The portal dimmed until it varnished behind them. The sky was darkening. A splash of dark orange faded in the horizon, beyond the sharp peak of the twin mountains in the distance. Trees stretched to the sky behind them, and in front was a flatland of low grasses. The wind here was cold, almost chilly. David trembled, less from the cold and more from the exhaustion that wrecked him. He could feel the weight of Ignis’ silence, the storm of his own disbelief. He had assumed he had a good hold on the dragon and yet he had been pulled into the darkness like a weak, frail child.

“David,” Chloe whispered, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt. David staggered slightly and felt hands on his back. Hanna stepped forward, her whip loose beside her. David hadn’t noticed the men in front of them. Four of them shrouded in dark cloaks, half concealed by the shadow cast by the setting sun. David stood straight. He didn’t want to show any kind of weakness and he wasn’t sure what was about to happen.

“I am guessing you guys are the welcoming committee?” Hanna asked. David looked past them, scanning to see if there were more. There wasn’t. The men spread, making an odd crescent, unsheathing swords and daggers. David was confused.

“What do you want?” He asked. They were silent, watching as if waiting. David waited, tightening the grip on his sword. He would like to avoid fighting as much as possible. He didn’t even know where they were yet. He had dismissed the usual notification immediately after Chloe called his name. Hanna hissed, annoyed. She moved her wrist, snapping her whip in the air like a manic serpent. The men took a worried step back. Then David saw them, dark forms forming a few meters from them. The numbers grew until he was sure they were outnumbered one to three. Hanna swore but didn’t back down. This woman is crazy, David thought. They’d just washed out of a fight with Balran and his stone sniffers, they couldn’t do much against these people.

“What do you want?” David growled. His head ached slightly, throbbing steadily. He closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to dispel the silver spots dancing around his vision.

Then someone walked purposefully forward, a fire lamp held high enough to see the hood. It wasn’t night yet, but it was surprisingly hard to see. David squinted, seeing the figure walk closer until he could tell it was a man. The movement was stiff and masculine.

He pushed his hood down when he was close enough. His cloak fluttered slightly, rustling against the grass around them. Then he snapped a finger and the others behind him disappeared one after the other, except the first four. The man’s face was wry, pulled tight over well-carved cheekbones. At least from what David could see. There were scars on his face, many of them. Yet, they seemed to put a character to his face, a beauty that was rough and unordinary.

“To Gaora, ya?” He said, his voice was jagged, like a blunt saw’s teeth grinding into hardwood. David frowned. He heard Ignis’ low growl in his head, wincing as the sound worsened his ache. “You pay your way, friends.”

“What?” Hanna asked, frowning.

“You pay your way,” the man said again. “This path leads to the damn walls of Gaora, just on the other side of those mountains. Within it are the howls of beasts. Fiends, as dark as the unwashed arses of Fjarndians. We’ll—”

“And if we refuse?” Hanna asked, taking a threatening step forward. The man took a glance at her and turned to David. He waited a moment, realized they were not going to pay and nodded.

“By dawn, I will say prayers over your death,” He said and turned sharply, walking away. The first four men followed him, turning back to give brief glares before sauntering away.

Welcome to the Third Floor–The Gaora

Gaora is a coastal city filled with merchant nobles, high lords, priests, cut-throats and thieves. It flourished once, but now it suffers– plagued with the disease called the Long Slumber. The sickness was summoned by followers of Balek the Devourer. Find this cult and destroy their god.

Floor Task: Remove the cult of Balek and destroy his mantle.

“Great,” David said. “Now we have to fight a god.”

“How hard can it be?” Hanna asked, grinning. David scoffed, shaking his head. He wasn’t sure what to make of the woman, but he was sure of one thing—they wouldn't last long if they stuck to her. He decided they’d split when they reached Goara. He took the first step forward, moving straight for the mountains. If what the scarred man had said was true, then they were in for another scrap very soon. He looked up the mountains, now shadows in the distance.

“We will have to borrow a torch from them,” Elisha said. Chloe held David’s right hand, her body pressed slightly to his side as they walked. Zoey’s Vjognir chittered, floating like a ball of cotton drifting in the wind. For all its uselessness, David had to concede that it was beautiful. It had taken a liking to Chloe too. It circled her, tickled her cheeks and then went back to settle on Zoey’s head.

At the base of the mountain to the left, tents stretched far. Fire crackled and the smell of roasting meat made David’s mouth water. Most of the men looked young. Their faces were scarred, but none had as many marks as the first man. They watched the group with something akin to disdain, making it clear they were not welcome. Steel gleamed, ringing as they were pulled out of sheaths when David tried to get close.

“Come, we will have to use the Vjognir,” Zoey said, pulling at David’s sleeve.

“What?”

Zoey pointed to the flying beast. Its fur had stretched, like tiny needles. They shone, giving off a dull light. It rose high, giving them just enough light to see a small distance in front of them. It was amazing, but David doubted they could see much with that and if they were going to be fighting monsters, that would not help.

“You could do some kind of fire magic,” Chloe said, looking up at him, her eyes large. David winced, giving the fire spits one last glance before joining the others as they walked into the mountain pass. It was wide enough for them to walk abreast, but it was rough and uneven. They walked slowly, silent and unsure until Hanna laughed.

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“Strange how we assumed a sense of danger just because the thief said there would be monsters.”

“What if there are monsters here?” Elisha whispered. Hanna snorted. Above them, the Vjogmir floated as it hung by a rope. Its sounds were muted now. David jumped at the echo of stone rolling down. He cursed.

“You are weird, you know that?” Hanna asked. She was looking at him with a frown. When she looked away, David realized Zoey was staring at him too. Another echo came, but this one was not a stone, it was a whistle. It came from ahead. And with it, dots of light filtered into the path in front of them.

The path behind them was closed too, blocked by more lights. David swore. He should have known.

“I told you we should have killed them there,” Hanna said, annoyed. David wanted to remind her that she said nothing of the sort, but he was too busy thinking.

You think too much, Ignis grumbled. You worry and plan. That is not the way of a dragon.

“Stay, Ignis,” David warned his voice tight and firm, reminding the dragon that he hadn’t forgotten what he did. The dragon growled, but David felt it settle.

“What do we do now?” Chloe asked. She had let go of David but was still pressed to him. As if that would save her somehow. David’s mind whirled with thoughts and possibilities. He’d thought they were some kind of guards. Or perhaps mercenaries. He should have realized that mercenaries wouldn’t be this far from the city.

“What else, now we kill them,” Hanna said. David glared at her. She was strong, no doubt, but she was not so strong that she could take on the numbers he was looking at. Something nagged at him, pulled at his attention, but he couldn’t piece it together. He turned to find the man standing there, his cloak gone. All he had on now was leather amor. A sword was strapped to his waist.

He lifted the fire lamp so he could see their faces.

“Should I tell you who I am again, halal?” He asked. His words were thick, sounding like the voice of a drunk. An accent, David thought. A lazy one. “Or should we move to lopping your heads and taking your things?”

“A thief then?” David asked.

“Yes,” the bandit said. He smiled, giving a mock bow. His hair might have been blonde or brown, the lamp light made it hard to tell. David shook his head, wondering if there was any chance they could fight them. He wasn’t sure how trained they were and he didn’t know how strong Zoey and the others were after what they’d just been through on the second floor. David groaned. He hated how fast everything was moving. They hadn’t rested and hadn't eaten anything since the lunch Hanna got for them. He could feel his bones moaning from the exhaustion. Yet he could see that there was no other choice but to fight.

The Mad Whip decided for him. A thin hiss and her whip wrapped around the bandit's throat. He made to unsheathe his sword but David’s sword touched his neck and the scarred man stopped.

“What now?” David asked. He heard the murmurs around him, the others were agitated, but confused. Their leader had been caught so easily, so stupidly. David couldn’t hide his disgust. He pushed the tip of his sword gently, nicking the man’s neck a bit. Blood slid down his neck and down the collar of his shirt.

“I guess we have ourselves a guide after all?” David asked.

“Blast me, you are Outworlders!” The bandit exclaimed, gasping as Hanna pulled on her whip. His eyes widened, pleading for mercy. David frowned, turning away from him to look at the others.

“Outworlders?” David asked. “You will tell me about this as we walk, my friend. What is your name?”

“Keian,” the bandit said, rushing the word. He was reasonably terrified. The look on Hanna’s face would make any man weep.

“Keian, you did a nice trick with your fingers the other time, making your friends disappear like that. Can you do it again?” David asked, taking the lamp from Keian and giving it to Elisha. The man licked his lips, nodding frantically. Now that David could see him clearer, he saw that the marks looked like symbols. Not runes. He couldn’t sense any essence in them, yet they looked intentional.

Keian snapped his fingers, but this time the magic was delayed. The other men waited a moment until their leader screamed for them to leave. They vanished just as they came, lights disappearing into the distance.

David chuckled, pushing the man forward. He smelled weird, but not offensive. They walked slowly, making sure Keian couldn’t run. They could feel the eyes on them as they walked. Even though the lamps had been put out, David knew they were there. The supposed monsters Keian had warned them about.

“What do you mean by Outworlders?” Zoey asked.

Keian looked at David and only when he nodded did the man speak. “That ring on your arm.” Keian nodded to Hanna. “Many outworlders carry it. Many have come to Gaora in search of the way-gate. Many more have tried to find the cure for the Long Slumber that is eating into Gaora, and many have died. There is no cure to a curse from god, friend, halal? Only fools with empty heads think they can best the will of a god.”

“How many of the outworlders have you seen?” David asked, remembering Arya’s warning. He had thought they’d reach the fifth floor before they got pulled into the tower’s ranking and in-fighting.

“Seen?” Keian snorted. “Those who aren’t struck by the Long Slumber now work as guards and cut-throats for noblemen and lords. Trust me, there is nothing for you in Gaora.”

David cursed as one of Keian’s men rushed out of the shadow of the mountain, sword heaved and a battle cry roaring. His voice vanished as arrows burned into him. His eyes turned to Keian, mouth agape in shock and pain. Keian stared at him as he fell and then David pushed the man forward.

“I warned you,” David whispered, but Keian wasn’t listening. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, his face wet with tears.

“Don’t come!” He yelled into the darkness behind them as they walked. “Stop fighting you crazy dangalas!”

“Don’t kill any more of my boys,” Kaien said to Hanna and then flinched when she glared at him. They were silent for a while. David was beginning to wonder when they’d come out the other side.

“Will you kill me?” Keian asked. “Gaora is just down the hill-slopes outside the mountain pass. You will find the city guards at the gate. They are not hard men, they are greedy. A coin will give you passage. I have helped you as much as I can.”

“Not yet,” David said. He felt the man tense up in his hand. “And no, we will not kill you. Not this time at least.”

“You will not see us again, friend. We don’t go into the city. Only fools go where the curse is ripe. The city hides those afflicted but word is out already.”

David nodded.

“If there is a plague in the city, why is it still populated?” Elisha asked. “Shouldn’t people stay away?”

“You will understand when you see the city,” Keian muttered.

David felt a cold breeze wash against his face. He didn’t notice when they walked out the other side of the mountain pass. He made everyone stop, turning briefly to check that no one was behind them. In the distance, he could see the light of Gaora, its roofs and spires raised high above its walls like titans. He shivered slightly, hating the bite of the cold.

“Give me your sword,” David said. Keian unbuckled his sword belt quickly and passed it to him. The man seemed close to weeping. David withdrew from the thief and then gestured toward the mountain pass. He saw the displeasure on Hanna’s face and ignored it. He wasn’t in the business of unnecessary deaths.

“Before you leave” Zoey said, pulling the man back. “We will need coins, like you said.” They were all silent for a second and then Hanna cackled, slapping her thigh as she bowed in a fit of laughter.