Well, the name of the last member of the party he had rescued had just about cleared things up for Ray. Why the leader would glare at them for being late. Why the leader was so invested in them. Why she was the glaring type.
“You must be Mary’s sister,” Ray said as they got going.
Alice’s eyes lit up. Her rosy cheeks and carefree smile were quite the far cry from the frosty expression her sister often wore. “You know her? You must be from this Tower originally, then! That’s so cool.”
Ray laughed good-naturedly. “Yeah, we met a couple of times.”
Alice had shown a lot more interest in him after they had taken turns explaining how he had dropped in and killed the Forest Amalgam.
“No, I actually wasn’t the one to rescue you,” Ray said. He nudged his chin at the right person. “It was your not-friend, actually. I just gave him the opportunity to do so.”
Alice frowned at Jacob. “Not friend?”
“Don’t listen to him,” Jacob muttered.
They continued on their way for a while. The trio had a route mapped out that wouldn’t have them confronting other monsters, though Ray wasn’t sure he actually liked that. Especially considering the poor return he had gotten after killing that Forest Amalgam. Maybe after he was done talking with Mary, he could focus a bit more on grinding up to Level 24.
The leader was located by a small lake. It made Ray think of underwater monsters he could try fighting. Like the Glidescales and Scarserpents he had faced before.
But considering they had basically camped out over there, chances of those kinds of monsters even existing were slim.
Mary Felds ignored all of them, even Ray, when they walked up to her on the lake shore. She grabbed her sister and pulled her into a short hug, before dragging her away to have some private words, all while looking quite angry.
Alice Felds looked like she was about to get an earful. She looked back at Ray, Lottie, and Jacob with pleading eyes, but they all looked away.
Ray was actually interested in their little encampment. There were what looked like makeshift beds. Well, bed was being generous. More like a patchwork of leaves and softer earth to create a spot for sleeping. A couple of people were sparring in a cleared field. There was even what looked like a small smithy, an outpost of sorts in the distance, and actual guards too.
He whistled in appreciation. “You’ve got an entire base without a Base Node, don’t you?”
“We made do,” Jacob said.
Mary eventually walked up to them. Alice didn’t accompany her. She once again ignored Ray and barked at the others for a report. He had to wonder if she had been like this with the Ascenders too.
Lottie and Jacob both straightened like privates in front of their brigadier general. They quickly explained everything about their encounter with the Forest Amalgam, including the fact that Ray had come in and essentially killed the monster single-handedly. Lottie also added that he was the one who had basically allowed Alice Felds to be rescued.
“Alright, dismissed,” Mary said. “You two can get going and get some rest. Prep for your next mission afterwards, understood.”
They both saluted and said, “Yes ma’am!”, before hurrying off.
“Were you a drill sergeant back on Earth?” Ray asked.
“I was a coach,” Mary said.
Ray blinked. “A… coach? Of what? Death glaring isn’t a professional sport anywhere as far as I know.”
“Why are you here, Raymond? I don’t have the time to deal with the testiness of someone who can’t even work well with others.”
Had Ray sounded testy there? He realized he probably had. Ray would need to keep a better hold on his emotions. Although, it wasn’t entirely his fault. “Well, excuse me if I’m a little miffed you ignored the message I sent you.”
“Didn’t I just explain? I don’t have the time for people like you who’ll just end up getting killed.”
“You know, you’re being awfully rude after everything we accomplished on the First Floor. After everything I did.”
She leaned forward so that her uncompromising face was mere inches away from his, like daring him to butt her in the head, sure that he’d be the one coming away with a split lip, a broken nose, and some missing teeth. “If you hadn’t noticed, we’re not on the First Floor anymore.”
Mary turned and began walking away. Sighing, Ray followed.
“Alright, then,” Ray said, channelling his utmost patience. “Enlighten me. What’s so special about the Second Floor?”
She waited until she had walked around a quarter of the perimeter of the lake, barking at a few others here and there along the way. Ray stuck to her like an annoying gnat.
“It’s not about specialty,” Mary finally said. “It’s about difficulty. We’re all positive you have to climb to the higher cliff levels to complete all of our Objectives. And the only way to get to higher ground is via the spire.”
Ray shook his head, disbelievingly. “That can’t be possible.”
“Have you tried heading towards the cliffs and climbing them? Go do that. Once you’re automatically repelled, come back and tell me how possible it is.”
As much as Ray wanted to refute that, he had little trouble believing it to be true. The impression he had gotten was that there were a lot of safeguards on the current area preventing anything located here from going higher up. That was why there were those guards on the spire.
“So you and the rest of this ragtag band are going to make a concerted push to capture the spire?” Ray asked. He didn’t hide his disdain from his voice. Not after how what he had seen from Lottie, Jacob, and Alice. “Unless those guards are pretty weak, I’m not sure you’re got the firepower you actually need.”
Mary squinted her eyes a little at him. “Are you trying to arrogantly imply our chances will be much better with you on our side?”
“I mean… I did beat the Floor Lord. And yes, I know that sounds arrogant, but facts are facts.”
Mary actually laughed. A short, derisive snort, but there it was. “You might want to let out a little air from your head, Raymond. I’ve only been here for a couple of days longer than you, but I’ve already got people here who are stronger than you. Over level 25, even. You’re not the hotshot you think you are.”
Level 25 already… That just made Ray smile. So, for all their whining, there were at least ways of getting much stronger on this section of the Floor. After all, he was more than certain that almost everyone who had come to the Second Floor had to have been weaker than he had been when they had arrived.
So the fact that they could earn that many levels here meant Ray could do so as well. Fantastic.
“Unbelievable, you know,” Ray said.
Mary frowned. “What?”
“Just the fact that you’ve only been here about two days longer than me and already got the whole picture and recreated the Ascenders on the Second Floor is impressive.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“And now you’re trying to butter me up?”
“I mean… facts are facts.”
Mary took a deep, resigned breath like this was exactly the direction she had foreseen the conversation going. “We’re going to begin our assault tomorrow. The only question is if you want to be a part of it or not. Like I said, this isn’t the First Floor. You can’t just go around and do your own thing, expecting to succeed anyway. This needs cooperation. Teamwork. Order.”
She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, almost knowingly, like she knew this was more than just a matter of deciding if he wanted to work with Mary’s little group or not. According to her, this was a test of whether Ray could push aside his apparent arrogance and work for her group.
Forget making a decision, Ray was not at all certain about the whole situation here. He still wanted to verify most of what he had been told.
But most of all, he didn’t like being told what to do. It took away from what he was trying to achieve. If anything or anyone was going to control him and what he did, it was going to be him and nothing else. This wasn’t a question of arrogance.
Mary’s words irked him because it felt more realistically like a question of selfishness.
Even worse, he realized that it went a level beyond than what he was currently bothered about. If Mary was trying to control what he ought to be doing, then it could be argued that the guards on the spire were doing the same, if indirectly. They were preventing him from going further. Limiting his freedom. Controlling his journey.
If he wanted to attain that overarching level of control, then wouldn’t it be his best bet to join up with Mary’s pseudo-Faction and take the fight to the guards?
“Tomorrow, huh?” Ray asked. “Then I think I’ve got some time to think about it before I make up my mind.”
Mary looked like she had been fed a rock. “You have to think about it?”
“Now who’s the testy one?”
“Fine. Not like my plans hinge on your participation.” This time, when she turned away, there was a note of finality about her. “Good luck on your climb, Raymond.”
----------------------------------------
Ray didn’t need luck. What he needed was information and some tests.
“Hey, you got a minute?” he asked.
Alice looked up from where she was whittling away at a piece of wood with a small knife. She smiled when she spotted him. “Hey!”
Ray had looked all over the camp before he finally found her. It had only taken a minute after Mary had left that he had realized he was essentially friendless on the Second Floor. Apart from just causing a weird bout of loneliness, it would be detrimental to his journey to have literally no one to rely on even an emotional level.
So here he was, ready to fix that.
“Nice carving,” he said. He meant it. Ray was always appreciative of skills he didn’t possess. “What is that? A reindeer?”
“Yep!” She showed it to him. Up close, it was even more intricate than he had thought. “What’s up? Pretty sure you’re not here to appreciate my crafting skills. If it’s about my sister…”
Bubbly and cheerful though Alice Felds might be, she was still Mary’s sister. Smart would probably be an understatement if Ray took the time to know her.
“Don’t worry about your sister,” he said, waving it away like it was nothing. “I’ve talked with her before. It’s nothing new. I just wanted to ask if you’d mind if I occasionally poked you in chat?”
The concerned expression she had attained now melted back into amicability. “Sure! I totally get that. I was so lonely when I first got to the Second Floor. Took a while before I met others.” She leaned forward a little, tilted her head sideways, and lowered her voice. “Especially people that were actually likeable.”
Ray laughed. “I’ll try to be likeable. It’s not hard.”
“Cool!” Her face gained a measure of seriousness. “So, um, about what you spoke with my sister…”
Ray didn’t know how much she knew, but he figured it was safe to assume Alice had the overall gist. “I know you guys are planning a big foray to capture the spire, or something along those lines. But there’s still some time before that. So, I want to do some exploring and figuring things out on my own. Hopefully, it won’t take too long.”
“Gotcha. I guess that makes sense.”
Ray went on to ask a bit about her side of things. What she had experienced, what monsters she had fought, how she had gotten stronger on the floor, and anything else interesting she had discovered. Her answers were pretty helpful. They helped Ray form a mental map of where he ought to go and what he had to do.
“Thanks, Alice,” he said when she was done. “I think all that will help a lot.”
“No problem. If you’re heading out now, just be careful. Not just the monsters but the people. Then can be, uh, a bit aggressive.”
“Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind. See you.”
----------------------------------------
Before Ray headed out, though, he finally came to a decision after some thought. He had realized just how much he still didn’t know even after talking with Mary. Just went to show how annoying the conversation with her had been.
He found the leader of the little pseudo-Faction back again at the lake itself. This time, instead of the shore, she was on the water. Her ice powers had frozen a small chunk, upon which she stood.
“What’s going on?” Ray asked. “Ground too dirty for you to rest your feet on?”
There were a few other people not too far away, close enough that they might overhear, but Ray didn’t really care. It was time to clear some things up. Though, he supposed he could come at it a little less combatively.
Mary turned around, expression as frosty as the surface she was standing on. “There’s a certain kind of peace in standing wherever you want. I guess someone who flies all the time wouldn’t really get it.”
Ray laughed. “Got me there.”
“So, you final decided?”
“I finally decided on some clarifications, yeah.”
She frowned. “Clarifications?”
“Let me ask this—your plan is to assault the spire.” He pointed back with a thumb. “With all the people you’ve gathered, you’re going to attack the guards, defeat them, and then climb to the second cliff. That right?”
Mary nodded a little hesitantly, like she was expecting Ray to catch her out.
“And once you’re all done with that,” Ray continued. “You’re just going to leave the spire behind and journey onwards, is that right?”
Mary was starting to see the issue Ray was slowly getting. “The higher areas are definitely more likely to hold all we need for our Objectives. It makes no sense to linger on the spires.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Didn’t you tell me that there are people here who are stronger than me? Level 25 and higher? They couldn’t have been stronger than me before coming here, so in other words, they all got that strong after coming to the Second Floor and in this area, specifically.”
Mary’s face darkened. “There are going to be ample opportunities for growth above too.”
“Of course. But if you left this place too early and had no way of coming back, then you’re essentially squandering a lot of growth. That might not matter to you, Mary.” Ray nudged his head back. “But considering what I’ve seen, I think some of these people back there could sure use some beefing up before going any farther to any harder places.”
That started a small argument behind Ray. Some were considering his point, others deriding it.
“It’ll be fine, they’ll have better opportunities up top.”
“I don’t know…”
“We might need some more time here.”
“We’ve got no time.”
“But I need to train…”
[New Personal Achievement—Chaotist!]
You’ve fractured a group of your own fellows! Your ability to manipulate and misdirect can come in quite handy at times.
Reward
* Reputation: +25 Chaotic, +20 Cunning
[Reputation Threshold Crossed]
For reaching the 200-point threshold, your Chaos now builds Insanity even faster, at 16% per successful hit, and inflicts Tier 4 Insanity upon proc.
Really, System? Ray hadn’t been tricking and misdirecting and manipulating anything. All he had done was point out the fallacy in Mary’s actions. Alright fine, that had resulted in her little group seemingly splintering right in front of her eyes, but that hadn’t been Ray’s intention. Not really.
What he had wanted was for them to realize how much potential growth they were squandering in their hurry to get to the top of the cliff.
Ray kept his eyes fixed on Mary, who was having a lot of trouble keeping her face placid and expressionless. Besides the obvious coldness, of course.
“Why are you trying to sabotage this?” she hissed.
Ray raised an eyebrow. “I’m not. I’m only pointing out what’s best for everyone. Instead of just rushing up the spire and leaving behind either the guards to recover it or let the monsters from this area rise up as well, secure it so that other people coming up have the option of doing everything they need to here before moving on. So that everyone can maximize their potential.”
He couldn’t hold back his smile. Ray had turned the whole, original argument Mary had struck him on its head.
She had insinuated that Ray was too selfish. That he was looking out only for himself, had no care for any Faction or groups of people, that he would always pick himself over the collective. And that was fine. That might even be true to an extent.
But the point was, Mary couldn’t fling that as an insult when she herself was little different.
After all, if she was working for the good of the collective, then she would do what was best for everyone. Not just the few who were in her group already, but everyone else as well. All the people who would be coming in after them. If she was going to pull the altruism card, then she couldn’t afford to not think of all the Denizens, past, present, and future, now could she?
“So there you go,” Ray said. “That’s my decision. I’m going to take a hike and fulfil my potential. If you guys are still around then, maybe we can talk and figure out how we’re going to tackle the spire. If not…” He shrugged. “I’ll figure out something on my own.”
While the conversation rumbled on behind him, Ray decided to get going. No time to waste. The forests’ monsters weren’t going to kill themselves and offer up their Essence to him on a platter.
“You’re making a mistake,” Mary said as he walked away.
“Oh, yeah? And what mistake might that be?”
“You won’t win this Floor alone. You’ll see, Raymond. When this Floor chews you up and spits you out, you’ll learn your lesson way too late.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He offered her a pointed glare, was kind enough to lower his voice when he answered. “But at least I’ll have a clear conscience I didn’t use anyone for my own ends.”
To that, Mary didn’t answer. She only wore her frosty glare like she could freeze his heart if she looked long and hard enough.
With a parting wave, Ray left. It was time to hunt.