Tower of Souls

It took almost two days for Davis to gather the necessary supplies, though most of that was just because of how difficult it was for the old man to move about while gathering them. Cam felt terrible for asking so much of him... not that Davis would hear any of that, dead set as he was to help the young man with his ’mad plan’.

Another day was spent just waiting for the cooldown on Soul Harvest to be up- if he wanted to succeed, Cam needed more Abilities... and leveling wouldn’t bring him any, so waiting for his first ascent only made sense to him. Hopefully, he would have the chance to grab a useful Ability early on and make the climb a bit easier- or more manageable, at least.

He had planned as thoroughly as possible... but, even then, some things would require him to improvise and adapt.

That was why, even with the welcome obscurity of the night, the tension in his shoulders rose with every step closer to the Tower.

Getting out of the Outer Circle wasn’t much of a problem; few, if any, Security patrols went through their district even in the day time- and even those few couldn’t be bothered to do so at night. With most people already home and behind locked doors to avoid the less savory individuals that were active at night, it was mostly just a quick walk across the district- Cam was forced to discourage a few of those unsavory individuals, though simply pulling his dagger from the Inventory was enough to send them off, as few were willing to risk the wrath of a Classer...

While he was worried about the possibility of people watching Davis, they had already figured it unlikely those people would pay any attention to one more hooded figure leaving the run down apartment complex- such individuals were far too common for even an army of watchers to check them all, especially if they didn’t want to give away their presence...

The Craftsmen Circle, while better lit, was only lightly patrolled- few people could be bothered to steal something like leather, and iron was far too heavy to even be worth it... and no one would risk stealing from a blacksmith anyway; a man that made swords was likely to be armed well enough to defend himself from non-Classers, and Classers had better ways to make a few Bits than by stealing a knife. It was only the area around the more precious crafts- gold, jewelry, and the like- that saw an increase in security. While that necessitated a more circuitous route, it wasn’t difficult for Cam to avoid Security there...

But the closer he got to the Tower, the greater the Security presence became.

As the patrol rounded the corner just a block over from his hiding place in the Merchant Circle, Cam exploded into motion. His feet flew across the even stones of the road as he followed their path, mentally counting the seconds; it would take them exactly to the count of thirty to reach their next turn- their routes were supposed to vary from night to night, to prevent people from learning their pattern, and it had taken him half an hour just to map the patrols for the surrounding blocks... But while they would turn at the thirty count, a different patrol would turn onto this street at the count of twenty...

But this was the best opening he had found so far, and he couldn’t take much longer looking for one. He was already on a tight timeline, and he would need every minute possible to get through the Inner Circle.

His count reached eighteen, and he barreled onto the street behind the patrol, silently praying that none of them would look back- they rarely did, having grown complacent over years of minimal problems, but at least one of them had done so since he started watching.

”Twenty-six... Twenty-seven.... Twenty-” Cam huffed under his breath as he threw himself into the entry way of a book store and pressing his back firmly against the door- the small nook only offered scant inches of cover, not nearly enough for most adults... but he was still on the small side, despite his Awakening. And, as long as no one looked too closely, it would be possible to miss him, tucked away in a dark patch between the evenly spaced streetlights...

Resisting the urge to gape at the sheer number of books just feet behind him- at most, he had only seen the few books his school issued for class, and all of those had to be returned at the end of each year- Cam continued his count. The other patrol was turning onto this road as well, just heading the other way, at the same time the first group was turning off again-

He was at a full sprint again in an instant... and he could only pray, once again, that the patrol behind him never glanced in his direction. Otherwise, they would soon be chasing him- purely based off how suspicious he looked- while also calling for assistance...

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The likely end of that being his capture, of course.

But Cam didn’t have time to think about that; he was only halfway through this Circle... and he still had to get through the Inner Circle next.

Sweat dripped from his brow as Cam shifted from one vantage to another. He only had one last block until he reached the Star- the open area around the Tower, so named because of its shape, with the largest and most grandiose buildings surrounding it and the roads leading off from its points... at least, Cam was told it was something along those lines. It wasn’t something he had really been exposed to before his talk with Davis.

Crossing the Inner Circle had been the most nerve wracking experience of his life- with ten times as many patrols as any other Circle, and the large mansions having their own security, his openings were few and far between. To the point it had taken longer than the other two circles combined... twice.

At this point, even Cam had to think that it was pure luck rather than skill that had seen him this far...

But, with Sunrise coming- even if none of them had ever seen a true ’Sun’, the Tower provided an artificial one... another lesson from school, though a relatively unimportant one- Cam didn’t have much time to delay. He still needed to cross this block, then the Star, and take up his dubious hiding spot on the left side of the Tower door- where the shadows would still hopefully cover him until the Tower opened for the day...

At 10am... three hours after sunrise.

And it didn’t help that he could already hear people starting to stir within the nearby houses...

At least the mansions had back alleys for their servants... even if those were just as well lit and guarded. The plan he and Davis had come up with couldn’t account for everything, and this was one of the points that he knew he would have to improvise... But he saw a way. Maybe.

Taking a deep breathe, he flitted across the street between a pair of patrols just seconds after they had passed each other... and ducked into the servant’s alley he had set his sights on, which had had people coming and going already for several minutes. While the servants clothes were of a higher quality, his were similar enough to pass a cursory inspection... from a distance... He hoped.

To complete his flimsy disguise, he pulled a case of T-Rations from his Inventory and carried it in his arms- just another servant bringing back some supplies or goods; he had already seen a few carrying boxes, so it wasn’t unusual... and he thanked Davis once again for all the wisdom he had provided.

The Inventory could hold stacks of five of identical items... and a case of T-Rations, which held a hundred of the food replacement bars, was, by some quirk of the Tower, considered a single item- so five of them, or five hundred rations, only took up a single slot. At least, until he opened one and took out a ration, then the case that was missing a ration wouldn’t stack with the others.

Walking confidently down the alley, Cam passed servants and guards alike without anything more than a glance being directed his way... Still, his mind was racing: while none of them were paying attention to him, the guards at the house closest to the Tower surely would... because the only things past them were the Star and the Tower...

And he had no idea if any of the servants would actually walk that way.

Drawing closer and closer to the last house, Cam struggled to control his racing heart- the tension kept rising and rising, worse than combat training in school, worse than the constant bullying... worse than even the fear of being mugged that he had faced every day. Maybe because this was new, and he had experienced all of those countless times, or maybe because he was so close to pulling off the impossible- assuming he could actually climb a few floors in the Tower and survive, that is- he didn’t know.

When the back gate of the last house came into view, his heart leapt and he had to force himself not to stop and gape- the guards weren’t there!

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Cam quickened his pace. As he drew closer to the closed gate, he could just make out raised voices from the house- some problem or other had drawn the guards attention!

Passing the gate, he stored away the box of rations once more and hurried on, sweat beading on his back in anticipation of shouts of alarm, or simply questions hurled at him, asking where he was going and what he was doing... But none came.

Reaching the Star, Cam nearly sighed in relief. While he wasn’t done yet, this part, ironically, should actually be the safest- the Star was held in reverence, nearly as much as the Tower, so no streetlights had been built throughout its vast expanse. With the exception of the area closest to the surrounding homes, the night’s darkness covered the hundreds of yards between him and the Tower.

And the ceremonial guards that watched over the Star wouldn’t arrive until minutes before the Tower opened; their main purpose was to discourage the climbers from getting into conflicts- not that they could actually stop Classers from fighting. They simply didn’t have the power to do so... But they represented the Council, and no Family or Guild would tolerate their people stirring up trouble like that.

At least, that was what Davis said.

Cam scurried out of the light cast by the mansions and into the welcoming dark- once he reached his hiding spot, all he had left to do was wait... and hope no one deviated from their usual patterns.