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B3 Chapter 5: Entering the Strand
🕑 Added 2024-05-07 19:12:38 +0000 UTC“Welcome to the Strand,” Roan said as the elevator doors opened. We stepped out into what appeared to be an empty desert. “This foundation floor combines the monster difficulties from floors 65 down to 55.” He stopped and glanced up at the sky. “Ah, you guys are lucky. We picked a good time. It’s early morning. Not too hot and not too cold.”
Hugo sat on my shoulder and we both looked at the empty landscape in confusion. So far, this whole place seemed pretty underwhelming.
“Where are the monsters?” I asked.
“Technically, we’re outside of the Strand. It’s a city not too far from here. Where we are now is part of the wasteland that surrounds the city. It is vast and while it might look desolate, it’s actually crawling with monsters and other surprises.”
“Are we meant to leave the city to fight them?” Hugo asked.
He shrugged. “You might. With this floor, every person gets a big unique quest that they have to solve before they can progress down to the next floor.”
That didn’t sound good. The last big quest we were involved in kind of soured me on the whole concept. I knew Roan wouldn’t be able to tell me anything about it, so I suppressed my frustration and tried to focus on what I could learn.
“How many Climbers are here already?” I asked.
“Hmm, couldn’t say.”
“What about Daisy? Is she here?”
“Please refer to my previous answer.”
“Well, what can you tell us?” Hugo asked, exasperated.
“Quite a bit, actually. If you let me continue.”
Hugo gestured with his wing for him to go ahead.
“The city is populated by people from other worlds,” he explained. “They’ve been put here and given jobs to do. Most of them are going to be indifferent or outright dislike Tower Climbers, so be on your best behavior.”
“Why would they dislike us?” I asked. “We’re the ones trapped here.”
“Because former Tower Champions rule their worlds.”
“Ah.”
Hugo activated companion chat and a new message popped up.
Hugo: If we win and survive the Tower, are we going to be bad guys?
Lucas: No, we’re just doing what we have to do to survive. And if it so happens that the responsibility of ruling the planet is foisted upon us, I’m sure we’d rule with an even hand.
Hugo: Yeah, but how would we decide between us who rules what? I don’t want to be stuck in charge of the crappy parts.
Lucas: Oh really? Which parts might those be?
Hugo: Delaware.
Lucas: What? I’m sure Delaware’s lovely.
Hugo: So when dividing up the states, it’s agreed that you’ll take Delaware.
Lucas: Well, I don’t know if I’m in love with the place. Look, we’re getting off-topic. Let’s put a pin in this Delaware thing for now.
“You know I can tell when you’re mentally typing,” Roan said. “You should probably work on making it less obvious in the future. Some might consider it rude.”
“Sorry. It wasn’t anything serious.” I coughed. “Getting back to it. What’s the point of importing aliens instead of using more people from Earth?”
“Eh, they were too whiny about their planet being invaded. We wanted people living their lives. Not spiraling through depression. That’s why this time, we’re using aliens who chose to be here. Real people with their own real problems. It makes for a more exciting broadcast. Also they have no protection shields. Anyone can kill or steal from anyone else. Luckily, communities have formed in the city to curtail such behavior.”
“Communities formed that fast?” I asked.
“Oh no. The city and its inhabitants have been here for years to prepare for this Tower. It’s basically home for a lot of them and once this Tower is finished, the city will be moved back to its original world where they can continue to live.”
“So if I killed a shopkeeper for their items, the surrounding community will come after us?”
“Yeah, but not in an official System-like capacity. It’s more realistic in the sense that this hypothetical shopkeeper would have a family, friends, or customers that would miss them. Those are the ones you’d anger and risk retribution from. But don’t worry too much about that though. The city still runs on money and from what I understand, you two have plenty of it to spend. Just be polite and focus on making it worth their while.”
“You imported whole families here?”
“Of course. We couldn’t just import a bunch of merchants. They’d be at each other’s throats within six months. Most of the older people you meet will have come from worse places, which means they’re grateful for this city and are protective of it.”
Roan resumed walking, and we followed him up a sand dune. Once we were at the top, we saw the city below.
The Strand was a big city built with Victorian architecture in mind, with cobblestone streets and gas lamps lighting the way. It appeared to be a dense place with stone and brick buildings tightly packed together. Even from our vantage point, it was difficult to get a clear picture of the place. One thing was clear though. Accompanied by the morning light, it presented itself as a peaceful, prosperous place.
I glanced back and saw that the elevator we’d used had vanished. I asked Roan about it.
“That’s just a temporary one that I made use of. Don’t worry, the elevator in the city is clearly marked. You won’t have to hunt for it like last time.”
Good, because I was also tired of racing for those damn doors.
A patch of sand ahead of us rippled. The ripples intensified and began moving towards us.
Roan took a few big steps away from us. I looked at him.
“What? I can’t interfere, remember?”
A giant bug burst out of the sand. It was ten feet long, with mandibles the size of my forearm. It screeched and scurried towards us.
Beast Identified [Junior Dune Pincer (common)] Level 85 – Drawn by the vibrations across the sand, these junior Dune Pincers go off alone seeking food before they can be devoured by their parents. They feed until they grow large enough to rejoin their colony as an equal.
I used the Hemorrhage Gate ability. A small red summon circle with sigils inside it formed in the air to my left shoulder. Instantly, a connection was made between me and my domain. There I also felt the presence of a sapling that had sprouted out of the blood. The first tree of the Blood Orchard I’d unlocked. I sensed no power from it or way to harness it, so I ignored the tree for now and focused on the bug monster that rushed towards me.
I formed a blood spike and pushed it halfway through the gate, where it hovered in the air.
“Uhh, Lucas. It’s getting kind of close,” Hugo said.
The Dune Pincer scurried closer, clicking its mandibles in anticipation of its meal. I waited and watched as the front of its body reared up, ready to strike.
I released the spike. It blasted up and speared the bug right in its brain.
The thing went limp and fell dead.
“That was easy,” I said.
DING! You have slain [Junior Dune Pincer (common)] Level 85 – Experience Points and Currency Acquired
I glanced at Hugo.
“You want its spirit?” I asked.
The crow appeared torn.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“It’s just so gross looking.”
“I’m not asking you to make out with it. Just capture its spirit so that it can join your unholy army of the damned. Hasn’t it been a while since you took anything?”
“He’s right, you know,” added Roan. “Despite your relatively decent level, even your strongest spirit summon would’ve struggled to take out that bug. And that was just a low level monster for this floor.”
“Fine,” Hugo said. “Arise,” he muttered, sounding bored.
He wouldn’t even look as the spirit climbed out of its dead body. It then turned to mist and vanished as the crow added it to his spirit vault.
“There, happy?” Hugo asked.
“Ecstatic,” I replied before yawning.
That was odd. I was suddenly feeling a little tired again. I activated a Hemorrhage Gate and reached for the blood inside. I made the connection, but there was no burst of healing energy like there should’ve been.
I frowned and asked Roan about it.
He shrugged. “I guess once it passes through the gates, it’s considered your blood. You can weaponize however you like, but it won’t heal you.”
I cursed. It’s like two steps forward and one step back. The cache had more limited storage space, but at least I could heal with it.
“But why the sudden loss of energy?” I asked.
“Because without enemy blood to replenish you, your magical abilities are finite. Different Classes store power within themselves differently. For you, I think it’s your Vitality. So put points into that if you want more magic, or you know, touch the bug’s blood.” He stared at me. “Unless you have a problem with that?”
Hugo caught on and joined in. “Yeah, is that an issue, Lucas?”
I kept my face blank and raised my hand, summoning the blood to me. It poured out of the bug and gently floated towards my outstretched hand.
As soon as the blood hit my fingers, I became revitalized. But more than that was that I could feel the Blood Orchard. The tree that had sprouted out of the blood grew a little higher.
“Can we go in the city now before more of those things show up?” Hugo asked.
“Oh, there are monsters in the city too,” Roan said. “Some will be hidden in plain sight during the day, but most come out at night in secluded areas.”
“It’s not going to be all bug monsters, is it?” Hugo asked, concerned.
“No, it varies. The city is divided into districts. Each district serves its own purpose, but they’ll be signposts inside telling where to go. As a final piece of advice before I leave. You both have a lot of money on you. I’d suggest going to the market district and buying yourself some new equipment. Most of the stuff you encounter from now on will be a lot stronger than that bug.”
He turned to leave.
“Wait,” I said. “What we do about the wasteland or this special quest of ours?”
“I’d stay near or in the city unless you have a guide or a map. The wasteland is big and it’s easy to get lost out there. As for the quest, you need only to explore. Eventually the quest will make itself known. Though it's unlikely to be a simple one.”
“Are you being coy, or do you actually not know?” I asked.
“There’s over half a dozen main quests for this floor that have yet to be claimed. Any one of them could find you.”
Sand rippled behind us.
Hugo panicked. “Gah!”
He summoned his new bug spirit summon and sent it after the disturbance. His creature dove into the sand and disappeared. Moments later there was a screeching sound followed by a crunch, before the spirit summon resurfaced.
I gave Hugo a smug look over how effective his new summon was.
“Shut up.”
I turned to ask Roan something else, but he’d disappeared. I guess that was it for the introduction.
The pair of us walked down towards the city. There were no guards posted at the gate, nor any sign of life inside whatsoever. The gate itself was open, inviting anyone to come inside.
I hesitated to go in. The empty openness made me suspicious.
“The place seems abandoned,” I said.
“Maybe it’s just early?” Hugo suggested. “Want me to send some of my birds into the air to scout ahead?”
I shook my head. “No, let’s keep our presence small for now. Keep a low profile until we learn more about this place.”
Roan had made the city sound too ordinary, but I sensed a trap. Unfortunately, the only way forward was to step into it.
