A Legacy of Blades - An Epic Tower Fantasy

The doors creaked open, firelight flickering in accord with the uneven sound. Each inch that Anilith pushed the doors was accompanied by the grating of metal on rust, and the subtle tinkling of corroded material crumbling to dust and striking the ground. It was dark in the chamber beyond, but as the doors came to a rest, a line of fire running the length of the walls lit the chamber.

"After you, my liege," she said to Razhik.

"Hmmm," he replied in mock contemplation, "No, I think I'm good. You did do the honors of opening the door, after all. It's only right you see what's inside!"

"Always the brave one, eh, Razh," Orion ribbed.

"Bravery hardly saves lives, now does it?" Razhik retorted. "Well, maybe other people's, but this is about my scaly hide. Obviously, I'm a little biased."

Anilith sighed, shaking her head as she stepped over he threshold. "Fine, it's not likely to make much difference anyway. I'll check it out; let you know when I know it's safe."

The moment her second foot met the ground in the room, a barrier of flame cut her off from her friends.

"Alright, maybe I was wrong about that," she muttered. "Shoulda just let Razhik check it out, but there's no going back now."

Ahead of her, a large-backed chair faced away from her, its legs like nothing she'd ever seen. They spread like the roots of a tree from a central trunk, each root culminating in the tiniest, most useless-looking wheel she had ever seen. As she watched, the chair began to rotate, slowly revealing the occupant of the room: a lone goblin, not quite as ugly as she would have guessed, sitting in the chair…holding a delicate-looking cup.

"Well, well, well. Long time since anyone's made it here," the creature said, "Ah! Do give me a moment to warm my tea. It seems to have gone cold while my mind wandered."

The creature held a single finger out and emitted a flame that did exactly as advertised, if the steam that rose from the creature's cup was any indication.

It took Anilith a moment to register something about the Goblin's speech, as she had grown used to her uncanny ability to understand the creatures. It had proven itself a skill beyond compare, only this goblin wasn't speaking in the normal tongue of its people: it spoke the common tongue of the Tower.

"That's better! Now, where were we? Ah! Yes," the creature went on, "Thank you for visiting me, it's been so long since I've had any visitors, and they were anything but polite. Hardly listened to a word I said. You've been a much better guest, so far. I wonder what ever happened to those kids…Anyway, congratulations on making it this far! I hope you don't mind if we talk a little bit before we fight. It's inevitable, sure, but that doesn't mean we can't be civil about it, no?"

Anilith stared at the beast, slack-jawed. "Why can I understand you?" she blurted out. "No, that's not quite what I mean. How are you speaking that language? Haven't met one of your people that speaks anything but that nightmare of a language."

"Oh, there are more of us than you think, but we aren't allowed to come out and play, yet," the creature huffed. "It's no small thing you're attempting here, conquering this place, and I want to make sure you know what you're getting into, because it won't be just yourself affected." The pyromancer touched a scar near his throat. "Had to modify the door after that last time, they weren't real keen on listening. You seem a touch more reasonable. Might be I have a better chance to talk. Groups, well, they're hard to reason with, but someone trapped on their own might be more interested in listening. I guess you're the first test candidate, though. Tell me, are you more inclined to talk?" The creature asked as he conjured a stool and table from nowhere. A cup of steaming liquid sat on the table nearest the empty chair.

"Don't worry," the creature added, following his guest's gaze, "It's not poisoned or anything. That would be far too boring. Don't feel obligated to drink it, but it is good stuff, so let me know if you don't want it, and I'll give it a good home."

Anilith hesitantly moved towards the proffered chair, accepting that this creature may have a few screws loose after centuries in here alone.

"Come, come! Sit," the creature insisted, "It's been so long since I've had anyone to talk to, well, anyone else. Congratulations on defeating the gatekeeper, by the way. Few have ever even made it that far, let alone bested him. The last group didn't think to pit the factions against each other, but there is not only one path to Power."

"So," Anilith replied, tapping her chin, "Someone has made it this far before. Since you're feeling so chatty, what can you tell me about them?"

"Oh, not much. Not much at all. See, I was here, all excited to talk to someone, get news from outside this place, and so much more handsome then, and they just waltzed right in here, took one look at me, and the next thing I knew, I was meeting the god of the in-between!"

Anilith blinked. "The in-between? This hidden dungeon?"

"Ah," the creature said, "I forget that you humans have renamed many things, and it has been a very long time since I've had the chance to leave this place. This world: what do you call it?"

"The Tower?"

"Hmmm," the creature said, making strange noises with his tongue as if tasting something, "Tower. That is a strange name for it, but then again, you are very strange people, always coming and going, no sense for the true scale of time." He paused before looking her in the eye, his green eyes shining with intelligence she didn't expect. "I'm going to tell you a story, before we get to the whole 'fighting to the death' thing. It's a shame, really, but rules are rules.

"Anyway, a long time ago, there was a mighty empire of monsters, as you undoubtedly think of us, in this space between spaces. This place was different then, before they came with their rules."

Stolen story; please report.

"Rules," Anilith interjected, "What rules? And what brought the monste…you here?"

The creature laughed, the flames in the room pulsing with the bouncing rhythm. "Oh, don't worry about offending me. You're not wrong, the new generations are pretty monstrous. This place changes people, over a long enough time. It's what brought them here in the first place. I can't really speak to what brought the tribes here originally, though. That was before my time. Nobody really knows much about that, but legend is, they were refugees from a calamity on one of the worlds.

"The Tribes were united, then, not split between land and sea, and our leaders ruled in harmony with one another. We were many, but one, and our differences made us stronger. This land wasn't so closed off then, and people were more free to come and go, but it was always a harsh life here. The rules of the strangers didn't change that, couldn't change that, merely shifted the balance of power.

"We welcomed those heroes, and everything changed."

Anilith stared at the creature, really not understanding what it was getting at, but unable to escape the gravity of the history of this place. There was something here before the Tower?

"You've mentioned these strangers, these heroes, a couple of times now," Anilith said. "Who are they? This is all just going right over my head, to be honest."

"Ah," the creature sighed, "But the most important stories always do. I don't know what happened to them, but I know they lost someone here and bound his spirit in their rules. But that's neither here nor there.

"The world you've seen today was born in that time, and the empire was buried beneath the new world. Rules bound the lands, controlling the influx of inhabitants and defining the laws of advancement. The tribes, after much deliberation, took on a new role, forsaking our empire for the chance at something greater, more meaningful. When time is endless, ambitions become far less trivial.

"There was a schism between the tribes in those ancient days," the creature's eyes glossed over, not so differently from when Orion relived a memory. "Many died, the first to feed the new designs. Not everyone supported those newcomers, and war broke out between our people.

"Over time, we became what you know as the Mountain and Sea Tribes, and this world changed us. Eventually, our descendants and reborn became twisted into the wretched forms you see before you, immortal but flawed. Nothing comes without a price. Never forget that, no matter the heights you reach. True Power isn't something you understand until it is too late."

Anilith, eyes narrowed in thought, simply nodded along. "Look, I know it's been a long time since you've had a chat, and all, but what does any of that have to do with me or my friends? We came here to clear the hidden dungeon we stumbled upon and see what rewards it might bring. Everything has felt more and more complicated as we've gotten farther into this pocket of insanity, but that's nothing compared to what you're saying right now. Still, I don't see why any of that matters, fascinating as it all is." She coughed. "With respect," she finished.

"Oh," the creature sighed again, its green eyes showing no malice, "the impatience of youth, how I envy it. Here I thought you might like to know a little more about this world you're in, but I'm getting to why it's important. This 'hidden dungeon,' as you call it, holds more meaning than you know, and it is far from the only one. They are special battlegrounds for the Tribes, places we can vie for power, controlling what is to come.

"The Mountain Tribes are those remnants who allied with the strangers, pursuing a new path and solidifying our place in this world. The worlds outside of here have forsaken us, but in this place, we have found a better life than we could have hoped, and a bright future for any of us who can claw our way to the top.

"The Sea Tribes struggle against the rules we accepted all those years ago, deluding themselves into believing they might break free from the system. They seek the outer worlds, willing to go to any lengths to leave this place. They seek to control these hidden places, that they might set the next stage into motion.

"These places are the bones of our empire, child, where lingers all that remains. Find them, conquer them, and you will discover the truth of this world."

Anilith finally sipped the cup in front of her, content in knowing that if it killed her, she wouldn't have to try to explain any of this to Orion or, worse, Razhik. Gods, he was going to have so many questions.

"It's not so bad," the creature said, "It was a gift from the god of this place. He called it 'minty.' Truthfully, I don't know where he comes up with his ideas, but he seems to have an endless font of inspiration. You should see what else he's created."

"You talk about this god, the Tower, like you've met him. It's just a place, isn't it?"

"Well," the creature replied, "I've already told you, haven't I? He's a part of this place now, bound to it. He's never referred to himself as any 'Tower,' though." The old goblin laughed, a surprisingly musical sound, coming from one of his kind. "I imagine he'd get put on a scowl if anyone called him that."

Anilith stared, amazed at the contrast between this creature and any of his kin that she'd come across. Even the gatekeeper, assuming that was the commander Kewrok had slain, hadn't given off such a palpable air of…honor as he sat sipping his minty.

"You…you're different from the rest," Anilith uttered quietly, "kinder. What's your name, if I may?"

The creature's eyes glinted as an innocent smile crept over his lips. "My name, you ask. Why, there's power in a name, you know; why should I give you mine?"

"I'm Ani," she said, not sure why she gave him any name, let alone one only used by her friends. "I'm not a fan of surprises, usually, because they almost always end badly for me. You're a surprise I didn't see coming, though."

"Bah! A surprise is just an opportunity you didn't know you'd receive. I'm old, older than I have any reason to be, and this world has been kind to me. It's only right that I return the favor," he said. "My name, my real name, I don't deserve to bear anymore. I've fallen too far, changed too much, but you can call me Pip."

"Well, Pip," Anilith said, sipping her minty, "It's nice to meet a pleasant goblin. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances." She gestured to the arena around them, ringed in fire.

"Oh, child," Pip answered, "I knew what I signed up for long ago. I am a barrier that those in power must overcome to transform this world. My destiny has never been a happy one, from the moment I took this charge; it is a good one, though. Few can rest as assured of the worth of their life."

"My master would have liked you, Pip. Not sure I want to follow through on what's coming, if I'm being honest," Anilith said.

"This world moves relentlessly forward, child," Pip responded with a sigh. "It doesn't care what you want, and failing to do what needs to be done will only hurt you. Let us sit and enjoy a moment of companionable silence, two destined enemies, weary of bloodshed. Thank you, Ani, for listening."

Pip turned away, staring into the flames that licked the walls, seeming to watch patterns Anilith could not see. She breathed, focusing on her magic. A warmth spread from her hand as she relaxed and sipped her minty, the imminent battle as unreal as the memory of a dream.

Victory, it seemed, came at ever-increasing costs.