Kelford came back to life, heart already running at mach 1, pain washing over him. A few minutes of spasming later and finally his brain caught up with reality, he was alive and the torture he had gone through was done.
“ I think that wasn’t as bad as the last few times” Still he shivered as the remnants of the memories fell away climbing to his feet unsteadily.
“ Oh yes, with the assistance of the Tower you will gradually adapt to the resurrection” T.U.I said, “ Eventually your mind will be able to separate the events of your death without trying to experience your traumatic last moments.”
“Your ability to say that with a positive tone will never not be weird.” Kelford chuckled as he made his way to his room, “ I’m going to take a shower and relax. Getting tough or not I’m honestly ready for a break.”
“Enjoy yourself Kelford, I will be here if you have any questions.” T.U.I disappeared leaving Kelford to shuffle to his room to find it perfectly made and lit. He kicked off the boots before making his way to the bathroom. Fluffy towels and furs greeted him as he pressed the runes for the shower. Hot steam came forward instantly, much to his relief. Kelford shed his clothing and jumped in luxuriating in the warm water as he began cleaning himself. Fortunately the Tower provided everything he needed but he frowned as he stared at the stone dispensers that held all he needed. Something was different about them this time.
They were of course well made to the point it was slightly scary. Perfectly smooth, except in specific spots where the stone was rough enough to provide friction. Runes glowed dimly along its neck and base while words were cut into its middle.
Winter’s Breath Soap
He focused harder, feeling a slight push back before golden words appeared.
Winters Breath Soap
Description:
Made from natural resources sourced from Dowor this unranked soap
Leaves users clean and smelling of the mountain forests before a storm.
System Created for climber use.
“Even my soap is considered a relic?” It was an interesting tidbit though it wasn’t what he had originally been looking for, “ Still something to ask T.U.I about”. He made to put away the soap before the realization struck him. The words weren’t english. [ Languages of the Mountain] had been automatically translating and in his confused state he hadn’t noticed. Kelford peered at all of the dispensaries to find that they too weren’t in english. They were in gnoblar. The water seemed to lose its heat as Kelford began to shake.
He sat down, letting the water of his shower wash over him as he forced control over himself. Bloody grins of gnoblars, the cold of the mountain, the feeling of his life being in danger over and over again. He’d lost his hard won relics and the power that had weld up in him from the [ Heavy Warrior] class. Every time he’d been lost in the dark, fought monsters, or almost died. He’d been able to find comfort in being strong. He missed having that now. Hopefully T.U.I was right and his mind would catch up. He really hated feeling like this. Kelford curled in on himself as he relived his last climb.
An hour later Kelford made his way out of the bathroom dressed in soft olive colored clothing. T.U.I was waiting as he sat at the wooden table across from his bed.
“ Are you feeling better Kelford?”
Kelford nodded, “ Yea I'm feeling much better.”
The two were quiet for a moment before T.U.I continued, “ you did wonderful that last attempt, making it to the 5th floor with your injuries was very impressive. You should be proud of yourself.”
“ I guess…” Kelford’s mind flashed to the smiling face of the gorgers as they killed him, “ Though I wasn’t able to get any farther. With the number of gorgers on the first floor and losing a relic at the end of the fourth is going to make the 5th that much harder. At the time I didn’t want to fight whatever guardian was there since I was so weak but I'm sure it’s not easy. Even if I have a useless relic next time I’ll eventually get unlucky with my roles.”
“ Don’t forget that you missed the relic between the 4th and 5th floor that run, so you were actually down 2 relics.” T.U.I said helpfully.
Kelford groaned at the reminder, he hadn’t even realized that he missed the relic orb for finishing the 4th floor.
“Include that with all the other mess ups that run and I wouldn’t exactly give myself a glowing endorsement.” Kelford shook his head as he thought back to all his mistakes.
“ I didn’t prepare any bandages or changes of clothing. I was pretty much running half naked near the end. I need to get some camping gear to rest between rooms with maybe a sleeping bag .The cold got so bad I couldn’t risk dying just from freezing to death. Heck I’d even throw in some snacks because apparently I can get hungry. I didn’t think I’d forget that fast but here we are.” Kelford said, " Heck I'd even say that I made it through most of that run on pure luck. I didn't prepare at all for that run."
" Perhaps you should grant yourself some grace Kelford, you have done what most of your species would consider to be a difficult and traumatic trial. Many have already given up on passing the Tower's trials after two deaths while you are dealing with your third rather well."
"Well...thanks" Kelford ended lamely as he suddenly found it hard to look at the glowing ball of positivity, "I’ll be better prepared next time but I'm sure that there are plenty of people doing better than I am."
"Oh most assuredly. Multiple individuals have already reached floor 7 though none have reached it's threshold.” T.U.I said, " Yet there are those on your planet who have discovered and leveraged their talents to make it to such lofty heights so quickly."
Despite himself Kelford leaned in " How were they able to do so? "
" I am unable to tell you their exact journey or class combination. I can tell you that they did resonate very well with the classes they chose and were able to experiment with the Shop. They most certainly did not sit here bemoaning their previous successes. "
T.U.I's voice had the distinct tone of disappointment and Kelford could only sigh as he leaned back, face burning with embarrassment.
"Fine, there's a lot I could improve upon but I did do fairly well getting this far. Happy?"
" Most assuredly Kelford. Now how would you like to proceed?"
Kelford shrugged, " I was considering looking at the shop some before maybe training for a few hours. Then get some sleep and run the Tower again? With some more preparation I'll be able to get farther and I wanted to see what that altar on the 4th floor does when you don't sacrifice a relic to it. "
T.U.I floated for a few seconds causing Kelford to pay more attention. Was there something wrong with his plan?
" What are your goals Kelford? "
" My goals?" Kelford was flummoxed, " To get out of here? There's a giant doomsday device that's flooding my world with magic so probably helping with preventing the death of my entire species? "
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
It sounded lame but what else was there to say? He'd never been good with these types of questions and for T.U.I to ask threw him off. He did want to get out the Tower and having his entire world being blown up didn't sound great. Preventing the entire world from dying was the goal of any sane person. Right? Then why did it sound so hollow when he said it out loud?
" Perhaps you would appreciate some advice to help you along your journey?" T.U.I said, her voice was gentle. " I can not influence your journey too much but there are many resources that you haven't utilized to their fullest.The Myriad Index has kept track of many attempts at finishing the Tower. Those , like the front runners of your species, who discover and utilize the resources provided here tend to make the biggest impact."
Kelford nodded, he was anxious to get out of here. Though it wouldn't be bad to learn some more about the Tower and the resources he could use here. Worst case scenario it took a few more days or weeks to leave. Once he got outside he'd be stronger for it and someone could get a message to the outside world. Maybe he wouldn't be one of these monstrous talents that T.U.I was mentioning but he was clearly not a hero. Didn't mean he couldn't get just that little bit better. If the Tower did what T.U.I alluded to then this could be a good potential career. At this point his new job was a bust anyway and he'd just have to hope his landlord would be okay with a late payment. Kelford would be out of here in a few weeks at most if he kept up the pace he was climbing the floors. Besides, he remembered what happened last time he ignored the information T.U.I provided. Maybe he could ask for a refresher on the basics again?
" I'd love some advice" Kelford said, " Anything you can tell me would be immensely helpful"
" Great then follow me" T.U.I began floating deceptively fast forcing Kelford to scramble to follow out the door. The main hall was still as big as ever, with the only changes being the weapons on the class altars. T.U.I ignored the altars, moving straight for the Shop altar where she stopped.
"In the Shop there are numerous useful relics as you already know, however as I have mentioned there are ways to expand the number of relics you have access to using the Relics Rooms "
Kelford nodded, " Yea, whatever vaults and sub vaults the...Myriad Index has can be opened so that I can have more relics to potentially use while I'm climbing. "
"That is correct, however that is a limited understanding of the potential importance of the Shop. As all the relics you can buy may not have direct influence on your combat capability they can open up uses that will assist with your climbs. Such as your skill [Languages of the Mountain] ."
Kelford nodded again, that skill had come in handy more than once. Not only in helping him read clues on the third floor but also with finding out that the gnoblars were sapient. It may lead to even more possibilities as he continued climbing. T.U.I continued, bringing him out of his thoughts.
" You can also purchase access to additional information and relics unique to the world theme of your floors. To demonstrate could you open the Shop and look up the relic Essence Foundations and Class Guide Volume 1
Kelford brought up the Shop screen and scrolled through the options. There were more items, no doubt due to his time in the Relic Room but he ignored those options until he found the item T.U.I had mentioned.
Would you like to Purchase
Essence Foundation and Class Guide Volume 1
Price 300 Karma
Current Karma : 590
Y/N?
It would hurt no doubt about it but T.U.I wouldn't have him buy it unless it was important. Besides, he'd be able to run the floors a few more times to gain more karma. He agreed to the purchase and watched as his karma plummeted before a ball of light materialized in front of him. It beamed towards T.U.I before being absorbed by Kelford's companion.
System restrictions unlocked
permissions uplifted.
Processing
T.U.I's voice had lost the personality he had always associated with her instead being more robotic. He stood there worried for a second before she went silent. For long moments T.U.I floated silently before she flashed several colors in quick succession.
" Ahh there we are, now I can assist you much more effectively"
" What was that about?'" Kelford was just a touch worried, had he been tricked in some way?
T.U.I giggled, " Oh I was granted more permissions to archives of knowledge gathered by the Myriad Index. Some of the Relics in the Shop are placed there by Tower to grant Interfaces such as myself wider access to our climbers information and ways to assist with their growth.
" Okay, what does that mean?" Kelford was still a bit wary but it seemed that T.U.I was excited about the upgrade so it seemed to be a good thing.
" This means that I can help you plan for the future and explain much more of the Tower to you. Such as relaying information that will prevent bottlenecks in the future. For example did you realize that the world of Dowor was a powerful nexus of Frost and Wild essence making any relics to do with those essences much stronger than the norm? That there are many powerful classes you can unlock in the future depending on the classes and skills you gain. As well as.."
A large list appeared in front of Kelford. He peered closer,seeing numerous exercises, meals, a schedule of climbing, and much more. It was as if he had a trainer, a teacher, and a quiet adventurous nutritionist plan out his entire life. Kelford scrolled down the list and realized that it went for more than just a few weeks.
He peered up at T.U.I " What is this?"
She beamed forcing Kelford to hold up a hand to keep from blinding himself, " This is an all comprehensive schedule to improve your foundations. As you are now you were on track to possibly pass the 5th floor but be stuck at the 6th floor for the foreseeable future. If you start to follow this plan you'll do much better than just passing the 10th. "
Kelford looked back to the list "Can I even eat here and why do I need Karma to pay for all of this?"
" Yes, you can. Eating a healthy mixture of food will assist with improving your body as you start following the training. Essence can only build off what is there. As you have some cooking experience I felt that would be a talent to strive to use and purchasing many of the necessities in the Shop will of course cost karma which the runs through the floors will no doubt provide you with." T.U.I's glow dimmed, " Kelford you don't have to follow this but if you really wish for my help then I do believe following this plan will get you to where you want to go."
He could only stare before glancing back to the schedule T.U.I had sent him. It was more than he thought she would provide. His every waking moment would be devoted to training, learning about the Tower, or making use of the resources he could find. He'd essentially be agreeing to pushing himself beyond what he had ever done while also dying repeatedly. The thought of the laughing smiles and stabs were still there in the back of his memory but he shook them off. He was sure the front runners were working schedules like this, and with everyone's lives at stake who was he not to do the same?
" What happens if I do better than what you wrote on your schedule?" Kelford turned back to T.U.I having made his decision. " You have me taking at least 2 weeks to reach the 5th floor per class? If I can complete Jack of All Trades faster then will that lead to me getting out of here quicker?"
" Most assuredly, does this mean you are accepting my advice?" Kelford nodded at the words and T.U.I's voice grew excited, " Well then let us go to the training room. You have much to do."
Kelford turned and followed her to the training room focused and ready for a grueling couple weeks. He hesitated for only a moment as a thought finally broke through the determination. How had T.U.I known he liked cooking before he came to the Tower? He hadn't mentioned it before, had he? Shaking his head he continued to the training room, he could figure out that problem later. For now it was time to get stronger.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Lieutenant Simmons was finishing jotting his notes as the scrape of a spoon hitting plastic filled the interrogation room. The kid…Kelford Booker… was finishing his cereal. The kid was still a bit spacey, constantly looking off to the right as if there was something grabbing his attention. Simmons had seen that look before, climbers looking at their status or having the words of the Tower forcing a tough decision. Either way it was peeking his interest,especially with all that Kelford had told him up to this point. Nothing exactly new but it did point to Kelford having gotten a few choice bits of information that most hadn’t gotten their hands on. However the assistants decided on who to share their wisdom with, it certainly hadn’t made sense to Simmons. His group had never gotten the opportunity while he’d heard an old woman, some executive from Florida of all places, and if rumors could be believed a cadet from Virginia had been given some advice as well. He’d ended up learning much about the Tower on his way through the 10 tutorial floors but many of those who had this kind of intervention ended up accessing knowledge that many of their researchers could only dream of.
“ Finished with your cereal?” Kelford looked up and nodded, swallowing the last of his cereal.
“Not as good as I remember it.” He started looking slightly disappointedly at the bowl, “ Did you guys give me stale cereal or something? Some kind of military discounted version?”
Simmons rolled his eyes, “ Try the Supermarket. We got it just yesterday.” The kid shrugged before looking over to his right again.
“ What exactly are you looking at right now? You’ve been barely paying attention for at least a few hours and you’ve been looking at the same place each time. Some kind of quest reward or you just checking on your Inventory? Maybe a class choice?”
A shrug was all Simmons got for his questions, “ Come on Kelford, help me out here. Anything you’re hiding is only going to make things worse for you and we’re all trying to figure this mess out together.” Simmons kept his face calm and reassuring even as the frustration boiled a bit in the background. He didn’t expect the kid to open up all his secrets immediately but Simmons was beginning to believe that Kelford wasn’t taking any of this seriously. Even now he could see Kelford staring to the right again. Many people who’d allegedly crossed the 10th floor were all bluster but the minute that someone at their level sat in front of them they started to take things seriously…or found out very quickly that they needed to. He was really hoping he wouldn’t need to start playing hardball with the kid in front of him.
“ It’s a class choice” Kelford’s words were so quiet Simmons almost thought he’d imagined them.
“ Alright ,what kind of choice are you considering? We’ve been keeping track of as many people’s builds as possible hoping to get a comprehensive guide started soon. You could help with that by giving us your details and we could give you some access to the lists we’ve been building.”
“ I’m good… There’s already plenty of materials in the Tower, I’m sure you already knew that.” Simmons already could feel the accusation in the words, they did know that. There were piles of books being studied and looked over. Yet getting each climber's class, relic, and skill combinations would only help the military to keep a tab on people who could get out of hand. Casting a fireball was dangerous but multiple climbers had been seen raising the dead. An ability as uncomfortable to hear about as it was potentially dangerous to use.
“Again in order to benefit from the records we could make it won’t hurt for you to share a bit more information”
“ And again I’m not really interested. I just need to make a decision .”
Simmons narrowed in on the new information, “ You’re confusing me kid, what’s the hold up? You’ve clearly had the option for a while yet you haven’t made a decision?”
“I’m scared of the implications” Kelford seemed to withdraw into himself for a moment, “ What if I make the wrong decision? I think I know what to pick but it could have dire consequences for my… class”
“ Well that’s very cryptic” Simmons said, “ What about this, you continue your story and I’ll keep asking you questions. Once we’re farther along maybe it’ll help clarify things a bit? Help you make the decision.” It would also give Simmons a hint on what more of Kelfords build.
Kelford seemed to mull it over before nodding, “ I spent time training and it took longer than I originally thought. Yet, I would say it was worth it. It led me to discover a few things.” Kelford’s eyes inevitably returned to the right, “ About myself, The Tower, and the other climbers”