Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

Chapter 169 – Floor 15: Part 15

A geyser of bright, white mana erupted into the air. The five Ancestral Beast Hearts began to melt in the center of the ritual space before combing into a liquid mass that writhed on the ground. It would occasionally take the shape of the Ancestral Beasts that once owned them.

Alfred knelt beside the congealed bulk of Aether before slowly reaching out his hand and touching it. A power swept through his body like nothing he had ever felt before. He could feel it attacking the traces of illness inside him, destroying it and leaving him stronger.

Mathew watched with satisfaction; the final part of his task on the 15th floor was finally complete. He heaved a sigh of relief as the long-awaited ‘ding’ of the notification rang out.

He cautiously risked a glance at the shadows of the now blooming trees that ringed the ritual site and immediately saw the eyes of the Celestials; they had returned shortly after the Tower had arrived. Trying his hardest to ignore them and failing miserably, Mathew looked at the message from the Tower.

Congratulations!

Floor 15: The Heart of a Prince (Complete)

Summary: Alfred, rightful Prince of Anglia, has recovered due to the combined power of Five Ancestral Beast Hearts. He is now free to take his rightful place as Crown Prince of Anglia, bringing a new age of prosperity to the Kingdom.

Reward: The Gratitude of Righteous Subjugation

Mathew snorted derisively at the reward summary. He didn’t care about gratitude at all; he just wanted to be free of the gods and their meddling. Righteous Subjugation had used him ever since he had arrived in this world.

He wanted to be as far away from anything to do with Righteous Subjugation as possible. He was about to lower his wrist and hide the message when it continued.

Divine Consultation:

Righteous Subjugation has requested you to be their Apostle. Another party has blocked the request.

Mischievous Depravity has requested you to be their Apostle. Another party has blocked the request.

“Good. Maybe they can keep each other so busy that they can leave me alone.” Mathew muttered before a new string of messages appeared.

The gratitude of Righteous Subjugation has earned you a new Discipline: Faultless Magister. New discipline has been withheld from you through the intervention of Mischievous Depravity.

Mischievous Depravity has offered you a new Discipline: Vile Depraved. New Discipline has been withheld from you through the intervention of Righteous Subjugation.

The gods are conferring.

Mathew sighed and lowered his arm. It seemed that the two gods wouldn’t come to a resolution anytime soon. He needed a new Discipline; he couldn’t gain levels without it. He had reached the maximum of Arcane Alterist, meaning he couldn’t heal quickly using a level-up without selecting a new one.

To be honest, neither of the choices offered by the two gods was appealing, particularly when he recalled that his personality would begin to shift and warp to accommodate his new Discipline. The last thing he wanted was for his mind to be subverted by either of these two gods.

Righteous Subjugation seemed the better choice until you considered that the bastard had put Mathew into harm’s way multiple times. Mischievous Depravity wasn’t any better; the former Outer God’s influence caused Samuel to become its Apostle, leading to the deaths of countless Players.

“Why can’t they both just leave me alone? Is it too much to ask for a simple Discipline? Maybe a common ranked one?” Mathew muttered as he walked away from Alfred and his healing ritual to find Louis.

The Prince of Francia sat on a large rock away from the ritual site; he had his legs folded and his head rested on his hand as he stared at the Tower in the distance. It wasn’t going away; it seemed like it would be a permanent presence in this world.

They didn’t know if it was located in other sections of their planet or if this was the only entrance, but it was clear to the group that anyone could enter it now. Louis had been deep in thought since he first saw it, and Mathew suspected he knew why.

“Have you decided to enter?” Mathew asked, coming up to his friend and leaning against the large boulder. The Francian sighed and tore his gaze away from the Tower for a moment before his eyes slowly made their way back to the Tower.

It was an impressive sight, soaring into the clouds with its peak completely obscured. Unlike the modern office structure of Mathew’s world, this Tower was made of grey stones similar to the cathedral he had seen in Londinium.

The Tower had healed the ground, life had returned to the Eastern Territories, and Mathew suspected that it wouldn’t be long before people settled here again. With the Ancestral Beast of the area gone, he doubted the Demi-Beasts would return in force anytime soon.

“Qui. Non.” Louis sighed and angrily ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to do. A part of me longs to adventure, to test myself against the Floors of this Tower as you have done, Mathew. I could not comprehend such a thing when you told me you were not of this world, that you were a traveller beholden to the gods. But now…” Louis paused.

“If you are looking to me for advice, I don’t have much to give. The Tower isn’t a fun adventure, Louis. It’s difficult and torturous. I’ve seen so many people die that I can’t count them anymore. But maybe you will do better than me. I wasn’t used to fighting or experiencing hardship before I entered. You, on the other hand, were born into to.” Mathew confessed, and Louis looked away from the Tower once more to stare at his friend.

“You will be going soon?” Louis asked, and Mathew nodded.

“In a few minutes. There’s nothing left for me to do here. Alfred’s taken care of, and I have someone I need to find who may need my help.” Mathew said. Louis leapt off the boulder, and when Mathew tried to shake his hand, the Prince of Francian hugged him instead.

“I hope you find her, my friend.” Louis said as he stepped back and clapped Mathew on the shoulder.

“Go back to Francia, Louis. Talk to your parents, and visit your people. The Tower will still be here, waiting for you. Remember, even if you are a grey-haired old man who has one foot into the grave, the Tower can still help you achieve your wish.” Mathew said.

“If I wait too long, we will not see each other again,” Louis said sadly, shaking his head. Mathew laughed.

“I wouldn’t say that. I’ve told you that time works differently in the Tower. You could live an entire life out here, with fifty years of adventures and stories to share, and I could meet you again on the next floor. Strange things happen here.” Mathew paused and frowned as his silver wristband vibrated and warmed against his skin.

“As much as I hate to say it, the fate of everyone who enters the Tower is in the hands of the gods.” Mathew finished.

“And the gods are Bâtards.” Louis finished in French.

“Indeed they are.” Mathew said as he raised his wristband to see what new message awaited him.

Divine Consultation:

The god of Righteous Subjugation and the god of Mischievous Depravity have both been blocked from offering their Disciplines through the intervention of a third party, the god of Sanctuary Retort.

The god of Sanctuary Retort has taken an interest in you and would like to offer you discipline.

The offer of a Discipline has been blocked. You will not be offered a Discipline at this time.

Mathew immediately closed the messages.

“They really are bastards!” Mathew hissed out in anger. He didn’t know anything about this new god, although he recalled that Albrecht, the King of Anglia, was an adherent of Sanctuary Retort. He just wanted to be clear of all of them, yet he was caught in the middle of a struggle that saw him blocked from gaining a new Discipline!

No levels meant no healing or growing more powerful through his attributes.

“Everything alright?” Alfred asked as he approached the pair, along with Daphne and Enalious. They had spent over a year travelling together, and even Mathew could see that the young man and women were close.

Alfred looked healthy; his pale skin was tanned from the sun, and his body was no longer sickly and weak. He had an aura of power about him from his magic training, and Mathew had no doubt that he would be able to conquer Excalibur when he eventually returned to Anglia.

“No, but it never is.” Mathew replied with a shrug of his shoulder. He turned away from Louis and studied the small group for a moment.

“I’m…not good with goodbyes.” Mathew stated, and Daphne snorted.

“Or people.” She said.

“Or emotions.” Alfred added.

“Right. Look…take care of yourselves and if you are ever feeling foolish and reckless, maybe I’ll see you in the Tower someday.” Mathew replied. Alfred tried to thank him, to hold him back a moment to talk about how much Mathew had changed his life, but he waved him away.

Mathew was soon walking toward the Tower; the stone structure rapidly grew as he approached. A white light enveloped him, and he was gone. It was finally time to see what the next Floor had in store for him.