The guy had slicked-back hair, decently tall and the suit on him looked like it was poured on him. High-quality material that was probably worth more than the yearly salary of the hangers-on who were also glaring at Sam.
Sam pointed at himself. “Me?”
The man scoffed. Scoffed! “Of course! What do you think you’re doing here? Do you even know where you are?”
“The Astran Tower?” he asked hesitantly. He was never the best at reading maps, that was why he hired a car service. Showing at that funeral parlor in the middle of a service expecting a massage happened in his previous life in another dimension still haunted him. He never wanted to repeat that…
“Yes, the Astran Tower! The seat of MY family!” the man exclaimed, throwing his head back, and staring into the distance ‘heroically’. Sam somehow expected some kind of wind or sound effect to go off. Instead, he got more from the goon squad.
“Seriously, can’t you even recognize where you are?”
“Hah, look at him… he probably can’t even read!”
“Shame, with some plastic surgery, he could look decent…”
Sam just stared at them, nonplussed.
“Then I’m where I wanted to be. Thank you for confirming,” he said and moved to turn back to the security gate where the two guards were refusing to meet his eyes. Hell, he even saw a guard further back, turning away and covering their mouth.
‘At least, not all of them have room temperature IQ…’ he mused.
“As if I would lower myself to help someone like you!” the man yelled, calling even more attention to their ‘conversation’. The common working people took one glance at Sam, standing in front of the group, with the slick-haired guy in the middle, averted their eyes, and continued to walk away, pretending they saw nothing. However, some of them stopped – Sam suspected they were either plants, higher-ups who saw an opportunity, or simply people who loved drama – and began to gather around, though at a respectful distance. “Now! Tell me! What are you doing here?”
Sam looked at the guy and then back at the security guard, who shrugged at him. He let out a sigh and answered.
“I’m heading for a meeting. Why?”
“You? At this tower? A meeting?” The man let out a short laugh and the surrounding goons followed along with their own titter. “You don’t even look like you would be allowed to clean up after my dog!”
‘Poor dog…’ he mused silently.
“I’m sure your dog would lament the day they heard of this,” he replied.
The man blinked at him in surprise. “What?”
“I mean at least then there would be someone paying attention to them…”
Sam actually saw as the man worked through the sentence – light speed it was not – until his face became angrier. Snorting angrily, he took a step forward and pointed at Sam.
“Listen. I don’t know who you are, but I’m Dominic Astran and I demand to know what someone like you is doing here!”
“As I previously stated, I’m here for a meeting,” he replied, as Dominic, either one of Lara’s cousins or a sad genetic experiment, continued to blather on.
“Right! Then why are you on the fifteenth floor? People like yourself should be on the lower floors,” he declared while taking another step forward.
Sam took the opportunity to take a few steps backward toward the security station. Even though the minions around Dominic saw this and began to yell-whisper among themselves.
“Look at him, so scared!”
“Heh, of course he is. It’s Dominic!”
“Wonder if he will piss himself?”
Sam watched as Dominic, still staring at him, seemed to swell as the whispers reached his ears, while the crowd around them began to whisper.
“He is an Astran?”
“So handsome…”
“Wish I could work for him…”
He just sent them a sorrowful glance, then refocused his attention on extricating himself from this ‘conversation’ before he suffered permanent brain damage.
“I have to be here as I have a meeting on the upper floors,” Sam answered, reluctant to mention the actual floor. Seeing as the building had only eighty-five floors.
Dominic snorted again. “Heh, what floor? Maybe I could be a gracious host and watch as they throw you out?”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Sam glanced at the security guard, who shrugged again. Well, if the big boss, who was undoubtedly watching this, didn’t mind…
“Ah, yes. That would be mighty kind of you,” he answered with a small smile. “If you would be so kind to escort me to the eighty-fourth floor, I’d be forever grateful.”
Instantly, a hush fell over the crowd as they heard the number. Dominic just stared at him agog, as if he didn’t know to laugh or cry.
“The eighty-fourth? That’s just one off from the top floor!”
“Indeed, it is. Young master Dominic is indeed wise in the ways of mathematics!” replied Sam instantly, before the fop before him could continue.
“You think you could just waltz into here and go to the eighty-fourth floor, in MY family’s tower?” Dominic asked as his minion glared at Sam as if ready to throw him out on their own for trying to besmirch the reputation of the building.
‘I wonder if they get training to act like absolute buffoons?’ he mused. ‘What a bunch of weirdos…’
“Not even I can go there without permission!” Dominic declared, the crowd gasping at the reveal as if that would make the place something out of mythology that even a family member couldn’t visit.
‘They probably find Dominic annoying so they told him that…’
“Don’t know what to tell you, mate. Got the invitation and everything. You can ask the nice receptionist,” he said while pointing downwards. “She even gave me this spiffy card!” He pulled out the security gizmo he was given, showing it off.
There were some oohs and ahhs from the crowd, but to Sam’s disappointment there were no dramatic gasps. Probably because the people in the crowd were trying to ‘somehow’ use their reaction to brown nose with an Astran. How that would work, Sam didn’t know…
“Hah!” exclaimed Dominic, not unlike an inventor who yelled eureka. “I caught you! Possessing that device is illegal without permission from our family.” He pointed at the nearest guard. “You there. Come and scan it. I want to see who he stole it from!”
Sam glanced at the innocuous device. ‘This is that important? I should ask Lara next time…’
However, before he could think about it further, one of the minions, probably in an attempt to suck his already brown nose even further into Dominic’s rectum, began to explain it.
“Hah, now we know you definitely stole it! If you had one legitimately you would know it is only given out to members of the Astran family, the heads of departments, and important employees!”
Instantly, the whispers started again.
“Never seen one! But heard about them!”
“My boss has one! Nobody is allowed to touch it!”
“I wonder how he got it?”
The guard approached, stopped before Sam, and waved a device in his hand over Sam’s gizmo that seemed to be very important to these people.
“Mr. Lawrence. Welcome to the Astran Tower,” the man stated in a voice that told Sam that he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Dominic just blinked. “Wait! Who is Mr. Lawrance?”
Sam just waved. “Hi!”
Deciding that it was enough to satisfy the old man up in his tower, he turned around and headed for the cordoned-off area.
“W-where are you going? I wasn’t finished with you!” Dominic yelled as another guard waved Sam through an arch that beeped and lit up with a gentle green light off to the side.
“Welcome, sir. Eighty-fourth floor?”
“Yes, please.”
The doors behind the guard opened, showing a small atrium with several lifts around the room.
“Please take the one on the left,” came the quiet instruction from the guard. Sam nodded, thanked the man, and headed toward the lift, which was already helpfully open.
As he walked into the atrium, he could still hear Dominic and his posse talking.
“Boss! Aren’t you going after him?”
“Yeah! He could still get up to no good!”
Sam could hear the frustration in Dominic’s voice as he replied to his minions.
“Hah! As if that gnat is worth it! I have better things to do!”
Sam couldn’t help but snort.
‘Of course, he didn’t have one of those,’ he chuckled as he put the small card-like gizmo into his breast pocket and stepped into the lift. The doors closed immediately with a gentle chime and clack, and Sam could feel the acceleration as the carpeted lift elevated him to the top of the building.
He stepped out of the lift barely a minute later – not having to listen to any kind of elevator music – into a carpeted hallway, decorated per the latest trends he didn’t know anything about. But everything looked super clean and super expensive. Dozens of vases, some filled with exotic-looking plants, some empty. An actual wall fountain connected to an aquarium with exotic fishes swimming in it. There were several low tables surrounded by plush chairs but nobody was using them. Some smart-looking people were standing around and talking with each other, but they only stopped for a few seconds, looked at a tablet device that one of them was holding then hurried off, not even glancing at Sam.
At the end of the hallway, the area widened with another giant desk that was merged with a counter, containing one extremely pretty receptionist.
“Welcome, Mr. Lawrance,” the man greeted him with a smile that actually pinged.
Sam blinked the spots out of his eyes, caused by the hallway’s light reflecting off the receptionist’s teeth.
“Good morning,” he greeted the man, wondering if he was some kind of tank-bred ‘perfect receptionist’ or if he was naturally this pretty.
“You are expected inside, so simply go through the doors,” the man told him, his smile never wavering as he motioned toward the opulent double doors. “Would you like something to drink?”
“A raspberry lemonade, if possible.”
“Certainly, it shall be waiting for you in there,” came the prompt reply.
“Thank you.”
With that, Sam stepped away and headed for the door, trying to ignore as the guards – looking much more dangerous than the ones down on the fifteenth floor – stared at him as if daring him to step out of line.
The double doors opened easily, and he found himself in an equally opulent office, with a table in the middle, already holding a very nice glass of lemonade and an older man sitting on the other side, slurping from a teacup.
Sam took a moment to take in the man and saw he looked a lot like Lara, but with more hardened lines and gray hair, peppered with a few remnants of wilting black.
Behind him stood three people, one woman and two men, holding tablets in their hands.
He let out a sigh and vaguely gestured downwards.
“Was that absolutely necessary?” he asked, causing the woman to let out a small, scandalized gasp.
The old man finished his tea and put down the cup, every motion showing years of training and experience radiating absolute elegance.
“Necessary?” His voice was gravely, but still casual and friendly with an edge. “No. But was it funny? Absolutely! Hahahaha!” He let out a loud belly laugh as the people behind him shifted awkwardly.
Sam walked forward, sat down, took a calming sip from his excellent lemonade, and looked at the old man, who was in turn eyeing him and no doubt evaluating all his moves.
“So, why did you call me here?” If the old man wanted to play games, he could also refuse to use the expected genuflecting and expected social behavior.
The old man grinned. “I just wanted to get to know the second man in my granddaughter’s harem!”
Sam stared at the old man and took a deep breath. “Well, I’m a Taurus, prefer long walks in flowery meadows, and just love talking about pretty houses,” he stated completely seriously while also batting his eyelashes at the old man.
The man behind the grinning man whimpered.
“Oh no, not another one…”
Owed bonus chapters: Three (3)
Titles:
[Apprentice: You are an apprentice learning under a master. Increased experience point gain in the key skill of the apprenticeship.]
Magical Items:
[Ring of Minor Health Regeneration: A small ring, made from subpar materials, with a low-quality magical gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 100 Mana Points, and regenerates 10 Health Points for every point of mana consumed. Current Mana: 100/100.]
[High-quality Troll Leather Armor: Created by a journeyman crafter employed by your own company. They worked extra hard to make sure to return your goodwill. Excellent quality, given the materials and the crafter. Enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, as well as has increased durability. Thanks to the substance it was impregnated with the troll leather it lacks its customary weakness to fire.]
*Not actually bottomless.]
[Ring of the Shadow Fang: Made from shadow metal and accented with white moon-silver, this ring allows the wearer to summon a dagger made from shadow. The strength of the dagger depends on the wearer’s shadow mana control. The distance the dagger can move from the wearer depends on the mana control of the individual.]
Quests:
Active quests:
[Just walk in there!]
[Prove yourself!]
[Peaceful land, peaceful mind]
Finished quests:
[Monster Parade!]
[Topping the tree!]
[Reap what you sow!]
[Seaside opportunity]
[Another seaside opportunity]
[The booty of mystery!]
[Demonic demonstration!]
[The Test of the Survivor!]
[To the city you go!]
[Eternal Vigilance!]
[Returning Champion]
[Volatile Valley]
[Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]
[Location, location, location!]
Skills:
Mana Skills:
[Mana Body: Level 7/100 (21%) (Passive) Your mana permeates your body, enhancing and improving it. The better your control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 1 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,1.]
[Mana Shield: Level 99 (99%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 9,9 (physical) damage.]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +2,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +3,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
Neutral Mage skills:
[Mana Unraveling: Level 14/25 (19%) (Active) You can spot even the smallest imperfection in the weave of the mana. If your control is better than the one who wove the spell, then you can attack those imperfections and unravel the spell or magic in front of you.]
[Spell Matrix: Level 40/100 (4%) (Passive) You mastered layering spells as very few have before. You can layer ( or connect any other way) together as many spells as you can. The cost of this action is increased by 5% (cumulative) for every two layers or spells.]
[Solid Spell Foundation: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your foundation is solid and unshakeable. The stability of layered spells is increased.]
[Mana Construct: Level 84/100 (22%) (Active/Passive) You can create mana constructs over your weapons. These constructs cannot be separated from your weapon. You have total control over their shape and size. For every level in the skill, the mana cost is decreased by 1% and the damage inflicted by the skill is increased by 1%]
[Simplicity: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) The simpler your creations, the less mana it costs.]
[Infusion: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Infusing different mana types into your mana constructs becomes easier.]
[Complexity: Level 1/5 (11%) (Passive) The complexity of your creations doesn’t detract from it. Usually, mana cost would rise when the complexity of your creation increases. For every level of this skill this increase in mana cost becomes less and less.]
Elemental Mage Skills:
Wind Mage skills:
[Wind Blade III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have greater control over its movement after creation. Allows you to slightly control its path after launching the wind blade.]
[Wind Blade Storm: Level 6/10 (7%) (Active) A spell that unleashes a storm of wind blades around you. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]
[Wind Bullet III: Level 9/10 (99%) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You have excellent control over the projectile’s speed, size, and path.]
[Wind Explosion: Level 3/10 (21%) A spell that allows you to create a singular bullet of wind mana, and then fire it, which will, upon impact, detonate. The strength of the detonation depends on the amount of wind mana channeled into the bullet and your mastery over the Wind Bullet spell!]
[Wind Movement: 39/100 (19%) (Active) You can use your mastery over wind to move in any direction you wish. Your movement speed is increased significantly. This speed boost is increased by 1% for each skill level.]
[Wind Edge III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will greatly increase. The power and reach of the blade will be greatly increased further.]
[Wind Affinity: Level 61/100 (17%) (Passive) You have a good affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
- Wind Flurry
- Wind Bullet Barrage
- Healing Wind
- Wind Jump
- Wind Drill
- Wind Blade I-III
- Wind Blade Storm
- Wind Bullet I-III
- Wind Explosion
- Wind Movement
- Wind Edge I-III!
Utility skills:
Companion skills:
Shadow skills:
(Shadow Cloak triggers this benefit.)]
[Shadow Affinity: Level 30/100 (14%) (Passive) You have a good affinity with the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
Physical skills:
[Basic Armor Mastery: Level 91/100 (6%) (Passive) You learned the basics of wearing armor. Decreases the Stamina consumption slightly while wearing any kind of armor.]
[Clean Armor: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mana got used to a certain spell, so the waste mana radiating from you will, over time, permeate and clean your armor.]
[Resistant Armor: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Thanks to your practice, you can fully utilize everything that your armor provides, granting you increased resistance against the environment. Grants 2% increased environmental resistance per skill level. Environmental resistance protects against environmental effects only.]
[Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can’t. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.]
[Epic Breathing Technique: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) You breathe, and the world breathes with you. You move along your own rhythm. Decreases stamina consumption even more during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +2 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]
[Tranquil Heart: Level 11/100 (54%) (Passive) Your heart beats to the same rhythm as your body. It’s efficient and harmonious. You have an even easier time resisting mind-altering effects and a portion of of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 1% per skill level. You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.]
[Flow: Level 77/100 (9%) (Passive) Thanks to being a natural sensor, you can read the flow of the mana. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 1% per level in the skill.]
[Focused Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) When focusing on any enemy beyond what is normal, your ability to read their flow becomes clearer and more precise.]
[Controlled Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your read of the flow is more controlled, allowing you to see the flow much better. Increases the flow visibility by 20% for every skill level.]
[Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.]
Parry: Level 24/100 (13%) (Passive) Decreases the stamina consumption of defensive weapon movements. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 0,5% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]
[Cleansed Body: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your body has been cleansed of impurities, giving you a more charming aura. NPCs and players will treat you slightly differently depending on their tastes. Gives a flat increase of +3 to STR, AGI, END. You can upgrade this skill by further cleansing your body.]
Resistance skills:
General skills:
[Dwarven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dwarven language.]
[Elven Language: Level 7/10 (8%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Elven language.]
[Dark Elven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dark Elven language.]
[Sarkan Language: Level 3/10 (42%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Sarkan language.]
Crafting skills:
Pet skills:
[Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]
[Lucky Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as the wolf receive a buff to their luck. It depends on their luck how big the increase is.]
[Animalistic Mana Control: Level Max (Passive) The wolf controls the mana inside him based on animalistic instinct.]
[Animalistic Shadow Control: Level Max (Passive) The wolf controls the shadows around him just as easily as it breathes.]
[Shadow Spirit Body: Level Max (Passive) The body of the wolf is part shadows and part spirit, which makes it much more malleable.]
[Shadow Strike: Level Max (Active/Passive) All attacks started from the shadows receive bonus damage, and the wolf can clad itself in shadows, making its entire body into a weapon, while striking at an enemy increasing its range of attack.]
[Shadow Jump: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active) The wolf gains the capability to dive into your shadow and emerge from a different shadow. Range: 200 meters. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
[Shadow Dash: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active/Passive) Wherever the wolf steps, he can leave small pools of shadows that the wolf can use to jump into. When diving into the shadows, the wolf can travel at an even greater distance with his speed increased by 2% for each skill level.]
[Shadow Claws: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active/Passive) Your companion’s claws are infused with the shadows. There is a low chance to leave behind shadow mana with each attack of their claws. Alternatively, they can actively increase this infusion of shadow mana and strike at their enemies with giant shadow claws.]
[Shadow Bite: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active) Your companion enhances their bite with shadow mana, increasing the area and strength of the bite.]
[Shadow Steed: Level 21/50 (3%) (Passive) Your companion has learned how to run while being ridden. Stamina consumption is decreased when being ridden and can carry bigger loads.]
[Shadow Bleed: Level 41/50 (8%) (Passive) Your companion’s claw has been enhanced by a chaotic shadow field which rends the area where the claws strike, causing extra bleeding.]
[Weakening Strike: Level 15/50 (21%) (Passive) Every strike of your companion's claw weakens the enemy's armor. The maximum stack of the effects is 3+1 per 5 skill level.]
[Shadow Heal: Level 21/50 (37%) (Active) Your companion can absorb the shadows hiding them to heal itself.]
[Runic Weapon: Level Max (Passive) The wolf’s claws and teeth are clad in runes that grant him a certain amount of ability to pierce through the impenetrable. Grants a 13% chance to do True Damage with the claws and teeth.]
[Runic Strike: Level 20/20 (Active) Lucky gains the ability to channel mana into the runes of his claws and teeth to enhance the damage theydo. The damage type depends on the type of mana he channels into it. Current natures are available to use: no attribute, shadow, or spirit.]