Jamie felt her body quivering as her party of three left the TRAINING ROOM through the large archway embedded in the wall. Her hands were wrapped around her staff so tightly that she could hear the wood groaning beneath her fingers.

Paul kept his hammer drawn, his posture tense and wary as his gaze swept the dark hallway. A large ornate door sat at the end, engraved with strange, uncomfortable images.

A man was screaming, half submerged in a pool of liquid, skeletal hands dragging him below the surface. Beneath that, two gladiators were fighting each other to the death, with one having a spear lodged deep in their chest. Further still, near the bottom of the door, a black stone tower was depicted, a large snake coiled around its base.

Surrounding these three main images were carvings of horrifying creatures that made Jamie shudder, a cold tingling sensation creeping down her spine. Three headed dogs, orcs dipped in blood with grins wider than their faces, shadowy figures that seemed to move every time she glanced away. The carvings were hyper realistic, furthering the primal terror Jamie felt as she thought about what lay ahead.

Heather, that absolute dork, was humming a merry tune under her breath, almost skipping along, barely fazed by the gruesome scenes. Jamie felt the corners of her lips quirking up as she watched, some of her tension fading away as Heather pranced over to the door. She was so grateful that Heather had been the one stuck in here with her. If it had been Holly or Jessica…

She shook her head, a familiar pang of longing and loneliness rising in her chest. By unspoken agreement, she and Heather barely ever talked about their friends from the real world. There was no guarantee that they’d ever meet them again, and Jamie tried to think about them as little as possible. No use dwelling on the past, after all.

Still, sometimes, something would remind her of them, reigniting the constant ache she felt every second of every day. It was so lonely, just her and Heather against the world, constantly training to grow stronger, climb higher, surpass yesterday’s limits.

And she knew Heather suffered from the same problem. Some days, once they were done training and talking, Heather would plop herself in a corner, gazing at the wall, her mind far, far away. Her deep blue eyes, so often clear like the purest sea, would harden, looking more like a sea sent roiling from a coming storm. Jamie always made sure to leave Heather alone during these moments, letting her grieve the lives they’d lost.

A loud grating noise drew her out of her thoughts, and she watched as Heather waved from her spot next to the massive black door, which was slowly opening. Jamie winced as the hinges started screeching, having obviously rusted long ago.

“Oooo boy,” Paul said, letting out a low whistle. “Wonder how many monsters that attracted just now.”

“Hopefully none,” Jamie muttered, catching up to them both. With an echoing boom, the door screeched to a halt, revealing a room blacker than pitch. A cold breeze blew through the open doorway, and Jamie felt goosebumps break out across her exposed arms.

“So… do we just step through or what? Kinda feels awkward leaving the door open like this…” Heather asked, cocking her head to the side. Jamie sighed, motioning for everyone to step through the door. They only went a few steps before the door slammed closed behind them, much faster than it had opened, plunging them into darkness.

Jamie braced herself, gripping her staff tightly. She and Heather had obsessed over everything they could find about the first few floors of the TOWER, but there were still too many unknowns. Any forums online that discussed the contents of the TOWER were religiously taken down by Leveled Plane’s staff. There was one thing they knew for certain, though: only players high in STL made it past the first room.

Neither of them had high STL STATS, so they needed to be prepared for anything. This wasn’t the first time a group of people had tried to conquer the TOWER, but, hopefully, this would be the first time anyone succeeded.

There was a flash of light ahead of her, and Jamie yelped, shielding her eyes as much as she could. She squinted, trying to let her vision adjust to the sudden source of light.

It took her a moment to process the source; after the long buildup of nerves in her chest, it seemed a bit underwhelming. It was just... a floating, hovering torch, burning with a pale green flame. A small circle was illuminated by the torch, surrounded by a sea of black.

“Huh. Wasn’t expecting that,” Paul said, walking around the torch in a slow circle while she stayed back with Heather. “Doesn’t seem too dangerous, so…”

He grabbed the torch with his free hand, shrugging. A loud buzzing suddenly filled her ears, and Jamie flinched. Blinking rapidly, she found herself face-to-face with a system message.

FIND THE EXIT WITHOUT LETTING THE TORCH BURN OUT. GOOD LUCK.

It winked away, and Jamie groaned.

“Huh,” Heather mused, “that wasn’t very–”

If Paul wasn’t with them, that would’ve been it. A thin stream of water blasted past, barely missing the torch that he moved out of the way in the nick of time. Jamie immediately went on high alert.

“Ah, that was a close–”

She dove forward, blocking another stream of water with her staff. Paul’s mouth snapped shut, his eyes hardening.

“Right. Shutting up now.” Heather chuckled at that, moving to flank Paul’s opposite side. Jamie was glad she did, as streams of water began launching at them from all directions, each one aiming to quench the pale green flame. It took all her considerable skill to deflect the streams with her staff, keeping Paul protected.

She could’ve used her magic, but she and Heather had already agreed to conserve their skills as much as they possibly could. Magic was a last resort, never their first option. They had no clue what may be waiting for them later.

Jamie felt sweat forming on her forehead, her blonde ponytail whipping back and forth as she darted about, trying to cover every possible angle. A high strike to block one stream, transitioning immediately into a low block to deflect another. Using her ears more than her eyes, she waited for the next low hiss of another stream being launched, pivoting on her foot as she predicted where it would land.

There was a pained gasp from behind her, and she risked a glance back towards Heather. Her knives were flashing back and forth as she deflected and blocked each stream of water near her. A gaping hole though her chest was already closing, pouring blood while it healed.

A low hiss came from Jamie’s right, and her staff moved automatically to block the next stream of water, her arms straining from the impact. She winced, realizing she’d only barely blocked it in time. She needed to pay more attention.

She also noted that she needed to keep herself from being hit by any streamers. Heather’s wound showed that they were much deadlier than they appeared.

Sighing, she let her mind clear, focusing on predicting the next attack. She shifted rapidly between stances, her staff a blur as it whipped around her form. Her arms and lungs burned uncomfortably, but she’d grown used to the feeling after having sparred with Heather for so long.

“Uh… got a slight problem here,” Paul suddenly spoke, his voice easily cutting through Heather and Jamie’s heavy breathing and the low hiss of more streamers. “The torch is getting shorter.”

Jamie’s head snapped around, her eyes immediately homing in on the torch. Paul was right; the torch was shorter.

Half formed thoughts flew through her mind as she tried to think of a solution, but a new stream of water disrupted her concentration. She cursed as her staff was thrown into a hasty block, the system mangling her words into something unwanted.

Think. Think. I need time. The number of streamers increased, and she pushed herself to her limit to block each of them, gritting her teeth.

No matter what she did, she couldn’t think straight. There were too many streamers launching at her from all directions, and it took every ounce of strength she had to keep up with the bombardment. She also wasn’t the most strategic of thinkers: that award went to one of the dimwits in her party.

“Jay, use WIND! I’ll cover!” Heather shouted, rapidly darting around to combat the increasing number of streamers. Her thoughts clicking into place, Jamie grinned and nodded, realizing what Heather meant.

Closing her eyes, she let her arms hang limp at her sides, trusting Heather to protect her. Evening out her breathing, she opened her senses to the world, feeling the pull of the wind around her.

Immediately, her mind was flooded with information. Swirls and eddies of air abounded throughout the spacious room, the streamers of water displacing the normal airflow. The currents twisted and jumbled together almost incomprehensibly, giving her a pounding headache as she struggled to decipher the main flow pathway.

She shut off the rest of her senses, fully embracing the feeling of the currents around her, alleviating most of the jackhammer drilling through her skull. Feeling her way through the maze of currents, she discovered two things: the water streamers were being materialized out of nothing, and there was one main air current that branched off to her left at a slight angle.

“This way!” she called, letting her feet follow the main current of air. She heard grunts of pain and panicked shouts from her companions, but she paid them no mind. She had a job to do, and she needed to trust them.

It took maybe ten minutes to reach the source of the air current, Jamie’s clothing damp with sweat. There was a reason she never used this skill in a fight—as it was now, it turned her into a liability. She could barely focus on the flow of air around her, and that was when straining herself; fighting would be impossible.

Letting out a breath, Jamie opened her eyes, snapping out of her trance. The flow of air faded away from her mind, letting sounds and feelings slowly filter back in, like she’d been underwater and was only just now surfacing.

Blinking rapidly to clear the film over her eyes, it took a moment for everything to adjust. A crooked staircase lay before them, the stone steps cracked and worn from age. Paul was behind her, rapidly dodging left and right, desperately trying to avoid the streamers that managed to break through Heather’s defense. The torch in his hand had nearly fizzled out, with only a few inches of wood remaining.

Looking towards Heather, Jamie choked back bile. From the brief glimpses she could catch, Heather was a mess. Her torso was peppered with holes, blood covering the ground around her. Glowing red eyes peered out from beneath her bangs, her face disfigured in an ugly snarl. She was moving so fast that Jamie could barely make out her form, rapidly darting around them in a bloody arc.

“HEATHER! We gotta go!” Paul cried, his eyes alight with panic. Another inch of the torch had already burnt down. They only had a few seconds left, at best, before it went out completely.

Jamie pulled her staff in front of her as Paul ran past, doing her best to guard him from the numerous streamers. Some made it through her guard, and she let out pained grunts as they impacted her form, leaving heavy bruises. Unlike Heather, she had her VIT to protect her, but her health regeneration was almost nonexistent.

A hand closed around her arm, and the world blurred around her in a nauseating tilt-a-whirl of color. From one instant to the next, she went from barely deflecting streamers to being halfway up the ruined staircase. Staggering over to the wall as Heather released her arm, she felt her stomach turn in on itself and vomited, choking and coughing, struggling to breathe.

With a loud bang, Jamie heard a door close behind them as the streamers stopped, giving them a moment of peace. Heather collapsed, hissing through her teeth as her wounds healed. Paul was gasping for breath, barely able to stand.

Then he yelped, dropping the torch. It clattered down the stairs, coming to rest against a small stone door as the last stub of wood burned out, plunging them into darkness.

For a minute or two, only their heavy breathing and Jamie’s hacking could be heard. Then there was a crackle as Heather’s skin lit up blue, illuminating their surroundings. Her eyes were glowing blue beacons in the darkness, brighter than the rest of her form.

“That’s the worst thing we’ve done in a while, Jay,” Heather commented, panting slightly. “And you can’t even blame that one on me, this time.”

“You blame most things on me anyways, what’s one more?” Jamie quipped, and Heather giggled.

“Well… most things do end up being your fault, so it’s justified.”

Jamie growled at her friend, opening her mouth as she prepared a retort… only to find herself choking on water as it trickled down her throat. Coughing as she struggled to swallow, she glared at Paul, snatching the open water bottle from his hand.

“What was that for?” she grumbled, and he smirked, shrugging as he rummaged through his pack to grab another water for Heather. He didn’t feel the need to force it down her throat, instead handing it to her like a half-decent human being.

She whined and complained a while longer, the three of them engaging in an easy banter as they let their nerves settle. They were all rattled by the previous room, and Jamie felt her stomach sink when she considered that they’d only finished the first floor of the TOWER. Only 79 more to go…

Abruptly, Heather straightened, letting some of the light around her fade. “Dunno about you two, but I think I’m ready to move on. Just gotta let my MP recover for a few minutes and I’ll be good to go.”

Jamie nodded, and Heather cut her magic, plunging them back into darkness. Moving away from the vomit covering the stairs, she slid down the wall, letting her legs rest.

She still felt jumpy, so she took some deep breaths to calm herself down. Luckily, her inner demon was quiet for now, and she hoped the trend continued. She didn’t need to be fighting against her instincts as they cleared the next few rooms.

Before long, it was time for them to continue. Paul took the front with Heather and Jamie following, letting the light produced from Heather’s LIGHTNING guide him as they climbed to the next floor. Out of their party, he was the most expendable. He was the only one who wasn’t in danger of dying permanently.

The room they entered was smaller than the first floor, covered in black tiles with a door to their right, probably leading to another staircase. Torches lines the walls, and Jamie heard Heather breathe out a sigh of relief as she released her magic.

Carefully, Paul stepped on the tile closest to them, testing it with his foot. Nothing happened, and he moved forward to the next tile. Again, nothing. On the third tile, a black hand shot up and grabbed his foot, dragging him through the floor as he screamed. His screams abruptly cut out the moment his head vanished.

Heather and Jamie shared a look, and Jamie let out a long sigh, realizing that she didn't feel too upset about what just happened. It was a sad truth that she’d grown accustomed to. Her only true friend in here was Heather; they couldn’t trust anyone but each other.

Paul had shown up suddenly right before they were planning to leave, offering to help. It was all well and good, but Jamie couldn’t bring herself to trust him anymore. She’d been friends with him, once, long before any of this started.

But she’d changed since then. She’d seen the unease and fear in his eyes when her instincts took over, even for just a split second, and it was then that she knew. Only Heather truly understood what it was like, struggling not to scratch that constant itch in her mind, one roaring and screaming for blood.

The smiles she’d shared with him had mostly been fake. He’d given them valuable information about the world they were entering once they finally cleared the ABYSS, and she’d enjoyed catching up with him, but he didn’t understand. She and Heather were fighting for their lives, and his life wasn’t even at risk.

Even his help while clearing the first floor hadn't done much, in the end. She and Heather would've been able to clear it by themselves if they had to. If one of them had grabbed the torch, she was confident that they would've dodged that first streamer, which was the only thing that might've defeated them.

Frankly, she just wasn’t too concerned with his death. So, shrugging, she gestured to the door with her hand.

“The floor's trapped, obviously, so we should just screw it and use our magic. Don't wanna deal with landmines. I could try flying over there while you do your wall thingy,” she suggested, and Heather tilted her head back as she considered it.

“I mean, it’s better than anything else we’ve got, so why not?” Jamie nodded, and Heather’s skin lit up blue as she planted her feet against the wall, walking along. She didn’t know exactly how Heather managed that, since it was one of her newer abilities, but her best guess was that it had something to do with magnetism.

Shaking her head to clear her erratic thoughts, Jamie took a deep breath, opening her senses to the air currents around her. This time, instead of listening to them, she spoke to them, willing them to bend around her form and lift her into the air.

Feel the shifting currents of the air around you. Let them flow and shape your form. That was the first half of the riddle of WIND, the only parts she’d worked out so far. Both were a struggle, but it was at least manageable for her. She wasn’t good at flying yet, although reinforcing her attacks with WIND was surprisingly simple once she got past her initial roadblocks.

Slowly, gently, she shakily lifted into the air. Concentrating on her breathing, she began drifting forward, floating across the tiles. Heather was almost at the stone doorway, and Jamie forced herself to move a bit faster to catch up.

“It won’t budge.” Jamie frowned as she watched Heather continue trying to push the door open. There was no handle, no hinges to break, no visible lock.

“Let me try,” she said, and Heather moved away as Jamie floated over. It was disorienting to watch Heather walk along the wall, but Jamie was slowly getting used to it.

Pressing her palms against the stone door, she felt around using EARTH, looking for the mechanism that controlled the movement of the door. Surprisingly, there was nothing. She tried forcing some of her magic through the door, but that only resulted in her getting a splitting headache.

She started panicking when her magic output increased without her command, the door doing something with it. She tried to pull her hands back, but her magic just kept increasing as she struggled, unable to move.

Jamie ground her teeth together as she forced her magic to bend to her will, working past the pounding in her head. Calling on everything she had, she gave the door a single command: move.

Her magic responded, rushing forward, causing the door to groan. It struck some sort of barrier halfway through, though, and Jamie gasped as everything ground to a halt, her headache increasing tenfold.

With a cry of pain, her magic was forced back, and she lost her grip on WIND, tumbling through the air.

“JAY!” Heather screamed, leaping towards her. Her arms wrapped around Heather’s shoulders as they collided, colors and lights spinning around them, turning her headache into a migraine.

Idiot. She could’ve stayed against the wall. She grunted as her back hit the ground, and something cold and slimy slipped around her middle. With a violent tug, the floor suddenly turned fluid, and both she and Heather were pulled beneath the surface.