The Price of Survival

The sun found its way through the small opening of the rented room and woke Liam ahead of time. Rubbing his eyes and stretching, he sat up on the squeaky bed. His memories of the previous floor were fresh in his mind. Glancing at his battered armor propped in the corner, he looked at the dulled weapon that lay across the table. Both had barely survived the scuffle with the monster commander, and he knew this couldn't continue for long."It's time to get some upgrades," he muttered, collecting his sub-space bag and stepping out into the bustling town square.The BlacksmithThe blacksmith's shop was the same as yesterday, with smoke billowing out of its huge chimney at the top and rhythmically hammering into the air. Liam stepped into the place and was immediately assaulted by the heat along with the sight of a burly dwarf with soot-covered skin and a disapproving expression. Obviously, he was busy melting down metal into what looked granulated and huge as he probably shaped it to an angle for extraction.Liam went up to him slowly. "Excuse me... I need a new suit of armour and a weapon."The dwarf halted, looking up at Liam with sharp, scrutinizing eyes: "Aye? You look as if you have been dragged through a battlefield-and I don't work for free, boy.""How much would it cost for a weapon and a little bit of armor, gold wise?"The dwarf straightened up, arms crossed over his really muscular body, as his lips curled into a smirk. "20,000 gold."Liam froze. "What?!""Ya heard me," the blacksmith deadpanned. "Weapons and armor aren't toys, so if you want me to provide the materials and then make a masterpiece from them, you'll be paying that price.""That's insane!" Liam burst out, unable to stop himself. "Who has that kind of gold? I just got here!"The dwarf grunted in amusement, but then shrugged. "Not my problem, lad. If you've got your own materials, I'll make 'er 12,000 gold.""Twelve thousand?! That's still..." Liam's brain short-curcuit as he realised it would lead nowhere. He muttered under his breath, damn the Tower and its ridiculous economy. "Fine. I'll think about it."As Liam stalked out of the shop, the dwarf went back to his anvil, shaking his head with a chuckle.The PubThis public house had nothing in common with the blacksmith's fiery workshop. Within these cozy walls opened, voices of adventurers were traveling along long wooden tables, drinking themselves to stories of his challenges. The sound of clinking mugs combined with raucous laughter in the air, accompanying the faint aroma of roasted meat.Liam found an empty corner seat and ordered himself a mug of beer. The expression on his face when the bartender finally told him it would cost him two gold coins deepened his unhappiness further. "This Tower's trying to rob me blind..." he muttered as he reluctantly paid.He sat there quietly sipping his beer as the conversation coming from a table full of adventurers gravitated toward his ear."Did you see the prices in the Tower shop?" One complained with a shake of his head in disgust. "It's outrageous! I really need new armor, but at these prices, I might as well fight naked."Another adventurer agreed with a grim face. "I thought to stock up on some potions, but the prices are just as if they were filled with gold. How do people afford this stuff?"A third adventurer sighed. "I hear you. The weapons are so expensive that it's almost impossible to upgrade. The Tower seems as if it doesn't want us to succeed."Liam frowned but kept his head down. He well knew the struggle since he had just been to the blacksmith. This conversation just sealed any speck of doubt that was left in his mind regarding the Tower and its ways.Hell, I'll have this shop too checked later, Liam thought. "There may be something which I can twist to my advantage."There was no denying that the challenges were more than a few in themselves but doubtless evidence that the Tower put them to the test in other ways.A Discovery in the BagAs Liam returned to his rented room in the morning, the sun set over the horizon. He landed on the bed and reached for the sub-space bag hanging at the waist. After rummaging through the contents of this bag that seemed never-ending, he finally pulled out the cape he had taken from the boy earlier. It is a dark and lightweight piece but something about it just felt...Upon close inspection, a faint shimmer ran the length of the fabric, and then, before his eyes, a notification popped open.-Item Acquired: Shadow Cape-- Skill Unlocked: Invisibility (Active)"Invisibility," whispered Liam, the smile curling on his lips. "This could be of use."He turned his attention now to the magician's book, old and worn but with the strange symbols carved into the leather cover and pages filled with unintelligible text. The symbols seemed somewhat familiar-similar to those he had seen engraved on Medusa's throne."I need to learn the way to read this." he said to himself, "There surely has to be a magician or scholar somewhere willing to help me decode it."For now, he will return to the sub-space bag. Exhaustion finally hit him all at once and Liam sank into the bed with a big sigh."First the blacksmith, now this book... this Tower is testing me in more ways than one."As sleep gradually engulfed him, his thoughts flew quickly to the challenges that awaited him beyond this town. A small smile hovered about his lips."If the Tower thinks this stage will break me... it better think again."To be continue...