CHAPTER 39: TARTARUS SPIRE

He moved with fluid grace despite his massive armor, approaching Jack with the casual confidence of someone in their own domain. "Welcome to my little slice of paradise. Hope you brought your appetite for pain and suffering, because the room service down here is absolutely killer."

The god’s humor was dark, but there was something almost... friendly about his demeanor. Like a teacher welcoming a particularly promising student to an advanced and probably lethal curriculum.

Jack found his voice, though it still shook slightly. "Why... Why did you give me that key? Why am I here?"

He stopped directly in front of Jack, close enough that the young man could see the intricate details carved into the god’s armor. Up close, he could see that what he’d taken for decorative patterns were actually tiny scenes of battle and death played out across the metal surface.

"Straight to the point. I like that. No ’Oh mighty lord of the underworld’ or ’I prostrate myself before your infinite wisdom.’ Just the important questions." He crossed his arms, the movement causing his armor to chime like distant funeral bells. "The truth is, kid, I owe your boss upstairs more favors than I care to count."

"My boss?"

"Draven, the Forgotten One, the Storm That Walks, whatever he’s calling himself these days." Hades waved his hand dismissively. "Point is, your patron pulled my ass out of the cosmic fire more times than I can count. Helped me out of some... delicate situations involving the other gods and their irritating tendency to meddle in underworld affairs."

Jack’s hand went instinctively to his pendant, feeling its warmth even through the fabric of his robe. "So this is... what, repaying a debt?"

"Part of it, anyway." He began pacing around the platform, his massive form walking so perfectly silent, it was like a beast stalking its prey. "See, Draven can’t help you directly right now. Too many divine eyes watching, too much political bullshit in the pantheon. But me? I operate in the spaces between spaces, the places the other gods pretend don’t exist. I can give you what he can’t. The opportunity to escape."

’Opportunity to do what? Get myself killed in whatever nightmare you’ve built down there?’

Hades laughed, and this time the sound held genuine amusement. "Oh, I like you already. Yes, there’s a very good chance you’ll die horribly down there. But there’s also a chance you’ll come out stronger than any mortal has ever been. Stronger than most gods, if we’re being honest."

The god stopped directly in front of Jack again, his burning eye sockets boring into the young man’s soul. "Tell me, lightning boy, what do you know about blessings?"

Jack swallowed hard, acutely aware that he was discussing cosmic power with a being who could unmake him with a thought. "I know I have one from Draven. It’s given me abilities beyond what normal mortals possess."

"Standard divine patronage," Hades nodded. "One god, one blessing, one chosen mortal. It’s how the game has been played since the current pantheon took over. But what if I told you there was another way?"

"Another way?"

"What if I told you that a mortal could bear more than one blessing? That with sufficient strength and will, a single individual could channel the power of multiple gods?" Hades leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "What if I told you that you could be the first human in recorded history to achieve such a thing?"

Jack’s mind raced. Multiple blessings? The power he’d gained from Draven alone had been enough to kill a disaster-class dragon. If he could somehow add another god’s power to that...

’What would you want in return?’

"Clever boy. Nothing in this cosmos comes free." He straightened, gesturing toward the descending levels of the Spire. "I need someone to clean house down there. This place has been sealed for centuries because it was becoming problematic. Ancient things have been stirring in the deep levels, entities that were imprisoned here long before your species figured out fire."

The god’s voice grew more serious, losing some of its casual humor. "Some of those seals are weakening. If they break completely, the things contained here will spill out into your world. Trust me when I say that would be very, very bad for everyone involved."

Jack stared down into the impossible depths of the Spire, trying to comprehend the scale of what the God of Death was proposing. ’You want me to... what, fight primordial monsters that you felt were too dangerous to leave free?’

"Not just fight them. Master them. Prove that you’re worthy of the power you’re asking for." Hades’s tone grew almost paternal. "Look, kid, I’m not asking you to clear the whole Spire. That would be suicide even for you. But if you can make it through the first twenty-five floors, if you can prove you’ve got the stones to handle real power... then we’ll talk about that second blessing."

Twenty-five floors. Jack had nearly died fighting a single dragon on the surface. The idea of descending into this nightmare realm and surviving twenty-five levels of whatever horrors awaited was almost laughable.

Almost.

"What’s down there?" he asked quietly.

"Pain. Suffering. Things that will try to break your mind before they kill your body." Hades shrugged as if discussing the weather. "But also power, knowledge, and treasures that haven’t seen daylight since the world was young. Plus a rather nifty reward system I’ve set up to keep things interesting."

’Reward system?’

"Death tokens!" Hades announced with the enthusiasm of a carnival barker. "Every time you kill something down there, you get tokens based on how ancient and horrifying it was. You can spend those tokens to open new passages, seal off areas that are too dangerous, descend to lower floors, or visit my personal shop for equipment and upgrades."

Jack stared at the god in disbelief. ’You have a shop?’

"What can I say? I believe in good customer service." Hades’s tone was so casual it was almost surreal. "Look, just go with it, kid. I know it sounds weird, but trust me when I say you’ll appreciate having options when you’re thirty floors down and surrounded by things that eat nightmares for breakfast."

The whole situation was insane. Jack was standing in an ancient dungeon discussing shopping with the god of death himself. But somehow, Hades’s willy-nilly attitude made it all seem almost... reasonable.

’And if I refuse?’

"Then you stay up there in your golden cage until that pretty boy Aurelius breaks your spirit and turns you into just another weapon for the crown." His voice hardened slightly. "Or until whatever’s stirring in the deep levels breaks free and turns your whole world into a slaughter house. Either way, not really a win for you."

Jack looked down into the depths of the Spire again, then back at the god of death. It was a choice between certain spiritual death as a controlled weapon and possible physical death in pursuit of real power and freedom.

When he put it like that, the choice was actually pretty easy.

’If I do this,’ Jack said slowly, "if I somehow survive twenty-five floors of your nightmare dungeon, will you really give me a second blessing?"

"Scout’s honor," He said solemnly, raising one hand. "Though I should mention, I was never actually a scout. More of a reaper of souls type. But the sentiment stands."

Jack couldn’t help but crack a small smile at the god’s irreverent humor. At least if he was going to die horribly, he’d be doing it for someone with a sense of humor.

’Alright,’ he said, surprised by the steadiness in his own voice. ’I’ll do it.’

"Excellent!" Hades clapped his hands together, the sound echoing through the Spire like thunder. "I do so love it when mortals make terrible decisions in pursuit of power. It’s like watching a particularly entertaining tragedy unfold."

The god began to fade, his form becoming translucent as he prepared to depart. "Oh, and Jack? A word of advice. The first floor is supposed to be the easy one. If you can’t handle what’s waiting down there, you might want to reconsider this whole endeavor."

’Wait!’ Jack called out as Hades grew fainter. ’How do I get back? How do I contact you if I need help?’

"You don’t," He replied cheerfully. "That’s rather the point. Sink or swim, lightning boy. Sink or swim."

And with that, the god of death vanished, leaving Jack alone on the platform with nothing but the wind, the darkness and the impossible task ahead of him.

Jack stood in the sudden silence, acutely aware of how small and mortal he was in this place of ancient power. The Spire stretched down into depths that seemed to go on forever, each level promising new horrors and challenges he couldn’t even imagine.

But he’d made his choice. Better to die fighting for freedom than to live as a gilded slave.

Taking a deep breath, Jack approached the edge of the platform where a narrow staircase carved from the living rock descended to the first level. Each step was worn smooth by ages of use, though he tried not to think too hard about what kinds of feet had walked this path before him.

As he reached the entrance to the first floor, Jack paused to center himself. Whatever lay beyond this threshold, he would face it as Jack Kaiser, not as the crown’s weapon or Aurelius’s project. He would prove himself worthy of Draven’s faith and the God of Death’s offer.

He stepped through the archway into the first level of the Tartarus Spire.

The chamber beyond was vast, easily the size of a cathedral, with a vaulted ceiling that disappeared into shadow. Phosphorescent fungi growing on the walls provided a sickly green illumination that made everything look diseased and wrong. The air was thick with the smell of decay and rot.

But it was the sound that made his blood freeze in his veins.

Breathing. Deep, slow, rhythmic breathing that seemed to come from multiple sources. Big sources. Really big sources.

Jack’s hand went to his spear, checking that his weapons were still with him. But, ever since passing out, Jack didn’t have a weapon on him.

That’s when the system notification appeared, floating in letters of blood-red fire before his eyes:

[Floor 1 of the Tartarus Spire.]

[Warning: enemies detected.]

[Enemies:200.]

[Field Bosses: 2.]