“Deadmen tell no tale after all.” Rex watched as the light on the armors disappeared into a patch of dark forest similar to the one behind him. The forest itself began to tremble before a weird unnatural wave like a poor digital effect rippled through it, moments later he blinked and it was just gone. “Woah, where’d it go? Benni?” He held up his bracelet making his assistant pop out, she stumbled in mid-air while screens swarmed around her.

“Save me, Captain! I can’t take these things anymore!” She flew instantly to Rex’s face, hugging his cheek for dear life. “I never knew there were so many for just one human! Please have mercy!” Her tired reddened eyes begged him for rest. He closed his eyes while sighing deeply.

“ORGANIZE” Rex’s eyes snapped open while stating one word towards the mass of screens cluttered behind the fairy, trying to hide from his sight. In a split moment, they all glowed and bunched up into a few deeper colored ones, who then shrunk themselves while backing away politely from the fairy. “Benni, take care of them in a bit.” She nodded with renewed respect for the human before her. “Now what the hell happened to that forest?” He pointed in the direction of the vanished forest the knights from the empire went into.

“Their vessel took off, seems they had already cleared the Event Field.” She looked off into the distance of the grassy plains. She cried out in surprise as bright lights materialized into screens before her. She took in a large breath while her eyes widened in disbelief. “Sir, the gods wish to give you some gifts!” She turned her disbelieving look towards him.

“They are just gifts, right? Accept them like the rest then.” Rex turned his gaze skyward, the heavenly bodies orbiting the space above seemed to be glowing in rhythms. She poked accept to all the screens making the bright lights disappear. “Better not fuck me over.” He sneered at the impossible planets above before the grass off to his right rustled.

“Noooo!” A group of six bearded men fell over each other out of the tall grass. “No!” “Don’t” “We’re too young to die!” “Hm!” The group started yelling different things all at once. Before anyone could understand each other, the planets overhead shot bright beams of magical lights down upon a small tower in the distance. “Too late.” A low bass voice from the one in the center echoed out.

“What the f-” Rex felt a shockwave as the tower began to grow larger and taller. What seemed to be a modest three-story short tower, turned into a towering double digital height beast. “Let me guess, that’s the tower I need to beat.” Rex just sighed at his stupidity, nothing is ever free.

“It is Captain.” Benni slumped down on Rex’s shoulder. “How are you going to clear that many floors?” She just stared at the intimidatingly large tower standing in the center of the grassy plains.

“Why did you have to increase the tower?! Now we’re all dead!” The shortest bearded guy on top of the pile of six yelled out. Rex raised his rifle at the group clustered on the ground awkwardly. “Go ahead! It’ll be better than vanishing in the Void!” He closed his eyes while spreading his thin arms out.

Rex lowered his rifle while raising a brow, no hostility could be felt from these guys. “What do you mean we’re dead? It’ll just take longer for me to climb, and I doubt it has an elevator.” Rex shouldered his rifle while glancing towards the tower. “Benni, did we get our gifts?” He asked the depressed-looking fairy sulking on his shoulder.

“No Captain, you can only get them by clearing the tower.” She held out her hand with a sigh, the smaller screens cautiously approached her. She began to read through them with less hate than early. “If I’m reading this right, not only has the difficulty increased, so has the rewards and bonuses.” She let out a tired sigh and began to start clicking things on the few screens around her. In a few moments, they all disappeared, leaving her bewildered about what to do now.

“You’re still going to attempt that? With your power?” The biggest guy of the group picked himself up, while the rest stumbled to stand around him. Giving Rex another look over, he began to rub his head while thinking hard.

“Rockers, huddle!” A deep resonating bass of a voice called out from the eldest looking of the group, Rex was stunned at the deepness of this dwarf’s voice. He turned his back towards Rex, while the five others shuffled into a group huddle. They began to whisper, or softly shout in Rex’s opinion.

“So Benni, are titles a thing here?” Rex began to march at a nice pace towards the looming tower of magic in the grassy plains. The little fairy pulled up a screen that tried to grow bigger before it condensed itself in her hands under Rex’s watchful eye.

“They are Captain, and you have more than I thought possible.” She shivered a bit just browsing through some of the groupings on the screen before her. “I don’t even want to imagine how you got any of these.” She took in a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. “You can only have one equipped currently, and it takes a week here to be able to change it.” She began to click a few things, rearranging the texts on the screen.

“Look at the rarest, highest, and or impossible sounding ones. Then select one with the best bonuses or such to help me clear this thing before time runs out.” Rex steadied his breathing as he slung his rifle on its strap around to hang at his back. He then began to sprint with all his might. His blood was pumping, the air was streaming by him, and the warmth of magic eased his fatigue. “That felt good.” He slowed down after nearing the tower. Taking some deep breaths to focus his mind, he made his way to the tower’s base.

“Um, sir? You have a few here that are just the titles, no explanations or anything. Just lots of weird marks.” Benni mimed a question mark ‘?’ in the air with magic to show him. “Just reading them gives me a chill compared to the rest.” She turned her head away from the screen glowing in technicolor lights.

“Pick the one that scares you the most then, we need to hurry.” Rex raised an eyebrow as the solid wall of the tower turned into a large double door. He turned to watch as Benni was holding two screens while frantically looking between them both. She tossed one aside while raising the chosen one, it flashed as she equipped it to him. “Did you choose something?” He asked as she collapsed onto his shoulder in a heap.

“Wait!” “Please!” “Stop!” A choir of voices yelled out, Rex turned to see three identical-looking men with short trimmed beards of different colors running his way. The other three were lagging a bit behind the trio. “Don’t leave us!” They all yelled out in unison. "I'm too pretty to die out here!" The red-haired one fell to his knees begging before Rex.

"Alvin!" The deep-voiced elder shouted to the begging man bowing to Rex. “Theo, get your brother up!” The green-haired triplet grabbed his brother’s ankle and dragged him back, before smacking the back of his head. “I apologize for this idiot’s behavior towards you, uh, sir.” Benni let out a cry of frustration before covering her eyes to poke at a floating screen randomly without looking. After a brief flash of magic, she relaxed before shivering in fear. “We mean no harm.” The elder held up with hands to should Rex, sweat began to drip down his neck.

“Boss? You okay?” The large guy hovering protectively over the older man started to worry about his abrupt attitude change. “What did- Sorry!” He snapped his eyes in anger towards Rex, only to instantly regret the decision. He hoped his apology would save his life.

“We only wish to talk, sir.” The triplets quickly regrouped with the others, huddling around them in the back. The elder took a single step forwards to keep his group behind him. “We can leave otherwise if you will allow it.” He could only turn his gaze to the ground, eye contact was near impossible with this being.

“Who are you guys?” Rex crossed his arms while looking over the group of dwarven men cowarding before him. “I am really that scary?” He turned his head to look at Benni, who also had trouble looking at his eyes. “Is it the title?” She nodded her head while shivering under his gaze. “Get some rest for now, then try to finish up when you can, and thanks.” He held up his bracelet to let Benni retreat back into the item. “What do you think Natasha?”

“Monstrous, Master.” She spoke up from behind the group of dwarfs, making the rest raise their hands mimicking their leader, while visible sweat dripping down their brows. Natasha’s human face was stiff with her full attention on her Master, her instincts yelling at her to never anger this being before her. “What are you?” She did know he was strong, he did beat her, but this was just impossible.

“I’m just old, been around long enough to do some things, and it seems one of those things is extremely effective.” Rex turned his gaze to the tower, to the relief of everyone, he cracked his neck while stretching. “We don’t have any time to waste, it's do or die.” He marched up to the doors while twisting and stretching his upper body and arms into different positions.

“Why are you movingly like that, Master?” Natasha was curious if it was some secret art, his moves were slowly beginning to flow naturally. “Is that some martial arts?” She was thankful that the fear effect seemed to be only in his direct line of sight.

“Hmm, could be, but I just call it stretching.” He left out a deep sigh as he halted before the doors. “I was getting a feel of my body and its capabilities, so I can do my best with this.” He lifted his right foot to step forwards, it met the closed doors. “When you can get the feeling of your whole body, you know what you can not and can do.” Rex pressed his weight into the point touching the seam of both doors, with a whoosh, they both flew inwards with a crashing thud. His foot landed heavily on the other side of the doorframe. “Follow me.” Rex entered the large dark space before him without slowing.

Natasha entered after him, with her surviving packmates trailing her. The dwarfs began to share glances with each other, then nodding as one they ran in after the wolves. After moments of nothing else entering the doors, they grindingly slammed shut, before they melted into the tower. Goblin heads popped above the grass from all around the tower, grunting and growling sounds echo around the area. A loud screeching roar silences them all before they are cheer with roars of their own. They all lifted their weapons before rushing towards the dark woods Rex just exited from.

“So, this is it?” Rex looked around the large empty circular room, after he heard a slam from the closed doors, magical torch lights flared to life along the walls. “And?” Rex just spun around waiting for something to happen. “Anything?” He started to walk to the center with his little group in tow. “Hello?!” He called out to the incredibly tall ceiling above him. “Damn that’s high.” While he was admiring the magical architecture, a bust of mystical light drew his attention to the center of the room.

“Welcome Challenger to the Tower of th-” A bright shining being with breathtaking white wings and golden hair appeared hovering in the room, it instantly shut up when it meet its eyes with Rex’s gaze. “Creator save me.” The light dimmed drastically from around it, the holier-than-you look vanished as well. It quickly descended to the floor and gave a bow to Rex. “I welcome you to the tower, how may I assist you?” It kept its head bowed while waiting on his response.

“Who are you?” Rex eased his grip on his rifle. He slowly and purposefully stomped towards the being. “What are you?” He stopped before the still bowing creature, which appeared to be an elven-looking angel.

“I am just the manager of this Tower, please call me Manager. I am an Angel belonging to the Goddess of Trails, our duty is to manage the Towers so no corruption or unfair play is involved with the challenges or rewards.” The manager was still bowed over, he was too afraid of Rex’s eyes to stand up yet. “We remain neutral, our job is to simply see the trails run smoothly no matter the outcome.”

“So you are just an observer then?” Rex leaned over to stare at the back of the manager’s head. “So why are you here then?” He squinted his eyes, focusing on the angel before him. Unknownling, Rex used his glare to intensify its effect on the poor angel bowing to him.

“I’m just here to welcome you, then start your trails, and when you pass I will hand out your rewards, sir!” The Manager shot up straight while trying to stare at the ceiling instead of at Rex. “It’s a simple battle challenge, each floor after this one will have enemies in a room to defeat. Upon clearing a room, a door to the next floor with open up.” It quickly turned around to wave a glowing hand in the air, before doing a pulling motion. After straining a bit, a door appeared from the ground before the out-of-breath angel. “The first floor is right through here, sir!” It turned its fear-filled eyes towards Rex and froze.

“Now that is very helpful, I appreciate it.” Rex walked into the doorway, letting the angel free to breathe again. Natasha followed after giving the angel a look over, the wolves just ignore the panting manager. The Rockers gave the thing an understanding nod as they jogged after the group.

“What the in the nine hells was that?! Ashtiel! Get a message out quick we have-” Closing the door, the manager starting to have magical patterns and screens appear around them. Another angel burst into the room with a flash of light. The manager fell face down on the floor in worshiping reverence. “Creator!” He lifted his eyes to witness his creator put a single finger to her lips, before making a soft but known shushing noise. “Yes, Creator!” He slammed his head back onto the ground, as her image vanished without a trace.