Ignoring his burgeoning headache and the waves of heat washing over him, Fritz strode up to his resting team. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked over their tired, miserable faces as they sat in the dark of the tunnel. They also dripped with sweat, and their torn, battered clothes were drenched. Small smudges of ash and blood, both their own and from the lizards, were splotched on their skin and armour. No one was seriously injured, but it looked like they were on the last legs or nearing them.
The stifling air still stunk of brimstone, a small mercy considering how filthy he felt and the others looked.
Fritz set his features in a grim mask and gazed down on the group, waiting until he had their attention. It only took a minute before the team was staring up at him expectantly.
"Last push," Fritz said scratchily. "A huge crater and lots of lizards. We will try stealth first and when that fails, we push through. It will be hard, a true test to see if you have the stubborn souls to survive as Climbers."
"That's it?" Carter groused. "No miracle plan like with the wind?"
"This time the miracles will be up to you," Fritz said. "You can do it. Just keep your eyes on the Stairway and move forward. If a team member falls pick them up and carry them. We're not leaving anyone behind."
Rosie nodded vehemently while Carter stared at the ground. Lauren glanced at the heavier members of the group and straitened her back and shoulders. George nodded once, adding a low, short hum in agreement.
"Worry not, I'm strong enough to carry two of you," Bert said, grinning and flexing a bulging bicep.
"A generous offer, though if we do things right it won't be needed," Fritz said. "Form up, we go now. Before we succumb to this terrible heat."
They stood and shouldered their packs, readied their weapons and resolve.
Fritz wondered if they should wrap the heavy boots George and Carter wore, but decided against it. While some padding would reduce the impact of their footfalls it would also ruin their balance, making a trip or slip far more likely. No, if they were to get across they would need to move forward fast, relying fully on stealth was a fool's game.
He turned and led the team to the entrance of the grand crater. Fritz could feel them behind him, waiting for the order to advance. When the ground rumbled he stepped forward onto the sloping stone. They followed as quiet as they could. Fritz winced at all the noise. To his powerful ears the thumps and squeaking of slipping soles sounded more like screams and thunder. There was nothing to be done about it, so he hoped it would be covered by the tremors below their feet.
They moved from one standing stone to another while the rumbling continued, only stopping when the tremors stilled. The heat rose precipitously as they neared the halfway mark, even Fritz slipped and stumbled more than once. The scorching air was overwhelming, suffocating, his lungs and throat ached, but still he trudged forward.
George fell to an armoured knee with a clang that echoed out like an anvil being struck, announcing their presence for all to hear. No matter how deaf the lizards were they weren't so hard of hearing that they wouldn't notice the unnatural sound of metal on stone.
The Lizards turned their bright red eyes on the group, they hissed and growled as low and loud as the quaking ground, then charged.
"Run!" Fritz yelled. His team stood staring stupidly at George for a moment before Fritz's order registered in their minds and they rushed towards the stairway.
George cursed and Bert was by his side in a moment, getting under his arm and lifting him back to his feet.
A great lizard easily the same height as Fritz's shoulder barrelled in from the front. It ploughed into the midst of the group and opened its jaws wide. There was a whine of the impending fire spit as its head oriented on Fritz. With Bert occupied with George and unable to thwart the hulking monster, Fritz leapt out of its path. Instantly the beast changed targets. It aimed its sparking maw towards Rosie who raised her shield to catch its burning spray. Flame leapt and the shield caught alight. She shrieked, dropped her spear and tore at the leather bands holding the burning shield to her arm.
Seeing his sister in danger, Carter rushed to the lizard's side, he left his blade in its sheath, and using his bare hands, Heaved. For a moment it looked as if the beast wouldn't be moved and that it was far too heavy to be pushed back. Then with a guttural scream, his arms stretching and straining, Carter lifted it an inch. His veins bulged and with another push and yell he rolled the creature onto its back. Its legs flailed as it lost its feet while a stray sweep of talons sliced through Carter's leather-clad vest and into his torso.
Fritz took advantage of the monster's downed state, drawing Quicksilver and thrusting forward. He skewered its eye, which came out with his blade with a foul pop. Withdrawing out of the lizard's clawing reach, he pushed a shocked and bleeding Carter forward and around the screeching beast. Rosie came to her senses, drew her shortsword, and cut the flaming shield free from her arm.
"Rosie! Carter's hurt, help him," Fritz ordered.
Rosie looked around frantically, her eyes drawn to the rapidly approaching monsters.
"Ignore the lizards. I'll stop them. Just move!" Fritz yelled.
She turned to him, then to her brother, and rushed to Carter's side as he stared down at his bloody hands and chest in bleary incomprehension. She got under his shoulder and dragged him away from the still-flailing lizard.
Fritz darted forward again, cutting the beast's other, still intact eye. The jagged blade tore through easily, leaving the fallen lizard blind. Another two beasts were almost upon them. Fritz called on the power of his Dusksong, weaving a Lethargy at each of them before they reached the struggling team. The hulking lizards slowed slightly in their pursuit, feeling the effects of the Stamina drain more keenly since they were charging.
Fritz ran, joining his team, and one of the lizards broke off to attack the blinded beast which had accidentally struck it in its wild swiping. The other chased him and his team who used every stone, standing or otherwise to cover their retreat. While it seemed the lizards could move at great speed it taxed them heavily, and they couldn't make sharp turns without a lot of effort. The remaining beast began to pant and stumble as it tried to keep up and scrabble around the interfering rocks. Then it stopped and watched them with dull, drooping eyes as they fled, too tired to follow any further.
There was a scream from the front as George and Bert were bowled over by a lizard that had been hidden behind a tall, fallen stone. Bert's fists pounded on the monster from below. Stone shards sprayed the two beneath the lizard's enormous bulk, cutting skin and clattering off of armour. A gasping, dazed George angled his sword into a patch of shattered scales and pushed, plunging his blade within, right up to its cross guard. The lizard sagged and died, the sword having reached its heart or something else equally vital.
Bert was able to extricate himself with a few squirming movements and a mighty push, then he stood and grabbed George by the shoulders, dragging him free from under the corpse. George still held his blade with a powerfully tight grip as it slid out from beneath the body with him.
"Go on ahead. I'll stall them," Fritz commanded the pair. Bert looked loath to leave him, but obeyed when he saw whatever grave expression he must've been wearing.
Another lizard charged from behind and Fritz lay his curse on it, forcing it to slow even as he stepped forward and tempted it with the gift of his close flesh. A phantom cut opened up on his legs but he stepped out of the talon's reach. He staggered and his vision blurred, he was panting like a hound and he felt like he was trapped in a boiling pot.
Fritz looked around in the haze, seeing his team in the same exhausted state. He heard a voice urging him to move.
"Just a few yards. Come on!" Lauren yelled. She had reached the Stairway and hadn't moved through yet, and as she said it was only twenty or so yards away. Such a short distance.
A false flame burnt him and Fritz staggered to the side and spun, giving the creature his back and plodding towards the stairway and the woman beside it. The edges were going dark, his ears rang, a sharp something was going to pass through the back of his neck. He ducked and the claw whistled overhead. He straightened, trudged, then forced himself into a loping run, passing by and avoiding more fire, bites and talons from the lizards that were pursuing him.
He couldn't escape. There were too many lizards. He was too tired. And it was too bloody hot.
Fritz fell.
Bert was there, free of his previous burden and hauling Fritz over his shoulder.
"Almost there, hang on," He grinned.
"Can't, almost dead," Fritz groaned, trusting his friend and letting the dark take him.
The world went black and quiet. No more rumbling or hissing. Just a soft cold song.
---
Fritz awoke and was soaking wet, while it was a bad way to wake he had endured worse. He opened stinging eyes to see the Well room and the team around him. They were sitting in the cool water that crept up to their shoulders. He couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few minutes if the heavy breathing of his companions was anything to go by.
As they caught their breath, the accumulated ash and sweat washed away from their bodies in a thin, grimy film that floated on the water's surface. Fritz's vision returned quickly to its unnaturally sharp acuity and he stared up at the ceiling and the walls around him. The stone had that same scale-like carved look to them, but he thought they looked shinier, more lustrous than the rooms before.
Scattered around the flooded room were pillars that resembled coiled snakes. They sat upon raised stone daises just above the water line. In the room's centre was a radiant pearl as tall as Fritz that lay resplendent upon an alter of circular stone holding it away from the flooded floor. Light gleamed beneath the white surface of the pristine sphere and he could almost hear the thrum of the Power contained within.
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He tore his eyes away and looked to his team to make sure they had survived. Rosie was trying to drag a limp Carter to the Well and Bert waded to her and helped haul the extremely pale and bloody man. It seemed Carter was still conscious, if barely so, mumbling nonsense as he was moved. When they lay him on the pearl's glowing surface his eyes cleared somewhat and his paleness receded. The thick red lines on his chest ceased pouring out blood and scabbed over before their very eyes.
Rosie began to wail and weep, holding him close as he coughed and took in his surroundings.
"I'm fine, Rosie," he rasped.
"You nearly died!" she shrieked into his chest, causing him to wince.
"Ouch, stop that. Your tears are stinging my cuts," Carter grumbled but made no effort to push the clinging, crying woman away.
"You nearly died!" She repeated only slightly less shrilly.
"And you saved me. I'll be fine. Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied through sobs.
Bert left the two siblings to their too-loud reassurances, grinning and shaking his head. The sight brought thoughts of his own siblings to Fritz and he wondered how he would react to such a close call. His vision blurred again and he quickly dunked his head under the water.
When he came up, after about thirty seconds, he glanced to the others of the team. George was pulling off his armour, while Lauren was standing with her outstretched hand placed against the pearl and her eyes closed. A smile played across her face and she opened her eyes and broke into a shimmying little dance.
Fritz smirked at the sight and she caught him staring. Lauren stilled immediately and she masked her obvious embarrassment with a blank face. She glanced around for a moment then stiffly, sloshingly strode behind a pillar, hiding her steadily reddening features.
"Think she got what she wanted?" Bert chuckled from beside Fritz.
"I wonder," he replied. "How are you holding up?'
"I should be asking you that," Bert harrumphed. "I'm fine, barely got a scratch."
"Good, good," Fritz said softly. "The rest seem fine, or they will be in time. I think I was clipped a couple of times so I should go get healed."
Bert nodded and helped Fritz up, lending him a shoulder to lean on as he made his way to the Well and absorbed the burning cold Power within. Immediately the cool seeped into his cuts and aching muscles. His body relaxed and the small lines of pain on his back numbed pleasantly.
Fritz stopped leaning on his friend and nodded to him gratefully. Bert sat with is back to the pearl and took his share of Power. Fritz decided to check on the condition of his armour, taking it off with a long-suffering sigh. The back of the leather vest wasn't quite shredded but it was close to it. He might as well mend it now while the others looked over their Path offerings.
There were multiple holes and one long horizontal tear in it, so he walked over to his pack and brought out the small repair kit he had haggled for when he had purchased the swamp buck leather. Some stitching, and a couple of patches of rough grey leather later, and the vest was mended, mostly. He didn't have a tradesman's expertise, but his Grace helped him with the precision of his stitches.
He pulled the fixed armour over his head and took in his surroundings again. Rosie had stopped crying some time ago but she still sniffled as she stared at her hands, deep in thought. Carter's face was bland and distant, a sure sign he was dwelling within his Sanctum.
George had made his way to the pearl and had waded away briskly and was now seemingly in contemplation. He spoke to himself softly and paced slowly back and forth.
"Path has to be Swordsman, but which Trait would go best with it?"
There was an all too familiar roar and a flash of orange light as a cloud of steam boiled from behind one of the pillars. There was a coughing whoop then a high laugh that was almost a cackle.
"Yes!" Lauren cried.
Fritz, and the rest of the team, save Carter, turned to the sudden noise and the woman making it. Lauren's smile was so wide it was almost manic. Not even their stares dampened her joy.
"Get something good?" Fritz asked with a knowing smirk.
"Fire," She replied licking her lips. "Fire!"
His smirk faltered. Had he created a monster? Or perhaps encouraged a madwoman?
"Magnificent," Bert stated.
"Capital," George rejoined.
"Fantastic," Fritz added.
"Fire?" Rosie asked.
"Yes, I was offered the Breath of Fire Trait and I chose the Fire Elementalist Path," Lauren said, eagerly rushing forward and standing before the team.
"I put most of my held Attribute points into Essence of Fire. It's like there's a flame dancing in my heart. It's so warm. So wonderful. It feels even better than I'd thought it would," she chattered, shuddering as she put a hand over her heart.
Lauren stared into their faces and her eyes seemed to flicker and glow like green-yellow embers.
"Thank you!" She said a little too loudly.
"You're welcome," Bert and Fritz said together.
She beamed, moved close and made to pull them into her arms, but stopped herself suddenly, gripping her chest and pulling back. She shook her head as if shaking away a fly, then dropped, plunging under the water.
A muffled yell bubbled to the surface. Black-grey ash and dried lizard blood formed a cloud of filth around her.
Bert and Fritz looked at each other in confusion, George blinked and Rosie just stood there her mouth slightly agape.
"Has she gone mad?" she asked.
"Seems so," Fritz said.
"Yes," Bert said with a grin. "Another for the crew."
"Another for the crew," Fritz agreed, then sighed. "Hope she gets along with Sid." Though he doubted it.
Bert's grin strained somewhat at the edges. Obviously he was thinking the same thing.
"Who's Sid?" Rosie asked.
"Never you mind," Fritz said.
Rosie frowned, but before she was able to continue her questioning Lauren resurfaced with a loud gasp.
Her robe clung to her skin and her stiff leather armour dripped.
"Sorry," she said, once she had caught her breath. "Had to calm myself. I didn't expect that Essence of Fire would be so... exhilarating."
"What do you mean?" Fritz asked, feeling a frown crease his brow.
Lauren looked at him quizzically, seemingly surprised he didn't know what she was talking about.
She shrugged and explained, "Advanced Attributes and Magic Attributes can have certain side effects on your emotions and desires."
"Huh," Fritz said, thinking back on his own Advanced Attributes and wondering if he had been feeling any different. He quickly pushed away his suspicions and returned to what Lauren was saying.
"Well, it depends on which and how much of the Attribute you have," She said. "I may have a little too many points aligned into Essence of Fire."
"How many," Bert rudely asked.
"I have fifteen," She admitted. "Which is the soft threshold, so I thought it wouldn't be too bad. Perhaps I was wrong."
"You seem to have it under control at the moment," Fritz observed.
"I do. I have it all under control," Lauren stated with a wide smile and the light behind her eyes flickering like a candle in the wind.
Fritz smiled, choosing to believe her.
"Anyone need any advice?" Fritz called out.
Rosie nodded.
"I've got a good idea of what I'll choose. But thank you for the offer," George said.
"Okay then," Fritz said. "Rosie, what do you need help with?"
"I have a choice of Paths. Guard, Skirmisher, Spearwoman. I'm leaning towards Guard but I don't want to be part of the storm guard,"she said.
"Then don't. It's just a Path name. Doesn't mean you actually have to join the drizzlers," Fritz said.
"Oh. Good. Hate them bastards," Rosie said nodding.
"Why? They hold up law and order," Lauren said.
"Nah. They don't," Rosie said blandly.
"What Advanced Attributes does the Guard Path Activate?" Fritz asked though he thought he knew from his clashes with them recently.
"Durability and Awareness," Rosie provided.
"Are they always the same for the same Path? The Activated Attributes that is?" Fritz asked Lauren.
"Yes and No. For example, a Stone Elementalist will always get Essence of Stone, but the other Advanced attribute may be Control or Intensity. Or maybe even Durability or Momentum. It's different for every Path and person," She said.
Fritz looked the woman over and smirked, "You got Intensity didn't you?"
"How did you know?" Lauren asked, then mumbled under her breath. "No, it must be obvious from my... outburst."
"What does Awareness do?" Rosie asked.
"I get vague impressions and warnings, can see and hear things that others don't," Fritz said, summarising his own experiences with the Attribute.
"Oh," Rosie said. "Is it good?"
"It's...interesting. Can be a little distracting though," Fritz said.
She stared at him, unblinking.
"Yes, it's good," Bert stated. "Saved our lives a hundred times."
"I don't know about a hundred," Fritz said with false modesty.
Rosie nodded. "Okay, I'm going to be a Guard," she said resolutely. "Someone has to keep Callum, I mean Carter, safe."
"Cute," Lauren said, smiling softly.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Rosie shrugged and sat, falling into the water then her Sanctum. After a moment George joined her.
Fritz, Bert and Lauren stood around awkwardly.
"It is cute," Bert agreed belatedly. "Too bad Carter's such a grouch."
"I am not," Carter said grumpily as Bert pretended to be startled by his sloshing approach.
"Carter! I didn't hear you," Bert lied.
"That's enough," Carter said seriously. "My name is Callum and I want you to start using it or I'm out."
"What's wrong with Carter?" Bert protested.
"It's not my name," He replied through clenched jaws.
They stared at the man's grim expression and Fritz saw the dull pain and fear of ridicule in his eyes. He winced internally. He hadn't realised just how much Callum had cared about his real name, thinking the Carter moniker a fun joke. That, however, seemed not to be the case and now he felt like a bastard.
"Sorry," Fritz said. "I guess I pushed it too far." He added with a weak smile.
"You did!" Bert said, swapping sides immediately. "But Callum's too long. How about Cal?" He suggested.
"That's fine. Good even," Cal said, his stiff shoulders sagging.
"What about Lauren?" Rosie asked as she popped up to her feet. "She should have a nickname too."
"No," Lauren refused. "No, Law-law, Laurie, Bore-en or Lau-rat-face."
There was some history to the names she listed, Fritz was sure of it, but he knew a sore subject when he saw one and left it well enough alone.
"Oh. Okay," Rosie replied with a shrug, then she frowned, looking hard at Lauren.
"Weird," She said. "I can feel things, all jumbled up."
"Awareness," Fritz said.
"Huh," Rosie said then looked away and at the room in dull open-mouthed wonder.
While she was distracted Fritz endeavoured to inquire about Cal's Path.
"Hauler," He said simply.
"Wow," Lauren said, actually impressed. Fritz himself was pretty surprised as well.
"Huh?" Cal asked dumbly.
"Haulers are a sort of Support Path. They don't generally fight but they have extremely useful Abilities. Such as ways to reduce the weight or increase the size of their packs, bags and other burdens," Fritz espoused.
"Increase the size of their packs? Why not just get a bigger one?" Cal said.
"I mean the inside gets bigger while the outside stays the same. I've even heard that some have invisible bags that no one else can see or touch. Though that's fairly rare and much sought after," Fritz said.
Cal shuffled a little at the explanation.
"You didn't?" Fritz intoned.
"I may have a Path Ability called Personal Pack," Cal said with a sheepish smile.
Fritz didn't even have to pretend to be shocked.
"Wow," Lauren said, again.
"Lucky bastard," Bert said grinning.
"How does it work, can you put monsters in it?" Rosie asked.
"Ah, I don't think so," Cal said. "I should look at it again. To get all the details."
"Before we do that. I need to get clean," Lauren said, her nose wrinkling as she looked down at the dark grime and grease seeping off the team and polluting the water around them. "And you all should too."
Fritz looked around at the abashed agreement in their faces.
"Great idea," Fritz said. "Ladies on one side gentlemen on the other!"
"I don't really care. I got nothing to hide," Rosie said, but Lauren rolled her eyes and dragged the woman away as she looked over her shoulder and stared at the men.
"You're sister is very..." Fritz began.
"Dumb, ugly and weird. Yeah," Cal said in the way only a brother could, with both a deep annoyance and a deeper love.
"I was going to say odd," Fritz finished.
"She's that too," Cal said with a sigh.
"Right let's clean up," Bert said. "Chuck us some soap, Fritz."
"Right you are! We must get clean, then reconvene."