Anand had always known he was gifted. From his very first breath, others had doted upon him; they knew what he had the potential to become. No, what he would become.

With his back straightened in confidence, he entered the Fifth floor.

A disorienting array of colors and lights momentarily dazzled him, sending a nauseating sensation through his insides. When he was able to look around once more, he found himself surrounded by the unwashed masses.

Beside him stood a man in battered leathers with a barbaric spiked warhammer resting upon his back. Anand couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose in distaste. It was clear that he did not possess enough power to afford nor the class to understand the need for Luxury items within the Shop such as a bathing pool.

As he contemplated his lessers’ unfortunate circumstances, a voice resounded.

“Greetings, Challengers. Welcome to the Fifth Floor. I am sure that you have all had quite a rough time in making it this far. For each of your efforts, I applaud you. Many fall long before reaching this point, long before beginning to glimpse the true power their Awakened self might one day hold.”

The voice paused for a moment, letting the silence simmer before continuing. “I am Ledan, and have been assigned to introduce you to the...quirks of this floor. You have of course noticed that this is the first floor where interaction with other Tower Challengers is possible. There is a reason for that. It is not only the Tower over which we must triumph, but each other as well.”

As his words came to a close, new information streamed into each Challenger.

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Contribution Points

Awarded for completing various tasks or actions within the Fifth Floor. Each morning, those that do not possess the requisite points to pay the Contribution Tax of 200 points will be eradicated.

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Initial Contribution Points: 100

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The crowd lit up with consternation. Grumbles began to spread through the area. Ledan’s voice cut across the din like a hot knife. “Now, now, settle down. It is likely that you have just been informed of the nature of this floor. I have been sent here to proffer you a choice. As you will soon learn, the majority of the areas of the Fifth Floor are controlled and protected by organizations such as mine. Those of you who join up will receive an initial recruitment bonus of Contribution Points and the opportunity to work within the sector. Those of you who do not will receive reduced ability to gain points within this section.”

Anand scoffed at the thought. It was clear that this was some sort of racket. There was no such thing as pure goodwill in this world; the weak only served to be exploited by the strong. And he was no weakling.

And yet, it was a racket that Anand would very much like to be a part of. Not as a bottom-rung pawn of course, but as a member of the upper echelons. As was proper.

Unlike many who entered the Tower, he was special. As such, he was privy to many secrets regarding the various workings of the Tower’s initial floors. This information had allowed him to breeze through the previous floors with careful preparation, even allowing him to go as far as to defeat three full waves of the fourth floor.

His exploits had earned him much, and his current power reflected such accomplishments.

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Name:

Anand

Awakening:

Hauteur

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It is said that Pride is the first sin. If that is so, then what form might the greatest Demon take?

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Level:

6 (Common)

Boons:

Noble’s Disdain (Common) Rank 0

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- Birthright -

You were born gifted, and why shouldn’t you be? It has always been your destiny to be great. Nay, to be greater. Increases the effects of luck while in combat.

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Noble’s Disdain (Common) Rank I

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- Duelist’s Thrust -

The Noble Duelist grows sharper over a life of never ending duels. Whether it be a duel of blades or a duel of words, a true duelist defeats the enemy effortlessly. Strike true with the practiced ease of a master duelist. Reduces stamina depletion for a short time.

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Name:

Anand

Race:

Human

Affiliation:

None

Spirit:

21

Strength:

5

Agility:

50

Vitality:

5

Endurance:

1

Wisdom:

5

Charisma:

5

Luck:

35

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Tower Tokens:

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2,750

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Unlike the vast majority of the untalented rabble that flocked to the Tower, Anand had already received his second Boon. That put him well above his competition, as the bonuses upon reaching level 5 could be quite daunting.

Not only that, but the newest addition to his arsenal, Duelist’s Thrust, added a new facet to his combat abilities.

A man in heavy armor, presumably Ledan, approached the crowd. His armor gleamed with an opalescent radiance, sending shimmers of light dancing through the air. A hand and a half sword rested upon his back. It was all very impressive, he was sure. But Anand was not one to be known to be impressed by such pageantry.

The heavily armored man addressed the crowd. “The choice I give you does not come without due consideration. For those of you who believe that you have what it takes to rise to the upper echelons of our organization, we offer a challenge. And, seeing as how you have made it this far, I am sure that you love to be challenged.”

Ledan waved his hand with a flourish.

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Prove Yourself

Quest Giver: Ledan.

Objective: Prove yourself to the Vezian Alliance and gain a position within the alliance

Rewards: 1000 Contribution Points, Position in Vezian Alliance

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Though many others let out a gasp, Anand himself was unaffected by such a display. He had already known that this floor allowed Challengers to issue quests to one another. All it took was a small quest creation fee and the requisite rewards.

Such a trifle was the least of things one might accomplish with enough Contribution points.

“How do we prove ourselves?” Asked a desperate voice from within the crowd.

“That will be up to you to discover. Prove you are resourceful and learn for yourself. But don’t tarry. Those without the required points on the morrow will come to an unfortunate end.” With an uncaring wave of his hand, Ledan retreated; the newcomers were left in a state of shock, panic, and worry.

Already knowing his destination, Anand swept out of the crowded building. He left behind the whimpering masses, forging a path to his destiny. To become a person of consequence on this floor, he must prove himself in a spectacular manner. Fortunately, he knew just the place to do so - and quickly, at that.

As he exited the building, a brilliant light momentarily blinded him. The sun shone high in the sky, casting its magnificent rays upon the city. And it was truly a city, indeed. Not that rotten hovel of a village that he was forced to appear in on the first floor. No, this was a place of culture and prestige. Paved streets arrayed out in an organized pattern, forming an ordered grid. It was that very orderly nature that allowed Anand to quickly find his destination: the entertainment quarter.

Though it was somewhat crass to fight for anyone’s amusement but his own, he did understand the merits of such an endeavor. What better way to place his name upon every tongue than to beat it into their bodies? To be a member of the upper echelon of an alliance, he could not go crawling to them like some worthless mongrel; they must approach him.

Anand, like many of his peers, had quite an extensive experience in the realm of duels. Duels of honor, duels of words, duels of wits. Thus, it was exactly that which he planned to capitalize on. After consulting his recollection of the information he had been provided, he found himself in a quickly-diminishing line.

A distinctive sort formed the line; a combination of grizzled warriors and naive, idiot upstarts. Though he formed neither of these groups, he felt full confidence in his abilities: there was not likely to be many others who had progressed their Seed as far as he had. Not in the newcomers bracket that he would be fighting in, anyway.

After finding his way to the front of the line, he registered himself with the man who waited there.

“Anand Sinest, Seed of Hauteur, level 6. Newcomer.” He said pridefully. The man looked him up and down, and a glow lit from the crystal embedded into his forehead like a third eye. A Truthseeker, then, Anand thought. He felt a tingling across his skin as he was examined carefully. Having verified the veracity of his claims, the man motioned for him to make his way to the newcomer section of the Pits.

Anand fell into a well of concentration as he made his way to his designated section. It was difficult to ascertain the time until he would face his first opponent, but it was unlikely to be overly long. Though stories told of glorious duels between evenly-matched powerhouses that spanned days and nights, very rarely were duels evenly matched, let alone powerhouses.

He took his place on a bench, waiting for his fight to commence. It wasn’t long before he heard his name, and he found himself guided through a winding hallway before finding himself before a large gate. The gate ascended, unveiling a Fighting Pit full of hard-packed sand. At the edges of the arena were raised seats, ascending to allow spectators to view the fights from any angle. He stepped past the gate’s threshold and felt a tingle spread across his skin.

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Entering the Pits.

Injuries and Spirit will be reset upon exit.

WARNING: Any pain will be experienced as usual.

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Anand grinned, his heart beginning to race in a familiar drumbeat. He stepped forward, pacing across the sand of the Pit. On the other side of the fighting arena, a man mirrored him.

Unconcerned, Anand surveyed the area. The seats had few occupants, as was to be expected. The Newcomer bracket was bound to be filled with weaker Challengers, those who have not yet been honed and sharpened by life on the fifth floor. Still, he knew that this was merely the beginning. As he progressed further through his bracket, he would garner an increasing amount of attention. This would cause organization higher-ups to scramble to recruit him.

As he closed with his opponent, he withdrew his duelist’s rapier and dagger. He gripped the dagger in his left hand, thumb pressed lightly against the flat of the blade. His opponent withdrew a weapon as well, a hand and a half sword.

Trusting in his superior agility, Anand circled the man with measured movements and waited for the first move in order to judge his attributes. With a savage shout, the man hacked at him with significant celerity. A Strength-based Seed, then. His body adjusted slightly, pulling him back out of range and forcing his opponent’s vicious swing to hit naught but air.

Knowing that he could be defeated with one lucky slash, he leaned on luck of his own and activated Birthright.

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- Birthright -

You were born gifted, and why shouldn’t you be? It has always been your destiny to be great. Nay, to be greater. Increases the effects of luck while in combat.

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A trickle of Spirit began to flow outward from his Seed, suffusing his body. He knew that he had to act more aggressively now, as he had a limited amount of Spirit available and his ability would continue to drain it.

His opponent stepped forward to send another slash his way. As his arm swung forward, the attack faltered somewhat when he slid slightly upon the sand.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Andan allowed the misplaced swing to continue by and stepped into a thrust. The rapier took the man in the right shoulder, letting blood drip down his arm. It spilled on the man’s hands, loosening his grip.

Anand, confident in his victory now that his enemy was wounded, disabled his activation of Birthright. He shifted his feet, circling his opponent. Keeping his body on the enemy’s wounded side, he analyzed his movements. As muscles tensed in preparation for an attack, Anand contorted his body and activated his second ability, Duelist’s Thrust.

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- Duelist’s Thrust -

The Noble Duelist grows sharper over a life of never ending duels. Whether it be a duel of blades or a duel of words, a true duelist defeats the enemy effortlessly. Strike true with the practiced ease of a master duelist. Reduces stamina depletion for a short time.

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A torrent of Spirit flowed outwards from his Seed, flooding his body with power. Acting quickly, he rolled underneath the incoming swing in a burst of speed and control. He came to his feet inside his opponent’s guard. Anand couldn’t help but grin as a look of surprise and despair flooded the man’s face. With his dagger, he let loose a flurry of vicious stabs, holding faith in his nearly-inexhaustible stamina while his ability held its course.

The man screamed, letting loose a bellow of agony. A rictus of pain captured his face, holding itself firm. And then it was over.