Armareth's Tower

The pressure vanished and so did the message, but the fear remained. David was sure it would stay for the rest of his life.

“Calm down!” Someone shouted. There were about twenty people in the space, maybe more but the place—Amareth’s Gate was large enough to hold ten times more people. The space was vast, the floor seemed smooth and the roof was so high it almost vanished.

“David!”

He turned in the direction from where he’d heard Chloe’s voice. She ran to him, weaving past a smaller girl to get to him. She jumped on him, gripping him tight as if she worried he would disappear if she let go. David held her too. For a moment, just after he appeared, he’d thought the others were dead. But if Chloe was here, then the others might be too.

David searched the faces. The others in the room were beginning to calm down. Most were asking questions, trying to understand what was happening. David adjusted his hold on Chloe, she was too big to carry, but he couldn’t find it in himself to let go. His heart raced harder as he searched. If he couldn’t find them, did that mean they didn’t make it? Were they dead?

He caught a glimpse of something familiar. Zoey’s hair was cut short in a way that made her look boyish. He saw her again, this time finding her face pinched in a frown. She was pulling Elisha behind her as if she was the older one.

“Chloe, I think I’ve found Eli and Zoey,” David said as he set her down. His shoulder ached a little. Somehow he’d forgotten that she was sixteen already. He turned to where he’d found Zoey and was about to scream her name, but she’d already seen him. She shoved her way through the people gathering and pulled Elisha along.

“What is this?” Elisha gestured at the room, the people behind them as they walked closer. David shrugged. He’d learned a few things about dungeons and the tower from their parents, but what he knew was almost the same as what the others knew.

“A dungeon,” Chloe said. David shook his head. This wasn’t quite the dungeon he knew or expected. It was something else. Zoey was staring at him, he could feel the pinch from her impatience. David looked around, searching for any familiar faces he could find.

“It said something about worthy ones,” Elisha said and David nodded. “I have never heard anything about people being summoned to dungeons. Stumbling into it, yeah, but being summoned? This changes everything we know about these towers.”

“Or perhaps the towers are just tired no one has been able to clear them?” David asked, smiling. The others stared at him, face blank. David hissed. You guys are so dry. That joke would have hit better with his college friends.

“Still, there are quite a lot of worthy ones,” Zoey muttered.

They were saying something over there. David recognized the voice as the one that had called for calm earlier. He walked past Zoey, gesturing for them to follow. As he got closer, he realized there were no pillars, but the room seemed to stand perfectly. There were no visible light sources either but he could see everyone and he could see all sides of the place except the part of it too far to see.

“…seems to find us worthy. I guess that is why we were summoned.” The voice said. Whoever was speaking was buried in the crowd, but they seemed to know what they were saying. Or they had some confidence in it.

“How do we get out of here?” Someone asked, a woman. Elisha turned to where he’d heard the voice, but the woman was within the crowd too.

“If what I know about dungeons remains the same, I am not sure we can. We have been pulled here, which means we have to clear it,” the voice said again. “Or perhaps if the dungeon rejects you.”

The others started to murmur again. The siblings listened to the others, the fears and prayers and those who were excited. Chloe frowned, her confusion obvious. She had just started her basic training the year before. She flunked most of them though, claiming they were too tough or just not for her.

“Has a dungeon ever rejected anyone?” Elisha asked. Zoey shook her head.

“There was that news of Ian Somerhalder though,” David said, they all looked at him again, with blank expressions. He sighed. “He came out of the dungeon by a freak accident.” He waved them away when he realized they were not interested in the story.

“What do we do?” Chloe asked. She had grabbed Zoey’s hand and David could see that Zoey was annoyed already. "Mum and Dad will be looking for us, won’t they?”

David was going to tell her that was unlikely but something groaned, hushing everyone at once. It was a deep groan, like stone rolling on stone. It echoed, making the floor underneath them tremble slightly. There was a pause, as if the air in the place had simply vanished. David thought he heard a whisper and Zoey thought she felt a slight touch on the nape of her neck.

Chloe jumped, but Zoey pulled her back. No one moved, no one could. There was something in the space, someone perhaps.

“Can you see anything?” Zoey asked, her eyes piercing David. Elisha shook his head at the same time as David did. The groaning came again and this time there was a long whine after it faded.

David realized he’d been holding his breath. He sighed, held Zoey’s stare for a moment and then turned. As if they had all read his mind, everyone turned the same way he had. David gasped, taking a hurried step back with his hands spread in front of his siblings.

The serpent in front of them slithered forward, its eyes red as burning coals. It’s tongue flickered out and then its length coiled about itself until it loomed over everyone. It looked down, superior and menacing. Then its body distorted, light shaken and unfocused. It morphed slowly, pulling colors from every part of the room. As it shifted, its body shriveled.

“What is that?” Chloe asked and Zoey shushed her. Everyone else watched, too stunned to move a muscle as the serpent became something small, round, furry. It was as large as four to five heads, but it looked harmless. Its blue fur had streaks of white and gold. There were no legs, only a round body and black blinking eyes.

The Gatekeeper Awakens!

It lifted from the ground gently, elevated by a visible swirl of wind. It seemed weirdly relaxed, lazily staring until it was high enough to look over everyone in the eyes, and then it spoke, its voice a harsh reminder that what stared down at them was a monster.

Welcome to Amareth’s Gate

I am the gatekeeper and guide.

Before you venture into Amareth’s domain, you shall be granted blessings. Amareth is fair and benevolent.

“How about you let us go?” Someone said behind David. The furball monster whirled around to the direction the voice had come from and strangely everyone moved out of the way to reveal a short, squat man. His freckled face was pinched in a frown. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, glaring at the others who had exposed him to the gatekeeper.

Humans, seldom bright. Come, I will show you how limited my patience is.

The man walked forward, his eyes wide with fear now. There was something wrong about the way he walked, as if he was being pulled. He turned just before he reached the gatekeeper. His eyes caught David’s and then his glasses fell. He couldn’t scream, but he tried.

“What is happening?” Elisha asked, but no one had the answer. They could see what was happening, but they couldn’t understand. They saw the man walk over to the gatekeeper. His body shook, perhaps trying to fight whatever pulled him forward. He stood before the gatekeeper, his face lifting up to face the furball. It stared down, its eyes glassy as a cat’s.

You wanted to leave Amareth’s grace.

Granted.

Beside the furball a tiny tear stretched from down to the stone floor. The tear stretched apart like a fabric losing threads. Slowly it became a gaping hole. David willed himself to move back away from what roared back at them from the tear in space, but he couldn’t move, and neither could the man in front of it. It was red like a fresh sore and the heat wafted in through the opening, making the air on this side warm.

You may leave!

The man took heavy steps forward. His scream tore out abruptly. His movement was restored with his voice and he tried to turn around and flee, but a large hand stretched out of the opening and pulled him in by the shoulder. The last thing David saw of the man were his eyes. He could hear the man pleading but the eyes held so much regret. And then the tear sealed up and the warmth was replaced with cool air. The twirling wind pushed the furball back to where it was before. It gave the rest of them a moment and then it spoke.

Now! You can receive Amareth’s blessings and wisdom. With these, you shall face the trials of the gate. You’ve been found worthy and you will prove your values.

Amareth’s blessing be on you!

And it faded into the wind, its fur scattering in the air and then the twirling wind faded to nothing. David sighed, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe slow and calmly. That man was dead. There was no disputing that. That would be the fate of anyone that defied the gatekeeper. He didn’t want to think about what would happen to anyone who went against Amareth, whatever it was.

A notification glowed in front of him. He turned to Zoey and then to Elisha. They were both staring at the space in front of them. He couldn’t see their notifications, which meant they couldn’t see his too.

“What do I pick?” Chloe asked. David checked out the notification.

Open blessings?

The moment he accepted a broader display spread out in front of him. He saw what Chloe was talking about now. There were so many options to pick from.

“What are you picking?” Elisha asked.

“I think I will pick anything that has to do with fairies,” Chloe said and Zoey gave her a stern look that would have made any of them flinch. “Fine, what should I pick then?”

“Check them all out,” David responded before Zoey could give a harsh response. He turned to his display and clicked on the first he found interesting.

Type: Mage

Composition: You can have a mix of types to maximize your magic compatibility and aptitude.

Ability: Grants the ability to use spells; quick spell form, chantless magic, minor talent in rune carving and elemental control {two out of five]

Weakness: Weak endurance and strength. Can’t use healing spells. No close combat ability. Susceptible to shadow magic {dark arts}. Heavy damage spells require long cast times.

David crossed that out of his options. He would love to shoot flames from his fingers, but there were just too many cons there to overlook. He imagined he could adjust the abilities and then gave up entirely on the idea. Then something in the top right corner caught his attention.

“There is a timer,” David said and Zoey made a sound to confirm it. He glared at her, but she was focused on her own display.

“Chloe,” Zoey called. “I think I have found the perfect one for you.”

“Really?” Chloe asked, excited.

“A Bard,” Zoey said, turning to the smaller girl. She nodded, ignoring the frown growing on Chloe’s face. David explored the Bard to see the information on it. He read for a moment and realized why Zoey had picked that.

“Yeah,” Elisha said. “It suits you perfectly, Chloe.”

David watched as Chloe, guided by Zoey, picked the Bard blessing. She shimmered, a thin sheet of azure light washed over her and David watched as she transformed. Her curly hair stretched and lengthen down her back and her clothes seemed to fade away while she was shrouded in light. Leather boots formed on her feet and then leather pants, tucked into the boots and then a loose grey shirt, over which was a padded leather cuirass that was laced on either side.

Strapped to her back was a brown-wood lute that rang when she turned. She shuffled about for a moment trying to get to it. Zoey held her still and got it for her. The lute looked old—seven strings. She moved a finger over the strings and David felt goosebumps spread over his skin as the tune rang out. It was beautiful and soothing.

“I don’t like this,” Chloe said, frowning up at Zoey, but she was already busy with her own display.

“That is because you don’t know what you have yet,” David said. He had found something suitable for himself. It had most of the features he wanted and little of the drawbacks.

He chose the Elemental class, opting for the swordsman sub-type instead of a mage. As a splash of golden light enveloped him, he instinctively staggered back from the others. The light grew so bright that it blinded him, and all at once, he felt warmth spreading through his body. The heat intensified to the point where he feared his insides would melt into a puddle. But instead of dissolving, his body felt strangely heavier for a moment, then abruptly lighter.

David scoffed when he realized he was being remade—his bones refashioned to become the elemental knight, controller of all elements. He looked down as dark leather boots formed over his feet, his skin tingled and over the harsh glare of the light he could see Elisha and Zoey going through their own changes.

Black linen formed a shirt over his body, pants too. The hide armor reeked faintly, but it felt sturdy enough. He waited for a sword to form in his hands, but nothing did. The light faded, revealing him to the others. Zoey stared at him, frowning.

Like Chloe, her hair was longer and the left side of her neck had a rune, a spiral of some sort. She had runes on her hands too—strange symbols she said she couldn’t understand yet.

Of them all, Elisha was the strangest. He was shrouded in swirling shadow, which he could move in and out from. He was covered completely in it and on his hips were twin daggers. He pulled them twirled them around and then slid them back into their sheaths.

“What did you pick?” Elisha asked David. Chloe and Zoey stared at him as if they, too, had wanted to know. David scratched his chin. He was confused too. He’d expected to be more intimidating, with fire and water curling about him while the earth underneath him quaked.

He understood their disappointment.