A New Beginning: Part 2

Roux was standing in a completely black space. He wasn't really sure what was happening right now. He didn't feel like he was moving but he also couldn't feel anything under his feet but was clearly on something. He didn't see anything in any direction he looked.

Minutes went by with no change. 'I wonder if that jerk messed something up with his practical joke. I definitely owe him some payback if I ever make it out.' The minutes continued to tick by as Roux waited. After almost an hour he was starting to get nervous. He had been on edge for awhile but still had hope. Slowly he began to lose that hope. That he was stuck in this endless abyss of a place.

This continued on for much longer than Roux could stand. After about 3 hours Roux was beginning to become absolutely panicked. No one told him anything like this could or would happen. Although the guy who operated the portal was an ass he wouldn't actually hurt him would he? I mean who would know if something went wrong he just wouldn't ever return to earth and it wouldn't be their concern anymore.

Another hour ticked by and finally there was a change. He noticed that he could see the time in the upper right hand corner of his vision. Unexpectedly though it was the exact same time as when he had left earth. Forget sitting in darkness for hours not even a minute had passed in the real world. This was a living hell. How could he endure this waiting for so long only to find out times not ever working right.

Slowly other things began popping up. In the bottom middle of his vision was two bars one red and one blue. If video games had taught him anything it was red for Health or HP and blue would be for Mana or MP. Currently neither had and numbers or ways to differentiate how much each were.

Next to appear was the top left corner of his vision. This was one of the more depressing things to happen. "Level 1". Literally starting from the bottom of the barrel. That was an absolute pain. Was he supposed to level up by grinding monsters? Crafting? Doing meaningless quests for random strangers for almost nothing? This sounded tedious to Roux. Hopefully there was an easy way. Maybe the governments of earth set up a grinding system for their people to give them a head start. Roux really hoped so.

Finally after what seemed like another 30 minutes an androgynous voice sounded in Roux's head.

"Welcome traveler! I am Ely. I am here to explain the rules and help get you started in your journey! We're so happy to have you join us in climbing the Infinite Tower!" The voice sounded like he was just getting on an amusement park ride not transferring between worlds. Upbeat and enthusiastic. Those were the best words to describe the voice named Ely.

"To start traveler what would you like to be known as? Remember once you select your name it can't be changed in the Infinite Tower."

This had never dawned on Roux before. Should he change his name to something heroic? Or maybe like someone famous from the movies or history? After thinking it over for a few minutes he had decided. "You can call me 'Roux'." He went with the name his parents always called him. He would never admit his real name to anyone. That was beyond embarrassing. It was also a small tribute to them since he wasn't sure if he would see them again. He planned to go home eventually but who knew when that would be.

"Thank you Roux! Next we ask if you would like to adjust any of your physical features? Please be aware these changes cannot exceed a small percent of your current physical stature. Although color changes can be made completely."

This was the moment Roux had waited years for. He had one thing he wanted to change more than anything. Something he had been made fun of for as long as he can remember. He had even lost romantic chances because of it. If all the people like him knew they could fix this just by coming here they might riot to break they the doors and into the portal!

"There is one thing I'd like to change. Can you make me 1 inch taller. I've always wanted to be 6 feet tall!" Roux exclaimed it out with no reservations. Finally he had dreamt of this moment from when he was in his teens. Never again would he be just short of being a part of that exclusive club. Everything else about him he could work on and change over time. He could never make himself taller without wearing thick shoes and that just wouldn't do.

"Your request is accepted." The voice echoed in Roux's head as a blinding light covered his body. To Roux he felt like a brand new man. Nothing could bring him down. When the light dimmed and dispersed he didn't feel any different. He moved his body around to make sure he didn't end up with an extra inch of thigh only or a super long neck. As far as he could tell it had been proportionally spread to his body.

"Will there be anything else Mr. Roux?" The voice asked politely.

"Nope I am happy with the way I am now. Thank you Ely!" Spoke Roux as he bowed his head in thanks. Asking for more than this would be greedy.

"Excellent then Mr. Roux allow me to explain some nuisances of our world." The voice continued on as if this wasn't beyond freaky for most people coming from whatever place they traveled to. "As you may have noticed some things have been added to your vision. These are the absolute basics. Do any of them need explained?"

"No I'm pretty sure they are self explanatory. My only question would be how to gain levels?" Roux had guessed the likely ways he would gain them but would rather find out the rest from the source.

"There are many ways to gain levels in and around the Infinite Towe." The voice stated matter of fact like "they can range from fighting wild beasts or creating items thru the many crafting skills available. Some people prefer to do bounty quests on law breaking members of the world, although I do not recommend this for you since you are starting out. You can trade for experience stones as well. These are just a few of the ways to gain levels. Figuring out the rest will be up to you!"

This was interesting. There were ways to gain levels without doing anything but trading. Also hunting other people, what kind of world was this? Roux made a mental note to figure out the laws and abide by them.

"If that's all you had to ask I'll explain a few more things about how things work." The voice continued the explanation not waiting to see if Roux had fully understood or had any new questions. "As you may have noticed in your transfer process to the Infinite Tower time is not moving. While in the Tower itself time will progressively dilute itself as you climb higher into the tower. Each level of the tower will give you all new experiences as well."

Now this news was a bombshell to Roux. The name 'Infinite Tower' now held new meaning. He had heard that it was supposed to have an infinite number of floors which is why it had its name but knowing that it could also posses an infinite amount of time was another thing all together. This just kept getting better and better!

"The world in and around the Tower have different ruling systems so please be aware of the areas you are in and respect those laws that are in place. One universal law in the tower is that violence is prohibited within all city limits. If you are caught violating this rule for any reason short of self defense you will be taken into custody or a bounty will be issued." Ely was stern while giving this warning. They had made it very clear that this was definitely a rule that should be followed.

"Last but not least. If you should happen to die while adventuring then you will experience a state similar to the one prior to my presence. The length of time in between states will vary depending on your level. Please note that upon death you will not lose any equipment or used experience. However any unused experience stones will disappear so do tread carefully!" This seemed like a completely non-important thing to Ely. Roux on the other hand had his mouth hanging open as if he was trying to catch flies. You can't die? Well not really at least that's insane?!

"Excuse me Ely, are you saying that I'm now immortal?" Roux asked while trying to sound like it was completely normal. He could tell that he was failing as he could practically hear his heart beating thru his chest.

"Of course not! There are two ways to die in the Infinite Tower area. Firstly, time waits for no one. You can die from old age. However with the uniqueness of the tower your life can be extended for much longer than a normal lifespan. The second would be from more natural diseases. Most sickness can be cured but there are always exceptions." Ely was straight forward and sincere but it left lots of questions for Roux that he assumed he would have to figure out on his own.

"That concludes everything you need to know! Happy travels Roux!"

With that the darkness was dispersed and replaced with a blinding light. Leaving Roux wondering what was next.