Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

The elevator eased to a stop with a low chime that echoed through the magically expanded space within. When the doors opened, Emily stepped into silence so extreme that it made her ears ring. The air here was still and heavy as if she were standing deep beneath the earth.

A floor made of seamless black stone stretched in front of her. It was polished to a mirror shine and was untouched by dirt or dust. It was inlaid with silver lines that traced a sigil she couldn't recognize. There was no sky overhead, just endless darkness.

Looking up, Emily saw that there were floating shelves as far as the eye could see. They drifted like ships through the abyss, stacked as tall as towers or coiled like snakes. They weren't arranged in any logical pattern, but rather just circled each other in orbits that rose and fell.

A few of the books flapped their covers and fluttered from one shelf to another like birds, whispering as they passed overhead in no language that she could understand.

As her foot touched the black stone floor, the silver lines on the floor pulsed, and the silver bangle on her wrist came alive in response. The wristband's mechanical voice rang out, breaking the silence of the strange library.

"Welcome to the 89th Floor, The Forgotten Library. Your objective here is to retrieve a lost memory for the god of Fathomable Maladministration. This place contains all knowledge that has been sealed, erased or buried. Unfortunately, only the worthy may uncover it. Proceed with caution here; some truths are cursed while others have guardians."

The wristband gave a final, brief glow before fading into mundanity once more.

Emily narrowed her eyes and looked up at the endless abyss and the multitude of floating shelves. Not wasting any time, she leapt into the air and let her magic carry her upward.

Page Break

The city stretched out below them like a living beast of stone and metal. Just outside the city, a young man and woman stood on a hill, staring out at the sprawl of buildings in front of them. There were miles of winding streets and crooked alleys, separated by a sea of densely packed rooftops that made the city look like a slate-coloured ocean.

A few towers made of grey stone jutted into the air, breaking up the scenery occasionally, their tops crowned with iron spires that were half rusted away from the weather. The city was covered in a cloud of smoke from the fires burning in countless chimneys that sent soot into the sky.

Everything looked dreary and depressing, especially with the rain having turned the unpaved side roads muddy.

Despite the cold and the miserable weather, the streets below were packed with people. Most wore threadbare cloaks and patched tunics as they went about their day. They jostled for space in lines, hauled barrels, and peddled food or other goods, but mostly, they just tried to stay warm.

The pair could even spot children darting between the crowds, with the more industrious amongst them snatching purses or anything they could grab, while guards in tarnished armour and stained uniforms watched from streetcorners or guard towers.

It was a city clinging to survival, teeming with millions who lacked hope and couldn't see beyond the day they were living in.

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The young man standing on the hill shook his head at the sight as his black coat flared in the wind. He stood with his hands shoved deep into his pockets against the cold, while his blue jeans had splotches of dirt from the climb up.

His face was calm but unreadable and there was something about him that was removed from the people of the city below.

He was joined by a young woman who looked like she had stepped out of a punk rock concert. Her hair was cut short and dyed an angry, brilliant red that clashed against the grey sky. It was some of the only colours in sight, and it made her stand out from the plainly dressed young man.

She wore a black leather jacket that was patched by bits of fabric and had metal studs on the shoulders. A silver ring pierced her nose, matched by another from her lip. She was tall, made even taller by the heavy platform boots she wore that left dents in the ground as she walked.

The young woman stood with her arms crossed and her chin lifted as she frowned at the people of the city with contempt.

"You still think it's worth saving?" She asked, not looking at him. The young man didn't answer right away but simply stared in silence.

"My way is quicker and easier. Kill a bunch of them, burn some buildings down, and they'll worship anyone who promises to make it stop. No pussy footing around; we could be done in a day or two." The young woman said eagerly as she imagined the carnage they could unleash on the city.

The young man let out a sigh and shook his head. His breath made a white mist in front of him.

"You keep suggesting that, but how often does that work out for you? All that ends up happening is people paying lip service to Mischievous Depravity while someone from the Tower comes and cleans up your mess."

The young woman clicked her tongue in response and rolled her eyes as her lips curled into a sneer.

"You would know." She teased before snorting derisively.

"Fine. But when your way doesn't work, and it won't, we make an example of a few of them. String a few of them up and put the fear of the gods in them." She stated her opinion confidently, and there was a hungry glint in her eye as she pictured the coming violence.

The city carried on with its day below them, oblivious and uncaring that the pair were currently deciding the city's fate.

The young man didn't answer her right away. His hands stayed buried in his pockets while the wind whipped at the hem of his coat. He looked tired and weathered like he was far older than he looked.

"You think fear makes loyalty, Mercy. But fear fades fast, and all it leads to is anger and resentment. You make them scared, and they'll eventually fight back. Mischievous Depravity wants the Aether from this place, but it's you and me that are going to have to clean up any mess you make." He explained.

Mercy looked toward him then, her lips pulling up into a smirk of amusement.

"You can try to come up with all the excuses you want, Mathew. But someday, you're going to realize I'm right." Mercy replied, and Mathew finally looked at her.

"If that were true, I wouldn't be here." Mathew taunted, and Mercy's mouth closed quickly enough to make her teeth click.

"They're all going to die anyway. What does it matter if it's today or years from now!" Mercy growled, and Mathew shook his head.

"It matters." He said before walking down the hill toward the city below. Mercy watched him with a scowl, twisting her pretty features into something ugly. She could feel the mana gather around him with each step he took. It gathered around him like a dark cloud, forming a tempest of power with him at the center.

She knew that no one in this world would be able to resist him. No matter who came from the Tower or what heroes this place sent to stop him, Mischievous Depravity would gain ownership of this land because Mathew, The Enduring and Apostle to the god of Mischievous Depravity, had been sent to claim it.

The thought made her sick. But worse, she was terrified of him.

Page Break

Emily stood in the quiet aftermath of the trial. Her breath was ragged, and her fingers still twitched with the echoes of magic she cast. Her clothes were torn and streaked with dust and blood. The book she needed had been protected by a puzzle that tried to break her mind and body.

But she had endured and pieced together the fractured truth to form something real, a book that rested on a pedestal of black stone that contained the lost knowledge she needed.

She reached out with a trembling hand and touched the worn leather cover. Instantly, the silence deepened, and the floating shelves stopped moving. The book pulsed with golden light as it slowly opened. Silver light poured out that shot into the endless abyss of darkness above.

The knowledge had been released, and Emily heard the loud 'ding' of the notification from the Tower as the elevator leading to the next Floor arrived behind her.