The Tower in the Shadows

Change was always present.

The world was constantly changing. Be it by the actions of the strong or just the changing seasons.

These last few years have seen the rate of change increase, reminiscent of the previous great upheaval of Adrils Folly—the appearance of a strange Dungeon, the discovery of void corruption, and the disappearances of two Gods. These were just some of the variables driving the change in the world.

Some thrived in this time, while most struggled.

This was a world of those who knew struggle and rose to the challenge.

Major cities were repairing and counting the cost of the recent events.

The city of Shadow Vale was the focus of even more attention. Lord Goldwind worked with others to prevent further loss of life and resources. His family saw an opportunity.

Void stones were in great demand. Nations across the world were demanding access to these stones. The number of those dealing with void corruption was far greater now and in the open.

The void corruption was scarring people, and they were becoming desperate. The Dungeon was slowly producing stones. Ironically, the number of people suffering from corruption in the city increased. This was not due to the spread of corruption, but rather people suffering from it flocked to the city. Word had spread that this was the only place where the corruption could be removed. The local High Healer was performing the rituals and instructing others in how they were performed.

The numbers were growing and straining the city's limited resources and space, increasing the risk of corruption spreading. Healers and other specialists were arriving in the city to learn how to deal with void corruption, and they were aided where they could.

At first, those travelling there with corruption were ignored, but some fell as they travelled, spreading the corruption and causing devastation. At first, these new sources of corruption were not discovered, but as more appeared, the people travelling towards the city of Shadow Vale were identified as the source. Most travelled without announcing their status, trying to get to the city and find a cure. This led to the local populations becoming more hostile and suspicious towards travellers using the waterways and the roads.

Seeing fear and suspicion turn into hostility, people began to be attacked. Many were infected with the corruption, but many were not. This, in turn, spread corruption further, as those committing the killings became corrupted when void essence entered their bodies. Local rulers began to get involved as the death toll rose, attempting to control the fear and hysteria spreading about those infected with the void corruption.

The problem was that they were still too weakened by recent events and could not fully enforce their decrees and laws. In many areas, these rulers were not trying to protect those infected with the corruption but were actively hunting them down through proxies and other means. This was done out of fear or a drive for further advancement, whether through profit or land acquisition.

Local priests from all the temples were doing their best to calm and contain the population, but even within their ranks, many harboured great fear and resentment toward those corrupted by the void.

Word spread quickly that the destination of all these people was the city of Shadow Vale, and suspicion of this young and vibrant power began to spread further as the local lords around the city looked upon it now with both hunger and fear.

Upgrading the dungeon status to platinum had a profound effect across the continents. Adventurers were moving toward the Dungeon anyway, but now even more powerful ones were heading in that direction. Some came for power, some for gain, while others had their own ideas and intentions. Some even thought this Dungeon was the source of all the trouble and whispered in quiet cabals about destroying it.

The guards looked on with increasing worry on the continent around Foley's end. It was now apparent that it was only a matter of time before the monstrosities contained within their area would try to break out. Every day, they noticed larger and more powerful creatures moving within the domain they had guarded, and an increasing number were starting to test the rivers that contained them.

Traffic along the river routes and roadways leading to the city had increased again, even with winter approaching. Many were trying to get to the city before the weather changed, as the mountains were notorious for being treacherous, with winter arriving early and lasting much longer than in the plains and riverlands. Among these travellers were now higher-level groups, all travelling in one direction. The transition from Gold to Platinum altered the team's reputation and resources, as the Platinum groups had access to alternative means of travel.

## ## ## ## ##

"How far are we from the city?"

The question drew Nibar from his thoughts. The air was cold, but the spells around them protected them from the worst of the wind as they flew on the magical carpet. The group had been debating travelling to Shadow Vale for the last few weeks, but the new rating had them hiring the expensive means of travel after the horror of The Day of Godfall.

That was what people are now starting to call the day the corrupted emerged from the temples and rampage across the temple districts and cities they were located in. On that day, two gods stopped responding and were feared dead.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He looked at the member of his group who had asked the question.

"Soon, Tobus. For such a skilled archer, you are far too impatient." Nibar was stretched out and lounged on the large magical carpet. Its weave quality was exceptional.

"I am patient when needed, it's the travelling that vexes me." He replied.

The rest of the group was not paying attention. The group's archer always complained when they travelled, but they were used to it after all these years.

Nibar returned to looking at the pendant in his hand. It was the symbol of Rickle, the God of Luck. It was old and worn and was his oldest possession. He had had it since childhood and could not remember a time without it. It was a gift from his mother, but time had dimmed all memories of her.

He had grown up in the thieves' guild of the old capital. They had picked him up when he was young after her death, when he had been surviving on the streets, stealing to eat.

He still remembered the pain and the burn of hunger from those days.

The Thief's Guild was hard, but he learned and rose through the ranks. The god of thieves was a god he respected, but he knew that Rickle was his true god. Luck was what you needed most in his life when he was a thief and now an adventurer. The longer you walk both roads, the more you need luck as the odds turn against you in the long run.

He looked at his group again.

They were a platinum-grade team—one of the best on the continent—and one of the few that was a full team. At this level, there are few teams anymore. The Paths they walk take their toll on them mentally and physically, and death claims so many. His team was a merger of two early gold-ranked teams.

Such mergers are not always successful and could lead to greater problems down the road, but the people he had under his leadership had now come together to create something more substantial from the remnants of the previous two teams.

Tobus was a [Marksman] able to place an arrow in a target a hundred feet away with terrifying precision. Kyle, a [Bulkward] dressed in heavy plate armour with a great shield, wielded a broadsword more like a long sword. He was paired with Drun, a [Line Breaker], a man of equally large stature, also dressed in plate armour, but instead of a sword, he carried a heavy war axe. The remaining two members of his team were a contradiction in appearance, yet they were the most stable members of his group, as they were married to each other. Hale was the group's spellcaster, a [Student of Magic], which was quite the ironic Path name as he was one of the most competent spell casters Nibar had ever encountered. He was tall and thin to the point of being lanky and looked like a strong wind could easily blow him over in his oversized robes. His wife, Mymar, was a [Priestess of Ilinia] and the group's healer. She was a short and stout woman who carried a mace for when things got up close and personal, dressed in light leather armour. She was a no-nonsense woman who took care of everyone around her.

Hale and Kyle were members of the other group. They slotted in and joined his group, and together, they formed something stronger. They had worked together for many years and reached the next stage in their development as adventurers along their Paths.

Now they were travelling to one of the continent's most intriguing and worrisome places.

The Tower in the Shadows.

"City ahead." The mage operating the magic carpet said. They all turned in the direction they were heading as they followed the river. As they turned past the mountain ridge, they got a full view of the valley, and the city was contained.

"Let's get settled and see what all the fuss is about," Nibar told his group. The lack of replies did not worry him, as they had worked together for so long that they all knew what was expected of them.

## ## ## ## ##

"Welcome, Team Captain Nibar."

"Thank you, Guild Leader Woodland," Nibar replied.

He was ushered into the Guild Leader's office when he registered his team. This was normal, as his team's rank brought certain privileges and responsibilities. Any local Guild Leader would need to speak to him to establish a personal connection in case they were required to call upon him and his team for a dangerous assignment. Many used it as a chance to ingratiate themselves with a high-ranking team.

When he entered the room, he found a functional office. He noted the equipment rack on the other side of the room containing her gear for assessing dungeons. Some guild leaders like to hold onto the past and keep their dear ones close. Many used it to demonstrate that they were still adventurers at heart, as most people in this position were former adventurers.

"I try to meet all the team captains who register in the city that are ranked bronze and above." She spoke to him from across her desk.

"That is very admirable of you, Guild Leader Woodland." He believed it was unusual for a guild leader of any branch to try to meet all the captains of teams as low as that.

"I have heard that you have come from the old capital." She continued.

"Yes, we helped with the recent problems caused by the eruption of void corrupted priests from the temples." He noted her grimace; this city was affected, too, and he knew many were lost here, too.

"Thankfully, Guild Master Albrot and High Guild Master Averance were here and helped in suppressing the danger."

He blinked in surprise, not realising that the High Guild Master was present within the city. The last he heard, she was far to the west, dealing with some other problems. But then again, the High Guild Master was notorious for never being where people thought she was.

"Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting the High Guild Master?" Woodland asked him.

He heard the emphasis on the word "pleasure," knowing what she meant. "Yes. I met her only twice, the last time was when my team was awarded platinum status; she was the one who conducted the ceremony."

Woodland nodded at his answer.

"What are your plans for your time here?" She asked.

"We plan to run through the dungeon as soon as the slot opens up." He and his Team had spoken and decided they would only do one run on the Dungeon.

"Are you planning to do the whole dungeon or just certain floors?"

"The dungeon gives you options to bypass floors, does it?" He asked. He was a bit surprised that such a young dungeon would generally not do such a thing, and he and his team were prepared to wade through many floors of low-level opponents to get to the ones they were interested in. Honestly, they had not done much research into this new Dungeon, just having heard of its rapid rise in ranking and decided to find out what was going on. Some rumours they heard were so contradictory that they couldn't believe them. They decided to do a full intelligence collection before entering.

"The Dungeon consists of 10 floors right now. It has a stairwell running the full length of these floors that lets you get off on any you wish to visit and bypass the ones you do not." She informed him.

"We had heard some rumours but hadn't put much stock in them. It is good to know that we could bypass most floors." This changed a lot for him and his team, meaning they didn't have to spend a day or two wading through all the chaff. "What is your recommendation?"

He asked the guild leader the question to gauge her reaction and her competence.

"It depends on what your team is looking for? Knowing your reputation and competence, I would say the seventh and below is your best choice." She said after a few moments of thought.

"Why the seventh?" He asked, wondering what the answer would be.

"It is from thereon in that the monsters within a dungeon would give you the challenge." Her answer was honest, and he finds himself liking this Guild Leader.