Relictombs, or Towers. The Bringers of Disaster. They had appeared over a hundred years ago, according to the records... They came with giant storms of magical energy, darkened skies and tornadoes of lightning.
Among all the tornadoes of lightning, there were only three major tornadoes. Each of those tornadoes left in their places three gigantic Towers. Aside from those three, dozens of other Towers had descended from other tornadoes of lightning. Different from the three Major Towers, these Towers were smaller in size, and also less dangerous; although there were still extremely dangerous in their own right.
Inside the Towers resided monsters of great power. Each Tower had ten Floors, with each Floor possessing its own unique and special ecosystem. Unique creatures and bizarre plants grew and thrived within these ecosystems, preying upon each other, and of course, any unlucky human who fell into their clutches.
It was because of these reasons that Abel feared the upper Floors of Seneris' Tower. The small country of Seneris was one of the many places where the Lesser Towers had descended. Although the country was small, the Tower that had descended here was one of the most dangerous Towers that existed in the continent. The danger of the First Floor alone was enough to keep an entire squad of Tower Runners occupied if they ventured into the wrong areas.
There were some certain areas on the Floors in the Towers that served as nests to the creatures that roamed there. These nests were always highly guarded by the strongest creatures of that Floor.
Numerous times, the city had sent delegations of powerful Tower Runners to wipe out these nests, but it seemed that the strength of the monsters scaled up with the strength of the Tower Runners that had come to wipe out the nest. Creatures that were strong enough to survive on the Second Floor spawned if Runners that were strong enough to mow through the Second Floor came close to the nest. As soon as the Runners left though, those creatures would also disappear.
Abel stalked through the dark tunnel that led to the main First Floor. He usually stayed on the outskirts and waited until a lone Ground Rat strayed towards him, but this time, he decided to be more proactive.
Up ahead, he could see he end of the long tunnel beckoning to him is the darkness. As he reached the opening, he stood still for a moment, peeping into the area. Faint rustles could be heard in the distance. Trees and bushes were littered about, presenting a thriving world to Abel.
"Hey, what's this?" A voice called out behind him. Abel stood straightened up, turning to meet the people who were behind him. He had sensed their presence some time ago since they didn't bother to conceal themselves. They must have had enough confidence in themselves.
"Most probably a lesser peasant hoping to find some Ground Rats." Another person spoke up from within the group of well dressed people. Each of them wore shiny armor or silky robes that would help them as they cleared through the Relictombs.
A snarky reply bubbled in Abel's throat. He would have really loved to throw an insult, but a face that he was very familiar with caught his attention at the back of the party. The moment their gazes connected, the lady quickly turned her head in another direction, a hint of shame coming over her face for a short moment.
The party of Tower Runners passed by him and continued to head onwards into the Floor. Abel stood there for a while longer before heading into the Floor too. There was work to be done if he wanted to do better this time.
...
Abel wiped the sweat that was running down the side of his head as he watched the pack of Ground Rats scurry along. He had only managed to get two Ground Rat Cores ever since he entered the main First Floor. It was incredible hard to find lone Ground Rat to prey on.
"Damn critters." He gritted his teeth and continued to move on. He flittered between thick trees and safe bushes, trying to make sure he wasn't too exposed at any time. It was at this time that he heard the distant sounds of battle. He scowled as he recalled the faces of those snobbish nobles who looked down on him.
Just as he was about to head in a different direction from the sounds of the battle, the face of a young lady flashed through his mind. Her face was turned away in shame. Shame of being affiliated with nobles, or shame of even knowing someone like him, he had no idea.
"Damn nobles, damn Towers, damn Ground Rats. Dammit all!" He gritted his teeth in utter annoyance as he turned to rush to the site of the battle. Even if he didn't do anything to help the nobles, he should at least try to save 'her'.
***
Aileen's hands shook as she tried to concentrate on the spell she was casting. Several large monsters were currently engaging her party and they were being pushed back with every passing moment.
"H-heal!" She cast out a green breeze that blew forth to wrap around her party members. Their wounds healed at a rapid pace and their stamina was restored somewhat.
The Tank, Hank, at the front of the party frequently yelled out, using his skills to draw the aggro of the monsters that was crowding their party. The two damage dealers, Heather and Nick, both stabbed at the Gnoll that was currently slamming against Hank's shield. Thick blood spilled, yet the Gnoll didn't falter in its attacks. Instead, its attack began growing even more and more ferocious. The attention it previously put into defending itself disappeared and its offensive became even more determined.
"Healer!" Hank yelled out. The flustered Healer, Aileen, who had been gathering energy for the next heal shot out another wave of magical energy, this time directed at Hank. The Tank grunted lowly as his skin and muscles healed quickly. He then gripped the weapon in on his waist with one hand, leaving only one hand to support the shield.
"Step back!" Hank yelled. The two damage dealers hurriedly leapt backwards as a blaze of fire covered the large mace in Hank's right hand. "Taste my Divine Punishment!!!"
With a fierce roar comparable to that of the Gnoll, Hank's mace slammed into the skull of the beast, instantly turning its head into meat paste. The dead Gnoll dropped to the ground lifelessly but none of the part members smiled. That was because of the amount of Gnolls that were surrounding them. A whole pack of Gnolls had made a large ring around their party, having found them as some sort of sick form of entertainment.
The Gnolls laughed out loud, bickering amongst each other before one of them stepped out. This one was even larger than the one they had killed just a few moments ago.
The faces of the party members were grim as they watched this. It seemed that the cowardly peasant from earlier would get to live while they died... Oh, how the tables have turned.