Jake paced back and forth as he waited impatiently for Aspen to reemerge from the Dungeon. If this worked, they were one step closer to having the strength to take the initiative and fight back.
If it didn’t, then they would keep trying, but Jake worried what a failure here would do for Aspen’s drive. He’d worked incredibly hard the last few days, putting everything he had into succeeding.
Footsteps echoed through the foyer as Aspen limped into view, badly burned from contact with acid and bleeding from several open wounds.
Despite his wounds, Aspen’s smile was bright, and his eyes burnt with fierce joy. “I got it. The final Deed.”
Gargan was the first to reach Aspen, clasping the other man’s arm and congratulating him earnestly before passing him a healing potion. “Heal up and get yourself ready, I’ll catch up soon.”
For a moment, Jake thought that Gargan would push for another delve, but instead the caster simply helped Aspen over to the converted waiting area to rest.
Seeing Jake’s look, Gargan gave a subtle shake of his head. “Tomorrow.”
Nodding, Jake pulled out a spare waterskin to help wash off the worst of the mud that was covering Aspen. This was a good point to finish their night on, and he was actually quite excited to see what changes Aspen underwent.
The final thing they needed to do was stop off at Ivaldi’s for Aspen to withdraw some Wyrdgeld that he’d been storing for just this occasion. A smart move on his part, and one that Jake would follow if things were more normal.
-**-
With Aspen’s goal achieved, they made their way back to the safehouse, with Aspen vanishing inside as soon as they got back. Jake couldn’t blame him, though. He was already itching to do his own rank up and Aspen had been waiting for a lot longer.
Jake wouldn’t be joining him in advancing today, though. He wanted to make sure he could advance his Skills as well, which meant another day or two.
It was only as his thoughts went to the final Dungeon he needed and his own advancement to the third tier that Jake froze in place, his eyes going wide. He’d forgotten one of the first things Ivaldi told him.
Cursing, Jake rushed to Aspen’s room, bursting through right as Aspen was in the process of lying down.
“Jake?” Aspen jumped up, his hand going straight to his spear. “What’s wrong?”
Jake grimaced, trying to think of how best to say it before wincing and just being blunt. “You can’t Ascend yet, I need you to stay in the second tier.”
“What?” Aspen’s voice was flat as he stared incredulously at Jake. “What are you saying?”
“When I bind a Dungeon, I have to be in the same tier or higher than those with me, or it doesn’t work. So if you Ascend now, we’d have to do it without you. I’d say go for it, but we both know we couldn’t manage with just the four of us.”
“Gods damn it,” Aspen said, letting go of his spear and sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?”
“Too long.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Damn right!” Aspen all but growled the words before sighing and waving Jake off. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold off. What’s another week or two, right?”
“Thanks, Aspen,” Jake said, sighing in relief. “I owe you one.”
“You bet you do,” Aspen said, grumbling to himself. “Now get lost, I want some sleep.”
Chuckling, Jake closed the door and went to go tell the others the bad news.
-**-
Once everyone was suitably annoyed that they couldn’t just Ascend to the third tier, even when they had their Deeds, Jake left them be.
Ari had been sitting outside as usual when they got back, but he seemed even more despondent than normal. Making them both a hot cup of tea, Jake went out to sit next to him.
“Dungeons went well, then?” Ari asked with a slight slur, sipping at whatever alcohol was in his flask this time.
“It went well. Aspen got the Deeds he needed to reach the third tier,” Jake said, fighting with himself for a moment before turning to Ari. “You could come with us, you know. Be there as we get stronger.”
“Why?” Ari asked the question absently, not looking at Jake as he took another sip from his flask.
“To be a part of it, to help us get where we need to be so we can make them pay for Felix.”
The flask froze for a moment before Ari shrugged slightly and took a longer drink. “I’ve already failed enough, you’ll be better without me.”
“You know that isn’t true. We’d be dead without you!”
“Felix begged me to not settle, to keep pushing, but I didn’t. I stagnated, and now he’s dead. Despite what you hope, I’m not what you need, Jake. I’ll only bring you down.”
“I don’t believe that, I can’t believe that,” Jake said, getting to his feet as he fought his frustration with Ari. “You’ve been with us since the first day, are you really going to give up that easily?”
“It isn’t that I’ve given up. I’ve just accepted the way things are.”
Jake wanted to shout at him, wanted to try to beat some sense into him, but one look at Ari’s stubborn posture made Jake sigh and let go of his frustration.
“You’re wrong, but I can’t make you see that.” Jake waited a moment to see if Ari would say anything before walking back inside and heading for his room.
-**-
Aspen was still grumbling that evening when they went back out for their next delve. Jake couldn’t exactly blame him, especially when a good part of it was driven by Gargan.
The caster had struck true when he thanked Aspen for being so good about waiting for the rest of them. The compliment had Aspen preening right before Gargan followed it up by saying how they’d all be starting at the same spot for third tier, despite their difference in age.
There was only a year or two between him and the other two if Jake remembered right, but the jab had taken the wind out of Aspen’s sails quite effectively.
“So, are you ready for all this?” Jake asked as they entered their chosen Dungeon. Gargan had decided that the one with the flying monsters would be the best way for him to push his Abilities.
Exactly how Gargan meant to go about it. They’d find out shortly.
“Absolutely,” Gargan said, taking a deep breath before walking forward with purpose into the first floor. “Stay back and watch for errant flames.”
Sharing a worried look with the others, Jake did just that, making sure to give Gargan a much wider berth than he had for Aspen.
-**-
They went through their standard set of four delves throughout the night, with Gargan following much the same progression that Aspen had.
Fortunately, Gargan was able to restrict himself to a higher degree, so was able to get his final Deed without needing to attempt the Dungeon alone and under unfavourable conditions.
Just like that, the strength of their party was substantially boosted. They were a long way from being truly powerful, but they’d been holding their own against the rank and file of the Fatesworne before. Once they were done, they would be able to do far better than that.
Of course, it was all prospective strength. They still needed to find and complete a final Dungeon first. Once they did, though, they would be far stronger than before.
“So, Alan, ready for your turn tomorrow?” Jake asked as they started the long walk back to the safehouse. “I’ve got some good ideas for you, but how are you progressing at the moment?”
“Yeah, I’ve made some headway, but it’s slowing down, just as the others said it would,” Alan said, sighing slightly before shrugging. “I know it’s silly to be wishing I could go faster, but it feels like I’m slowing everyone down.”
“Look, I’m not going to be able to get my final Dungeon while we stay here, and Nepthys needs more Corrupters hunting down,” Jake said, patting Alan on the shoulder. “So you never know, you could get there first. I know how hard you work, and that will pay off. Just watch.”
“Yeah, I hope you’re right,” Alan said, giving Jake a somewhat forced smile.