Chapter 1: The First Tower
Today started like all days do, by waking up. It felt way to normal for what was very likely going to be my last day before I die. See, today was the last day I had before I have to enter Tower One and either complete the first five floors, or die. The first five floors of Tower One are colloquially known as the 'Tutorial' since to those who are Awakened at birth they are a cakewalk that will introduce them to challenges of the Towers. I, however, was born un-awakened so the tutorial for me is a death sentence. If I had to choose I wouldn't take the one in a hundred odds that id survive to floor five. Unfortunately, I don't get to choose
I am the third born daughter of King Zelvor Romilas. Since I was born Un-Awakened I was all but disowned from birth. The day after I was born I was sent with a nanny to live alone in a small house in Fowend, the city surrounding Tower One. On my 5th birthday I met my parents for the first time. They informed me that I was a disappointment and would have to enter Tower One on my 18th birthday in order to not bring dishonor to the crown. So that was nice. After they had left my nanny began teaching me how to read and write as well as basic history and arithmetic. On my 15th birthday the Nanny, who's name was Glenda, left and I had to take care of myself. Once a week some food was dropped off, so I never had to worry about eating. It was around then that I managed to get myself ingrained into a group of extrajudicial guards. I was bored and wanted something to do, and they appreciated having someone the guards avoided around.
With those mostly unpleasant memories being firmly shoved to the back of my mind I sat up. Even though I was to die tomorrow there's no point in diverting from my usual routine. Getting out of bed I threw on a pair of forest green pants a light grey shirt and my black leather jacket. Albert got the jacket for me a few months after I started running with them when I got stabbed a little bit. He had a few steel plates sewn into it to offer a modicum of protection. He yells at me about being a reckless idiot and whatnot whenever I go out without it, so its just become habit to wear it now. Yet another thing that has become habit it to check if I've magically Awakened somehow. Status.
Status Screen
Name: Ariel Romilas
Level: 0 (Un-Awakened)
Ascension Tier: N/A (Un-Awakened)
Strength: 10
Agility: 15
Perception: 12
Constitution: 8
Luck: 6
Intelligence: 12
Acuity: 13
Sense: 5
Willpower: 5
Spirit: 10
Core Skill: N/A (Un-Awakened)
Skills: N/A (Un-Awakened)
Traits: N/A (Un-Awakened)
Still Un-Awakened. I thought to myself while chuckling darkly. My attributes have managed to grow quite nicely over the years with the exception of some of the purely magical ones that I have been unable to train. Since I started running with Albert and his extrajudicial posse I had begun doing strength and agility training in the morning, some light sparing in the days, and on the nights there wasn't a job to run I would spend reading the many books I borrowed from said jobs. As it turns out, training daily for two or three years leads to stat gains comparable to three or four rare levels.
It wouldn't hurt to skip my morning workout today. I thought as I went into the main room. Might as well get outta the house and find something to do though, too antsy to get any rest today. Before leaving the house I strapped my set of daggers to my belt before tossing on my cloak and setting off for the day. As I was locking my door behind me I caught sight of Eugene. He's one of the Awakened that Eugene has managed to employee over the years. Built like a southland giant and has the brains of a squirl, but he's a kindly sort. As long as you're not on his bad side anyway. "Bit early for you to be up and about Eugene, normally you'd still be sleeping off your hangover in a pigsty," I stated while turning to face him.
"I gots me a new enhance skill, [Toxin Resistance], makes it so there's no hangover," he proudly boasted back.
"Pretty sure if you get that skill high enough it makes it so alcohol doesn't effect you" I replied.
"W-wuh?"
"So what did Albert want you to tell me anyway?" I asked while chuckling.
"O-oh ah, boss wants you to drop by at noon. Also, Sandy said she's got breakfast cookin and a plate with yer name on it" He quickly delivered his message, clearly still distressed at the prospect of being immune to alcohol.
After learning about another meeting popping up on my schedule I gave Eugene a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and ran off. Even though I was skipping my morning workout I pushed myself because, frankly, Sandy makes a kickass breakfast. As she should since she runs the best restaurant in the city. She even offers meals made of monsters from the tower, a delicacy that's hard to get your hands on anywhere but especially in Fowend. Since Tower One only has 30 floors Awakened who actually run the tower tend to move on fast, and most of them don't bother with collecting monster corpses. Also, they sometimes give attribute increases.
~ ~ ~
Entering Sandy's kitchen through the backdoor I spotted her plating two servings of breakfast. "Hey Sandy, what's on the menu for this morning?"
"Ah, yer finally here are ya? I got a shipment in from a group of Ascenders an figured that given the circumstances I'd make ye somethin special. Now get yer arse outta my kitchen and find a place to sit, I've got the place closed till noon so ye won't be botherin no one" Sandy replied.
"You're the best Sandy!" I replied excitedly while quickly moving into the main room of the restaurant. I'd have told her giving me food from the tower is too much, but I learned that trying to refute her kindness is a losing battle. The stocky old timer is far too stubborn for her own good. She's barely five feet tall and I swear the woman could tear the horns off a demon. She probably only used some herbs and such from one of the lower floors anyway.
Shortly after I sat at the table Albert sits us at when he has meetings here sandy came from the kitchen carrying two heaping plates of something that smelt heavenly. "Here we are. The eggs are scrambled with herbs from the tower," Just like I figured. I thought. "Off to the side there is a mushroom stir fry layered upon baked tomatoes cut in half, both of which come from the tower." What? "Followed by some sausages made from the meat of a monster that was too mangled to be used for anything else."
Holy shit, this is actually way too much. A meal like this would go for several gold for systems sake! Sandy must have read the thoughts on my face because she shot me a hard look before saying. "I know it's a lot, but I don't give a flyin rats arse if you think its too much, yer gonna sit there and eat it all or ye wont be makin it to no Tower because I'll skin ye alive wit me wooden spoon. Now stuff some of that stir fry in yer hangin trap, it'll make digesting the sausage easier if ye eat it first."
With that vaguely specific threat I began wolfing down the dish that was making me salivate in a very un-princess like manner. After a brief two minutes and seventeen seconds I was using a bread roll that Sandy magically made appear at the perfect time to mop up the remaining bits of what used to be my breakfast. I was about to give complements to the chef I heard a 'ding' in my head followed by a surge of energy running through my body that could only be one thing.
[Attributes Gained]
[+2 Strength, +1 Agility, +2 Constitution, +3 Willpower]
"S-Sandy, what the hells?! That meal just gave me eight Attribute points! It raised my agility, its been stuck at 15 for months! By the System Sandy that wasn't a normal monster was it?"
"Bah, it was just a boss from floor 30. The bastards that brought it to me turned the poor beastie into mince meat. Told me it was some kind of boar that was resisting everything they threw at it till suddenly it weren't" She replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"THE FINAL BOSS! YOU GOT YOUR HANDS ON FINAL BOSS MEAT AND JUST GAVE IT AWAY!" I began ranting while the energy slowly faded from body. "Sigh, yeah you would do that. This means a lot Sandy, if I make it past tomorrow I'll get you three final bosses and one of em will even be in good condition. Then when I show up with enough ingredients to make your rivals weep in jealousy I wont accept any payment for it no matter how hard you try to give it to me."
"Did ye really just say sigh? And don't think ye would manage to get outta here without a meal or four when you bring me them beasties to cook."
"That'll have to do since I know I wont convince you of anything else now that the ideas in your head. Too stubborn for your own good ya old coot." I replied
"Ay! Don't ya know yer supposed to respect yer elders, and not bully em ya little she-devil. Now come help me with the dishes while ya have a little chat with me, I want to know what you youngsters are gettin up too these days. Don't think I didn't notice somethin was on yer mind, I'm more perceptive than ma years let on." With that she almost dragged me to the kitchen to help her clean up.
~ ~ ~
I panted as I neared Alberts bar, the old hag kept me too long, so I had to run to make it across town to Alberts bar in time. She ended up roping me into helping with the lunch rush, and then she had the gall to yell at me about being late while shooing me out the door. I took a minute to catch my breath before walking through the front door. Inside I spotted a few people sitting at the bar, just a few of the local drunks who pretty much live here though. After a quick glance at the tables and behind the counter I notice that Albert isn't down here.
"Boss is waitin for ya up in his office," Lawrence called out to me from behind the bar.
I made way to the stairs on the left side of the bar. Once at the top I walked down the hall, passing several rooms that a few traveling merchants stay in from time to time. On occasion Albert would also let the occasional guest stay in them as well. Albert used to be an active Ascender and whenever someone from his old party comes to visit he gives them one of the bigger rooms free of charge. When I got to the end of the hall I gave a quick knock on his office door. When no response came within half a second, I just let myself in. Albert was sat at his desk on the far side of the room and had been reading a letter before looking up in surprise at someone barging into his office.
"Who in the hells do you thin- oh Ariel, you're late" Albert began yelling as he looked up from his letter. "You still want to go in early?"
"Managed to get a good nights sleep for once so I'm in top form. I also want to enter on my own terms, it feels more right than being forced to go when they want" I replied
Albert sighed before throwing me a small crystal. "That's a skill shard for [Analyze]" I snagged it out of the air and thought. Hells! The bastard actually managed to get one. To anyone else would just be an immense amount of wealth. To me though, it was a second skill that I could start the tower with.
"It's no combat shard, but at the base level it'll let you know what you're dealing with at least. Then when you get it leveled high enough it'll tel- ough," Alberts explanation of the skill was suddenly cut off as I tackle hugged him.
"Thank you Albert, I mean it. You're the best. I'll find a way to pay you back for this I swear" I told him while giving my best effort to crush him.
"Never mind that, you just make it back out of the tower. It'd be exceptionally hard to find someone as good as you are at scarring the guards away" He jokingly jabbed at me. "In all seriousness though, we'll need to leave soon if you want to get in today. You're later than I thought, and my guy is off shift soon."
After taking a deep breath I replied. "Okay. I've got everything I need to go in on me so I'm ready to go whenever."
"Good, good. We should leave now though, or we will be cutting it close"
Knowing we were cutting it close; Albert closed the bar for the day and got Lawrence to drive us there in the carriage he keeps behind the bar. On the ride over me and Albert sat in a tense silence, with neither of us wanting to talk about what might happen. In only ten minutes we arrived at the guard checkpoint for going into the tower. Before we got out Albert got me to put my hood of my cloak up high enough to hide my face.
"Name and papers?" The clerk on duty asked in a bored voice.
"You wont have to worry about that now Tom," Albert replied in an ominous tone.
"Oh shit! Albert I-ah I'll get you your money soon, I promise" The clerk said as he looked up and saw Albert.
"I'm feeling nice today Tom. So, what say we cut your debt to me in half, yeah?"
"That's a lot of money," The clerk cautiously replied.
"It is a lot of money, so much so that I'd need you to do a little something for me" Albert slowly replied.
"W-what kind of something."
"You'll let my friend into the tower right now, and you'll say she entered sometime tomorrow during your shift."
"That's it? I let that one there in and poof half my debt is cleared?" The clerk questioned.
"That's it"
"Well alright then," after agreeing the clerk, in an overeducated movement, looked down at his paperwork. "I sure hope no one just walks on past me into the Tower while I'm checking over my paperwork."
"Time for you to go in now, don't say anything and just run straight in. If he knew who you were even waving the full debt away wouldn't be worth the risk. Now you get in there kick the shit outta the Tutorial floors and get back out. In. One. Piece." Albert whispered to me while putting emphasis on the last three words. I gave him a quick nod and ran to the Tower. Running through the door in the side of the Tower the darkness curtaining the doorway folded around me. My vision began to warp and twist until suddenly everything went dark. Just as suddenly I heard the ding of the System accompanied by the familiar box of a System notification appearing in my vision.
[Time-Space Energies Detected]
[User Ariel Romilas Registered As Un-Awakened]
[Time-Space Energies Can Be Used To Force Awakening]
[Proceed? (Y)(N)]
I give the prompt a mental yes, having already been told about this process. It will repeat every time I enter a new tower after completing the first. People have tried to skip a Tower before, it's assumed that the energies are too much for their bodies as no one who has ever tried has left the tower alive.
[Acceptance Verified]
[Processing Energies]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Anomaly Detected]
[Time-Space Energies Exceed Normal Parameters]
Shit. That's not normal. Maybe this is why most people die during the Tutorial.
[Seeking Administrator Assistance]
[…]
[Assistance Granted]
Immediately after that last system message an enormous object moved into my vision. Suddenly an eye on the side of the mass opened, an eye so big that the entirety of Fowend could fit in the pupal of. Despite it's size I felt that the eye was staring directly at me. That was when I heard a booming voice directly in my head. Interesting. Then, just as soon as it appeared, the mass left.
[…]
[…]
[Core Skill Creation Process Has Been Assisted By Administrator]
[Congratulations: User Has Awakened]
[Congratulations: Core Skilled Gained]
[Core Skill: Over Achiever – Gained]