Floor 6: Broken Forest
Threat Level: F - F+
The first true step on a path to climbing the Tower, everything from floors 1 to 5 are considered a tutorial on things to come for experienced Climbers. Welcome to the true tower, floors are never the same from this point onwards, good luck.
Description: The Broken Forest, is part of a remnant %#@&* that was pulled into the Tower after its destruction. The inhabitants range from Goblins, Hobgoblins, to lower tier Ogres. To pass this forest navigate the broken forest and slay the Broken Spire's Master. Or tread a path not travelled by others to go to the next floor.
Rushing past the splattered corpse of the Goblin Ambusher, keeping my pace dodging through trees. A goblin, pushes through the thicket nearby. A dark bullet lances through the goblins face, its body dropping to the ground. Passed the goblins dead corpse, more horns keep going off in the distance, some getting closer and closer. 'The signatures that I am reading through the dark is smattered group around the entire forest, what is-..' the forest broken open abruptly, a massive crevice is stretching as far as the eye can see to the left and right, across the crevice is a continuation of the forests, but more mountainous. Something massive catches my eye in the distance on the opposite side of the crevice, a Spire reaching for the heavens surrounded by a black cloud of ash.
'Well, got my destination now. Most of the groups seem to be moving with a coordination now..' my senses pick up members from the groups rushing ahead on the other side of the crevice trying to set up funnels.
'They are moving a little too well, if there are any other Climbers on the floor, they are going to be in a tough time too.' eyeing the crevice ahead of me, noticing a group of precariously floating stone slab fragments creating makeshifts bridges across the crevice in multiple points. Pushing out with my darkness, I toss the last two vials of bang at the two makeshift bridges to my left and right, leaving a single bridge to use for a considerable distance on both sides.
'Too bad that was my last bang, could of put a trap on the last one.' Making my way across the bridge, I keep pushing in the direction of a known ambush, free experience in a group, don't see why I wouldn't take advantage. The forest starts to blur past as I come across the first group 3 Hobgoblin Warriors stand on the forest path. A bolt screeches in the air toward the dark reaching up swallowing it before it can get close. I look above the hobgoblin warriors spotting two Hobgoblin Archers glaring hatefully at me.
"Filth' Gobs cannt kill singl' human!" a rumbling voice says from behind the Hob Warriors. A troll slowly, lumbers forward staring down at me. It stands behind the hobgoblins, "Outta da way maggots." its club crunches the three warriors and sends their corpses flying. "Trolls betta!" a rumble sounds to my right as another troll breaks through the brush charging directly at me.
Absentmindedly I look at my stats, 'Fix the issue with strength first, then rest into dex? Yea, that'll do.' dropping 20 points into strength immediately, and the last 5 into dexterity. Bracing myself for the influx of energy, the red glow from previous level up pulses up from my core a image of the red cube burns in the back of my mind, a rush of the energy pushing the limits of my muscles destroying them instantly and rebuilding them. 20 points into a single attribute of strength fortunately the red energy seems to be controlling the feeding of the energy into my muscles and the rebuilding denser stronger.. and it helps that my endurance is also matching strong body endure the strength.
Reacting to the charging troll at the last moment, I step into its charge, its eyes widen in surprise, a layer of shadows flows down my fingers creating jagged blades, my hand digs through its torso as I slide past. As I slip around it, it digs its feet into the ground doing a backhanded swing to smack me away, stabbing both hands into its exposed back, attaching myself, my muscles easily lift my onto its shoulders as it brings a massive hand to swat me off, I viciously stab both hands through its ears as it screams in terror and pain, before its life leaves its eyes. The first troll stares in horror the two Hobgoblin Archers have long since fled.
The troll that I am riding atop of drops to its knees with a thud, as I casually drop off its shoulders it falls sideways to the ground dead. "Now I have some questions, that you are going to answer.. Either it can be easy and quick death. Or it can be painful." the trolls face slowly morphs from horror into hatred and anger. "YOOUU!!!! CRUSH!!!!" the troll screams at me as it rushes in my direction, its club going in a wide arc, smashing through a tree to get a complete swing. Bark shards are swallowed by the darkness. "Painful it is, answers I will have."
Horns blowing is getting closer still, pushing out with my senses, two more groups of trolls followed by three groups of ogres are all on the way to box me in. I look down at the steel sword, haven't been using it, and defaulted to darkness even when I keep telling myself. The club closes in on my body as I drop to the ground the club sailing over my body, rolling I stand up before the troll can complete its full horizontal swing. The sword easily slips from the sheath. Tensing my body I run forward.
----- The Khul Cartel ----
"Now, Now Alec, when wielding a blade, you must use it as an extension of yourself, never lose oneself, always know where you start and end, and where your sword begins and ends. Those who become one with their swords limit themselves to a single blade a single path, for some it is enough, for me, I am greedy, I want all the paths. I shall show you how." The swords, daggers, gladius, claymores, bladed weapons of all types flash around the man speaking.
'When I step in carve around...' my blade reaches up slashing towards the troll, the trolls hand holding its club pulls back trying to get the club back in place to block the slash. my blade carves into the hand wielding the club since it was always my target, the hand, wrist, forearm, a line carves up it, pulling my sword back with a upper swing of the it, puts a line across the trolls chest as the club drops from the trolls hand.
Spinning on my heel dodging a swing from the trolls only useful hand, my sword strikes back underneath it severing the muscles for the other arm. I step quickly forward, as it steps back terror on its face. "ARRRRHRHHH!!!!" it uses its useless arm that dropped its club to swing at me most of the strength from its shoulders put into the swing, scoffing lightly my free hand diverts the arm to the ground with a thud. As my blade sinks into the side of its leg, dropping it to its knees.
"Filt...h.y.. hu..man.." its breathing and words coming in gasps of pain. "If you just answered my questions, honestly I may have walked away.." I look off to the side of the troll, 2 minutes at most til next group. "Why are you all hunting me specifically.." the troll grunts, staring at me not speaking... shaking my head, lifting my sword shadows flow along it wreathing the blade in shards meant to tear and splinter. The trolls eyes shake.. "Bounty..." are the words that finally leave its mouth. "Quest..."
Now this was a major surprise, Bounty quests aren't rare specifically.. but.. I don't think this one is normal. "Who issued it?" The troll looks up at me its eyes gleaming malevolently. "Tathas Warlord of the Green." its face goes slack, and its body drops to the ground lifeless. Staring at the dead corpse of a troll I didn't finish off, frowning, 'system oath?' thats heavy handed just for a name.. But for a Warlord? passable. Warlord of the Green... so many things. I never heard anything about that in the academy, maybe some hidden information by the Guild or others.
Turning in the direction of the Spire. Things to think on, time to clear the herd, and continue on to the tower.
~Two hours Later~
The body of a hobgoblin slips of the edge of second steel sword... my first was ruined during one of the ambushes were two trolls decided to play baseball with me. Smacking boulders at me with there clubs, some boulders stayed together some just outright exploded showering my in shrapnel. Turning my gaze back on the path that I have walked through so far shows a grotesque amount of corpses lining the forest floor. Everything from wolves, goblins, hobgoblins, ogres, trolls, bears, nothing was spared. Everything in the forest seems to be coming for me. A sigh escapes my lips as I look up at the shifting multi-colored sky. For the last 30 minutes I have been circling the Broken Spire, killing anything I come across. I came across three separate groups of Climbers all dead, in various states of decomposition.
Turning my head to the Spire, just in time as a single long horn sound out from it or in its direction. The low rumble of the horn seemingly echos through the entire floor.
The Master of the Broken Spire has called!
The Forest of the Broken has Answered.
The ground around me begins to shake, the trees begin to violently thrash in an unseen wind. A voice echoes from the Broken Spire. "YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO SURVIVE THIS LONG HUMAN! BUT NOW YOU SHALL PERISH YOU HAVE MADE ME USE MY FAVOR WITH THE FOREST AND YOU SHALL PAY DEARLY FOR IT! MAY IT FEAST ON YOUR FLESH!"
'Oh that doesn't sound goo-' the ground around me splits as a root escapes the ground launching towards me. The roots for the surrounding trees slowly break free from the ground around me pushing in towards me. Can't hold back on the Dark now with this happening, the darkness of my shadow surges forth cutting the encroaching roots to shreds or outright devouring them. The biggest tree in the area around me pulls itself from the ground. [Inspect]
[Inspected: Trent(Lvl:014)]
System Status
Tier: F++
Class:Ent
Level:14
Health:???
Energy:???
Strength:54
Endurance:68
Dexterity:15
Agility:12
Perception:21
Intelligence:0
Wisdom:0
Charisma:0
Luck:0
Resistances
Physical Defense:
33
Elemental Defense:
20
Mental Defense:
0
Soul Defense:
0
Immunities:
N/A
Skills
Name Grade Level Description
Photosynthesis [Uncommon] 03
The way of life for plant species, they can subsist through the ambient energy pulled in through their leaves.
Three more Ents slowly rip themselves free from the ground, 'thankfully not every tree seems to be Ent.. though the forest does seem to use the trees that aren't as weapons with their roots.' Throwing a slash at a branch that dipped down to snag me. The blade of the steel sword cutting through the branch easily, a second root comes from behind colliding with a shadow surge from below me.
The Ents' swing in unison four limbs the size of tree trunks bearing down on me. First ones coming from the right, I push my body to move faster, the stats invested earlier definitely have helped throughout my time here on the Sixth Floor. The first swinging Ent misses my body by a few inches, the second comes quickly after it a surge of darkness shooting up and wrapping around it pulling it to the floor and off target. I see the shadow of the third as it impacts my side as the flat of my sword takes the brunt of the damage, snapping in half as my body is launched airborne. I pull on the darkness, vanishing in the air. Within the darkness my momentum is gone and I float there staring at the Ents looking around for my body to stomp it into the next life. 'Step through the darkness and strike down those before me at their heart!'
I let go of the darkness and fall out behind one of the Ents darkness coats down my arms, into two gauntlets once more. Jagged Blades on the edges of my fingers, dig into the bark of the Ent, leaving behind huge furrows of stripped bark it turns a massive angry face towards me as its branches reach out to grab me from its trunk. The pool of darkness collecting in one of my hands compresses as I launch myself off the trunk of the Ent backwards away from the group. Lifting my hand the compressed orb of darkness from moments ago isn't there. The Ent I was on looks done to a orb shoved deep into its furrowed bark, a concussive blast blows apart the bark as the massive amount of compressed shadows shoots itself out in all directions in the size of javelins the thickness of a mans arm. Darkness and concussive wave clears slightly and a Ent missing 70% of its trunk falls to the ground the other three have varying degrees of damage with shadow Javelins impaled in them at different angles. The last three Ents stop moving as the javelins start burrowing themselves deeper into the Ents.
I land crouched as the roots and surrounding trees are devastated. The javelins of shadow that I managed to super compress into that sphere worked perfectly the cause of the concussive force was from those same shadows displacing massive amounts of air at once forcing themselves outward. The javelins started to shatter and splinter inside the Ents expanding and contracting, drilling their way through the massive tree creatures.
A minute later the last of the three Ents drop to the ground, the Forest is silent.. a eerie creaking as if the trees didn't dare to move lest they fall the shadows before them, the monster in human skin.
Turning my attention to the Broken Spire, I see a small glimpse of a figure receding into the Spire from a balcony at the top floor. 'The Master assumes I've been dealt with or is waiting for me. Might as well not keep them waiting.' My eyes boggle slightly at the sight of my gains, maybe I will be able to hit level five sooner than I thought.
A grin splits my face as I scan through the gains from the Broken Forest so far.
Broken Forest Slaughter Combat Log
Broken Forest
71 Varying Forms of Goblins.
Warriors, Archers, Skirmishers, Ambushers, Shieldbearers, Mages
25 Varying Forms of Hobgoblin.
Warriors, Archers, Ambushers
4 Trolls
6 Varying Forms of Ogres
Warriors, Skirmishers
4 Ents
Experience earned: 19,764
Tower Coins: 1,826
Various Drops have been consumed by the darkness.