Silence fell over the misty air of Istoria, the only ones awake were the few merchants getting a start on their busy days. A handful of adventurers passed through the streets on the way to the tower but the far majority were still in bed.

It was too risky for us to gather outside of the tower, so we had to meet somewhere a bit more discrete. I knew the area fairly well so it wasn’t hard to find.

I adjusted my sleeve and pulled tightly on the string to my vambrace, it fit perfectly around my forearms with a snug squeeze. The deep black colour of my armour caught my attention, every time I looked at it, I found a new detail that got my heart racing.

“You did a great job Arga, I never thought I’d get to wear something so cool!”

The corners of her cheeks reeled back as she blushed,

“Shucks, keep talkin’ like that and I might have to cry from joy. I think it’s safe to say you’re wearin’ my best work.”

Suddenly a slender arm wrapped around Arga’s shoulder and caught her by surprise.

“I knew blacksmiths worked hard but did you honestly pull something off like that in only three days? I might lock you in as my blacksmith too.” Vye grinned.

“Is this the popularity I’ve been waitin’ for all these years?! I have to warn you, Rei pays pretty well so if you want preferential treatment, you’ll probably have to pay double.”

Arga let off a fake smile to hide her greed but it was still clear as day. Her hands practically gravitated to Vye’s coin pouch as they talked.

Even Vye was impressed by my armour, it really is something else! I never thought Drake scales could be so light though. It might be my increased strength but I feel even lighter than I was in my old gear.

{Black Vardigon Set}

The chest plate, like most of the other armour was covered with a layer of scales from the ice drake. I wasn’t sure how but she got the entire set to come out black. Arga claimed it was an accident but whatever she did, I wouldn’t have changed a thing!

For the material between pieces, she used guardian hound hide that we got from killing the boss's pet. It was tougher than stone but moved super comfortably, almost like being wrapped in a pillow.

The finishing touch was the black cloak she made for us. A basic hood made from Iron Crawlers webs that are found on the higher floors, it cost more than I would have liked but Kana said it was the best option so we didn’t have much of a choice.

Arga made a similar hood for her and Veldor but he was yet to be seen. Neither of us had heard or seen him since we last talked so it seemed like his decision was made. The time had come and I couldn’t put it off any longer, I called it and the team walked to the tower doors.

Arga’s head hung as we approached the large entrance to the Tower. I felt pretty glum about it too but I knew it was too much to ask, I expected it from the start.

“Should we wait a second, he might be late?”

Vye and Arga waited on my call, their eyes peering at me with two very different stares. One told me it was pointless, while the other seemed to be clinging on to any hope that he’d show up. I leaned to the latter but it was selfish of me to make us wait.

“I… I think we should go. He’s made his decision and we should follow through with ours.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Okay…”

“Agreed.”

Tap–Tap–Tap–Tap!

The distant pitter-patter of metal greeves broke my focus and forced my head back into the misty roads. A figure ran through the shrouded streets and directly towards us, they were in a hurry.

It was hazy so I couldn’t make out who it was, my eyes gravitated to the map in the corner of my eyes and widened.

A large shield icon enlarged as I focused on it and excitement welled up from my stomach, I greeted him with a hopeful smile as he emerged from the shrouded city air.

“Hey! Don’t you know it’s bad luck to enter without your tank!” He waved his arm as he ran, desperate to get our attention.

“Wait, does that mean you’re…”

“I couldn’t just do what I want as a member of Heaven’s Gate, so I wasn’t planning on coming at all. That being said, I’m pretty sure Master Edward would have socked me in the face if I didn’t help someone who needs it.”

Veldor extended his arm out and stared deeply at me without a word. I met his resolve with a firm grasp and shook his hand.

“Just so you know, I gave up my guild for this, so you’re stuck with me from now on. You better use me well, got it?”

“I plan to.”

We took our steps into the opening fields of the first floor and set out. I knew a perfect spot for us to discuss our plans without being overheard.

We gathered a little ways into the floor just passed a field of silvery trees. Even the first floor was swarmed with adventurers thanks to the sudden increase in Wandering Bosses. Everyone wanted the glory of taking one down so the tower was busier than ever.

Luckily from my early experiences as a weak adventurer, I knew we would be alone in that spot. Nobody knew the first floor's layout better than me.

“So what exactly is the plan here? This new gear is great and all but we’re still going to be fighting one of Shared Swords parties, led by Eren Gardner himself.”

“That’s true, they’re going to be stronger, faster and even more experienced than us.”

“Isn’t this the part where you say how we’re going to win…?”

“Yeah, is it too late to change my mind?” Arga chimed in.

I looked the three of them head-on with a stern expression,

“We’re probably going to lose if we fight them, so let’s remember that fighting isn’t our mission here.”

I had their attention, Arga and Veldor both leaned in closer with curious stares.

“We have to make it to the dragon civilization on the eleventh floor, so we’ll have to break through areas we’ve never even ventured to. It’ll be hard but our team is well balanced between defence and speed so we should be okay. Our main goal is to warn the dragons about Eren Gardner, after that, we’ll buy as much time as we can for them to escape.”

Veldors face dropped, “That’s your master plan?”

Vye cocked her head back and grinned as if she were holding back a massive laugh.

“It’s beyond hopeful, to say the least, but I guess that’s just how you are. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Vye teased.

Their collective smiles set my nerves slightly at ease. Even though we all knew it was probably a hopeless effort, I somehow felt like we had a good chance. I felt a glimmer of success in our future.

***

Deep within the demon castle, a meeting took place.

Ilinore knelt before the demonic presence on the throne. Her eyes didn’t dare raise from the ground out of fear for what he would do.

“My liege, I have done as you have asked. I have dispatched as many monsters as I could and the humans have begun hunting them.”

“Good.”

Her face brightened and a small grin formed under her nose.

“Prepare for departure immediately, make sure that both you and Elraine are ready.”

Her head shot back up with a desperate glare,

“My lord! Why must Elraine accompany me? Do I not hold enough strength to wipe out the humans myself?!”

The realisation hit her like a pile of bricks as she lowered her head as quickly as it rose. Her hands trembled and sweat fell from the sides of her face onto the floor in front of her.

The immense pressure the childish figure on the throne emitted was enough to crack the walls. Shattered pillars and splintered walls shook in place without any effort.

“I’m sure that if your strength was enough to beat the humans, you would have already. Am I mistaken, Ilinore?”

His words carried an unbelievable weight behind them. She had no choice but to swallow her misgivings and simply agree.

“Understood…my liege. I was wrong, you were right… I apologise for my weakness…”