The Tower in the Shadows

"Maybe that was a mistake."

Maximus and I watched her as she went up the stairs from the 10th floor. She was walking, swaying slightly as if she were drunk. This should have only just happened, as she had just woken up from passing out due to the amount of information she had discovered.

Her arrival in the dungeon had piqued my interest. I knew who she was straightaway, but I had not expected ever to see her again. She entered the dungeon and walked down the stairs to the last floor, giving me time to think about what to do. I decided to find out what was going on with her.

I had used Maximus as my voice during the conversation. It had taken me a few moments to explain to him not to kill her straightaway as he wished. He wasn't too happy but ultimately acquiesced to my decision. He had flown down from one of his perches and landed before her, and I was sure she was going to pass out in fear. I was pleasantly surprised when she held her ground, showing no sign of terror. I had Maximus bring her over to the new stairwell.

That is when I started my interrogation.

She had come looking for answers to questions she had. I learned that she had established a cult dedicated to me, of all things, and she saw me as a divine being. That stroked my ego a bit, but I have to stay on point to get the answers I was looking for. I learnt a lot about what was happening on the surface and with attitudes within the city. Most of it was what I had come to expect, overheard or had guessed.

People are getting concerned about Folly's End and the spreading corruption.

I had been thinking about using her to have the new void stones delivered. While I've been thinking that she had been blabbering on about something, I had not been paying attention. It was then that the strange feeling I had been enduring, which I could not place, returned.

That caught my attention. As she continued to speak, I shifted into Mana Sight and saw something strange. Her body was producing a peculiar essence that was forming into a type of mana, similar to celestial or infernal. It was coming out of her and following a track to me. It left my sight shortly after leaving her, and that was why I had not seen it before.

Was she the source of this weird feeling? Was her cult as well?

I was somewhat confused by what was happening. Maximus wasn't paying attention and was bored. I shifted back to my normal sight and looked over Trixis again. I couldn't see anything unusual or out of place. She seemed happier and healthier than the last time she was here, but that was it.

It was then that I realised she had asked me a question. I quickly went back into my memory and replayed it.

"What are the tenets that you agree with and I should continue to preach?" She had asked. I played four times, saying that I needed a moment to think and review everything she said again. It was then that I realised she was asking me about what direction her cult should take.

I started to panic a bit. It was then that I realised I could play for more time, as I asked her what she thought. She went on to explain her cult's tenets and her thoughts about what direction I was taken in. When I heard it all, I realised I agreed with it.

When she had finished her explanation, I told her that she was on the right path and that she shouldn't worry. During her explanation, it came to me. I could utilise her cult more effectively than Ranus in several ways. If I could steer this organisation in a direction I wished and have them more focused on my goals, they could be a great benefit to me.

It was then that I started dropping quite a few truth bombs on her. I explained to her about the void and the war I was fighting to contain it. I dressed up in those terms to make it easier for her to understand. I told her that I stood away from the gods, as the threat of corruption was too great, even for them. I explained to her that I had revealed how to remove corruption from those suffering from it and the existence of void stones. Finally, I told her that the danger from Folly's End was far more severe than they were letting people know.

I had revealed my appearance to her during the explanation of what was going on in the world. Upon seeing me, she fell to her knees, weeping; I wasn't sure whether it was out of joy or fear. I had made her swear that she would never reveal the location of my Core to anyone. I knew that many people knew where I was, so it wasn't much of a great promise, but I knew she would keep it.

It was then that she had passed out.

She was not out for long, and when she stood up, she seemed changed. I could almost see the aura around her body. Her voice was no longer hesitant but filled with confidence and purpose.

The final thing I had Maximus do for me was to direct her to take her followers and do what they could to oppose the void. I reminded her that the battles ahead would be terrible and long, with failure not an option.

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It was then that she left, still slightly unsteady on her feet, but with every step she took, her stride became more focused and confident.

"You should have let me kill her," Maximus growled.

"No, she might be more useful to us on the surface. Another agent working towards my goals is never a bad thing."

"What are your goals?"

"Survival, of course."

He laughed at that. He waited until she was gone, then got up and walked away from the Core Room. He took to the air and flew up to one of the perches hidden near the ceiling. He settled down once more up there.

"When the corrupted leave Folly's End, will it be as bad as you described?"

"Yes. I might have even undersold what was coming."

"You think you can win?"

"That is the question I cannot answer. Too many factors outside of my control would be in play. The limits imposed by my system restrict me from creating a far more effective defensive setup. I'm doing what I can with what resources I have."

"So, you have a plan then?"

"Yes. I spent the last year thinking about what was to come. I've had the time. Trixis might help me accelerate it."

"We will see," Maximus said a bit sarcastically, which I ignored.

## ## ## ## ##

Trixis was tested and judged a Herald.

The request was made of her to be tested, and she did not object. The three tests were administered, and she passed them all. The church of Rickle was the one to administer the test, as they were seen as the most neutral among all the Pantheon on this issue.

As soon as the result was leaked, outrage erupted from many within the religious community within Shadow Vale. Many of the more radical priests or clerics tried to whip up the masses against the cult dedicated to the dungeon, but they found the Watch resolute in opposing them. The most potent thing opposing them was the silence of their gods. Many requests were made of them for a decision, but they were only met with silence.

Trixis rallied her supporters, instructing them not to resort to violence against others but to defend themselves when necessary. Around the city, some of the more radical elements tried to test their luck against the new cult and quickly found that they were a religion of violence when required. The Watch had to intervene multiple times to break up these fights.

With her declaration as a Herald, many more flocked to the growing religion within the city. Astraus was revealed to have been destroyed in some terrible cataclysm that caused the fall of Oda. Her bereft followers began to be drawn to this new religion, as it spoke to them in a way that hers had.

The numbers standing to hear her preach were increasing, but her message had been slightly altered.

She continued to preach about self-reliance and the importance of endless testing to improve, but now she spoke of the war against the Void. She spoke of the terrible storm that was coming, as the war was being fought around them now. She spoke of the need to stand together and fight against all that was trying to consume them and drag them into oblivion.

Many were starting to express concern about the near-apocalyptic preaching she was doing in the streets. However, others pointed out that she was not calling on her followers to commit acts of violence, but rather to stand against the monsters corrupted by the void and help those who could be saved.

Her call to arms spoke to the spirits of many more. As the days passed, their numbers continued to grow.

## ## ## ## ##

Ranus was feeling the pain building behind his eyes.

The declaration of a Herald had caused him nothing but a continuous headache for the last few days. He could feel it getting worse again.

His meeting room was filled with the community's religious leaders, and they were engaged in one of the most intense arguments he had ever witnessed. The group was split into two factions: one wanted to wait until the gods had made a decision, and the other wanted to strike now and eliminate the new cult. Verbally, none of them was holding back, and accusations and threats were being hurled across the room.

The group was too equally split for one to impose its will on the other. Traditional alliances between the courts have been thrown out the window, and you find different temples that we usually opposed to each other standing in solidarity over this issue.

He had tried on several occasions to bring order to the meeting but had failed. Only his decree of nonviolence between the churches within his city kept the meeting from turning into a bloodbath. The tension crackled between the two sides, and he knew he would not have this resolved today.

He went back to trying to keep the peace.

## ## ## ## ##

The feeling I had called my 'cult vibe' was back.

Oh boy, was it back and stronger than ever.

I wondered what was happening out there. The few adventurers who had been in the dungeon so far today were talking about a Herald or some type in the city. A Herald, of what I had no idea, but it seemed to be a big deal. It appears that the religious groups were at odds, and there was considerable discord and argument among them.

I briefly wondered how Trixis was faring, but I dismissed her as a concern outside of what that weird energy she was producing was doing.

I was regularly checking myself to see if this vibe was causing any changes to me or anything around me, but so far, everything looked to be as it should. This did not mean that something I could not see wasn't happening. I knew I had taken a risk by letting her go, but it was the best outcome I could have hoped for in the situation.

I thought about contacting Ranus. I had held so far, even with the new void stones, as I did not want to deal with any filled ones that would be returned. I had done a bit of Core Refining while I procrastinated. I was trying to improve the channels through which the corrupted void essence flowed down into the centre of my Core. So far, I have not seen any improvements, but I knew it would be a series of such changes that would make the difference.

I had to start thinking about putting my plans into motion, finally. I had learned a great deal about void essence and how it worked. This allowed me to make some discoveries, such as void stones. Their discovery gave me the idea for what I should do next.

It would be complicated, but if it worked, it could give me a fighting chance to survive.