Towers of Heaven

by Cameron Milan

  Jason gave a slight nod. Sure enough, the sever skill is deadly. With the sever skill granted by the god Aros, Jason held no fear of any of the monsters on this floor.

  “Hey.” Roy’s voice rang in his mind. “Where’s the next course? I want to race you!”

  Jason shook his head. “It’s just to the north of that one. Can’t you do it by yourself?”

  “What? Are you scared?” Roy taunted.

  “Scared?” Jason cracked his neck. “You’re on.”

  Jason turned, speeding towards Roy at the fastest speed he could handle.

  Chapter 27

  In the capital of the Vistar kingdom, the residential district had hundreds of alleyways and back streets. Near the poorer side of the district, shady deals and muggings were commonplace. Olivia stepped off the main street and strode through the nearest alleyway, her eyes narrowed. She approached a set of wooden crates stacked on top of each other.

  She came to a stop, tilted her head, and listened. The only thing she heard was her own breathing. There was no other presence in the alleyway. At least, that was what her senses told her. She knew otherwise. “Are you gonna show yourself?”

  “Well, since you asked.” A robed figure sprang into existence, standing no further than a foot from Olivia’s face. His head was covered by a hood, and his face was masked by black smoke. The side effect of his equipment.

  Olivia’s chest clenched, though her face showed no change. She gazed into the black smoke, wondering what the man before her really looked like. He was her father’s right-hand man, codename Ghost, and also the one in charge of Yama’s information network. “How was it?”

  Ghost flipped his hand, a thin folder appearing in his grasp. He handed it over. “I wonder, what exactly do these people mean to you? Enemies? Or perhaps allies?”

  “That depends on what you found out.” Olivia squinted her eyes as she opened the folder. There were two pages, a plethora of information on one, and the other, nothing. Olivia glanced up at the man. “What’s this?”

  Ghost shrugged. “You said that boy’s name was Roy, age around sixteen, right? There was no information about him in the military’s records. He’s a complete unknown.”

  “How is that possible?” Olivia frowned, recalling that joyful youth who invited her to join his guild.

  If you passed the numerous requirements to enter the tower, your information would be recorded by the military. Age, sex, name, history, personality, etc. Everything was recorded. Ghost leaned against the wooden crates. “I venture to guess that this boy has a really big background, and I mean really big.”

  Olivia focused on the next page. Jason Woltz. Age 28. Father ex-marine, mother deceased. Brain cancer. Jason passed high school and joined his father’s construction company for ten years. Just over a month ago, he entered the tower. Background normal, nothing suspicious.

  Even as Olivia read Jason’s profile, her frown deepened. This doesn’t make any sense. How could Jason, someone who entered the three realms, have such a normal background? The three realms weren’t something that any Tom, Dick, or Harry could learn casually. You needed to have an extensive martial art background, or be trained from youth by a powerful family. Jason had neither.

  Olivia closed the folder and stored it away. If what Ghost found out was true, that meant Jason could beat her after just entering the tower, and with no major background. That meant Jason was a genius. A bona fide genius.

  “Well?” Ghost crossed his arms. “Want me to kill them?”

  Olivia shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

  “Hey, less work for me.” Ghost chuckled.

  “Thanks for this.” Olivia turned and walked off.

  Ghost stood there, thoughtful. Did the young princess finally fancy someone? Roy, huh? Olivia would never have thought she gave Ghost the wrong impression.

  Meanwhile, on the eleventh floor, each course grew progressively harder, with some even being considerably dangerous. It took Roy an entire week to make it to the final course, even with his outstanding learning ability.

  “Woohoo!” Roy sped down an underground tunnel, swerving past deadly icicles. Roy had spent three days on this final course alone, proving how difficult it was. Up ahead, a series of large icicles pointed in his direction. If he made a mistake, he would be impaled by them. In fact, a few of them were dyed red. Roy had already failed multiple times on this course. It was a painful experience. This is it, the final stretch!

  Roy traveled over sixty miles per hour, making everything blurry. His senses focused as he suddenly spun to the left, then to the right, narrowly avoiding the first set of icicles. The second set, and then the third. I can do it! He had never made it this far.

  Roy’s face fell as he witnessed the last set of icicles. There was nowhere to go, no matter if he turned left or right, or if he jumped. The icicles were right there, leaving him no time to think. Just as he was about to smash into them, he clenched his teeth and did something he never thought of before. He turned left, sliding up onto the tunnel wall, then onto the ceiling, and then down the other side.

  Roy released a breath as he emerged from the tunnel, appearing above ground.

  Course 10

  Final Time: 1:45

  Points: 460

  Course 10 Rewards:

  +5 Stat Points at 450 points.

  “Yes!” Roy clenched his hands, excited at having finally beaten the tenth course.

  Roy contacted Jason through the communication necklace. “Guess what? I finally beat the tenth course!”

  “Already?” Jason gasped in surprise. Time and time again, he underestimated Roy’s ability to learn. He’d expected Roy to beat it in two weeks, not one.

  “Let’s go to the next floor. Where’s the portal?”

  “I’ll come to you, then we’ll head there.” Jason finished killing the monster he was fighting before heading towards the finish line of the tenth course. After meeting up with Roy, they headed towards the portal leading to the twelfth floor.

  Roy kept pace with Jason as he asked, “Hey, is the next floor as cool as this one?”

  “Cool?” Jason chuckled. It was like Roy took the tower as a playground to play around in. “I’d say it’s pretty cool.”

  “Great! I wonder what it’ll be?” Roy began to fantasize, letting his imagination run wild.

  Around an hour later, they entered the portal, appearing in a brand-new world. The chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the smell of moss. Roy glanced around, taking in his surroundings. He found himself in a vibrant forest with tall trees. Vines the size of thick ropes hung from overhanging branches. Before he could fully take in everything, Jason jumped off the platform they were standing on.

  “What the?” Roy thought Jason was committing suicide. They were standing on top of a giant branch fifty feet in the air. Only when he saw Jason grab onto a nearby vine did he relax. He watched as Jason flew through the forest, releasing, grabbing, and flipping along the way.

  “I get it. It’s like that movie.” Roy followed after Jason with a front flip, the air brushing against his face. Unlike the biting chilly wind on the eleventh floor, the air on the twelfth floor was cool and refreshing.

  “Eeek!” A high-pitched screech came from his left, alarming him. Roy turned, surprised at what he found. A group of monkeys were heading straight for him, swinging from vine to vine. Before he could determine if they were friend or foe, they jumped at him.

  “Definitely bad monkeys!” Roy loosened his grip, causing him to sink down, nimbly avoiding the pounce of a monkey. The monkey didn’t expect to miss. It fell towards the ground, screeching all the way, until a loud thud silenced it. Enraged, the other monkeys followed suit, wave after wave.

  Roy was so focused on the monkeys that he didn’t notice the giant tree trunk in front of him. With a bang, he smacked right into it. The world turned fuzzy as Roy began to fall, stunned. His powerful stats allowed him to recover a second later, just before he h
it the ground. Swiftly summoning his sword, he plunged it into the trunk, stabilizing himself. He let out a sigh of relief. That was close.

  Roy heard what could only be considered laughter coming from the monkeys above him. He glanced up, a red blush on his cheeks. When the monkeys saw the giant bump on his forehead, their laughter intensified.

  “You punks!” Roy grabbed a nearby vine and climbed up it before chasing after them. The monkeys dispersed, taunting him by slapping their butts.

  In the distance, Jason sat on a branch, watching everything unfold. He chuckled to himself as he watched Roy chase the monkeys, and compared the Roy of now with the one from the alternate past. It’s like he never aged. At his core, he’ll always be a kid, no matter how old he is.

  Chapter 28

  Two figures flew through the air, swinging from vines and hopping off branches. One of the figures was a burly black-haired gorilla, while the other was Roy. The two of them were neck-to-neck. Up ahead, over a hundred monkeys hooted excitedly on a giant branch.

  I’m so close. Can I make it? Roy had no time to spare a glance at his opponent. The finish line was just ahead. Over the past week, he had competed in nine challenges against the inhabitants of the forest, with this one being the tenth. The gorilla, his opponent, was the king of the forest, and the best vine-racer there was.

  I need to go faster. Roy released his grip from the vine just a tad sooner, shooting forward. He aligned his body so that it was as flat as it could be, reducing the amount of air that hit him. Slowly but surely, he gained a slight lead over the gorilla. A distressed roar came from behind.

  Not a moment later, Roy landed on the giant branch with the monkeys. Their hooting and hollering stopped abruptly as they stared at him, their mouths agape. A loud thud shook the branch. Roy turned, watching as the imposing black-haired gorilla strode up to him. With a huff, it spoke in a deep thundering voice. “Human, you win.”

  Roy beamed as he read the notification that popped up.

  Course 10 Rewards:

  +10 Stat Points for beating King Gorilla.

  The gorilla turned and jumped off, swinging from vine to vine. The monkeys followed after it. As they took their leave, the forest grew quiet. Roy took a deep breath to calm down from the adrenaline rush. Just as he was about to contact Jason, a voice startled him. “Congratulations. Let me guess, ready to move on?”

  Roy spun around, only to see Jason leaning against the trunk of the tree. Roy nodded with a grin. “Yeah. I really love these floors compared to the first ten.”

  “Really?” Jason pushed off the trunk and walked up to Roy. “I prefer killing monsters. It’s more straightforward, though I can’t deny these floors are a nice change of pace from time to time.”

  Roy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder if there are any other unique floors like these?”

  “Of course there are.” Jason had a strange expression. “There are some really, really weird ones.”

  “How so?” Roy leaned forward, his eyes sparkling.

  “Are you sure you want me to spoil?” Jason flashed a toothy grin.

  “Ah.” Roy shook his head. “No spoilers.”

  “All right then.” Jason jumped onto a nearby vine. “Follow me.”

  “To the thirteenth floor!” Roy shouted excitedly.

  Hours later, near the edge of the twelfth floor, Roy and Jason stepped through the portal leading to the thirteenth floor. Almost immediately, Roy felt something amiss, but he couldn’t quite figure out what.

  Glancing around, he found himself in a white world as far as the eye could see. The sun hung overhead, much larger than usual. It was like he could reach out and touch it. Most unusual, however, was the ground. It was puffy, like it was made up of millions of feathers. Roy bent down to touch it. “Huh?”

  His hand sunk into the ground as easily as pushing through air. Roy was confused. “How am I standing on this? Why aren’t I sinking?”

  Jason smirked. “Try jumping.”

  “Jumping?” Roy did just that. He jumped. Five feet, ten feet, twenty feet. He flew higher and higher, until Jason was just a small dot among the milky white world. Slowly but surely, the pull of gravity took effect. His ascent came to a stop and he began to fall. Slowly. Less than a minute later, he lightly landed next to Jason.

  “Well?” Jason asked.

  “There’s hardly any gravity!” Roy exclaimed and pointed at the ground. “It’s like we’re standing on a cloud.”

  “We ARE.” Jason chuckled.

  “Oh.” Roy glanced up at the sun, understanding now why it was so big.

  Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang through the air. Roy covered his ears. “Ouch.”

  In the distance, a winged creature flew towards them. It had the shape of a human, except it had wings for arms.

  Harpy - Level 38

  Health: 1,600/1,600

  “A harpy! I’ve heard about them.” Roy squinted his eyes as he watched the monster approach. When he could make out its facial expression, his eyes widened in surprise. A red blush spread from his cheeks up to his ears.

  “What’s wrong?” Jason asked, barely holding back a laugh.

  Roy stomped his foot against the cloud. “W-w-why isn’t it wearing a shirt?”

  The harpy had the shape of a female human. Its breasts bounced with each flap of its wings. To Roy’s relief, the harpy’s lower body was covered in brown feathers, otherwise he didn’t know how he’d react.

  “Try fighting it.” Jason pointed.

  “O-o-okay.” Roy stuttered as he summoned his weapons. He rushed forward, only to look down in shock. He had forgotten that gravity was nearly nonexistent. When he pushed off the ground, he flew into the air, leaving him vulnerable to the harpy.

  Only now that the harpy was close enough did Roy see its sharp talons. When it was within range, he slashed out. To his surprise, the harpy flapped its wings, making an arc around his sword. As an unfortunate side effect of swinging, his body tumbled forward, preventing him from blocking with his dagger. The harpy’s talons plunged into his skin, leaving long gashes on his arm.

  Roy grunted in pain. He quickly stabilized himself just in time for the next attack. This time he learned from his mistake. Instead of swinging recklessly, he waited for the harpy to attack. As soon as its talons cut into him, he grabbed its leg with his hand. The harpy screeched in alarm. It tried to flap away, but it only pulled Roy along with it.

  “I have you now.” Roy grinned as he swiped his sword along the harpy’s neck. After several more attacks, the harpy dispersed into light, dropping a brown feather. Roy grabbed it as he slowly fell to the ground.

  When he landed, Jason walked up to him with surprise. “Wow, you actually got that? That’s a pretty rare drop.”

  “Really?” Roy’s eyes glittered as he inspected the feather.

  (Grand) Cloud Feather

  Upon use, allows flight for thirty minutes.

  *Only usable on the thirteenth floor.

  “I won’t grow wings, will I?” Roy was concerned as he imagined his arms turning into wings.

  Jason chuckled. “No, no. But you will grow a tail.”

  “Really?” Roy turned to Jason in shock.

  Jason waved his hand. “No.”

  “Oh.” Roy let out a sigh of relief. He stored the feather away, saving it for later use. Thinking about the previous two floors, he asked. “Are there courses here too?”

  “Yep, though it’s a bit different.” Jason softly kicked off the ground, barely rising into the air. “Follow me.”

  Roy’s eyes glittered as he watched Jason’s technique. He’s digging his toes into the cloud before pushing off. Roy realized that this floor required significant control over his strength, otherwise he would leave himself vulnerable to monster attacks, like with the harpy.

  After several mistakes, he slowly got the hang of it. Less than half an hour later, Jason and Roy stood below several floating hoops. Roy pointed. “What are they for?”

&nbs
p; “That’s the course.” Jason explained. “You have to jump through them, one at a time. See those clouds?”

  “Yeah.” Roy saw that in between each hoop was a small cloud. He watched as Jason jumped, flew through the hoop, and then landed on the cloud.

  After several more hoops, Jason landed back on the ground next to Roy. “Your turn.”