Chapter Fourteen

The final errand barely took any time at all. He’d picked the Drake cave and the safe-area he’d taken Metrodora to because they were close to the small forest on this Floor. It was barely worthy of the title, in comparison to the huge ring of Floor 1. The trees were sparse and weak, the vegetation simple and dry rather than the huge lush colourful plants of Floor 1.

Most Climbers who even came this far out towards the edge of the Floor would take a quick look, find nothing of interest, and leave. For Will though, it was worth stopping by on his way to Floor 3, thanks to one of the anchors on humanity’s Climb he planned to remove in this timeline – Luke Holtz.

CFO and VP of Starshine Enterprises, a company that everyone on Earth was familiar with. Starting as an advertising agency, their head Jeremy Shiner quickly built the organisation into a media and internet monolith that had its’ hands in every semi-related area of business within a few years. Right now, Jeremy Shiner and Luke Holtz, the two men who had built their billions with Starshine, would be starting their Tower activities – buying any Items they could find, hiring people to investigate the Tower for them, secretly petitioning businesses and Governments, all sorts of shady behaviour.

Will knew broadly how they rose to be the heads of one of the 10 Ascended Clans, the Clan that Will stupidly signed his life away to, and how they used that position to control and dominate enough of the Towers’ population and internal economy that nobody could leave or do away with them. Unfortunately, their wealth and status ensured that not only was he unaware of the exact details, but he could hardly oppose them at this point.

As he rolled his shoulders and felt the effect of Conditioning and the effect of the Soul Anchor working together to turn his every movement into a slog, he fixed Luke Holtz’ image in his mind. Jeremy was the real villain, the leader, but Luke had been his enforcer and his voice in the Tower. Jeremy just waited outside until he could be handed strong abilities and the like, while Luke entered himself just after the Tower went public and paid more experienced Climbers to leech from their activities. In Will’s memory, the man’s skin flickered and shifted occasionally, seeming to thin and reveal a tough bark-like exterior beneath. His footsteps were silent, and plants in his vicinity would wriggle and point themselves in his direction. When Will had met him, he’d thought he was looking at an A Ranker.

Navigating his way through the sparse trees, counting them off as he made his way to a specific old oak, he remembered the conversation he’d had with John later about the man’s powers.

“Nah, he actually got fucked on the Bloodline you know? Apparently, one of their early clearing teams found some Bloodline Elixir on Floor 2 and he immediately downed it for the ‘plant control’ powers it said it granted. Turns out, Floor 2 Bloodlines are usually trash, and he’s had a bounty out on any method to replace or remove it since then!”

John was more familiar with the FCA, having been the one who first brought the idea of joining the Clan to the Companions, and much like Will had been totally tricked by Luke’s charm and the seemingly generous joining bonuses the organisation offered. He’d told Will most of what he knew about the two men at the top and their abilities, and Will had learned the rest after the 5 Year Disaster when the Tower became all that mattered and the FCA started to decline.

He found the tree he was looking for and reached inside the worn hollow in its’ centre. The space inside was far larger than it looked from outside, and as he groped around he felt his hands close around a cold smooth bottle. He pulled the vial out of the tree and looked at it with a grin.

Forest Born Bloodline Elixir

Become one with the forests, beloved of the trees, cousin of the Dryads. Grants silent footsteps as the rustling of the boughs dulls the sound of your movements. Grants increased physical abilities, focused on Endurance. Grants the ability to influence plants in your vicinity.

It did sound good, honestly. Of course, the fact it could be found here, unprotected, and that a new vial would respawn in an hour for someone else, all pointed to it not actually being as much of a reward as it seemed. The Tower did that, sometimes. Its’ descriptions weren’t always totally full, and sometimes relied on vagueness. Luke Holtz had thought it sounded brilliant, far better than Enhanced Humanity or any of the other common Bloodlines discovered by that point, and it was only after it had taken effect that he realised a few points in Endurance and Agility with the ability to make plants wiggle wasn’t quite the trump card he’d expected. He’d paid several million for the vial and the location it was found, from what Will had heard, and had then put double that amount out as a bounty on fixing his mistake.

Will had no intention of drinking the Bloodline, of course, and simply stashed the simple wooden bottle in his Spatial Ring. He wasn’t in a rush to hit Floor 3 right this second though, and he knew the Elixir would be a hot commodity in a few months. He could afford to spend a few hours here gathering vials, so his budding Clan would have resources when they started needing them. It wasn’t worth staying too long though, since the Store would only let him sell three vials before it stopped paying and the Bloodline was a bit too niche to sell en-masse easily.

Still, while he waited it gave him a good opportunity to work more on his other Stats with Conditioning and the Soul Anchor to try and bring them up to par with his Endurance. Once the physical Stats pushed past 20, the Skill would upgrade and the points would slow significantly. Twice the base human potential was where the Tower started slamming on diminishing returns, and they only grew more severe as you Climbed higher.

4 hours had passed before Will knew what had happened. He’d stayed in the vicinity of the forest, but gone patrolling for monsters. As he dropped his Skill, disabled the Soul Anchor, and sagged against the old oak with sweat running down his face he broke into a broad grin. He hadn’t checked his Sheet yet, but he could feel the benefit of his training. It was the first real opportunity he’d had to focus solely on practice since he’d entered the Tower, and he was looking forward to more. Grabbing his fifth vial of the Forest Born Elixir, he stowed it in his Spatial Ring and took a waterskin from it to drain in a single long swig.

All in all, 2 points in Agility and Reflex from his practice dodging the thrown spears of a Kobold Spearman in a nearby spawn village, a point in Strength from all the swordplay and dagger stabbing he’d done against the tough hides of Drakes, and even a point in Mana Power from his continued Sharpen practice. That, along with 154 more Coins towards his new swords. A good haul, sure to become better once he could get the Bloodline Elixirs on the market.

Floor 2 was complete. There were still plenty of secrets there, of course, some of which he knew well. None were worth detouring for today though, and if he was going to spend the months before the Tower went public building a reputation and a party he’d be busy. Getting his Subclass and making the acquaintance of some other Climbers on the 3rd Floor would be enough that he’d feel confident returning to Earth, and then the next phase could begin. He used the sky to orient himself, and set off for the hidden crack in the earth that he knew held one of the Staircases. Unlike with the 1st Floor, Exiting Floor 2 was nice and smooth. He did pause before leaving, however, to mark the Floor with his Recall Sigil. He’d forgotten to do so for Floor 1 in his haste to fight the Ogre and his unconsciousness afterwards, which meant he’d definitely be re-entering the Tower here. The tattoo, which he’d mentally ordered to shift to his right shoulderblade, hummed softly and warmed as it confirmed his intent. Now, when he wanted to return he’d just need to spend a few Tower Coins and choose a spot on the Floor from the available locations. It wasn’t complete freedom, and he’d still need to travel especially on later Floors, but it was a hell of a lot better than randomness.

“You have Cleared the [2nd Floor] of the Tower.

Rewards:

Subclass Selection [Please make or defer your selection to enter the 3rd Floor]

Eligibility for an Elite Class

Expanded Store and Trade Interface Options

+2 Free Stat Points

1000 Tower Coins

Welcome to the [3rd Floor] of the Tower. To Exit this Floor, locate and use the 3rd Floor Key to form an Exit Portal.”

SUBCLASS OPTIONS

Each Subclass has its’ own benefits and requirements. Only Subclasses that you meet the requirements for will be available. Choice of Subclass will affect Skills, Spells, and your available Elite Class evolutions. Obtaining an Elite Class will be possible from this Floor. If you wish, you may defer this selection until you meet the requirements for a different Subclass.

FIGHTER SUBCLASSES

Soldier

Duellist

Monster Hunter

Defender

FIGHTER/CASTER SUBCLASSES

Spellsword

Battlemage

Hedge-Knight

Enhancer

DEFER SELECTION

The voice of the Tower and the familiar white void greeted Will as soon as his foot touched the first step of the golden Staircase. Absently, he dumped his Free Stat Points both into Reflex, finally bringing it up to par with his other Stats. He looked over the Subclass Options with a smile. He had far more choices than he had in the first timeline, thanks to his better Stats and the other rewards he’d gained. He hovered over Battlemage for a second, wondering if perhaps taking a path similar to Boris the Frost Sentinel might be a better option. The man had waded into battle with a staff that froze and blew away monsters and Bosses alike, his sword turning foes into ice sculptures even as it sliced through them and left them in smashed chunks on the floor. Of course, he knew A or S Rankers with every Subclass on the list, and he’d already made his plans. He resolutely tapped Enhancer, ignoring the listing of its benefits and requirements and making the selection.

If he was choosing for his ego and interests, he’d have gone with Duellist and pushed for a pure swordsman build, but he wasn’t. He was choosing based on what would help him push his party, the Clan they would form, and the rest of Humanity if possible, up the Tower faster than they could manage the first time round. Enhancer had been an obvious choice, in light of that. Powerful individual fighters in their own right, sure, but able to really shine as a force multiplier, especially once they added an Elite Class to the mix.

That was what he intended to be for Humanity, and so the choice of Subclass wasn’t really a choice at all. +2 to both Magic Stats, he was able to take a new Spell from the Enhancer list, and a Skill too. Not all Subclasses offered that many bonuses, but Enhancer had higher requirements than most, including 2 or more buffing Spells learned, which was the reason Will had gone out of his way to acquire Sharpen [F] and Alacrity [C] so early.

Much like the Class itself, he knew what selections he was making at this point, so didn’t bother dragging it out. His goals meant that he had to stay on Floor 3 for at least a week before he could return to Earth, and planned to spend every second of that time training and scouting for possible allies.

Empowered Buffs [D] was a Skill he knew how to evolve and an easy pick to base his build around, while his frequent injuries and the fact he’d almost failed to save Metrodora’s life had already made him decide to choose Verten’s Vitality [C]. The Spell’s name was a mystery, even to researchers at the end of the first timeline, though it wasn’t exactly their priority by that point. Verten was presumably the inventor, or else someone known for health that the Spell was based on. What he did know was that it was a particularly effective regeneration boosting Spell that took a while to become common thanks to its’ odd name and low position in the Spell list when ordered alphabetically. Not enough to give Metrodora her arm back, not yet, but enough that if he’d been there when it was first removed he could potentially have allowed her to re-attach it with some time in the Med-Tent.

Selections made, he stepped into Floor 3, noting before he did that the process of picking his Subclass and reaching the Floor had pushed him to E Rank. That was exactly what he’d hoped for, and the reason he’d trained with Conditioning before coming. It would make recruiting allies and avoiding any conflict with other Climbers significantly easier. His foot hit the large stone platform, and he immediately caught sight of a massed group of around 30 Climbers up ahead.

“Hail! Welcome to the 3rd Floor, Adventurer! Come and tell us of your Epic Quests!”

Well, that wasn’t exactly the reception he’d expected. The man who’d spoken wore a similar mix-and-match set of armour to Will, though his was heavier and had more pieces. No helmet, though, just a wide square jaw and a beaming grin on tanned skin. The man was holding a hand up in a friendly wave, and he stepped away from the group towards Will. Several of the others followed, though most simply turned and looked in his direction before resuming their own conversations. The big man in front still had his large axe strapped to his back, not easily reachable, and none of the other Climbers with him were drawing weapons, which was a good sign. Will let his own hands drop from the hilts of his weapons and shouted a response as he walked closer.

“Hi there! The name’s Pioneer, thank you for the welcome!”