When Alex and Finn entered the dungeon the terrain changed drastically. The rugged terrain gave way to a gentle, grassy hill, and the expansive sky stretched above them, painted in a brilliant shade of blue. At the pinnacle of this verdant mound loomed the tower, perched majestically and surveying the perilous cliffs below.
Their inquisitive gazes swept across the landscape, revealing that the hill's edges dropped off abruptly into sheer, treacherous cliffs. It was abundantly clear that the towering structure was their ultimate destination, and its lofty stature lived up to its dungeon reputation—seemingly defying the laws of construction with its impossible height.
Intrigued and determined to uncover the secrets held within, Alex tapped into his mage sense, allowing the mystical energy to course through him. He extended his perception towards the towering structure and felt the pulsating surge of arcane power that emanated from its very core. It extended upward, far beyond what the tower's physical structure should have been able to accommodate.
As they drew nearer, they found themselves scrutinizing the tower's entrance—or rather, the lack thereof. Perplexingly, all sides of the tower appeared devoid of doors or even windows, leaving them to ponder the means of ingress. Alex raised his gaze towards the apex of the tower, where a set of intricately crafted windows adorned the conical peak, beckoning them with an air of mystery and intrigue. It seemed to be their only way inside.
“Are we supposed to enter through there?” Alex asked jokingly.
“Do you see any other entrance,” Finn replied. “We will have to climb. That was the one warning that the Dungeon Office gave me. Now I know what they meant.”
Finn started pulling rope out of his spatial ring and a few metal spikes that could be forcefully pressed into the stone.
“I’ll go first and set up the rope. I will just need you to take out some of the spikes at times so that I can reuse them as we climb higher up the tower. Just let me know if you need to rest. I suspect that you will tire out quickly on this climb.”
“Not that quickly,” said Alex.
The first spikes were driven into the stone by Finn’s hands. He tied them together with rope and then to himself. Soon after he was up the tower. His hands gripped the stone and he found openings to slid his feet into. Every dozen feet or so he stopped to attach a new spike and connect his rope. Each time he was a little faster at the process. Further below him Alex climbed.
Alex was slower but determined to stay near Finn as they climbed. Whenever Finn needed one of the lower spikes Alex was ready. As he trailed behind he removed the lower spikes, not needing them as they went higher up. Climbing was a repetitive processes. They only slowed to adjust the spikes that held their rope to the tower. For once Alex was glad that they now had spatial rings. He had thrown his battery pack into his ring along with his cloak and a few pieces of his gear. The ring lightened his load nicely. Now he only had to avoid looking down.
“Don’t do it. We are already more than halfway up,” said Finn. “Nothing good will come from looking at the bottom.”
“It is almost involuntary. I can’t just stare up all the time and looking at the stone wall all the time gets boring.”
“Then find something else to focus on. Look at the water in the distance,” Finn suggested.
Alex nodded, though Finn couldn't see it since they were both focused on their ascent. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "You're right," he replied, his voice slightly shaky. "I'll try to keep my eyes up."
As they continued their climb, the tower seemed to stretch endlessly above them. The stone was rough against their hands, but they had gotten used to the sensation. The higher they went, the more the world below them blurred into a hazy expanse of green and blue. The wind whistled in their ears, and it felt like they were the only two people in the world, suspended in mid-air.
Finn glanced down at Alex, who was clinging tightly to the spikes and looking a bit pale. "You're doing great," Finn encouraged. "Just a little more to go."
Alex managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Finn. I'm not used to this kind of thing. It's a long way down."
Finn chuckled, a reassuring sound. "Don't worry, Alex. We're in this together, and I won't let anything happen to you."
The tower seemed to loom above them, but they were making steady progress. Finn's skill at attaching the spikes and ropes had improved with every section they climbed, and Alex's confidence was slowly growing.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the top of the tower. The view was breathtaking, a sprawling landscape stretching out before them. They could see beyond the hills and further into the sea which held roaring waves and puffy clouds above. The pair stepped into the tower’s interior and collected their climbing gear.
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Inside the tower was a barren interior. On one side was a wooden hatch.
“Now we go back down,” said Finn. “But first we rest.”
Minutes went by while they waited. Finn and Alex took the opportunity to catch their breath and regain their strength. They knew that the challenges awaiting them within the castle proper would likely be even more perilous than the treacherous climb they had just completed.
Finn looked at Alex. "Are you ready for this, Alex?"
Alex nodded, his fingers tightening around his daggers. "I've come this far with you, haven't I? We'll face whatever comes our way, together."
Finn and Alex made their way to the wooden hatch. Finn pushed it open, revealing a narrow ladder leading down into the depths of the castle. They descended carefully, the wooden rungs creaking under their weight.
As they reached the end of the ladder and stepped onto the cold stone floor, they found themselves in a dimly lit chamber. The air was heavy with an eerie stillness, broken only by the sound of their own breathing. Suddenly, the suits of armor that lined the walls began to move, their joints creaking as they came to life.
Finn took a defensive stance, ready to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the animated suits of armor. Alex, on the other hand, channeled his lightning magic, the blades crackling with electric energy.
The first suit of armor lunged at Finn, swinging a heavy sword, but he dodged with remarkable agility, his fists landing precise, powerful blows on the armor's joints. With each hit, gears and metal plates fell to the ground until the suit of armor collapsed in a heap. His fists glowed with power and the metal bent around his fists. He continued to move around the suits of armor and let them bunch up so that only one or two could face him at a time.
Alex, meanwhile, used his lightning magic to strike the suits of armor from a distance. Bolts of electricity arced from her daggers, zapping the approaching foes, and disrupting their movements. The suits of armor stumbled and twitched as the electrical energy coursed through them. While Finn let them bunch up, when they did so, Alex shot lighting through them. The energy bounced between the enemies happily. The metal provided a clear conduit for the energy causing further damage.
The lightning cracked open the suits of armor and allowed Finn to pry open the pieces with his strikes. The failing pieces fell off the suits of armor and finally tumbled to the ground when it sustained enough damage. They did not get back up. Alex chipped away at the animated armor sets with his daggers infused with lightning. He kept the energy swirling around the daggers as he fought and released it when his strikes hit metal.
The battle continued with pushback from the dungeon enemies. Their armor seemed exceptionally resistant to Alex’s daggers. He realized that it was in part his fault and a problem that he could not fix. His weaponry would only take him so far and as had happed before; Alex could not use the powers of another class. If he were a ranger specialized in daggers then they would work much better. He was not that and as such lacked the necessary additional abilities and powers of a ranger.
Eventually together they were able to finish off the room of enemies.
“I need to kill these things faster,” said Alex.
“Then you should level up some more. How are you doing on that front?”
“If we face one more room of enemies then I will be there.”
Finn opened the door to the next room and entered first. Another room of walking armor awaited them. These enemies were slightly higher and in turn seemed like their metal casing were harder to punch through.
The first suit of armor charged towards Finn, its sword swinging with greater force. He blocked the strike with his forearms, wincing at the impact. The enemy's strength was impressive. Finn's martial prowess allowed him to hold his ground, but he couldn't help but notice that the armor was more resilient than the previous batch. His punches, though powerful, didn't seem to have the same immediate effect as before.
Alex, on the other hand, attempted to electrify the armor with his daggers. He threw a series of lightning-infused strikes, watching as the arcs of energy danced across the metal surface. While the initial jolts caused the armor to stagger, it quickly recovered, showing a remarkable resistance to his magic. The armor didn’t flinch as more lightning was applied to the attacks.
“We may need to properly work together to take these guys down,” said Finn. “There are too high a level for us to each take on enemies on our own.”
“As long as you don’t steal much experience form me then lets do that. I won’t even make a comment about how you chose this hard dungeon.”
“Hey!”
Alex just laughed and turned his attention to the armor set that Finn was attacking. They continued to fight and together pushed back the suits of armor. Alex stuck with using his daggers as his lightning magic was limited in use currently and he didn’t have much to waste. About halfway through the battle Alex felt himself level up. A little power swelled up in him and he used that burst of energy to draw from as he attacked the next suit of armor.
“I did it. I’m level 28.”
“Nice. Soon you’ll be at mine.”
“It is so annoying that you are a higher level than me,” Alex said jokingly.
“Killing things faster and in more numbers then maybe you can but I am hoping to race past 30. I am thinking of heading up to the next floor. At least for a bit.”
“What? You can’t do that.”
“Why not? Once I have the dungeon’s completed I can be out of here whenever I want. I know that some people are headed to the fourth floor as soon as this tournament is over. They hope to get the rewards and then run for the new stuff. I think that some won’t wait. Once their part in the Single’s tournament is over then it is on to the next thing.”
“Who is doing that?”
“A few people in the larger guilds to start with. I’m sure others are as well but for them. They are competing in a race to the top against each other while we. Well, we are just doing our best.”
“How come you never joined a guild?”
“Too young remember. Or at least that is there excuse. They don’t want the liabilities of having a teen on their teams. I suppose I could find one of the smaller teams and be with them but those are more sketchy, and I don’t trust them anymore.”