Chapter Seven

William Sutton/Pioneer [D]

PARTY LEADER: Chancers – Okembe/Trucker_1972/Daphne/Metrodora

CLAN LEADER: Towerfall

Class: Fighter/Enhancer

Strength: 34 (+3)

Endurance: 33 (+10)

Agility: 38 (+2)

Reflex: 35 (+2)

Mind Power: 36 (+3)

Mind Depth: 34

Skills: Tough Conditioning [E], Ambidexterity [E], Empowered Buffs [D]

Spells: Vigorous Sharpen [E], Alacrity [C], Verten’s Vitality [C], Endure [D], Glacial Pace [D], Bleeding Strikes [D], Caster’s Reinforcement [E], Pain Ward [E]

Bonded Items: Jungle Shaman’s Coronet [C], Millstone Chestpiece [D], Soul Anchor [D], Spatial Storage Ring [D], Whisper [D], Shout [D], Boots of Jungle Serpent Swiftness [D], Reactive Bezoar [D], Mental Aegis Amulet [D], Clan Connection Ring [C], Millstone Chestpiece [D], Sandwyrm Plated Greaves [C]

Active Effects:

Mark of the Snow Sentinel [C] – 50% Resistance to Cold and Cold damage

Boots of Jungle Serpent Swiftness [D] – 25% increased dodging and running speed

Tower Coins: 1000

Skill Points: 2

Looking at his Sheet, Will found the list of Bonded Items to be somewhat annoying. Eventually, it would shrink as he found sets that would count as a single Item, like the Armour of Antarys he’d worn for the final battle first time around. Until then, though, it made his Sheet too cluttered. Concentrating, he willed it to change, and watched as the Item list disappeared. Exerting minor control over the interface of the Tower wasn’t difficult, but he’d never had much use for it in the first timeline which spoke to how much stronger and better geared he was now than before.

His only new Item, the Sandwyrm Plated Greaves [C] hadn’t actually even been his loot. His contribution was lower than normal, thanks to the goal of making Daphne/Metrodora/Unk claim the majority, and so he’d received poor loot that wasn’t worth keeping. Domovoi had been excited to have new Items for his ever-growing catalogue, though. Much like the Millstone Chestpiece, the greaves didn’t offer much. Both new armour pieces had given him an extra point of Endurance, bringing his effective total above 40. Unlike the chestpiece, which he’d chosen to switch to simply for its’ greater durability, the greaves did have a particular extra benefit though. They passively emitted a small amount of mana that fed his other Items and increased their durability as well. Useful, if not world-changing. Still, with nothing that had a Repair enchantment on this low in the Tower, keeping your gear from being destroyed in fights was always helpful.

It had been Unk who’d earned the armour, constructed of shiny red plates and scales, as his main reward for killing the Sandwyrm. A trade, and the fact that Unk preferred heavier armour, had let will upgrade from his Yeti-Hide Leather Trousers ready for Floor 6 and his Elite Class training. In all honesty, he could probably stand to spend some time with his Quartermaster looking for a more cohesive set of Items. A life of relying on his own abilities, without the Coins to afford better stuff, was probably why he had been putting it off. It wasn’t as if his gear was bad, or weak, or putting him at risk, but there was likely more efficiency to be gained. Though, at the pace he was Climbing, new Items would be constantly arriving which made things even more complex.

“Anything else we need to do before we head off?”

Will’s words were directed at the crowd of Climbers arrayed in the centre of Dunebed Village. Most were from Towerfall, but a handful of representatives from other Clans and even some independent Climbers had found their way to the settlement. They hadn’t told everyone the truth of what they were doing, but had made clear that the Chancers would be absent and largely unavailable for a while. Since Will hadn’t taken more than a few days away from Clan business since Floor 3, he wanted to make sure things didn’t collapse while he was gone. He’d transferred almost all of his Coins, minus a few for emergencies, to Brunjar and Domovoi to help them fund things while he was gone, and space for more Climbers in the village was being added by the hour.

Consensus was that no, there was nothing else that required Will or the Chancers’ attention. The main focus at the moment was setting up new residences and outposts across the Floor, safe areas either by Tower mechanics or careful guarding, that would help the steady flow of new arrivals settle in and find a useful place. That wasn’t something that he was needed for, nor something he was actually very good at. Grinning at his party as they walked out of the village to a smattering of applause and whooping noises, Will sent a quick message through the private chat.

[Irikaz is meeting us by the Sandwyrm’s Lair. Will.]

[Everyone move in closer, then. Daph]

Curious, Will did as asked, and the rest of the Chancers followed suit, pulling in so they were walking in a tight group around the Summoner. She pulled out a scroll and opened it, blinking and almost stumbling backwards as it flashed with bright yellow light right in her face. Instantly, he recognised what had happened, but before his brain could make the connection the Spell Scroll activated. His legs tingled and twitched, his chest felt as though it was expanding, and a jolt of energy went through his whole body.

[Speed boost won’t last long, so get a jog on! Daph]

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Much like when he used Alacrity, the Celerity Spell Scroll [C] that Daphne had apparently traded for let the party run across the sand much faster than normal. Will had already asked for Skipper to be brought up, and for others who had mounts or travel-based Items to join him, but according to Brunjar the teen was on Earth currently and most of the others were needed on lower Floors. Not for the first time, Will wished they had access to all of the teleportation methods that would eventually become available.

They sprinted across the Floor, making short work of the journey even with a pit-stop for Will to replace Daphne’s Scroll with his own Spell. She’d given her loot from the Sandwyrm to Domovoi, as had most of them, and one of the rewards she’d taken in compensation had been a small box of Scrolls that she could use to pad her list with more utility. Now at D Rank, finally, she didn’t need them as much as she had previously but Will still thought it was a good call. Alacrity wasn’t quite as effective, though he could maintain it far longer, so the second half of their journey was a bit slower.

Before they arrived, Will quickly ran his party through the mechanics of what they were doing, just to make sure they had them well-understood.

“Normally, getting a Denizen Mayor out of their village long enough to open a Portal to the next Floor isn’t this easy. I managed to convince Irikaz to open one just for us, but until the rest of the Clan have finished the village’s Quests he won’t be coming here to open the way permanently. He let us skip to the Sandwyrm, which should be the final Quest, but among other things I had to promise him that we’d personally help out when the first Monster Horde Event triggered. It won’t be for a while, since he knows not to initiate the Event while we’re gone, but as soon as we’re back we’ll probably need to handle it.”

As of yet, the population of Dunebed Village wasn’t so big they needed to expand the safe area, which meant they hadn’t been forced to battle the Monster Horde that doing so would trigger.

“Weren’t we already going to do that?” Daph asked, breathing heavily with the exertion of running for so long.

“Well, the Clan was. Every village will need to face at least one Horde if they want to host a Climber population, though the rules are different for different settlements. We’re pretty ahead of most of the others, though, so I had originally intended to let them deal with the threat alone. Good opportunity for growth, you know?”

He’d warned the other Clan Leaders of this mechanic, in case they found Denizens who were less forthcoming and helpful than Irikaz. You could never be sure, and given that most of the villages had already been settled when Will reached this Floor in the first timeline, he was trying to cover all possibilities. Along with the Quests, which would be far slower to complete if not for the 250 strong initial force that they’d brought to the Floor, the Monster Hordes were the main challenge of the 5th.

“Either way, it’s not too big of a problem, and like I say he’s going to wait for us. I’m going to be heading North from the spawn point, to go find the Class Trainer I need. You’ve all got your lists?”

Nods greeted his words. They all had gains available on Floor 6, things to take advantage of before the rest of the Tower caught up. Daphne’s was the most significant, since she’d also be getting her Elite Class on this Floor, but they all stood to benefit.

A few minutes later, they came upon the site of their battle with the Sandwyrm, seeing Irikaz atop his strange mount just beside the huge monster’s corpse. A few other Denizens were busying themselves hacking it to pieces and butchering it, paying little mind to Will and the others as they entered the clearing.

“Welcome back, Chancers. I trust all is well at the village?”

“Yes, all safe. I’ve made sure that Dane has his best men on watch and in the guard towers, so anyone who attempts to harm or harass your people will be dealt with by them. Thank you, again, for agreeing to this deal.”

The tall, smooth-featured Mayor opened his arms wide in a gesture of friendship.

“Your organisation has kept all of its promises to this point, and though I doubted at first you have managed to slay the Sandwyrm. Our hunters’ safety has been improved dramatically with the death of this predator. Though we still have much to do before I would be comfortable opening the permanent portal, our village has not been as safe or as wealthy as we are now for many years.”

According to the latest messages from the other Clan Leaders, they were making much slower progress with their Quests. Getting new Climbers onto the Floor was tougher, since they had far fewer Sigils to use, and those who entered via the Dungeon would be deposited randomly. Coupled with the fact that Towerfall had Will and his party handling the tougher challenges, he expected that they’d have the first permanent portal anyway. The others may not be too far behind though, thanks to his forewarning them about the Denizens and their requests.

“I am glad to have helped. While we are gone, please go to Brunjar for anything that you require. Especially if you hear from the other settlements any word of conflict. So far, we have not heard of any Climbers attacking Denizens, but if it happens we want to be ready.”

The real conflicts wouldn’t happen till there were permanent portals, and people started trying to capture them instead of bothering with the Quests to earn their own. Bandits, violent assholes and exploitative manipulators like Jeremy and Luke though? They were probably already active, keeping a low enough profile that word had not yet trickled in.

“Of course. Are you ready?”

They gave their assent to Irikaz, who stepped into an empty area of sand and raised his arms to the sky.

---BY THE AUTHORITY OF IRIKAZ THOX, MAYOR OF DUNEBED VILLAGE, THESE CLIMBERS HAVE EARNED PASSAGE TO THE 6TH FLOOR---

Everyone felt the words as much as they heard them. They boomed through the area, and Will found himself hoping there was nobody in range to overhear. He hadn’t known the process would be this...loud. Nothing to be done about it, though, and he just watched as a twenty foot crack appeared in thin air before Irikaz. It looked as though someone had simply drawn a crooked line down the horizon in pencil, though only for a moment before it began to widen into a large rectangular plane of shimmering golden light.

“I will close the portal as soon as you are through. Good luck, and I look forward to your return.”

Though his words were light, the tone was one of strain, and as they hurried past Irikaz to the portal Will could see concentration and stress on his usually calm features. He didn’t know the details, and Irikaz hadn’t been forthcoming, but it was obvious that opening a portal temporarily was something that took extra effort.

The others stepped through, and Will paused only to thank Irikaz a final time before joining them. Next time he returned to Floor 5, he hoped it was still as stable as it currently was. Light flashed in his vision as the portal whisked him upwards, and he landed with light steps on the soft meadow of Floor 6’s spawn point a moment later.

“You have Cleared the [5th Floor] of the Tower.

Rewards:

1500 Tower Coins

+2 Free Stat Points

Personalised Reward – Growth Item Improvement Token x 1

You have achieved the First Clear of this Floor. Additional Reward Granted.

Trailblazer’s Mark – This tattoo identifies you as a Climber of great potential. Moderate bonus to speed of Stat growth.

Welcome to the [6h Floor] of the Tower. Prove yourselves worthy, to reach the next Floor.”

“Wow, this is really beautiful!”

Metrodora’s words were mostly masked by the sound of the Tower’s voice, but Will picked them out anyway. He had to agree, the spawn point of the 6th Floor was one of the more aesthetically pleasing locations. A huge, wide field dotted with harmless wildlife and plants, in beaming sunshine and caressed by a soft breeze. The tourist-Climber industry wasn’t yet active, waiting for greater safety to be assured to their customers, but when it was there would be buildings erected in this place to sell food and offer guides to the wider Floor.

“Yeah, and once permanent portals start to pop up and people get infrastructure in place, it’ll be really busy. This Floor’s bigger than 5, the biggest so-far, so the area that’s safe here is pretty damn big.”

Floor 5 was roughly the size of a very large city, whilst Floor 6 was bigger than some Earth nations. The spawn was directly in the centre, and there was tameable wildlife that could be turned into mounts, which compensated somewhat but not entirely. Unlike 5, where there were many safe areas dotted around in Denizen Villages, the safe spaces outside of the spawn location were minimal and tiny and the Denizen population minimal.

“Yeah yeah, really cute. Boring! Come on, I want to be a Swarm Summoner!”

Daphne hadn’t stopped since he’d told her about the Elite Class Tutor on this Floor. Elite Classes were a tough issue for Will. He knew of plenty, including some very powerful ones, but a lot of them were on much later Floors. The downside of being in the initial wave of Climbers was that the temptation to take a weaker option for Bloodline or Elite Class just to make it higher was much stronger. He’d already had to make a call with Unk, advising him to take Bulwark instead of holding out for something stronger. Sure, the Unbreakable Tank would probably be more powerful, but if he had to fight up to Floor 14 without an Elite Class things would be a lot tougher.

“Remember, you have to be respectful. Mary never stopped complaining about being denied the Class after she told the Trainer to fuck off. She’ll try to needle you and make you fail the tests, and you need to rise above it.”

Mary was another member of his first-timeline party, along with John and Sam. He was getting more comfortable talking and thinking about his lost allies, now he had hope that the same would not occur. In fact, though it was April 2023 currently and John first entered the Tower in December 2024, with the increased timescale Will had caused he and the Companions might be coming sooner.

He still wasn’t sure what to do about that, so he dismissed the thought.

“I know! You’ve been very clear about it. I can play nice with the weird alien witch!”

Unk’s laughter broke Will’s own serious expression, and he joined the rest of the party in chuckling. There was nothing more he could do. He’d given them advice, information, helped them grow to the point that only Unk and Metrodora had yet to reach D Rank (and they were both teetering on the precipice), and they had at least a few days of free reign on the Floor before anyone else would be able to get a portal.

“We can still keep in contact via the Party Chat for a bit, but eventually we’ll be too far from each other. Be safe, everyone. If you’re in trouble, drop back to 5 and get Brunjar and Dane.”

Nods all around, a quick kiss shared with Metrodora, and Will turned from his party.

Once again, he was going solo. Ideally, he wanted to be a fully fledged C Rank War Enhancer before the Floor got busy. Since the party couldn’t join him in training for the Class, there was no point bringing them with him. The time he’d be spending unreachable by his Clan was irritating, but unavoidable, and as they kept pushing for Floor 10 there would be a lot more of it. Though, he’d at least have the other Chancers with him for those missions.