Chloe and I wake up later than would be optimal, considering the task ahead of us. Though, considering that neither of us actually fell asleep until half-past eleven last night, I suppose not waking up until a quarter after seven is… to be expected. Today is a day where I’d prefer to be a little late and fully rested, rather than rushing straight into our graves. In that respect, I am so, so grateful to be away from the military and back in something resembling a civilian lifestyle.

As I gently drift down from the lingering afterglow of our wonderful night, a bit of nervous tension percolates into my core. I know the Tower Gauntlet is out there. It’s calling to me, though, that could just be my own excitement and anticipation building. And after last night’s vision of my past self venturing forth into such a Tower for the first time, I feel that the time is finally right.

One thing about the vision worries me, though, and not one related to the Tower itself. I was… I don’t want to say I was in love with Madison. I don’t know what sort of relationship we had, if there was anything more than an artificial life form and one of her creators. But I definitely, beyond any shadow of a doubt, had a crush, maybe even an infatuation, for her. I suppose in that sense, I really always have been a lesbian. Going to owe Chloe an apology or three at some point.

Chloe rouses from her slumber right as the clock strikes seven-thirty. The two of us share a few brief moments of staring into one another’s eyes. Those beautiful, glowing, caramel eyes that draw me in and force me to obey her every desire. I kiss her, first on the forehead, then on the cheek, and then finally upon the lips.

Chloe stretches a bit, twisting her waist from side to side as she flexes her arms out in front of her. A few swivels of the neck and shoulder follow, the accompanying cracks in her joints sounding amazing and certainly feeling even better. I do the same, twisting my wrist and my ankles and arching my back all.

“Today’s the day.” Chloe messages. “Are we ready?”

“I don’t think we can be prepared for the unknown. But, as my past self said in my dream last night, I don’t know if I’m ready, but I’m anxious to get going.”

“I feel the same.” She takes my hand. “But we will get through this, together.”

Mrs. Jacobs shouts her goodbyes from downstairs as she heads off to work. And, with her gone and the time now 7:35, we go ahead and get suited up and ready to leave as well. In addition to our gear and the gemstones from Zackary— including the [Darkness] stone I had recharged— we also pack plenty of snacks and bottles of water. I can’t be sure how easily we’ll be able to get out of the tower, and I don’t want us to be without food or water if the gauntlet is truly as protracted and grueling as its name suggests.

We don’t, however, fix breakfast before we leave. Instead, I make the decision to stop at a local convenience store along the way and pick up a pair of sausage rolls, one for each of us. They’re greasy and spicy, with bits of jalapeño and cheese oozing out when I clamp down upon them. And while they’re absolutely devoid of anything resembling nutrition and might just hit us with a mild [Poison] ailment, it’s one of my favorite childhood treats. The fact that Chloe can cure [Poison] with a basic [Antidote] spell in no way, shape, or form influences my decision.

A short five minute flight across the city, and we land in front of the Tower Gauntlet’s entrance. There’s still a police presence surrounding the tower, mostly just a line of police tape and a pair of patrolmen conducting a leisurely stroll around the tower’s perimeter. But unlike our first trip here, we don’t bother with any subterfuge or distractions to finagle our way inside. Instead, I channel Madison’s confidence and walk right up to the front door.

“Halt,” one of the officers says. “This is a restricted space. By order of the mayor, no one is allowed into the tower until we have completed a survey of the inside and confirmed its safety for civilians.”

“Has there already been a survey conducted?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s protected police information. If you don’t have a writ from the Mayor’s Office…”

Halfway through his speech, I glance over at Chloe, unconcerned with the officer’s instructions. “Chloe, do you want to take a detour to the mayor and get formal permission, or just head in? The officer is probably level 10 or so. I doubt he could harm either of us unless we wanted him to for some reason.”

Chloe smiles. “Thanks for being considerate.” She gives my right hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take to get such a writ from the Mayor, or if they’re even allowing people in at all. Let’s just go in.”

“You’ve changed. I figured you’d be all about the law and being a good and responsible citizen and all that stuff.”

“After those harpies…” She trails off for a moment. “We have our own responsibilities as citizens, things that only we can do. And right now, we should be using our time either to help people directly, or get stronger so we can do so more effectively in the future.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” And damn, do I love this woman. I don’t message as much, but I can see from her warm smile that she senses it through our bond all the same.

“–Now, I’m going to need both of you to leave this place, or I’m going to place you under arrest.”

The officer finally finishes his diatribe. Chloe shrugs her shoulders, and the two of us walk right by, hand in hand, completely uncaring as to the officer’s demands. I switch to the omnidirectional sight of [Archangel’s Gaze] just as he pulls out his gun and threatens to shoot.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I say, twisting my [Mechanical Arm Cannon] around and exposing the analogue of its palm to him. “The moment you start pulling the trigger, I’m going to activate a [Repulsion] barrier that will cause your bullet to ricochet off in some direction I won’t be able to fully control. Let the mayor know that the caster of [Black Hole] and her partner want to go in the Tower Gauntlet, and that we will take full responsibility for our safety and well-being while inside.”

Surprisingly, the officer doesn’t escalate further. Instead, he clicks the safety of his handgun back on, holsters it away, and turns around.

“Godspeed to you both,” he mutters before returning to his patrol.

I pull the door open. Despite the obvious heaviness of the colossal double door, some thirty feet high and half that in width, it opens far too easily, allowing a faint shroud of cool darkness to ooze outward just as warm sunlight attempts to flow inward and illuminate the foyer. Chloe and I step inside, and the door closes behind us.

I attempt to reopen it from the inside, and I find that I’m capable of doing so. Chloe can as well. The Tower Gauntlet doesn’t seem keen to immediately trap us inside and force us to confront every challenge at once. And there’s no monsters— or any other signs of life for that matter, biological or artificial alike. Though, I sense some sort of presence. I can’t tell if it’s the same sort of pressure that I experienced when my past self first entered the tower, or if this is something more concrete. More imminently ominous.

A dim light switches on, revealing a single antechamber, one too small for the size of the tower. Then again, a tower this massive would need to devote a large proportion of its lower floors to structural support. That is, at least if the laws of physics from before the System were the only factor at play. As it is, there could be hidden passageways, and those could be formed of illusions even Chloe’s [Ethersight] and my [Archangel’s Gaze] are unable to pierce.

The most notable thing about the chamber is a massive staircase, leading to a shimmering haze at the top. A portal, I surmise, recalling how similar it looks to the one we used to get to the Temple of Greed a fortnight ago. I expect

it leads somewhere else in the tower. And, though I have no proof of this, I suspect that once we pass through that portal, we won’t be able to easily leave.

To my side is a strange structure, shaped roughly like a cylinder, perhaps six feet in diameter and ten feet high. Large enough that Chloe and I could both comfortably fit inside, and maybe a couple of others, should we choose to later explore with Alana or Lindsey or whomever else we might bring with us at that time.

I don’t notice anything else that immediately strikes out at me. Chloe takes my hand, and together, we take the first steps up the staircase. The air is chilled, stale, and completely scentless. It’s also unnaturally quiet, the tapping that our footsteps should make damped by some phenomenon I don’t understand.

Once we get right up to the portal’s shimmering haze, a series of glyphs lights up. They twist and bend a bit, and though I don’t understand every glyph’s meaning, I can read the inscription as easily as if it were written in plain English. Chloe narrows her eyes as well; it seems that she too can read them, a phenomenon that suggests that these particular glyphs want to be read.

Welcome, aspirants one and all to Tower Gauntlet 36121N-96000W, Planet E3-971, Sector 147. Within this tower are a series of increasingly stronger monsters and other perils designed to push your bodies and minds to their breaking point, ones which will vary from floor to floor. Though the challenges that await are great, so too are the rewards for those who brave these floors and emerge alive; the further you delve, the greater the treasure that lies inside.

Recommended Level for Entering: 40

Recommended Level for Completing Tower: 63

Beware: once you have entered the Gauntlet, you will not be able to easily leave.

I note what it says, especially that last line. I also note what the last line doesn’t say. It doesn’t say that we will have to clear the gauntlet in its entirety.

“Are… Are we still doing this?” Chloe asks. She speaks the words out loud, breaking the eerie silence that permeates the chamber.

“Do you want to turn back?” I ask.

Chloe hesitates for a few seconds. Then she answers with resolve in her voice. “No. I don’t want any more tragedies to happen. I want to be stronger, so I can better protect and heal people. You, and anyone else who might need it.”

“Yeah. I feel the exact same way.”

“Though, that last line does worry me. What do you think about ‘not being able to easily leave’?”

“I don’t know. My vision of my past life only showed me entering the gauntlet, not anything about what was inside. But, if I had to guess, there’s only certain places where we can exit the dungeon. Perhaps that device on the side is a teleporter that will bring us back here when we’re ready to leave.”

“A teleporter?”

“They existed in the world where my past self lived. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to craft one, though. Apparently they work by connecting directly to our System data and somehow freeze quantum uncertainty in a way that turns our data into energy, and then… Yeah, I don’t really even fully understand how they work, either.”

Chloe laughs. “Well, I’m glad to know there are some things that even you don’t know about the world.” She leans her head against my shoulder and wraps me into a brief side hug. “It means there’s things we can explore and learn together.”

With conviction in our hearts, we pass through the portal, and up to the second floor.