probably think I’m dead.” He said after a minute.

Gideon stared at him, eyes going from excited to hurt in a flash.

“Sam. You’ve been acting strange this entire time. Remember when we first met? You came up to me with literal sheets of paper filled to the brim with questions. 274 to be exact. Now I can barely get a word out of you edgewise. I thought you would return to me with ten thousand more questions and a hundred interesting stories to share. Is everything alright?” He asked, his tone full of sincerity.

Sam stared into his mug for a long time, debating what he wanted to say.

He didn’t want to kill Gideon. He didn’t want Jack to kill Gideon. Sam knew the risks of him staying alive, but if Gideon was as truly powerful as the claims make him out to be, wouldn’t he be able to protect humanity?

“Tell me,” Sam said slowly, “Do you have forces of your own? Like a guild or a faction or something?”

“I’m not really the faction type, but I do have a group of associates who provide the occasional army when I’m in need. Why do you ask?”

Sam nodded along. “How powerful are you? Really?”

“You’ll not find a single floor in which they don’t sing tales of my heroics.” Gideon started to boast.

“I’m serious Gideon. How strong are you?” Sam asked, a serious edge to his voice.

Gideon took the hint, sitting down across from Sam, his smile falling off his face.

“I suspect I’m the most powerful person up to the fifteenth floor. A case could be made for the Silent Sword being stronger, but he’s… a weirdo and not really a threat I worry about. It’s been a long time since anyone has directly challenged me.” Gideon shrugged. “Why do you-“

“What about the Black Centipede? And Mindalia?” Sam interrupted.

Gideon stared at Sam for a long moment. His golden eyes radiating a heat that Sam thought might be burning a hole straight through his soul.

“Now I’m very curious to find out what you’ve been up to, Sam.” He said flatly.

“Mindalia? Can you beat her?” Sam pressed.

“Mindalia of the Black Centipede…” he said, trailing off, his voice turning introspective. “It’s hard to say. She doesn’t really do fair fights. If you find yourself in a battle against Mindalia, it’s likely you’ve already fallen into her trap. I’ve never had direct combat with her, but I suspect she avoids me because we’re a bad matchup for each other. My golden flames tend to trump her shadows. Now tell me – how do you know of the Black Centipede, much less Mindalia? Don’t tell me she’s somehow already recruiting down here? Sam – you didn’t join the Black Centipede, did you?” Gideon asked, his face turning panicked.

“No, nothing like that…” Sam said, thinking through everything Gideon had just told him.

At no point was Sam convinced that killing Gideon was the right choice. He may have gotten on board eventually, but being here with Gideon made him change his mind all over again. Yes, there was the threat the Black Centipede would declare open season on humanity, but what if Gideon protected them? Would Gideon protect them?

If he sold out Jack, and Gideon just killed him, then they would be really screwed… but Gideon wouldn’t do that. Sam believed that much. If he told Gideon the truth, they would have a powerful ally instead of an impossible to kill target.

Sam chewed on his cheek, deep in thought.

This is what you want, Sam. He told himself; you don’t want to kill Gideon. You don’t want to be a bad person. You want to be a hero. You want to save people…

Sam felt his hand start shaking, and he clenched his fist. He told himself he wasn’t betraying Jack, but it still felt like a betrayal.

This was the better option, though, and Sam knew it.

“I want to trust you Gideon… In fact, I do trust you.”

“I appreciate that, Sam,” Gideon said, confusion on his face.

“I have some information, but I can’t really share it with you until I know…” Sam said, trailing off.

“What is it you need to know?”

“Why are you really down here? And don’t tell me it’s for recruiting purposes like you did before. I know that’s a lie. You just told me as much that you don’t even have a faction.”

Gideon stared blankly at Sam for a moment, his face not revealing anything.

“I can’t-“ He started to say

“It’s about Sarah. And the survival of humanity, for that matter. I’m not joking, Gideon. I need to know that I can trust you completely.”

That got Gideon’s attention, and his gaze went from blank to considering. The two men sat there staring at each other for a long moment. Sam could hear his heart pounding in his head with each passing second. He felt sick to his stomach about what he was doing.

Does doing the right thing always feel like this? He wondered to himself.

“I suppose it’s going to come out sooner or later.” Gideon finally said with a long-exasperated sigh. “The secret isn’t anything that necessarily needs to remain hidden, but it does require some… delicacy, Sam. And I must warn you, my reasons for being down here are truly absurd, even by my standards. If you knowing my secret can help save humanity, then share it I shall.” Gideon finished with some gusto. “But first, swear to me on your soul you won’t tell a single person my secret.”

“I swear on my soul not to tell your secret, so long as you swear on your soul not to act on the information I reveal to you in return.” Sam said, adding the last part. He knew it was a completely ridiculous ask, and he would have to have a back and forth with Gideon while they figured out a terminology that they both found acceptable for the oath.

Gideon furrowed his brows for the briefest of moments before nodding. “I swear on my soul not to act on any information you reveal to me. In exchange, I shall share the secret of my presence on the first floor.”

Sam’s jaw dropped as he felt something click. He hadn’t expected Gideon to just… accept it like that? Was Gideon actually really stupid? Did I just make a huge mistake?

“I told you, Sam.” Gideon said, a smile on his face. “I don’t have any intentions of harming a single person on this floor. Well, aside from the war stuff and the people who keep randomly attacking me.” He said, waving it away.

“Then why are you here?”

Gideon just leaned back in his seat, letting loose another long sigh.

“I’m here to find my soulmate.” He said matter of fact.

Sam just stared at him, dumbfounded.

“I told you. Completely and utterly absurd.” Gideon shrugged.