Tower of Souls

Head hanging low and feeling defeated, Cameron trudged back to his apartment, the reality of his situation pressing down on him. His choices were simple: join one of the big groups and be subject to whatever fate they lined up for him, or end up being killed by one of them...

Or try to climb alone- which, he had been repeatedly reminded, was just another way to die- though, with Davis’s comments on being able to stand on his own if he was high enough level, he was almost tempted to try...

Except he also knew how astronomical the odds were against him. Sure, a Legendary Classer may technically have the power to clear the first Floor alone- depending on their Class and Abilities... but that power didn’t matter if they were ambushed. Or an enemy snuck up behind them because they had no one to watch their back...

Stealth Abilities, overwhelming numbers, a Floor Boss that hard countered whatever their Class could do... the number of things that could go wrong and cost a solo climber their life didn’t stop there, but it was already more than enough.

”Maybe a Mythic...” He muttered before immediately discarding the thought. His Class may be slightly more powerful, and have greater potential... but was that enough to over come all the difficulties? To climb the Tower alone?

Entering his apartment and closing the door, Cameron was several steps in before he realized something was wrong. While his apartment was always drafty and cold during the Winter, it was especially biting today...

Raising his head with dawning horror, he saw that his window had been broken in... and Cole was sitting on his bed, smiling victoriously...

Then another Cole stepped out of his kitchen area to stand behind him with an identical smile, absently chewing on Cameron’s last chunk of T-Ration...

While he was surprised at the man being in his apartment, Cameron wasn’t really surprised that there were two of him. He had heard the whispered rumors, confusing that they were, that Cole could somehow be in two places at once- though those rumors were rare, as the man apparently took measures to hide it, even going so far as to kill people if he found out they were spreading them.

”Nice Ability.” He said, grudgingly. He was effectively trapped between them and, while he had a Class of his own now- and definitely a higher Rarity Class- Cole was likely Level 2 already... and fighting two opponents at once was exactly why climbing alone was so dangerous...

”Thanks.” The Cole on the bed grinned. ”Coming from a Mythic, that’s quite the compliment.”

Cameron sighed; after the day he had, he was already wrung out... and now he had this to deal with. What he needed was a way to delay whatever was about to happen- he had a few ideas of what was coming, and he hoped it wasn’t going to be his murder-

What he needed was time to think. A delay of some sort-

”You mind if I get a shower before we talk? I mean, I’m guessing that’s what you want, seeing as I’m not dead yet... and I’ve had a hell of a day.” He sighed weakly. ”Being mugged and beat up, then standing in line at the ceremony, Awakening and all the pain that came with it...”

Cameron shuddered just remembering how it felt. He forced himself to slump his shoulders, playing into the fearful and defeated image- exactly what he hoped Cole was expecting from him. His voice dropped to a tearful whisper, not having to work to fake the emotions... since he really was feeling all of them, just not about Cole. Not anymore. ”I could just... really use a shower. Please.”

”Sure.” Cole 1, as he had dubbed the one sitting on the bed, chuckled malevolently as he hopped up from the bed- and moved over in front of the broken window. ”I’ll just hang out here, so you don’t get any ideas.”

”I kinda like this spot.” Cole 2 said, leaning again the door frame.

With both exits blocked, Cameron sighed as he headed for the shower. Pulling the curtain closed behind him- he didn’t care for the idea of being exposed to that cretin, though the flimsy curtain offered little protection from prying eyes- his mind was already racing.

Many people thought that Cole was maybe a simple Common or Uncommon Classer, that maybe his Ability to be in two places at once was a simple illusion or something- meant to misdirect and confuse... But Davis and Cameron had always suspected more...

And, given that both Coles in the room currently were obviously physically there... Cole 1 had sat on the bed, crinkling the sheets and depressing the rough padding, while Cole 2 actually ate something...

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Cameron didn’t think it was an illusion... and Cole wasn’t just a weak Common or Uncommon, not if he was only Level 1 or 2...

But Cameron was still just a newly Awakened; sure, he had been through the combat training at school- and, aside from sparring, had actually done pretty well... when he wasn’t too injured from the other’s abuses...

’You have a rough idea what you’re against, Cam, so focus on what you have to work with.’ He scolded himself silently. ’That means figuring out your Class...’

With a mental command, he opened his Status window for the first time- though this certainly wasn’t the situation he had envisioned doing it in...

Name: Cameron

Class: Binder

Level: 1

XP: 0/1000

HP: 80 MP: 130

HP Regen: 1/s MP Regen: 1.5/s

Armor: 0

Stats:

Strength- 9

Agility- 11

Vitality- 8

Intelligence- 13

Will- 12

Spirit- 15

Abilities:

Soul Harvest

Free Stats Available: 13

Weapon Restrictions: None

Armor Restrictions: None

Cam grimaced at his abysmal physical Stats; He knew that the average for a Stat was actually 10... so, while Agility was ok, Strength and Vitality... he could only silently curse the years of eating poorly.

And a low Vitality meant low hit points- HP for short.

His mental Stats, on the other hand, were pretty high for a newly Awakened- a fact he attributed to his diligent studies, and the hardships he had gone though... But unless he was a caster Class...

And, while his Ability did remind him of what he had heard about Necromancers... if his Class really was like that, it still wouldn’t be good for him- physically weak, against two opponents, and no corpses nearby to work with... though Soul Harvest didn’t actually sound like it would reanimate a corpse...

The only way to know would be to check what is Ability did.

Soul Harvest: ”Reap their lives and Harvest their Souls, so that the Bounty of their struggles nourishes your ascent.”

Passive: You can see the Souls of slain enemies for a short time after their deaths.

Active 1: Read Soul- Enables you to learn the names of Abilities the Soul possessed in life.

Active 2: Harvest- Removes a single Ability from the Soul, binding it to your Soul and granting you use of the Ability. (This effect is permanent.)

Cooldown: 1 week

*Note: The Binder Class does not gain Abilities as it levels.

*Note: Armor does not interfere with the use of Abilities gained in this way.

There was a lot for Cam to unpack from that Ability... though, with how limited his time was, he focused on the most critical point: it offered nothing immediate, and had zero function in combat...

Thumping his head against the shower wall as cold water ran down his body, Cam nearly gave in to despair... Until Cole laughed.

’He’s already sure he has me beaten and under his thumb!’ Cam raged internally, the laugh cementing his resolve- he would either come out of this unbroken, or he would die trying.

At least he had one trick up his sleeve... or, more accurately, in his Inventory.

He just hoped that, between it and his Free Stats, he could make it work...