The World Towers

Chapter 4 - The Hall Of Trials

We screwed up, he thought as he stared at the corpse of his partner. Shit.

He cursed, once more, out loud as he looked at the shivering woman too scared to touch the body. I told him. I fucking told him, he stared at her scrappy white outfit. Bitch.

"Tanner, what are we going to do now?" she asked, like the idiot she was. His still-active [Appraisal] spelling: | Name: Cerise ‒ Class [Healer] ‒ LV. 20 | above her head. What was Rogan thinking getting a complete newbie to explore with them? Especially for a new Tower for which they didn't have a map of the Red Floors? Oh right, he gnashed his teeth angrily, he wasn't thinking with his head but with his dick. Idiot.

And now he was dead. Killed by a... an Elven looking creature of some kind. A weak Elven creature. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Now where was he going to find a strong patsy with too much brawn for there to be any brains left?

No, no. He shouldn't think about that now. First, he had to get out of here. This place was too outlandish, too unfamiliar. It was almost like... No. He shook his head off those thoughts. It couldn't be. He was being paranoid.

"Tanner?"

"Shut up. Rogan is too dead to listen to your prattle."

First things first. He kneeled on the floor and began to loot the corpse. He had paid quite a bit for some of these armor parts to let them go to waste. It was unfortunate that since Rogan was a fellow human, he couldn't loot his [Inventory], but he pushed the body on the side and ignoring the blood, grabbed the storage bag Rogan kept there. Tying the bag on his belt, he didn't check how much coin was there, but there should have been quite some left. Rogan only made Orange rank two weeks ago, so he couldn't have spent it all on women and booze.

He then looked at the newbie healer, who had gone pallid at his disregard for his partner's body. Figures. A complete beginner who hadn't stepped foot in a real Tower before. Thinks she is too good to loot. She would learn one day. But not today. And not with him. This is Rogan's mess.

"We are leaving." He ordered.

"But what about... him?" and she pointed at the body.

"He is dead. Now get moving. Or you can stay with him."

She immediately got up at that. "I am coming! I am coming. Don't leave me here."

Ha. So much for liking Rogan.

The gates were just as intimidating as when they first entered. They looked heavy, all chiseled stone and engraved metal, but he should have enough strength to pull it open. If not, he has a few Strength potions in his [Inventory] he can use.

He got a good hold on it and pulled. Not a squeak of a sound. It didn't budge. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he grabbed two strength potions from his [Inventory] and gulped them messily. As soon as he saw the notification confirming the effect of the potions, he steadied his feet on the ground, took hold and pulled again.

"Tanner?"

No! He tried again and again, with more force with more pull, but nothing. The strength potions should have been enough. He gulped down another potion, although he was going to face some nasty consequences later. His [STR] stat jumped at the level of a low Orange Rank Warrior. He grabbed the gate's silver inlays and pulled with everything he had.

"Tanner, what are you doing? Why is the gate not opening?"

It didn't budge. It didn't budge at all.

He collapsed on the floor, teeth hurting and hands shivering from what he had forced his muscles through.

"Why is the gate not opening?! Tanner!" Cerise screamed.