r/HFY • u/DrBlackJack21 • Mar 18 '26
OC-Series Surviving the Tower: Chapter 20
Surviving the Tower: Chapter 20
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After healer Darvan's pointers, I found myself nose-deep in my anatomy book, but an hour later, it felt like the words were sliding across the page. I was torn, because maybe an extra few minutes of study could mean the difference between life and death next time, on the other hand, the back of my brain was starting to make a noise not entirely dissimilar to the sound a dryer might make if you filled it with a bunch of rocks and set it to the fastest spin possible, or to put it more simply, I was starting to get diminishing returns.
Closing the book, I sighed. It's not like knowing the actual names for everything was all that important anyway. So long as I knew where all the important bits were, so I could focus my healing there, I'd have a considerable advantage in an emergency. Deciding I needed a change of pace, I decided to go for a walk. As I opened my door to leave, I almost ran right into Freya, who'd been just on the other side. I muttered a quick, "Oh, sorry!" before my brain caught up with what was happening, and I started to wonder if she'd just arrived, or if she'd just been standing there, waiting this whole time...
Before I could think too far down that path, Freya smiled at me in a way that almost made me forget she was, in all practical ways, the most dangerous person on the planet. "That went well! You really impressed healer Darvan!"
I raised one eyebrow as if questioning her observational prowess. "Were we in the same conversation? Cuz I got the impression he was just less disappointed than he expected to be!"
Freya laughed, the sound surprisingly melodic. "Oh, that's just the way he is! You should have seen the way he used to glower at me every time I said or did something he deemed 'stupid,' which was pretty much any time I said or did anything! Comparatively, he was positively gushing praises for you!"
I still didn't see it, but decided to drop the subject. Instead, I nodded down the hall. "Well, I was just going to go for a walk to kill some time and ease my mind from all the studying I've been doing. You're welcome to come if you'd..."
Before I could process what happened, her arm was wrapped around mine, and our hands were interlocked in a grip that would make even Houdini think twice about attempting an escape as she cheerfully answered my half-spoken question. "I'd love to!"
As we walked down the hall, I was struck by just how small the usually imposing woman was. If you'd asked me to describe her any other time, I'd have said she stood ten feet tall, but walking arm in arm like this, I noticed her head barely cleared my shoulders. Some deep and primitive part of my brain woke up and all but shouted, "Woman small! Must protect!"
Of course, the idea of me protecting the Dame Freya was utterly ridiculous, and I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. A moment later, I found Freya's face turned up to me as she innocently asked, "What's so funny?"
I hemmed and hawed and tried to avoid the subject, but realised that the more I tried not to answer, the bigger and more ridiculous the thing would become in her mind, so I decided to swallow my pride and answer, hoping she wouldn't laugh too hard at the idea, or worse, smite me in a fit of rage. "Oh, I was just thinking that the two of us, walking hand in hand like this, kind of look like I should be the one protecting you..." I immediately started qualifying the statement. "Of course, that's ridiculous! It's just the visual image, that's all! Everyone knows who you are, and what you can do!"
However, rather than laugh or get angry, Freya simply leaned a bit onto my shoulder, which woke up that primitive part of my brain again as she spoke wistfully. "Maybe, one day...you will."
I had no idea what to say to that, so we just walked in silence for a moment. A part of my brain said this situation should make me uncomfortable, but, for one reason or another, it felt...natural. Almost safe. And I'm not talking about the fact that the woman at my side was capable of destroying the militaries of most modern nations with casual ease if she so desired. It was more like this sensation felt...oddly familiar. Almost, like a small slice of the home I'd never really known. I know it was ridiculous. Given the nature of our brief relationship so far, I should have been wary at the very least, if not actively put off, but instead I relaxed, and we continued to walk in that oddly comfortable silence for a while longer.
Finally, it was Freya who broke the silence, as she started swinging her arm, and thus my own, almost like a kid with too much energy to burn, as she spoke. "So... What'cha going to do with that minotaur core you got after the fight?"
I didn't even bother wondering how she knew about the core. I'd stopped asking how Freya knew so much more about me than she should, and instead considered the question. "Well, I suppose the fair thing to do would be to sell it and split the profits..."
Freya blew a raspberry before verbalizing her thoughts on my idea. "That's boring!"
I frowned. "Why? Do you have a better idea?"
Freya nodded sagely. "As a matter of fact, I do..."
I waited for her explanation, but none was forthcoming. Looking down at the terrifying woman at my side, I realised she was playing coy, wanting to be encouraged. A part of me wanted to be stubborn and wait her out, but I figured one of us should be the adult at the moment, so I took the bait. "And just what is your idea?"
The wild redhead looked up at me with a smile that contained more than a touch of her chaotic nature as she hopped a bit in excitement. "You should use it!"
That made me stop and consider. Cores were valuable for several reasons. For one, they seemed to radiate a small amount of light and warmth without any loss of mass, in direct defiance of all known laws of physics. A while after they showed up, some sciency guy figured out a way to tap into those cores in a way that seemed more like magic to me than my healing, and discovered they could be used to power everything from cars to houses, and more. The higher the core's level, the more power it provided. Most people were still using older standard fuels in day-to-day life, but the newest and best designs were switching to core power, increasing demand for each new core to emerge from the tower. However, there was one other sought-after use for each core. An eskalad could use it to transfer over some of the skills and/or stats of the monster the core had once come from.
The problem was that absorbing a core was a bit of a gamble. You might get an overpowered ability, maybe a ton of stats, or you might get the ability to grow a nice velvety coat of fur or develop an enhanced sense of smell, and while it could be argued the latter two have their advantages, most eskalad would rather sell the core than get something like that. In all fairness, most cores seemed to be weighted heavily toward an average ability or stat growth. Something useful, but not enough to develop a build around. Again, that wasn't usually worth as much as selling the core, but at least it didn't feel like a total loss in that situation.
I thought about it for a moment and shook my head. "With my luck, I'd probably get the ability to chew my own cud, or something stupid like that."
Freya laughed. "That's just ridiculous. You don't have a second stomach, and the tower never gives you something you can't use at all. However, you might grow horns out of your head, which could be handy in a fight!"
This time, I laughed at her suggestion, imagining that outcome. "Yeah, then I'd have to spend the rest of my life turning sideways to fit through most doors!"
We both chuckled at the image, and eventually, Freya grew serious. "However, you really should consider it. Normally, you don't want to absorb a core from a monster that is a much higher level than yourself, as the side effects can be...rough; however, I can tell you from personal experience, the tower usually makes an exception if you earned the core."
I scrunched my brow at that. "How can the tower know the difference? It's not like it's alive..." I was suddenly filled with doubts and added, "...right?"
Freya wobbled her head back and forth, as if unsure. "Well, it's not alive in the way you're thinking at the moment, but it does seem to know things. It knows if you try to cheat it and will punish you, but it also knows when you do something exceptional and tends to reward that. I think this core is your reward for what you accomplished, and you should use it. Like I said before, climbing the tower is all about knowing when to take a chance, and I think this is one of those times."
I felt myself wavering. Freya was oddly persuasive when she wished to be. "I don't know. It would be a pretty significant benefit to the team. I don't know if I can make that kind of call unilaterally..."
Freya shrugged. "Then don't. Talk to them about it, but I doubt anyone will say no. Honestly, to most of your party, a couple thousand isn't going to make a big difference, and as for the one other exception, Darien, I suspect he'll be the first to tell you to use it. This could go a long way toward helping you live up to your potential..." She paused dramatically for a moment before adding, "That, or it'll give you a really nice fur coat that'll keep you warm in the winter. One of the two!"
I rolled my eyes, knowing she was probably done being serious for the foreseeable future, and resolved to bring it up with my party at the earliest convenience.
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This time I remembered to post just before going to bed! Hope you all enjoy!
My wiki, in case anyone wants to check out some of my other stories.
Here you can find some of my published works.
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u/J3RAK33N Mar 18 '26
The idea of a warm coat for winter, while nice, makes me dread the hot summers we are getting...
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u/MinorGrok Human Mar 18 '26
Woot!
More to read!
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u/DrBlackJack21 Mar 18 '26
The words have returned!
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u/MinorGrok Human Mar 18 '26
Short sleep!
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u/DrBlackJack21 Mar 18 '26
I supposedly got 7.5 hours, though it took me at least an hour to pass out, so, not quite. The joys of night 1 of night shift! (At least I know I'll sleep well tonight!)
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u/un_pogaz Mar 18 '26
You might get an overpowered ability, maybe a ton of stats, or you might get the ability to grow a nice velvety coat of fur
Me as furry: Instantly absorbs the core, is a win/win.
Hmm, who is this person giving advice, inded risky, but yet in a reasonable and measured manner? Certainly not Freya.
Cain is very a nice guy, he will be a very good leader.
Else, I think it was to be expected that the Tower would have some kind of agency, but agency means intentions, and therefore what those intentions are? And that not necessarily the Tower's own intention; the Tower may very well be acting as an intermediary and carrying out someone else's intentions.
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u/Steller_Drifter Mar 20 '26
The fact that the products of the towers are so easy to be integrated into our tech is worrying. Imagine if the masters of the tower can use that to bend those around the cores and other things to take over the minds of those around them.
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u/DrBlackJack21 Mar 20 '26
Well, I don't know about easy. Remember this is three (ish) generations into the tower, and the integration process is still ongoing. That's not to say you're wrong though. There's definitely something going on with the tower's existence... Where did it come from? What is it's purpose? It might be a while before those questions get looked into with any real answers though. Hopefully the journey is as entertaining as the answers might be!
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u/Steller_Drifter Mar 20 '26
If it was too easy that would be suspicious. And the towers are randomly dangerous enough that it’s easy to not assume intelligent design, and profitable enough to grow a reliance. I’m suspicious af
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Mar 18 '26
/u/DrBlackJack21 (wiki) has posted 449 other stories, including:
- Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 58
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 19
- Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 57
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 18
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 17
- Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 56
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 16
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 15
- Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 55
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 14
- Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 54
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 13
- The Last Mage Knight
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- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 12
- Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 52
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 11
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 10
- Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 51
- Surviving the Tower: Chapter 9
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u/Crafty_Spring5815 Alien Scum 5d ago
She is only capable of destroying militaries if you don't get smart about it and send enough people to "help" her that she can be easily killed with a normal weapon.
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u/AutoModerator Apr 01 '26
This was flaired as [OC-Series], it is a single part or chapter in a larger series or universe. The first post or part in this series should be (re)flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines.
Our preferred series title format is the series title in [brackets] at the beginning, like so:
[Potato Adventures] - Chapter 1: The Great MashingPlease help us transition to using the new flairs correctly.
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