The blacksmith was as expect. An ego, a being not of the tower but in a pact with it. I had no clue how that worked. It was a secret kept to a fault. They took the form of anything and were often tight lipped.
I knocked on the door, and the blacksmith opened it. She was an elf woman that towered over me. My guess she was something like 7 foot?
"What is it half-born?"
I shrugged, "You repair things in bulk. I want them enchanted as well. Single type, the enchantment is increased acceleration."
She rubbed her chin, "Why come to me, you seem smarter than the average customer."
Reading my stats eh? I gave a curt nod, "you are an ego aren't you closed clientele. The name I am climbing under is one I don't wish to be associated with me."
She rolled her eyes, "You say that, yet you only climbed to floor 50. So I have to ask, what is this name."
I stood silent, and so did she. Neither of us spoke until she sighed. "Give me what you want repaired."
I smiled, and proceeded to dump my slip space. Hundreds of rusty or broken weapons poured out. At first she wasn't surprised but at the number increased the look on her face changed.
Her eyes darted at each item that fell out. When I stopped she spoke, "Total of 478 different short blades, 19 long swords, 178 axes, and 234 spears. Along with something like 1168 arrows loose."
She paused, sighed, "You have a spatial storage that has natural negative effects. Rare type those..."
"What do you need as payment, I assume cash won't work." Since ego's couldn't leave the tower normally they ask for materials.
"Give me half the spears and short blades and I'll conder it paid."
I nodded, "Deal." Cheapest deal of my life since half those were something from my time on earth. Once I get these I can use a time tested strategy.
The same strategy that killed so many people. Despite my lack of skills on earth. I had three very important ones, Perfect slash, stab and throw. Combine that with the easy obtainable enchantment increased acceleration. I could just toss a knife through a person.
The elven Ego started picking up the more damaged tools and toss them into a bucket. I guess I just wait here though, no much to do.
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Alistar tapped his foot on the ground. Ego's of the tower were often on their best behavior. However the elven lady, he didn't know the name of watched him constantly.
This wasn't because she thought anything special about him. It was simply because of who he was. He escaped death, and in a way she couldn't identify.
Alistar had a weird position with the tower. Most who enter a tiny portion of them is connected to the tower. This portion of of them is a fragment of their soul.
All climbers had would have a small chip, to their souls. The Ego's connected to the tower could see said chips. After all to become an ego of the tower one had to offer their entire soul.
However as the elven woman watched Alistar tap his foot against the ground. She knew he didn't have this chip. She blinked stared up into the walls of her shop. However her glare went beyond those and into the walls of the tower.
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I jumped slightly when the Blacksmith spoke, "You are very odd. The tower is watching you closely. Yet not in the way it does a normal climber."
I raised an eyebrow at that one. "How so?"
She pointed, "You have a set number of floors. Logistically the tower gives an infinite number of floors. However people cannot climb infinitely as the floors get hard until... well."
They stopped, because the floors were no longer challenges, but markers of hell. Realistically though to get to those floors was impossible. Even when I checked the Earth floor rankings Providence hadn't reached that level.
Those floors would be just waves of monsters that get progressively harder. The only reason anyone knew of them was due to the egos. I spoke, "So what? What does a set number mean? I can't climb lik-"
"No, it means it will at some point stop giving you challenges and puzzles. The tower is infinite, as you climber higher you end up with floors of other towers. Other people's challenges, and so on so forth. However."
She struck down with her hammer, and then responded. "It means it won't treat you as a climber. Just keep that in mind."
I pulled my hair from my face and walked out the shop. I walked into a dark alley and leaned against a wall. I paused, "Are you watching?"
I got no real response, however I felt eyes on me. That feeling was the response. So the elven ego was right, it seemed I garnered the attention of tower itself. I stood up, knowing that I had its attention was enough for me.
"I'm getting lunch."
-----Okay so this may not make sense, so if you want an explanation comment and I'll try to explain through a comment or add it in the authors thought. Thanks for reading.------