Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

Mercy lay sprawled on the ground of the arena, her broken body twitching weakly against the scorched sand that had nearly been turned into glass by the intensity of the fires unleashed. The grotesque, demonic form she had worn like armour was slowly unravelling before Emily's eyes.

Blackened wings withered into brittle stumps, and the razor-sharp claws shrank back into trembling human hands. Her horns, which had protruded from her forehead and swept backwards like a crown, had cracked and crumbled before dissolving into ash.

Emily kept her distance from the dying Apostle. Remnants of dark mana seeped from her body in long, oily strands that sank into the sand and left behind the faint smell of sulphur mixed with rot.

But even from where she stood, Emily could see that Mercy's lips were still curled into a mocking smile even though death was claiming her, inch by inch.

Every muscle in Emily's body was taut, and the air around her was still hummed with raw, barely contained power. Her fists were clenched around her magical staff, and the gemstone on top glowed a brilliant blue. She seethed with anger, and she felt the need to finish this, to end it.

But Mercy wasn't going to make it easy. She clung to life with stubborn defiance, dragging air into her lungs with ragged breaths, all the while mocking her.

Seeing how uncomfortable Emily was, Mercy began to laugh. It was a pitiful sound, torn and wet with blood, but it still managed to carry a venomous glee that struck harder than any weapon.

"You poor, stupid fool. You think you've won something here?" Mercy crooned; her voice contained just a whisper of its former strength, but she managed to fill it with overwhelming amounts of cruelty.

"This..this is nothing." Mercy coughed, and blood bubbled from her mouth, cutting off the rest of her words before she laughed again.

Emily didn't reply, but the mana coiled tighter around her in response to her emotions. Mercy's half-closed eyes glittered with malic as she tried to push herself up a fraction, but her ruined body only trembled feebly with the effort.

"I've died before, Emily. Sweet, dear Emily, death is only an inconvenience when you serve Mischievous Depravity. They'll bring me back because I'm their Apostle." Her red-stained teeth were revealed as she flashed Emily a savage grin.

"And when I rise again, who do you think will be there to greet me? Who's face will be the first thing I see when I open my eyes?" Mercy's face lost that look of malice and was instead replaced with longing and desire. Her hand slowly rose in front of her, and she began to claw at the air as if she were reaching for someone.

"Mathew will be there. He'll welcome me with open arms, and we'll be together again. Nothing can keep us apart."

Emily flinched as the words hit her harder than any spell or sword could have. Her vision blurred at the edges as rage and sorrow crashed over her like a tidal wave.

Some part of Mercy, still conscious of her surroundings, saw the response her words had, and she laughed again.

"You've lost him! He's mine, no matter what you think you can accomplish by reaching the top of the Tower. Mischievous Depravity will never allow you to take him from us!" Mercy spat out, and her voice rose to a hoarse scream filled with madness.

Emily snapped.

With a cry torn from the depths of her soul, she unleashed a blinding wave of destructive magic. It ripped from her staff like a stream of energy stolen from the sun itself. It engulfed Mercy in pure, unrelenting fury. The ground cracked and buckled under the force, and the air split with a deafening roar.

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For a heart, Mercy's silhouette writhed within the light with her arms outstretched and laughing before she was obliterated. The wave of energy slowly died, leaving nothing but glass behind.

Emily stared at the spot where Mercy had been, breathing hard and shaking. She didn't notice Louis approach her or the glowing elevator doors behind him.

Louis stopped a few steps behind her before he spoke, his voice low and cautious.

"Emily, are you alright?" He asked gently, his tone full of concern and a trace of fear. He was afraid that she had been damaged by Mercy's words and that she wouldn't be able to carry forward with what needed to be done.

Emily closed her eyes and tried to will her hands to stop shaking. The magic inside her still roared like a storm, demanding more death and destruction to satisfy it. She drew in a deep breath and fought against the feeling.

"I'm fine." She replied, and the lie was brittle and transparent. Thankfully, Louis didn't move closer to her or remark on her falsehood. He just stood there quietly and offered his steady presence.

Emily finally opened her eyes and took a last look at the smoking ruins before turning away and walking toward the Elevator.

She was going to get Mathew back, and it didn't matter who or what stood in her way. Nothing was going to stop her.

Page Break

Emily and Louis stepped out of the Elevator onto a ragged trail that wound upward beneath a bright, blue sky that had a yellow sun shining directly above. White, fluffy clouds drifted lazily, making the entire scene idyllic and peaceful.

An ocean, as blue as the sky, stretched endlessly behind them. They could hear the waves crashing against the cliffs around them with a ceaseless roar. The air smelled like salt water and carried the chill of the sea to them.

Emily pulled her outer robes tighter around her as the wind picked up. Strangely, it carried a faint sound with it that reminded her of singing. It was soft and wordless as it drifted over the cliffs. It wasn't hostile, but it had a bizarre and alien tone.

"There." Louis said, nodding his head in the direction of the top of the cliff in front of them.

There was a house perched precariously on the very edge of the cliff. It was a slender spire of pale stone that tapered into the sky as if it were stretching toward the heaves. Its surface was smooth and carved with patterns that resembled whorls and shapes.

Large windows displayed the interior to the pair, but no lights burned inside it, and they couldn't see anyone.

Cautiously, they walked toward it while keeping an eye on their surroundings. But, it seemed like the pair were entirely alone. As they neared the building, the wristband on Emily's arm flickered to life and the monotone, mechanical voice sounded out.

"You have reached the 98th Floor-" The message suddenly stopped as the voice sputtered and died. There was no response from the wristband, and even the glowing light faded.

Emily glanced down at it and frowned before looking at Louis.

"What do you think happened to it?" Emily asked. The silver wristband had been with her for a very long time and had endured enough hardship that it wouldn't be surprising if it had broken. But, no matter how much damage it took, the wristband always continued working.

Louis opened his mouth to respond but froze before he could speak.

A third voice answered instead, cutting the ocean's roar with a clarity that made the hair on Emily's neck stand on end. It was female, with a sing-song quality that reminded her of the singing she heard on the wind.

"I'm the reason your device is no longer working. The Tower had no business here."

A ripple spread through the space before them as if the light had been warped and bent. A figure stepped out of the fissure, tall and impossibly slender; her movements were so smooth that she seemed to float just inches above the ground.

She was female and towered over the pair at nearly eight feet tall. Her limbs were unnaturally long and thin, bending with a grace that was both mesmerizing and profoundly wrong. Her skin was a pure, luminous white that reminded Emily of marble bathed in moonlight.

The strangest part about the woman was her hands. They were delicate, but each only had three elegant fingers. Her face was beautiful, breathtaking, and utterly alien. High cheekbones were matched like pale lips and eyes that were completely black.

Emily felt rooted in the spot and was hardly able to breathe. The sheer presence of the being was incredible, but the Buzz remained silent. Louis shifted slightly beside her, but his face had a look of awe that made it clear he was entranced by the strange woman.

The stranger stopped a few feet from them and tilted her head slightly as she regarded them expressionlessly.

"My name is Lunara. I am a Celestial, once mentor to Mathew Larson and his friend." The woman said with a soft voice that seemed to echo inside their bones. She drifted closer, and the air around her shimmered faintly with an unseen power.

"I have summoned you here to speak of your intention to free him from the grasp of Mischievous Depravity. Should you prove yourselves worthy, I will offer you my aid."