Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

The rain poured steadily, washing away the blood and the filth of battle. The bodies of the abominations lay broken around them, their twisted limbs still smouldering from Rehn's final act of defiance. The Aether storm had not yet passed, but the battle was over.

The world felt quieter now; the clash of steel, the explosions of magic and the screams of the dying were replaced by the steady drum of rain against the earth.

Mathew knelt in the mud beside her, his breath steady and his expression unreadable. Rehn lay on her back, her dark hair plastered to her pale face, her body still save for the slow, uneven rise and fall of her chest. Blood seeped from a wound in her stomach, a deep gash that would have been fatal on its own.

But it was the overuse of her powers that was currently killing her.

And she had done it for Mathew.

He knew it was only a matter of time before she passed. He didn't speak false hope, nor did she look for any. They both understood.

Her eyes found his, and he was struck by how they were still bright and sharp with awareness.

"You made it. Good." She murmured with a faint trace of satisfaction in her voice. The rain couldn't wash away the blood on her lips. Mathew nodded once in response.

"You bought me that chance." He said, his voice calm and even. There was nothing else to say. He wouldn't fill her final moments with empty words or make promises that had no meaning. Rehn had chosen to save him, to intervene.

Otherwise, it would have been him dying on the ground instead of her. He wouldn't insult her sacrifice by denying it or questioning why she had done it.

Mathew recalled how it had happened.

Mathew's breath came in ragged pants as the abominations circled around him, their twisted forms writhing in the dim light cast by the shattered moon above. He had lost sight of the others, the chaos had separated the battlefield into small, isolated sections.

He gripped his sword tighter, and the mud clung to his boots as he shifted his stance and cycled the mana inside his body. He was exhausted, and even the thrum of the Godslaying Blade of Wrath seemed muted after so many days of continuous fighting.

The first one lunged at him, and Mathew twisted in response, sidestepping its claws and driving the blade through its neck. He needed to conserve as much energy as possible and use it sparingly. The small abomination let out a gurgling screech as it fell, and he spun around and slashed another.

But something struck him from the side, a heavy blow that made him stumble and fall to the ground. Sprawling in the mud, he rolled just in time to avoid a clawed foot that nearly crushed his skull. Swinging his sword in an attempt to gain room to stand once more, he was struck repeatedly.

The Godslaying Blade of Wrath, which hadn't left his hands since he had arrived on this Floor, slipped from his hands. The abominations gathered, preparing to rip him apart, when the air cracked loudly.

A wave of invisible force slammed into the creatures, sending them skidding backward. Their limbs contorted as if something unseen was trying to tear them apart. The ground shuddered, and a deep hum filled the air.

Turning his head, Mathew spotted Rehn standing on the edge of the battlefield, her arms outstretched and her entire body wreathed in raw, psionic energy. The air around her shimmered with a violet light that crackled with power. The rain that had been falling heavily now hung motionless in the air.

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The abominations began to claw at their own skulls as if they were trying to rip the agony from their heads. Her power cracked like a whip, and the creatures were thrown backward with a force that shattered bone and ruptured flesh. Several were town apart in midair while the rest simply stopped moving, their bodies collapsing like empty husks.

Mathew barely had time to breathe before he saw her falter. Rehn swayed on her feet, her breath shuddering. Blood streamed from her nose, her mouth and her eyes. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed as the rain began to fall once more.

With her fall, more Abominations emerged from the surrounding darkness and swarmed toward them. Picking up his sword, Mathew was forced to fight once more.

It had been a while before he could check on her, but he doubted it would have made a difference.

Rehn let out a slow breath, her body loosening.

"It wasn't a bad way to go." She mused. A ghost of a smile flickered across her bloody lips. "Better than I expected." Her gaze drifted, and Mathew noticed that they lost their focus.

"It's cold." She whispered faintly.

Mathew shifted and removed his jacket. The outer material was soaked from the rain, but it was still warm and dry inside. He draped it over her, pressing it gently against her shoulders. Once she was wrapped rightly, he placed his hand over hers and waited silently.

Rehn blinked, then let out a quiet, final sigh. Her fingers twitched once beneath his, then stilled forever.

For a long time, Mathew didn't move. He let the rain fall and let the cold settle into his bones. When he finally stood up, it felt like something in his chest had been hallowed out, leaving behind an absence he would carry long after the battle was over.

He didn't even notice the 'ding' of a notification informing him of his completion of the Floor.

Floor 72: A choice.

You may leave this Floor, or continue to fight the abominations and gain greater rewards.

Mathew barely glanced at the burning words, and it took all of his willpower not to rip the silver wristband off his arm and hurl it into the darkness that surrounded him. His thoughts were filled with the past of people he had met and lost over his time in the Tower.

In the distance, the earth suddenly split open with a sickening groan. Fissures spiderwebbed across the battlefield as something vast stirred beneath it. The rain continued to hammer down in relentless sheets, and the howling wind whipped through the darkness.

But every sound was drowned out by a deafening, inhuman cry that shattered the night. It reverberated through the bones of every living creature that heard it. It carried the weight of nightmares and was something that should not exist.

An abomination unlike any of the others slowly rose from the ground. The earth swelled and ruptured as a massive, grotesque creature heaved itself upward. Its limbs were long enough to touch the clouds above and covered in talon-like protrusions. Its flesh was covered in an oil substance that reeked of corruption.

When it was fully revealed, the Abomination was covered in eyes that blinked and observed the world around it. It had a mouth in the center of its stomach, with rows of teeth and a black tongue that draped down nearly to the ground.

The rain hissed as it struck the creature's skin as if the monster was too foul for nature to accept it.

The battle resumed in a furious storm of sorcery and steel. The night blazed with fire and lightning while warriors hurled themselves at the monster's thick hide, striking with desperate force. Streaks of searing energy shot out from the darkness and cut through the Abominations, rupturing flesh that leaked dark fluid.

The monster moved with terrifying power, swinging its colossal limbs through the ranks of humans like a force of nature, sending bodies flying or crushing them beneath its feat.

But Mathew's eyes remained on the lifeless body of his friend until he could no longer ignore the distant battle. With a deep, heavy breath, he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

"I'm sorry."

Opening his eyes, he took a final look at Rehn before he picked up his sword and turned toward the battle.

Amidst the chaos of battle, a white light cut its way through the storm clouds above the Abomination. It split the darkness in a blade of pure radiance. For a moment, the rain ceased to exist, and the shadows recoiled. The clouds were parted in the wake of its descent, revealing the shattered moon above.

The world trembled, and the Abomination flinched as the light carved through its corrupted flesh. The wound bled black ichor before it was burned and seared by the radiant energy. One of its limbs, massive beyond anything on earth, tumbled to the ground.

The creature howled with an inhuman shriek that rattled the fabric of existence and caused the storm of Aether to rage harder. The winds swirled in a furious tempest, stirred up by the Abomination's rage. The limb melted into the ground, converted into the same black fluid that existed inside the monster.

In its place, hundreds of smaller versions of the Abomination emerged, and the battle continued to rage.