Armareth's Tower

The carriage carrying David rolled slowly through the streets of Zur-Del. It crept slowly, trying to blend in with the rest of the city. Zeno peered outside from time to time, shuffling curtains that covered them from prying eyes. Frank seemed bored. His eyes were closed, probably asleep. He hadn’t wanted to come, but the prospect of further mayhem had enticed him. David’s power intrigued him. Not just the sword anymore. He had requested to see David’s left hand of chaos twice since he woke up. That and he’d beaten Zeno twice more because the other man hadn’t stopped mocking him for his loss.

“We could have stopped back there, and walked the rest of the way,” David said. He couldn’t sense anything in the throng of people outside, but he was still new to much. Frank had told him about sensing danger, something David had gotten a rough idea of before. But now he could interpret the sharp pinch of essence in the air even before Ignis warned him. They’d tested it many times by letting most of the Vulcans ambush him. David left most of them perfectly fine, but some he’d had to give extra attention to. Frank was not happy about that, but he did nothing.

“We are not so far from the temple,” Zeno said as he peeped. “Unless Frank has a spy in his group, I don’t think we should have any trouble. Still, I think we should take the old entrance.” David frowned, turning to Frank who had opened his eyes a bit. He’d changed his mask to a half one, covering only the lower parts of his face. The carriage jumped slightly, hitting a minor bump.

“I am surprised and worried that a low-life like you knows about the old entrance,” Frank said, turning to Zeno. Zeno glared at him but turned away, leaving Frank with a twinkle in his eyes. David hated how easily the powerful taunted the weak here, but he did the same thing as Frank. If they hadn’t lost to him, they wouldn't be here. He owned them, somewhat, because he was stronger than them. The strong rule the weak. That was what Ignis said. The words filtered to him now, pulling a frown over his face. His parents had believed differently. The strong protected the weak, that was the straight and narrow way to use power.

David shook their voices from his head. They hadn’t been in the tower, they didn’t know. The real world outside the tower wasn’t completely consumed by the will to advance. Everyone here, even in seemingly peaceful cities like Zur-Del, the weak were being crushed in the shadows. He wondered if that was what was happening to his siblings. He shuddered at the thought, and a squirming darkness in his stirred. He was sure as rain was wet that he’d kill them if they laid a finger on his siblings.

“Calm down,” Frank muttered. Frank turned to him, confused. He hadn’t said anything, Frank sighed. “When you get angry or agitated, your essence leaks out, suffusing everything outside.” He gestured to Zeno who was visibly shaking but his face was looking outside, scouting the crowd for them. David frowned. He hadn’t even thought that essence could leak out.

“You have to put a leash on it,” Frank said, both eyes now open, but he didn’t move anything else as he spoke. “Not just for those around you, but your enemies too. You leak too much and it's like a beacon telling them where to come cut you down.” He nodded, staring at David as though to ask if he understood.

David nodded. He could imagine what Frank was trying to say, so he attempted it. There was essence flowing in him. He imagined it moving uniformly, spreading through him like Chaos had thought him. Ignis snorted, but David pushed through the dragon’s annoyance. He traced the pathways essence moved in him, all the way to the leaks, they flowed out of him as if that part of him had been broken. He closed it, willing the flow to cease. It was difficult, like pulling cloth over water, essence pulled through. Frank cursed.

“You should have left it, “ Zeno said, but David ignored them, pushing and pushing more into it. Willing it shut down. It took a lot more tries, but when he did it, he felt it. Like a veil settling over him, David knew he was hidden. Not perfectly, but it was progress. Frank shrugged when he opened his eyes. The masked man closed his eyes again.

“I can see the domes,” Zeno said.

“Cheers to you,” Frank said. “If I know anything about Kalan and his idiotic brother, they will want you too.” David was about to say something but Frank shook his head. “You don’t want to meet them as you are right now. Kalan might be an easy beat for you, but his brother is a beast of a man and we still don’t know how he fights.”

“Yet, you rank higher,” David said without adding the fact that he had beaten him. Frank snorted and Inis mirrored the sound. Zeno was gripping as he peered out into the city and David knew he was locking Frank quietly.

“I beat him earlier. Before he met the priests of Amareth,” Frank said. The last bit carried a vicious hatred, and David saw it reflected in Frank’s eyes. The green seemed to glow. There is a story there, Ignis said and David agreed.

“Now he has manifested a different skill. He has asked that we duel again, but I am too tired for that. And the tower can plummet to the depths of the abyss for all I care. The ranking is not a reliable way to measure strength. A fight can go either way, like a coin toss. Sometimes, luck trumps power.”

Zeno sniggered and Frank followed it with a fast punch. Zeno was stunned into silence. He glowered at the masked man for a moment and then looked away.

“Sometimes, power is power,” Frank said and David could tell the man was smiling behind his mask. David looked away, not wanting to show approval. Somehow he’d gotten mixed up with the lowest of the lows. Yet, he was thankful. They were teaching him more and more about essence and its application in the tower. Much of it he should have known, but he was learning and that was what mattered. He’d wade through a sewer if that was all he had to give to learn the secrets of the tower.

“We are here,” Zeno said. “I can see some of Balek’s acolytes, but I don’t think they will attack you here.” He hissed, shaking his head before turning to Frank. “We could still use the old–”

“The ritual is about more, Zeno,” Frank interrupted, sighing as if exhausted from talking. “Amareth weighs your soul and gifts you accordingly. If you show a little bit of cowardice, it pulls the scales against you and you might get a curse.” He sighed audibly and sat up. “We can’t help you here, David. You will be on your own. But if you succeed, you will come out of that hovel stronger than you were before, and I am not talking about your tower rings. “

David nodded. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but that was the way of the tower. It tested everyone, pulled them to the extreme and Amareth watched how they all responded to the adversities. David knew there was no way he could prepare for whatever was about to happen, so the best thing to do was face it head-on.

“Run up!” Frank whispered as David slipped out of the carriage. “All the way up. The priests will protect you once you reach the doors.”

The warmth of noon-day washed over him. Now, David understood Zeno’s worry. Cloaked figures were mixed with the crowd outside. Some stood in front of him, staring, waiting. Some had their hoods up, cloaking their faces. Others didn’t. But David knew they were all here for him. Behind the thin rank in front of him were the stairs that led up to the white pillars of the temple. Two layered domes and a spire stretched up to the heavens, all of it in white stone. From where he stood he could already see that it would be a long run there.

Fine, David thought. They were going to make it difficult for him. No matter. Behind him, people pushed through the crowd, inching close to attack.

David pulled down the fragmented veil, letting his essence flow freely. He molded it, summoning his sword. He needed something to tear a path through those in front of him. Then essence went to his limbs. They watched him, cautious, eyes moving to his sword. He saw the fear in them and grinned. Most of them had heard about what he did to Frank. The story had spread like fire in razing a field of dry weed. Now they trembled, held in the grip of rumors.

“Ignis, I need one huge force,” David said. It would weaken him a little, but not enough to cause any trouble. Someone forged a large orb of weeping fire to his left and something crackled behind him. David’s senses screamed danger, but he held it back. There was no need to fear. He placed his faith in Ignis and when the dragon spoke, David cracked a smile. The memory Ignis proposed pushed into David’s mind and in one blink he knew the spell. He couldn’t use it the same way the dragon had in the memory, but he could do almost the same thing.

As he dragged essence to him, he split them apart, separating them into accurate properties, and shedding what he didn’t need. He was master of all, he had the authority, but he didn’t need all right now. He needed only two.

Spell: Way of the Progenitor

You have resonated with the father of dragons!

Resonance lacking: potency reduced

Essence consumption: high!

David looked up to see what he’d created. In the memory Ignis had folded four of the elements into one spell, weaving the essence in a complex pattern that had created a dazzling harmony. David could only fuse two. And he chose fire and wind. They bonded in a helix of gust and fiery red. Essence drained from him in a whoosh and he staggered, but he held the sword up. He smiled at the shock on the faces of those in front of him. At the same time, he felt those behind him approaching, and he unleashed the spell, bringing his sword down in one bright swing.

The spell hit the ground and exploded, crushing stones, bones, and protective spells. David felt people die, their essence gushing out, their lives drained like dying stars. Then he launched himself into the sky, through the chaos of dust and sound. He slammed some steps up and ran. Behind him, many were dead and wounded. A glance behind him told him he wasn’t free yet, some hadn’t been as affected by the spell. They ran for him, appearing like ghouls through the cloud of dust and ruin. David fed essence to his legs, and he increased the flow of essence throughout his body. His legs were strong but he had to soothe the fatigue in other parts too.

He shivered, feeling danger creeping close, and summoned his armor. It covered him just as an arrow hit his back and glanced off. David ran harder.

The steps seemed endless, but he knew it was not. He could see the great pillars already. Above, Ignis warned and David looked up to see the sky turn dark and a streak of lightning shot down. He leaped and stones shattered behind him. He tried to infuse even more essence, but his body hurt, he’d sped the flow too hard, overtasking his organs. His vision was blurry, but he was grateful. He was almost there. But something was wrong. He could see the face of the priest, standing at the edge, just above the final step. David tried to step forward but his legs wouldn’t move. The priest looked down at him, sadness in his old eyes. Despair filled David. He’d failed? He couldn’t even turn to face his enemies. The priest’s grey-silver shone, soaking in the sunlight. His lips quivered as he watched David suffer.

“Help me,” David begged. Panic tore through the confidence he’d cocooned himself in earlier. How had he failed? What held him in place? He twisted at the waist just as one of the hooded figures dove for him, a trident suffused in a dark spell poised to pierce through David.

Spell: Left hand of Chaos

He caught the trident with his left hand and ran his sword through the man with his right. Blood soaked the dark cloak and David felt the hold on his feet ease, He turned slightly and hurled the trident on another man, this one wearing the regular clothes of commoners to blend in. The trident plunged into his chest and crashed back into others behind him. It had been a spell, and now it was gone. Exhaustion weighed down on him. Fear had intensified the side effects of his careless use of essence. David walked up with his back to the priest. He didn’t trust the man so he turned when he got close, and the priest grabbed him.

“You are saved,” The priest said, his grin wide and delighted. His eyes were red, he’d been close to crying. “Amareth must really love you.”

“Or hate me,” David said, pointing at the crowd that had tried to kill him. “Look at them.”

The priest turned a silver chain with symbols and runes clinking as he faced the coming crowd. Essence swirled around him harshly, stinging David like a hundred needles poking him.

“Be gone!” The man said. He didn’t shout, but his voice rolled down the steps like an avalanche. It carried most of the stubborn ones down, tossing them to the beginning of the stairs. Some fell, holding their heads and screaming in pain. “You are not welcome here. You have had your chance!”

Each word brought agony to those below. David watched them suffer. His eyes widened in awe. That was some kind of sound spell, yet he hadn’t felt or seen any essence in the working of the spell.

“Now, are you ready for your baptism?” The priest asked, his eyes shining with excitement. “Amareth had shown us your strength. But you need guidance. Come.”

“He showed you?” David asked, walking into a large portico. The center pillars were two large statues. One male and the other female. The male held a harp in one hand and the other stretched up to support the temple, a burning star sat on his head like a crown. The woman held a star in her stretched hand, and in the other, she held a fiend by the throat. Both statues had their eyes lifted to the heavens.

As the priest led David past these statues, he felt something brush him. Not his skin…more like his soul. The priest grinned even wider, ushering him toward the doors. As they got close, the two guards stationed there pushed the doors open and David gasped at the wave of power that rushed at him. His panic ebbed and he felt nourished. Something had erased his fatigue, and it was beckoning to David strongly.