After Bon finished his nap in the thirty first floor waiting room, he stepped through the door. The thirty first floor was similar to the thirtieth floor—a vast medieval city. Horse drawn carts traveled to and fro on the main thoroughfare. Myriad hawkers advertised their wares by the side. Pleasant aromas wafted through the air from a perfume shop nearby. Roasted delights lured Bon’s nose in the direction of an open air restaurant. There was a constant din in the air, people’s conversations with the percussive beat of horse hooves in the background. In the center of the city was a vast castle made of white stone. It towered over the entire city. This city seemed to be many times bigger than the one he had been to on the previous floor.

Kill the Wicked Witch of the West

The witch has been extorting many communities of this world

Those who do not comply are turned into livestock

Only brave heroes can rid the world of this threat

Gather a group of players and kill the witch

(Quest requires a party of at least three members)

Completion of this quest will give players access to the 32nd floor Rewards: 1 Epic Weapon, 500 Gold, 20,000EXP

As Bon began to explore the city he suddenly saw an image of Steve on the bottom left of his vision.

“Where are you?” he heard Steve’s voice. “We’ve been waiting for you for hours.” Was this the power of the rings they had got from Babo?

“I just entered a few minutes ago,” Bon spoke into his ring, not sure how it worked.

“You don’t have to hold the ring so close. Your voice nearly deafened me. Come to the Fairy and the Pig inn. It’s near Gavin’s Park. Ask around for it.”

“Sure thing,” Bon said.

Bon met some other players walking around the city and greeted them politely. He would have just ignored them before, not confident of initiating conversations with strangers, but he was getting used to being around people again. Conversing with Tomato and his party had helped him a lot. All his small talk skills were coming back to him. It hadn’t taken him long to adjust. He wondered how Tomato was doing. Had she finally been able to escape, and elope with her boyfriend Bean? Would he be given a new guide if she did?

It took Bon a good hour to find the inn, what with shaking hands with a dozen players on the way. He entered the inn and found Steve sitting with the rest of his party towards the back.

“Bon, look here. Over here!” Kara shouted, waving her arms in the air.

“I see you,” Bon made his way to them and took a seat at their table. “What do you recommend to eat?”

“You’re always thinking about your stomach,” Steve tut tutted and shook his head. “Try the BBQ pork chops.”

Bon eagerly ordered a plate, and waited for it impatiently.

“My guide told me that there’s a nice side quest on this floor,” said Steve.

“Your guide is a lot more helpful than mine,” Bon complained. “What’s your secret? Do you feed her nice things?”

“No,” Steve scratched his head. “I didn’t have to do a thing. She volunteers all the information on her own. Maybe she’s just nicer than the other guides.”

“She had better not be getting any ideas,” Lucy said, waving her fists.

“What’s the quest about?” Bon asked.

“We have to meet a person called Gandalf,” said Steve.

“Gandalf?” Bon chewed on his food as he thought for a moment, “An old wizard with a staff and a cool horse?”

“Maybe,” said Steve. “We’ll soon find out, won’t we? Let’s gather information tomorrow. We’ll rest for today.”

The girls immediately began bugging Steve to take them shopping. Jim and Aisha continued to stare silently at the proceedings. If Bon hadn’t heard them talk before he would have thought they were mute.

“Go on,” Bon said to Steve. “I’ll pay for the meal.” He ordered two more plates of chops. Aisha and Jim watched him eat in amazement.

“Where does all the food go?” Aisha finally couldn’t stand it and asked. “You’re quite thin.”

“I convert it all into energy,” Bon didn’t lie. It wouldn’t matter if they knew a little bit anyway. “There’s something called qi. Every living being generates it, to varying degrees. I use it to break down everything I eat into pure energy.”

“Does using qi also give you a massive appetite?” asked Jim.

“No,” Bon smiled, “I just enjoy the food. I guess I’ve turned into quite a glutton. I starved for a long time in the past, and I’m making up for it now.”

“I’ve heard of qi,” said Aisha. “So, you’re a practitioner of qigong?”

“No. An old man taught me some tricks. That’s all.” Bon finished eating, and ordered another round of drinks. “What were your first few days in the Tower like?”

“Hell,” Jim said, and Aisha nodded.

The Tower took some getting used to. Though the first few floors were easy, there was a steep learning curve. After all, most people had been transported from their desk jobs or their college lecture rooms. Bon had even seen a few old people among the Grand Alliance of Players. They had probably lived in quiet retirement before the Tower had chosen them.

“What were you two doing before this, besides training for the Olympics that is,” Bon asked. Jim was an Olympic level archer, which proved to be pretty useful in the Tower. Bon’s bio-informatics studies were useless here.

“Studying,” they both said in unison.

“Studying what?”

“English Literature,” Aisha said. Jim nodded.

“So, did you two know each other outside?”

“Yup,” said Jim. “We’ve been together for two years.”

“You were lucky to meet up in the Tower so quickly,” Bon sighed. He wondered how his friends were doing. Phil, Toby and Bojana had been transported to the Tower along with him.

“Are you single?” Jim asked.

“No, I have a fiancee—Sarah. She’s the best.” He hoped that Sarah hadn’t been transported to the Tower as well. He didn’t want her to experience pain, and the Tower was pure agony sometimes. She was probably waiting outside for him, worrying over his sudden disappearance. He would surprise her when he got back. Yes, it was best to be optimistic. The power of positive thinking and all that. If anything happened to her he didn’t know what he would do with himself.

They finished the round of drinks and bid each other farewell. Jim and Aisha wanted to go back to their room, while Bon wanted to explore the city. He wanted to know what the street food was like.

He made his way from one stall to another, constantly eating. At one of the stalls he encountered an argument.

“How can you charge a whole silver coin for such a small plate?” a man with a high pitched voice asked. “If my fa—the king knew of this he would imprison you in his dungeon. This is pure robbery.”

“It’s free trade, sir. You can either pay or leave,” said the cart vendor.

This was interesting, thought Bon, as he scanned the person with his qi. It was clearly no man. Why was she dressed like a man? Was it just a fetish or was there something more at play?

“Identify.”

Cannot identify target

It seemed that Identify only worked on monsters and NPCs. The Goblin Queen Lisa had been an exception, probably because she had been marked for execution by the Tower.

“I’ll pay for the food,” Bon said to the vendor. “Here you go,” he handed a plate of what looked like kebabs to the person. “In return, how about a little conversation?”

“I’ve heard of people like you,” the person said, “taking advantage of wo—others by first showing kindness. You can take back your plate.”

“Aren’t you hungry?” Bon smiled kindly. “Take it. All I want is to talk. I’m new here and need some information.”

“You’re a hero,” the person gasped, looking at the space above his head.

“I am,” Bon nodded.

“Not all heroes are good people. I won’t go with you.”

“What can I do to you in the middle of the marketplace?” Bon asked. “Besides, cross dressers aren’t my type.”

“You know?” the person’s mouth hung open. “All the more reason not to go with you.”

“Just sit on that bench with me, in front of the marketplace. You’ll be safe there. Doesn’t the food smell nice?” He could hear her stomach growling. Bon took plates from the cart vendor and made his way to the bench. The cross dresser followed and sat down beside him. Bon handed a plate of meat to her.

“Thank you,” the cross dresser said, devouring her plate in a few seconds.

“Now, tell me princess—”

“Princess?” the cross dresser looked at him nervously. “I’m no princess. Whatever gave you that idea?” she laughed.

“It was obvious from the way you stumbled over your words with the vendor. You almost called the king your father. And only a royal brat would think of putting someone in the dungeons for an overpriced plate of kebabs.”

“I’m no brat,” the princess said haughtily. “And from your words, I can see that you are no hero.”

“Never said I was,” Bon drawled. “What are you doing walking through the city in disguise?”

“It’s none of your business,” the princess said, getting up to leave.

“One last question. Do you know where I can find Gandalf?”

The princess sat down again. “You’re looking for Gandalf? Why?”

“The great wizard needs my help with something.”

“Wizard?” the princess looked at him as though he was mad. “Gandalf is no wizard. You’re looking for the wrong person. There are many wizards in the city I can tell you about if you buy me another plate.”

“I’ll buy you another plate anyway, but I want to know about Gandalf. If he isn’t a wizard then what is he?”

“He’s the King under the Mountain. He rules the mining clans. Not many people know about them in the city. You’re lucky you found me.” Gandalf was a miner? That was unexpected. Bon pictured the old man with a pickax instead of a staff. It didn’t look as cool. The princess continued, “They say that the mining clan is strange. They never die, and their craftsmanship is on a level that cannot be surpassed. There are only twelve people in the main clan. The other clans under them all age and die like normal people, and their work is shoddier than the main clan.”

“What about the Wicked Witch of the West? She can’t die too right? Is Gandalf like her?” He wondered why the people of the Tower had never heard of NPCs and didn’t think that immortal monsters were strange.

“Gandalf is a person. The Witch is a Boss monster. Of course she can’t die, unless you heroes slay her, and even then it’s only for a day. She doesn’t bother us normal folk.”

“Doesn’t she extort communities and turn them into livestock?”

“I’ve heard that there are many animals around her lair. People who have wandered there tell tales of being turned into animals, but they transform back into humans once they have moved away from that place. I had never thought that what they said was true.”

Bon went back to the street vendor and bought two more plates of meat. The princess eagerly grabbed her plate and began eating with her little fingers. It looked like she had been starving for some time. Bon felt sorry for her.

“Back to Gandalf,” Bon said. “Where can I find him?”

“In the mining city of Droughmir,” she said. “It’s a hundred miles east of here, far away from the Wicked Witch. If you’re going there, can you take me with you? I can be your guide. Very few people have heard of this city, because the dwarfs like to keep to themselves.”

This princess, for all her initial cautiousness, was far too trusting towards strangers. All it had taken was two plates of kebabs.

“Okay, you can come with us.” He wanted to know what she was up to. Curiosity killed the cat, they said, but Bon had an infinite number of lives.

Bon went back to the inn with the princess, and booked an extra room for her. Steve and the girls came back a few hours later. They looked like they’d had a good time. Their inventories were probably full of stuff they had bought from the marketplace.

“Hey Steve,” Bon called him over. “I’ve found us a guide to take us to Gandalf. We can leave tomorrow.”

“Found someone already?” Steve asked in surprise. “Good work. This will save us some time.”

“We asked around too,” Lucy said, “but nobody had heard of Gandalf. Some people showed us jewelry with his name carved on it though. Steve thought this was a clue.”

“It was,” Bon said. “Gandalf is the king of some miners and craftsmen.”

“Not a wizard?” Kara asked. “I was looking forward to meeting him.”

“You know, Tolkien originally made Gandalf the ruler of the dwarfs in place of Thorin in the Hobbit,” Elizabeth said.

“So, this Gandalf is a dwarf?” Kara laughed. “That’s so weird.”

“Is this Lord of the Rings or the Wizard of Oz?” Steve murmured to himself. “Where is this guide you found?” he asked.

“Sleeping in he—his room,” Bon said.

“Good, then we’ll set out at dawn,” Steve found a table for them to sit at, and they all had their dinner. Bon asked the serving maid to send up some food to the princess’ room if she wanted it. She had said that she was too tired to be disturbed that day, but he was sure that she wouldn’t say no to food.

At dawn the next day, everyone gathered in front of the inn. Bon had some trouble waking up the princess, but after half an hour of knocking she finally came out. They set out from the city, the princess leading the way for the rest of the group. Bon kept strumming his guitar while they walked, grinding his skill proficiencies. He was strong as it was, but there was nothing wrong with becoming stronger. He noticed how the mana flow subtly changed with each increase in level of his skill. With a little experimentation he could probably level up his skills without constantly using them. He wondered if other mages with mana sense had noticed this, or if his senses were much greater than theirs because of his cultivation.

“This is the Forest of Vicious Bats,” the princess stopped at a turning of the road. “We can go through it, which will save time, but there are many monsters roaming around there.”

“How long will the detour take?” asked Steve.

“Two more days,” the princess replied, “And the road sometimes gets washed away by the rain.” It was a tiny mud road, wide enough to fit one cart.

“Then let’s go through the forest. We can level up in there as well.”

They ventured into the dark forest. Bon could hear the sounds of life within, ferocious roars and the sounds of rapid running, the rustling of bushes and the alarm cries of birds.

“Do the Vicious Bats only come out at night?” Bon asked.

“No, stupid,” the princess laughed disdainfully at his ignorance. “The forest gets much darker the further in we go. The bats are out at all times of day.”

They came across a centipede as big as a house, passing through the thick tree cover. It was covered in what looked like green armor.

“Identify.”

Centipede of Chaos HP 2,000/2,000 MP 500/500 A denizen of the chaos world Graghr. It’s hundred legs have trodden on many a hero, and walked through many a city leaving behind ruins. Its heavy shell armor protects it from the dangers of the chaos world. All its attacks are filled with the power of chaos. Powers Shuffle Moves rapidly to trod on its enemies Increase Armor Shell grows thicker, increasing defense Gooey Spit Spits out a fluid that hampers enemy movement

Steve charged in, and everyone else followed. It seemed as if Steve had grown restless from his long period of rest and shopping. The centipede’s attacks were strange. It spat out black vortexes from its mouth, that went through most armor. Steve’s armor somehow blocked it. The girls, though, were having trouble. The centipede attacked indiscriminately. The princess hid behind a tree as they fought, while Bon buffed everyone.

“Do something useful, Bon,” Steve shouted. “Use your attacks skills as well. Every little bit counts.”

“Okay,” Bon said.

This was taking too long. He was impatient to meet Gandalf and crack the princess’ mystery. Bon grabbed a small rock from the ground and flicked it at the centipede. It died instantly.

“It happened again,” Steve said in bewilderment. “Why are these monsters dying so suddenly? It had half its health left.”

“We’re just lucky,” said Bon.

“We’ve been lucky ever since you joined us,” Kara laughed. “You’re our good luck charm.”

“I guess I am,” Bon scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

They ventured onward, and came across a cloud of bats.

“Identify.”

Vicious Bat HP 1,000/1,000 MP 1,000/1,000 A massive bat that feeds off of the blood of its prey. While not able to fly very high, it is extremely fast Powers Sonic Attack Long ranged sound attack Claws of Steel Attacks do extra piercing damage

“These bats are not so bad alone,” said Steve, who had also identified the enemy. “They are deadly because they are in a group. Kara will lure three of them away, Nia will lure away four, while I fight the rest. The rest of you, attack Kara’s group first.”

They fought their way from one cloud of Vicious Bats to another, hardly getting any rest. Finally, they reached the end of the forest and found a small road. Everyone had leveled up except Bon. They walked on for a day, heading towards a mountain. At the base of the mountain they discovered a small city.

“Here at last,” said the princess. “You’ll find Gandalf at the King’s Hall in the center. Bye bye.” She waved and ran away.

The city under the mountain was full of stone houses of varying shapes and sizes. Some had obviously been built for dwarfs, with doorways that Bon would have to bend to go through. All the houses were painted with gaudy colors, and the Hall had its front wall painted with a rising sun and a mountain range in a background of white.

“Very artistic people,” said Bon. They walked through the doorway of the King’s Hall and saw an old dwarf sitting on a chair in the middle. There were a few other dwarfs sitting near him.

“Greetings, heroes,” the old dwarf rose. “I am Gandalf.”

“Greetings,” said Bon. “I am a Balrog.”

“Cut it out,” Steve hushed him. He looked at Gandalf. “We heard that you have a quest for us.”

“Indeed,” said Gandalf, gesturing for them to sit on the empty chairs. The chairs were too low for Bon’s comfort. Didn’t Gandalf have any normal sized chairs? “Our mines have been plagued by a problem of late. Skadi, in her fury after the death of her father, let loose a deranged giant in our mines. He lives near a very rich vein of metal that we must have. Kill the giant and I will reward you well. Gimli will guide you to the giant’s lair.”

Slay the Giant Terrorizing Gandalf’s Mines Skadi has unleashed a ferocious giant in the dwarf mines of Droughmir. Gandalf has asked you to slay the giant so that the mining operations may continue. Rewards: Boots of Skadi, 200 Gold, 7,000EXP

“Consider it done,” said Steve, then turned and walked out of the hall. He was not wasting any time. Gimli had to run to catch up with them.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” asked Bon.

“We can’t all be as laid back as a bard,” said Steve. “Some of us have responsibilities. I have to lead the players against the Wicked Witch when I get back.”

“The Grand Alliance is still a thing?” Bon asked.

“They enjoyed being under my command,” said Steve. “I can’t disappoint them.”

“With the Bosses’ power of Level Playing Field, don’t you think it will be faster if we kill them ourselves?”

“We must make connections among all the players while we can, and organize ourselves into an army. We have no idea what awaits us on the upper floors. Also, there will be lots of fighting to do once we get out,” Steve responded.

“Do you know what’s going to happen outside?”

“I’ve only heard hints,” Steve sighed. “But it will surely be something catastrophic.”

“Catastrophic,” echoed Bon. Why had Tian Bu Ru asked him to hide his powers? He said that it would attract enemies. Surely, Tian couldn't expect him to stay hidden during a catastrophe. He would never be able to stand by with all his strength when his friends and family were put in harm’s way.

“I really am level 125,360,” Bon said.

“Sure you are,” said Steve. “Just buff us and do what little damage you can. Nobody is judging you. Don’t worry. We’ll carry you till the end.”

Bon shrugged. He could just show them, but not yet. He wasn’t in a hurry. With the time difference between the Tower and the outside world he wasn’t missing anything by being in here. He could just play with his sickle and chain when he grew bored. He also wanted to find his friends, and the best way to do it was by staying with Steve, because he would attract a large crowd of players. After he found Bojana, Toby and Phil, he would do a speed run of the Tower’s floors, while training them to be stronger at the same time. These side quests were a waste of time. If a catastrophe really was coming to Earth, everyone needed to train while they still could, instead of running around carrying out inconsequential quests. Bon sighed heavily. He would have to wait a little longer to see his family and Sarah again. The most important lesson he had learned in the Tower so far was patience.