Ascension Protocol: The Soulmark Era
Chapter 11: The Tower War Begins (Floor 2 – Part 1)
The portal spat Ankit out onto a withered battlefield.
Ash swirled in the air like snow. The sky was blood-orange, cracked with slow lightning. The landscape around him was a graveyard of broken weapons, shattered towers, and crumbling bones—massive, ancient bones.
[Welcome to Tower Floor 2 – Zone: The War of Fractured Banners]
Type: Group Encounter
Objective: Secure a Writ of Dominion
Time Limit: 48 Hours
Total Climbers: 214
Lives Remaining: 1
Rewards: Stat Boosts, Soul Gear (Uncommon-Rare), Key to Floor 3
Penalty for Failure: Tower Lockout (3 Years)
Ankit's talwar instantly slid into his hand as he scanned the area.
[You are currently unaffiliated.]
Warning: Unaffiliated climbers are open targets for both monsters and factions.
He narrowed his eyes.
So… the Tower was done playing nice.
Far ahead, a flash of blue light exploded into the sky.
Dozens of climbers were already locked in combat—some wielding weapons, others commanding summoned spirits, elemental beasts, or strange magical glyphs that twisted the very terrain. The chaos was unlike anything in the training floors.
Then—
"Oi, unaffiliated!"
A voice called out behind him.
Ankit turned swiftly, talwar raised.
A team of four approached him—three teenage boys and one girl, all dressed in Tower-forged combatwear with a jagged red crest stitched into their chests.
Their leader, a tall dark-skinned boy with glowing red veins on his arms, grinned.
"You new to Floor Two? You look fresh. Haryana, right? Accent gives it away."
Ankit didn't respond.
The leader continued, unbothered. "Name's Tejas Mandal. Faction: Ashfang Kin. We're a Delhi-based crew. You're on our side of the zone, so here's how it works…"
He cracked his knuckles. "Either you hand over your floor seed, or you join us."
Ankit stepped back half a pace. "And if I say no?"
Tejas grinned wider.
"Then we show you what happens to loners."
Before the tension exploded, a shrill wind howled across the dead battlefield.
A massive wolf-like beast, cloaked in rusted banners and metal chains, erupted from the broken temple behind them. Its body shimmered with molten runes and eyeless sockets.
[War Guardian – Bannerhound (Rare)]
Level: 12
Behavior: Aggressive | Siege-Class Beast
Reward: Writ of Dominion ×1
"Scatter!" Tejas yelled.
The Ashfang team split, unleashing fireballs and spear strikes. But their attacks barely dented the Bannerhound.
Ankit didn't hesitate.
He surged forward.
[Venom Echo – Active]
[Shadow Link – Engaged]
[New Skill – Memory Sever (Soul Blade Variant) – Equipped]
The wolf turned toward him as if recognizing something ancient in his blade.
The battle was brief—but brutal.
Ankit dove low under a tail sweep, carved a venom arc across its hind legs, then rolled into shadow to avoid its breath of rust-fire.
His talwar glowed violet-black, slashing deep into the creature's leg—
[Memory Sever – Strike Successful]
Effect: Severed one memory-bound rune – Defense reduced by 40% for 10 seconds.
Tejas's team followed up.
A flurry of elemental bursts struck the weakened Guardian.
Finally, with a roar, Ankit leapt and severed the beast's neck with a spinning strike.
[Bannerhound Defeated]
You have earned:
– 1x Writ of Dominion
– 6 Tower Points
– War Beast Fang (Uncommon Material)
– New Trait: Memory Hunter (Minor) – bonus damage to memory-anchored foes
Breathing heavily, Ankit turned back toward Tejas.
The older boy clapped slowly.
"Well, damn. You're good."
His grin was… different now. Not mocking—respectful. But not entirely friendly either.
"You could've taken that solo. But you didn't. You let us help."
Ankit cleaned his blade. "I'm not interested in wasting energy on trash mobs."
Tejas laughed. "Trash mobs, he says. You're arrogant, but I like that."
He extended a hand.
"Join us. For now. You'll be safer. And you'll see how Tower politics work."
Ankit didn't shake.
But he nodded once.
"Fine. For now."
🧑🤝🧑 New Side Characters Introduced
🌟 Tejas Mandal
Origin: New Delhi, India
Soul Weapon: Infernal Knuckleblades (C-Rank, Fire-Based)
Bloodline: Emberheart Lineage (Minor)
Class: Brawler
Tower Level: 2
Personality: Charismatic, manipulative, borderline cruel
Relationship with Ankit: Cautious ally (Future Rival)
🌟 Vanya Rathore
Soul Weapon: Mirror Spear (E-Rank)
Class: Reflective Duelist
Quiet but observant. Will bond with Ankit during later Tower trials.
Relationship with Ankit: Eventual friend (Possible emotional bond arc)
As night fell across Floor 2's battlefield, the first signs of true Tower cruelty began to emerge.
A nearby team—another Indian group—was ambushed by a foreign guild known as Void Marked, and their screams echoed across the ruins.
Ankit watched it all from the shadows of an old wall, hand resting on his blade.
The Tower didn't just test strength.
It tested the soul.
And those who couldn't kill when it mattered… wouldn't survive.