Chapter 72 – Gideon the Golden Dragon

[The 15th Floor]

[Gideon]

One week prior to Earth’s integration…

Gideon sat atop the highest peak of the Kakothumias mountain range, the long dead titan turned treacherous mountains that set the stage for the fifteenth floor. He stared down at the embattled land of all he had conquered.

… No…

Conquered isn’t a strong enough word. This floor is my domain, he mused to himself.

Gideon had taken up residence on the inhospitable fifteenth floor. It was a miserable existence, a once bustling floor turned into a war torn wasteland, but someone had to uphold the one iron clad rule he had established.

No one was allowed to ascend to the sixteenth floor. He made sure of it.

Gideon let out a sigh as he stared down at the snow-touched peaks and pulled open his quest log for the floor for the hundred thousandth time.

Quest: Climb the Fifteenth Floor

Quest Tier: N/A

Quest Sponsor: The Tower

Objective:

Lay claim to one of the many peaks of the Kakothumias mountain range

Raise all stat mastery levels to the rank of Prodigy

Reward:

Access to the sixteenth floor of the Tower.

Further rewards determined by the Tower based upon individual performance on the floor.

Gideon had completed the floor quests in what felt like eons ago, laying claim to Kakothumias’ highest, unreachable peak days after raising his final mastery level to prodigy. He smiled at the masteries requirement, the first true wall that most climbers hit. Raising one stat to the level of prodigy was a monumentally difficult task, all six put you at a genius level – something few in this Tower were capable of achieving. It made him salivate at what adventures must await him on the upper floors if the requirements here were so high.

[Ascend to the sixteenth floor? Y/N]

Gideon selected ‘Yes’ for the millionth time.

[Error: All curses must be cleansed prior to ascending to the sixteenth floor.]

He stared at the message with a sigh, it never changed.

The first time he had seen the message, he was confused. Why would his curse prevent him from ascending? It never had before. The more he thought about it, the more enraged he became. It was there he made the iron rule that no one else would ascend to the 16th floor until he did.

He was well into the acceptance stage. His life now dedicated to ruling the fifteenth floor, and searching for ways to break his curse. Gideon pulled up the notification on his malediction.

Curse of the Fatebreaker

Passive – Celestial

You can see where your river ends. Death will not be a secret, but a close friend that haunts your dreams. In exchange, your ability to grow in power can no longer be achieved via traditional methods. Seek to break the fate which binds you and gain strength from your nightmares.

He stared at his curse for a long moment. Reminiscing.

Curses were an oddity among oddities within the Tower. Sometimes they were items of great and terrible power. Other times they were just literal curses. There was no consistency. No rules behind how they worked or how they were created. They were an aberration in the Tower that came in every shape and form imaginable.

The first floor of the golden dragons, rulers of the radiant flame, was already well established by the time of his birth. Born a prince among dragons, the power of the throne gave him authority from an early age and made every opportunity his for the taking. He had barely started his own adventures on the first floor and climbing journey before a group stumbled upon the cursed dungeon. He laid claim to it with his authority. He knew the danger they held… but he also knew those who overcame their curse were more powerful than any other within the Tower and he had to have that power.

He had been a fool.

His first year with the curse had been a nightmare. Every night when he slept, he would dream the same terrible dream of a demon, the monster breaking into his room and beheading him with a cruel sword. He tried everything he could think of to break the curse. His family spent fortunes on mages, healers, and scholars, all searching for an answer they never found.

When that didn’t work, he pivoted to trying to change the fate of the nightmare he suffered through every time he slept.

He changed rooms. He changed locks. He changed houses. He posted guards inside and outside his room. The dream was always the same, but it ever adapted to the changes he made. If he moved rooms, the demon was always able to find him. If he had guards, the demons would slaughter guards, and then him. The end result was always the same.

Not one to sit idly waiting for death, Gideon formed an elite group to seek out and destroy any demons they could find. As prince, he used his vast fortune to post bounties for every demon hunted and eradicated. He would change his fate to die at the hands of a demon by simply erasing them from the floor entirely.

This tactic brought the full, horrible power of the curse to light..

Your ability to grow in power can no longer be achieved via traditional methods.

He hadn’t known what that meant at first. It soon became apparent, though, that the Tower would no longer allow him to level up despite his peers around him growing in power and skills. He completed quest after quest that promised levels or skill points to no avail. He drank potions and elixirs that guaranteed levels and stats. Nothing.

He would get nothing. Every. Single. Time.

That was when the despair truly began to affect him. He tried everything he could think of, but nothing worked, nothing would net him skill points, no quest or slain monster would provide him with levels. His only reprise was that his masteries seemed unaffected by the curse. He could still train and raise them to great heights. So he did, surpassing everyone on the floor as he put his will to the task.

Despite his best efforts to erase the floor of demons, fate was immutable and, in its own way, adaptive to his machinations.

Late one evening one of his advisors, a mage and Tower researcher, was testing rare components in an effort to create a potion that might break the curse. It is unknown if this was the predestined event that brought forth Gideons nightmare or the sharp twist of fate that corrupted the ingredients, but the doomed mage became possessed.

The demon came to him in the night, just like the dream,breaking into his room and cutting off his head.

His door was kicked in, hanging desperately from its broken hinges. His advisor was warped and misshapen, covered in black demonic blood with wicked horns jutting from his skin, red eyes burning in rage. He leveled a sword that radiated corruption at Gideon’s neck and swung.

Every night for years on end Gideon had watched this happen. The event had ingrained itself into his very soul. It was happening exactly as he had dreamed. Not a single hair out of place.

He felt the sword bite into his neck.

Seek to break the fate which binds you and gain strength from your nightmares.

The words of his curse came unbidden in his final moments. His heart burned with anger and rage filled his thoughts.

No.

Gideon roared in defiance, in outrage. He refused to die here.

His hand flew to the blade, stopping the crude weapon before it could cleave his head all the way off.

He let out a roar of pain and blood and let loose his golden radiant flames, tapping into the power of his ancient people, burning the demon in an unstoppable torrent of true power. The power of a dragon.

Nothing remained of the demon, not even his ashes.

Gideon, on the other hand, had survived. He had defied death. He had broken free of his fate.

More than that, though, was the surge of power that came with his defiance of fate. He frantically checked his stat page. He had been level five when he lost his ability to grow in strength.

Gideon's jaw dropped open. He was now level eleven, the same level as the advisor turned demon he had just killed. He had jumped six levels in a matter of moments. On top of that, his willpower stat had risen twenty points. That confused him for a long time. It wouldn’t be until much later that he realized he was also absorbing the stat points of the highest allocated stat.

This changes things, he thought as a reckless smile slid onto his face.

He had imagined a lifetime of misery trying to figure out the way to break it. All he had to do was survive certain death. This certainly wasn’t endless power, like the stories proclaimed, but it was a sufficient boon to ensure he would dominate the coming floors with his stat pool alone. It was several more days of chaos and excitement before he found sleep again.

Only more nightmares awaited him.

This time he dreamed of a powerful warrior in dark armor covered in blood and battle who buried a deadly axe in his heart.

Gideon awoke in a cold sweat, screaming into the empty bedroom.

The curse remained.

This new nightmare was worse than before. More real and lifelike. He could actually taste the metallic blood in his mouth as the axe bit into his chest.

Knowing the rules of the curse to some extent, he could climb without fear, knowing that only one thing could kill him. But that one thing haunted him without fail. He had no choice but to accept his curse, no longer fighting against it, but embracing his death and fighting to overcome it. Every time he broke fate, every time he defied death, every time he grew stronger, his fear was replaced with something more horrible than the last.

His constant death was his life.

Gideon let out a sigh, staring down at the peaks. That had been his life. Now he only dreamed of dying a terribly old man, withering away to dust.

No one challenged him anymore. No one could challenge him. He had become too strong, and in turn, could no longer grow stronger, stuck as he was on this floor, unable to ascend.

He had even gone so far as to disguise himself and secretly place a bounty on his head in hopes that someone capable of killing him would emerge.

Gideon sighed again at the thought. That bounty had been one of his biggest regrets. He hadn’t realized how annoying the constant harassment from the multitude of Tower factions, especially the unwavering Black Centipede, would be. They were all merely bugs to be crushed.

He listlessly pulled a small token out of his pocket and inspected it.

The Wishers Coin

Type: Single Use Item

Tier: Ancient

Enchantment Slots: 24/24

[Heaven’s Favor - 24 Slots]

Grants the user one minor wish from the gods.

A coin stolen from the wishing well of the Fairy seer Dewdrop Driftjewel. This coin has soaked in the seer’s wishing well for a millenia, absorbing but a fragment of its power. Using it will cancel out any previous wishes made by the coin.

The wishers coin was an annoying little token he had... acquired. The first wish he tried with it had been straightforward - he simply wished to have his curse removed. Nothing happened. What followed was weeks of experimentation with the coin, testing out various wishes for great power that could assist him - it appeared that any wish to extreme simply wouldn't work. The description read that it had only absorbed a fragment of the power contained in Drifjewels wishing well, which might as well translate to: you get a wish with a thousand strings attached. Especially if it was to be a wish from a god.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this,” Gideon grumbled to himself, balancing the coin on the top of his thumb. He spared a small apology to the person's wish he was stealing.

“I wish to know how to remove the fatebreakers curse,” he said aloud to the empty night air, flipping the coin upward and outward to the peaks below.

He waited for a long moment, staring up at the lifeless night sky.

Please be Ezekiel… he thought to himself.

“Your thoughts wound me, fair Gideon. Why would you want to deal with old man Ezekial when you could have me.” Came a melodic, questioning voice.

Gideon shut his eyes and let out a long groan.

rhythmic footsteps that sounded like a combination of shattering glass and jingling bells could suddenly be heard on his right and Gideon looked to the sound . A woman with skin like bronze, her white hair short and slicked back, was sauntering towards him. Each elegant step she took shattered the world beneath her feet, leaving the fabric of reality cracked in her wake.

She wore a suit that angulated a colorful geometric pattern that mesmerized Gideon, unnaturally holding his focus. He shook himself free, tracing upwards to the smile the woman wore. It was a knowing, chaotic smirk, as though she had just played an elaborate joke on the world. Her eyes were swirling galaxies that had an unfathomable depth to them. Gideon had to restrain himself so as to not fall in.

Kaleidoscope, the Goddess of Chaos, had descended to grant his wish.

“Where’s Ezekiel?” Gideon asked. He was technically Gideon’s patron and the god he was most familiar with. He would be the one most expected to heed Gideon's call and grant his wish.

“Oh, I made sure he was busy… In fact, I made sure everyone was busy. I’m afraid I was the only one available to take your call.” Kaleidoscope said, her words dripping with mischief.

“Then grant me my wish and be gone.” Gideon said matter of fact.

To survive in the Tower, you had to deal with the gods at some point. It was best to keep those visits short, lest you find yourself a pawn in whatever game they are currently playing.

When he had first received the Wishing Token, his immediate thought was to destroy it. Nothing that involved the gods was ever simple, and it rarely produced anything good. They would grant his wish as the item dictates lest they suffer repercussions from the Tower, but gods rarely enjoy being forced to do something without receiving something in exchange.

He had planned out how he would have his conversation with Ezekiel, the God of the Eternal Flame, a thousand times over. Ezekial was a pragmatic god, as far as gods go, and Gideon could reason with him… Kaleidoscope though, she was a different monstrosity entirely.

“The Fatebreaker curse,” she mused, tapping her lip in thought as she floated across Gideon’s vision. “It’s simple really, but also, the most complicated little thing…” she said, trailing off in a cryptic tone begging Gideon to ask.

He wouldn’t bite.

He watched as the Goddess floated off into the horizon, only to reappear sitting beside him a second later.

“You're never any fun. I’ve watched your adventures for centuries; you always seem to have fun with your friends. I thought you would be more fun.” She pouted, crossing her arms.

“Tell me how to break my curse.” Gideon asked again, restraining the golden flames that were rising with his anger.

Kaleidoscope reappeared directly in front of him, her eyes locked on his. “To break the curse, you must find…”

She held out her pause, teasing Gideon with the answer he had been searching his life for. He had to fight every instinct in his body to lean in to her conspiratorial whisperings.

“... your soulmate.”

“Enough!” Gideon felt himself roar, unable to hold back. “Enough with your games, you foolish god. Grant my wish, lest you suffer reprisal from the Tower.”

Kaleidoscope fixed him with a curious look. Then looked upward towards the sky at… something, he wasn’t sure what. Then she crossed her arms and started tapping her foot impatiently.

“Doesn’t look like the Tower is dishing out any backlash today.” She said matter of fact. “The problem with being the goddess of chaos is nobody ever believes me when I tell the truth.” She finished, returning to a relaxed floating position.

“You’re serious then? I have to find my soulmate to break my curse? That doesn’t make any sense.” Gideon said, his mind racing.

“Doesn’t it though? You are Fatebreaker, a man who has defied death a hundred times over. You should be dead. But you aren’t. You exist outside of fate with your refusal to die, as the rivers dictate.” She said matter of fact.

“I don’t see the connection.”

“Soulmates exist outside the river of fate as well. They are a truly rare occurrence, I say even more so than defying one’s death.”

Gideon furrowed his brow in thought. This was the first he was hearing of such a thing, he supposed soulmates were fanciful notions of love, but could it really be more than that? There were strange, esoteric magics and unknown forces that bordered on the philosophical as opposed to the tangible. The unexplainable. This was likely one of those instances.

“How are soulmates outside the river of fate? Doesn’t the name alone imply you’ll eventually meet the person you're meant to be with?”

“Says who?” Kaleidoscope said, laughing lightly as if Gideon had just said something amusing. “If that were the case, then everyone in existence would be with their soulmate as an inescapable part of fate. Yet how many thousands, millions, billions, trillions die without ever meeting the person that completes their soul?” she said, her tone growing more erratic with every word.

“Think of how many people end up with the wrong person even. Tell me, Gideon, we both know you’ve had your fair share of romances throughout your time, even marrying a few of them. Can you truly tell me that any of them were your soulmates?”

Gideon grimaced at the notion. It was true he’d taken several lovers during his time, but nothing ever lasted. Nothing, even love, was permanent in the Tower.

“They never lasted because they weren’t your soulmate.” Kaleidoscope said, reading his mind.

“Wait. If I am outside of the river of fate, and soulmates are as well, then likely there are other magics or methods that fate has no power over that I can use to break the curse.” Gideon said with some accusation.

“Mmmmmmmm… yes. That is true.”

“Then tell me by what other methods I might try and end this curse.”

“But that wasn’t the wish.” The floating Goddess said impishly. “You wished to know how to break the curse. I’ve just told you. Maybe instead you should have wished to know all the ways to break the curse, but it’s too late for that now.”

Gideon stared at her wordlessly. Gods and their games, even when you won, you lost.

“So what? I just find my soulmate and the curse is broken?”

Kaleidoscope started cackling, her laugh a chaotic mess of shattered glass and ringing bells that gave him an instant headache. “Sure, it’s that simple. There exist a hundred thousand universes, each populated with the creations of the pantheon. There’s an unfathomable number of people throughout the multiverse. Now you just have to find them. Easy, right? Even harder then becomes the job of winning her heart.”

“So it’s a woman?” Gideon asked, latching on to that.

Kaleidoscope’s smile grew menacing. “Now now Gideon, your wish was only how to break the curse. An obligation I have fulfilled. Any more information will cost you.”

Gideon ignored the goddess. He knew this game and knew it was a trap to play. His mind started forming plans on how to find his soulmate. He had scoured the floors for secrets to breaking his curse a thousand times over. Now he knew what to look for. Sure, she was likely somewhere in the stars, but it all ended here at the Tower. She would show up eventually. She had to.

Gideon spared a thought for the Pervert King Vance and his slave Harem. Was he just looking for his soulmate as well? Is that what my life will devolve to? Gideon wondered.

No, he’s just a creepy asshole. He decided.

“Don’t you want my help?” Kaleidoscope asked with fake pleading, interrupting Gideon’s thoughts.

“At what cost?” he entertained.

“Simple. I would like a favor.”

“What favor?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Kaleidoscope said, tapping her chin in thought.

“You’re more foolish than I thought if you believe I’m going to grant you an open-ended favor. Begone, I’m done with you.” Gideon said, dismissing the goddess.

“Are you sure?” she pouted. “I can tell you exactly who she is, and even provide you with the means for reaching her.”

The means to reach her… Gideon wasn’t sure what that implied. Once inside the Tower the only way to escape was to climb to the top. Even the gods couldn’t bypass that little rule. Therefore, she must be in the Tower.

“If she’s in the Tower, I can find her.” Gideon said matter of fact.

“She isn’t in the Tower… yet.” Kaleidoscope said, teasing Gideon with each word.

Gideon grit his teeth in frustration. He knew he was being played. Being lured into a trap. He also knew it was working.

If she isn’t in the Tower yet. That means she’s going to be integrated. Fuck.

“Fuck indeed.” She said, reading his thoughts yet again.

“You and I both know how brutal integrations can be. Well, actually, I’m not sure you do. You were born to an already established first floor. You never got to experience the true blood bath of being integrated into the Tower. Always so many dead…” she said, voice trailing off in mock sadness. “Even worse for you. She’s human.” Kaleidoscope cackled.

“What? Humans are returning to the Tower? My soulmate is a human?” Gideon asked, his mind failing to wrap itself around the implications.

“Yes. So even if she survives integration, and decides to climb the Tower, once the gods issue their quests to… exterminate them, well, you and I both know how that usually ends up.”

“So? Are you interested in my help yet?” Kaleidoscope asked again.

“No.” Gideon said, growing more resolute. “You’ve given me more than enough, and I thank you for it. Regardless of what your motives may or may not be. Now begone.”

“Very well.” She said, taking no offense to his dismissal.

He watched as Kaleidoscope floated upwards and faded into the night. His mind raced for an answer to his problems.

This was an absolute mess of a situation.

Maybe I can just take over the second floor. I was plenty powerful down there. But I would need half a dozen armies to protect them until I find her. I can count on Amara, maybe, but who else? And not to mention those who would seek to kill them simply because I am protecting them… I may be powerful, but if enough join up against me…. Plus, there are a few monsters who made it past me to the upper floors. I know at least one of them has a personal grudge against humans… If he shows up…

“Wait…” Gideon said angrily, the words coming to his tongue unbidden.

“I was hoping you would change your mind.” Kaleidoscope whispered into his ear from behind his shoulder.

“In exchange for a favor of your choosing, provide me the means to reach my soulmate and break my curse.”

“Swear it to me.”

Gideon grimaced.

“I swear on my soul to provide a favor of your choosing at such time as you deem fit. In turn, you shall provide me with the information and means necessary to break my curse.”

“I swear on my soul to provide you with the means to meet your soulmate and break your curse. In turn, you will owe me a favor of my choosing at such time as I deem fit.” Kaleidoscope mirrored.

Gideon didn’t feel the normal click of a soul he was expecting. This time, it was more like a steel door slamming shut.

Kaleidoscope produced a long black key and tossed it over to Gideon. He kept his focus on the goddess as it sailed past him and continued its fall, disappearing into the mountain range below.

Kaleidoscope disappeared, reappearing in front of him a moment later, key in hand.

“Forgive me, I forget I’m dealing with noble dragon royalty.” she said, taking a melodramatic tone. “For your careful inspection my liege. The key is neither trapped nor charmed, please inspect it as you see fit.” Kaleidoscope said, taking a dramatic bow and holding out the key for Gideon.

Gideon inspected the key before taking it.

Key to Humanity

Type: Key

Tier: Celestial

Provides access to the first floor of Humanity. Destroyed upon use.

Gideon furrowed his brow. “In case you forgot how things work in the Tower, I already have access to the denizen floor. Why would I need a key to a floor I already have access to?”

“That, Gideon, is a key to what will be the newly integrated floor of humanity.”

“What?” Gideon asked, eyes going wide. “An integration floor? How? That’s impossible?”

“I admit, it cost me much to create such an item. The Tower was not pleased with its creation.” Kaleidoscope grimaced.

Gideon felt his heart drop at that piece of information. If it was costly for a god, there was no telling what sort of favor she was going to demand when time came. His mind immediately started racing for an out. He’d had some success in breaking soul oaths before, and breaking a soul oath with a god did sound like an interesting challenge…

“Don’t go getting any ideas now.” Kaleidoscope said flatly, an annoyed look at Gideon.

“Sorry, it’s in my nature.” Gideon shrugged. “Can you tell me who she is?”

“A human by the name of Sarah Lane. Admittedly, even I’m unsure of the exact details of what needs to be done. I imagine you will have to win her heart over. Just because you're meant to be together doesn’t mean she will instantly fall in love with you. Or even at all. The stakes are still relatively high for you. I suggest starting with flowers.”

Gideon’s brow furrowed again. “So, I court her, we fall in love, and then what? The curse is broken? That’s it? The stories of people cleansing or breaking their curse always result in them receiving unrivaled power?”

“That’s it?” Kaleidoscope said in a scoff, “Are you not already the strongest creature to have ever existed on the fifteenth floor, Gideon? Break this curse and you can ascend to the sixteenth floor stronger than any before you. Your curse has made you quite powerful. On top of that all, you’ll be with your soulmate. Is that not reward enough?”

Gideon chewed on his tongue, falling deep into his thoughts. What did it even mean to be with your soulmate? Surely it was a good thing. It sounded ridiculous, not just the concept of a soulmate, but that such power, or even a curse, could be governed by something as impalpable as soulmates. Maybe there is some sort of ancient magic associated with the power of love.

Gideon rolled his eyes. Now he was starting to sound ridiculous.

“There is another option, if you’re unsatisfied with that. Another way to circumnavigate fate” Kaleidoscope said.

Gideon felt the other foot drop. Here it was. The true trick. Kaleidoscopes real gambit.

“Other option?” Gideon hesitantly asked.

“Fatebreaker…” she mused. “Your existence defies the will of the Tower. Fate. Yet here I’m setting your fate in stone by providing a path to your soulmate. Tell me. What would happen if you defied fate again?”

“How?”

“By killing her.” Kaleidoscope shrugged.

Gideon’s eyes went wide. This was a trick. He knew it was. Kaleidoscope was dooming him to a cursed life.

But she wants me alive for a favor. So, she must have some interest in me being able to grow stronger.

“Explain.” was all Gideon could say.

“Your curse allows you to see your death, no? Simply finding your soulmate and getting her to love you will erase that curse. You can then ascend to the sixteenth floor, stronger than any before you. You will be forced to level as normal, fight as normal. The curse that has been your protection and salvation will be gone. The curse you’ve relied upon for centuries will be a dream of the past. You forget, I know what's on the next floor. I know what’s been waiting for you, growing in power and in number. It is unlikely, without some special enhancement, that you will live to ascend to the seventeenth floor.”

“Your dramatics are unwelcome. I am already in your trap. Out with it.” Gideon said to her, a growing ball of fear in his stomach.

The goddess smiled ruefully at him.

“Your curse allows you to see death. If you break the curse by killing her, you’ll be granted the gift of precognition.”

“What!?”

“You heard me. Precognition. The ability to see the future at all times. The power of the Gods.” She said, “Why else would your curse have a grading of Celestial?” She finished, smile going wide.

----------------------------------------

[Dragon’s Hope - Forward Operating Base]

[Gideon]

Gideon took another sip of his ale, staring at Sam and the goofy look he had on his face.

“You have to find your soulmate… Do you know who she is? Wait, is it even a woman?” He asked.

Gideon opened his mouth to answer, then he spotted Sarah approaching. He grit his teeth in frustration. He had come to the first floor of humanity without a plan. Without any decision made. He still had no idea what to do about her. Admittedly, he did feel something for her. Something strange and foreign to him. He wanted to know just what the feeling was before he made any final decision.

“We’ll continue this conversation later, Sammy. You still owe me a secret yourself. Until then, I think you have someone else you owe answers to.” He said in a nod towards the approaching Sarah.

“Any advice?” Sam asked, turning to look at the approaching Sarah.

“Learn to start drinking.”