Chapter 80

“Anyone get anything worth note?” I asked as we left the Cathedral. I’d waited till we were out of earshot of the Speakers, feeling more than a little uneasy after everything I’d been learning recently about the Tower itself. I wanted to know more about the role they played. They were said to speak for the Tower, to know the Tower’s whims and wishes, and existed to guide us in utilizing our blessings. But, I couldn’t help but feel there was more to it. And my more recent interactions with them, had continued to leave a sour taste in my mouth.

“My dexterity it at elven now.” Lyn said, moving with an obviously increased amount of ease and grace. Not to say that she hadn’t been before. But the differences, while subtle, were still noticeable. There was an extra spring in her step, and her movements seemed more… fluid. I couldn’t help but lick my lips, wondering what it would ‘feel’ like once my own dexterity got to 11.

“I meant from donations.” I replied, catching her gaze as I did. “No need to brag about your stats.”

“I got a shield.” Alax said with a smile on his face. “Can’t use it yet. Need level 5 Holy, but I’m excited.”

“What’s your Holy stat currently at?” I asked, interest piqued. “Actually, what are your stats, if you don’t mind telling us now?” Given the rocky start to the day, I’d not felt inclined to ask. But after what we’d just been through, I figured why not.

“My Holy is at 4 now,” he said, “nearly there. Previously I dumped all my level stats into Constitution.” He looked at me, a slight shadow crossing his face for a moment. “After The Reaping, I’d decided I wanted to ensure I could endure attacks, to make sure my body was strong enough to withstand anything.” He shrugged, “so my Constitution is currently at level 7. I’d planned to rush 11 with it but couldn’t resist putting some points into Holy after seeing Jade in action.”

“She was pretty impressive, huh.” Nyle cut in. “I’ve been putting stats into Holy as well. Seeing Jade today, definitely made me feel better about my choice. Though,” he shrugged, “I’m going a pure magic route. Holy and Arcane for me.”

“And Lyn’s obviously dexterity,” Alax commented, receiving a nod from the archer. “I can’t believe you’ve already got your Dex up to 11.”

“It’s my gear that gave me the boost.” Lyn replied, pointing down at her boots. “They give me plus one to my dexterity. And the cloak,” she twirled, showcasing the Grey Wolf Cloak, “adds one to my constitution.”

“From what my mentor told us,” I cut in, “gear can be extremely useful in helping boost our stats. Early on for sure, but even later it’s even more important. Or so he said.” I fingered my own special gear, Claw and Fang, remembering how effective Bloody Howl had been, and even more impressive, the special move I’d unleashed with them. “Stronger monsters, like mini bosses, floor bosses, and so forth, have better gear and material potential according to Ryker. It’s why we’re rushing levels. We’ve got the Den Mother in our sights.”

“I figured you were just trying to get stronger.” Alax kicked at a loose rock on the ground. Our group was wandering towards town, but our pace was leisurable. Around us people of all sorts, Climbers, Hunters, Farmers, everyone, moved about. With Dusk upon us, and the Tower closed for the day, everyone was moving to take care of whatever other tasks they had on their agendas.

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“Well, that too.” I said, “we want to start climbing the Tower as soon as we can. But the Den Mother is our first big goal.” I pointed a finger at Lyn. “What she didn’t tell you is her gear has a special bonus, if she can get another piece. Same with my Claw and Fang actually. The more unique pieces you get from a certain monster, apparently, the higher the chance of additional stat bonuses.”

“Is that what that means?” Alax asked. His eyes unfocused for a moment, his movement slowing just a tad as he seemed to split his attention between walking and reading something in his inventory. “My shield has a Set Bonus label, but I’d not known what it was.” He paused, brow furrowing, “the shield itself will increase my constitution by one, and give me 5 extra HP. And if I acquire three pieces of the set, the bonuses for each piece will double.” His smile grew, as did my gear envy. “So, the shield will give me 2 points to constitution, and 10 points to HP.”

“Does your shield have a unique name?” Nyle asked, perking up at that. “I’ve gotten a cloak so far from the Speakers, well, Ash got it, and gave it to me. But I’m curious if it’s from the same set.”

“The shield is called ‘Tower’s Bulwark’.” Alax said. “I’m not sure if it says what parts go with the set…”

“My cloak is called the ‘Tower’s Embrace,” Nyle replied, “I’m guessing they’re part of the same set. Now that I think about it, next time I’m at the Cathedral I’ll ask the Speakers. Since we’re proper Climber’s now, we should probably look over the records and resource books that are available to us now. I’ll be there’s a good bit of information in them that we couldn’t access before.”

I nearly tripped at that statement. I’d completely forgotten that completing the Reaping would give us access to more detailed records from the Cathedral. It felt like we’d been floundering, waiting for others to either guide us, or for our own mistakes and efforts to grant us lessons. But… how much of this was also already available in the records at the Cathedral? I was half tempted to turn around and check, but stopped. There’d be time tomorrow, and as it stood, it wasn’t like waiting a whole day would cost us anything. We already had a set plan, thanks to Ryker and his clan. Reach level 15, defeat the Den Mother, and then, climb. A clear, concise, simple plan.

“Any chance I can buy it from you?” Alax’s words pulled me from my musings. “It’ll put me a piece closer to the set…and since you said you’re going full magic anyways; I don’t think a shield is your style. But a cloak,” he patted his empty shoulders, “I could use.”

“Good try,” Nyle laughed, “but I’m not parting with it. You’ll just have to donate more to the Speakers, and hope for some good luck. As long as you don’t go killing any more innocent baby animals in the Tower, I’m sure the Tower will give you its blessing.”

Alax reddened at that, as we shared a laugh. Funny, how something that could have been so tragic, so terrible, had turned into something we could make jokes about. All thanks to Jade, really. She’d turned a catastrophe, into a moment to celebrate. It went past just keeping everyone safe, past just killing a threat within the Tower. Jade, through her display of power, and then her generous gifts and easy-going nature, boosted morale and turned the moment into a joyous one.

Jade, in that moment, had shown me another side to being a Climber. A role that we weren’t taught, something that probably couldn’t be taught anyways, come to think of it. We weren’t just protectors. No, we were symbols. Beacons of strength, prosperity, and hope. And if we used our blessings properly, we could turn any situation, no matter how terrible, into one of brilliant jubilation. My lips turned up on their own, as an ironic thought crossed my mind. The Tower’s ire had summoned the Jungle Titan, threatening death and destruction. And Jade’s power, her defeat of that very same Titan, had somehow resulted in everyone cheering the very structure, the very entity, that had summoned the danger in the first place. That, of all that had happened today, was the most baffling, and magical bit, I’d experienced. Just what, exactly, was the Tower? The more I learned, the more I experienced with my own eyes, the more I realized. The world wasn’t as black and white as we’d been taught from the first day of our training. There was so, so much more, to being a Climber, to living beneath the Tower’s shadow, than I’d ever considered. And I had a feeling, each day within the Tower, would slowly, surely, continue to unravel more truths, and bring forth more questions.

I could hardly wait.