SO I buy a pack of bandages I will have 1 copper left over sounds expensive. "I don't suppose this kiosk can haggle?" Okay, talking to the tower is really embarrassing, even if there are no witnesses. I was about to purchase the bandages anyway, since they would be more useful in the tower than a pocketful of coins. When I noticed a blinking icon that read menu on the top right of the screen.

Tapping the spot on the screen, there were only two options available, item kiosk and below that identification. Tapping the identification, a new screen popped up. {Choose an item to identify.} Pulling the wood ring out, I hold it up. {wooden ring would you like to identify? Cost - 1 copper -} "Yes," After the dim blue glow receded from the ring, the screen read {wood ring of endurance +1 endurance.} "What does +1 endurance mean?" The screen doesn't change, with a shrug I place it back in my pocket and return to the item kiosk.

I purchase a pack of bandages, leaving me with no coppers. I hear a thunk and in a small cubby I hadn't noticed till now a small box appeared with a picture of a bandaid on it. I picked the box up, opened the top and looked inside. I found three large bandaids and fifteen smaller ones. The larger were 3x3 while the smaller would only work for tiny cuts. They seem expensive, but like Dad always says, 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best.' In fact, if I still had my backpack I always carry into the mountains, things would be much simpler.

A chime from my phone surprised me for a second as I wasn't aware it had turned back on. Taking it from my pocket, I turn the screen to my face and it turns on like it's supposed to. {Prison of Towers app downloaded and installed.} My home screen no longer shows a picture of a grizzly sitting on my cabin porch but three app icons, the first says status, the second is the camera and the third is the notebook. Well, at least I kept two of my apps. At the bottom are the usual contacts and messages symbols. Clicking the contacts all I got was.

Climber Contacts

Francisco Martin Pinzon, (237-98)

I had a hunch, but it still hurts not to see Dad's number there. After clicking on messages I got an empty box with no messages not surprising. The notebook and camera were the same as usual, except the gallery is empty and they erased all my notes. Hesitating over the status app I am uncertain I want to look I feel if I do it will change how I look at myself and the world around me. Then Dad's voice echoes in my mind, 'Never hide from the truth son, you never know when it might sneak up and bite you in the ass.' Nodding at his phantom I pressed the app with resolve.

Tower/Floor. 1 — 2 Name. Wallice Carmichael (Wall) Race Human/Male Class N/A HP. 60 MP. 110 AR. 2 MD. 3.1 Strength. 8 Endurance. 6 Speed. 8 Intelligence. 9 Wisdom. 11 Charm. 16 Luck. 1 Perception. 2 Free stat point's 1 Free skill point's 1

I don't understand these stats at all how is my intelligence higher than my strength and my charm score makes no sense. I hope this will explain what these numbers mean. Scanning the page, I see a (?) at the top left and click on it.

+1 Strength +5 attack +0.1 AR. +1 Endurance +10 HP +0.2 AR +1 Speed +1 movement +1 Reflex +1 Charm +0.1% Trade +0.1% reputation gain. +1 Intelligence +5 Magic attack +0.1 MD. +1 Wisdom +10 MP +0.2 MD +1 Luck +1% rare drop +0.5% Epic drop +0.1% Legendary drop +1 Perception +1 Vision +1 Scan +0.1% Find hidden

Well, that answers some questions while adding more to the list. For instance, this attack, is that a casual swing or a full powered blow with my entire weight behind it? Scrolling through the glossary, I figure out HP is health points and MP is magic points. I assume that magic is that lake of energy inside me. AR means armor rating, so according to this my base armor is currently 2. I wonder if my hiking clothes add to that? MD is a magic defense, so it should be at 3.1. How did my mental stats start higher than my physical it makes little sense? I wouldn't call myself stupid, but a deep thinker I am not. But the stat that baffles me the most is charm my personality is most often compared to a post or a block of wood.

Shaking that thought aside, I stare at the free stat point. Should I spend it now or wait? — I'll wait for now if I need it in the tower I know where it is and if not I will use it on wisdom to increase my magic lake for crafting. I still remember how fast it ran dry from charging my phone. But I can increase my endurance right now pulling out my wood ring, I slip it on my pinky and watch it shrink to fit. The moment it's resized, I feel a tingling sensation that changes to itching as my skin seems to tighten across my entire body at once. Very unpleasant, like laying down to sleep only to wake an hour later because you set your sleeping bag on an ant hole. Checking my status again, my HP read 70 [10] I suppose that bracket makes sense when it's an increase from a piece of equipment. My endurance is the same except without the zero.

Exiting the app, I look at the time 56:12 shit is it really going to be 100 hours in a day. Wait, what about seconds? watching the clock when the minutes change to 13, I count. After getting close enough to 100 seconds for errors in my counting rhythm, to account for the discrepancy. I just stare, I have no intention of figuring out the math. I'll learn to live with this strange time keeping. On the plus side, a century is perhaps still 100 years. Really, really long years.

Placing my phone back in my pocket, I walk to the door when I grab the handle. My vision blacked for a second. When my vision cleared, I am standing in a deadend tunnel that looks the same as the one on the first floor. Alright lets see what's different I assume the floor will up the difficulty. Slowing my pace back to a walking speed, I start down the tunnel.

Half an hour later, I ran into my next opponent. This time there are two molerats, both in thick cloth padding on heads and chests. Their weapons are banded wood clubs and a small shield. Both are marching side by side toward me however I don't think either has spotted me yet. When they are close enough, I see both are on level 2; I need some way to see how much damage im doing per hit. My ring had a +1 modifier does that mean my clubs also have a modifier for my attack? If so, how do I check? Thoughts for another time, I suppose I have some smelly rodents to kill.

For this battle, I think I will test how much damage these guys can dish out. First, I need to lose the spare. Sprinting toward the molerat on the right it raises its shield up, but I rammed my left foot imagining my foot driving straight through the enemy. I hit the shield center and felt the molerats arm buckle as it got crushed against its body. Before I sent it flying backwards into the darkness. I kept one eye on the other enemy this whole time and when it raised its club to strike; I lowered my elbow, tucking my arm tightly against my body just as its club smacked into it. Before it even pulled its club back, my right arm was already swinging, crashing my own club into the side of its head. The molerat did two somersaults before landing in a heap, its neck laying in an unnatural angle. Bending over, I drop my left-hand club and retrieve the shield before nudging the corpse. After it's gone I pick up the copper before heading toward where the other molerat flew.

When I find it, the molerat is laying in a spreading pool of blood leaking from a wound on its head. Must have landed on the head. Pulling out my phone, I open my status to check my HP after taking that hit. According to this, I lost 8 health from that hit. Strange I don't feel any pain anymore, so why? While watching my health ticked up to 63, well that's helpful, but what if I am bleeding would my health continue to fall instead?

A familiar smell tickles my nostrils like an old-fashioned torch. looking down, the only thing is the spreading pool of blood. Bending over, I place my finger in the blood before lifting it out and rub it around its thick and sticky, putting it to my nose while nasty there is a pitch like odor. Now how can I check if it is flammable I could make a spark with my banded club but I would make too much noise. Thinking back to the round plate back in my work-shack, I can't bring myself to call it a building or a village. The design on the activating spot comes to mind. It kind of looked like fire, sort of, Feeling for my magic lake, I force a small stream toward my fingers just like it felt when using the tools. When I felt the tingling in my fingertip, I imagined that same symbol from the Im gonna call it a forge. Anyway, pushing the magic out through my fingers into the diagram I visualized in my head, there was a flash of white light that startled me and I fell back on my butt.

A ding from my phone brought me back from examining the melted tips of my fingers. Yeah testing a theory on fire magic on what smells like pitch probably not my finest moment. Dad's voice came to me too late this time. 'If you don't know how something works ask someone who does.' Or 'if you don't know what it is, don't play with it.' Pulling my phone out it showed I have a two new messages.

Unlocked Basic fire manipulation +1 Int, +1Wis, +1% Fire Spark +1 Int, +1% Fire. Discovered magical discipline without a teacher, scroll, or book. +1 Luck, +1 Wis, +1 Int, +1% Fire Discovered a magical spell without a teacher, scroll, or book. +1 Luck, +1 Int

Strange when I increased my endurance my skin felt weird. How come I felt nothing from raising my Int 4 points all at once? How do I cast this spark spell, anyway? Sticking my finger up I think about passing magic into it and say spark. To my surprise, it worked a small white spark jumped from my finger and fell in the pool of black blood. The small flame spread across the pool in a slow wave, creating a nasty black fog in the tunnel. While coughing, I nudge the body and it vanishes with the remains of the blood, snuffing out the fire but leaving the smoke. After grabbing my copper, I sprint further in to get away from the smell.

Leaving the smell behind, I slow back down to a walk to think. I raise all my mental stats by unlocking two skills so how come I haven't gotten a physical skill yet I have bashed quiet a few mole skulls already. Isn't there like a weapon mastery, or maybe blunt mastery, or something? That was a thing in some of those old games I played as a kid. I need to figure this out I have no interest in being a mage. A magic wielding swordsman now that sounds cool.

As if to anser my wishes, the next group appeared before me and one had a rusty machete in its grasp. Charging forward, I slammed my shield into the one with the machete before it even realized I was there. I felt my shield crack, but it held together. Spinning around, I swung my club into the side of my other opponent. Although I hit with enough force to slam it into the wall several feet away it still kept its footing. Rushing at the one with the machete again I stomped its arm snapping it before raising my foot again bringing it down on its head. After throwing my shield I Reach down, ripping the weapon from its grasp before whatever system controls this tower absorbs it. Spinning back to the other molerat, I walked up to its staggering form and swung my new machete at its neck, severing the head.

Grinning at my new weapon. "Now this is more like it!" Crouching down by the now headless molerat, I take out my pocketknife and stuff the smaller end of my club into my pocket. Being careful not to touch the molerat with my body, I used my machete to pry the cloth chest piece away from the corpse, then cut the straps holding it in place with the knife. When Im finished I sat leaning against the tunnel wall and started shredding the cloth into strips. Which I then braided into coils of rope. When I have braided a decent length, I lay them out in the puddle of blood to soak occasionally turning them. After they are good and saturated, I lift it out and wrapped it around the tip of my club. As soon as I tied the end off my phone dinged just as I expected. Pulling it out, it has two more messages waiting. Hmm, must have gotten one during. the fight good to know it don't distract me during battle. But does it know if im stalking an enemy that could be awkward if not? I saw nothing to turn on or off notifications.

Discovered basic weapon mastery +1 Str, +1 Spd Discovered basic crafting +1 Str, +1 End, +1 Wis.

So why did I get weapon mastery now? Is there some prerequisite I unlocked maybe I had to use a certain amount of different weapons? The crafting doesn't come as a surprise I expected that when I got the status app, and from what I learned from Martin. But again I don't feel that strange sensation I felt when equipping the ring. Maybe that only happens when it's from an outside influence? Maybe if I make it to a town at some point, I can get some books explaining this stuff.

Nudging the corpse and picking up my copper, I move on, torch in left hand and machete in the other. I hurried through the next couple dozen encounters, I only stopped long enough to gather coppers or exchange a broken shield. Well, that's not true after the third group I made a cloth rope belt with some loops to hold my torches I have three now just in case the tower turns the lights out. I would use them, but during my eleventh encounter my perception increased by one, making it easier to see further. Knowing I can build up my stats the hard way; is good to know.

When I reach my last opponent for the second floor, I find a robust molerat in chain mail with an iron banded shield he carries a machete with far less rust than my own. Behind him is a taller molerat around five feet tall with a crude wooden bow, several arrows in a quarrel at his hip. He is wearing a leather cap with a leather bracer on one arm. It would seem playtime is over. Need to close in fast with the fighter can't let the archer pick me off with arrows from a distance. Although neither is moving I can feel both sets of eyes watching me.

Lifting my shield up and ducking my head trying to make open vitals as hard to hit from a distance as possible, I charge forward aiming for the fighter. The moment I move, the archer grabs an arrow, and the fighter raises a shield but doesn't move from its place guarding the archer. Not smart, it would be better for the archer if it charged forward and stopped me at a distance. I hear Dad whisper to me 'watch the body, how it reacts to your every movement.' Watching the archer I move my shield around watching how it adjusts its aim when it lets loose I drop my shield somewhat but I am a hair slow and the arrow ricochets off the edge of the shield spraying splinters and the arrow head grazes my left side.

That was the only shot it had time for however as I closed in on the fighter placing it between us. Blocking the first thrust on my shield I feigned slashing above but changed direction on the fly swiping its body cutting a deep gash, but nothing fatal. I can see the archer moving along the back wall trying to get a shot, but I sidestep and keep my shield between us. Blocking another overhead chop from the fighter, my shield shatters. but it left itself open in the process and I stabbed under its shield, nicking a rib and tearing a long cut along its side. The fighter grunted and took a step back as it lowered its shield arm, trying to protect its side. But, when it stepped back, it gave the archer a shot and without my shield I have no way to deflect it. The moment it let fly the second arrow, I jerked to my right and the arrow lodges in my left bicep. Roaring in pain and anger I rush forward, ignoring my pain grab the fighter shield with my left and ram my machete up to the hilt in its chest. Not stopping my rush, I ram the fighter bodily into the archer against the wall. I only stop when I feel my machete grind against the stone behind it.

Trying to yank my machete back, I find myself unable to retrieve it and both bodies fall in a heap at my feet. "Shit," I dive toward the new machete but the tower swallows it before I reach it. Spinning back around I see both bodies already gone only 4 copper and a wood ring lay in their place. "Shit, shit, shit. Why didn't I take a couple more machetes from previous battles?" I can hear Dad chuckling like he always did when I made a mistake, 'always take an extra pair of socks, son.' Not even looking at the ring, I shove it along with the coppers into my pocket. I need a bag these coins are going to get heavy. Irritated at my stupidity, I stomp up the stairs, not even noticing till half way up that they are now comfortable for a human of my size. With a sigh, I turn my head up and thank the tower.