“YES other universes are real. That’s where all these other species come from. Everything coming from the dungeon or Tower, every summon comes from somewhere else first.”

  ~Murmur murmur

  “With all due respect, Senators, it doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. They are here, and they aren’t going away.”

  Excerpt from a presentation to the Senate Committee on the Tower

  Benjamin Shuler Trial 5

  Ben cautiously entered the room of the 5th Trial, round shield in one hand, a small war hammer ready to grab at his belt. His tension went up further as he spotted one single skeleton, tattered tunic draped over the bones and a sword/shield combo in its hands. “Mid-boss.” He muttered. “Gotta be.”

  “Hold!” The skeleton called out, presenting its sword. “Speak your name, challenger, as I shall mine, as honor demands!” Its eye sockets flared with an ugly green light as it spoke.

  “You can talk!?” Ben yelled in shock, almost dropping his shield.

  “Yes. Your name? I need to know it before we enter honorable combat.” It pressed.

  “Before I tell you, could you answer me something?” Ben returned.

  “Yes, yes. What is it?” The skeleton warrior replied impatiently.

  “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH THE TRIALS, TOWER, POINTS AND EVERYTHING!?!” Ben burst out.

  ~~~

  After a lengthy explanation by an increasingly impatient and irritated mob, Ben summed it up. “So, this Tower copies itself from universe to universe to Initialize the population and put them through the Trials. The dungeons exist to let people gain points, and start new populations if they aren’t delved. Once a person goes through the Trials, they can do whatever they want.” He frowned. “Why?”

  “Who cares?” The skeleton warrior sighed in impatience (tricky with no lungs). “All I know is those that fail remain until they overcome another challenger. Then they are released into that world.”

  “That’s gotta be rough for anyone who can’t fight.” Ben winced.

  The mid-boss waved it off. “Production, crafting or service templates have separate trials. They only fail if they starve. Now, what is your name?”

  “Oh, right.” Ben waved his hand. “Michael Rotch, but most just call me Mike.”

  The skull’s grin widened and he laughed. “Finally! It was worth the wait. I was almost going to chance it anyway. Now . . .” He leapt back and raised his sword to the ceiling. “By the power of a Name freely given, I seal the power of Mike Rotch!”

  Ben smirked as the two simply stood there, nothing happening.

  “You . . . lied to me!” The skeleton snarled and leapt into the air, sword ready to cleave down.

  “Bored now.” Ben manifested a plane of force just under the warrior’s center of gravity, tripping it up to tumble to the floor in an ungainly heap. Before it recovered, Ben was already throwing his shield at the prone skeleton, a Shield Bash and Ricochet triggering on contact, the shield bouncing back to Ben who once again grabbed it, spun and tossed it back to strike and bounce back once more.

  The mid-boss’s eye sockets flared malevolently as it started to crawl at him. “I will feast on your soul!”

  “Nope.” Ben used a skill to empower his shield with another contact release Shield Bash and used the skill itself at the same time to double Bash it, crushing the skull to powder and clearing the Trial. “Yeah, like demanding I tell you my name every other sentence isn’t a huge red flag.” He shook his head. “Still, I got some decent info out of him. I almost screwed my build. Got to add to my concept and get more foundational skills, and those ‘purification’ skills. Plus merge energies . . .” He walked over and snagged the drop, raising an eyebrow at the upgrade stone and checked the fancy box of trial reward. “Huh, ask and you shall receive. This’ll help . . .” He pocketed the multi-colored potion and walked through the door.

  Ben after 5th Trial

  Benjamin Shuler

  Point Value: 203

  Core Concept: Defense - Foundational

  Energy Type: Stamina – Prime Vitality

  Template: Captain Steve Rogers

  Race: Human – T3, +3 Skill slots

  Bloodline: Mark of the Protector – T2, defensive skills + .2 skill multiplier

  Trait: Super Soldier – T 2, +.2 active combat skill multiplier, -.2 production/crafting

  Sanctuary of the Divine Night, 10th day after the Tower appeared on Earth

  He waited. His Goddess had told them there would be One that needed them, so he waited. Once there were many in this, the last Sanctuary of Night, but now there were few. Some few Guardians, a handful of Warriors, some others, and himself – the last Servant. He worked tirelessly in the wait, using his Skills to try to preserve the crumbling land over the interminable centuries, and he waited. Steadfast. Loyal in the memory of their Savage Goddess of the Sacred Night.

  He remembered the last time he saw her, she raged at the coming battle, the swarming army of those greedy for her Divinity, drunk on the power they gained from the Tower and dungeons. One by one they razed her cities, slew her People, her own children, and forced open the gates to the Dark Heavens where she resided.

  She told them that they had grown enough she could not stand against them all, though they would pay dearly for their affront. She was a Warrior Goddess to the core and would not surrender, but she would save the very last of her Archons in a last Sanctuary, cast loose from the world and set adrift in the Between. She told them there would one day be One that would summon them anew to protect a new People.

  And so he waited.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Nights. Years. Decades. Centuries. Ages.

  He waited, working at his tasks, Serving as his Purpose, maintaining the last Temple.

  Then. Something new! A pull he had just the barest memory of, a Summoning! Eagerly he answered the call, ready to serve his Goddess once again! Once his spirit traversed along the thread of mana to a temporary construct he looked around, and paused.

  This was not his Goddess.

  It was a Mortal, though she was touched by Pure Dark. Barely stronger than a base Producer, but clearly Warrior Templated. The flavor of her Pure Darkness was . . . familiar, he sensed. She spoke words to him in a tongue he did not know, but the meaning was given through the Summoning and he knew what she wanted.

  The Dark Servant demonstrated his matter movement ability he used for cleaning and repairs, then showed the Dark Bolt skill he was allowed for pest control, to destroy any mice, rats or graks that dared to infiltrate the Temple. His summoner seemed disappointed, but sighed and spoke again.

  He was shocked! She wanted him to fight! That wasn’t his place! He was a Servant. He cleaned, disposed of small pests and did the scut work so the important Warriors and Guardians – or even the Crafters could do their work without stooping to his level.

  He tried to convey that information through the link, but she was resolute and a Warrior must be obeyed. He led the way into a maze of stone, searching the paths. Soon, he spotted a goblin and trembled at the Point Value it contained, much greater than his own, but he followed the Command and shot his Dark Bolt at it, locking the goblin’s attention on him. It charged forward and he did his best to fly back and up while lobbing another Bolt each time it went off cooldown, but it was no use. He just wasn’t strong enough to do any real damage. His Spirit energy would run dry long before the beast was slain, and once out of power, his spherical body and orbitals would crash to the floor and be completely helpless before it. Soon he would be crushed to powder and his spirit would return to the Sanctuary a failure. Never would he be called back, to Serve.

  But then! An arrow of the Purest Dark Mana, shrouded in Dark enhancements shot out and pierced through the beast, stopping it as it tried jumping and clawing at him. The beast fell whimpering to the floor and the Servant felt a pulse of Battle Joy through his link as his Summoner capitalized on her attack and raged upon it, quickly dispatching it with only a glancing blow or two from the beast. Understanding fell like twilight as the Servant realized his Mistress didn’t expect him to be a real Warrior. His job was the same as always. He was to provide support for the real Warriors to do the fighting. This was just a little more . . . direct than before. With renewed Purpose he set out to lead the way again, but of course he picked up the bone shard that was left behind and presented it to his Summoner. She pulsed with clear amusement at the gesture and patted him on the top of his sphere in appreciation. Bashfully he did the movement of genuflection and zipped off to find the next target.

  This time, knowing what was expected of him he drew the goblin in a path that let his Summoner completely blindside the beast and take it down without getting hurt once. During the short fight he was able to properly sense the energies and empowering bloodline she contained and was so shocked he almost fell to the floor.

  She was of the Blood! It was faint, and touched with some form of Impurity, but before him, doing her best to turn a goblin into a smear of red on the wall and floor was a True Descendant of the Goddess! He was about to ask how the final battle went and the fate of the Goddess when he felt her run out of mana and the connection ended, sending his spirit back to the Sanctuary.

  He wasted no time in zipping up to the others and reporting his experience. Most scoffed at the thought that a mere servant was called before them, but he was insistent that not only was he Called, but that she was of the Blood. This made them furious, but the commotion brought the attention of their leader, the one with the Title of True Knight. The True Knight glowered them all to silence and started to question him. He went over the events again and again, explaining every small detail as best as he could. The True Knight considered the story and nodded. He commanded the Servant to do his duty with all he had, as was expected, but to observe and report back. If possible, prompt this Summoner to try and summon others from the Sanctuary. He couldn’t say this was the One that was promised, but if this was indeed one of the Blood, they were duty bound to Obey and Protect.

  The Servant felt the tug of Summoning and followed it eagerly, appearing in front of his Mistress once again. He made the gesture of subservience and began his duty of leading the way through the maze to find more enemies to slay. This time, instead of a fast goblin that dropped after a few hits, they found a brutish bugbear that left cracks in the stone whenever it swung its long, powerful arms. Despite the massive power and reach of the thuggish mob the fight was easier, if longer. The low intelligence of the beast made it target whoever hit it last, so as long as the Servant made sure to tag it with a Dark Bolt after his Summoner struck, it couldn’t decide who to target.

  However, as each fight wore on, the Servant grew concerned. His Goddess was well known for her Battle Mind that multiplied her damage when fighting, but his Summoner was lost in her emotion and battle drunkenness she barely kept in check. He was certain the thread of Corruption and Impurity he sensed was the cause, and his heart ached for her. If this was in the age of his Goddess, the priests and priestesses would have worked tirelessly to cleanse her bloodline, providing cleansing rituals, purification potions and meditative training so that when she was Initialized she might properly maximize the potential and power of the Blood.

  In fact, now that he realized she was going through her initial Trials, and not solo running a dungeon, she was woefully unprepared. She had barely any armor, simple gloved weapons and her skills seemed . . . weaker than they should be. In fact, everything she wore appeared to be basic Trial rewards instead of properly crafted gear.

  The two of them worked their way through the maze, felling a total of 5 goblins and 5 bugbears before the exit opened. The treasure room was guarded by one each, but the Servant kept out of reach of the bugbear while pelting it with Dark Bolts while his Summoner took care of the goblin, then they teamed up again to finish the other. The box contained a pair of boots that quickened her step, and before the exit was a box that provided a circlet of bronze that slightly empowered her mana.

  Once in the rest area he swiftly leapt to perform his normal duties as a Servant. There was nothing to clean in the simple room, and a vehement rejection stopped him from assisting her in toiletries, but she at least grudgingly allowed him to assist her in the shower, and dry after. She lay on the cot to rest and jumped in shock when he used his movement power on a massage, but soon relaxed and let him continue. She laughed when he took one of the ration bricks, separated it into bite-sized pieces and presented them in a platter with a goblet of water.

  She took a bite of food with the water, gave him a smile, then broke down in tears. Overwhelming emotions of sadness and despair flowed through the link as she sobbed, crying out words he did not understand. He got the sense that she greatly desired home, and a great fear that home no longer existed, nor family or friends, striking a deep chord within him. He floated over to her, sending feelings of love and loyalty to her through the link. He pressed that no matter what, she would never be alone. So long as she called him, he would Serve. She was his Mistress. Now and forever.

  She swept his metal and crystal body in her arms and clung tight, sobbing harder while babbling in more of her language, sending more emotions and saying something that resonated with Power that shocked him to his core. He felt his Purpose shift and something within change. His Mistress eventually cried herself to sleep and he carefully slipped out from her arms and moved around the room. He tidied back up, sorted the contents of his Mistress’ bag and started work on some old rags tucked into the bag. He just had time to unravel some stitching and re-sew into ribbons when he felt the flow of mana that maintained his presence cut off and he returned to the Sanctuary.

  Immediately upon return, he once again reported to the True Knight. When his report finished, he spoke again.

  “I have a conclusion I wish to share.” He announced.

  One of the Warriors – one that loved to create extra work for Servants – laughed in derision. “A servant has a conclusion?”

  The True Knight silenced him with a growl before turning back to the Servant. “What is your conclusion?”

  “She is not from our world. She has no knowledge of the Trials, was unprepared and without any support. She may not have a home left.” The Servant paused before continuing. “I think before the battle, the Goddess sent a Descendant to an uninitialized world.”

  This sent a murmur of shock through the listening Archons.

  “Impossible.” The True Knight shook his head. “At the time of the final battle, all her children and their descendants were slain. That is the only way for the attackers to reach the Dark Heavens. I know this to be so.”

  “If that is true, then what have we been waiting for?” The cruel Warrior demanded.

  “We have been waiting for the One the Goddess said would call us.” The True Knight told him. “She never said they would be of the Blood.” He turned back to the Servant again and paused, examining him closer. “You are changed.”

  “I have been given a Name.” He replied.

  If before there had been a ripple in a pond, this was a tsunami.

  “A NAME!?!” The cruel Warrior snarled. “I fought for the Goddess in battle after battle, trained with all I had, suffered pain and damage to my very essence, my form was cracked and twisted again and again, and I never even got a Title! And now a servant gets a Name!?”

  “I have fulfilled my Purpose for the Goddess from the very beginning.” The True Knight said evenly. “I was Created in the very first when the Goddess Ascended into Divinity. I was never Named. And only given a Title at the end, when we were ordered to stay here, to lead you through the wait for the One. Our Purpose is not for Names. Or Titles. Or any recognition or reward. We follow our Purpose as we were created to do. Nothing more.” He rested his armored hand on the Warrior’s shoulder.

  “I say no more!” The cruel one shook off the hand. “I say we have been thrown away! Abandoned, discarded! If we will not be recognized by Her, then I forsake Her! I deny Her! I take a Name for myself!” Everyone pulled back in shock as they witnessed him Fall from the Grace of the Goddess. “I am Named the Devouring Stygian! My Purpose is the Endless Hunger of the Void! I-”

  His words cut off as the True Knight drew his Umbral Adamant sword and cleaved him in twain mid-rant. “He has become Corrupted.” The True Knight said sadly as he proceeded to utterly destroy the soul form of the Fallen. “Let us mourn our brother that was.”

  The group fell silent, shaken at the events they had witnessed. While many of the group had left to try and find a new way of life in another World, this was the first known to have Fallen. The True Knight raised his head and looked to the Servant. “What is your Name, little one?”

  “I am Lantern.” He announced. “My Purpose is to Serve and Guide the Lost so they find Home.”

  “I greet you, Lantern. May the Purpose you hold Honor the Goddess.” The True Knight’s voice rang through the Sanctuary.

  The rest chorused their greetings, but a few whispered misgivings. After all, weren’t lanterns tools of the Light? Yes, their Goddess of the Night had been married to the God of the Day, but He had been the God of Crafters, and Producers. Needed, yes, but . . . lesser. The Goddess’ Chosen were Warriors. The True Knight moved to squash the words when a new voice spoke up. The Defender stepped forward and addressed the crowd.

  “The Light had lots of lanterns. Needed them to see.” She shrugged. “We didn’t, the Dark and Night were our domains and we could see just fine. But . . .” She trailed off, then continued. “Maybe we’ve needed a Dark Lantern for a while. To help us see through the Light.”

  That changed the mood of the group to a more positive tone. The Defender caught the True Knight’s eye and gave a slight nod, getting one in return. They just had one Fall, they didn’t need any more.

  For Lantern’s part, he was happy to get praise from the Warriors, Defenders, and other Archons that resided in the Sanctuary, but his mind was on his Mistress. She was alone, and needed him. There was much to do and he was desperate to serve his Purpose. She was Lost, and he would get her Home.

  Lantern's Character Sheet

  Lantern

  Point value: 137

  Core Concept: Service – Unlocks Support and associated skills

  Energy Type: Spirit – Prime Stat Wisdom

  Template: Servant

  Race: Servant Dark Archon – T 2, 20% Boost to Spirit storage (hp, energy * .75)

  Bloodline: None

  Trait: Servant’s Heart – T1, +.1 Boost to stats when serving others, 10% worse combat skills