Chapter Two
It wasn’t a far journey back to the temporary HQ of Towerfall. Will had encouraged and supported efforts to lay out roads, mark turnings and directions on signs, and patrol areas to keep monster numbers manageable, and they were paying dividends.
He strode down the cobbled surface of the road, marvelling at how well the Tower was being tamed. Things were almost more organised, safer and better established than they’d been when he’d entered in the first timeline, but months earlier. If he’d thought that the changes and improvements in the Tower that came with the information packs he’d been posting online and sharing in-Tower during the lower Floors made a difference, the boom of the Tower going public had taken things to a whole other level.
He opened his Party menu quickly, smiling to note that the Chancers had all arrived and were waiting for him in the forward base the Clan had set up near the Exit Dungeon. Well, the Chancers minus Blanik. The teen hadn’t been back to the Tower since he left after Floor 3. He’d kept in contact, and recently he’d reported taking work with his country’s law enforcement, dealing with people who tried to use the benefits of the Tower to hurt others on Earth.
A noble goal, one he’d apparently taken to quite well, and something Will had overlooked in his planning. The knowledge that if they didn’t reach Floor 26 inside the next four and a bit years, Earth would be destroyed, made diverting attention and resources to it feel inefficient, but assuming he succeeded then the planet would continue on, and that meant keeping it stable. For Will’s part, despite focusing on the Tower itself, and being largely unwilling to spend time on Earth, it was good to see that even without his active participation society was still adjusting properly.
On my way, won’t be long. Will.
Speech go well? Unk.
Yeah, all good. Will.
Okay, the rest of us are here. Middle tent. Unk.
The others weren’t quite as upset to lose Blanik as Will was, since they’d not connected with him in the same way, but none of them were happy about it. He was just glad that Unk had come round, agreeing that he and Daphne had already come too far and made too many waves to try and leave now. The big American man was a brilliant tank, more talented than Will had ever been at the role, and he added a lot to the group’s morale when he was in a good mood.
“Ah, the mighty Pioneer returns!”
Daphne called across the camp as Will crossed its border, causing the dozen people busying themselves within its boundaries to turn and face him. Quashing any embarrassment, he just gave a smile and wave to the amassed Climbers, shouted some words of praise for their hard work, and hurried over to his party, quickly filtering into the tent they’d set up.
He greeted them warmly, feeling a sense of pride as he looked over the group he’d assembled. He’d been there for every step of Metrodora’s progression, and both Daphne and Okembe had checked in regularly, but seeing them and Unk stood in full gear ready to take on the world made it all the more real. At least two of the four faces he looked into would have been long dead by now if not for his intervention, and in his more introspective moments he reflected that with Daphne and Unk’s potential the fact he wasn’t aware of them from the first timeline likely indicated a similar fate.
“So, are you finally going to tell us where the Exit Dungeon is?”
Daphne’s voice jittered with excitement, and he saw her knuckles whiten as she tightened her grip on the Summoner’s Staff [E] she’d picked up recently. Despite being more calm about it, Unk and Okembe were both obviously excited as well and he suppressed a chuckle at the sight. Beside him, Metrodora leant against him lightly and turned her head up to flash him a dazzling smile. Grinning back, he turned to the rest of his party and clapped his hands together.
“Okay! I’ve done my best to keep up and help with all of your builds, but I don’t know how much you’ve shared or fought with each other recently. On my end, I’ve got a few new buffs and I can start throwing them around more freely now, but otherwise it’s much the same.”
Metrodora spoke up at that, pushing him playfully as she did.
“He’s downplaying it. Only reason he didn’t hit D Rank before that Arakan guy was ‘cause he was busy convincing the Russians that they would be better off forming a Clan for themselves than trying to fight us!”
That drew a raised eyebrow from Okembe, but the others didn’t seem too surprised or fazed. He gave a begrudging nod and expanded on her words before the African man gave into temptation and tried to penetrate his mind. Not that he’d actually do that, especially since it wouldn’t work, thanks to Will’s having acquired the entire party (plus Brunjar and Dane) their own Mental Aegis Amulet [D] in case of unfriendly Psions inspired by Okembe’s talent in the Class. Still, the Amulets weren’t a perfect defence, so they’d need to be upgraded once better options were available. That, and Okembe had been away during the period when Will’s levelling ground to a halt for the sake of politicking, so he deserved an explanation.
“Mostly Brunjar’s handled the various corporate and government interests trying to move into the Tower, and he’s done a good job by all accounts. Aside from the FCA, and debatably the EJA, the big Clans may have state or corporate funding but they have Climber leadership.”
Everyone nodded at that. Even Unk, who he’d barely seen since clearing Floor 3, was plugged in enough to be familiar with the other big Clans. Millions of people were in the Tower now, and though most were still either casual or remaining unaffiliated, the numbers of even the smaller Clans were getting to be very substantial. For now, the benefits of a Clan were informal, based entirely on what the leadership offered, but once the Ascended Clan Tokens came into the mix that would change.
“I’ve had to meet with a few representatives from groups that are trying to feel me out, make sure I’m not building an army to take back to Earth. I’m not sure how convinced they all are, but most have been polite. The Russians...weren’t.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“By that, he means that he kicked their asses up and down the Floor and then told them that if they wanted to benefit from the Climb like everyone else, they’d better go back to Floor 1 and try to Climb on their own merits.”
That lead Unk and Daphne to fall about laughing, and even Will had to crack a smirk. He hadn’t wanted to conflict with any groups if he could avoid it, besides the FCA, but it was imperative that people understood Towerfall would not crumble to pressure. The reputation and power base he’d built in the early stages were a start, but he couldn’t let weakness show or the vultures would pounce. Honestly, they were a handful of thugs with mediocre Stats and one haughty but ultimately cowardly administrator. It had been more insulting than threatening that they’d attacked.
“Enough wasting time. I’ve set us a deadline for Clearing the Floor, and unless you want the EJA or the Bold Explorers to beat us to it, we need to get serious.”
That had the desired effect, as the group returned to quiet for a moment before Okembe spoke.
“I reached D Rank yesterday, and can now attack using my Telepathy [D] Skill, as well as hold a greater number of Items aloft with Telekinesis [E].”
Will had known this, of course, but it was news to everyone else. Now it was Okembe’s turn to be bashful, as Unk’s huge gauntleted hand clapped onto his shoulder and the man boomed out a congratulations. Daphne looked slightly jealous, but he knew that she was close as well. Metrodora too, and he figured they could catch Unk up without too much trouble. That, more than anything, was what set his Clan apart from the others. With the exception of the Bold Explorers, the other Clans may have a comparatively powerful Head but their shoulders, so to speak, were far weaker.
Following Okembe’s lead, the others ran through the key upgrades they’d made, and the group discussed how they changed the strategy available. Before Will knew it, they’d been talking for two hours and had progressed to a detailed breakdown of each room in the Exit Dungeon. That had always been his plan, but the fact he’d lost track of time was somewhat worrying. They hadn’t even left HH territory yet, and he was already falling into the wrong mindset. Sure, he was relishing the freedom of being able to just Climb again, but he needed to keep focused.
“So, elephant in the room. No Blanik means no sneaky rogue, and our ranged physical damage is gone.”
It fell to Daphne to raise the uncomfortable issue, and Will found himself silently thanking the young woman for her boldness.
“The Exit Dungeon has few to no traps or stealth-based challenges, and I’m more than capable of handling them. With Okembe’s improved control of Telekinesis, I think he’s got us covered at range. Once we’ve moved further up the Tower and gotten stabilised, I’m planning on heading back to Earth to visit Blanik in person. If he’s dead set on staying out, we’ll discuss filling the hole then.”
The others quickly agreed. Daphne, who’d been the one to stay in closest communication with Blanik, gave an enthusiastic nod at mention of visiting him.
“Have you even left the Tower since we Cleared Floor 3?”
Will shook his head.
“Briefly, but not for any significant amount of time. Brunjar found me a few Climbers with political experience and they’ve handled most of the out-of-Tower negotiations. I’ve tried to emphasise that we’re not fussed about Earth as long as Climbers aren’t prevented from entering the Tower and keeping what they earn.”
Earth had figured out a mostly acceptable policy towards the Tower in the first timeline, thanks to so many of the initial exploration teams sent by Governments becoming true Climbers in the experience. This time, it was even more acceptable and had reached the point even quicker. Since Will was planning on Clearing the 25th Floor before the 5 Year Disaster destroyed the planet, he was glad his interventions hadn’t made the planet worse – it would actually matter, this time.
“Um, boss?”
Will turned at the voice. He didn’t recognise the face of the young man who stood awkwardly at the entrance to their tent, and the fact he’d referred to Will by something other than his name or Pioneer indicated that he must be new.
“You don’t need to call me boss, you know. Pioneer is fine. What’s up?”
The young man nodded quickly, apologising and handing over a sheaf of papers from the pouch at his waist.
“Um, okay, if that’s what you want! Here’s the latest report from the sentries!”
Will grinned as he took the papers back, trying to put the obviously nervous newbie to ease.
“Thanks mate. I haven’t seen you around before, are you new?”
“Yes, um, Pioneer. I joined a few weeks ago, but I only transferred to this Floor recently.”
Although he was strongly advising everyone to find a Party and Climb their way to at least Floor 3 before taking advantage of the transport links the Clans were building, he’d also told Brunjar and the other sub-leaders to be on watch for useful or talented recruits to fast-track. While it might not be as good for the average Climber, who needed all the practice they could get, for someone with real talent and a supportive Clan starting at a higher Floor could give you a head-start.
“Ah, you must have been fast-tracked. What’s your name, and your Class?”
The young man seemed to puff up at the recognition of his status, and it was a more confident tone that he used in his reply.
“Jake, and I’m a Ranger, sir. I tried to Climb alone before you started Towerfall, and I found a Skill Guide for Eagle Eye [E] on the 2nd Floor, but I couldn’t figure out the Key Pieces on Floor 3 and so I kind of gave up. I kept up on the news from the Tower though, and I saw your writing on Spiresidechats. When the public announcement of the Tower hit, and news about Towerfall started to filter out, I decided to join up.”
That fitted with what Will had assumed. Jake was wearing light armour, hooded, with a quiver at his belt and a shortbow slung across his chest. Despite his nervousness, his level of fitness and the fact that he’d been tapped to join the group protecting the Exit Dungeon indicated something special. Eagle Eye answered the question perfectly – it was the highest value Skill that Will knew about for archers and ranged Classes, and he didn’t know that it was possible to obtain it this early or at E Rank.
“I assume whoever recruited you asked where you found the Skill?”
Another nod, and Jake quickly spoke up.
“Yeah, when I went to the Resource Station on the 1st and asked to join I gave a full account. Would you like to hear it?”
If the Clan was aware, then Brunjar’s guys would have already started spreading the information among those with useful Classes, and there would already be a team trying to standardise and systematise the process.
“I don’t need the detail, but was it a Hidden Event or something else?”
That caused the first shake of the head from Jake.
“Yeah, Hidden Event. Archer’s Talent Exam. I didn’t even know Hidden Events existed, at the time. Just saw a weird tree with one single apple dangling and decided to shoot it with my bow for practice.”
Daphne chuckled, behind him, and he could feel the amusement from the rest of the party. Even before Will had linked up with them all, they had more than enough experience to have been suspicious of such a situation. Still, given that it started a Hidden Event and not a Hidden Boss, Jake had lucked out.
“Ah, interesting. Well, great work. You’re receiving payment for the info?”
Jake nodded again, more emphatically this time.
“Oh yes, that’s how I was able to afford my new bow!”
Will didn’t recognise the bow, but there were so many low-level Items that it wasn’t a surprise. If the young archer was happy with it, Will was glad. It showed his system was working, and so he thanked Jake again and sent him on his way. He turned back to his party, quickly scanning the notes to see if the sentries had noticed anything important and discarding them when he found they hadn’t.
“You didn’t correct him when he called you sir.”
Despite himself, Will felt a hint of a blush creeping up his neck. Metrodora’s words were jokey, but he realised she was right. He knew he was taking a leadership position, and if it meant people listened to him he could deal with the formality, but it still didn’t feel right to be called boss or sir by strangers. At least Jake had been young-looking, likely below Will’s own age. When someone like Brunjar or Dane, each of whom had over a decade extra experience in life, referred to him with such terms it was much more awkward.
“Well, I’m just that important, you see. If the rest of you had agreed to take leadership roles, you could have minions too!”
That took the wind out of Metrodora’s sails, as he turned her attempt at mockery around, and quickly the party descended into joking and banter. Okembe smiled and shook his head as Daphne and Unk found something to argue about, and it was another twenty minutes before the group had calmed enough for Will to run them through final prep and lead them towards the Exit Dungeon.