Chapter Twenty-Seven

Zone 4 was by far the least explored of all the locations on this Floor, both in the first timeline and this one. The thick, heavy air and disgusting scent that lingered on you for a day after leaving contributed to that, as did the fact that essentially every monster in the swamp environment was an ambush predator, and several enjoyed dragging Climbers into the muck to drown.

“Yeah the Wayfarer’s Guild had a whole team that just farmed the Key Piece from here, and they never shared the trigger.”

Now he’d let the party in on the truth, as long as they felt they were sufficiently secluded Will was being more forthcoming with details that he’d previously have kept to himself.

“So you had to pay them to get to Floor 4?”

He nodded to Blanik as the teen deftly flipped over a Creeping Vine that attempted to snatch his ankle.

“Yeah, but the WG were actually good businessmen. They were backed by a bunch of companies from Earth, not sure which ones exactly, but they just did one thing and they did it well. They hired Climbers to repeatedly Clear low Floors and price the travel reasonably. If it wasn’t for them, I would probably have died or quit before I got a Subclass.”

“It still feels exploitative, if they did not allow others to Clear the Floors themselves.”

Okembe replied, telekinetically raising a series of stones to allow Daphne and Metrodora to cross a patch of quicksand.

“It depended on the Floor, to be fair to them. Floor 1, where there were over a hundred Portals in total, they controlled about 30 and the rest were divided among other Clans or just left for people to take on themselves. Either way, I’m hoping to prevail on whoever ends up taking that role this time round to ensure more equitable access. The WG were good, but there were other Clans that monopolised resources we could really have used more of.”

They continued discussing travel between the Floors, and Will recounted more stories and statistics from the first timeline as they continued to make slow progress through the endless mire. A bunch of Draining Mosquitoes almost toppled Metrodora into a particularly thick section of mud, but the combined quick reflexes of Will and Blanik saved her and Okembe drove the bugs off with a net that he fired with Telekinesis. The Psion Subclass may not have had many Spells, but it gave so much versatility and as they continued to buy new Items for Okembe to use he became a Swiss army knife, able to swap between attack, defence and offence with ease.

“According to the best map we’ve been able to cobble together, we’re about an hour from the first area that we can rest in. Given how the other Hidden Bosses work, we’ll probably have to go a good bit deeper to find this one. I may not know exactly how to trigger it, but I do know what we’ll be facing, and that gives us the edge. It’s the toughest of the 4, but we’re stronger than we’ve ever been.”

“Fuck! Agh! Shit these fucking-agh!”

Unk’s heavy armour was really causing an issue in the thick muck of the swamp, slowing them down even further and allowing the lashing vines and plants of the bog to land glancing strikes against him. They didn’t deal much damage, but they hurt and his shouting drew more of the ambushing creatures. Okembe and Will were the closest, so helped pull him free, Will using Shout to slice a few vines to pieces and let the big man out.

“Careful, Unk. We don’t know this Zone like the others, so you need to stick close. If one of us gets pulled into a Hidden Event or something, the others need to be able to help or at least be aware of it.”

Daphne jumped to her uncle’s defence, the everpresent firebird sat on her hooded scalp giving a little chirp of flame as she shouted.

“Hey, we know! You’re the genius who knows everything, so maybe you should be dealing with it!”

“Don’t step there!”

Blanik’s words caused Will’s retort to die on his lips, and he looked down at where he was about to step. There, barely visible below a nest of leaves and mud was something metallic and shining.

“Thanks for the warning. Come over here and take a look at this, use your Skill.”

The Acrobat nodded and crossed the distance in two graceful steps, crouching low and staring at the shining object. He brushed the leaves away, hand blurring with speed and making a soft whooshing noise as it moved them without disturbing the silver disc beneath.

“It’s like a metal plate? I think there’s something inscribed on it.”

Will’s heart fell through the Floor, and he began frantically spinning his head, looking around the dense swampland and trying to pierce the ever-present mist.

[That’s a magical trap, the inscription is the runes that power it. There’s no record of these being present in this Zone. Will]

Okembe was the first to realise the implications, calling his spears to hover around his body and placing a hand to his head to scan with Telepathy.

Metrodora followed, hunching down to present a smaller target and gesturing for Daphne and Unk to do the same. Blanik looked up at Will and then opened his mouth, nodding and drawing his knives.

[Hidden Event or other Climbers? Met]

[Other Climbers. 8, surrounding us. Okembe]

[Blanik, can you pick up that disc without jostling it? Will]

The teen gave a nervous shrug, but then fixed an expression of intensity on his features, the seriousness looking strange against the backdrop of pimples and a wispy moustache. He leant down, gingerly raising the disc as if he were a waiter carrying a tray of glasses. He held it in front of Will’s face, and he looked over the runes. They weren’t his speciality, but he knew the rune for “big explosion”.

[It’ll explode if it wobbles at all. Can you throw it flat? Will]

[I don’t think so, I’m sorry. Blanik]

[I’ll take it, they’re about to attack. Okembe]

The Kenyan didn’t even wait for a reply before he telekinetically clamped down on the disc, allowing all of his spears to fall as he concentrated entirely on whipping the disc across the swamp, sailing between two trees and detonating several feet away past where visibility dropped off. Screams sounded from the impact site, and the light from the detonation allowed Will to make out two silhouettes being flung apart within the mist. Arrows came flying at the Chancers from up ahead, and a masked figure wielding twin daggers came skimming across the muck puddles towards Will with blades glowing green.

[Unk! Link Daph and Met, try to stay still and don’t let them push you into the muck. Your Skills are more useful if you’re stable! Will]

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

That was all he had time to get out before the Assassin, because the feeling Will got as he stared into the man’s red irises was definitely Mark Target [C], had reached him and started swinging his blades. Will got Whisper and Shout up to block, being forced back and having to keep moving to avoid his feet sinking into the soft ground.

He activated Alacrity, forced to strain to keep the daggers from reaching his throat or his chest. Whoever this guy was, he was fast. He might have higher Agility than Blanik, let alone Will. He threw a headbutt that forced the Assassin onto the backfoot, and he spared a glance to his side to check on the others. Okembe’s shield was dancing in the air blocking a hail of incoming arrows, and Metrodora was lobbing flaming bottles in the direction they were being fired from, but the attacker was invisible. Daphne had made her way over to Unk, who was shielding her from a sword-wielding figure as her firebird and electric hair made running strikes against a man in mage robes that was channelling some sort of Spell Will didn’t recognise.

The Assassin with the daggers was pressuring him again, and he resorted to using Powerful Shout, which sent the man reeling with blood spraying from his chest. He turned and saw the mage release his spell, a piercing bar of flaming light that was headed straight for Metrodora. He dived, trying to get his swords in front of it, and he saw Blanik off to the side lob two knives at the mage to force his aim off, but the Spell made it through and seared into Metrodora’s chest.

“Shit! That fucking hurt! Bulwark’s Might!”

Will realised what had happened and pivoted, casting Endure and Verten’s Vitality on Unk immediately. Metrodora stumbled, but managed to right herself and swiped her dagger at an attacker who got too close. She pulled a vial from her bandolier and lobbed it directly in the masked man’s face, and he was sufficiently surprised that when the acid broke and began melting his skin, he dropped his spear and fell backwards, sinking quickly into the mud. That was two of his gifts paying off at once, and he favoured the next attacker to step up at him with a smirk.

“Who put you up to this?”

He asked, casting Vigorous Sharpen and then firing off Piercing Whisper, thankful that he’d managed to push the Sword to E Rank along with its’ pair, and the Assassin dodged to the right just a hair too late, causing the spike of energy to gouge a two inch wide circular hole in his shoulder. He grabbed something from his belt and slapped it over the wound, and Will watched the injury knit itself closed as the Assassin came back on the attack with a vicious laugh.

Their blades met, and he felt waves of poisonous energy from the man, realising that he was the same one Will had struck with Powerful Shout. By the way his daggers emanated toxicity and promised pain, he likely had some kind of Elite Class. Will felt panic creeping up on him as he kept up the pace, landing more glancing blows that the Assassin seemed to shrug off. Okembe yelled in pain and stumbled, an arrow in his leg allowing a creeping vine to lash itself around his neck, and Daphne’s firebird bombed the vine to make it release. The hidden archer was still a real threat, and Blanik called his intentions before bounding into the mist to search for them.

[Blanik, come back! Will]

He didn’t get a reply, but the arrows that were pinning the rest of the party down seemed to slow slightly. Of the 8 attackers, Will could see two corpses, plus the guy who went under. Daphne and Unk were duelling with a swordsman and the mage, and Metrodora was leant up against a rotted tree, her dagger lost and her hair wild as she clawed at a large figure that was throttling her.

He pushed Mana into Alacrity and powered towards them, feeling the Assassin’s blade draw a deep wound along his back as he dived. He lead with Whisper, sinking it between the ribs of the large man and then swinging Shout at his throat. His mask came loose, revealing a white face but nondescript features, and Metrodora landed a beautiful jab to his nose, causing it to burst into a red fountain. Will pushed forwards as he cut, and sent the man tumbling into the mud almost in two pieces.

“Yes!”

Daphne’s scream blended with the pained yells of the mage as Unk stepped forwards and bashed his shield into the swordsman’s face, ignoring the fact he had sunk up to his knees in the deep sticky mud.

He turned and managed to dodge as the Assassin came in with a devastating thrust, and as he cast Endure on himself, letting it lapse on Unk and ignoring the strain of maintaining so many Spells at once, he felt whatever poisonous energy the man was using leeching the strength from his muscles.

Will was still stood just a few feet from Metrodora, his back to her as he clashed again and again with the Assassin, preventing him from making it past to the more vulnerable target. Of course, the masked figure, cackling wildly as his blades blurred and deflected off of Will’s own, didn’t really seem to care for the Alchemist, focusing entirely on ending Will himself. He felt a stabbing sensation in his back, but couldn’t spare the time to turn as he almost let the Assassin’s daggers find his heart.

[Antidote and stimulant, make it count! Met]

The stabbing sensation was a needle, one of their new additions for this mission, a way to administer potions without needing to pour and massage them down people’s throats. He felt the effects kick in, withdrawing his Mana from everything except Vigorous Sharpen and Alacrity and dumping everything he had into a final flurry of strikes.

The Assassin’s speed was still difficult to contend with, but as Will sank into the depths of a battle fugue, a state of pure violence he’d only heard other Climbers mention in hushed tones, it was like his Stats had doubled. He battered aside the first dagger with Whisper, cutting the Assassin’s ear off on the way past as Shout knocked his other weapon aside and cleaved deep into the man’s collarbone. He flared Vigorous Sharpen at the same time, forcing the scimitar to drive deeper until he’d removed the entire arm, and then kicked out with his foot and sent the man sprawling. Only the swordsman was left in the area, and there were no more arrows coming from the mist, though Blanik still wasn’t anywhere Will could see. He leapt forwards, landing on the back of the Assassin and driving his face deep into the mud, and then sprinted in the direction that the teen had gone.

[Last one’s clear here. Wait, where Will and Blanik? Unk]