The three Climbers had one more stop before they returned to the tower. After John finished admiring his new weapon, Cara gave him the matching sheath along with more information. The elemental properties of the sword were activated via mana using an ability called Elemental Shift. According to John’s parchment, all he had to do was infuse his mana into the weapon while it contained a gemstone similar to his skills. It only took a small amount of mana, and the blade literally changed properties to mimic the gemstone. It could stay like that for an hour before he needed to infuse it again, though he was confident he wouldn’t have an issue between keeping the elemental property active and using his other skills. He didn’t need to keep it active all the time, either.
The group also decided to purchase a portal key at the Silver Step before going back inside Alistair so they could promptly leave the tower at any time. John also wanted to be included on the rewards this time, opting to gather flowers, too, to also complete the secondary quest. They realized the Sun Spirals held some value after Cara wanted a bunch of them and felt they would be useful to sell. They didn’t have the crafting ability the Sorcerer had, but they could always use the money, especially Wyn.
John then brought up an interesting point as they were nearing Alistair.
“I think we’ll be fine if we decide to peek at the second floor,” the Fighter said. “If we’re going to use a key to portal out of the floor, why not see what the second floor looks like first? If we don’t like it we can just leave right away. No harm done!”
Both Wyn and Tasha had reservations about going to the second floor with just the three of them. They were arguing about even finishing the first floor since Marcy wasn’t with them, but John was making a compelling point that they had had no trouble so far, and his new sword gave them both offensive power and confidence.
They entered the base of Alistair and watched the various groups enter and exit, still working in and out of the tower in the early afternoon. They stood there with their gear, not entirely sure of themselves with their three-person party. All three of them thought the same thing, though they didn’t speak it. Not at first.
Wyn finally broke the silence of them watching other Climbers and waiting. “Maybe we should group up with another team for this afternoon?”
Tasha and John didn’t immediately disagree with him, and he knew it was because they agreed instead. They just didn’t want to outright admit it.
“Hey!” A voice said from behind them. “Red Mage!”
The group turned around. Wyn’s heart skipped a beat as he was obviously being called out. Someone either recognized him or guessed he was a Ruby Magician, and he wasn’t too keen on either option. How they’d guess his class was beyond him.
Three Climbers pushed through the crowd all looking a bit worse for wear. They were headed straight for Wyn, intent in their eyes.
Wyn immediately recognized them as part of the group they saved in the tower yesterday. It was Devon the Rogue, Maven the Divine Mage, and the Garnet Magician, though he couldn’t remember his name.
John and Tasha softened a bit seeing them. “Hey guys,” Tasha said. “I see you’ve been climbing. Did you find someone to lead you?”
“Not exactly,” Devon said. “I decided to lead us instead. Travis decided to take a couple of weeks to train more, so he left, but we wanted to keep climbing. But damn if the tower isn’t hard for a smaller group! We’ve barely been scraping by on the first floor.”
John smiled. “We understand that! But luck seems to be on our side today. Were you all going to go inside again for the afternoon?”
The other group looked at each hesitantly. “We were, yes,” Maven said. “We really want to get better to clear a few more floors this season.”
“Right, and we need the practice,” the Rogue added. He flashed a sleek, dark grey short sword for them to see. “I just got a new weapon, too, so I’m eager to try it out.”
John laughed, taking the Climbers by surprise. “Well, fortune really is shining on us today! We only have three members are looking to climb one more time. Should we party together?”
The other group collectively breathed a sigh of relief. “I think that would be great,” Maven said. “Having two healers would take the burden off me. I still don’t think I’m reacting as fast or as well as I need to.”
“We’ll see how much we’ll be needed,” Tasha said. “I didn’t have to heal us this morning. It was a bit boring, to be honest.”
The Garnet Magician gasped. “You’re kidding! I nearly used all my mana just trying to kill those lizard things!”
“I think we’ll manage fine,” Wyn said. “Weren’t there more of you, though? Besides Travis, I mean.”
Devon deflated a bit. “Yea, but he left our group, frustrated with how we’re doing. I’m worried Travis might do the same. So it’s just us now.”
Wyn looked at his friends, who just nodded. “Well, you have us for now. So why don’t we discuss strategy while we head in?”
All of the Climbers walked and talked, eager to share their abilities. Well, the other group did, at least, hoping to establish a bit more confidence in the more successful team of Wyn, Tasha, and John. The Garnet Magician, William, completely used offensive fire-based spells, though had trouble both aiming and timing them. Devon had several skills that gave him an edge in combat for movement and attack speed, as well as general perception in the area, but the group as a whole was sorely lacking melee combatants since their other two Fighters left.
The other group was also surprised at the mention of the secondary quest and were immediately interested. Completing the quest could afford them additional opportunities to advance their gear or hire members until they found a lasting group. They all decided to attempt to find the Sun Spirals, though Wyn secretly was afraid they wouldn't have enough flowers to satisfy their owns quests with six Climbers total looking for them. If it was a quest presented from the tower, though, there had to be enough. Worry just seemed to flood his mind far too easily lately.
After the initial jaunt through the portal the group set off both to find flowers and the path leading through the floor. They decided to let Tasha and Maven take the lead looking out for flowers, and Devon was the best equipped to help find the path they needed to take. The others assisted where they could.
John swung his sword around, excited to try it out, before stopping mid swing and audibly groaning.
"What is it?" Wyn asked.
"I completely forgot - I don't have a gem to socket for the sword!" John said.
"Yes you do," Tasha said. She was peeking behind a bush while looking for Sun Spirals. "You got that jade gemstone from our first trip, remember?"
John smacked himself in the forehead. Without another word, he pulled out the gemstone from his backpack and placed it inside the hilt of his sword. Concentrating and infusing it with a bit of mana, the gemstone fit inside it like it was perfectly made for it, and wouldn't budge when he tried to pull it out. The blade began to shine a mirrored green, matching the gemstone exactly.
"Woah," Devon said. "That's impressive. I’m assuming it’s elemental, too?"
"You have a good eye," John responded. "It should be the earth element, now. At least these guys aren't wind-based. I need to find more gemstones just in case, though."
"In due time," Wyn said, as he patted John on the shoulder. "Let's just worry about the here and now." He continued on their path, looking around for flowers and enemies more than the path itself. Marcy wasn't there to alert them to danger, a fact he realized they had become accustomed to having, and he didn't want to be caught off guard.
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"I think I see something," William said. He raised his staff and pointed it deeper into the jungle.
"Nice eye, William," Devon said. He drew his other sword and turned towards the jungle. "Fire some bolts into the woods, just in case!"
Wyn's eyes went wide. "No! Don't do that! Save your mana for when you actually see them!" He looked into the thicket, too, and saw nothing. "You don't want to accidentally hit another Climber or waste your mana!"
"Or scorch a flower," Tasha said. She was finishing picking another Sun Spiral from a small patch she found. "Don't be so on edge!"
John had his sword and shield drawn, holding it out in front of Devon placatingly to hold him back. "Relax. Take deep breaths. Don't consume your resources so quickly and without true reason."
Wyn eyed the split group. In this moment he was incredibly proud of Tasha and John. It was obvious John had training before coming to climb the tower, and his actions and words proved it. Tasha was level headed and more confident than their first climb, and they had only climbed a couple of times at that. Albeit they hadn't climbed past the first floor together, but so far their ability to work as a team was far and above these other Climbers, who looked like they hadn't faced any form of combat or training in their lives.
Were these the kind of people who became Climbers? Wyn suddenly understood why Daniel was so insistent of taking weeks to prepare before actually climbing. If they were the average, it was a miracle more people didn’t die.
The bushes suddenly rustled in front of John and Devon, and they all saw three of the Lacerts, as they were called according to their parchments, emerge from the thicket. They were the average sized monstrous lizards that didn’t pose much of a threat before. Two were carrying clubs and one was unarmed, though their sharp claws easily counted as weapons.
William immediately pointed his staff at the group and yelled a spell - "Flamebolt!"
A large ball of flame shot from his staff, narrowly missing Devon and striking one of the Lacerts that held a club. It singed the ragged cloth it was wearing and scorched its leathery skin.
"Careful, William!" Devon yelled. "That was too close!" He sprang to the side away from the Fire Mage and towards the other Lacerts. His feet pattered against the grass as he moved much quicker than the other Climbers but far quieter. In seconds he was directly in front of the enemy attempting to strike it.
Unfortunately, John was already moving towards the same monster, acting faster than Devon but not reaching the target as fast due to his lesser speed.
John was caught off guard by the Rogue's fast movement and abrupt positioning, backpedaling to avoid being caught in the direct melee. Wyn was watching the entire debacle unfold, shocked at the mistakes the others were making. "Watch your positioning! Give each other room to fight!” He wanted to join them but knew he’d only get in the way at the moment. An obvious choice that didn’t seem so obvious to Devon or William. He could help directly if the fight were more serious, but he knew this would be a good learning opportunity that wasn’t too deadly.
John reluctantly turned to fight the other enemy after giving himself some room from Devon, though was unfortunately a second behind. That Lacert wielded a club and swung it down in a surprisingly fast arc, though John was ready with his shield. His shield absorbed and redirected the blow, causing the enemy to briefly stumble.
Taking the opportunity, John reached out to stab the Lacert directly in the chest. It was both a direct hit and a powerful strike, and the magical sword impaled the creature deep into its torso. John felt the body go limp on his sword, and he freed his weapon before the body hit the ground.
Devon yelled in frustration, exchanging blow for blow with the final and unarmed monster. The Rogue’s arms and torso were cut up, the claws from the creature acting like small daggers slicing his skin with shallow cuts where his armor didn’t protect him. He had the upper hand, though, as his swords were making far greater and deeper gashes into the scaled, leathery hide.
With a few more strikes the Rogue felled the creature. As the body began to disintegrate into the jungle floor, Devon breathed heavy and was already sweating through his clothes. The existing grime, sweat, and dried blood was coated with new layers.
“Maven, can you heal me?” Devon asked. He sheathed his swords with effort and inspected his arms. Dozens of cuts were randomly strewn about, and he sighed at his shredded skin.
Without another word, the Mage held a hand out to the Rogue and began to heal him, casting her Cure spell that closed his wounds but left his clothes in tatters.
“Not too bad, right?” William said. He held his staff awkwardly. “At least I hit that lizard!”
“No,” Wyn said. “That was bad. I’m honestly surprised you three are still alive.”
Devon snickered. “Look, I know we’re not as good as you three, but that’s a bit much. I think we did alright.”
Wyn sighed. “It’s the truth, and you all need to hear it.”
“What, in your opinion, made that so bad, then?” William asked. “We’re alive. Healed, even, in top condition! The enemies are dead, and we barely struggled!”
Wyn looked at the Fire Mage and straightened his posture. These Climbers weren’t his soldiers, but he needed to channel his inner captain in order to show them the error of their ways and to help them prevent the same situation in the future. He wanted to do his best to leave his commanding behind, but his friends trusted him to lead them.
In order to lead, sometimes you have to scold.
“I can give my opinion,” Wyn said. “Let’s review. Devon, you asked William to attack an unseen enemy without knowing what was truly there, potentially hitting an ally and wasting mana on a low chance of hitting an enemy. William, your position was bad to attack from range. Your spell nearly hit Devon, and based on the last time we saw you climb, your aim could use some work. The hit you made was a lucky shot.”
Wyn walked around the small battlefield, pointing and waving his arms to emphasize his point. “Devon, you were forced to move your position, but you stepped in front of John who was already beginning to engage with the same enemy you rushed to attack. Despite you saying you have a high perception you didn’t see your ally’s movement or attack, becoming a liability. That caused John to relocate to the last enemy, causing a delay of precious seconds to defend himself. All of that and you still traded blows with the enemy, needing to be healed right away, who is the most basic of basic enemies in this tower. This is the first fight on the first floor, and every single enemy past here will be stronger, faster, and tougher.”
The other Climbers were dumbstruck, even Tasha and John. They had no idea Wyn possessed the strategic analyzation skills he shared, and after hearing it laid out from a fight that took less than a minute, they didn’t know how to respond.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Wyn added. “Your mana use needs work. Getting hurt, Devon, caused you to need to be healed, costing Maven her mana to heal you. And she’ll need that mana for later on in this floor. This fight should’ve been over without any mana expenditure, and little energy used, too. I am far from an expert at climbing this tower, and even more so with being around magic, but I do know my way around a battlefield.”
Devon and William looked at each other. Their smiles faded long ago, and their shoulders slumped to a depressing degree.
“I… don’t know what to say,” Devon said.
“Me, either,” William added. “I had no idea there was even that much to consider.”
“Well, you do now,” Wyn said. “It’s important to reflect on your performance and recognize where you can improve. This isn’t a child’s game. This place is serious, and you WILL get seriously hurt if you aren’t careful or smart with how you approach it.”
William pounded his staff into the ground and straightened his robe. “You’re right. We can do better! We will be better!”
Devon smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. “That was still harsh, but appreciated. We’ll do better. We have to, after all.”
Wyn smiled back. “Exactly. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not perfect. My first climb here was basically a disaster in more ways than one. But I will force myself to be better to make sure all of you live to see another day. So, next fight, how about you watch how we handle enemies. Then you critique us and see where we could improve.”
Maven laughed, putting her hand in front of her mouth. “Now THAT would be something. I wouldn’t even know where to start!”
“It’s a good learning technique,” Wyn said. “You’d be surprised what you notice when you’re trying to.”
"Speaking of noticing things," Tasha said, interrupting the other Climbers. She walked over to a thick patch of tall leaves and vines, away from the path they were following to advance. "Here's another patch of Sun Spirals!"
The others all gathered to collect whatever flowers they could find. Wyn was thankful they found as many as they did just starting out in the floor, and was quickly gaining confidence they could find enough for all six of them.
After they picked the entire patch, they moved on, eventually finding the river and canoes that allowed passage through the rushing waters.
"Here is where you really want to watch Wyn's ability to navigate," John said to the other Climbers, elbowing Wyn in the side. "You should give him some feedback on the water!"
Tasha laughed while the others looked confused. Wyn's cheeks quickly flushed red but he cleared his throat and relented with an awkward smile. No sense in trying to appear like he was good at everything, and it could make him more relatable if the new Climbers saw him bad at something. Not that that would be difficult.
Grabbing their canoes, Wyn reluctantly stepped into one with John, who was still laughing to himself.
“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?” Wyn asked.
“No, I know I’m funny,” John replied.
Wyn couldn’t help but crack a smile at the Fighter’s charmingly disarming personality.
“But Wyn,” John added.
Wyn turned around to face John. “Yea?”
“I’m really glad you’re in our group. And even happier you’re leading us. I know most Climbers are pretty rough when they start, but… I’m excited to see where we go with you at the helm.”
Wyn was shocked. He expected another joke, not for John to be serious. Still, it was an incredibly generous thing to say, and Wyn’s confidence grew even more. “Me too, John. I know I’m very lucky to have all of you in a group.”
“Good. Now - don’t have a heart attack here on the water. I might just laugh instead of save you.”
Wyn sighed. It was going to be a long canoe ride.