Chapter 3: 2. The Three

2. The Three

- Many Years Later / Year 1162 / Located Inside of a Tower -

“Ted,” Lucas called out. “Back me up!”

Lucas, a lean young man dressed in light-weight armor, faced the small rodents with four wings flying around. Each squealing with hostile behavior, he poised his long silver sword and awaited their incoming attacks. These rodents had an ominous red glare in the dark but surprisingly lacked enough strength to create fatal harm. They only caused trouble for sword users like Lucas, who kept his focus on them, which didn’t do much. Lucas managed to kill eight rodents using his sword until he ran out of stamina due to the constant weaving and dodges from them.

But lurking in the shadows up ahead in the dark tunnel came a monster with its looks and size almost humanoid. It stood with two legs, but its body got covered in moss, and its head nearly rotted with a small horn sticking out on its side. The humanoid monster appeared steadily, walking soundlessly towards Lucas as the light source resonating from a large torch held by Ted brought it to light.

Ted, compared to Lucas, was taller by half a foot but overweight. Each forceful step he made caused the ground to shake and rattle the rocks back and forth. At times like these, it made Lucas question why he got partnered with him during their venture into the dark enveloping tunnels.

Usually, one would carry a pack of food or two for times of break and re-energizing, but Ted always held more than four which was one thing that Lucas found extremely useful from him. Though he never possessed over six packs of food.

As Lucas called out to Ted for backup, Ted walked next to him and shoved his blazing torch onto his face. Out of shock, Lucas pulled back and instinctively grabbed the torch while looking at Ted with a stern look, who seemed too focused on the humanoid monster in front of him.

“Dude, you almost burnt my fa-”

“Big fella is coming through!”

Lucas got cut off in the middle of his sentence.

Even with Ted’s enormous appearance, he ran so fast that Lucas pondered how his legs could hold up such a big plump body.

Though his large arms had muscles that portrayed a noticeable tone to them, Ted’s overall body was that of jell. His stomach looked as if it would burst, but he never looked bothered by his own body. Instead, he took advantage of his overwhelming size and utilized his weight to charge his enemies mercilessly. One could say that he was one hell of an unstoppable boulder.

While running, he lowered his shoulders which caused the luggage he held on his back that carried packs of food and materials to fall and roll several times until coming to a stop.

He then reached for his back, taking hold of two large stone-sharpened axes. The stone heads were wrapped poorly from small strands of leather as some covered the tip of the handle for a firmer grip. Some spots of the blades got chipped but were nonetheless sharp.

Ted ran past the flying rodents and straight at the humanoid monster while guarding his front by crossing his axes over each other. His large body caused the rodents to lose their balance of flight from the gust of wind tailing behind him.

The monster took a stance and crashed head-on with Ted. With his swift momentum and speed, he continued to push the creature back as it dragged its feet on the stone cold ground. The monster refused to get trampled by the weight of Ted and his strong charge.

Wow. You can withstand my tackle? Ted said to himself.

But after a few seconds of constant pushing, the monster began exhaling small steam particles. Ted, noticing this, backed off and grabbed his axes firmly, waiting for its impending attack.

The monster changed his stance and took the offensive. Its curled arms got lowered with hands opening wide as they began to emit orange light that grew into small flames flaring right on top of its skin.

It made a loud crackling roar, echoing all around their vicinity, and jerked abnormally. Its movement made snapping noises and sounds of joints popping. While stepping forward, it swung its arms wide and hastily, causing the flames the size of Ted’s axes in its hands to flow out and into the air and target straight at him.

Ted deeply inhaled while focusing strictly on the monster and the two round balls of fire hurling toward him. When the flames were right up to his face, he tightened his stomach and raised his axes. One and the next, he swung his enormous axes down, slicing one straight through the middle and then the other. The sliced orbs of fire ceased slowly while leaving little traces of effulgent orange flowing behind him and barely scraping the surface of his skin and clothes.

The monster stepped back, gritting his teeth from seeing his cast of fire vanish effortlessly. But it quickly proceeded to attack again by casting more on his hands.

Before the monster could make another move, Ted charged at it once more. While grunting, he raised one of his hands and chucked his axe at the monster. With barely any time for the beast to dodge, the axe struck the center of its face.

Ted, using his hand wrapped in leather gloves, ran close to it, gripped the axe’s handle, and used all of his strength to push the blade downward. His gloves helped keep his hands in place without his hands slipping from the already blood stains on the handle. The axe cut the monster into two until it stopped near the bottom of its abdomen.

After a standstill, Ted jerked his hand back and pulled the axe out of the creature's body. The corpse fell to the ground. Blood spewed out and covered the place in dark red.

Then once glaring at the soaked ground, he saw a material that caught his eye.

Oh, a fabric. Ted said. Forgot these things carry around items for selling. He picked it up and placed it in his pocket. As Ted began to wipe his axes with a used handkerchief he always carried around, he turned to see Lucas also finishing up with the remaining rodents, though with slight panting.

“My boy, Lucas,” Ted cheerfully said. “You seem quite out of breath.”

“L-Listen,” Lucas called out with an irritating tone. “You almost burnt my face. Also, don’t call me a boy. I have a family.”

“Hey, brighten up. We cleared the upper compartment of the tower relatively quickly. I’m sure we will get a good deal of money today.”

“That’s because there’s never a lot of monsters up here. And about that money thing, we never earn more than 2 silver coins. I doubt we will get more than 10 noble copper coins from just this small expedition we did.”

“Such a greedy man. A silver coin is hard to get. But I understand! Too bad that you have to deal with your family.”

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Currency Info:

1 Silver = 5 Noble Coppers

1 Noble Copper = 10 Coppers

Silver and copper coins were any ordinary coins used by civilians. These coins were not concise with their roundness, and they could vary in size. However, they must look solid, somewhat circular, and they must have a note written at the bottom that says, “Ex Currency.”

Noble copper coins, unlike regular coppers, have a more refined look to their design. They are more glistening, more circular shaped, and more specific to their size. For these coins to be classified as noble coins, they must be circular and very solid, they must include a drawn head of a noble family ingrained in the material, and they must have a signature at the bottom that says, “Radigon,” with an additional note below marked with the words, “Arch Currency.”

If these conditions were not met, they were not coins. Using forged coins under secured properties would charge them unbearable amounts of money with the accusation of counterfeiting.

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“Dealing with my family is not that much of a problem, in fact, it’s myself that I have to deal with the most.”

“Oh. Existential Crisis?”

“No. It’s about my wife’s birthday. It’s today and I still haven’t gotten anything for her. Still can’t tell if I’m overthinking this or whatnot…”

“Your wife’s birthday…?” Ted smirked as he placed his axes in the large pockets with straps on his back. “I see.”

“What,” Lucas bewildered, placing his sword back in his scabbard.

“It’s nothing. Anyways, let’s head back. I’m sure others are waiting.”

Ted picked up the luggage on the ground he dropped previously and placed it on top of his axes resting on his back. Lucas stared at him descending the dark tunnel, murmuring a small response while following after him with a torch in his hand.

However, Ted abruptly stopped and turned around to face Lucas.

“Hey,” he asked. “Give me back my torch. I can’t see where I’m going.”

---

Located a couple of miles from Lucas’s home lay a circular tower stretching high above the ground. This mountainous structure held itself up with stone, marble, granite, and various minerals in its entirety, though at the top of the tower was mainly dirt mixed with fertilized soil.

The tower was embedded by four manmade pillars built alongside it at equal distances from one another. These had a light coloring with a rough texture to them, providing good durability for the tower’s structural integrity.

The origin of this abnormal tower of mass was unknown, but since it stuck out so noticeably in a vast plain area, it attracted people all around to see what it had in store.

Throughout expeditions, men and women found creatures ranging from as small as one’s legs to the size of two grown-up men dwelling within these interiors. People who had the strength to take down these creatures would, as a result, pick up valuable material where some might look oblivious to their understanding.

These materials initially had no value until one man appeared that created a trading system. A man who was thought to be rich and powerful built a small inn to provide an opportunity for the people who wanted money.

He hired a front desk, and they created missions for people to do, and if successful, they would trade those items and earn a sum of coins as a reward.

This rich man was never present around his facility. He retrieved these materials gathered by men and women through transportation by wagons guarded by roughly four men, preventing anyone from stealing the items inside.

If one does attempt to infiltrate the wagon, they would consequently be caught and sent on their way to where the coins were going without being heard from ever again. It was unknown how strong those men were. But they were mysteriously strong.

Over time, however, some people who entered the large structure disappeared, nowhere to be seen or heard from. It was reported that the lower they go, the stronger the enemies get, giving the reason why many vanish. No one discovered the bottom nor did they know what was down there. Some thought it would be one strong creature that created this entire tower.

Because this structure was infamous for the disappearances of hundreds of people, they called this tower, The Soul Harvesting Tower.

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Tower Info:

Soul Harvesting Tower - Upper Level (the tower itself):

The upper level of the tower is divided into 10 levels. Level 10 is at the entrance (base ground), and level 1 is at the top. Level 1 has the least troublesome creatures, while level 10 has the hardest.

Attempting to enter Level 1 is to start at Level 10 and work their way up. Therefore, many people refused to enter these grounds.

The upper level is roughly 387 meters high with a radius of 92 meters. Counting the manmade pillars would add the width of the radius to be 120 meters.

Soul Harvesting Tower - Lower Level (the underground, where the disappearances occur):

The lower level is composed of, currently discovered, 42 levels. Starting from level 10, each level can possess dozens to hundreds of creatures, and those creatures become stronger the lower they dwell in the tower. The sizes of these levels can be simple to complex - a single room to a labyrinth, and no one has gone down below level 42 and returned alive.

Levels are separated by a 2-door entry made of stone. The deeper one goes, the more prominent these doors become with a higher complexity to their designs.

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Lucas and Ted were at the 8th level of the Soul Harvesting Tower (SHT). They were with the other members of their group but were currently divided into smaller groups so they would collect more materials. The two were ordered to clear the upper levels while the rest went to the lower levels.

SHT had multiple compartments connected with narrow tunnels. Lucas and Ted went in a full circle, starting from the 10th level, progressing up to the 1st level, and going back down to the 8th level. Some spots were bare from previous expeditions during the day.

Within three hours, they finished their journey through the upper levels and descended to the 10th level where they could leave the SHT.

“Today was a short day,” Ted mentioned. “But we did collect a lot of items. Want me to list everything?”

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“No thanks. And today was short since there are not many monsters in the upper levels,” Lucas replied. “Also, these creatures were easy to deal with.”

“But you had quite some trouble with those rodents. You could’ve brought Mai with you instead of me.”

“W-,” Lucas blurted out. “Hey, I’m not the boss who gets to decide who goes with who! And even if I was, I’m not bringing Mai. Her energy will just have her do everything herself.”

“I see. So it must be fate that we’re together. Ha! Haha!”

Ted laughed in a loud gesture that echoed through the dark tunnels. He and Lucas continued walking down the dark cave until they saw the base ground leading to the outside world. And as Ted was the first person to exit the tower, he turned around to look at Lucas right beside him, staring at the ground with a thoughtful mind.

“Hey, are you that persistent in getting a dress for your girl?” Ted said with a confident smile that concerned Lucas when he looked at him.

“Um, do I look that serious?”

Ted laughed at his response before talking. “You can be serious all you want if it’s for your girl! We’re outside, so you can have all the time to search around for something.”

“But what about the other…”

“Don’t worry about them - I can look over the entrance while you do your stuff. Just make sure you don’t spend all of your money in the market!”

Lucas smiled back with gratitude and turned to face away from the SHT.

“You don’t have to remind me,” he walked into the distance until he became a small blur in Ted’s sight.

Once leaving the tower, the usual routine for the group was to wait. If the group divided themselves and one party finished first, they would wait until the rest of their party finished. It was too risky to go down to the lower levels all by themselves without clear directions, so they idly waited in hopes for their return, and Ted did just that while Lucas had other matters to do.

Before entering the SHT, there was a large circular area made of neatly arranged bricks seemingly connecting the entire district. The tower was one of them, but being in the center or just practically anywhere in the circle’s radius would allow people to also view the inn, the market, and roads branching out in the distance that eventually led to residential areas.

Though this area had no official name, most called it the "Central District" as it can be seen from a large wooden sign stuck right in the center of the circle saying those exact words.

Ted watched Lucas run towards the busy market that surrounded the inn in all directions except for the front. The lodge was just one massive facility while the market was a whole branch of small industries coming together to sell products all compact in one area.

Well, since I’m waiting for my other pals, I should sell these items we’ve gathered and get some money, Ted thought as he proceeded to walk over to the inn while leaving the Central District.

The inn held tables for groups to gather and hold meetings. It also contained an upper deck that was mainly to be served as a restaurant, though the food was never good quality.

At the front desk stood a middle-aged man roughly Ted's height, and he was the main guy to approach for selling materials. What stuck out the most about the man was his black eyepatch in his left eye.

Behind the man were another two middle-aged men that were supposedly guardsmen. However, crimes were rare because the front desk had a sturdy fence-like wall dividing the man and the people.

Ted went to the front desk to trade the items. He sold all of the materials he and Lucas gathered and earned 8 noble copper coins.

Afterward, he went back to the Central District and faced the SHT to wait for the rest of his group to return. Meanwhile, Lucas went around the market just next to the lodge searching for clothes (mainly dresses) while Ted stayed near the tower. But eventually, Lucas gave up his pursuit after looking around for an hour without any clothes piquing his interest, so he joined Ted in the long wait.

But as he walked right beside Ted, they suddenly saw a familiar face running toward them who came out of the tower with exhaustion. It was Morgan, one of the people in their group who was ordered to go down the lower levels.

“Morgan,” Ted shouted. “What brings you here without the rest of the group?”

Morgan, roughly the same height as Lucas, stood panting in front of the two. He had prickly brown hair divided by a straight line alongside his head, leading the hair to point in opposite directions. His outfit was similar to that of Lucas’s, as he was also a sword user - a leather armor and pads for protection but also for agility.

“Is everyone alright,” Lucas asked worriedly. You’re the mapper, but how’d you get up here by yourself?

Morgan replied while trying to catch his breath, “Oh, it’s no big deal. Everyone is safe. They’re currently resting in one of the compartments on the 20th level. It’s a safe spot, so no monsters should show up.”

His voice had a relatively high pitch. Though he was a few years younger than Lucas, his speech had a filling of a young teen that still had room to grow.

“Then why are you here,” Lucas questioned. “Do you need anything from us?”

“Yes. We need Ted to help us chop down some trees.”

“Trees?” Ted said in confusion.

“Remember that the inn has a board with lists of items and their values? Strangely, level 20 is a labyrinth of trees, and their material is quite valuable, so we need a hand in chopping them down. So, yeah, your axes will really come in handy.”

Ted was the only man who fought with an axe - two axes. One of his axes alone weighed almost three times that of Lucas’s sword. Despite having more members in their group, Ted was the only capable person to hold them and fight without a problem.

“The lowest level that we went down before was the 18th. Quite peculiar to see you guys go two levels lower without our help,” Ted wondered.

“Another group ahead of us managed to deal with the stronger enemies, so the tunnels were practically bare of creatures. The tunnels will be safe until night arrives.”

“I see,” Ted muttered as Lucas next to him nodded in understanding their situation. “Well, glad to be useful!”

“Do you guys need help from me?” Lucas asked.

Morgan stared at Lucas and replied, “Yep, most surely! Ted will chop down trees and we will be the ones cutting them to respectable sizes that can be easily carriable. Are you two ready to head back?”

“Actually,” Ted said right after Morgan finished speaking. “I want my boy to go home for today.”

Both Morgan and Lucas looked at Ted with skepticism.

“Wait, why,” Lucas asked first.

Morgan followed after. “Getting more helping hands is better, don’t you think?”

Ted smirked, walked up to Morgan, and wrapped his large arm around him.

He whispered, “Hey, pal, my boy is trying to be a gentleman here. Let’s give him some leeway and have us do the work.”

Lucas stared at the two without knowing what they were talking about.

“Um, so what are you talking about,” Morgan whispered back. He knew that Lucas had a wife, but it confused him why this day was different from other days.

“You see, his woman will be going through a special day today.”

“Ah- Oh,” Morgan said while his face gradually blushed from his sudden thought process.

So they’re going to do it? I thought Lucas said one child was enough, Morgan blatantly thought.

“I know,” Ted said as he saw Morgan’s flushed expression. “Very daring, I’d say. Don’t you agree? Let alone, he’s going to buy something special for the occasion.”

A… something? Is this where people use that word, ‘kinky?’ Morgan was too flustered to speak and could only imagine the scene playing out in his head.

“So, what'd ya say? Fate rests upon you, my dear.”

Morgan shook himself after a moment of blankness. He cleared his throat and looked at Lucas with a confident expression.

“Lucas, after some very… thoughtful thinking, it will be a good decision if you head home today,” Morgan said determinedly.

“What,” Lucas was at a loss. “Why are you siding with him now?”

“Your wife is waiting for you. And if I recall, her name was Rosey, right? Because we might end late for your comfort, I implore you to head home early.”

“Oh, that thing,” Lucas thought about his wife’s birthday. “No, I can do it tonight. It’s not like I’m in a rush. Besides, if I’m there with you guys, we can carry more logs and trade for a greater sum of money.”

“No,” Morgan walked up to Lucas with a stern look as the sun above cast a dark shadow on his lowered face. “Your wife is waiting. Go and have some… Fun. Look, I’ll try and convince the group to distribute the coins equally even without your help.”

“Now that’s a stretch… No need to do that.”

“P-Please, for my sake! Just go and do it already!” Morgan shouted with a loss of patience. He lowered his head and bowed before Lucas.

From the sudden action, Lucas backed up with surprise. Ted had a large grin seeing the scene in front of him unfold. People close by turned their gaze to the three standing like men in the spotlight.

“Well, if you insist that badly, then I won’t object… Raise your head back up, you’re attracting too many people.”

Morgan lifted his head and took a deep breath. “Ah… Sorry about that. Then before you leave, have you got the money we distributed the other day?”

“Yes, I’m good with that.”

“Cool. Go now, we’ll be in good shape!”

“Alright then. Sorry for not helping you guys, but thank you. I’ll try my best to hold a good celebration,” Lucas sighed.

Lucas, you celebrate… doing that stuff? Well, looking like this, maybe doing it is like the next step of life- No, maybe not. Is this even a kink anymore? Morgan bewildered, stared at Lucas with a masked smile covering a layer of sweat and worry.

After they ended their conversation with a fist bump, they departed from the Central District where Ted and Morgan returned to the SHT whereas Lucas headed to the marketplace once more.

“I didn’t think you would be that serious, Morg,” Ted said as they headed back to the tower.

“Leave me alone. I’m not that jealous…” Morgan puffed his cheeks.

“Oh. If you’re that serious, then when my birthday comes, I can invite you to come to my house so that we can enjoy some time together. I’ll make sure to bring others too!”

“…Yeah, no.”

The misunderstanding cleared up when Ted explained the situation to the rest of the group down in level 20.

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