Description: First human in the Tower (of any human race) to be acknowledged as a Sanctuary Guardian.

+100 AP

+500 crystals

[Because your monetary balance has exceeded 100 crystals, you have been awarded an official Tower account.]

[Your account has been credited with 500 crystals.]

“Five hundred...crystals? I wonder how far above Gamma coins are those? A hundred AP too, dang...”

I was starting to feel rather overwhelmed. I had never even HEARD of the “Tower First” category of achievement.

I didn’t get much time to ponder my question of how much “crystals” were worth, either.

“KREEEEEEEEEAH! I AM REVIIIIIIIVED!”

High above, what I could only describe as a huge flaming portal had appeared on the ceiling, and emerging through it was a gigantic, fiery red bird. If I had to scale them and me, I’d say side by side I looked somewhat smaller than Toon Link next to the Helmaroc King.

They landed directly in front of me, and to my surprise, folded in one wing and lowered their head in a gesture very like a sweeping bow. “I thank you for restoring my Sanctuary, Lheticus. I am Helian—the Sentinel of Fire. Those who come here wishing to shatter the safety the Sanctuaries provide must first overcome me to do so, once they overcome its trials.

When the one you overcame in turn defeated me, I was reduced to a powerless state, though I could still observe. I must say, you surprised and delighted me with how stalwart you remained in the trials, and did so further still when you avenged my defeat. You have my unending gratitude.

That having been said...” Helian backed up a little. He lowered his head again, but this time it was not in a bow—it was to give me a much closer, appraising look. “Your words to the Desecrator. How much sincerity was in them? Do you truly dedicate yourself to fighting for peace?”

I bit my lip. “More than a little sincerity...but perhaps not 100%.”

“Oh?”

“I wouldn’t say I want to fight for peace exactly. Peace isn’t a one-size-fits-all ideal for absolutely everyone. Some people need conflict, whether to test and improve themselves or just as an outlet for violent desires. And...the Desecrator, as you call them, wasn’t really wrong that I’m one of them.

But in spite of what he said, plenty of people in the Tower, in Area 1, do want peaceful lives. I wouldn’t call the Federation a benevolent force for peace and justice, but at least under them, it was possible in THEORY for those people to find ways to live the peaceful lives they wanted. Now?”

I shook my head in disgust just thinking about it. “Virtually all possibility of living in peace, what little there was under the Federation, was annihilated. If people don’t live under threat of Kinetice attack, then they live in dread of the war between the Federation and the AFL coming to their doors—or in the despair that it already has. My team and I have liberated what systems we can from that threat, but all our efforts have amounted to less than a thousandth of a percent of the whole habitable Area. Unless they win the freaking lottery, they don’t even have a chance anymore.

And everyone deserves a chance. Whether they want it to be peaceful, full of excitement, or whatever...everyone deserves to at least have a chance to live their lives in the way that they want to. How many chances were robbed from people in the first half hour of the Sanctuaries falling alone? And not just from those who want peace. How many last lives were ended among those who actually want to challenge themselves and climb to higher Areas in the Tower, by the Kinetice when the safe zones fell?

It’s not hard at all for me to believe the Federation is enormously corrupt. I never saw much in that regard first hand, but it’s not hard to imagine at all, given how rife with bribery even its less corrupt dealings are. But I can’t forgive them, this...Syndicate, for uprooting so many people’s lives, peaceful or otherwise, just to destroy them.

I’m never going to side with those assholes.”

Helian continued to look at me for a long silence, before straightening back up again. “So that is what lies in your heart. Very well—I deem you worthy. I am proud to fully acknowledge you, Lheticus, as the Guardian of Fire, as the Sanctuary itself has done.”

“Well uh, thank you? I’m certainly glad of that, but I really should be returning to the Area proper. I’ve been away for quite some time, surely by now people are wondering what happened to me.”

“That need not give you concern, Guardian. And before you do return, there is one more assistance I wish to bestow to your efforts—whether they be to continue to safeguard Area 1, or to climb the Tower yourself.

Please take the teleporter behind you into the Sanctuary’s back rooms, and I will explain.”

“The back rooms?” I looked behind, and sure enough, in place of the orb/core controller thingy was a high-tech looking glowing circle. When I stepped inside, I didn’t feel anything, I was simply in another place when I stepped back out.

This other place no longer looked made of stone, but an unusual, pale material that seemed to be neither stone nor metal, or glass or plastic or concrete or anything like that. It was rather like, I thought, the floor of a Landing. It was quite a large space too, slightly bigger than the rather nice apartment I’d gotten for Mewi and I not long after arriving in the Area.

It was as empty and featureless as a Landing, too, save for the conspicuous, automatic-looking door at the far end, and a larger teleporter to the right.

I heard Helian’s voice again, from where I couldn’t tell. “As the Guardian of Fire, you are the only person in the Tower able to enter this room. All of the back rooms, including this place, and by extension yourself as long as you are here, cannot be viewed or otherwise monitored by scrying magic, items or any other methods of surveillance or recording.”

That must have cut out the Memory Gem as well, then, I thought.

“You may use it as a storehouse, safehouse, or in any other way you see fit for as long as you remain in Area 1. Now as I discussed, I have one more boon to grant you. Get in the elevator and take it to the top level. That is my eyrie—I am waiting for you there.”

When I entered the elevator, a screen that mimicked a Tower notification’s appearance displayed 4 options, the top one indeed being listed as the . The other three were listed as , , and , the last of which was greyed out, seeing as it was the level I was on. I definitely need to come back here ASAP and see what those other two levels have to offer.