[Beastborne: Tower of Blight] Chapter 40

They slept in shifts, always keeping two people on watch, but nothing happened. All throughout the day, they slept until the golden rays of sunset set the sea on fire.

Rested and rejuvenated, they had a quick meal and then went searching for a door.

The sun sank below the waters to the west, and the warmth of the world vanished. Hal kept them walking to the south, going on the belief that if Hirash made something like this to showcase to Rinbast, then it had to be on a scale much less than the real state of California.

A little while after sunset, Hal’s persistence was rewarded with a shimmering wall of light. The air smelled of eucalyptus, which Hal didn’t recognize at first until he pointed out the odd scent to the others and Val corrected him.

“It grows all over this area, especially down near the hills around the Bay. At least, it did when I visited,” she said morosely. “Maybe it’s all suburbs and shopping malls now.”

Hal didn’t know what to say to that.

As much as he had missed some of the comforts of Earth, he had never missed Earth itself. What had his home ever given him except grief?

In a strange way, he found himself hating Earth the longer he was away. Why was it so messed up compared to Aldim? Why didn’t they have Levels? Why weren’t there spells to cure cancer and other diseases? People on Aldim didn’t even know what cancer was.

Taking a deep breath, Hal calmed himself. He would get worked up again if he kept thinking about it. There was no going back, even if he wanted to–and he didn’t.

Spreading to the east and west, as far as the eye could see, was a shimmering wall that reflected their images and the surrounding hills.

“Is it like a Truman Show thing?” Val asked, pressing a hand to the cold flat material. It rippled like jelly, but it would not yield beyond that. “Just gotta find the door?”

Hal motioned. “I’ll go east, you go west. Send up a signal if you find something. Take Giel and Robas with you.”

An hour or two longer and Hal looked up to see a bright flare streak toward the sky and explode into a million raining lines of light.

Without delay, Hal took off in that direction, eager to leave this place of respite behind. While resting had been good, Hal was growing increasingly uneasy being in a place that was a ghost of Earth.

Elaise grumbled behind him, but she found it easy to keep up when he wasn’t using his essence wings.

It would be an utter waste of effort, and it would mean leaving Elaise behind. She kept looking at him as if she was expecting him to run ahead of her. There was a smugness to her features that made Hal want to do something rash.

“Do you want me to carry you?” Hal offered wryly, wondering if that would put her off-guard.

Elaise scoffed, tossing her red hair with its single side braid over her shoulder. “Just try to catch me!”

The Ninja put on a burst of speed that left a cloud of dust trailing behind her across the California hillside. Hal smiled to himself, spliced his essences, and took great pleasure when the four wings of ethereal light erupted from his back.

He felt light and buoyant like a dandelion seed dancing on the breeze.

It was times like this that Hal marveled at the incredible power Levels, stats and skills granted. Power that the Spirit coursing through his channels enhanced to even greater heights. His childhood dreams of flying were fully realized, if in eldritch form.

At least he didn’t have to use flesh wings anymore. Nobody liked those, especially Komachi.

The other Ebon Tribesman coughed loudly. She was a young woman, lithe and fit, who used two daggers to fight. Hal recalled she was some sort of thief-style Class, though he couldn’t remember the name.

“I am not too proud to take you up on that offer,” she said softly. Hal could see the sweat misted on her face. He felt a little bad that somebody else had been caught up in his competition, so he stopped and held out his arms.

Hildr jumped into them without the slightest reservation that she had shown earlier. Hal was surprised at how heavy she was. Like all the Ebon Star tribesmen, she was heavily muscled. He could feel her muscular frame through her pelts and fur armor.

Though Hal was well built from his Strength, training and essences, he had to reluctantly admit to himself that Hildr’s biceps were probably bigger than his.

Noth would kill me if she saw me, Hal realized. He did his best to shut out the sensations his arms and hands were relaying to him.

Best not to think about it.

He prayed to pobul paradise that Komachi wouldn’t say anything to the ex-Reaper. For all Hal knew, Noth could probably still harvest his soul.

Using Convergence, Hal leaped into the sky and overtook Elaise in a single bound, even carrying Hildr in his arms.

The Ninja let out a squawk of indignation, flashed her hands into a series of hand signs that blurred with the effort, and somehow picked up even more speed.

Up until that point, Hal hadn’t even been trying. Now he timed every leap, every push off the ground was done with the maximum amount of Strength, Dexterity, and Agility he could wring out of Convergence.

And at his current attributes, Hal could more than triple any of his physical attributes besides Vitality.

Soon, Elaise was nothing more than a screaming banshee in the distance, covered in a cloud of dust.

Hal set Hildr down as they arrived. Val was looking at a single door with a symbol of a tower on it.

“Thank you for this kindness, Founder,” Hildr said with sincere gratitude. She pressed her fists together and bowed. “Flying is…fun. Yes, surprisingly so.”

“You’re welcome,” Hal said with a slight bowing nod of his own.

Elaise arrived, dirty and disheveled, and full of rage. But when she approached the group by the door, she smoothed her features and extended her hand. “You have bested me. I did not think it was possible with those puny legs of yours. Clearly, I have misjudged your physical prowess.”

Shadowmachi eyed Hal’s legs. “Pretty sure they’re beefier than Machi,” she whispered, then she directed her sass on Elaise. “You callin’ Machi puny!?”

Without even asking permission, Elaise stomped up to Robas and pulled back the kilt-like armor that he wore over his hips. Beneath were thick, tree trunk legs that were bare down to the knee, aside from a dark loincloth that Hal wished he hadn’t seen.

Val stared. She looked just as uncomfortable as Hal felt. At least in this, they were in sync.

“It’s like… he has muscles on his muscles,” Val said, staring.

“Dang, maybe Machi is puny.”

Robas cleared his throat and Elaise released his armored kilt.

“I believe I have made my point,” she told them. “So you can see why I would have thought Hal’s legs might not be up to the task.”

“Looks like he’s smuggling Christmas hams under there,” Val said under her breath.

“You should ask him out,” Shadowmachi suggested, making absolutely no effort to lower her voice.

“We can all hear you,” Hal told Shadowmachi.

“Yis.”

Val turned beet red and refused to look anybody in the eye. Especially Robas.

Robas was looking away, repeatedly pressing his fingers together in a gesture Hal was unfortunately familiar with from Earth.

Elaise snorted. “There is only one door. I see no reason to delay.” She reached forward and pushed.

Like every time before, the door swung open and sucked them through into the room beyond.

They arrived in a familiar room. One without traps, death, or danger.

The teleporter platform that would conjure a portal to take them either outside or up to the fourth floor stood at the center of the room.

Once more, three chests appeared in front of it, each marked the exact same as before.

“Huh,” Hal said, looking at the markings. “You would expect them to at least change it up a little. Maybe get some accessories-only chests, or other valuables instead.”

“Does that mean we cleared the floor?” Val asked with no small amount of hope.

“As soon as we collect our loot,” Hal told her. He was secretly happy they were done. The third floor had been far more than he was willing to take on. Despite just resting, it felt like he needed another week of sleep just to recover from the Tower.

By the time you go back, there will be another group ready to go. They will want you to lead them, Hal’s thoughts told him. Could you tell them no? Can the Manatree last much longer?

“Think Machi gets some too?” the pobul asked, motioning to her wispy fur.

“Considering Vorax doesn’t get his own loot, I doubt it,” Hal told her. “But you’re welcome to try.”

Shadowmachi shrugged, then disappeared from Val and reappeared in front of a weaponry chest as if she teleported through the intervening space.

The chest remained steadfastly closed.

Until Val approached it.

Another weapon popped out, this one a trident that looked like it belonged in a Greek museum. It was rusted and pitted. Seaweed, still wet and smelling of the ocean, draped along the tines. The handle was splintery and looked like it would disintegrate at any moment.

“Do you like it?” Shadowmachi asked. “It’s kinda stanky but…”

Val’s eyes widened. She gasped. “Yes.”

“Nice!”

“It looks kinda like Poseidon’s–” Hal began to say.

“Yes.”

Hal laughed, then realized Val wasn’t. “You’re joking. Poseidon’s trident? That’s it?”

“Well… no, not exactly, but it’s very special, Hal.”

“It smells like Poseidon,” Komachi pointed out. “Coulda been his.”

Hal looked it up and down. He didn’t find himself agreeing with her, but he didn’t want to argue. It had been a long couple of days in the Tower.

Val closed her eyes, and the trident flashed once, twice, and then turned normal again. It still possessed the pungent aroma of the sea, not unpleasant exactly, but not something Hal would want to have around him all the time.

The other Beastborne, however, seemed in love. She tossed it into the air, twirling it like an oversized baton. As it flipped into the air, it shrank and shrank until it turned into an old bent and rusted iron coin.

Val caught it with a wink and put it into her pocket.

“How did you–”

“It’s a relic, Hal.” Val looked like she was about to burst as she said the word. Though Hal didn’t understand what she meant.

“Yes, yes it is,” he said because it seemed something was expected of him.

“A relic?!” Elaise cried out, eyes wide despite her typically reserved demeanor. “That is incredible.”

“Look for yourself,” Val said, fishing out the coin and tossing it to her.

Elaise stared at the coin as if it was the most precious thing in the world. She handed it to Robas, who handed it to Hildr, who finally handed it to Hal.

No sooner than he touched it did he understand the truth behind Val’s words. It felt like the bar of nonarine he had tucked away for a special project someday. It practically vibrated with untold power despite its rather unappealing exterior.

“Glad you found something you like,” Komachi said to Val, climbing onto her shoulders. “Machi is proud of you.”

Despite how tired he felt, Hal smiled. “I wonder if that’s something Hirash dredged up, or if it’s from the Shard.”

Val took the coin back and put it into her pocket. She squeezed Shadowmachi to herself. “I couldn’t care less. I’ve found my weapon.”

“But what if you don’t like spears?”

“You don’t get it Hal,” Val told him. “If you find a relic, that becomes your main weapon. It is an artifact of limitless potential. Even Rinbast doesn’t have a relic! Granted, he’s specific about what he wants. The point is, you don’t get another weapon after you find a relic. That relic becomes your weapon. Forever. Until the day you die and you pass it on to the next lucky recipient.”