“What is Celestial grade?” Lacy asked. “I’ve heard of Divine, but is Celestial higher or lower?”

I smiled at her, then shared the description screen with a thought.

“Oh, it’s higher.”

[Body Tempering Potion (Celestial Grade)]

Description: This potion can be imbibed and directed to expunge mortal impurities from a human-adjacent species. Application instructions and prerequisites not included.

System Note: Instructions and prerequisites have been appended based on user’s specific knowledge.

I skipped the subsequent sections since I already knew that I met the prerequisites and how to use the potion. It was nice, though, that the System added in that information based on my own knowledge.

Creepy, but nice.

Once the two of them were done reading the information, they sort of stared off into the distance as they both processed in their own way.

Athena was the first to break the silence, sighing and crossing her arms.

“Ugh, why can’t I unlock my System already? Level 50 and Peak cores? That’s forever away.”

Lacy snorted. “Yeah, for me, too. I’m barely level 20 and my cores are Low and Mid.” She looked at me and shrugged with a smile. “Guess you won’t have to fight us for the potion after all.”

Chuckling, I put a consoling hand on Athena’s shoulder.

“You’ll get there. Both of you.” Turning to Kurian, I sighed, already anticipating his answer. “Will we be able to craft more for the others?”

“No.”

I nodded. That had been what I was expe—

“Only for Athena and Lacy.”

“Wait, really?” Lacy gasped.

“Fuck yeah,” Athena whooped with a fist pump.

I narrowed my eyes. “Hm, well that’s great and all…but why only them? Surely if we can make two more, we can make enough for the whole party?”

Kurian gave us a steady stare, looking between the three of us in equal measure. After a moment of silence, he shook his head.

“I brokered a deal on your behalf with the Integration Guide.” Now that was not what I had been expecting. “We agreed that only those who participated in the scenario will reap the rewards.”

“So you’re saying that if I gave this potion to Amos, you’d…what? Invalidate it?”

“I would do nothing. It is yours to dispense as you see fit.” He pursed his lips and looked up for a moment. “But I believe you’ve already met our friend, Null?”

The mere mention of the Integration Guide’s name spiked a wave of annoyance.

“We’ve met.”

He shrugged. “A Tribulation wouldn’t be unexpected in such a circumstance. I suspect your friend Amos would not survive such an event.”

Lacy elbowed me playfully. “So definitely give it to Amos.”

I chuckled half-heartedly. Two out of the seven party members wasn’t terrible. I’d have preferred to at least get Amos, Byron, Frank, and Jerome up to our level. Mama G wasn’t heading into combat with us anymore, so she didn’t need one. And Lex wasn’t human-adjacent, so that was a no-go anyway.

Since I was the only one that met the pre-reqs, I didn’t think Lacy would object to me consuming it now. Just to be sure, I did a quick tally of my Body stats to make sure they totaled greater than 150.

Name: Dirk Damascus

Class: Master of Physics (Divine)

Level: 75

Race: Human (F-Grade - Low)

Age: 32

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 223 lbs

Body:

- Strength: 49

- Agility: 65

- Endurance: 51

Mind:

- Intelligence: 43

- Perception: 32

- Mastery: 50

Spirit:

- Charisma: 62

- Willpower: 66

- Enlightenment: 67

Unallocated Points: 335

Looking at my Status Sheet, I realized that I was just over the mark with my Body stats with a total of 165.

“I’ve hit all the pre-reqs as far as I can tell.” I looked toward Kurian. “Would you suggest I take this now or go back to meditating on my Mass energy?”

Please say potion. Please say potion!

As much as I wanted to hit Adept, the thought of trying to close my eyes and meditate after the high of the scenario runs sounded damn near impossible.

“You can meditate later,” he replied and I silently whooped in my head. “So long as you bring your Mass core to the precipice before the Second Floor opens, that will suffice. The breakthrough process is relatively straightforward from that point on.”

A flap of wings across the room drew my attention and I saw Lex stretching his neck as he woke up from a nap. He saw the four of us congregating and flew over.

“Did I miss anything?”

Lacy, Athena, and I stared at him, then burst out laughing as one.

He flapped his wings in surprise.

“Oh, judging from your reaction, I missed a lot!” He flew to my shoulder. “Ugh, that’s why I never nap! I always miss the good things when I nap!”

I chuckled one more time then pet his wing.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Yeah, you did. We beat the scenario!”

“Oh, lovely,” Lex replied. “It’s a shame Kurian had to downgrade the course to Nascent-level, but not unexpected. I can’t wait until you’re able to tackle the Adept-level course—what? Why are you all smiling at me? Are my feathers out of place?” He craned his head back and started preening himself vigorously.

“You wanna tell him?” I said to Athena.

Her eyes got bright and a mischievous smile spread across her lips.

“We didn’t beat the Nascent scenario.”

He paused, looking back in surprise.

“You beat the Adept-level scenario? That’s astound—”

“Immortal, actually,” she interrupted smugly.

“HONK!” His wide eyes swiveled to Kurian. “That-that’s not possible! I assumed you downgraded the scenario after the Immortal crushed them. But you’re telling me they actually beat it!”

Kurian simply nodded and Lex flapped his wings in agitation. Leaping off my shoulder, he started pacing anxiously.

“Null will not stand for this,” he muttered to himself. “There will be consequences, yes, most assuredly. Wait!” His head shot up toward Kurian. “You didn’t give them a reward…did you?”

He didn’t wait for Kurian to answer—the pleased looks on our faces must have been answer enough.

“Oh, no. No, no, no…” He returned to pacing for a half-second, then flipped back on us suddenly. “You’re inviting a Tribulation on your head! You must give it back, whatever it is!”

“You mean this?” I pulled the vial out from behind my back, the electric tingle of its energy sending shivers up my arm.

Lex’s eyes went wide, his beak hanging open.

“Is-is that…?”

He left the sentence hanging and I leaned in with a tilt of my head.

“Is it what?” I asked innocently, enjoying his anxiety far too much.

He gulped audibly. “A…a body tempering solution?”

I gave Athena and Lacy an impressed look. “Wow, got it in one.”

His wings fluttered wildly as he launched toward my face. I reared back in surprise but he stopped in the air, his whole body straining to keep him in a hover. The wind of his flapping sent my hair flying.

“What grade is it!”

I hemmed and hawed. “Oh, I don’t know—”

“WHAT GRADE!” he demanded, his beak inches from my face.

“Jesus, Lex. Celestial! It’s Celestial…” His erratic flapping stopped suddenly and he plummeted to the floor with a grunt. He slowly got back to his feet, a lethargic energy infecting his entire body. Through our bond, I felt a confusing mix of emotions that I couldn’t quite peel apart.

“How are you still alive…” Lex muttered under his breath. He plopped to his belly, his back turned to us. “It doesn’t make any sense…”

The three of us shared a concerned look, then I glanced up at Kurian and waved my hand toward Lex.

“What’s going on with him? Why’s he so freaked?”

Kurian pursed his lips and pulled out his chair from thin air.

“Because he understands just how powerful that potion is. And he knows what he would do if one of his Climbers received one before even the Second Floor.”

Lex whispered something under his breath. The others couldn’t hear him, but I could. And it made my blood run cold.

“What’s that, Lexy?” Athena called over to the goose.

Lex looked back, his posture slumped.

“I said, I’d kill them…” He sighed heavily, turning away. “I’d summon a thousand Tribulations on them if that’s what it took. I’d rig the next Floor against them so brutally, they’d never get out of the gate. I’d put a bounty on their head so expensive, their own mothers would stab them in the back.” He stood up and slowly waddled across the room. He made it halfway to the door before turning back, his little goose eyes locked straight on Kurian. “You’ve killed them.” His voice was full of cold steel and a shiver ran up my neck. “You’ve killed them and I won’t forget that.” Then he was gone, through the door and into my Personal Space.

Lacy and Athena were talking behind me, but I couldn’t hear them. My eyes were locked on that door, running his words over and over again.

You’ve killed them…you’ve killed them.

Lacy’s hand on my arm pulled me out of that loop.

“Hey, you okay?”

I stared at her a moment, taking far too long to consider my answer.

Eventually, I replied. “I don’t know.” I turned to look at Kurian. “Am I?”

He didn’t answer right away, which felt like answer enough. Lacy and Athena’s faces dropped as they too began to understand the implications of what Lex had said.

“I don’t get it, Kurian.” I didn’t yell, but a burgeoning anger was simmering under the surface. “You’ve given us a tainted prize? To what end?”

Athena double-taked between us and I could feel her pain. Kurian had taken her directly under his wing, coaching her non-stop since she’d arrived. Of course she’d look up to him as a teacher. And I…well, I didn’t know what exactly I was to her, but despite all our shit talk, there was a bond there.

And now, she had to reconcile the tension between me and Kurian. As for the Class Guide, he steepled his fingers and regarded the three of us stoically.

“Master Kure, is it true?” The hurt in her voice made me angry all over again. “Did you set Dirk and Lacy up?” When he didn’t answer, she grabbed his arm gently. It was a silly image, this five-foot-tall girl wrapping her tiny hand around the wrist of a fifteen-foot-tall alien. “Why, Master?”

His eyes tracked down to her tiny hand and something flashed in his gaze. I couldn’t read it—anger, pain, annoyance…or was it something else?

Sadness…?

Though his expression was inscrutable, Athena didn’t wilt or pull back. Instead, she leaned in closer, her eyes boring into the alien. And to my surprise, he cracked first.

“I did not set them up,” he eventually replied. “They are free to consume or not consume the solution as they see fit.”

“But what Lex said—”

He cut across Athena’s protests with a raised hand.

“I concede that the little spirit will not be pleased if two of his Climbers consume a Celestial grade body tempering solution before the Second Floor. But there are rules in place and whatever Lex believes, Null cannot simply execute Climbers for a rightfully-earned reward.”

I pursed my lips in doubt. “I sense a but coming.”

He shrugged. “It might stack some odds against you, true. But you have the advantages of Fate’s power, you’ll be an Adept heading into the Second Floor, and with this solution…” He arched a single brow. “You will likely be the most powerful Climber to ever reach the Second Floor of any Tower.”

That sent a thrill through me, but only for a moment. “I don’t know if that’s true. Craig seems to have just as many advantages—maybe even more. He has the entire Jree command at his beck and call, can see through Lacy’s illusions, and can snatch a person or creature’s mind in seconds.” I shook my head with a sigh. “And…I used a Fate charge to unlock his memories of past redos. Had to, to save Nikki, but still…”

Kurian’s eyes narrowed and he regarded me for a moment.

“Tell me about this Craig.”

That took me by surprise. Kurian had never expressed any interest in other Climbers or any of the details of the Tower now that I thought about it.

“Well, to start, he can mind control people—and I mean hard mind control, not just suggestions. Actually, he can do that, too.” I waved toward Lacy. “He actually managed to do something to Lacy but I broke it with my charm and winning smile.” To demonstrate, I flashed her a smile and a wink. She rolled her eyes. “But the real kicker is his Charisma is past the Nascent stat cap. I don’t know how…” I trailed off as Kurian’s expression changed, which for him, might as well have been a loud gasp. “What is it?”

He ignored me, his eyes going distant as he muttered to himself.

“So you’ve made your move…”

“Master Kure?” Athena asked with a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

He nodded absentmindedly. “Yes, I am fine.” When he turned back to me, I nearly flinched. Green fire burned in his eyes, painful for me to even look at. “His Patron is an old enemy, and our scales have yet to be balanced.”

“Really?” Finally! Someone that knew what the fuck was going on with Craig! “Do you know how we beat him?”

He nodded, which sent a thrill through me. “Your window is tight. Should he reach the Second Floor, you won’t have another shot until you’ve expended your second round of reverts. By then, his power may be too much even for you to handle…”

That made sense. If he survived until my [Darling of Fate] charges refreshed, then he’d start each redo alive and forewarned. We had to strike before then.

“What do we do?” Lacy asked.

“The plan I have in mind requires sacrifice,” he replied coolly. He regarded each of us and a shiver ran up my neck. “Are you prepared to do what must be done?”

I lightly shoved Athena toward the Class Guide. “Athena volunteers as tribute!”

She whirled around and slapped at my hand with a glare. I dodged out of the way and held my hand up by way of apology.

It was a poor attempt to lighten the mood, but the reality was, I was deflecting from how uncomfortable his question made me.

A handful of moments passed and we stood there in awkward silence. Finally, Lacy stepped forward.

“Craig needs to be stopped.” Her eyes were full of iron and her tone was steady. “We’ll do what we have to.”

He nodded, but what he said next made my blood freeze. “Admirable, young lady. But it isn’t you that must sacrifice, but him.” He indicated me with a wave of his hand. “Are you prepared to sacrifice a piece of yourself to end this threat?”

A piece of myself? Hell, there weren’t many pieces left to give.

But that didn’t change my answer.

“Yes.”

He studied me for a single moment, then nodded.

“Good. We’ll discuss that later. For now, I believe you have visitors.”

My brow furrowed and I looked toward my Personal Space door. But it was still closed and there was no one to be seen.

Athena tugged at my sleeve to get my attention. I looked at her in confusion, then followed where she was pointing.

At the door leading out to Earth, a man in military uniform was peering past the amber forcefield, but turned away a moment later to talk to two nearby soldiers.

“Johnson’s men?” Lacy asked.

I nodded, a conflicted feeling gripping my thoughts. These were the men the governor had promised me, which was great. I’d train them on clearing the First Floor and they’d be able to rescue the Climbers that had no chance of escaping or triggering the three mechanisms leading to the Hold.

On the other hand, I had so much on my fucking plate that I almost wished they hadn’t come. It was selfish, but thoughts of Craig, breaking through to Adept, and this damned Celestial grade potion consumed me.

Come on, Dirk. Thousands of people are counting on this help. Get it together!

Subconsciously, I had been cycling Mass energy to increase the mental connection and I used it now to bump my Strength and Endurance to the max. It wasn’t that I expected a betrayal—Johnson had made it clear he needed me politically—but I also wouldn’t put it past the man to consider forcing my cooperation.

Turning back, I held my hand out, indicating for Lacy and Athena to hang back inside the training room. Lacy’s eyes went wide, then relaxed as she nodded.

When I pushed past the threshold, the sounds of activity magnified and I was stunned to see dozens, maybe more than a hundred, soldiers moving about hurriedly. They were unloading trucks, checking their gear, or speaking quietly in small groups.

But when I appeared, a murmur started up and the entire contingent devolved into hushed whispers.

The soldier who had been trying to look past the door threshold turned once he realized I was here. He had salt and pepper hair, cut tight to his scalp. His face was freshly-shaved in stark contrast to my own stubble and he was lean and athletic despite his age. There was an aura of command to him that I could practically feel. We locked eyes for a moment and I could tell he was sizing me up just as I was him.

After a few moments, he broke the impasse.

“You Dirk Damascus?”

Red flared at my back, billowing in the wind.

“What gave me away?”