Death’s Beloved Tower Smasher

A rainbow-colored array of baubles floats in the dark void above. Shadowed grey beings shift the orbs toward destinations of fate. Be it to punish, reward, or teach them. One grey gathers up a small sum of these souls.

They guide the souls to a brownish-gold crack below. This gate to one of the many destinations in the void. The bundled mass of orbs is shifted together to their fate. On the other side, a pair of black wings awaits them. A crow of untold magnitude and power takes them in its wingspan.

His golden eyes search each soul carefully assuring their worth. The majority are sent to his domain, an unlucky few are cast aside to a harsher fate. In the end, the same as every batch, a hundred are chosen for a second chance.

The wise bird dares not attach itself to these mortal souls. Most all will assuredly perish in his tower's trials. He drops them with abandon to the first floor. His servants will handle it from here. He begins his ascent home before a flickering in the void catches his attention.

A true rarity lies in his wings. An aged soul on the edge of extinguishing. Ignored by every guide. The faintest red light emits from its frailing form. It seems unqualified for any domain, fading away by its own volition.

The tower master feels a sense of pity for the soul. One drawn hand after hand of bad fate. He calls down to the small being, offering a question.

'Do you crave purpose?' A profound sound emanates from his beak. The whole void seems drawn to his words.

A single flicker is a lifetime's worth of response to the eternal being. He nods his head in understanding. He cradles the bloodied orb before dropping it with the others.

'Prove yourself in the tower. Survive it. I shall await you at its peak.' He watches the soul fall to its last chance. 'I pray you find some use.'

The crow ascends, leaving a curious onlooking of greys and shining baubles left in the void.

Unaware of the dark future he has cast upon the worlds.

…

The sounds of shuffling feet, and panicked voices wake me from a long sleep. My eyes open to an unfamiliar dirt-colored rock ceiling.

This color permeates the whole of the world around me. A massive cave with no connecting tunnels or exits. I'm surrounded by confused and terrified faces.

"What is this place?!"

"Where is my family?!"

"Who dared capture me?!"

Tones from violent arrogance to anxious weakness, a wide range of victims. I heard another screech from someone far away.

"My body, what's wrong with my body?!"

I raise myself from the cold stone as others investigate their current forms. Their shocked expressions from unexpected changes. People have aged, or become youths. Hair and eye colors, even faces have been reconstructed for some purpose. A startled few even mention changing gender to either shock or delight.

I look below to find myself thin and short compared to the others. My gender is still male, thanks to a certain bulge. I'm curious about my facial features, but do not have a mirror present.

A loud clap stops the crowd for a moment. All eyes land on a metal stage, a throne at its center. An intimidating aura sprawls out from the suited man. His legs crossed over, a relaxed and confident posture and gaze. Spiraled horns carve down from his head to below his cheeks. Long flowing black hair reaches his shoulders and down his back. His skin was a dull blue, eyes piercing blue ice. They narrow at us, joined with a fake smile.

"That's better." He lifts himself from the chair by his hands. Standing at a startling height, possibly more than seven feet. A swishing forked scaly tail behind him. "I am Asule. I will be your tower guide for your ascent." He adjusts his tie, and a light glow comes and goes from his eyes.

I hear a hitch from someone near me. They grab at their throat unable to speak.

"I will not have interruptions. So don't bother." His expression doesn't change, his tail flicks indicating the direction of the troublemakers. He clears his throat. "Please call out 'system status'. It will show your current skills and your basic information. Before anyone asks, this is not a game, there are no stats." He grins, revealing perfect pearly teeth. "This window was deemed more convenient than a physical ledger."

He turns quiet to let us get acquainted with our new tool.

"System status."

A red-toned screen appears before my vision, a twining of bone circles its frame, ending with a pair of skeletal hands at the top corners, its fingers curling over the edges.

??? (Please set name.)

Race: Tower Sinner

Alignment: Error..!

Class: Error..!

Skills: None.

Deities: Death (Favored)

I barely got a chance to look at the screen. Another window popped up, this one a blue color.

'WARNING: System incompatibility detected! Life assessment in progress.'

It displayed a percentage till it maxed out in a few seconds, leading to another window.

'Assessment complete! Changes will be made accordingly!'

??? (Please set name.)

Race: Tower Sinner

Alignment: Lawful Good

Class: Saint

Skills: Basic Prayer (Heal one target from basic injuries by the will of heaven.)

Deities: Death (Favored)

An amused huff crawls out of me. My chaste life followed me into this place. My parents would be so proud. I can't help but stare at Death listed on my screen. What does it mean to be favored by Death? My thoughts are interrupted.

"For any alignment, class or Diety questions ask for the system's explanation. For example 'system help.' Then select a related topic." He folds his arms together. "Lastly any name or bloodline you had before here is useless. You may give yourself a first name by touching 'name' on your window. Last names are earned." He waited once more for us to investigate.

I did as instructed, information was key in any situation. I selected each topic he suggested.

Alignment was more important than I initially thought. It revealed that this place is a tower with floors we could unlock. Each floor had an alignment preference, which could hinder or benefit us. If the beings on the floor were friend or foe, even prices of goods.

Class and skills were correctly assumed what powers and abilities I could use in the tower. Noteably changing classes or gaining skills could not be purchased or gained from moving up in the tower. Class could be changed through something called an 'awakening' and if failed, resulted in corruption, turning the person into a monster. Skills on the other hand could be earned through achievements or changing class.

The topic I was curious about was likely the most important. Deities were your relationships with gods. A god that favored you could grant you aid on floors its worshipers controlled. Bless you with a passive skill, or even free you from the tower with a contract. Likewise, a god that disliked you could target you on one of its floors, or curse you with a permanent debuff.

I was unsure if newcomers to the tower randomly had a deity that favored them or if I somehow interested the god of death. There was no way to know for sure.

Unsure of the time I had left to check other topics, I focused on my name.

I pressed the 'name' item on my window.