“I’m ready whenever you are,” Marcy said, smiling wide with her hands on her hips. She was walking with Wyn to the training hall, their pockets deeper with their rewards and stomach’s growling from lack of food.
Wyn sighed in frustration, delaying his eventual response but knowing she was going to get it from him one way or another. “It’s getting pretty tiresome saying it all the time.”
“For you, yes, but I’ll never tire of hearing that phrase.” She skipped ahead, then turned around and walked backwards to face him while keeping their pace. “Come on already, spit it out!” She eyed him teasingly.
“Fine! You were right.” He shook his head and smirked, pleasantly annoyed. The guild member who they spoke to was no help. When Wyn informed her about Frederick, and even had Marcy corroborate his story, she politely but dismissively told him they would note it and cut him off. She wrote his name and class in a bound book but inquired no further, shooing him away so she could move on to other matters.
Wyn knew that interaction well from the reports he gave in the service. They were logged somewhere as a formality, but never released to the lower grunts or officers again. There the change was obvious as soldiers would be gone from their company or officers reassigned or shipped back home, but here was different. Nothing would change and the problem would remain. He had hoped the politics at the tower would be better, but he was unfortunately sorely mistaken from this simple interaction. Marcy was gloating while he stewed.
She turned and stepped beside him. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“I don’t care to admit you were right. It’s the fact that nothing will change and he’ll just keep doing whatever he wants in the tower.”
Marcy sighed. “I know. It’s awful. But, think about it this way - no one here is under orders to commit to one group or do something they don’t want to do. Just like the Climbers before, they’re free to leave and find another group as they like.”
“I guess that’s true.”
Wyn felt a cool breeze tickle his neck, the newly summer air pleasant and warm. Spring was gone now entering the third month of the year, and hopefully a harsh summer wouldn’t be found in the city. The sun wasn’t as hot as it would be in the coming weeks, and the swarming clouds were helping to keep the air mild. They turned a corner at the end of a block and saw the entrance to the training hall in front of them. Climbers were steadily entering and exiting, dressed in their full gear to train and ready themselves for the real challenge.
“I know it’s true,” Marcy said. “He’ll have a horrible time finding a team that sticks with him and is successful unless he changes his attitude, and the rest of them are better off finding someone else anyway.”
“I just hope no one gets hurt from him in the tower.”
“Don’t we all hope that. But how about we worry about our own group?”
Wyn opened the door to the hall and stepped to the side for Marcy to enter first. “True. Though based on today I’m not quite as worried.”
The two Climbers walked past the crowd that stood at the front entrance, working their way to the hallway that led to private rooms. They all decided to meet in the same room they used yesterday when planning for the new season, the second furthest room to the left. Marcy knocked on the door three times and Tasha answered it with a jolt.
“Finally,” Tasha said. “I was afraid your food was going to get cold!”
“Sorry,” Wyn said, and set his spear on the weapon rack when he stepped through the door way. John’s basic sword was set beside it in the scabbard, and Marcy set her bow and quiver on a rung beside Tasha’s staff. “I had to do it.”
“I guess it didn’t go well, then?” John said. He was sitting down with his elbows on the large square table in the center of the room. Pieces of paper and stones for weights were strewn across it, and he had a quill he twirled with his fingers. “Based on your gloomy face I gather that it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.”
“No. You were right, too.”
John smiled sadly and shook his head. “I don’t take any pleasure in that. I’m sorry, Wyn.”
“At least someone doesn’t,” Wyn said, taking a seat beside John. He grabbed a hunk of bread from a platter of food on the table.
Marcy snickered.
“How did you know it wouldn’t work, John?” Tasha asked. She took a seat at the table and pulled a piece of paper in front of her.
“My family told me about things like that. They know all about the ins and outs of the politics here. My parents climbed over four years, and my sister almost three.”
“That’s pretty incredible,” Tasha said. “I guess you’re an expert, then?”
“Not exactly. It’s like when you learn everything you can about something and then go out in the world to practice it. It’s not quite the same, and you have to see it for yourself to really understand it.”
“That’s true,” Wyn said. “Like in the military, you can only learn so much in training. The real lessons are out on the battlefield.”
Marcy grabbed a mug of ale and raised it in a toast. “And that’s why we’re here, to prepare ourselves for the real training. To Alistair, the climb, and the Climbers themselves.”
The others raised their own mugs in a similar fashion before all taking a drink.
They set their drinks down except for Marcy, who kept hers in hand for a longer drink, nearly finishing the cup in one gulp. Wyn plucked a handful of berries from the platter of food and munched on them periodically. “So let’s pick up where we left off yesterday.”
Tasha banged a fist on the table and startled the others. “Alright, then! So we want one day off in the week to rest and recover. That’ll be Torday.”
“We can get supplies, change strategies if needed, or just relax and recover,” Marcy added, taking another drink from her mug.
Tasha nodded. “Exactly. Which gives us two more days in the tower before then after today.”
John was writing something down on a piece of paper. He picked up his quill to dip it in the ink well, not looking up to disturb his focus. “Plenty of time to practice the first floor again. It honestly was easier than I expected.”
Wyn wiped his hands before grabbing his mug to wash down the tart aftertaste of the berries. “I agree with John. And now we know the theme of the first tier is a jungle and earth-based enemies. Marcy, what do you think would benefit us the most?”
“I think I need to ditch my fur armor and wear something cooler,” Marcy said, as she rubbed her hand over her armor and bristled the fine hairs that lined it. She poured water into her mug from the pitcher on the table. “Your wind spear is great, Wyn, though none of you have the resources to change gear like seasoned Climbers just yet. I’ll grab some different arrows and weapons that should help and change a few spells, too.”
“What arrows and spells?” Wyn asked. “We need to know everything, remember? Lay it on the table. Maybe Tasha and I can pick other spells, too.”
Marcy sighed. “It’s a bit overkill, but alright, then. My fur armor is too dense for the warm air in the jungle. I have a light leather set that’ll keep me more cool and boosts my hand to hand combat ability. My kukri is good for the dense jungle and I’ll grab another, too. Some fights might not be the best with my bow in that dense shit. I’ll get some wind arrows, another exploding arrow, and change my spells away from lightning since they’ll resist that. Maybe a Wind Trap spell, instead.”
“That’s helpful. Would there be anything different we could use for spells?”
“Both of you are still only on the first level of Magician spells. You don’t have access to much, and I still don’t even know what a Ruby Magician can use. Once you hit the next level you can see about more, but you’ll be fine for now. Don’t worry about it.”
Tasha took a deep breath. “That’s helpful, but I’d love to have access to more spells that could be useful. John, when are you getting your new sword?”
John picked up his paper and inspected it, turning it in different directions. “I just mailed the letter on Faesday, but my family should be mailing it as soon as they get it. Hopefully by the end of the week? Or next Solday?”
“That’s nice that they are doing that for you,” Tasha said. “Do you have an endless amount of magic items at home or something?”
John laughed. “No, though that would be awesome! It’s the sword I trained with at home, actually. The other one was a gift and more powerful. Mine is a water sword I can freeze to become ice-based, and it’s a blue aura sword.”
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“Oh, impressive. I can’t wait to see it!”
“It’ll feel good to have it again, that’s for sure. This basic sword just doesn’t feel right. And we are wanting to go to the second floor this week, right? I know we said only the first floor for now, but that was easier than we expected. I think we could handle it.”
Wyn looked over at Marcy who raised an eyebrow and took a drink, avoiding answering the Fighter. Wyn decided to take the lead. “I still would like to only stick with the first floor for now to be safe, but this is a group decision. Marcy has a key if we need it, too, but I would only feel good about it if we spent very little resources on the first floor. I’d want us as healthy as possible entering the second floor.”
“That’s reasonable,” John said. He put his quill back in the holder and folded his hands to rest on the table. “Plus, don’t forget that the higher we climb the more rewards we get. I only made about 30 gold today and I’m sure your rewards were similar. We need to be climbing higher to really make any sort of good coin.”
Wyn sighed. John was right, of course, and Wyn had been thinking that very same thing. Still, it was going to be a slow process, especially in the beginning without any experience, items, or real power under their belt. “I know. I think about that a lot. We’ll get there, I just don’t want us to get hurt in the process. No amount of gold or silver is worth us jeopardizing our safety.”
The others nodded while Marcy took another drink. “We’re being almost too cautious. We’ll be fine! If anything big sneaks up on us I’ll kill it. And both you and Tasha can heal so I’m not worried at all. My vote is to move on.”
“Yea,” John started, “shouldn’t you be leading us, Marcy? No offense, Wyn, but she has a lot more experience here than we do.”
Wyn sat back in his stool before grabbing more food from the platter. “I’ve already tried to get her to lead. She said no.”
“Really? Why not?”
Marcy stood up and pushed her stool in under the table. “Because I’m no good at making those kinds of decision. I’m a good little soldier and will do my role well, but I don’t want to be the one to make the plan. No thanks.” She walked over to the weapon rack and grabbed her bow and quiver, slinging them on her back.
“Are we done?” Tasha asked. She fiddled with the hem of her robe, watching Marcy get ready to leave.
“Looks like it,” Wyn said. “There’s not much else to discuss, at any rate. Unless, John, you want to share what you’ve been writing?”
John smiled and showed the group his piece of paper. Marcy waited to leave until after she saw it, being as curious as the others. “Ta da!” The paper was a crude drawing of them fighting the Lizard creatures, with John standing over one with his sword raised high in victory. Marcy and Tasha laughed, while Wyn just shook his head.
“I’m glad I saw that before I left,” Marcy said, already halfway out the door. She closed it gently behind her.
John folded the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. “Well, I guess that’s that. I’ll be saving this as a reminder of our first victory!”
“You are ridiculous,” Tasha said. “But I can appreciate the sentiment. That’ll be nice to look back on one day.”
“I think so, too. It’ll go in my collection of rewards from here!”
Wyn stood up from the table and took one more roll from the platter. “That’s a good note to end on. I’m going to train for a bit before calling it a day. See you guys in the morning.” He walked over and grabbed his spear, following Marcy out.
“And on time, please!” Tasha emphasized to John, who was standing up to leave, too. “Bright and early, Climber!”
“Alright, alright, damn. Are you sure you weren’t an officer in the war?”
Wyn laughed, and he knew Tasha was giving John a harsh look without even looking.
He had a good feeling about this month.
*****
Wyn opened the door to his room with a shaky hand. He was surprised the floor only took the morning and early midday, and opted to train for several hours more. He practiced some spells and fighting on the dummies in the training hall, trying various combinations of things while allowing his mana to recover at the same time. He still didn’t quite have a grasp for the timing of his recovery but the exercise was helpful to see which spells he could cast with however much mana left, and being more familiar with the spells themselves was always helpful.
He stepped inside and set his spear against the wall, shedding his clothes and grabbing a cup of water. He was ready to turn in, wanting to rest for tomorrow. The books on the bookshelf Daniel provided goaded him into learning more, but he was physically too tired. He decided to crack one open tomorrow.
The window was open but Wyn had no light in his room. He quickly lit a candle and looked out the window. It was cloudy and moving quickly, with lightning strikes lighting the sky in the distance. He hoped it would avoid Alestead, but then realized he wouldn’t be in it, anyway. The tower has its own weather and environment.
He moved with his candle across the room. The desk beside his bed had a few sheets of paper, a quill and ink well, and he sat at the stool with sore legs. Unfolding his pieces of parchment, he sat and reflected on the magic that was his class, skills, items, and spells.
Ardwyn Thatcher
Citizen of town Rywood
Resident of Jahnin
Tower Alistair: Climber
Class: Ruby Magician
Growth: Any
Passive Skills: Lucidity, Armored Spellcasting, Spellcasting (Ruby), Tower’s Blessing
Active Skills: Dyadcast, Speed Up
SKILLS
Lucidity: Allows passive recovery of mana. Your mark will show the current status of mana and is a guide to your expected amount of recovery time from empty to full. When your mark fully glows you are empty and currently recovering. When your mark is dull and grey you are full. Current time to fully recover: 3 hours.
Dyadcast: Allows you to cast a spell twice for only one and a half the mana cost. Speak the skill followed by the spell to engage the ability.
Speed Up: Increases your speed a bit temporarily. Speak the skill or mentally will it to activate. Costs a smaller amount of mana.
Spellcasting (Ruby): Allows the use of spells. Ruby spells are selected from other classes at the cost of a lowered amount of spells, slightly higher mana consumption, and decreased overall mana capacity. You may selected spells from the Sapphire, Garnet, Topaz, Amethyst, Emerald, Diamond, and Aquamarine Magician list only.
Armored Spellcaster: Wearing armor does not interfere with spellcasting. Passive skill and always active.
Tower’s Blessing: A gift from the Avatar of Alistair. Provides one additional spell slot that may be used from any class at your tier that uses spells.
SPELLS
Flamebolt: A damaging spell that allows you to fire a small ball of fire in the direction you point. This has the ability to catch fire. Consumes a small amount of mana.
Arcane Aura: A protection spell that coats the user or target in a magical shield of armor. Currently provides basic protection that will last a short amount of time. Consumes a moderate amount of mana.
Regen: A healing spell that will heal the user or target over a period of time. Heals basic wounds, not able to cure diseases or remove poisons. Currently takes more time to heal and consumes a less moderate amount of mana.
Magic Weapon: A utility spell that coats a weapon in magic for a small amount of time, increasing damage, durability, and overall effectiveness. Consumes a less moderate amount of mana.
*Cure: A healing spell that heals the target instantly. Heals basic wounds, not able to cure diseases or remove poisons. Currently consumes a less moderate amount of mana.
ITEMS
Windcutter - This magical spear possesses a hooked claw at the base, and curved blade at the tip. Wind elemental magic runs throughout the weapon. Able to cast Wingbeat three times per day.
Mushroom Lantern - A handful of rare, luminescent mushrooms reside within this magical jar. When shaken, the mushrooms activate, shining bright in their own colors. Provides dim light up to 60 feet. Will stay active for one hour, may be shaken again immediately. Colors can change with each activation.
Wyn sighed. He didn't love his Cure spell as Tasha provided more than enough healing, but he was at a loss of what spell to actually take. Hopefully Daniel had some better insight into choosing a good spell. Wyn decided to swap Ice Shard before the season but that was his only change so far, unsure of how to proceed. This was still an entirely new experience, but relying on his mentor for advice was the best option for now.
Wyn folded up his parchments, closed his eyes and grabbed one of the blank pieces of paper. It was unfolded but crinkly, and he flattened it further on it the edge of the desk. He read it once more, trying to keep his eyes from getting misty reading his sister’s words.
Arabelle. She was worried, and rightfully so.
She wrote him that their father’s health was declining, that he recently fell and broke his ankle. He’d pushed himself harder on the farm from the injury though wasn’t doing well. Which meant he’d be worse to Arabelle than he already was, forcing her to pick up more around the farm than she was probably already doing. Hopefully the useless man didn’t treat her any harsher than normal, which Wyn thought would be false hope.
Arabelle was worried about him and asked him to come home, to forget about the debt. He knew it was impossible to leave. It was frustrating, in a sense, how ignorant she was about the situation, but she was inside it and he was seeing it from the outside. It’s harder to notice when you’re living it, and Wyn hadn’t been living at home in years. He’d visited some but wrote constantly, keeping tabs on their land and his family, but he was still trying to live his own life. It was a strange dichotomy between becoming your own self and living how you’re told.
Wyn wanted to correct his sister and tell her how serious this was, that he was helping them when they couldn’t help themselves, and how things would get so much worse if they couldn’t produce the funds for the debt. He didn’t, though. The quill moved quickly on the paper, ink barely drying before he started a new word, a new sentence, a new paragraph.
He told her that he would continue getting them money for food, for supplies, and for their debt. He told her not to worry, that it wasn’t so bad and they would make it just fine. He told her he would visit soon, that their debt was manageable.
He told her lies. This was to comfort her, and to encourage her to keep her head up and do whatever work she could do to help herself, their miserable father, and their land.
He told her he loved her, and that he would secure the funds to pay their debt and help them survive. That he’d find a way to get her away from this situation to be able to live her own life that their father was robbing from her. That he was always thinking about her.
He told her the truth. This was to comfort him and to give him the motivation to keep climbing Alistair to help her, their father, and their debt.
Wyn finished the letter in minutes. He signed it with his name and two drops of tears that ran their course down his cheeks.
He set the quill back in the ink well, set the paper aside, and grabbed a sheet that was set to the side.
He took the quill and wrote his rewards for the day: 31 gold crowns, 19 silver cloaks, and 27 copper boots. He needed to keep climbing, to keep earning money for his family. Every day was a step forward, but he wanted to take leaps instead of steps.
“Don’t worry, Arabelle. You’ll be alright. I’ll make sure of it.”
Wyn withdrew for the night and slept in a deep sleep.