>>6307277“Another race?” A contender with a huge, bulbous nose speaks, interrupting Kosmas. “How long will we have this time?
“Three days.” Kosmas replies.
The class bursts into confused chatter at Kosmas’ answer. Three days just didn’t make any sense. You’d seen the tower from the outside. Sure it was huge, but there was no way it would take that long to ascend. You wagered you could walk up all 40 of its floors in half an hour if you really needed to.
“Surely you’ve given some thought as to why this place is known as the Tower of Illusions?” Kosmas continues. “I assure you, it is not just a name. In ancient times, the Sorcerer King used this very tower as a testing ground. Each floor is layered with powerful illusory magic, the origins of which are lost to even the great mages of our time. If you think three days is too long a deadline to reach the tower’s summit, I assure you, it is likely not enough.”
“So what, you want us to just kill each other off again?” One of Oswald's companions, the stern-looking priest, asks. “Is that how you wish to decide things?”
“If you see fit.” Kosmas replies. “Above you are 40 floors, each of which is home to its own special biome. Though each environment has been crafted through the use of illusion magic, I assure you that the danger you will encounter is very much real. You will not ascend through each floor via a staircase, but rather, via what the Royal College has named ‘Warp Panels.’ Your goal is to find these panels located on each floor, and use them to ascend to the next one. Each panel may vary on where exactly it teleports you, but you’ll know them when you see them.” Kosmas smiles.
Shit! You now had to ascend 40 floors instead of 31! And what was that part about danger that Kosmas had mentioned? Just what were these illusions?
“Three days. What are we supposed to eat?” Uriyan asks, raising a hand. The Almyran leaned back in his desk, seemingly not too perturbed by Kosmas’ revelation. How did that guy manage to score an 8, anyway? He was smarter than he looked.
“You’ll have to forage for your own food I’m afraid.” Kosmas answers. “Some of the illusions you encounter may in fact be edible. Surely you’ve tried mage food by now, no?”
Ugh, that crap. You remember your encounter with it back in Solis. The concept still weirded you out.
“Beyond finding the warp panels, there are other ways to ascend the tower.” Kosmas says. “Starting from the 5th floor, and then each 5th floor after that, you may encounter what we call ‘Floor Guardians.’ These are powerful creatures that rule over their respective biomes. Fighting them is optional, but if you do manage to participate in slaying one, you’ll receive a commendation badge, not too dissimilar from the ones you currently wear. Step on a warp panel with said badge, and you will advance 5 floors.”
