^^ the Towers of Kings, Makers, Knights, and Elements ^^

With Winter six whole months away, I reasoned I had more than enough time to go to America, create a Dungeon, and Conquer most of the Territory of that Event Area, using that to gather all of the survivors and search for my family members and the families of my allies; we'd already found Moira's younger brother in the European group, as we'd learned a few days later, so the others were a bit more hopeful for our chances of finding more, even if the chances were only 1,000 or so out of 8 billion that their loved ones survived the Initial attack and the two hundred subsequent waves of enemies, compounding upon one another endlessly to form the largely unthinking horde of beasts that now roamed my Labyrinth, crowding together in rooms where the fountains of the 'Irresistible Water' were placed to keep them all bunched up together in case I needed to use the traps to destroy them.

"So, here's the thing: if you leave the Event Area, you forfeit, right? But when I made an Alliance with the others, they weren't counted as Refugees anymore."

"... yes? What does that mean for your plan to go to America?" Akira glanced at the others in the room, mainly the leaders of the Clans, (of which there were six now, with Eric and Uriah each making their own with their people,) and then back at me.

"Simple: if I take one of Eric's People with me, they become a 'Refugee' for a few seconds, and so do I, but then I form an Alliance with them, and we are no longer Refugees! Then I establish a Dungeon right there at the edge of the Territory, and likely I'll be able to claim most of the pacific and maybe costal California right away! I can have as many subordinate dungeons as I have levels in the Skill, but I have no idea how many levels I have in the Skill due to it evolving into 'Ancient Atronoch's Domain' but its Level 500 either way, so it doesn't really matter."

Eric nodded seriously, considering the proposition. "True, we've established that making an Alliance rescinds the 'Forfeit'... but aren't we not even technically in a Wave right now? We're waiting for Winter, six months from now, for the Third Round; that means there is no Forfeit, right?"

Kenny tapped the table softly, moving the holographic map in front of himself before speaking in Eric's favor. "He's right, actually; also, if you're right, and you would be counted as a Refugee, I would say you'd be better off making a dungeon on the mainland and not connecting the two... if you connected it, and then left it again, you couldn't make an alliance with the same person twice, and either way you'd need an alliance with someone from that specific Event Area for it to work anyway."

"Ah... I didn't think of that... well, regardless, we have six months, so: what needs changing, while Kenny and the Artisans make the Choppers we'll need to get around where the Maglevs won't go? I can pay 1000 Gold for a Restructure, so considering we'll need one for the Labyrinth anyway, we might as well spruce up the place! Moira? I can always count on you for your honesty and high maintenance, so what doesn't work?"

The Frenchwoman shrugged shamelessly, then pulled out an honest-to-god list. "I'm so glad you asked, Mon Amie!"

—

The meeting was wrapping up, around an hour later, when Uriah asked something that made everyone halt and look at me. "Hey, Gran, how high have you gotten in the Tower of Kings? You've had the Leveling King for almost a year now, right? I managed all the way to the third floor before you yanked the title from me, but I guess you're way higher up, yeah?" I turned to look at Uriah sharply, my surprise showing on my face apparently, because he grinned cockily like the little bugger he was. "What, you didn't know I was the first owner of the Title? I got seven levels in the second wave, killing mice and wandering beasts, so I got the title from someone else who managed six in the first wave, then you got 27, I think, and it was gone into the wind!"

"Huh... curious that it never told me who I got it from... and I've never been into the Tower of Kings: I don't trust it, and I don't have the luxury of astrally projecting myself into a place I don't understand or trust fully while my friends fight monsters."

"Ahhh... yeah, that's fair, I guess. I jumped at the opportunity, and managed twelve more levels, but I guess it makes sense to be more cautious... but you're level 20,000 and something now, yeah? Why not give it a try? We've got six months to wait, and Mr. Kenny isn't done yet with the Drones, right? I'll be honest, I'm just really interested in what the rest of the tower looks like; each floor is different, and to get to the next one, you have to kill the Boss, just like an RPG!"

"That sounds banal, irritating, and thoroughly tedious." My dry tone did nothing to dispel his pleading expression, and my resolve quickly waned; I loved my grandchildren dearly, and I'd never had it in me to say no to them. After a few more tense moments of puppy-dog-eyes, I groaned and rubbed my face, slumping into my seat defeatedly. "Fine... but I'll just be busting the whole thing down, you understand? If I have the chance, the whole thing!!!"

He grinned victoriously, his eyes very nearly sparkling in joy as he struck a victory pose. "You can do it, Granny, I believe in you!!!"

Akira raised an eyebrow, leaning over to speak to me quietly. "Ah... Sybil? How old is he?"

"Hmm? He turned 20 this year, I think, why?"

"... no reason, I suppose."

—

'How does one enter the Tower of Kings, I wonder? I suppose I should've asked Uriah before leaving...'

Instantly, a notification appeared over my eyes, blinking gold, which was a color I hadn't seen yet in a system notification.

Challenge the Tower of Kings? (Y/N)

"There we go: Yes." The notification stopped blinking, then turned black slowly, the gold sinking away and taking me with it; by the time it was totally black, I was asleep.

The next blink, however, I was standing in a rocky plain, looking up at a trio of rectangular Towers made of silver stones that I recognized from my Dungeon, with a deadly thunderhead above it all and currently pouring lightning down into all three Towers like they were sucking it in. "Someone thought of using the Lightning to power the Magic long before me, it would seem... so much for originality..."

"You're not wrong, but your accomplishments and ingenuity are both still complimented highly in certain circles." To my left and behind me, a man spoke in the language of Fey, nearly sending me out of my skin and reaching for a hammer that wasn't there. Now I was looking at him, I found a tall and sturdy man, with porcelain skin and hair made of what I assumed was roots, though it was still fine enough to be called hair, and it moved gently in the winds of the plain, constrained by the halo or crown that his silver antlers formed around his head, woven together in a way that couldn't ever have been natural. His eyes, a glowing white-blue that reminded me of moonlight, smiled along with his lips, as he spoke again, bowing his head slightly. "I apologize for startling you, that was rude of me."

"I accept... you wouldn't happen to be related to the White Stag, would you? Those antlers remind me of him and the Gilded Herd."

He bowed again, smiling mischievously. "Perhaps he is related to me?"

"Perhaps... I suppose this is one of the Fey Realms, so you have some power here, and either the Empress or the Emperor sent you here to kill me or tempt me with something? I'll save you the time and simply inform you that I'm only here to conquer these Towers and Claim them as my Territory."

His eyes widened comically after my calm statement, then he looked at the towers and then me rapidly, furrowing his brows and thinking deeply for a few moments. "I... do not think that is possible... but I have no reason nor authority to stop you? This is owned and operated by the Court of Summer, and is not my territory, for I belong to the Court of Spring... but that is neither here nor there: I was sent forth to award you this, by the Grey Empress." Shaking his head to clear it, he presented to me a simple silver circlet with a deep bow, clearly showing his deference to the one who 'sent him forth'.

I made no move to touch it, but rather chose my words carefully, staring at him for any sign of deception. "To be clear, I accept no debts for the delivery of this item, nor do I accept or acknowledge any meaning in its method of delivery, and finally I neither accept nor acknowledge any debts by way of receiving this item or meeting: as an Award, as you have stated it is, and have thus sworn to on pain of death with your Word, it is intrinsically a repayment of a Debt, payment for services rendered or actions taken. Finally, I neither accept nor acknowledge any debts to you or your Court for this meeting and this Awarded Item; is this fully understood and agreed upon by both parties?"

He smiled at the ground, his bow not straightening yet, and then responded simply. "It is fully understood that the Crown of Storms is your property, and no debts are attached to you for it nor it's delivery; as the Delivery Boy I do have some Debt attached with its delivery, but not to you, rather to the one who sent me forth, my Mother."

"Alright... and this 'Crown of Storms' is not a cursed item, it will do me no magical or physical or spiritual harm if I touch it or wear it? It will not enslave me or any such negative outcomes?"

"It will not, you have my word: the Crown of Storms, which is the silver circlet in my hands, is a Magical Item which displays your Rank and has a situationally positive effect on your Titles and Powers; specifically it will interact with your Legend Slayer and Throne of Bones Titles, extending the Distance of the Throne of Bones to the very edges of your Territory at all times, and bringing any Legendary Creatures, Mythical Creatures, and Apex Predators under your Rule, making of them Allies and removing the need to slaughter them. The one who sent me forth wished for you to no longer have to slay the Legendary Creatures, whom are all Unique Beings, and thusly nigh-impossible to replace."

"Ahhh... so I am doing Them a favor by accepting this? They are most certainly welcome to owe me a Debt of such deep importance and yet-untold but surely storied magnitude... I Accept Their Rather Selfish Request, to Preserve the Legendary Beasts For Posterity's Sake: I only wonder how I will ask Them to repay me?" I smiled slowly, taking the circlet from his hands while his features formed into what seemed to be a 'mild' panic attack.

Equip and Bind the 'Crown of Storms' to Competitor 'Sybil'? (Y/N)
Warning: Effect is Permanent, Bound Items are Irrevocably Attached Directly to the Soul of a Creature; Death is the only Method Of Removal.
Warning: Crown of Storms Can Only Be Equipped by an Unaligned Elemental of the Rank Monarch or Above. Attempting to Equip Will Sunder and Destroy Any Grey-Aligned Creature. Attempting to Equip Will Destroy and Sunder Any Less-Than Monarch of Unaligned Elemental Status.
Warning: Equipping the Crown of Storms will Register User as Unaligned Elemental Irrevocably.
Warning: Equipping the Crown of Storms will Register all Subordinate Forces as Unaligned Elemental, Until Loyalties Change.
Warning: Registering As Unaligned Elemental will Alter Territory Buffs and Debuffs, Allowing Subordinates, Allies, and Servants to choose Elemental Lineages, but will Disallow Said Forces from Choosing Grey-Aligned Lineages; Grey-Aligned Lineages will be Altered to Elemental Lineages Immediately. This Effect Is Immediate, and Excruciating, but Severs Contracted Bonds Between the User's Allies and the Grey Courts Permanently, Disallowing Future Interference with User's Territory and Allies.
Warning: Accepting Alliance with User's Registered as Unaligned Elemental will Forcibly Alter Grey-Aligned Lineages to Unaligned Elemental Lineages. This Effect is Immediate, and Excruciating, but Severs Contracted Bonds Between the User's Allies and the Grey Courts Permanently, Disallowing Future Interference with User's Territory and Allies.

Warning: This Action is Irreversible.

Do You Wish To Proceed? (Y/N)

"Can I Verify the Effects, first?"

Requesting Statistics for Mythical Item 'Crown of Storms'... Succeeded By Way of Mountain King's Exclusive Privilege: Access to the Librium Arcana.

Item Name: Crown of Storms.
Item Rarity: Myth; One of Seven, Ranked Seventh.
Item Statistics: 1; All Stats x2.
2; Title Effects x10.
3; Territory Effects x10.
4; In the Event of the Possession of the Title 'Legend Slayer', Causes Legendary and Mythical Creatures Below User's Level to become Servants of the User As If Tamed. Allows for the Breeding of Legendary and Mythical Creatures.
5; In the Event of the Possession of the Title 'Storm Lord' or similar Elemental Titles, Nullify Any Negative Effects of Said Titles and Amplify All Positive Effects of Said Titles.
6; In the Event of the Possession of the Title 'Throne of Bones' or 'Taker of Heads', Causes Effect to Extend to the Edge of All Territory, Permanently. The Loss of These Titles Does Not Alter or Remove this Effect.
7; A Bonded Item. Irremovable.

"Nice... Ja, I'll Equip it." The circlet fit snuggly on my head, at first making me worried I'd just worn the Monkey King's Circlet, or some similar trap, but that worry washed away as it dissolved, leaving a stylized tattoo on my skin as the silver mist flowed into my lungs on my next breath, making my entire body creak and crack with another Stat Adjustment, as if I'd leveled up again. By now I was used to them, and my body was made of Living Lightning anyway, so there wasn't much pain to speak of, even as the man darted away from me to avoid the veritable riot of arcing Lightning that spread in a ten meter radius around me for a few seconds before quieting. "Field Effects... I believe as Kenny would say it, I am now a Full-Fledged Raid Boss... regardless! Is there anything else you require from me, Sir?"

The silver-horned Fey man frowned thoughtfully, quietly eying the scorch marks on the ground and, much more importantly, the ones on his skin, despite the electricity arcing over his own horns. My attacks ignored resistance and immunity both, so it was likely the first time he'd ever been wounded by lightning. After the wounds healed, taking mere seconds to scab over and then fade away, he responded respectfully, adding a small bow to boot. "No, Lady Sybil, that will be all for today, I believe. Have you any need of me? I have been instructed to be helpful to you, so you need not worry for impropriety."

"Interesting... one question tickles me, actually: there are four Towers here, three standing and one ruined... what are they all called?"

He glanced up at the towers, raising an eyebrow at the structures and then raising his lip at bit at them in a distasteful sneer of sorts. "These... curious... Relics? Yes, Relics, are called individually the Tower of Kings, Makers, Knights, and Elements, of which the Tower of the Elements is Sundered partially and currently inoperable, after the Elementals refused to be aligned to the Rising of the Grey Courts due to the various ethical and moral issues, though they sited some vague Cosmic Balance to spare themselves from openly disagreeing with the Grey Emperor's Plans. In retaliation, he destroyed their Tower."

"Alright... but what do they do? If the Elementals had their own tower, and it's currently 'inoperable', what's the thing for normally?"

Here he showed some indecisiveness, staying silent for several minutes and tapping his hooves on the ground underneath us distractedly, (I had only now noticed he had an Elk's legs, as they were covered by long cloth trousers, unlike his bare upper half,) but finally he answered, though hesitantly. "They are... Tests, I suppose, or challenges, I should say, which offer to those who brave them various incrementally increasing rewards. Upon reaching the top, one should find oneself greatly increased in potential, often raising their Rank at least one Tier. It is not easy to get permission to challenge them, though, and it is a precious thing you have earned. I would give one of my horns in a heartbeat, for the ability to enter and challenge the Tower of Kings or Elements. Less so the Tower of Knights or Makers, as I am no Artisan nor a Warrior of great renown, but a Mage and a King, that I am; or, I would be, if given the chance."

"Wow, a whole Horn? That sounds... potentially debilitating; having the weight of the horns on only one side, that is. What about if someone gave you the opportunity? What would you give in return?"

His gaze sharpened and snapped to me, a shrewd smile slowly building on his lips. "For such a Gift... perhaps I would give both Horns. Regardless, I do not believe you can give me Access to a place you have not ever entered."

"Your belief is unnecessary for my success, I assure you; Remember your Word, and the Arrogance behind it, when I come for your Horns and attach them to my Axe. Now, good day sir, I have four Towers to Conquer before Dawn." The Satyr was left behind, listless and confused, as I marched toward the Tower in front, closest to me, preparing for anything.