The conversation after the feast didn’t last long. Not for Ray, at least. After all, he didn’t want to discuss the specifics of his Objectives with so many other people present.

It turned out the rest of them felt similarly too. With Ray having broken the dam, one by one, they all went forward and asked to speak privately to determine the specifics of the deal. For if Ray could throw himself out of the collective—a group headed by Mary, whom he still didn’t wish to work under or with, not directly—then so could the rest of them without looking bad.

Nevertheless, there were still some intriguing pieces of information that they all ought to be privy to, which Caleb almost reluctantly informed them about after Mary called him out on it.

The kingdom had its capital on Cliff One, the highest area on the Floor. Both the main residence of the ruler and that of the various nobles who were the most important all resided there as well.

It was more than likely that some, if not all, of the ascending Denizens would end up there too.

They also learned that if they refused to cooperate with the people of the Floor, they would lose the hospitality they had been receiving. No more free meals and lodging at the lord’s manor. No more having guards accompany them like their personal retainers. No more of the nice guy act.

Apparently, they could still pay for whatever they wanted or needed, so there was that. It just wouldn’t be free.

“Manipulating, conniving…” Timothy’s harsh whispers at that pronouncement had fallen to mutterings too low for Ray to hear, even if he was sitting right beside the guy.

“Where is the Floor Lord,” Mary said. “At Cliff One?”

Caleb nodded to indicate her assumption had been correct. “I’m certain you will meet her there, if your journey and your tasks take you to Cliff One.”

There were more contextual questions that some of the others asked. Like what was the state of the kingdom, if there were any conflicts they needed to be wary of, and the things of that nature. Caleb assured them that they wouldn’t be drawn into the political matters of Everstead, for which Ray was thankful. He was here to grow and advance. Not play Europa Universalis.

Though, that line of questioning made Ray wonder about the kingdom’s boundaries. Where did the kingdom’s edges coincide with the Tower’s edges?

Caleb assured them all that there had been no noticeable changes to Everstead. The borders were just as they had always been. People could move through them as they always had. Though, Ray was certain that meant the citizens of the kingdom, not the Denizens.

But if the Denizens did go there, what exactly would they see? How did that work with the various Cliffs and what they had seen so far?

As curious as Ray was to see the phenomenon going on there, he wouldn’t have time to make a journey of that kind. One of the main reasons he had decided to work with Caleb was because he would now have some space to work on all the things he had neglected.

Ray should never have had to test his idea combing Project Presence with Spectral Step against the Lostcaller. Ideally, he would have figured out its kinks in a safe environment before using it against a foe. It wasn’t that he regretted using the combination against the monster, but that didn’t mean it was ideal.

Plus, there were all the other stuff he hadn’t tested yet. He still needed to try out Channel Prayer that he had taken from Derrick Orden.

Then there was the Mana conversion ability with the Tower Nodes of the Ingestor and the Abstractor.

So many Tower Nodes to test…

That did remind him about the Tower Node he had seen on top of the spire. The one that had gone missing while he had fought and killed the Lostcaller. Well, not missing in truth. Ray was pretty sure he knew who had it now.

“True Mana shards?” Caleb asked.

After their feast, Ray had been one of the first to corner the lord of Cliff Three for a more private discussion about their deal.

Ray nodded, pulling out a True Mana shard. He held up the lightly glowing white crystal. “This is a True Mana shard. You’ve never seen anything like this?”

“We have dealt with shards before, yes, though not of True Mana.”

That was a little disappointing. “So you wouldn’t be able to trade with these, then? My idea was that I might have been able to earn some more by working with you.”

It was interesting that Caleb didn’t insist any of the Denizens address him as lord or anything official like that. Ray figured at least some of the more hostile looks the Denizens had received was because of their reluctance to adhere to the kind of decorum the citizens of Everstead subscribed to.

Caleb and the majority of the citizens didn’t seem to care, though. Intriguing.

“Hmm, I believe we might still be able to make it a part of our deal,” the lord of Cliff Three said. “Would you mind lending it to me for a few days? I might be able to acquire some more, but I will need to show it rather than simply name or describe it.”

Ray wondered just how exactly Caleb would manage that, but the lord was reluctant to answer, so Ray didn’t push it.

“What can you tell me abut Elementals?” Ray asked. “Do you know where I could find some on Cliff Three?”

“Elementals, hmmm. There aren’t many, but we should be able to locate some for you, yes.”

“I’d also like some open space where I could test certain abilities. Spells and the like. I hope there’s a field or training ground or something along those lines I could borrow.”

“Of course. That too can be arranged.”

“And one more thing. Could you make sure the pathway up the spires remains open? We’re not the only Denizens who will use them. I would hope the others coming after me won’t have to… go through the same ordeal I did.”

“Oh, of course. That has already been arranged with the guards. Don’t worry.” Caleb looked a little apologetic. “Now, perhaps we can move on to our side of the bargain?”

“Right, right. Please go ahead.”

Ray had perhaps taken a few too many concessions from the guy without letting him get any of his side of deal in edgewise. He supposed he could pipe down and let the poor fellow speak.

“We would like you to take care of some of our infected,” Caleb said.

“Infected?” That immediately brought to mind the Objective about the plague that was supposed to be on the Second Floor. “Are they infected by some kind of plague?”

“Yes, exactly. I am surprised you already know.” He paused, as though expecting Ray to elaborate, but when Ray remained silent, he went on. “While we are dealing with them, it would be of great benefit if you could assist as well.”

“Deal with them… how, exactly?”

“You would need to kill the infected before they infect the others.”

Ray blinked. Caleb hadn’t even minced his words, though now it made sense why he had looked apologetic. He understood he was asking a lot.

“You want me to kill your sick?” Ray asked.

“This is no mere sickness. The infected cannot be cured. They aren’t even people anymore, not by any stretch of the definition. Imagine them as… as perhaps zombies. You cannot cure such creatures. You can no longer see them as part of your society, as one of your kind anymore. They are now worse than rabid animals, and they must be put down.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Ray swallowed a little. Zombies? The System wanted him to take care of a zombie plague? It was also weird that Caleb, a seemingly medieval lord, had the idea of zombies.

Though, maybe he was speaking in a different language, from the perspective of a culture that had zombie-like creatures in their mythos. The System was just translating it to what Ray could most easily understand.

There were definitely certain cultures like that back on Earth. It wasn’t impossible, he supposed.

“I don’t know how I feel about killing sick people,” Ray said. “I’d like to see them for myself, and if they really are zombies, then I’ll help.”

“Of course. Just remember that your side of the deal depends on the completion of our side of it.”

“I’m aware. Are the others getting similar tasks?”

“I don’t think anyone else would appreciate me revealing the terms of their bargains. After all, I doubt you would enjoy everyone else knowing what exactly you have agreed to. That is why you sought out a more private meeting, yes?”

“Not really. I wanted a personal meeting because I don’t want to have to wait and listen to others. This is a much better use of my time. But fine, I won’t pry. I think this is good enough to be going on with, for now. Though, I’m definitely going to need some specific information as part of our agreement.”

“Of course.”

Ray was still a bit concerned about the infected business, but he decided he couldn’t really make a decision until he had seen them for himself. If they really were mindless, predatory zombies, he would kill them. If not… well, he would see later.

The Objective had said to defeat the plague. Not to kill everyone infected by it. The two might go hand in hand, but they also might not.

Despite having told Caleb that he wouldn’t pry into the deals of others, Ray still got a hold of Timothy to do just that.

“They asked me to kill some infected people,” Ray said. “Not sure if I want to, not until I see them for myself, but at least I’m getting some good returns. What about you?”

Timothy was back in his room, once again lounging in bed with a wine glass. At least he was wearing more than a robe this time. “Hmm, I’ve got some small tasks here and there. I told them my skills and they tasked me with doing some deliveries.”

“…that’s it?” Ray asked.

“Yeah. Pretty easy. I’m getting some good stuff in return too. Sweet deal, if you ask me.”

Ray had at least enough respect for privacy to not enquire what exactly Timothy was getting in return. If he said it was a good deal, then that was enough.

“Do you know what other people are getting?” he asked.

Timothy shrugged, taking another sip of the chilled red liquid. “I know Austin is helping with farmwork and Subham is working with the construction crew here. I get the feeling we’ve all got some varied tasks.”

Ray was still pretty suspicious. Mostly about the fact that these people were keeping the Denizens separate, but he also had a feeling Timothy wasn’t telling him everything. Whatever.

“I’m going to relax for a week before I start, though,” Timothy said. “Stipulated it into my contract.”

Ray almost pointedly asked the guy if he was happy wasting an entire week doing nothing, but he carved the words into a better question. “You signed a contract?”

“Yeah?” He blinked at Ray over the rim of his glass. “You didn’t?”

“No.”

“Maybe they’re drawing one up for you as we speak.”

“Huh. Maybe.”

Ray was not at all sure he liked the idea of contracts. He didn’t want to be bound that tightly. Just the fact that he was, in a sense, working for these people didn’t sit well with him.

The conversation with Timothy only reinforced Ray’s resolve not to befriend the guy. Just not worth it.

An hour later, Ray did manage to have a fruitful conversation with someone else, though. Well, somewhat fruitful.

It was almost a stroke of luck that he had found Mary Felds. After a whole lot of fruitless searching and with zero hope his message would receive a reply, Ray had enlisted the help of his guiding guard. That had worked. The man had somehow located her near the manor’s gates.

It was a little busy there. A handful of retainers were readying a carriage, harnessing a small triceratops to pull it. Mary was standing a little too close.

“Leaving already?” Ray said. He drew back a little, indicating his need for privacy.

“Yes,” Mary said, walking over to join him. She looked little better than she had at the feast. Worse, actually. Even her eyes were dead. “I’m heading to Cliff Two.”

Ray blinked. “Wait, already? You made a deal with them to get to Cliff Two early? Why?”

“Because my Objectives lie on higher Cliffs. I’ve got no reason to stick around longer than I have to.”

Ray had a feeling her sister’s death had stripped away the last of Mary’s ability to care about others. She was focused entirely on her goal now, to the exclusion of all else. “What about levelling up? You’re missing out on all the Essence here.”

“Does it look like I care about levels?”

“You don’t need strength to achieve your goals?”

“Strength?” She laughed. It wasn’t pleasant, didn’t sound sane at all. “How much did your strength help you when you were fighting that Lostcaller?”

“Really? How the hell do you think I beat it if I hadn’t been strong enough?”

“Your strength didn’t fucking save my sister.”

She might as well have stabbed him. Ray didn’t have an easy reply to that. He had some answers to that, certainly, but they probably would have made things worse. Mary had just lost her sister, probably the only person in the Tower she really loved. Ray decided not to slap her with the truth.

“I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me what deal you struck with these people?” Ray asked. “I’ll go first, as a gesture of goodwill. They asked me to kill their infected.”

“Infected?”

Huh, interesting. She hardly seemed bothered by the fact that he was supposed to kill the infected.

“From what I gather, it’s like some kind of zombie plague,” Ray said.

“Hmm.”

“Your turn.”

“I’ve been tasked with finding a certain culprit. Supposedly, this person is causing havoc within the kingdom, one of which is likely this plague that you’re dealing with.”

“Woah.” Ray got killing infected people, and two others got construction and farmwork. He didn’t even remember what Timothy had, but it was equally mundane. “How come you got such an interesting task, and the rest of us all got grunt work?”

For just an instant, there was a glint in Mary’s eye that overcame the despair, listlessness, and coldness. “I think you’ve got what it takes to figure that out, at least, Raymond.”

Then the glint was gone.

The retainers were almost done fixing up the carriage and hitching it to the triceratops. The bucket of feed had nearly grown empty too. That dinosaur sure could eat.

But it all meant Ray was running out of time to talk with Mary. As such, he decided not to beat about the bush.

“What did you do with the Tower Node?” he asked.

She immediately tensed. Her eyes narrowed, like she was suspicious that Ray would steal it in short order. “I have it with me. Why?”

“Just curious.”

There was more Ray could have said about it. Most of it would have been on the accusatory front, though. All he could think of was that fact that she had gone ahead to take the Tower Node while her sister had fought the Lostcaller.

But he waited to wait to see if Mary asked anything about his Tower Nodes first. She had to be curious. She had to know that he had a lot of them too.

But Mary remained silent, giving him no opportunity to continue the conversation along those line.

Mostly because he didn’t want to upset her, as there was one last thing he wanted to ask.

“Before you go,” Ray said. “Can I ask you something about Alice?”

Another tensing of her shoulders. She looked frostily at him. “What is it?”

“Did you bury her somewhere over here?”

Mary considered him for a while. It was probably pretty evident on Ray’s face that he had a lot more questions he would have love to know the answers to. What had Alice said before she had died? Why had Mary prioritized getting the Tower Node over the safety of her own sister? How had she recovered her senses and her purpose with such little time for grief?

But he kept silent, because satisfying his curiosity wasn’t as important his recollection of Alice. He might not have known her for long, but he respected her enough to respect her memory.

“I can ask the guard who was assigned to me to take you to her,” Mary said. “If you want.”

Ray nodded. “That would be nice. I’d like to pay my respects. And I’m sorry.”

Sorry, not for his part in it. The guilt was his to deal with. Sorry, because a woman had lost her beloved sister.

Mary nodded back, if stiffly. “Thank you. We’ll meet again, higher up, I’m sure.”

With everything taken care of by the retainers, Mary spoke with a retainer for a bit, then allowed herself to be ushered into the carriage. In moments, she was gone, the trembling of the ground receding as the triceratops led the carriage away.

Heaving out a big sigh, Ray headed back inside and decided to rest. Tomorrow, he would get started on figuring shit out.

----------------------------------------

Next day, the guard who had been assigned to Ray led him to an empty field somewhere far behind the manor. It was nice to find that no one was there, although the guard remained within calling distance.

Ray wasn’t exactly enthused to have an audience, but it looked like it couldn’t be helped. He was a bit worried. After all, he hadn’t yet revealed his abilities, especially his Tower Nodes.

Couldn’t be helped, if he wanted to test things.

The Tower Node of the Fleshcrafter materialized in front of him still in its disgusting form of a chunk of meat trapped inside a glass cage. The sight made Ray throw a surreptitious glance at the guard who stood near the edge of the field. It was obvious he was trying very hard not to look.

Sighing, Ray ignored him. It was inevitable these people would eventually learn about his Tower Nodes. He wasn’t intent on hiding them if it meant he never actually got to use them.

Ray cast Primal Spiritcraft, the focused on Channel Prayer. Nothing happened. He stood still for a moment, wondering what was going on. Never before had Ray encountered a moment where a spell didn’t respond to him. It wasn’t even like he was somehow out of True Mana.

And then it hit him.

“Oh, please no,” he said. Just to be sure, he tried casting it by focusing on it as he did with all his other spells. It still didn’t work. “Fucking…” he muttered. “Fine. Channel Prayer.”

This time, the spell did work. Ray swallowed down another curse. Derrick Orden had always needed to yell out his abilities. His spells needed a vocal command, not just an application of will. Ray figured it was a trait of his class.

He just hadn’t expected that trait would carry over with the spell itself, even if Ray’s class had no such silly requirements.

Channel Prayer activated, bringing with it a blue screen full of all his options.