Towers of Heaven

by Cameron Milan

  Roy copied Jason. He jumped and flew towards the hoop, only to overshoot it by a few feet. He gasped. “Oops.”

  After landing on the “ground”, he made his way over to the start of the course. Looking up at the hoops, his competitive spirit rose. “This time I’ll make it!”

  Jason laughed inwardly as he lay down on the cloud, slowly drifting off to sleep. The clouds here made the best beds.

  Chapter 29

  Jason sat on a bench not far from the tower, gazing at the people walking here and there. Once a week, he left the tower to contact his dad to let him know that he was still alive and kicking.

  “Describe to me the floor you’re on,” Austin asked over the phone.

  “The theme of floors eleven to fifteen is agility-based. The fifteenth floor in particular is snowboarding,” Jason replied as he checked out a cute female mage.

  “Snowboarding? In the tower?” Austin was a little disbelieving. He had heard that the tower was dangerous and filled with monsters.

  Jason quickly clarified. “It’s pretty dangerous. Considering that by the time you reach the fifteenth floor, the courses can’t be done by normal humans. It requires superhuman agility.”

  “Ah, I see. Still, snowboarding in the tower? I didn’t expect that.” Austin chuckled lightly.

  “Enough about me. What have you been up to?”

  “I’m jogging right now. I’m trying to bulk up my lower body, now that I can walk again.” Austin replied, his breath slightly ragged.

  “That’s great!”

  “Oh.” Austin thought back to the events of last night. “I met up with some brothers I made while in the Marines. They’ve been doing well for themselves.”

  “Really?” Jason’s eyes widened slightly. This was new. In the past, his father never made contact with the friends he’d made in the Marines.

  Jason talked with his father, discussing various topics. A short half hour later, he hung up and pulled out a laptop from his inventory. He had purchased it not long after he met Roy. It was specifically used for producing maps on photoshop. When he made contact with Skyfall, he would use another laptop, one he would dispose of after selling them a map.

  It had almost been a month since he’d sold Skyfall the first map, and considering the time it took to clear the thirty-ninth floor, they should be needing the map for the forty-first floor soon. The fortieth floor didn’t need a map. Jason spent the rest of the day finishing the map of the forty-first floor, and even worked a bit on the forty-second floor. When the sun fell over the horizon, he packed up and entered the tower.

  “Hey, I just finished the tenth course. I’m already at the portal. Let’s go, go, go!” Roy’s voice rang in his mind as soon he entered the tower.

  “Be right there.” Jason shook his head at Roy’s impatience. He reminded himself that Roy was still young.

  A short while later, Jason met up with Roy. “Yo.”

  “You should have seen me.” Roy gesticulated wildly with his hands. “I didn’t land correctly after a jump and was sent tumbling for nearly a thousand feet. Damn, I would have died if I was a normal human.”

  Roy went on to narrate how close the final race was against the yeti king. After he finished, Jason spoke up. “About the sixteenth floor…”

  “Yeah?” Roy’s ears perked up in anticipation. He had already been waiting a few hours for Jason to return, so he was anxious to enter the next floor.

  “Well.” Jason furrowed his eyebrows. “The next floor is five floors in one. From the sixteenth, all the way to the twentieth.”

  “Oooh. It should be pretty big then, huh?” Roy imagined.

  “Pretty big.” Jason nodded slightly. “Remember when I said there are some weird floors? Well, this is one of them.”

  “Great!” Roy clenched his hands.

  “Not great.” Jason shook his head. “This floor is instanced. Meaning an entire floor will be created for you. You won’t meet any other ascenders. You’ll be alone until you pass it.”’

  “An entire floor for me? That sounds awesome.”

  Jason sighed inwardly. He was worried. Worried that Roy would die when he wasn’t there to watch over him. It was true that Roy had passed the floor before Jason returned to the past, but Jason didn’t know how old he’d been then. Roy was only fifteen now. He was still too inexperienced.

  “What are you waiting for? You got me all excited.”

  “Fine.” Jason glanced over to the portal. “Let’s go. Good luck, Roy.”

  “You too.” Roy jumped in as soon as he got permission.

  Jason thought to himself. The build I always wanted to try isn’t far now. This next floor should give me one of the core skills I need. When his thoughts reached this point, he nodded firmly and stepped through the portal.

  He found himself in a light grey world. In front of him, a notification appeared, asking him a question.

  If you were to become a monster, which one would you choose?

  Jason already knew what to pick. “A spikeback golem.”

  The world suddenly spun, a whirlwind of colors flashing past him. Everything returned to normal in the next moment. Jason found himself outside an abandoned mine, surrounded by mining carts and pickaxes. No, that wasn’t right. There were monsters around him. Golems of various sizes. Some were grey, others brown. None of them spared him a glance.

  Jason glanced down at his body. He stood around four feet tall. No longer was he made of flesh and blood. His body was composed of multiple rocks that combined together to form a head, torso, and limbs. Additionally, there were pointy spikes exuding from various parts of his body. The strangest feeling was not having fingers or toes.

  First things first. While he was surrounded by allies, he needed to become familiar with his body. Otherwise he might soon lose his life. Even though he wasn’t in his real body, this was still the tower, death would be final.

  He started first by raising his left arm. It was composed of two narrow rocks, one small, near the end, and one large, near his torso. It was the same for every other limb. Jason guessed that the smaller rocks were supposed to be the golem’s hands and feet. After becoming familiar with his arms, he cautiously stepped forward. Then another. And another. Huh, it’s easier than I thought. Though, I guess it’s because it shares the same shape as a human. If Jason had picked a strange creature like a gryphon, it might have been much harder to adjust to the body. What with the wings and all.

  Jason started to pick up speed, until he reached a sprint. Then he turned sharply to the left, then right. A few minutes later, he felt tired and came to a stop. He had no mouth, so he didn’t need to breathe. Instead it was instinctual. His body told him that if he continued to run, he would become immobile.

  Jason nodded to himself after becoming familiar with his new body. He couldn’t speak, so instead he willed his stat screen to appear. He took a look at his stats and abilities.

  Name: Jason

  Title: 14th Challenge Completion (Disabled)

  Age: 28

  Race: Golem

  Level: 1

  Stat Points: 0

  Health: 75/75

  Health Regeneration: .30/s

  Stamina: 15/70

  Stamina Regeneration: .28/s

  Strength: 7

  Vitality: 15

  Agility: 5

  Endurance: 14

  Tenacity: 10

  Fortitude: 20

  Not bad. Pretty high fortitude for a level 1, though I guess that’s to be expected of a golem. Fortitude reduced the damage taken from everything. In the alternate past, it had been one of Jason’s highest stats, allowing him to become one of the best tanks.

  Earth Armor - Level 1 0% - Trainee

  Reduce the damage from all attacks by 1

  Reflection - Level 1 0% - Trainee

  When you are hit by an attack, deal 5 damage back to the attacker, no matter the distance.

  Spike Barrage - Level 1 0% - Trainee

  Consume 10 sta
mina to shoot out the spikes on your body, damaging all foes within 5 feet for 20 damage.

  1-minute cooldown.

  That’s it. That’s the one. Jason grew excited as he read the reflection skill. It was a skill he’d never acquired before, one that was unique to certain monsters. When he passed through this floor, he would be able to choose one skill from his monster form and carry it over to his regular body.

  Suddenly, a few of the nearby golems roared. Strange, to roar without mouths. Jason had never thought about it before, but now that he was a golem, he realized how weird it was. If the golems next to him could roar, was he able to speak somehow?

  Followed by the roars were high-pitched screeches. Jason turned, only to find a horde of kobolds rushing out of the mine, pickaxes in hand. A fierce battle between golems and kobolds began. After thinking for a moment, Jason rushed in to help out. If his fellow golems died, he would be next. He was currently level 1, so he needed help to survive. He wouldn’t let his allies die in vain.

  Chapter 30

  Kobold Miner - Level 1

  Health: 50/50

  A kobold was a humanoid rat. They were the size of small children, had long thin tails, and whiskers on their snout. Goblins and kobolds had around the same strength. Normally Jason would overwhelm them with technique, but he was now in an unfamiliar body with no fingers. How was he supposed to use martial arts like this?

  As Jason ran up to the nearest kobold, he inspected a golem that was in combat, hoping to gain inspiration. Oh, I see. The kobold miner in front of Jason turned to face him and swung its pickaxe.

  Jason allowed the pickaxe to chip away at his body. A dull pain came from his chest. Roaring, he gathered all of his strength and smashed his flat fist into the kobold. It was sent flying backwards as a couple of teeth hit the ground. Considering that he couldn’t twist the kobold’s neck or steal its weapon, he walked up and stomped his foot onto its neck. The critical attack finished it off.

  What he learned from the nearby golems was simple. Smash, pummel, and smash some more. That was what golems excelled in, what they were known for. A simple fighting style, but when backed by a golem’s weight, a dangerous one. Jason was only four feet tall, but he weighed over two hundred pounds. On the other hand, a kobold weighed less than sixty.

  Jason charged forward, knocking a kobold off its feet. He jumped into the air and landed straight onto its stomach, dealing significant damage. It swung its pickaxe wildly, dealing little damage. Funnily enough, the damage from reflection finished it off. Jason faced the sky and laughed. All I need to do is get tanky enough, and all my foes will kill themselves.

  More kobolds continued to pour out of the mine, shrieking and yelling. Jason glanced around the battlefield. The kobolds outnumbered the golems two to one, making the situation look grim, but Jason knew that a golem was slightly stronger than a kobold. If he wasn’t here, the golems might have lost.

  Jason charged into the fray, performing a tactic that was highly frowned upon. He stole kills. When a golem was about to finish off its foe, Jason appeared, dealing the last blow, gaining a significant amount of XP. If he had done this to ascenders, they would get angry and perhaps attack him, but the golems were mindless beasts. They didn’t care in the slightest.

  Jason’s level soared. As the battle raged on, he invested his points into vitality and endurance, allowing him to fight even longer. Over time, the number of kobolds that poured out of the mine decreased, as did the number of golems. After what seemed like half an hour, the battle ended.

  Jason stood at the mouth of the mine, sluggish. He felt exhausted. It took all he had to stand upright. Turning around, he found that the remaining golems gathered around him. Surprisingly, they lay on the ground and kowtowed.

  You have emerged victorious and have been recognized as the chieftain of this golem tribe.

  Do you accept?

  Yes / No

  Without hesitation, Jason accepted. He had no idea where the portal to the next floor was, and he didn’t know what monsters he would have to face. Taking command of these golems was the wisest choice.

  The mine is home to a tribe of kobolds. A golem tribe needs a home. Wipe out the kobolds to take over their territory!

  After recovering his stamina, Jason stood up, faced the mine, and raised his hand. “Charge!”

  A sound wave carrying his voice spread out with his head as the center. Huh, my guess was right. It must be an innate ability of golems. Jason took the lead and entered the mine, his golem subordinates following from behind. The kobolds would be wiped out this day.

  On another floor, in a massive cave at the top of a mountain overlooking the boundless land, Roy ate to his heart’s delight. Before him was the corpse of a high-level mountain goat, which he gladly dug into. He was a little hesitant about eating it raw, but after taking a curious bite, he found that it was delicious.

  Suddenly, a massive tremor ran through the cave. Roy jumped up, delighted. “Mom, you’re back!”

  An enormous beast entered the cave, strutting forward on four legs. It had two wings on its back, a pair of horns, a snout, and yellow eyes. The creature Roy called Mom, was actually an ancient dragon. The dragon opened its mouth and dropped another high-level monster in front of Roy. Squinting happily, the dragon’s voice boomed through the cave. “Little dragon, eat until you are content.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Roy dug into the fresh corpse. As he ate it, his body grew in size. With every bite he felt stronger.

  While Jason had to fight for his life to develop a foothold, Roy actually had a mother bring him food. Even more startling was that he leveled up just by eating. If Jason had seen this, he would have complained about the unfairness of the world. Of course, the tower wasn’t this easy. As soon as Roy finished eating, his mother picked him up with her claws and threw him off the mountain. “Time to learn how to fly, little dragon!”

  “Moooooooooom!” Roy screamed in horror as he fell off the mountain. He spun wildly through the air, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest. Focus, focus. Roy had realized earlier he had wings, but after several tests he wasn’t able to move them. Now, though, he had no choice but to learn how to fly. His life was at stake.

  The ground grew bigger, and soon Roy was able to make out the individual trees below. There wasn’t much time left. Roy forced himself to calm down and closed his eyes. He imagined his current body in his mind and reached out. Up, down. Up, down. A simple flapping motion was all he needed.

  Suddenly, he felt something twitch. His eyes snapped open in glee as he looked over his shoulder. Come on, come on. He reached out with his mind once more, imagining his two wings flapping. As if responding to his command, they opened up. The air hit his wings, slowing down his descent. Flap, flap, flap. Slowly but surely, his wings began to flap up and down. His descent slowed.

  Just as Roy wondered how far away from the ground he was, he smacked into a tree. He bounced off of it, crashing into a branch. The branch snapped, unable to hold his weight, sending him tumbling down. Branch after branch broke. A moment later, Roy hit the ground with a thud. “Ouuuuuuuuuch.”

  His entire body was racked with pain. Glancing back, he found that his wings were broken. He wouldn’t be able to fly back to his mom until his health was restored. Determining wisely, he decided to hide until that happened. At least that was the plan, until the forest lit up with roars.

  Roy swiveled his head, only to find a black panther exit the nearby shrubbery. Their eyes met. Roy bared his teeth, growling threateningly. The panther winced in fear from facing a dragon, but when it realized that Roy was wounded, it gathered its courage and pounced forward.

  Roy instinctively went to grab his sword, only to remember he was currently a dragon. The only thing he could do was open his mouth and bite at the swiping paw of the panther. He clamped his teeth around the paw and swung his head wildly to the side. The panther was sent flying through the air and hit the ground with a thud. Pouncing forward, Roy dug his c
laws into its throat. He watched as the life slowly faded from its eyes.

  Before he could relax, he heard the shrubbery behind him rustle. They just won’t stop coming, huh? Roy raised his head to the sky and roared, causing all who heard it to freeze in fear. Roy was letting everyone know: a dragon was here!

  Chapter 31

  In the depths of the mine, a group of golems gathered together, their bodies covered in cracks. The battle with the kobolds had been fierce, but with Jason leading the way, they were victorious. Jason sat against the wall of the mine, resting as he inspected the details of his new territory.