Chapter 21

Leon lay awake in bed the next morning, staring at the ceiling. The first floor is easier the earlier you head inside. That was what Ai had said. After having paced the room last night, he was sure it pertained to the time spent in the world. When he’d talked to Yung, he’d said that he’d been in Gaitol for eight years, and only gone into the first level after four. Then he’d met his two mage companions, and they had scaled the rest of the tower in three years. So, the longer you waited, the harder it would be. If only that information was included in the tutorial.

Leon sighed and got up, petted Troublemaker and headed downstairs, where he ate breakfast alone and paid for the room another five nights. He’d have to figure out what to do with his inventory, and like it or not, Ava would have to figure out a way to store more items elsewhere. He didn’t have the space. She’d have to sell them off or maybe ask Margaret for a spare chest somewhere.

She had two spaces in her pouch; one with a health potion, and one that would hold her staff when she didn’t use it. Leon suspected she already had a second place for storing items, since she’d been able to hold the boxes she got from leveling up. He knew she wouldn’t have sold what was inside them because of what happened with excess coins when wearing the Scab title, but maybe all she’d gotten was junk? He stared out through the dining hall’s window, toward the plaza.

All those players out there, that didn’t dare to go into the tower, and had doomed themselves through not trying it out. Through waiting, they had unwittingly chosen the fate to be stuck here for the rest of their time. Maybe he’d set up a sign that told any new tower-climbers that, but at the same time, that would hurt the people who’d been here for years. It was just the psychic blow to send some into depression.

Maybe it would be easier for Leon and Ava because they hadn’t been here for that long. The system had to calculate the average, so if Hert didn’t decide to join them, maybe that would bring some advantage. But how did that calculate into difficulty?

Leon pushed the thoughts aside and rose to head into the forest. It was eight in the morning, so he should be able to gather a bit of coins and get some training. If he’d thought about it, maybe he should have joined the guard’s new runs. Though, why guards who didn’t want to scale the tower still wanted to raise their stats, he didn’t know.

As he made his way toward the door, Margaret approached him with a slim blue vial with a cork.

“Ava said she won’t join you today.”

Leon nodded. “Thanks.” He turned to leave, but stopped when Margaret spoke.

“It’s custom that the inns sell left over stuff at the market, but I saved this after a group went into the tower and didn’t come back last month. They forgot it in a chest.” She stretched forward the vial. “It’s my gift to Ava, but she doesn’t have the space to store it. So, I’m giving it to you.”

‘Margaret wants to gift you with a minor mana potion. Do you accept this gift? [Yes] [No]’

“Thanks.”

The vial disappeared from her hands.

‘You have received Minor Mana Potion

Rank: E

Consumable

Effect: Restores 20 MP’

Margaret wrung her hands together. “You’ll protect her, won’t you?”

“I said I would.”

“I know, but…” Margaret sighed and patted Leon on the arm. A pink color spread over his cheeks, and her lips wobbled. “I hope you make it through. I truly do.” Then she stalked off, a hand raised to her face.

Leon stared after her, and his stomach lurched. She must be certain they had a challenge, a difficult one at that, set before them. His legs felt like they needed to move, that he needed to do something. He pressed his palm on the handle and walked outside. No matter what the tower had in store for them, the only choice they had was to either give up or to prepare.

Leon’s mind conjured a picture of his mother, her face and body sunken in, white and lifeless. Just like Uncle Jerry’s had been. He was here to stop that. Another similar vision of Jane flooded into his mind, and a lump formed in his throat. He’d already given his life, knowing he had a hard task in front of him. There was no point with his death if he gave up now. Leon ran in the fruitless hope that he’d escape the images in his head.

Before he knew it, he had entered the forest. After Ai’s visit yesterday, he was fairly certain she’d stay back for the time being. But what worried him was if she had any say over what happened in the tower. What she’d said about being less than middle-management gave an odd comfort, because that likely meant that she had limited influence. But what had she meant with them having an office, and how many guides and other system-defining personnel were there? From the way she spoke, it sounded like a corporation ran the game. But what sort would it be, and why?

After he called out for the wolves, he thought about what the voice had said when he’d first entered the world. Something about political factions trying to overtake one another. So, which one did Ai belong to?

Leon’s thoughts stopped after the first wolf came out of the bush. It was too bad the shout only worked on wolves, but it would definitely do for stacking up coins.

*******

The following days followed the same routine. Leon would wake up around eight in the morning, head into the woods to slay a few five or six level wolves, and then continue with hitting trees with his fists. When he’d done two hundred hits, he’d jog back to the city and continue his run around the Slums. He’d almost given up looking for the girl, but kept the doll in his backpack all the same. His level had risen to an alarming percentage once he’d finished hunting the night before the market, and the coins he’d gathered were enough to purchase a lot of health potions and maybe even two camps. The wolves he fought were dangerous, but the payoff was worth the risk, as long as he was careful.

He’d talked with Ava, and they had decided to head into the tower after they had talked with the man in the hood. The feeling of waiting made Leon more agitated the more time passed. He paced the room most of the time that he didn’t spend on working out, which meant he spent all hours with either jogging or hitting random objects like walls or trees with his fists in order to save on the durability of his weapons. Since neither of the activities cost fatigue, he didn’t need to sleep, which was a good thing. The closer they got to the date when they would head into the tower, the more his nerves plagued him.

Even if he’d wanted to sleep, he wouldn’t be able to. So, on the fifth day, he joined the guards’ run in the morning. About twenty guards had gathered into a group, and Leon joined them as they jogged past the inn; armor clanging with each step and weapons in hand. A few offered greetings when he joined, but they were too out of breath to actually hold a conversation.

He broke off from the group as they passed the south gate and continued into the forest. A hundred hits in on a tree, he gained the awareness of a wolf, looked at the 79% percent mark beside his level, and headed back to Pura. He could take it on without increasing his level, but it was dumb to chance it.

Leon continued the interrupted run and looked at the time. It was a little before ten in the morning. In eleven hours, he would enter the market, and in about twenty-four, he and Ava would purchase the health potions and head to the tower.

As he approached the inn, he noticed Ava’s green-clad figure leaning against the wall, with her hands folded in front of her. She hadn’t joined him at all the days since they talked to the man or purchased their equipment.

She stepped forward as he passed the crafting fountain, and he stopped.

“Hey,” she said, scratching at her ear. “Sorry I haven’t spent much time with you these last few days.”

“No problem. What have you been up to? It must have been important for you to miss out on the training after you’ve nagged on me about it.”

Ava hesitated, then she gave him a nod.

“Don’t want to talk about it?” Leon massaged the skin over his knuckles. They ached from hitting things, but he hadn’t wanted to give up just yet; just the thought of the agility point made it feel worth it, on the off chance that his so-called training of other stats paid off.

“It’s just that… I’m nervous. I don’t want to die.” Ava sighed and looked at her feet. “Margaret doesn’t want me to go into the tower with you. She won’t say why, and she’s been teaching me a lot of different stuff about inn-keeping.” Ava swallowed. “She wants me to stay here.”

“And what do you want?” Leon asked.

“I—”

“Stop right there!” Hert exited his shop and sprinted to them, his face red. He stopped before them and pushed a finger on Leon’s shoulder. “How hard is it for you to keep to one place? I’ve needed to talk with you for days.”

Leon raised his eyebrows. “I’ve been where I’ve been for the last month and more. What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Hert shouted and threw his arms wide. “Three days ago, I got a quest. A quest which name is ‘prepare to enter the tower.’ It increases my level percentage by two per day until I enter the first level! Says it’s a reward for gaining over 85% level experience in level six.” Hert pushed a finger on Leon’s shoulder again with such force, Leon had to take a step back. “Now I have to enter the tower, and it’s all Ava’s and your fault.”

Ava stepped forward. Her red face clashed with her hair, and she, in turn, threw forward a finger into Hert’s chest. “You wanted to be in a party. The party was even called ‘Hert’s Party,’ so you have nothing to blame us for. You could have ended it at any time!”

“I should have, and I would have, but I thought ‘poor little Ava, she has such a tough time’ and didn’t! And this is my thanks!”

“We didn’t put that quest on you.” Ava clenched her fists.

“You did!” Hert stared into Ava’s eyes.

Leon scratched his neck. “So… you said you wanted to talk with me?”

Hert’s eyes snapped to Leon’s.

“Is it because you want to complete the first level with us?”

Hert clenched his jaw. “I have no choice, do I? You have no idea how many times I’ve regretted putting up that quest.”

Leon forced a smile. “Then we’ll see you around lunchtime tomorrow, outside the portal.”

“Yeah,” Hert mumbled. “I’ll be at 94%, then.” With those words, he turned around and walked on stilted legs to his shop, slamming the door behind him.

“We’re really doing this,” Ava said.

“My promise still stands. You can choose not to.”

Ava shook her head. “Not when there’s a way back. I don’t want to be stuck—I want to—” She bit her lip.

Leon patted her shoulder. “Then we go together.”

*******

Leon paced the room, looking at the items on his bed. Ava had accepted to take her items elsewhere after Margaret had moved a storing chest from one of the spare rooms to her own. Now, the things left laid on the bed. Two black boxes, a short sword, a long sword, a rag doll, two camps, the mana potion, Troublemaker, and the rabbit’s foot. That was eight out of ten slots in his inventory if he didn’t equip the weapons.

Troublemaker sniffed the stuff on the cover. Leon had thrown away the tattered shirt Troublemaker had slept on, and hoped the rabbit wouldn’t mind too much. At least the last carrot had gone, so that would leave an extra storage space. Leon considered opening the black boxes from his level ups, but if they contained items he wanted to keep, he wouldn’t have the space for them. It was better to have them stacked for a while. As for the doll… he could throw it away, since its class was junk, but he’d promised the girl he would give something to her. It was better he kept it.

Leon lifted the rabbit’s foot and held it toward Troublemaker. “Do you want this?”

The rabbit pushed forward its head, stroking the fur.

“Thought so.” Leon sighed and put it on the bed again.

Tomorrow, he’d have to fill the ninth spot with health potions. If they waited with going into the tower, he could have released Troublemaker into the wild. But if they waited, Hert would have to enter the tower alone, or die because of the automatic progression. There just wasn’t any time left.

He lifted the closest black box, prompting a message to open it. He declined it and put it back on the bed.

Leon sighed, petted Troublemaker, and made his way outside.

Darkness had fallen over the empty square, except for where a few lanterns lit up the way. Leon followed the street to the night market, and soon found himself among a crowd. The music from the stage filled the plaza, and in front of the stage, people had cleared a spot where people danced to the music. The bottom parts of the many-colored woolen dresses bloomed out as the women’s partners twirled them around, and the crowd clapped their hands to the rhythm.

Along the walls stood wagon-type stalls and food carts on wheels, selling well-known foods from Earth, but also original dishes with their own flavor, and the scents of them all made for a heavy, yet not unpleasant, smell that was hard to define. However, after having tasted the burger, Leon hadn’t tried anything else. He didn’t want to go through another disappointment. He hadn’t been away from his own world for so long that he’d forgotten the taste the dishes should have, but didn’t.

Leon walked past a green wagon with spices, a purple one selling fried rabbit, and continued away from the stage. It was hard to get a good look at the food carts, since people had grouped up, leaving only a small path between them and the stalls. In between four groups, in the back of the crowd, stood a man with his daughter hoisted up on his shoulders. It reminded Leon of his last trip out on the sea, but instead of waving goodbye to land, they bobbed on the spot to the music. Leon frowned as a hunched figure in a black hood closed in on them, and the predator threw out a hand to snatch the pouch on the man’s waist.

“Hey!” Before Leon knew what he was doing, he pummeled through the crowd. Angry voices followed him as the thief ducked down and sprinted away, purse in hand. “Pickpocket!”

People turned to look around and made way for Leon, but did little else. The man patted over his body while the girl took hold of her father’s head. Leon continued on, following the shadow through the crowd. As he passed another group, a man stepped in his way. Leon bumped into him, and the thief disappeared down the street, going toward the Slums.

“That man is a pickpocket. Let me through!”

The man looked at him with a side-glance. “Huh? You say something?”

“Let me—”

The man grabbed Leon’s collar and pulled him close. A blade glistened inside the man’s shirt. “Don’t mess with the Skurks. Won’t end pretty for you.” He pushed Leon away and acted like he listened to the bards.

Leon gritted his teeth, but let it go. The thief had likely gone into a hiding place here somewhere, anyway, and if the guy was serious in his threat and an NPC, he could kill him. But where were the guards? Leon stepped aside, felt for his belongings, and continued past the last group, ignoring the stare from the man as he left. He exited the plaza and jogged past three streets before he reached the guards, where the stone arch to the Slums stood open.

Leon approached them. “Hey, I just saw a pickpocket in the square. He wore a black hood and ran this way. Have you seen him?”

The guard to the left shrugged. “Nah. But the Skurkmen have their quarters somewhere around here.”

“Aren’t you going to stop them?” Leon threw his arms wide. “I thought you were here for that reason.”

The guard scratched his neck. “Nah, that’s because of the Slums. The arch has a limit for who it lets through and takes care of those who do a lot of stuff like that. So, they are basically in a prison already. Can’t exit the area, at least while the system has tagged them. Once the penalty time is over, they can go in and out again, though.”

“But they can continue their crimes inside the arches?”

“If it’s any help, they only rob NPCs. Take it as a side story, or whatever you wanna call it. If the system disagreed, it would do something about it.”

“So they aren’t harming others?”

“Well…” The guard hesitated.

“Yes. NPCs, Scabs, and players,” a female voice said. The guard stepped forward. “I think it’s a balance thing. We are not to interfere with NPC thefts, but if Skurks are blatant about wanting to kill people or if they rob players, we arrest them. Which is why they usually just wave their weapons around rather than do anything else.”

“That’s kind of illogical. Why not just take them in and be done with it?”

“It is what it is.” The male guard nodded up the street. “Don’t think too much about it. They’re there, and the Slums are here. Neither makes much sense.” He pointed his spear. “Go, enjoy yourself.”

Leon frowned as he walked back toward the plaza. Who would create an entire world, and still have that kind of rule? He knew NPCs were just pieces of code, but from the time he’d spent here, it for sure didn’t feel that way.

But what the guard had said had also sparked his interest. Maybe, given the right prompt, it would kick off a quest to vanquish the Skurkmen. Then he chuckled. Yeah, that would be something else. Him fighting against human-like scum, when he’d only ever fought against wolves. And what if he accidentally killed someone? Or got himself killed?

As he entered the plaza, he spotted the wagon the hooded man had talked about. Leon stopped. Was the hooded man he was going to meet the pickpocket? No. They had been of different heights, and the pickpocket definitely had nimbler feet.

*******

Ava jumped on the spot outside the inn the next morning. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” She grabbed Leon’s collar. “We’re going into the tower! Finally!”

Leon nodded and swallowed, but still managed to smile.

Ava threw out her hands. “A little over a month ago, I was a Scab. Well, that’s still true, but now I have these new skills, and I have Margaret, and a friend that I can trust, and new levels, and a staff.”

“You seem more excited than scared,” Leon said, chuckling. He’d packed all his things in his backpack, and Ava had talked with a teary-eyed Margaret, who’d once again pounced on Leon and reminded him to protect her.

“Well, it’s the first step to making it back,” Ava said. “So, do we go to the shifty man first, or do we go to the cheapskate?”

Leon walked past the crafting fountain. “Store first. Then we go to the man.”

“Okay.”

Ava trotted along with Leon as they made their way through the stone arch. The higher level wolves had given him more coins than he’d expected. One level six wolf gave him between 13-16 coins, and he’d slain more than enough to purchase the nine health potions that could stack, and more camps. He’d killed over ten wolves per day for four days. They would be more than prepared when going in. Hopefully, they wouldn’t need to use potions at all.

Leon received the guards’ well-wishes as they passed the arch, and continued. In two hours, they would meet up with Hert. Two and a half hours from now, they could all lie dead. Leon blew out air through pursed lips. Even combined, they hadn’t been there for so long. Three years and two months if rounded up. So, the challenge shouldn’t be too hard.

Still, there was a gnawing feeling in Leon’s stomach, and it had only increased through Margaret’s reaction to Ava heading into the tower with him. Why would she worry about Ava, who’d been here a year, venturing into the tower with someone who’d only been here for a little over seven weeks?

Ava waited outside the store while Leon climbed the stairs and pushed down the handle to the general goods store. A message popped up.

‘Entry Denied

This merchant has filed a complaint against you.

Penalty: You can’t enter the store for 1 week.

If you feel you’ve been misrepresented in this complaint, please fill out a form where you explain the reason(s) behind why you think this is unjust, and we will look into the matter. If you decide to send in a form, please be aware that it will take up to three (3) days to process.

Do you wish to send a form? [Yes] [No]’

“No.” Leon sighed.

“What ‘no?’” Ava asked, stepping up onto the porch.

“Try the door. See if you can enter.”

Ava frowned, but did as he asked. “That ratty—”

“Let’s go,” Leon said.

“Wait, I’m going to fill out the form,” Ava said.

Leon pulled at her arm. “What’s the point? Even if they decide we can enter the store, Hert will die in three days. He said he’d reach 94% of level six today. He doesn’t have that kind of time.”

“He can go into the tower without us for all I care.” Ava grabbed Leon’s arm and hugged it. “He doesn’t care about you like I do. I want us to survive.”

“No, we put him in this situation. I did. I can’t just sit by while he’s forced to enter the tower without us, when I’m the reason he has to face it.”

Ava released him and crossed her arms. “You’d choose him over me?”

Leon rubbed his hands over his face. “It’s not that simple. If the roles were switched, how would you feel?”

Ava pursed her lips. “Well, I guess we have my healing spell, my health potion, and two camps. You also have one level up. It should be okay. Just remember that he wanted to leave you to the imps.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

They walked in silence toward the tower, and when they came closer, a sense of dread filled Leon. This is what he was here for, but what waited for them inside? He tried to push the feeling away. They hadn’t been here long. They would get a pretty easy run. But the next second, the guard’s words played through his mind. People have died in there. And it was only the first level.

Leon and Ava continued down the side street, and the surrounding Scabs threw curious glances their way, but didn’t approach.

It’s going to be easy, Leon thought. We’ll talk to this hooded person, get the information we can, and then we’ll feel better.

“That must be it.” Ava pointed at the last ramshackle building down the road.

It stood to the left and leaned on the wall that surrounded Pura. It was a stone building and had only a part of the wooden roof left. The building had one floor, no door, and a single window which lacked glass or shutters. The stone floor and walls had cracks in them, making Leon wonder how the building still stood, even if it got support from the wall.

They entered the first room, which held nothing except a lantern in the ceiling, where a half-burned candle sat.

“Hello?” Leon asked.

“Yes,” came a voice from the second room. “Come in.”

Leon and Ava continued through the cracked doorway and entered a larger room where hay lay scattered over a part of the floor, forming a kind of make-shift bed. The hooded man sat by a small chest in the corner and rose as they approached.

“Did you bring it?”

“Yes.” Leon held out the flask. It had cost him fifteen coins. Enough to cover a night at Margaret’s inn and two meals. It better be worth it.

The man took the bottle in his shaking hands, and a popping sound echoed through the room as he drew out the cork. He took a sniff, pulled back the hood, and smiled, making his scar stretch.

“You had information about the first floor?” Leon asked.

The man took a swig, and a rosy color rose to the man’s cheeks. “Ah, that’s the stuff.” Then he took a second gulp. “But no, not about the first floor.”

“You said—”

The man held up a finger and bent his neck slightly to look into Leon’s eyes. “I asked if you wanted to scale the tower. I know a little about that.”

Leon looked at Ava. Her jaw sat clenched, and her face had reddened.

“Okay, so what can you tell us?”

The man took another healthy swig and sat back down on the chest. “Well, the tower is a mystery. There’s not much to say more than that.”

Leon stepped forward to snatch the bottle out of his hands, but he pulled it to the side.

“But what I know is that you only need to scale 50 levels. Then you’ll reach your goal.”

“Okay…” Leon said, waving his hands for the man to continue.

“Yeah, 50 levels.” The man tapped his head with a dirty fingernail.

“That’s it?” Ava stormed forward, and Leon caught her by the waist, scared that she’d strangle the man.

“That’s it.” The man chuckled. “Oh, and to your other question—I am an NPC. Good luck.”

Leon pulled Ava out of the room, even though she fought back. She tried to stomp at his foot and ripped at his fingers.

“There’s no use in attacking him,” Leon said. “We can’t exactly get the bottle back, and we don’t want the guards on us because we harmed a Scab.”

“But I’m a Scab too! I can—”

“Stop. Like it or not, we have what information we have.” Leon dismissed the ‘Personal Quest Completed’-box. “Besides, it’s good to know how many levels to scale. Or at least, to have it confirmed. A guy I talked to before said the same, but things can change.” He let her go, and she spun from his grip.

“Fine.” Then she stalked off, and Leon followed, shaking his head.