by Prax Venter
Jack watched the two-story panther casually swipe at Lex, and due to the absurdly broken videogame physics, the five-foot Hero took the massive paw on her shield as if her feet were rooted in concrete.
The beast snarled, exposing its enormous white fangs and flipped back its ears. Whatever attack it planned next was thwarted when the Arcane Mage placed his Lightning Turret next to Lex. A bright-blue tendril of crackling energy arced out of the silver obelisk and struck the panther’s chest, quickly ending the Boss fight.
Floor 2 Boss -198 | Defeated
The giant panther exploded into a shower of sparks as the customary chest and door phased into existence nearby.
“Holy shit!” Jack yelled as he ran out to join them with sea monster Alt flailing his many tentacles to keep up. “Did you see that huge damage?”
Thymus wore a calm smile on his pale face.
“I’ve watched this turret fire many times over the last many years, but I’ve never seen its exact damage until this moment. I’ve been thinking- the ability to perceive damage is granted by a rare non-combat skill called Scan, is it not?”
“It is,” Alt answered.
Jack was grinning ear to ear as he gave the turret’s metal sphere a few pats.
“Boss battles are going to be so much easier with nearly 200 ranged damage blasting out of these things.”
Thymus held up one finger. “I must warn you, its damage is variable.”
“With Thymus’ current equipment and rest bonus,” Alt began, “the range of possible random damage is 91 to 228, per lightning strike.”
“Mhmm. That’s exactly right,” the old mage said, impressed.
Jack looked down at the summoned monster made from several different animals.
“You know, it’s hard to take you seriously when you look this ridiculous.”
“I think he looks horrifying,” Lex said.
Alt held up one of his rubbery, black tentacles. “I’ll have everyone remember I started this Floor in the shape of a human.”
“Aw buddy, you know I’m just checking new-summon stats.” Jack shot Alt a grin over his shoulder before he reached out to loot the Boss chest. He quickly scanned the contents and found something worthwhile.
Dull Katana - [Sword | Value: 7]
| Dmg: 4 |
| Hit Chance + 0.02 |
“Here,” he said, willing the item over to be consumed by his upgradeable blade. “Snack on that, and let’s get moving to Floor 3. With Thymus’ big guns, we are totally taking down that Floor 24 Boss.”
The party moved from Floor to Floor, tightening their group tactics with every unusual combination of monsters and environments the Tower threw at them.
Floor 3 was a black void with neon-yellow pathways painted on an infinite, featureless landscape. They fought wireframe triangles until they reached the Boss, a dark sphere that used gravity attacks. Jack was tempted to walk out into the unending blackness, just to see what was there, but the urge was easy to resist. Shivers ran down his spine as he imagined a reality where he was lost on this particular layout for decades, wandering.
Floor 10 was a wet bog filled with extremely annoying Blinding Fireflies, but over half the drops were blades so it wasn’t all bad. Floor 13 was nothing but wooden rope bridges at the top of a mile-high forest. Half-plant half-bird creatures tried to spray them with slowing sap, but Jack and Thymus kept them from getting too close. Floor 15 was entirely on the back of a mountain-sized snake, 19 held fast-moving statues and dust, and 23 apparently ended with an ice elemental Boss in the shape of a giant frost-covered cube.
Jack peered into the final area of this snowy, pine forest layout and spotted the Boss’s Exit Orb near the edge of densely packed trees. The night air was cold, but it was right at the threshold of tolerable. No Floor he’d seen had ever been uninhabitable, no matter how hot or cold it seemed. Jack pulled in a brisk breath of the sappy, pine-infused air and focused his eyes on the opaque block of solid water sitting motionless under the starry sky.
“Okay,” he began, facing his team. “This block of ice might be tough so let’s keep it tight. We know that my Mining Laser and Thymus’ Lightning Turret will do extra damage to these ice-water affinity monsters, so we’ll start blasting it with those. Lex will test its damage output while I back her up. Alt, you’ll move up close and do your proximity damage, but don’t sacrifice yourself.”
The summoned Dancing Flame standing nearby made a vague thumbs-up gesture in response.
“Thymus, you watch the damage Lex is taking. If it hits hard, stay out of range, only popping in to cast your beautiful magic when you get an opening.”
Everyone was rapt on Jack, and it felt good. He knew they could do this, and they trusted his judgment. The old man had pretty much kept his calm the whole way- if maybe too calm. Thymus appeared distracted at times, and slow to react, but his extra damage was irrefutable. Jack gave them all a grin.
“Let’s go melt that cube!” he shouted and then followed Lex’s charge out into the open field.
The block of ice was easily twenty feet high and remained motionless as the group moved in to take down what they thought was the Floor 23 Boss.
But when Lex slashed at the corner of the solid cube, she chipped out a nice chuck, but nothing else happened.
“The trees!” Thymus yelled as he left his position and ran up to them.
“What?” Jack was confused until he saw one of the towering pines shake its coating of powdery snow to the ground as it shambled forward in the dim twilight.
“They are all around us,” Dancing Flame-Alt said, catching up with the rest of the group. The giant ice cube was apparently only part of the Floor layout.
Jack’s mind whirled as he came up with a new plan. He could hear the creaking of the surrounding pines as they pressed in from all angles, and there was one directly ahead of them. This Floor was the furthest Lex and Jack had cleared, and everything here had a chance to be deadly.
“Thymus! Put down the turret right here and keep your back to the ice. Lex, cover me while I blast them. Alt, trees still burn. Go dance, my friend.”
The summoned Dancing Flame flickered as he swiftly slid away from them and out into the open, leaving a trail of melted snow where he passed. Jack tore his eyes off Alt just as Thymus’ simplistic metal sculpture appeared in front of the group. He sprinted past the Lightning Turret, closing the distance until he felt that his Mining Laser would be in range. He cast his eyes left and right, and while he did see other dark trees lumbering forward, there were only a handful. At least the whole forest wasn’t coming after them.
New movement from the fifty-foot pine tree ahead drew his attention as it violently spun in place, the wind making a loud whistling noise between its green, pine needles.
Then a sharp pain slashed across his cheek.
Jack -10 | HP 253/263
Under his feet, Jack saw hundreds of stiff needles poking out of the snow. If these things surrounded them…
A light went off in his mind, and Jack knew he was in range. He slid to a stop, held up his sword and activated his Mining Laser.
Floor 23 Boss D -57 | HP 78/135
Floor 23 Boss D -57 | HP 21/135
Floor 23 Boss D Critical! -102 | Defeated
Jack smiled and turned back toward the giant ice cube in the middle of the field. When the Floor Boss was split into multiples as they were here, each had always been weaker than if they faced a single foe. With low Boss HPs and such high damage output from his team, they should have no problem burning down these trees.
Alt blazed around one of the pine needle monsters in the distance, his flickering body sending shadows spinning wildly around the clearing. Its branches whipped downward at the vaguely human-shaped living flame, but Alt’s current form was too fast and dealt continuous damage to enemies within his proximity.
Floor 23 Boss A -24 | HP 87/135
Floor 23 Boss A -24 | HP 63/135
…
“We got this,
Lex!” Jack shouted as they both ran back to cover Thymus. When they reached the cube, Jack noticed clawing roots moving around each side and looked up to see four of the towering pine monsters closing in.
The Lightning Turret triggered the instant an enemy was in range, and the sudden tendril of blinding power made Jack flinch. He never saw the damage, but it was enough to instantly erase one of the Bosses.
Lex dashed forward to engage the two trees advancing from on the other side, while Jack targeted the one remaining on his right before it could reach the old mage. A potent beam of red energy burst from his sword and burned the wooden foe.
Floor 23 Boss F -57 | HP 78/135
…
Lex got two hits on one of hers before she needed to block the multiple blows coming at her.
Floor 23 Boss B -45 | HP 90/135
Floor 23 Boss B -45 | HP 45/135
Lex -42 | HP 288/330
Jack finished his target as Thymus launched two consecutive charges of his Arcane Disks at the tree currently hammering on the Bastion.
Floor 23 Boss C -82 | HP 53/135
Floor 23 Boss C -82 | Defeated
Then Lex blocked another strike aiming to take her head off before hacking her sword across the sappy, brown bark.
Floor 23 Boss B -45 | Defeated
The final pine tree exploded in a shower of sparks, and the battle was over. The muffled quiet of the wintery night returned as Jack scanned the remaining trees around the clearing. He didn’t see any movement in the darkness, but he did notice the fiery form of Alt. The Dancing Flame came gliding back to join them, and his flickering light illuminated the free-standing wooden door to Floor 24 as he passed.
“Nice work, Team,” Jack said, sheathing his sword into his permanent leather scabbard. “Thymus, you really saved our butts by noticing that those trees were the true Boss fight so quickly.”
The old mage nodded. “Mmm. I witnessed a similar Boss encounter once before with toxic mushrooms. It was long ago.”
Jack looked over to Lex and saw her golden eyes focused on the door behind him. He considered saying something, but it just didn’t feel like the right move. Instead, he rubbed her back once then went to loot the Boss chest.
The best way past this was to keep moving.
Floor 23 Rewards - Boss Chest
Ironwood Baugh - [Spear | Value: 115]
| Dmg: 47 |
| Def: 20 |
| Hit Chance + 0.5 |
| Dodge - 5|
| Max Mana + 50 |
~ It is both the shelter and the storm.
White Boiled Leathers - [Chest | Value: 112]
| Def: 49 |
| Max HP + 62 |
| Max MP + 35 |
| Magic Power + 15 |
Black Talon - [Off-Hand Dagger | Value: 114]
| Dmg: 15 |
| Dodge + 33 |
| Movement Speed + 0.05 |
~ They can’t hit what they can’t hit.
Coins: 55
“Guys! Come look what’s in this thing!”
Lex and Thymus moved next to Jack and held out their hands.
“This armor is an upgrade for me…” Lex said, blinking. They had only been this high three times since finding Thymus, but Jack knew this day would come soon.
He shot her a smile. “Well? Put it on.”
Her lustrous eyes lost their focus for a few moments before the black chest armor he’d seen her wear since the day they met instantly shifted to thicker, pure-white leather plates. Lex lifted her arms, checking her range of motion and cast her eyes back at Jack.
“It’s not a huge difference, but it’s finally an upgrade. Jack, it’s been years…”
“Looks great on you,” he said. Lex was now growing more powerful along with him, and he imagined many years of fighting by her side. This was a great sign- new gear to help break through to Hero Level 25.
He turned his attention back to the Boss Chest and that dagger with movement speed. He’d never seen that attribute before. Jack turned his left fist over and checked the gem currently equipped to his off-hand they found a few Floors back in lieu of a shield.
Aquamarine Trinket – [Off-Hand | Value: 95]
| Dodge +31 |
| Mana +200 |
“You definitely want to equip that blade instead of giving it to me right away,” Alt said directly into his mind. “It’s better than what you have equipped now, and I can’t predict how much of that Movement Speed bonus will translate through the integration process.”
“So,” Jack said out loud, “I’ll be able to run faster with this dagger?”
“5% faster, yes,” the Dancing Flame answered out loud. “Stacking this stat could be beneficial, but its dodge alone makes it worth it.”
Jack moved the trinket into his inventory and then equipped his new Off-Hand dagger. A new, smaller sheath appeared on his right hip as if it grew directly out of his existing sword belt. A black stone hilt lay within the new sheath and comfortably rested against his side.
A rush of excitement echoed through his bones that was either the Movement Speed bonus kicking in or the near certainty he felt that they’d reach the next Hero Level today. By defeating the Floor 24 Boss, both Jack and Lex would unlock the next tier on their Paths.
With a glance, he gathered the attention of his team. “Let’s do this.”
- 3 -
The typical flash of white engulfed them, and when Jack could see again, he had to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight shining in his face. When his eyes adjusted, he noticed, they were standing on railroad tracks at the bottom of a wide, red rock canyon. Far ahead, a wooden wall stretched across the rails, and behind them was a slowly moving train.
“What in the depths?” Thymus shouted as he took a big step backward from the massive machine and stumbled on an exposed railroad tie.
It was much bigger than any train Jack had ever seen. A ridiculously wide cowcatcher scraped the rocky sides of the deep chasm as the steam-powered behemoth came to a screeching halt. It completely filled the cannon and blocked their path in that direction. The whole front of the locomotive was covered in iron spikes and nestled amongst the metal was the Exit Orb plinth. Once again, it was like nothing he’d ever seen in the Tower.
“It’s called a train, and these are the permanent tracks it travels,” Jack said, then turned to Lex. “Has there ever been a time limit on any Floor?”
She tore her eyes from the mobile hunk of metal, and he saw worry in her golden eyes.
“No, but we know that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Thymus?” Jack asked, hoping the Level 29 Hero had some information.
“None that I can remember. Time twists and means nothing inside this… infinite…” He trailed off, his eyes wide and distant.
Jack didn’t like what he was hearing and decided to take back control of this situation.
“Everyone relax,” he said, then pointed back at the silent, looming train. “It’s stopped, so just like always, we move forward until we can’t. Let’s leave this Exit Orb behind and check out that barrier up there.”
Alt was still in the form of a Dancing Flame and was the first to move with Jack as he headed down the tracks. After a shared glance, Lex and Thymus followed him deeper into Floor 24. The ground around the tracks was warm yellow sand, orange rocks, and the occasional green cactus. The red sun was poking just above the wall constructed of wooden planks ahead, and Jack had a feeling it was rising. The bright ball of fire in the blue sky was perfectly aligned with the middle of the straight canyon, and with the railroad tracks running along its bottom.
On a whim, Jack walked over to one of the four-foot, spikey cacti near the tracks and drew his sword. Without a moment of hesitation, he flashed his blade across its thick, fibrous flesh, and the decapitated top fell to the sand with a light thud.
He sheathed his sword and saw Lex and Thymus watching him as he rejoined them on the tracks.
“Just checking.”
&n
bsp; “A wise precaution,” Thymus said.
They walked for a while in silence toward the distant gate which now seemed farther away than Jack had first thought.
“This train,” Lex began looking over at him. “This device is from your old world?”
“Yes. It’s used for hauling large amounts of people and goods over long distances. But none ever looked like that death machine behind us.” Jack shot a glance over his shoulder and confirmed that the iron behemoth was still stationary.
“Did these train machines have a similar appearance in your world, Alt?” Thymus asked.
The flickering flame in a vaguely human shape appeared to turn toward the Arcane Mage as he slid across the sand.
“No. The machine behind us is not practical.”
As they walked, a thought struck Jack, and he angled his mental focus toward Alt. He privately communicated the concept of a rail system connecting the Towers and Towns of System Sana.
The AI also answered telepathically. “That’s… ambitious, Jack. The Corruption covers everything outside of the influence of a Town and its Tower. If I just spawned rail across the world, the dramatic change in the structure and rules of the universe could possibly cause the all-consuming entity to disbelieve in the reality of this virtual reality.”
Jack nodded. If the universe-eating entity decided to stop obeying the laws of this simulated universe, it would overpower Alt in the real world and end all the realities he cared about. But something Alt said on Floor 1 today bubbled to the surface, and he willed the concept of a highly configurable cheat interface over to the AI. Then, an image of only laying track out as far as the Tower’s protective influence reached.
“That’s actually not a bad idea. Especially since Towns’ influences can touch if they are strong enough. Adding something so complex to the world is far beyond my reach, at the moment, and may never be possible to implement, but it’s these rule-bending ideas that are going to save us, Jack.”
“Are those eyes?” Lex said, pointing to the wooden wall blocking the way ahead.
Jack looked and saw that indeed they were. The wall in front of them was about 10 feet tall and stretched the 30 or so feet across to seal off the way forward. It didn’t look particularly strong, but the two enormous, bloodshot eyes placed far apart and the very human mouth centered between them made the whole thing very disturbing.