Chapter Six
Will spent another week on the Floor ensuring his Clan got set up and could handle things without him and the Chancers for a while. Part of this was choice, as he wanted to be there to reinforce them against any threats and to provide guidance to Brunjar and the other leaders as they began the process of civilising and building. The other part was necessity. The conceit to this Floor, as hinted when they opened it, was needing to convince the Denizens to help you, and that meant doing things for them in return.
“A little more...a little more...perfect!”
At his words, the small crew he was directing let go of their ropes and allowed themselves to breathe and recover. The statue they’d raised stood taller than anything else in Dunebed Village, though considering the settlement had no buildings above two stories that wasn’t exactly tough. Depicting Irikaz himself, stood in what he had assured Will was a classic heroic pose in his culture, it was crafted of the same sandy stone that the Denizens of the Eastern Desert relied on. Called Dunestone, it was mined just outside of Dunebed Village and traded with other desert villages due to its’ heat-insulating properties and resistance to wind erosion.
“Wonderful! Thank you so much, Pioneer! You did not lie when you said that your organisation were effective!”
The man (alien?) in question stood at his side watching the progress. As Denizen Quests went, having to erect a statue that the Dunebed artisans had already sculpted wasn’t the worst. He’d borrowed a few of Dane’s men with the highest Strength Stats (some even higher than his own, thanks to the still quite balanced Stat gains Will had made) for the task, and now they were done he transferred each of them their payment in Tower Coins.
“It was nothing, Irikaz. Has the team sent to retrieve your heirloom returned yet?”
He’d sent Metrodora and Okembe at the head of a party to accomplish another of the Denizens’ Quests, after scouting the targeted Dungeon and ensuring it wasn’t above their pay-grade. The reason he’d sent those two was due to the loot available – all Caster related – and the desire to get his Clan used to following orders from the Chancers. They had the respect of the Clan, of course, but it was still just the proxy respect of being close with Will himself. He wasn’t going to be around to micromanage, and he hadn’t just chosen his Party for their Climbing ability, so he felt like it was important to give the Clan members a better grasp of why he’d picked these four out of a population of many thousands.
“Not quite yet, though if they Clear the Dungeon with the same efficiency that the rest of your people have accomplished the tasks we set for them, it will not be long. Your second in command has returned from Softsand Village, however.”
Brilliant. He was working Brunjar to the bone, sending the man and his teams all over the Eastern Desert and beyond to try and make contact with the other Denizen groups. Though they didn’t actually need to complete Quests for any other groups to access the next Floor, that was far from the only benefit offered by the natives.
He followed Irikaz back to the town hall, nodding to the members of Towerfall that were milling about in the village doing whatever tasks they’d been assigned by the Clan and the Denizens. So far, they’d only had a few more teams manage to Clear the Floor 4 Exit Dungeon, since Will had instructed them to be fair with the slots available. The Bold Explorers’ leadership had arrived on the Floor four days ago, in the far-away Northern Mountains, and had sent word through a network of their scouts. From Brunjar’s reports, it seemed that about two hundred parties had successfully beaten the Exit Dungeon over the past week, each gaining between three and twenty of the Floor Transfer Sigils per person based on performance and Clan size. Mercifully, as the Sigils were linked with the location of the original spawn, they hadn’t had any other groups arrive too nearby. The closest was around half a day’s travel, assuming they didn’t use any mounts.
“The mayor of Softsand informed me that the village has already made a deal with another group, so they aren’t looking for our assistance with their Quests.”
Mildly disappointing news, since the village was by far the closest to their current location, which would make it perfect to expand the Towerfall presence on the Floor.
“Clan affiliated or independent?”
Brunjar leant back in his chair and waved his hands.
“Clan affiliated. Full Clear Association.”
That was more than mildly disappointing, and Will sat forwards in irritation.
“How the fuck did they get a Clear team through the Dungeon? I thought we were keeping them away for a few weeks!”
Without jeopardising the peace between Clans and Towerfall’s reputation, they couldn’t outright fight the FCA teams to keep them out, but between Towerfall and the other two Clans that had taken up the role of administering the Dungeon, they should have been able to shuffle their teams back in the order.
“I’m not sure. I’ve already sent Carter and Johnson to meet with the guys I left in charge of the Dungeon.”
Of course he had. Brunjar was no idiot, and nor were the people he’d chosen for important roles. Whatever the FCA had done, he’d figure it out and do whatever was possible to deal with it. Still, as Will seethed over the continued success of his enemies, he did reflect on one silver lining.
The FCA team(s) were clearly not engaging in conflict with the Denizens, which was an improvement on the first timeline. His blood still threatened to boil when he thought of how many innocent Tower-natives the FCA’s “Civilisation Authority” had conquered and killed, all for the futile hope that they could be forced into providing a way to the next Floor. It had been pointless bloodshed, only hamstrung the Clan and humanity.
“Okay, well keep an eye on that. If you see Luke or Jeremy, double the watch. Did you warn the Mayor about them?”
Brunjar nodded, and took a sheaf of paper from his Spatial Bag. He passed it over, and Will skimmed the contents quickly. Just a run-down of what Brunjar’s team had discovered in the other village, and the members he’d left behind to keep an eye on the FCA.
“Good. Wait, what’s this Class? Infiltrator? I’ve never heard of this one before.”
Will’s knowledge of the Tower was vast, compared with any other Climbers, but it wasn’t perfect. As the lower Floors filled with new Climbers who were being inspired and supported to explore, the chance of people discovering things he had no insight into was ever growing.
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“It was in last week’s report. One of the Spire Conquerors found a chest of Class Guides for it on Floor 3. Wouldn’t share where or how, but he put a few on sale and I had Dom grab them. It’s a Rogue-offshoot, obviously, focused on disguise and spying.”
Ah, made sense. Useful, too. Idly, he wondered who from the Spire Conquerors was responsible. Most of the group, including their leadership, was a mystery to Will. He knew some of their names, but none rang a bell from the first timeline.
There was little more they could do without waging open war on the FCA, and that was something Will really wanted to avoid. Any kind of large scale conflict between Clans would be bad for Humanity, and he was trying to keep a reputation as helpful and honourable untarnished. He’d have to trust that they could handle the group.
Other than that wrinkle, the other reports Brunjar provided indicated a good start. They had scouting teams heading across the Tower, some equipped with Spells or Items that allowed long-range communication on the same Floor, and the most promising Climbers from the Clan were being funnelled through the Dungeon to join them. All of the top 10 Clans currently had at least one confirmed party on the Floor, but none were as far through their Denizen quests as Will.
After another hour or so of discussion, during which Metrodora and Okembe’s team returned with some loot and another Denizen Quest completed, he moved on to the final topic he wanted to cover.
“And what about the affiliated? Marco and the others?”
The affiliated had been Brunjar’s idea. Will had given the man a list of names of important or useful people from the first timeline, and asked him to recruit as many as possible. Those who’d agreed, like Jen, were to be given every assistance in reaching the heights Will knew they could. Those who hadn’t, he’d originally planned to leave be until his Overseer had suggested offering them a different deal.
“Marco’s on Floor 2 at the moment, according to his last check-in. We bought a full Clear Guide for that hidden Dungeon you mentioned off him, and it’s comprehensive. He also included a list of other secrets in the region, though he asked for a bigger fee. Garrick has signed up with Suqot and the IAG, like you expected. The others are all still trying to see how much we’ll offer to get them in the Clan formally. We paid Marco, by the way. I assumed you valued the information more than the Coins.”
A good assumption. The process of building an exchange economy between Tower and Earth wealth was underway, and until it was completed the value of a Tower Coin was artificially low. Beyond that, even when it was complete and a Tower Coin could be exchanged for cash, the only benefit it would offer is to recruitment. A lot easier to convince someone to join your Clan and work a semi-menial job as a guard or builder when you could offer what amounted to a six-figure salary rather than a magical currency not directly usable on Earth.
The offer of payment on Earth, and of insurance if you died, was the biggest reason the FCA was still growing despite Will’s efforts. Whatever his flaws, Jeremy Shiner was not an idiot or risk-averse. He was draining the coffers of himself and his companies to bribe casual Climbers by the thousands.
The conversation with Brunjar ran its’ course, and Will headed off to meet with the other Chancers. He wanted to get at least Metrodora and Daphne to D Rank before went for his Elite Class, and if possible he was hoping to set Unk up for the same.
“The Sandwyrm’s Bloodline has strong regenerative abilities, but I’m not sure if they’re strong enough to restore a lost limb after this much time has passed.”
“Well, it’s worth a try. The Vine Graft helps, but I miss having two hands.”
Everyone nodded at that. The fact Metrodora had retained so much positivity and capability, despite being disabled in traumatic circumstances, impressed everyone who knew – in the Clan and out of it.
“We should be able to secure more than one vial so we have a tester. Irikaz has agreed to provide us five, and us five only, access to their Exit Portal if we slay the thing. The rest of the Clan will need to keep doing the lower-level Quests to get the Portal open permanently, but we can get ahead with this.”
“I’m right on the cusp of D Rank, but my Stats won’t increase. I wish I had one of those Soul Anchor thingies you use, Will.”
He wished that too. He wished he could give all of his Casters a Soul Anchor each, just like he was encouraging all physical Classes to take Conditioning [F] if available. Upping Stats was the first step to climbing the ranks, and though some Dungeons and Events gave points they weren’t as common as one might expect.
“Domovoi has standing orders to buy any Soul Anchors that the Fences put up on the market, and I’ve made sure all of our Clearing teams know they’re in for a big reward if they find one. For now, we need to focus on improving your Spells.”
Daphne nodded at that. Jen’s research team were working on trying to nail down the exact mechanism of Spell improvement since Will’s memories were limited, as he was never a Caster before. Once they had it figured out, they would move onto designing a meditation and visualisation, along with practice methods, for every Spell they could find.
“What about-ngh-Floor 6? What are we supposed to-ngh-do while you’re off getting your Elite Class?”
The question came from Unk. The man himself was sprawled out on one of Irikaz’ couches, armour removed and set aside, lifting weights with the speed and fury of a man possessed.
“Well, I sat down with Brunjar and the others and we’ve drawn up a list of things you guys should be able to handle on your own. With any luck, I’ll be back before anyone else manages to finish all their Quests, so you’ll have free reign. Before that, though, we’ve got to go and kill the Sandwyrm. With any luck, it’ll make the difference for Met and Daph.”
More discussion followed, along with actual strategising for the Hidden Boss. Its’ main threat was its’ size and durability, but ultimately Will had no fear of the monster. His buffs and swords would make openings in the tough armour, and with Irikaz’ help Metrodora had brewed a cauldron of acidic poison that – when Okembe telekinetically lobbed it into the monster’s gaping maw – would make short work of it.
Another few hours passed, with the team getting themselves prepared while Will handled more Clan Leader stuff in the village, and then it was time to head out. They’d waited till the night for this, since Irikaz had warned them that the Sandwyrm was stronger in the day. Thanks to their Stats, they could all ignore tiredness and work through the night without much trouble.
“Okay, Daph, Met, we’re going to rely on you most of all. Okembe and I will keep you safe and distract the thing, but remember that you’re on damage. Unk, I’m going to put damage buffs on you so you can get more contribution. With any luck, that’ll increase the gains you make as well.”
Tanks always had a hard time keeping up with their party, since the Tower valued damage over defence for contribution percentage, and since they leant so heavily on a single Stat. It was possible to rank up without getting all your Stats up equally, and especially at the higher ranks most people would have priority Stats and weaker ones, but especially for the F-D spectrum you would have a much harder time growing if you didn’t balance things out. That, along with Unk having taken the most time off from Climbing, meant that they were in a dangerous spot if he didn’t catch up.
The fight went just as planned, thankfully. Daphne overcharged all of her Spells and threw them like confetti, while Metrodora lobbed vial after vial of acid, and Unk waded in with his mace to splinter the armour plates and create crevices for the acid to seep into. Will and Okembe hung back, mainly, just keeping the trio from being gobbled up or crushed. Telepathy meant that whenever it burrowed, they knew when and where it would resurface, and that meant that the main gimmick of the Boss was neutralised. Overall, the travel to and from the Hidden Boss location took longer than the fight itself.