Without hesitation, Ethan did as he was told. He jogged as quickly as his injured leg and back would allow him. As he went the way his map was telling him to go, he passed several more tall rocks and approached a turn in the passage. He couldn’t see what was beyond it, but his map told him to head that way.
That was when the other enemy caught back up. The gunner jumped over some rocks to Ethan’s left and had to catch himself when he landed. However, it didn’t take him long to recover and lift his rifle so he could aim it at Ethan. He’d lost his cowboy hat somewhere, but he was still wearing the poncho.
Fortunately for Ethan, before the enemy could open fire, Michael popped out from around the bend up ahead. He levelled his pistol at the man and began shooting. Surprised, the gunner dropped to the ground, which gave Ethan enough time to reach Michael’s position and duck behind cover.
“Lily still has the enemy sniper suppressed, so keep on running back to our flag. I’ll hold back your pursuers here,” Michael told him.
“Maybe we should switch. My mobility has been hampered,” Ethan suggested.
Michael shook his head as he ducked behind a rock to avoid a hail of gunfire. “Just go. You’re recovering quickly, and I can do more from here.”
“All right,” Ethan replied and began running again. There was no point arguing. Michael seemed to know what he was doing.
There were more blasts of gunfire behind Ethan as he ran, but it grew duller as he approached his goal. Soon, he reached a familiar junction and saw Jude. She leaned out from behind a tall rock and gave him a quick wave. Their team’s flagpole was behind her, in the center of the basin they had started in.
“It took you long enough. Get your ass and that ball to the pole.” Jude huffed as he ran past her.
Ethan couldn’t see Lily, but she was probably still up above somewhere. Smiling in relief, and still clutching the enemy flag in one arm, Ethan reached his team’s flagpole. Their own red ball was still floating above it, and the moment he reached out and touched the two balls together, there was a flash of blinding light that consumed everything.
Surprised, Ethan blinked and suddenly found himself standing in the waiting room he’d been in before the game had started. He wasn’t alone. His equally surprised teammates were all around him.
“Did we win? My arm’s back on, which is nice,” Kyle remarked as he wiggled his newly healed appendage.
Before Ethan could reply, the question was answered by glowing words that appeared in the air.
Congratulations! You’ve proven victorious in the bonus game. Your rewards have automatically been divided and added to your inventories.
At the same time, a wide double door appeared on the wall to Ethan’s left. There was a sign with red lettering above it that read: Exit.
Everyone turned to look at the door, but no one actually moved toward it. They all seemed more than happy to take a moment and relax since the testing was now over.
Lily smiled brightly at her teammates. “Nice work everyone, especially you, Ethan.”
Ethan couldn’t help but smile back at her. Her praise instantly infused him with a happy warm feeling.
Kyle nodded in agreement. “Yeah, man. Those were some rad techniques you pulled out at the end there. I was watching using one of Mic’s drones, and I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
Michael frowned when Kyle shortened his name, but Jude laughed. “Ha, he’d have to really suck not to make it. I pounded those wimps into the ground. I’m surprised they could still walk after all the ordinance I dropped on them. Still, I suppose we all worked in harmony quite well.”
“Well, thanks for that,” Ethan replied jovially. “I definitely couldn’t have done it without all of you.”
Michael nodded politely along with the others but then coughed to get Ethan’s attention. “I’m rather curious, did our wager work? Did you win a second key?”
Ethan quickly checked his inventory and saw that there was in fact another key in there. “Ya, I have a second one now.”
“Does this one have another creepy message attached?” Kyle asked bluntly.
“I’m quite curious about that as well,” Michael said.
“Let’s see,” Ethan remarked as he shrugged and pulled the key out so he could examine it. Immediately, familiar text appeared on his helmet’s screen.
Core Data Key acquired. Would you like to watch the video file it contains now? Yes/No
Ethan selected yes. Now was as good a time as any, and this was as private and safe a place as they were ever likely to find. In response, the words in the key’s pop-up were replaced by the image of someone Ethan recognized. It was Victor Crown, and the CEO of Tekko looked just as haggard as before. However, he started the video by giving the watching players a peaceful smile. The expression surprised Ethan, since it looked so out of place on the weary old man.
“Good work getting a second key, players. Here is your reward: some more impenetrable rambling,” Victor told them before briefly glancing away from the camera at something they couldn’t see. “By now you have probably begun to suspect that not all is as it seems here within the Tower of Ascension. You’re right. My compatriots and I created the tower for a reason, to change the world by finding those people with the proper capacity within them and giving them the tools they need to succeed. The cash prize is a mere lure for this purpose. As you climb the tower, expect to face trials beyond anything you can imagine. Just remember, this isn’t some trifling game without consequences. It is a grave responsibility. Much has been sacrificed to bring you here, more than you can imagine, and your choices will decide the fate of humanity.”
Everyone was silent as the video popped out of existence.
Jude huffed in annoyance. “Well, he’s rather dramatic for an old rich guy.”
Ethan felt confused. “So, what? This is all some sort of self-improvement course or leadership camp thing? Should we expect job offers from Tekko if we do well? I wouldn’t say no to that.”
Ethan glanced at Lily, but she was just staring at the empty air where the video had been playing. There was a stony expression on her face, and she didn’t seem to want to say anything. Weird. Meanwhile, Kyle was grinning excitedly, which was pretty normal for him, but he was being unusually silent.
Michael looked thoughtful as he scratched his chin. “Hmm, very interesting. I suspect there is a lot more about the tower that he left unsaid. I wonder what the next video will reveal.”
“I wouldn’t think about it too much,” Jude remarked sourly. “He’s just a fat cat with too much time on his hands. Winning the money is all that really matters.”
Ethan shrugged. “Well, our next course of action remains unchanged, I guess. There is only one door out of here. We need to go through it.”
“Way to state the obvious,” Jude replied as she walked toward the door in question.
Her prickly attitude was really starting to annoy Ethan. He suppressed a sigh as he followed her, and his remaining teammates were right behind him. The door slid open to reveal another elevator as they approached, and since they didn’t seem to have any other choice, they all piled into it. The second the door closed behind them, their surroundings disappeared in a flash of white light. Once again, the small room hadn’t been a real elevator but a disguised teleporter instead.
CHAPTER 15
REAL THREATS
Blinking to clear his vision as the light faded, Ethan tried to figure out where his team had been taken. His surroundings came into focus, but he didn’t believe his eyes at first. He could see for miles. There was a horizon off in the distance and a vast expanse of greenery before it. After so long of being indoors, the scenery was jarring. Ethan raised a hand to shield his eyes as he turned to study his immediate surroundings.
It looked like his team was standing in a circle of carved stones. Off to one side, there was a cliff, and a majestic view lay beyond it. Some sort of city lay below them. It was ringed by a stone wall, and beyond tha
t was a vast forest. Ethan glanced up at a vast sky that was completely concealed by a haze of white clouds. He didn’t see a sun, but bright light was shining down nonetheless.
“Wow, sweet view! Where are we now?” Kyle remarked in surprise.
No one answered him. They were all busy trying to figure out the answer to his question. It looked like they were standing in some sort of temple. The weathered stones encircling them had been carved to resemble armored warriors with bowed heads. Behind them, there was a low cobblestone wall with a set of stairs built into them that led to the top. Up there, it looked like there was a large building with a domed roof.
Before Ethan could see anything else, movement from his left caught his attention. He spun around just in time to see a figure step out from one of the nearby statues and approach his team. Ethan’s hand dropped toward his holstered pistol, but then he froze. The approaching person was a pretty woman with long red hair in complex braids. She was smiling politely and wearing a modest dress that looked completely impractical for anything related to combat. She also wasn’t human. Her skin was a dull blue, she had pointed ears, and her yellow eyes had slit-like pupils similar to those of a cat’s.
“Hello there, pilgrims. Welcome to the third floor,” she told Ethan and his friends as she raised a hand in greeting.
“Who are you?” Jude blurted in surprise.
“My name is Katari of the Aknii people, and this is the city of Aknabulis. I am here to introduce you travelers to our fine city.”
“Are you an NPC?” Michael asked her.
It may have been Ethan’s imagination, but he thought the woman’s smile grew a little strained. “You pilgrims ask that question a lot. It means something like being a fake person, right? I certainly don’t think I’m an NPC. Despite your religious beliefs, my people and I are very real. My ancestors came to this place thousands of years ago and built this city.”
Michael threw Ethan a skeptical look. All Ethan could do was shrug in reply. He had no idea.
Katari caught their exchange. “Come. If you don’t believe me, you can simply tour the city. It is all very real.”
“A tour sounds fine, miss. However, what do you mean, ‘our religious beliefs’?” Michael asked her. He seemed slightly offended by being labeled as religious. Very few people were these days, and those who were kept it to themselves. Organized faith was considered regressive and could earn you the ire of the government.
“You are pilgrims. Many of your fellows have visited this place, so we know much about you. Your gods have commanded that you climb the tower to prove your worth to them. They are the ones who have brought you here and promised you great rewards if you reach the top, although they also allow you to return home in flashes of light. Truly, they are powerful and benevolent gods,” Katari explained as she led the players toward the staircase.
“Well, that’s an interesting way of putting it,” Ethan remarked.
“It’s downright silly,” Jude replied.
Michael ignored them and focused on their guide. “So there are others like us in the city?”
Katari nodded. “Many, and more in the lands beyond. Like you, they quest for the means of moving on to the next floor.”
Kyle suddenly perked up. “Wait, did you say this was the third floor?”
“That is what many of the ancient writings call this place, yes,” Katari responded. “Also, your fellow pilgrims seem to agree with the name.”
Scowling, Kyle turned toward Michael. “Are we really only on the third floor now? I thought all those tests I passed were each a floor! This tower is huge. It pierces the sky! At this rate, how long will it take us to reach the top?”
Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. Anything is possible in here. It’s quite possible that the outside of the tower doesn’t correlate to its interior at all. We will have to wait and see.”
Katari nodded and led the team of players up the stairs and past the domed temple. They passed several more blue-skinned people who were wearing robes similar to those from ancient Greece or Rome.
“Why were you waiting for us at the stones?” Ethan asked Katari as they walked.
“It is common for new pilgrims to appear there, so someone is always assigned to wait at that spot,” their guide answered. “We find it useful to make sure that all new pilgrims be greeted properly instead of wandering into the city unprepared. It prevents unfortunate misunderstandings.”
“I’ll bet.”
Leaving the quiet temple grounds, the group stepped out onto a busy street. Almost all the people in sight were blue-skinned, although Ethan saw some players in armor off in the distance. The simple buildings and clothes of the Aknii suggested they were somewhere around a medieval tech level, but their architecture and fashion had many influences that looked almost classically Greek or Asian.
“We just left the safe zone. Watch out, player killing is no longer impossible,” Michael told everyone as they left the temple yard behind them.
Ethan hadn’t even noticed they’d been in a safe zone. However before he could say anything, Katari interjected. “The gods may not forbid violence outside the temple, but it is still illegal. Any attempt to harm citizens or other travelers will be punished by the city watch. Be warned, they are more than able to deal with the abilities and weapons you pilgrims possess.”
“Oh, so you have weapons like these?” Ethan asked as he pointed at his pistol.
Katari nodded. “A few. We prefer blades, but our spellsmiths are able to make such things. You can find some of their work for sale deeper in the market.”
“I’m quite curious; where is this city located and how did your people get here?” Michael asked as they walked through the market. They got a few looks, but no one seemed to think they were out of place.
Katari stopped walking and smiled his way. “I wouldn’t be a guide if I didn’t enjoy talking about this exact sort of thing. My people were once homeless wanderers. We traveled through the chaotic realms until we made our way here to this mountain, where the land was stable and had everything we needed to thrive. That was about two thousand years ago.”
“Chaotic lands?” Ethan asked. That sounded somewhat familiar.
“Many parts of reality are chaotic and constantly changing. Lands, creatures, and sometimes even people are created and destroyed at random within the mists. Our ancestors supposedly escaped such a fate by finding shelter here.”
Michael looked intrigued. “And is this city part of a country? Are there other cities out beyond the walls?”
“No, the lands outside Aknabulis are very dangerous. We were given the mountain, but everything else is still the territory of the gods. The forest is full of monsters and untamables. Many of our warriors go out to explore it, but they’ve never reached its end.”
“Sweet. That sounds so cool,” Kyle remarked happily.
“It sounds like a terrible place to live,” Jude countered.
Katari gently shook her head. “Far from it. My people flourish here.”
“Huh, she sure reacts well to our questions and speaks well,” Kyle said as he glanced at their guide.
“Thank you?” she responded, in a tone that betrayed more than a little annoyance, which made Kyle blush and look away.
“He meant nothing by it. Merely a slip of the tongue,” Michael hastily interjected.
After a few more minutes of talking, Katari excused herself. “That should be everything you need to know. If you want something more, feel free to ask the city guard or look me up at the temple near where we first met.”
“Thanks for your help,” Ethan replied.
Michael nodded. “Yes, thank you. We won’t bother you any further. I believe some of us have grown tired and have places to be.”
Satisfied, Katari gave them a friendly smile and then headed back the way she had come.
When she was gone, Kyle turned to his teammates. “Since the temple we were at before is a safe zone, I really should log off and deal wi
th some real-world stuff for a while.”
Michael blinked in surprise but then nodded in agreement. “I’m sure we all have things we need to catch up on, and this is an opportune moment to log off or do some exploring of this floor solo. We don’t need to move around all together here. In fact, splitting up seems like the obvious thing to do.”
Caught by surprise, Ethan froze. “But we’re still going to stay a team and meet up later, right?”
Jude laughed. “Sure, why not. If you’re afraid of being alone, I’ll stick with you. We’re stronger working together in harmony.”
“Thanks,” Ethan replied with a sour grimace. Jude was the one person he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep hanging out with. It was weird how rude and aggressive she could be and yet how seriously she took the ideas of societal harmony. There seemed to be a contradiction there to him.
“I’m not going anywhere either. This team works for me,” Lily told him. Her smile cheered him up immediately.
After a brief discussion, everyone agreed to meet back up later. They could message each other at any time, even while offline, so it wouldn’t be hard to arrange. Leaving the others to explore the city, Ethan and Kyle headed back to the temple. After a brief goodbye, they both pulled up their game menus and proceeded to log off.
Darkness rushed in as the world of the game shut down around Ethan. There was a brief moment of disorientation as he became aware of his real body. His body felt stiff and sore, despite the soft bed beneath his back. He groaned as he reached up to pull his VR visor off, and he blinked as the soft glow from the light overhead filled his eyes. Climbing to his feet, Ethan took a moment to stretch and work out the kinks in his muscles.
“What should I do now?” Ethan asked himself as he headed for the door. He really didn’t have much to do in the real world. He’d sort of completely committed himself to climbing the Tower of Ascension. Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to relax for a while. He could grab something to eat and then go for a walk. He needed to keep exercising at least a little.
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