The next day, Ray was asked to heal up another important Everstead soldier before he was going to be allowed to climb to Cliff One. Ray obligingly took care of the man. He also took a peek at who exactly he was healing up with Primordial Gauge.
Ray: He’s a long-range fighter type. They seem to prefer pinning their opponents down and then taking shots at you from a distance.
Ray recalled how there had been a bunch of ranged attacks on him at the warehouse. Clearly, it was a strategy the Everstead, at least the ones on Cliff Two, had practiced and perfected.
Kredevel: Any other details?
Ray: Lots. Level 40, a Tier 3 class, some buffing skills that improve damage with every successful headshot and also grants a bonus when at a vantage point. Basically, you need to be aware of points on battlefields you could be fired at from.
Kredevel: Essentially, we will need to carry out scouting that will locate any vantage points so we can set traps there.
Ray: Exactly.
Kredevel: I see. Thank you, this will be highly valuable.
They called off the conversation afterwards. Kredevel had also provided a little update earlier about the war. Ray hadn’t helped so many of the Everstead yet that the tides had turned. The Sylvans were still capturing a lot of Cliff Three. Their guerilla tactics were paying off.
Ray was glad to hear that. He had a feeling things were going to change before long, though. That was why he had warned Kredevel to hurry up and secure himself and his fellow Sylvans a proper footing. Eventually, Ray would heal up someone truly powerful, and then the Sylvans would be in trouble.
Though, of course, there was the reverse possibility. Ray would give them the opportunity to deal a serious blow to the Everstead, and if they succeeded, they’d gain a strong boost to their momentum. And so much of war was about momentum. Even Ray knew that.
Before Ray headed off for Cliff One, he chatted up Gritty and the Holdstar trio.
Gritty: Didn’t I tell you not to contact me unless I contacted you, wingman?
Ray: Really? Even now, after we already met in person?
Gritty: I could be in the middle of a fight! I could be flaying a person alive! You never know when I’ll be busy.
Ray: It’s not forcing you to answer, you know. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.
Gritty: I’ve killed off eight more people since the last time we met.
Ray was about to reply that wasn’t exactly the answer he was looking for. But then, what better answer was there to the question of how okay Gritty was than the amount of bloodshed she was causing?
Ray: I had a specific request, if you don’t mind.
Gritty: What’s your offer?
Ray had the sudden image of Eustace Bagge pop up in his mind, but he kept it to himself. Probably a good thing Gritty couldn’t see him laugh.
Ray: I’ll sing you a song. Hmm, what do I hate? Oh yeah, I’ll sing you the Christmas song by Mariah Carey. I’ll make you hate it too.
Gritty: I can almost hear you laughing, you know.
Ray did actually laugh at that.
Ray: But listen, I think you should go meet Kredevel. Or at least contact him. The way we’re planning to do things, you could be pretty crucial.
Gritty: Planning on healing and betraying the Everstead from the inside?
Ray: Yes. You make it sound like the most heinous shit possible, but yes. And you could be the lynchpin.
Gritty: By killing the ones you heal?
Ray shouldn’t have been surprised she had caught on so quickly. Just because she acted crazy didn’t mean she wasn’t crazy smart too.
Ray: Yep. Since you’re already there, you’re in a perfect spot. Think about it.
Gritty: Hmm, alright. I’ll think about it. What about you? Are you really going up even higher when all the action is down here?
Ray: I think I’ve got all the Essence I want from Cliff Two, and I want to keep my cover too. So, Cliff One it is for me.
Gritty: Well, just don’t get caught in any traps. I’d hate to have to come and rescue you.
Ray: I was just about to say the same. Stay safe out there.
Gritty: Well, you see, I’m in my element. I should be perfectly fine, even when my opponents are strong. But unless you’re about to tell me your element is secretly taking out a kingdom from within while pretending to be helpful, I think you’re going to need luck more than me, wingman.
She had a point there. Ray wouldn’t say this whole operation was his element. He would indeed have been better off if he was taking on the Everstead in a direct confrontation, like he had with the Lord of the First Floor.
Except, there was no need for him to fight against the Everstead, especially when they were ready to help him in return. Things were tense, of course. Hell, things could easily boil over and devolve into pure aggression before long. But for now, things were fine. He could keep it that way, at least until it stopped benefiting him.
Ray: I’ll be fine, I promise. But just so you know, there’s people fighting on the side of the Everstead now.
Gritty: What?
Ray: Actual Denizens on their side. The Everstead must have offered them a one-way ticket to the Third Floor, and they probably jumped at the chance.
Gritty: You’re saying I might have to fight Mary Felds?
Ray: Uh… Idk. No idea what’s going on with her.
Gritty: It’s nice, though, that you recognize that these Everstead aren’t people.
Ray paused. Had he basically admitted the Everstead weren’t people like he and Gritty were? All because they weren’t from Earth? He had, hadn’t he?
Gritty: That’s why it hasn’t really made me feel anything when I killed them. It’s like I can smell it in their blood, you know. That these people I’m killing might just not be people at all. They don’t feel human.
Ram, Bam, and Lam had suggested the same. That the Everstead weren’t humans like the Tower-climbing Denizens were.
Ray: It doesn’t matter.
Gritty: What?
Ray was right. It didn’t matter. He was reminded forcefully of the woman he had healed, how she had spoken softly and kindly to the dying dinosaurs.
Ray: Idk what they are or aren’t, but they ARE real. That’s what matters.
She was silent for a while. Ray wondered if she was about to go off on a spiel on why that did actually matter.
Gritty: Don’t die, wingman.
Ray: You too.
He took a few minutes of breathing room. The conversation with Gritty had turned out somewhat more intense than he had been expecting.
After that, Ray left a message to the Holdstar trio. Neither of Ram, Lam, or Bam replied, and he couldn’t exactly force them to tell him their current state. Gritty mentioned that they were alright the last she had seen of them, which was after Ray had left. He’d have to take solace in that for now.
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Finally, Ray tried talking with Mary. Except, her chat window never popped up. It was greyed out.
She was dead.
Ray was stunned at the implication for a few moments. What the fuck? Mary Felds couldn’t just die. She had off-the-charts main-character syndrome. Her dying with nobody knowing or mentioning was basically unfathomable.
There was practically no way for him to figure out what was going on with her either. He could inform Gritty and Kredevel, ask them to let him know if they found out anything. Maybe he could also ask someone like Cory, though he was doubtful that would result in anything positive either.
Could Mary actually have confronted the Floor Lord? Had she been killed?
He swallowed. It was just a little insane to consider.
After Ray was done with all his conversations, he reminded Cory that Cliff One awaited him. Finally, it was time to get going.
Ray had a guard accompanying him to the spire that would take him higher up the Floor. It was the woman he had healed yesterday. He couldn’t say he was sad to see her keeping him company, though he had definitely thought she’d be bounding off to fight right about now.
“The commanders are waiting to see if my symptoms are truly gone,” she said, by way of explanation as to why she was still babysitting Ray. “They’re wary of the plague resurfacing.”
Ray nodded. “I see. That makes sense.”
Of course, they would wait to ensure that Ray really had healed up their soldiers. That also explained why things hadn’t yet changed in the war, though of course, Ray had literally only assisted two people. But the point was, it was probably going to be a lot later than his initial assumption about when things would take a turn.
They reached the mountainous spire of amplified Growth Mana several hours later. The woman hadn’t seemed too bothered at the fact that she had a new mount now. Maybe she had never been that attached to her original one either.
His ascent went the same as the last time Ray had climbed a spire, the one that had taken him to Cliff Two from Cliff Three. He had guards accompanying him, the woman leaving him at the foot of the spire while a contingent whose armour was blacker than gold ringed around Ray like an honour guard as they began spiralling up.
“Thank you,” the woman said from far behind. Her words were a little difficult to make out due to the distance, but they were clear enough. “I have a lot to think about now, but I won’t forget what you’ve done for me. For us.”
Ray smiled and waved. Huh. Someone was actually appreciating him for once. When was the last time anyone had done that?
It took about another hour before they reached Cliff One. Ray was sorely tempted to ask if the spire really was the only way to get to Cliff One. Surely, there had to be some secret entrance and exit. Maybe rank-and-file soldiers just didn’t know about it.
Cliff One made Ray gasp when he crossed the arched bridge and onto the plain of golden grass atop the enormous cliff. It was beautiful here.
The grass wasn’t just a pretty, wheat-like gold. They were soft too, and many bore small white tufts like dandelions that flew through the air. He thought they’d make him sneeze or feel itchy or something like that, but there was nothing of the sort. Instead, it felt more like being touched by snowflakes, just pleasantly cool instead of icy cold.
They smelled slightly sweet too. Just fragrant enough to make him feel good without being cloying.
Black-barked trees lined the roads and formed little woodland clumps here and there, their bough bearing leaves that reminded him of Fall. Yellow and orange and cozy. Small lakes glimmered under the daylight here and there.
This was all so comforting and nice. Ray had no trouble seeing why the rulers of Everstead preferred this as their home.
The soldiers led him along a stone paved road. No important delegate came to receive Ray this time. Maybe he was too far beneath the lords who resided on Cliff One. Not that he would have preferred to be dealing with another Cory just then.
Ray was enjoying the scenery for about anther hour or so before they arrived at a small castle. Just a simple, square keep with walls and some smaller buildings within the compound.
Ram, Bam, and Lam had warned him that these Everstead weren’t people. So had Gritty.
But then, how in the world had they come up with architecture that came straight out of historical encyclopaedias? How had they structured their society to be so humanlike? What in the actual fuck were they if they weren’t even real people?
Questions he didn’t need to consider too much. He had a goal, he had his tasks, he had a need to grow and advance, and that was all he had to focus on.
The castle finally held someone who gave Ray a proper welcome. A fancily-dressed man came with a retinue trailing in his wake. Clearly the lord of this little castle.
“Welcome, Raymond Dominick,” he said. His voice reminded Ray of olives being pressed into wine. “It is good that you have finally arrived. Come, come. We have no time to waste.”
Ray blinked. Not exactly the welcome he was hoping for. Where was a relaxing rest and some food to eat? Not that he was hungry, having eaten another Mana fruit not long ago. Still. He was starting to miss the gracious hospitality he had received all the way back on Cliff Three.
The lord led Ray through some winding stone-lined corridors before they arrived at a large but mostly empty room. His retainers hesitated at the doorway for some reason, though they reluctantly entered behind their leader after some time.
There was nothing inside but a bed, and a man lying on top of it. Another of the infected.
“Help has arrived, my son!” the lord announced joyously. “You won’t have to suffer any longer.” He turned to Ray, eyes expectant. Almost demanding. Ray didn’t like that look one bit. “I trust you can take care of this, yes? Please, go right ahead and work your magical healing.”
“Uh, didn’t anyone tell you?” Ray asked.
The lord frowned. “Tell me what? And I understand you Denizens have a certain way about you, but I shall expect you to adhere to the proper mannerisms here.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m sorry, my lord.”
“Oh, no need to apologize. We all make mistakes sometimes.”
The man’s face bulged a little in growing rage. Behind him, several of his retainers stood to their full, not-very-threatening heights, all glowering at Ray.
“You must have difficulty parsing our language and our customs,” the lord said through gritted teeth. “The System doesn’t always translate things with perfect accuracy, or so I’ve been told, even though all I know suggests you should be aware of the proper form of address. But I will excuse your repugnance so long as you do the job you’ve been called forth to do.”
Oh, yes. Ray was not liking this new lord one bit. And here he had thought things couldn’t have gone worse than his initial experience with Cory.
“I’m sorry, my lord,” Ray said. “But I thought you would have been informed by the lord of Cliff Two. I’ve already expended my healing capacity for the day. If you give me some time—”
“You are capable of performing emergency healing. Do so now.”
Ray shook his head. “I can’t. I don’t have the power for that yet, either.”
“Then what good are you?” The man’s voice rose, his words turning into yells that reverberated around the room. “You think I brought you here to avail of my hospitality while you sit on your arse and do nothing? Don’t annoy me, you uncouth little dog. Or I will slap a collar around your neck and throw you into the kennels where you belong.”
Ray was silent for a moment before taking a deep, calming breath.
“A few more hours.” Boy, was it hard to keep a neutral expression after hearing that little tirade. His hands itched. “I understand it’s difficult seeing your son in such a condition. But give me just a few more hours, and I promise I’ll be ready.”
Ray’s new host looked like he wanted to continue arguing, and probably insulting too, but one of his retainers mustered the courage to speak first. He surprisingly took Ray’s side and suggested there would be no harm in waiting a few hours. The young lord would survive a bit longer. He was supposedly quite strong.
Mollified by the reminder of his own son’s innate power, the lord finally allowed Ray to get away.
Ray kept his feelings in check as he was shown to his actual housing. Only when the door was finally closed behind him did he sink into the small bed he’d been given and let his thoughts take their course.
On and on, he kept getting these reminders why he shouldn’t be working for anybody. Not for the Everstead, not for anyone. First there was Cory, demanding that he do everything the Everstead asked or be imprisoned. Now there was this jumped-up lord refusing to use the bare minimum of logic and acting like Ray was just a tool.
Yeah, well, fuck them all.
Ray closed his eyes, took a deep breath, tried to centre himself. He was working towards something. After all, he couldn’t lie that he had received as good as he had given.
All the growth he had managed so far had been sped up thanks to the assistance he had received from the Everstead. He would still be languishing on Cliff Three, probably several levels weaker to boot, if he hadn’t had them on his side. Mostly.
But was it worth it, really? When they kept turning abusive instead of amicably collaborative?
About an hour and half later, Ray set out to rediscover his way back to the room of this afflicted lordling he was supposed to heal. There had been no guards posted outside his room, surprisingly. Still, he managed to find a servant, who then pointed him in the right direction. Unlike his room, the lordling’s bedchamber was guarded.
“Are you going to make me wait while your lord’s son suffers?” Ray asked. The guards had refused him entry so far. “Or are you going to let me do the job I came here to do?”
The guard remained unimpressed. “We cannot allow just anyone entry into such a private chamber. Begone. Come through the proper channels, if you must.”
“Your little lordling doesn’t have much time.” Ray would be damned if he was sent chasing after that puffed up lord’s coattails. “Are you ready to face our lord’s ire if his son dies because of your misplaced faith in your duty?”
They still looked reluctant. But Ray could see their defence was crumbling. He pushed on.
“You know, you could come inside and keep an eye on me, if you’re really afraid I’ll do something,” he said. Then he twisted the knife. “Unless you fear for your lives. Unless this duty is only for show, and you’re actually too afraid to risk yourselves for your lord.”
That finally did it. With their bluff called, the guards caved in and allowed him entry.
One of them followed him inside, though he remained close to the doorway like he wanted to be sure he could bolt if he stared feeling even mildly off. The other ran off. Probably headed to find his lord and bring him in.
Ray ignored them both and approached the sleeping lordling. He pulled off the covers, unsurprised to see that the young man had the same twisted flesh and corrupted veins from the plague that Ray had seen on others. The lordling’s chest was bloated, his jaws and cheeks swollen like small balloons, and his arms and legs covered with pustules and bulbous growths.
This was going to take some work. Taking in a deep breath, Ray got to work.
He summoned the Tower Node of the Fleshcrafter and made sure it floated behind him so no one would see. Then he concentrated its power on his patient, getting started on removing the corrupted flesh and closing up the wounds that popped up all over the young man.
Ray closed his eyes to concentrate harder for a moment. Something strange flowed through him. It was as if all the energy going through the Tower Node suddenly reversed direction and went into him instead of his targeted patient. A livid, corrupting power that thrummed with extreme potency.
He opened his eyes, heart picking up the pace. The sight awaiting him made him swallow. He… wasn’t in the large but mostly empty bedchamber any longer.
Ray was in the presence of a Paragon.