The City of Thunder

"Name?"

"Fritz Aldrich"

"Where are you from Mr.Aldrich?"

"I'm from a small town to the west sir, Greydale."

"Understood, you're good to go. Welcome to the city of thunder."

I nod before shouldering my pack and walking through the open gates ahead of me. Glancing around I see an impressive array of guards that line the area. Looking past them following the road I'll be taking I see a sprawling field of houses and shops that surround the foot of a towering mountain in front of me.

The further up the mountain I look, the sparser the buildings and the taller they became until the tallest ones near the top were almost 40 or 50 floors tall. Even still, all of them were overshadowed by the tower that loomed over them all at the peak of the mountain. The tower pierced the heavens and stared down on all the other buildings present. It was the only spot around for hundreds of kilometers that didn't have thunder clouds, and even from the distance I am, it still seemed large.

I stare at it for a few seconds before I again lay eyes on the never ending buildings, scanning them quickly I finally catch my eye on a peculiar building that is taller than all the others at the foot of the mountain. Unlike the buildings around it, this one resembles a sort of lighthouse with a strong light at the top.

Finding my target I begin walking through the winding roads slowly making sure I don't get lost and taking the opportunity to look at the various shops and people around me. As much as I want to, I can't help feeling excited. I am finally in the city of Taranis. The environment in the city is much more active then the one in my hometown. Greydale had a measly population of 40 people. The only reason it hasn't collapsed is because it is one of the main towns on the way to The tower of thunder from the land of wind.

Most of the income and supplies comes from the constant foot traffic in the area. While this would normally promote the growth of a small town like Greydale it's stopped by Taranis which is nearby to the East, and the city of Myre to the West. Due to two cities being in close proximity Greydale has had little growth of population halting at the size of a small town with far too many inns compared to the people living there.

Due to being lost in thought about my home town I fail to notice that the foot traffic around me is getting thicker. While I am paying attention enough for me to keep walking in the right direction…that was about all the focus I had on the world around me. When all of a sudden I trip on a loose stone below me and tumble into someone.

"Ah what-" I hear a high pitched voice fall in front of me as I barely keep my balance thanks to running into them.

The crowd splits a little as the people avoid the fallen person giving me the chance to see them. A girl around the age of 16 wearing pants, leather armor, and a sword around her waist, is laying on the ground.

"This, I'm really sorry!" I say as I offer my hand to help her up.

"You! I'm in a hurry to the Ascender's Association and now you've made me lose where it is.

I looked at her oddly while she was getting up before realizing the issue. The land within the reach of a tower's influence are named after that tower. In our case we are the people of the land of thunder and reside in the area of the thunder clouds. Due to the sun being constantly covered we have pale skin and are generally taller than most other lands. Well, being pale is understandable but no one can really understand why we are tall…

However the girl in front of me had tan skin and was fairly short for her age meaning she probably came from the land of sun or the land of fire since anywhere else seems too far to travel to the land of thunder. This also means that she can't see past anyone's shoulders in this crowded road and has lost sight of the Ascender's Association building.

"Heyyy are you even listening to me!" She waved her hand in front of my face and glared at me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"This, I'm sorry, if you don't mind I can bring you to the Association building. I am heading there as well." I bowed my head a little.

"Sigh, fine, but we have to hurry. I have an important letter I have to drop off."

Making our way towards the tower, I had to put all of my effort into not running into anyone due to speeding up. I wasn't able to view any of the buildings around me so I had no idea where to find an inn or a shop later when I left the association's building.

Panting we finally arrived in front of the building. I crouched in front of it not knowing whether I should curse it for looking so close no matter how far we were from it, or awe struck with how magnificent the building looked. It was a tower built of stone bricks, but the seams between each brick were at an odd angle. Making it look like the tower was embroidered rather than stacked with brick and mortar.

"Well…here…we are" I say trying to speak clearly through my lack of breath. I turn to look at the girl on my right only to notice that she is already gone rushing through the entrance of the building.

"Guess that's…that" I stand back up straight and head for the door.

Walking through the entrance I'm met with a huge entrance hall divided into three sections. The area I'm in is the reception area which handles and houses bounties posted on walls and seating areas for what looks like a few hundred people. A large archway is on my left which lets people go into another area of what appears to be a bar and restaurant-esque area. On the right side is a closed wall with a guarded entrance and two thick wooden doors blocking my view to the other side.

Right in the center is a curved reception desk with 7 ladies and 3 men each behind one of ten dividers. Short lines follow a few of them while the others are talking amongst themselves.

Above them, spanning three dividers each and from left to right, are plaques reading "Public Reception" "Ascenders" and "Materials" while the last person on the far right has his own plaque above him reading "Important/Emergencies" His line was the longest. I make my way to the far right and get in the far left line that has "General" above it in fine print.

"How can I help you?" The lady at the desk breaks me out of my thoughts.

"I would like to register as an Ascender." I say nervously. At this moment a million thoughts are racing through my head, all of them along the lines of 'what if she says no?'

"Alright," She looks me up and down. "Just to let you know we have a registration fee of 5 silver…"

"Yes I have it on me, should I bring it out?" I ask, reaching into my pocket.

"Please. Now, there are a few things that I'll need to ask and explain before we begin your registration. First, can you read and write?"

"Yes, I can do both!" I placed the 5 silver on the table.

"Perfect, then we can skip all the other questions. You'll be filling them out on this paper after I finish my explanation." She hands me a piece of paper filled with rows of questions asking for things like my name to moral questions like would I save the old lady crossing or the kid on the sidewalk from a rogue carriage. "Now to begin the explanation. As I am sure you are aware, an Ascender's purpose is to climb the tower at the peak of the mountain.

This tower, one of many that pierce the skies throughout the continent are dungeons known as the Eyes of Heaven. Each one has countless floors of which various beasts, traps, puzzles, and other such challenges make their home. Although they are all very similar, each has its own theme or challenge prevalent within its floors.

As the namesake of this town, the tower is known as the Tower of Thunder or The Eye of Thunder. Of which is simple to tell due to the thunderclouds that are spread for hundreds of kilometers around the tower. The ascenders who climb these towers do so for a myriad of reasons. Be it to climb to the top, or to make money off their favorite floors, each ascender has their own goals for the tower."

She paused to collect her breath before she stared sternly at me. "Now, I'm technically not allowed to say this, but each tower is built like an ecosystem. With each ecosystem there are hunters and there are prey, and many times the hunters aren't the beings that make their homes in the tower but rather those who enter it. With that being said, if you still wish to be a hunter feel free to fill out that paper and come back in line when you are done."