Chapter 92
“One more level and I’ll be able to use the Scroll of Acid Resist,” Nyle said cheerily as we left the Cathedral. “Did you happen to get anymore for me to hold on to?”
“I didn’t donate anything this time,” I said, more than a little upset still at the fact my donations had yet to net me any actual gear. The Cathedral was definitely rewarding Nyle, and that was great for the team, but personally I wouldn’t mind if me donating hard earned prizes from the Tower would actually give me something to use.
“What about you?” Nyle looked at Lyn.
“Nope,” she walked casually beside the two of us, her hands behind her head as she skipped around. She was still putting her new agility to the test, and I figured, enjoying showing it off. I could not wait till I hit level 15. What did it feel like? Finally breaking a threshold?
“Did you actually have anything worth donating?” I asked Nyle. We were heading to the nearest set of shops denoted on our maps. A cluster of last-minute shops, outside the city itself, set up as close to the Tower as possible. Still further from the Tower than the Cathedral of course, which guarded the gates that allowed access to the Tower’s massive courtyard and entryway. But much closer than the town, further down the hill.
“Not really,” Nyle shrugged, “but I gave the Speaker that helped me all of the Golem Powder and Golem stone. Figured since we all collected a ton of it, giving my portion to the Tower wouldn’t hurt. I held onto the Golem Cores though, until we figure out what they’re for.”
“Did you get anything as a result?” I pressed.
“Nope. According to the Speaker, donations don’t always result in gifts from the Tower.” He switched his voice to a whisper, trying to mimic a Speaker, as he continued, “To expect a reward for every act of devotion, is to expect failure and disappointment. The act of selfless giving to the Tower, is what makes its rewards, when received, all the more important.”
“Uh huh. Speaking of the Speakers,” I moved the conversation along, “mine didn’t seem too happy that I didn’t want to donate this time around.”
“Same,” Lyn chirped in, “he warned that neglecting to show proper respect and thanks to the Tower was a slippery slope.” She hooked a loose stone under her foot and deftly kicked it into the air, only to begin juggling it with ease between her feet as she half walked, half skipped along. “As if I haven’t been giving the Tower offerings every time I’ve been to the Cathedral.”
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“Maybe it’s just part of their job requirements,” Nyle offered up, “I bet they’ve got a bunch of unknown expectations and requirements placed on them, just like all of the other guilds and such. Since they are the Tower’s Speakers, I wonder if its even more important for them to do whatever it is they have to?” He shrugged, “we have damnation waiting for us if we don’t do our jobs. And the non-climbers have Tower Sickness to worry about. I wonder what the Speakers have?” He stopped walking for a moment, causing us to slow. Lyn and I turned to look at him. Nyle seemed to be deep in thought.
“Have… have you ever seen a Speaker enter the Tower?” he asked after a moment.
I glanced at Lyn, my attention brought to her by the clatter of stone. She’d stopped juggling it, as she looked at Nyle, her own face thoughtful.
“No.” she said after a moment, shaking her head. “I’ve never seen any outside of the Cathedral. Only the Tower Keeper.”
I thought hard on that and came to the same conclusion. Whoever the Speakers were, they were only ever seen on the Cathedral grounds. I didn’t even know the names of any. Simply that they were Speakers. The only actual name I knew was of the Tower Keeper himself. Lynal Shade. Seventeenth Tower Keeper, descendant of the first Tower Keeper, Korl Shade.
We stood there for a long moment, glancing at each other, then the Tower, and then back towards the Cathedral.
“Huh,” Nyle finally said, clearing the air, “maybe they only come out in the evening? Once everyone’s back in their homes?” He shrugged again, as if trying to remove the uncomfortable feeling that had surrounded us off his shoulders, “we’ve only been out of training for a few days. It could also be that they very rarely leave, and we’ve just not been around long enough to see one in the town.”
“That could be,” I said. It made sense. For the past eight years we’d spent almost all of our time in the area outside of town used to train Climbers. When it came to what happened in town, and what was normal, and what everyone else did, for that matter, we knew very little. And yet, I couldn’t shake the strange feeling that something was amiss. That we were onto something. That there was something strange going on at the Cathedral.
But then again, the Cathedral existed to serve the Tower. And the Tower was what ensured we could survive. Meaning, it was probably best not to dig too deep into whatever it was that was going on. After all, if it wasn’t broke, there was no need to fix it. Right?
I cleared my throat, trying to move things along. “Tower Speakers aside,” I motioned back towards our destination. The shops could be seen, and we were near enough that the scent of fresh baked bread reached our noses. My stomach grumbled in response. “Shall we grab Lyn’s arrows, and maybe a quick bite, before we get back to leveling?” I motioned towards the Tower itself, “after all, we’ve got limited time, and I really want the to hit level fifteen today. Afterall,” I looked directly at Lyn, “don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve been showing off your increased dexterity all day.”
Lyn smirked at that, her eyes flashing with amusement, “just wait. I’m already eagerly looking forward to breaking the threshold at 21, and my dexterity is only a 13 right now.”
“My dexterity is only thirteen right now,” I said back in a fake-mocking tone. I shoved past her with a laugh, moving towards the shops. We had monsters to kill, and levels to gain. My stomach grumbled again. And, apparently, fresh bread to consume.