Unconquered Tower

FORTY-TWO

Sunlight streamed off of obsidian, glittering stone held aloft in a small green fist. It was the size of a large child with long, fuzzy, pointed ears. Its knobbly knees shook as it ran, bright green skin blending in with the lush grass that neared the creature’s waist. A shrill cry lifted from its thin lips as its yellow teeth snarled as it came toward them.

Fred was fast, stepping forward and jabbing with his spear in a smooth motion that showcased years of training. The sharp point of the spear pierced the creature’s throat, slicing it apart and sending the creature to the ground as inky black blood spilled across the grass.

The forest came alive as shrieks and screams as more of the greenskinned monsters appeared out of nowhere. Where Roan had only seen lush grass and trees the world became wild with snarling savagery and obsidian blades. Roan spun on his heel and the hammer swung in a wild circle around himself.

A creature was caught at head level, the skull disintegrating in a spray of black gore and gray brain matter. He skipped back a step to avoid a wild swing of a knife. The obsidian blade hit a tree as the monster ran past him, shattering into a dozen pieces. Roan crushed its skull with an overhand swing, driving the remnants of the skull into its torso.

INFERIOR GOBLINOID

10 CREDITS

Roan sent the alert away as he was forced into furious action. They may have been the same grade, but these creatures were faster, more wild, dangerous as they came at him with reckless abandon.

Blood and bone scattered across the forest floor as Fred and Roan slaughtered their way through the horde. In a little over a minute, it was all over. Roan wasn’t even breathing hard as he looked over the slaughter. From further away he could hear the shouting and screams of fighting happening. Not all of the screams were goblinoid.

“That got the blood pumping!” Fred said with a wide smile. Bits of black blood coated his face as he turned to look at Roan. That predatory glint had only deepened as the man inched closer.

“Any moment now. Be ready.” When the attack came it shocked Roan. Fred blurred as he lunged, his form shimmering as he cut across the ground inhumanly fast. Roan was ready though, the wide head of the hammer sweeping up and slapping the shaft out of the way as Roan spun inward and toward Fred.

“Was that a skill?” An idle thought flitted through his mind, but he was locked on his goal. Roan’s shoulder slammed into Fred and whatever had sped the man up hadn’t made him stronger.

Roan was tall, broad, and strong before he’d entered the tower. With the increases he’d had he was even stronger. Fred bounced off of him and slammed into the ground, his head smacking the ground with a thud. Roan finished his spin, now behind Fred’s prone body, and spun the hammer around his body in an up and over blow that would cave the would-be-killer’s chest in.

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Fred rolled in time as the hammer found nothing but grass and rich soil, bound to his feet and thrust the spear at Roan’s face. Roan leaned back and to the side and snatched the spear behind the blade with his free hand. For a moment Fred tried to wrest the spear away, but he abandoned the futile effort and leapt toward a dead goblinoid.

Roan threw the spear away into the forest and closed the distance quickly. His breath came in quick bursts as his heart thundered with adrenaline and fear. He reared back with the hammer ready to come down in a final blow as Fred came up and threw something. Instinct screamed and Roan pivoted and fell to the ground as an obsidian knife flew through the air where his chest had just been.

“You’re fun!” Fred said with a manic laugh as bounded to the next corpse. In his hand the goblinoid’s long dagger looked small, hardly more than a pocketknife. Roan got to his feet slowly, warily keeping an eye on Fred.

“Methodically. Dismantle him and show him his mistake.” Roan felt the smile on his face as he stalked forward, knees bent and ready to react. Fred’s own bloodthirsty grin wavered as he started to circle, using the trees to break Roan’s line of sight. There was a flicker of motion and a blade howled as it cut through the air. Roan spun on the ball of his foot as it flashed by, his spin taking him toward the opposite side of the tree.

Fred came around the tree in a rush, arms wide in a tackler position. Roan cursed as he tried to bring the hammer around, but the man was too close. Air whooshed out of Roan’s lungs as his back slammed into the grass. Fred’s body was heavy, pressing on his lungs as the stiff handle of the warhammer dug into his side, pinning his weapon arm.

Roan threw his hips to the side and used his free hand to throw Fred off of him. The other man hooked his hands in Roan’s clothes and dragged Roan with him, the two of them rolling across the ground. With his arm freed from the weight of their bodies, Roan quickly gained the upper hand, batting away Fred’s grasping, desperate, frantic hands.

Blood and teeth spilled free as Roan punched the man in the mouth. Roan continued to attack, never relenting, never hesitating as they fought to the death. Punches bounced off his shoulders, chest, and a few clipped his face, but he had the mount and he was raining blows down as fast as he could.

“I…yield. Tap. Tap.” Fred panted the words, trying to scramble away as he put his arms up over his face.

“No. Finish him now.” Roan’s mind roared as training took over as he slammed Fred’s head into the dirt. The man gasped and pleaded, swinging his battered fists at Roan once he realized Roan wasn’t stopping.

TOWER CLIMBER

FLOOR 1.02

LESTER JAMES

CREDIT TRANSFER: 9,306

BONUS: 1,000 CREDITS

Roan froze atop of Fred’s, no it was Lester’s, still body. His chest was heaving as he shook, the effect of the fight crashing down on him as he slowly rose to his feet and looked around the forest. There was nobody watching, or at least nobody he saw. There was a slight tremble to his bruised and bloody hands. They were already swollen and two of the fingers looked broken.

“Healing potion. Take the healing potion,” Roan muttered as he reached into his pocket and was glad he didn’t find any broken glass. Whatever the potion bottles were made of, they were durable. He took the potion as he stood up and looked down at the still form of Lester.

“Sloppy. Getting soft, Roan. You knew he was going to do it. You fucking knew.” His words were harsh in the sudden silence as a warm breeze stirred the red and black stained grass. Bodies lay in broken heaps all around him, the smell of gore and death suffocating the scents of the fresh summer day. A bone popped loudly in his hand and he winced as it settled.

Roan grabbed his canteen and washed his bloody hands. He drank what little remained of the canteen as he leaned back and looked over at Lester’s body. Roan doubted he was the first person Lester had killed, or attempted to kill.

“Waste not, want not,” Roan said as he capped his canteen and walked toward the body and started searching the pockets.