What Came Before

 

It has been over twenty years since the appearance of mysterious towers all across the world. Created by an unknown force, their appearance and dimensions defy normal logic. Early entrants to Towers either never reappeared. It was only many years later when the first of the Tower Climbers began to reappear, bringing with them tales of separate worlds in each Tower and a strange system of progression that allowed climbers to progress beyond earthly norms. For a modern world already in turmoil due to increasing automation, climate change and wealth disparities, the addition of the towers created a release valve and a new form of ascension for those willing to risk it.

For Arthur Chua, the Malaysian Tower was always there. A chance to escape a life of barely scraping by utilizing the government’s universal basic income and various odd jobs. It was a chance to establish himself, to have a real future. Entering the Tower was his goal and one he trained for all his young life. He had simple goals – get in, clear the Tower with minimal fuss, make enough money that he could establish himself by bringing Tower cores out for those in need.

Fate, on the other hand, had different ideas.

Arthur was swept up in politics of the first floor after annoying the tong’s. Forced to ally himself with the Jade Lotuses – a female led, informal group of climbers – he aids them in their quest. Unfortunately, unexpected events force him to take control – and ownership – of the Clan Seal they had acquired, such that he – not they – establishes a Clan on the first floor of the Malaysian Beginner Tower.

It is a stroke of great luck, rife with opportunity and significant danger.

With few choices available, Arthur makes alliances and enemies as he climbs the Tower, recruiting new members of his Clan, establishing new buildings and safe spots on floors that are available and, most of all, growing in strength himself.

Through many trials and tribulations, Arthur manages to make it through the top floor, establishing his run as the top 500^th to clear that Tower. He gains a number of rewards for the success, but most of all, he finally may exit the Tower.

His Clan might just be a major resource for the downtrodden and underprivileged in Malaysia; but to make that vision come true, Arthur will need to manage his numerous enemies in the real world and continue growing in strength.

 

Chapter 414

 

Even a street rat has dreams. Even a nobody, former delivery person like Arthur had been would envision his return to the real world. A triumphant playing of drums - the big kind, the ones you saw pounding away during Chinese New Year while dragon dances were going on -, a clash of cymbals. Maybe announcements on the loud speaker system, cheering crowds and streamers going off. No firecrackers, of course, those had been banned long ago - even if, you could still find them if you knew where to look.

Arthur had envisioned all these things, and then dismissed them as too fanciful. He knew what the actual process of return was like, twenty years after the first Climber had stumbled out of the Tower. Now, it was no longer a major event, no cheering crowds or hopeful reporters - both citizen and traditional media alike - clashing in an attempt to score a much desired interview. No, the return of Climbers at this point was routine.

At least in the Beginner Towers. Hundreds passed in a year, maybe a few thousand emerging just from the Tower in Kuala Lumpur itself. Official statitistics were not hard to find - but official statistics that one could trust was another matter. Ever since the realisation that the presence of Climbers could be a national resource - both economically, culturally and militarily - such figures had become much more uncertain. Add in the usual Malaysian politics, and the actual percentage of individuals who made it through were entirely unknown.

Suffice to say - as Arthur himself had noted - many went in and even fewer came out.

More to the point, the actual arrival point for newcomers was a small, inset doorway. Climbers spoke of a white tunnel that was strangely bereft of all scents beyond the ones that the Climbers themselves carried. Which, now that Arthur was experiencing it, was entirely unpleasant. After all, he had been stabbed, cut, struggled and sweated before his departure. He was, to put it kindly, fragrant - like mixing the worse of durian and cheese together. Even if he - naturally - lacked too much of a smell himself; his armour and clothing lacked that advantage. And little did not mean nothing, not after that kind of exertion.

After one passed thorugh the white, surround-light illuminated hallway, the exit could be spotted in the gold framed and wood carved doorway. The door itself was reminiscent of the elaborately carved entrances of Malay longhouses, the carvings themselves in the elongated facial figures and long limbed and thin bodied art style of the same form. More akin to the wayang kulit puppets of yore, the wired shadow puppet figurines that combined with the yowling of the music gave kid him nightmares.

Pass through that door - and he did, soon enough after studying the door and like all before him, not grasping any elaborate clue to the existence of the Towers - and you would emerge into a purpose built box around the entrance. A simple, clear concrete box with railings set high above to allow the guards who stood watch a clear line of fire and harsh flourescent lighting to illuminate the area.

No place to hide, just in case the government needed to deal with what emerged in a final and fatal manner.

Of course, in the usual course of matters, you would meet not guns but a bored biokrat awaiting you with a clipboard, computer and forms to fill and a surveyor waiting to the side, ready to asses every item emerging such that it might be taxed and accounted for properly.

That was the usual proceedings. The bureaucratic and governmental response to the emergence of a new Climber after twenty plus years.

It was not what Arthur found himself facing.

 

***

 

Oh, the passage and door itself was the same. 

Apa tak sama was the greeting party. At the least, it was not guns pointed at him – which were a frightening enough aspect. Malaysia – and the world at large - continued to struggle with balancing safety of the general public with the reality of Climbers. When an individual could run faster than a car or kill with a fist with little effort, it made keeping guns out of the hands of civilians difficult to justify. At the same time, law enforcement demanded greater and greater options for their safety.

Which was why, amongst other things, machine guns, shotguns and riot gear were semi-common to see among the police, especially when a Climber was involved.

In this case, though, beyond a couple of guards high above, casually holding their weapons at rest; what Arthur met were a group of excited and anticipatory bureaucrats. Four of them, one lead, one working assistant and two pretty faces – both female.

No surprise that the lead was a Malay gentleman, slightly on the paunchy side in a full suit that was – thankfully – suited for the air conditioned room they stood within. If nothing else, the songket that he wore and the suit, overlaying a dark brown and blue batik long sleeved shirt with its pattern gave clear indication that this was an entirely formal affair.

The other lack of surprise was that his assistant was Chinese. Female, in this case, just like the two other attendees. The manager – vice-minister?-’s – assistant was short, drawn, her hair thin and black. Yet, under a pair of thin glasses, there was a cutting intelligence.

“Arthur Chua?” the woman spoke, her voice tinged with just a hint of an American accent. Probably studied in the US at some point. An unusual choice for post-secondary education, since Australia or the UK was more common – if you could afford it, obviously.

“Yes.” Arthur shifted his grip on his spear, the black haft and deadly looking long spear head - more aking to the African leaf-headed blade spear than the typical Chinese or European-pointed spearhead - swung along behind him. He dropped the metal shod back onto the floor, the hard crack of metal against concrete echoing through the room. Arthur idly noted the shifting in stances, the tension that ran through the crowd at the movement even as the spearhead sat a foot above his own head. 

"Bagus! Kita dah lama menungu awak!" the Malay man said, stepping forward and taking over from the woman who stepped back smoothly. There was only the slightest flash of irritation on her face as she step back, a crinkling of the eyes, a pursing of the lips marginally. If not for his time dealing with his new Clan mates, if not for the Enhanced Eyesight and general increase in his Body Trait whilst in the Tower, he would have missed it. "Saya Dato' Abdul Ahmad Zin dan saya di Tembelan Menteri Pendaki Menara."

Arthur quickly translated that, even as he made to sure to bow a little to the man. No one had taught him the actual customs or formalities required here, so he figured a bow was correct. Problem was, he was not just Arthur Chua, successful Tower Climber; but also Arthur Chua, Clan Head of the Benevolent Durians. The newest and only Clan to have a building on the first floor of the Kuala Lumpur Tower.

Which, if you thought about it, made it the most important Clan in that Tower right now. Nevermind the usual prestige that being a Clan Head brought. So, bowing and groveling - as would be his usual mode of interaction, along with the hefty use of bribes - was out. He could not let the Minister walk over him much.

On the other hand, go too arrogant and the Minister was likely to make his life miserable. If not just throw him in jail on a series of trumped up charges. And while he had grown stronger, he was all too aware of the machine guns pointed at him, the locked reinforced metal gates barring exit and his lack of knowledge of the underworld. He was not suited to a life on the run - and that didn't even account for the desperate need (eventually) to enter a Tower again to recharge himself and continue his growth.

Add to that, Arthur knew he had friends out here. Or should have.

Who knew if Casey or Rick or any of the others who were supposedly richer and more influential had emerged.

So, shallow bow but not too shallow for the Deputy Minister of Tower Climbers. 

And boy, all this was making Arthur already miss the Tower.