947 First Quest
Arthur thought the Red Tower would resemble what he saw in the Tower of Yearning. However, the first floor was unlike anything that he had ever seen. The mont he was dragged through the black door, he found himself standing inside a temple.
"Another challenger has been summoned!" called an old voice as soone rushed toward him, but Arthur could not be threatened because it was a limping old man. One of his eyes had been bandaged, and his teeth were yellow. "Welco, brave one!"
"Who are you?" asked Arthur with a frown as he examined the surrounding. The old man seed harmless, but Arthur remained vigilant as he examined the temple. He was standing in the middle of an altar that looked like an array.
"This is Sith Town, brave one!" said the old man as he kept his distance. "I understand that things look too suspicious, but I am not a monster, but a human! Please, accompany !"
As the old man explained in a fluster, he forgot to introduce himself. Arthur was still wary as he walked behind the man, trying to glean any clues for traps. However, it looked like an ordinary temple, covered in vines and mosses.
The old man walked through the long hallway until he reached a small yard with a well at the center. The old man walked toward the will and sat beside it before turning toward Arthur.
"My na is Peter, brave challenger! I used to be a challenger like you, aspiring to find wealth and power inside the Red Tower before I lost my eye and my leg! My new job is to guide challengers like you to fulfill their destiny!"
"And what destiny is that?"
"Conquering this tower and becoming its master!" said Peter with zeal in his dim eye. Then, he turned toward the well and started pulling the bucket upward as he kept explaining. "This Red Tower contains a whole new world inside it. Sith Town is just one among many on the first floor, and no one knows how many floors there are because no one who leaves the first floor ever returns!"
"You keep ntioning this Sith Town, but are there really humans living here?" asked Arthur with a frown as he watched the old wrinkled hands pull on the loose rope. "And if there is, how did they get here?"
"Humans, elves, dwarves, werewolves, and dragonkin are just of the few races here inside the Red Tower. There are races from all worlds trapped inside this prison and vying for supremacy. I even heard that one challenger was of the demonic race, and he obliterated the entire town as soon as they arrived."
"Wait a second, what do you an by worlds?" asked Arthur with a frown. "Are you telling there is more than just one world?"
"You ca here without knowing sothing as simple?" asked Peter with shock before he pulled the bucket out of the well and lowered it to the ground. "This Red Tower is one to connect every world there is, and those that challenge it can never leave. Co, co here!"
Peter was gesturing for Arthur to co forward and look at the water. Although cautious, Arthur was still curious as he walked to see what this man was fussing about. The water surface was glistering as it showed his reflection.
"What are you showing , old man?"
"I am not showing you a thing," said Peter with a shake of his head. "Take this water and give it to the old nanny on the outskirts of the town. Beware the monsters that roam there! The old woman needs this water for her terrible joints, so don't spill a drop, or you will fail the quest!"
[You have received a new Quest from Peter.]
Arthur saw the notification pop out as soon as the old man finished talking, and he was sure that if he opened the book, he would find the information about the quest there. This old man seed here to give him his first quest and introduce him.
"This looks like a ga," said Arthur with a frown as he stared at the bucket of water. Then, he turned toward Old Peter. "What happens if I fail the quest?"
"It is a ga, but one of life and death!" said Peter with a shake of his head. "Don't underestimate Quests, brave one. If one fails them, he will be punished by the Red Tower!"
"What is the punishnt?"
"Your level will decrease, and each ti that happens, every attribute you have will be halved! These reflect your actual strength, so avoiding failing a quest at all costs would be wise!"
"And what if my level hits zero?"
"You will end up like , a man who can never advance in the tower, and his only hope to survive is relying on others," said Old Peter as he rose from the well. "However, it also ans I can give quests and build a bridge for others to advance!"
After that, Old Peter disappeared. Arthur looked at him briefly before turning toward the bucket and taking out his book. As he suspected, his Quest section now had a new entry. Furthermore, as Peter explained, failing would result in severe punishnt.
Arthur could not help but feel he was inside so sort of ga, but this world looked too realistic. He could see the clouds high above in the sky, with birds and monsters mottling its blue. Thus, he could not help but feel that this Red Tower was more than ets the eye.
The bucket was as light as a feather, but Arthur had to be sure that not a single drop fell from it. It was stated in the quest that if a single drop fell, it would result in an instant failure because the old nanny needed her treatnt.
As soon as he found the exit from the temple, Arthur was greeted by an empty street. The sounds of a bustling marketplace were close-by, so Arthur had to avoid it at all costs. However, he also had no idea where to find the old nanny.
"This Quest might be too difficult for a person who just arrived here," muttered Arthur as he stared at the water. "In any case, I just have to find soone to ask them. It might be the best way to end this quickly."
A cloaked person entered from one end of the street as he looked around the empty alleyway. Arthur lowered his bucket as he raised his hand to greet them.
"Excuse , can you guide to the old nanny?" asked Arthur politely, but the cloaked person flinched with fright. They backed away as they looked at him, and Arthur saw their face.
Their face was covered with hair, and their beastly eyes looked at him with wariness. Before this humanoid creature could answer him, shouts ca from the end of the street.
"There he is! That thief has an accomplice!" shouted several figures at the end of the street, and Arthur was confused. The cloaked humanoid creature bolted, leaving him in the dust, as the angry crowd rushed toward Arthur.
"I am not…"
Arthur wanted to explain that he was just a passerby, but a single look at their angry faces convinced him otherwise. Thus, he picked up his bucket and bolted behind the humanoid creature, running away from the crowd.
The greatest challenge was to run without spilling a single drop from his bucket, which Arthur prevented by letting the bucket dangle behind him as he ran, hoping he could sohow find a way to stop running without spilling the water.
"Tell them that I'm not an accomplice!" shouted Arthur toward the humanoid creature, who looked back at him with surprise before rushing faster. Arthur turned toward the crowd and shouted the sa thing at them, but none listened.
Arthur had no idea where to go, so he ran after the cloaked creature and hoped for the best. Arthur would have knocked them unconscious with a single wave of his hand if he had his runes and used another to carry this troubleso bucket.
The humanoid creature seed like a fish in the water as he bolted from one alleyway to another, jumping over walls and climbing through roofs. Arthur had difficulty following him, but their pursuers had a harder ti.
Thus, after a few turns and jumps, the humanoid creature hid behind a small cottage atop a roof, and Arthur followed suit. He lowered his bucket of water before placing his back against the wall and hiding.
They could hear the angry and confused shouts of the crowd grow more distant, and the two sighed in relief at the sa ti. Then, they turned toward each other, and Arthur looked at the sa beastly eyes and furry face.
"You could have explained to them that I'm not an accomplice," said Arthur with disapproving eyes. "You better guide to the old nanny, or I am throwing hands."
"What does that an?" asked a gruff and hissing sound as the beastly eyes glared at him. However, the creature sighed before taking off his hood and revealing his face. Arthur was speechless to find that he had been talking to a humanoid cat with a scar over its eye.
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