Chapter 32

  The Tower’s Power

  If answers could solve everything that is wrong with the world, then AdminHarper's appearance could mean that a miracle has just arrived. The main problem with that idea, though, is that Lana Harper might be the source of a number of bad events already, Nik thought.

  He stepped forward, and said, “It’s been a bit since I got your message. You left me with a lot of questions, Admin.”

  “I did, yes. Should we talk here, or get going? A lot is happening, and I fear we are running out of time,” said Harper.

  Nik gestured for his guards. “Help the earth-shapers to get the path cleared for everyone to be able to walk through instead of climbing. Join me on the other side when you can. I’m going to go have a word with our… new friend.”

  Climbing up to where Harper stood, Nik heard footsteps following after him. He turned to see the adventurers.

  “Fair enough, we don’t need to make her explain everything more than once or have me repeat it all back to your group. Let’s go down to the other side, my people will join us there. If you would meet us below, AdminHarper,” he said to everyone atop the remaining pile of rubble.

  He made his way, hopping from boulder to boulder in a way that would have led to a broken neck just a few weeks ago. Things had changed so drastically since then, and he was about to find out why. Why he’d gained access to the system, and why the adventurers were even here at all.

  He didn’t have the patience to wait for everyone to settle in. Not today. As soon as everyone had set foot on even ground, Nik said, “Begin.”

  Lana Harper took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “I suppose I’ll start at the beginning. My adoptive father was the Architect Ascendant. It was he who built the Black Tower, a bridge between worlds. And it was he who created your world. All of the worlds of H.E.R.O. were his own testing ground. He used the power of the tower to craft worlds of his own in the likeness of others he’d found beautiful.”

  A shiver ran through her before she continued.

  “But the tower was taken from him. A group of kings wanted to claim the resources and peoples of the tower-worlds, and so they forged for themselves crowns made from the brick-dust of the tower.”

  “Okay, I don’t want to skip over you explaining the creation of the world, that feels way beyond me, but one of the kings was the shadow king with the black crown, wasn’t he?” asked Nik.

  “He was one of them, yes. They killed my father and seized control of his tower, binding their own worlds to those of the tower’s creation.”

  “Was one of them the shadow world I visited in my dreams?” he asked.

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  She looked at Nik with confusion and surprise, stumbling her speech momentarily. “Visited in your dreams… Maybe… I don’t know. Before he died, my father sent me away to a planet with a weak connection to the tower. It doesn’t resonate properly with the tower, and he hoped it would keep me safe from the Ebon Kings. So, I spent my time on the world called Earth, while I fought to find a way to take the tower back.”

  “How did that lead to what you said was ‘All your fault,’?” asked Sir BlackDagger.

  “I was adopted. Unfortunately, I don’t share a strong resonance with the tower either. I have some small power and understanding, but I needed a champion. I found a way to test the resonance of Earth’s people,” she said, but was interrupted by ManaSniperBob.

  “The game,” he stated.

  She nodded and continued, “I managed to create a function of the system that would spawn an avatar for the human’s minds to occupy in this world. I refined it over time to do everything that I could to mold it into one of their virtual reality games. All in search of a champion, and what I accidentally found was a kobold. A kobold who had one of the strongest resonances with the tower that I’ve ever seen.”

  “So, you sent us here. The blood we’ve spilled is on your hands! And what about us being stuck here now?” Sir Blackdagger shouted at Harper. He started to take a step in her direction, but Beatrice’s hand on his shoulder stopped him short.

  Nik’s fists were clenched, and his jaw was set with a fury that was on the edge of breaking free.

  He said, “You sent the adventurers here to kill our people so that you could find a way to reclaim your father’s power?”

  She shook her head and said, “No, not to claim the power, but to rip it from the hands of tyrants and give it to you. This is a war, and the Ebon Kings are still recovering from their fight with my father. Once they have fully recovered, they will turn their eyes on the worlds they’ve already laid claim to. Your world will burn with the others of the tower to feed their home worlds. Your people will be killed or enslaved. You are the hope I’ve placed all of my bets on, Nik.”

  He shut his eyes and willed himself to remain on this side of violence as he replied, “The adventurers have killed and enslaved my people. I rescued my clan from slaving adventurers. You’ve created the problem you claim to be working to prevent.”

  “Not on the same scale it will be, and we can work to fix everything. Now that I’ve found you, we can work on your ability to use the tower’s power. Before we can do that, though, the shadow king, as you called him, is already making his moves. We need to prepare you to face him,” Harper said.

  Nik took a step forward and blue fire trailed his feet, the fire spilling from his scales.

  “Fix everything? You can’t bring back the dead!” he shouted.

  The claws of his hands dug into his palms; they hadn’t relaxed from the fists they still formed. His breath was heavy as he said, “I won’t be used as a tool of revenge, and I don’t know if what you’ve done was justified. The blood of my friends and family was spilled by adventurers, not beasts or kings. The reason for every loss I’ve ever suffered comes down to your actions.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, “but what I’ve done was what I had to do. Will you do what is needed of you?”

  He could see his guards moving the last few feet to them now; the way had been cleared.

  “I will do what I have to do to protect my people. For now, that means getting to the surface and preparing defenses to protect them from the king’s shadow monsters. Move with us and answer any questions we have. That is how you earn your keep for now.”

  Turning to face his people, he added, “Time to move, everyone. Let’s go build a new home.”