Volume Two: The Forest of Nightmares

Challenge #2

A thousand survivors of the first challenge in the Tower stood huddled around the windows of the Forestbrook Hotel seeing the sky for the first time in three days. The sky above wasn't the right sky. The trees weren't the right trees. Even the dirt looked wrong, too black and reflective to be from Earth. Above all else, the tower in the far distance, as thick as a thumb against the horizon stretched up out of sight, even as I walked up to the window and angled my face to look up.

Two figures approached the hotel, and they were just a little off too. They seemed human enough, by the count of limbs and the manner of ambulation, but there was an uncanny length to their proportions, as if they were stretched by some wicked contraption to the point of their limbs actually extending, just for a few inches, but enough to seem wrong.

"Make sure to avoid fighting," I heard Artemis say behind me, "the rules say that there won't be any danger to us in the hotel, but we cannot know that will hold true if we start shit first."

As was now usual, almost natural, the thousand survivors had gathered in our own little sub-groups. The Guild- that is The Adventuring Guild headed by Artemis that had been instrumental in the survival of nearly every single person of our sector, including myself- was now about a hundred people strong, which was on the larger side of factions. Many people liked the flat hierarchy and the accepting nature of the Guild, but even more wanted to stick with whomever they had survived the three terrible days in the… school basement thing that we'd thought was the Tower, before leaving it and being faced with the surface here.

So, around forty of us had survived in the first place, we were immediately joined by the Brighton group, and over the last two days of rest and recuperation, we'd doubled our numbers with new members- mostly people from sectors with such high fatalities that going at it with only the people that survived from their sector would be suicidal.

The leaders of the other two groups comparable to us in size approached Artemis, one was a man in his mid-forties with a crew-cut and a brick chin by the name of Brandt and the other a cheerful woman named Sophia, with a voice that was pleasant but always felt disingenuous to me. Like she was just about to sell me a set of knives that can cut paper like this.

"We agreed that there is protocol for this. You don't get to go around giving orders to my men," Brandt said. "Advice. You cannot give orders to people without threatening them with violence," Artemis said. Yeah, the two had not gotten off on the right foot at their first meeting. Or second. And it didn't seem like it was changing now. "Artemis, officer Brandt, it is clear that our management styles are diverse and separate, and we have therefore concluded that parallel modes of organization would be most advantageous for our appropriate-" Sophie began, but was interrupted. "My men follow me because they trust me, are loyal, and know I have their back when shit goes down! Your kind always talks about us without knowing what it is like day to day to be the sheep-dog among the wolves," Brandt said.

So I stopped time before Artemis could punch the man in the face.

"You good?" I said, inside our time bubble. "Fucking bastard," Artemis said. "You can swear at him more. He won't know you did," I said. "Nah, that sort of ruins the point of it. I'm good. I have to be. Hell, I've been to wound up and too easily provoked for days, it's just…" she said. "Yeah, I know. And I don't hold it against you. My armor was totally almost strong enough to take that punch," I said. "That was really not cool of me. It's this stats- No, I shouldn't blame it. I really fucked up back then," Artemis said. "It's fine," I said. "You say it's fine because you've been conditioned your whole life to think of punches from women not being that big a deal. I have been conditioned the same way. I am stronger than you now, by a good chunk," Artemis said. "If it's not okay now it wouldn't have been okay on Earth," I said. "Maybe. But now it's dangerous. And I'll do better," Artemis said. "Well, that's all the time we have for our little cool-down. Ready to do politics?" I said. "Fucking Hell, sure," Artemis said.

"Alright, alright. Sorry, Brandt. I'm still sticking by my advice. We can't know what will happen if we try to fight those people," Artemis said. Brandt looked like he'd snap back for a second, but he took a few deep breaths and a few paces before talking. "I fucking hate this shit. It's just two guys. We shouldn't be pissing our pants about two guys," Brandt said. "Look, I'm really trying with the olive branch here, but we don't know what gender those people are. Hell, a third of your 'men' are, in fact, women. At this point it's not even so much about inclusion as just plain accuracy," Artemis said. "This damn video game bullshit. I mean, I had a couple of good broads on the force back on Earth, it's not like I don't get it. You know what, fine. If you pass any of your 'advice' along with me before shouting it out to my- people - I will try to be, as you say, more accurate," he said. "Excellent! Then we can proceed with the organization of today's activities," Sophia said.

It hadn't passed me by that out of the three sides of the discussion one had got a concession, one had got a gesture, and a third had decided that everything was fair and balanced. Which felt familiar from what I remembered of politics back on Earth.

"Ah! Fabulous, if we are doing politics, We must most certainly be involved," The Monarch of Goblins joined our talk. They had taken quite well to feasting and baths, though it never seemed to dull their edge.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "What do you want," Brandt said. "We will back the wizard's allies without reservation," the Monarch of Goblins said. "I'm sorry?" I said. "You are forgiven. The scales are twice tipped against us in the matter of favor. We will not owe you thrice," the Monarch of Goblins said. "I don't know if interceding in this minor procedural disagreement really counts as paying back a favor," I said. "You misunderstand. We will be on your side until the scales are balanced. Violent death is the last thing We want to happen to you while We are in your debt," they said. "I really hope it doesn't have to come to that," I said. "Barring betrayal on your part or our two favors repaid, it shan't if We can help it. Meanwhile, We support the wizard's allies in all things," they said. "But that is quite preposterous. That would mean that if we voted, you could always force a stale-mate at least," Sophia said. "If we voted, everyone here would get a vote, not just us four," Artemis said. "Then every member of the Goblin Market votes with the Guild," the Monarch of Goblins said. "That is not how democracy-" Artemis began, but the Monarch interrupted. "And here they come. Heed the Guildmistress' word and daren't touch the outsiders on pain of blood!" the Monarch said.

And, indeed the two strangers were now approaching the door. They were, perhaps, a man and a woman. Each over seven feet tall and dressed in fashionable winter wear of faux fur, padded parkas and stylish sunglasses. Even with most of their bodies covered, they struck an image of runway beauty marred only by their generally disproportional limbs. The woman took out a large, old-looking key, presented it like a game-show award with a flash of TV-white smile and unlocked the door to the outside with it. The lodge was filled with a gust of the first fresh air any of us had had in the last three days, and we took instinctive steps back as the two staff of the- now that I thought about it, were they staff of the hotel or the Tower as a whole- took their steps inside. The man spoke with a telenovela Spanish accent, though he didn't look like he was from particularly anywhere on Earth.

"Welcome, our gracious guests and survivors and congratulations on taking the first steps on the road to power. I am Verus, the humble servant of Archenarch-Mage Ygnorathex Xem, and of yours now too," he said. "And I am Attica, at your service and that of the Archmage Highest," the woman said. She seemed to radiate distant closeness and cold kindness. "And what the Hell do you want from us? Why bring us here? Where's your boss? Who gave you the right to-" Brandt began, but at a look from Verus he wilted instantly. "I am sure you have many questions," Verus said. "And we are oh-so ready to answer them all," Attica said. "But we do have a very specific time-table to keep, and several presentations to deliver," Verus said. "And if we got to the questions and answers now, why," Attica said. "We would just end up going over the same information again and again," Verus said. "Why don't We let you set up then, wouldn't everyone agree that this would be the polite thing to do?" the Monarch of Goblins said.

In a sort of paranoid haze, we moved towards the banquet halls where the 'staff' were setting up what looked like an early 21st century projector, like you would see in any classroom or business presentation of the time.

"This is not a trap, is it, Alex?" Anna said. She'd been relaxing to the fullest and made a few new friends. Which was a good thing, because as far as I could tell her time in the first challenge had been even worse than mine, and the highlight of mine had been barely managing to kill a corpse behemoth before I could bleed out of my orifices from casting too much magic in too short a period of time. "Only in the sense that this whole demiplane is a trap. But stay close, just in case," I said.

They finished setting up and stood opposite sides of the projector. It lit up. On the wall behind them, it now projected.

Challenge #2 Enter the Tower 365 days remain

"Our dear guests, adventurers and heroes!" Attica said. "Congratulations once again on the successful completion of your first challenge of the Tower," Verus said. "Now we have heard a few nasty voices calling it The Tower of Infinite Evil," Attica said. "But nothing could be farther from the truth," Verus said. "This is a gift, a rare treasure that few people among the multiverse get to experience like you- for free and with a custom created challenge. So once more, congratulations on making the choice to join us," Attica said. "Naturally, each of you is entitled to make the other choice you have available and die," Verus said, smiling and not stumbling over the words at all. "Speaking of the few people of the multiverse who have a chance to experience our beautiful Tower," Attica said. "This is the first challenge where paying guests can take part! You will be rewarded for killing them just like you would be for killing someone with a Journal," Verus said. "And isn't that exciting!" Attica said. "The area of the second challenge is roughly the size of one of your Earth's Australias," Verus said. "Don't be silly, Verus. If Earth had more than one Australia, they would be overrun," Attica said. Then the two of them laughed. In a harmony. "Ten thousand hotels, cabins and resorts just like this one have appeared scattered through the area, and ten million tickets have been sold to anyone in the multiverse willing to buy them," Verus said. "So you won't be too badly outnumbered," Attica said. "And remember, while the magic is still maturing, they won't be able to reach much higher than level 20," Verus said. "And, of course, the Tower still provides interesting challenges in the form of monsters and dungeons!" Attica said.

"But we are getting distracted by the details," Verus said. "Oh, of course. We should focus on the heart of the task," Attica said. "Just like with the first challenge, the core of it is quite simple," Verus said. "Get inside the tower on the horizon, and you will move on to the next challenge," Attica said. "There might be a few minor difficulties, however," Verus said.

"Oh boy, here we go," Said Chum at my side, sotto-voce.

"The armies of the Tower defend it. A thousand legions of our dear Archenarch Mage shall not let you pass with their lives," Attica said. "Which would be bad enough, but the wards around the Tower proper can only be disabled by intervention from the higher planes- Hell, Heaven, The Feaen Realms and the places in between," Verus said. "And, of course, as of now, these are- say it with me-," Attica said. "Sealed!" the two of them and no one else said. "You will find a new subsection in your Journals now," Verus said. "Please examine them carefully," Attica said. "And get ready to unleash Hell!" Verus said. "Or Heaven into the Tower!" Attica said.

There was scratching from every Journal in the room but Anna's and mine.

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