Wyn ran with the others, clearing the hallway in seconds before reaching the final chamber. Their plan of resting to prepare before the final battle fell apart when Marcy heard the sounds of Climbers ahead. They decided to run forward and help in case it was a situation like they encountered at the beginning of the season, when Cal had been mapping for the group that struggled on the first floor.
Being on the third floor now, there was more at stake. A number of things could go wrong with newer Climbers trying to advance through the tower’s floors. It was just at the end of the second week so it could be some more experienced Climbers with a late start, but Wyn had a bad feeling about the situation ahead.
Tasha gasped when the group first entered the final room. The fire puzzle was halfway complete, with statues all across the room turned ready to receive the flames to loosen the bars ahead. The portal at the far end of the chamber had yet to open, and several bars still prevented advancement.
The worst, though, was that a small horde of Lacerts and Lamierts were pummeling on a group of Climbers in the middle of the chamber. A protective barrier of magic surrounded three or four Climbers huddled together, though at this point, Wyn couldn’t tell exactly how many were present. A lone Climber was outside the barrier fending off several monsters by herself, while the rest of the creatures were focused on trying to break down the barrier.
Wyn’s eyes widened when he realized there was a person lying on the ground inside the magical shield, and the others inside were darting back-and-forth, frantic and muffled yells adding to the chaos of the scene. Whether that person was dead or alive was hard to tell, but whatever the case, none of their teammates were showing any immediate signs of tending to them.
“We have to help them,“ Cal said. “They’re being overwhelmed!”
“Cal and John, you two help the warrior,” Wyn said, immediately giving orders. “Clear the horde away from the other Climbers!”
Without another breath both men lunged forward, running towards the fray with weapons ready. Cal’s aura began to radiate, covering both him and John in a dim yellow light.
“Marcy and I will look for any stray enemies,“ Cedric said. “We can try and attack some of them but my magic isn’t great for situations like this.”
Marcy raised her bow and fired it at a Lacert, piercing it through the neck. It dropped immediately.
“Tasha, come with me,” Wyn said. “We need to make sure the group inside that barrier is okay.”
Tasha already started forward towards the fight, impressing Wyn. Marcy and Cedric scattered to the side, taking their positions.
The group of Climbers inside of the magical barrier showed mixed reactions seeing Wyn’s group. Horror, confusion, and relief were evident, and not all at the same time. Regardless, one of the Climbers wielded a tall staff like Tasha’s, and waved it at Wyn when they drew close.
“Stay back!” The man screamed. “We’re safe in here, and you can’t touch us!”
Wyn shot a glance at Tasha, who returned a similar look.
“We’re here to help,” Wyn said. He could see now that four Climbers were inside, and the only Mage was the one who spoke.
No, that wasn’t right - another Mage was on the ground, a small pool of blood around her body. Her wooden staff was clutched in her right hand, and she looked either dead or close to dying based on the amount of blood.
“They’ll kill us!” Another Climber yelled. He held a large hammer in two hands, and was a stout man with heavy armor, obviously a Fighter. “Stay away!”
The monsters around paid no attention to them, diverting their efforts to taking on John, Cal, and the lone warrior still fighting. They were clearing the enemies now with an improved force, and Wyn both felt and heard the crackle of lightning strike a monster.
As much as he wanted to join the fight, the others could handle them with effort and talent to spare. This group needed to be convinced to let them heal their injured Climber, or the situation would go from bad to worse.
Wyn had seen worse. He wanted to avoid that scenario.
Tasha slowly approached the nearly invisible magical barrier and put her free hand up as though she was submitting to them. She spoke slowly and clearly. "Look around. Our group is taking care of them. They won't hurt you anymore. Can someone heal your friend?" Tasha pointed down to the Climber on the ground lying in blood.
One of the Climbers whirled a short sword around and pointed it at Tasha with both hands, trembling and crying. "She was our healer! I tried to give her a potion but she wouldn't drink it!"
The Climber holding the staff snickered at his ally. "Of course she didn't, Hal, because you offered her your water skin! If you would've actually had a potion she'd be drinking it now and saving us! She needs to get up and help before we all die!"
Wyn put a hand on Tasha's shoulder and whispered to her. "They're in shock. It makes you do strange things. We need the Mage to lower the barrier, otherwise they'll just talk in circles."
Wyn had a feeling if he talked to them, too, they'd become aggressive, thinking they were trying to capitalize on their misfortune rather than help them. He recognized that look in their eyes, the shaking hands, the insanity - this was their first time seeing an ally nearly killed. Shock presented itself in different ways, most of the time being a hindrance.
"I can heal her," Tasha said. "If you lower the barrier, I can save her life.”
"No!" Hal yelled, and slapped the barrier with his short sword. "You won't heal her! You can't!"
Tasha shook her head. “I don’t know what else to do. She’ll die if I don’t help her.”
“She may already be dead,” Wyn said. He looked around, and noticed that most of the monsters in the room had been dealt with by the others. Cal and John were chasing down a few Lacerts, while the warrior from the other climbing group came around to him and Tasha.
“Why haven’t you lowered the barrier?” The woman asked. She placed a heavy looking axe through a ring on her belt.
“They’re going to kill us, Lucy!” Hal said. “Run! Try to save yourself!”
The other Climbers inside huddled together closer, like trapped rats fearing for their lives.
“Are you mad?” Lucy said, waving her arms. “They just saved us! What in the hells are you doing?”
“They’re just scared,” Tasha said.
“Scared is one thing,” Lucy replied. “This is something else.”
“Can you calm them down?” Wyn asked. “You should have better luck since they’re your group.”
Lucy shook her head. “I volunteered to guide them through this floor so they could make some extra coin for an ally who was hurt a few days ago. They’re definitely not my group.”
“I can see why they were injured, then,” Tasha muttered. “They don’t seem very capable.”
“What is going on?” Cedric asked, walking quickly up to the scene. “There’ll be another wave soon until the portal is cleared. Why are they acting like that?”
Wyn sighed. “They think we’re enemies and here to hurt them. They need to see -”
Cedric waved his scepter in front of him before Wyn could finish. “Dispel!”
A large glyph formed in the air in front of the scepter, and the barrier shown with white magic before cracking apart and disappearing. The Climbers screamed, backing away towards the barred portal.
Tasha immediately knelt down to inspect the injured Mage. She breathed a sigh of relief as her staff lit the woman in a white glow, enveloping her in healing magic.
“She’ll be alright,” Tasha said. “I’ve stabilized her and healed her wound, but she’s unconscious. She needs to be taken to the infirmary and cared for until she wakes up.”
The other Climbers seemed to relax when the woman was rolled over and noticeably breathing, Tasha holding her gently. Divine healing magic was as obvious as it was trancing, and there was no doubt as to her actions.
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“Thank you,” Lucy said. “Do you all see, now? They’re allies, you idiots!” She gestured to Wyn and his group with one hand while yelling at the group.
Hal stepped forward and shook his head. “I… I was so afraid. I thought I was going to die!”
“You easily could have,” John said. “Her, too. Thankfully we were close.”
“How did you dispel my barrier?” The other Mage asked Cedric. “That shouldn’t be possible for a new Magician. It was enhanced by a blue rarity item of mine.”
Cedric sighed. “You’re right. I’m a Lightning Wizard, not a Magician. I have second tier spells and Dispel is one of them. Though that barrier was strong and likely was why you all were kept alive.”
“I’m the reason they’re still alive,” Lucy said, frustration in her voice. “Make no mistake, Wizard. And you, Jed - you singled me out, protecting the rest of you and leaving me to face all of those monsters by myself. I’m the one who should be upset! If I would have died or these Climbers wouldn’t have showed up, your mana would’ve been drained, the barrier lost, and you overrun and killed.”
The other Climbers shuddered back except for Jed, the Mage, who stood his ground with a look of defiance.
“I made a decision,” Jed said. “It kept us away from harm.”
“It put me directly into harm!” Lucy replied. “You could’ve helped me! These enemies weren’t too difficult, but you took the coward’s way out and left me to fate.”
“You’ve cleared the first tier and climbed into the second! We hired you because you could clear this floor by yourself!”
Lucy laughed. “I’ve climbed higher, yes, but don’t compare past success to current ability. And I’ve never climbed alone, you idiot. I’ve climbed with a capable team and trusted allies, which I thought you all could be, but here I’ve come to find out, I was wrong on both accounts.”
“Let’s finish the puzzle before things get worse,” Wyn said, looking at Cedric.
The Wizard nodded in agreement. Wyn looked over to John and Cal and pointed with his head at the wheels scattered about in the room. Thankfully they both picked up on his message and began to maneuver the statues into position.
“What are you doing?” The other Fighter said. “If you release more of the bars, more of the monsters will come!“
“That’s the point, dumbass,” Lucy said. “They are right to finish out this room. We’re almost done, which means I can be rid of you all quicker.”
The other climbing group was still stood huddled together, nearly paralyzed with fear. They weren’t quite sure what to do about the situation. They were obviously far out of their element and not ready to be handling the tower at this point. That was painfully apparent.
Strangely, Wyn felt a sense of pride and confidence swell within him, seeing how well his group worked together despite the challenges they’ve faced. His reservations when he first came to Alestead were unfounded, thankfully. He had found his group.
Marcy, standing watch off to the side, drew an arrow with her bow and pointed it at the group.
“Marcy?“ Tasha asked.
“I told you!” Hal yelled, pointing his short sword at Marcy. “They’re trying to -”
He abruptly stopped talking, interrupted by a long, curved a dagger protruding from his chest. Hal looked down in confusion and dropped his sword at the sight. The other Climbers around him slowly stepped away from each other. The dagger suddenly disappeared, then two more erupted from him at other points in his torso.
The other Mage yelled as Marcy’s arrow flew through the group, striking the attacking Lamiert behind them in the shoulder. Its body towered over theirs by a few feet, its bulk and frame easier to hit. It recoiled back from her attack, hissing in anger.
“NO!” The Mage yelled, and pointed his staff towards the black portal that formed at their back. A large gust of wind knocked back more monsters that emerged, though only affected the closest ones. He backpedaled away from them in fear.
The Fighter dropped his hammer and ran towards the entrance as fast as his heavy armor allowed him.
Wyn drew his spear and rushed forward. They couldn’t heal Hal at range, if he was even still alive. Taking three deep stabs like that could easily kill anyone. The portal was much larger than before, and there were at least a dozen enemies now in the chamber.
Was this it? Was this Lionel’s chosen opportunity to return? Attacking amidst chaos wasn’t a bad strategy, if Lionel even had the ability to perceive them without being present.
Still, the reason why didn’t matter. He needed to act, and act swiftly.
Hal was already covered with enemies that had dispersed in the room, unfortunately being attacked right outside the portal. Wyn had a bad feeling about him, since the enemies ignored the downed Climber to fight the others. Would they disregard him as a threat since he was so heavily injured, or were they moving on because he was dead?
He swiped at two running Lacerts with his spear, stabbing and slashing them multiple times in quick succession. He heard spells being cast and Marcy’s bow twanging in the room as chaos unfolded around him. John and Cal left their posts at the cogwheels and joined the fight, and he saw Cal crush a Lacert not ten feet from him.
A surge of energy flooded him. He looked at himself to see Cal's Oath surrounding him, the magical aura filling him with vigor and strength. He wasn't sure of the exact effects of the aura, but he felt as though his endurance would last forever in addition to a power he'd never experienced. A Lacert was closing in on him at his left, and Wyn sidestepped the monster before stabbing at its chest. The spear head went through the creature's torso and several inches up the shaft, and Wyn nearly lost his balance forward from the attack. He was caught off guard by the unexpectedly little resistance from his weapon and increased strength, and pulling the weapon out of the enemy was enough to completely kill it.
Another Lacert tried to rush him head on, and Wyn swiped at it in an arc. The spear separated its right leg and left arm from its body, and nearly bisected its torso. It dissolved into dust before its parts even touched the ground, and Wyn blinked hard at the empty space that was previously occupied.
A chill ran across his body. That level of strength didn't feel natural. It wasn't quite like killing a person, but the monsters were more durable than not, and the attack was too effortless.
He looked around the room and noticed that the others were finishing their own smaller battles. It wouldn’t be long before this wave would be complete. A quick glance back at the portal revealed that it was slowly closing, with no sign of Lionel or anyone in his faction.
Hal still laid on the ground, still as stone. A dark puddle of blood completely surrounded his body.
Wyn jogged up to him with reservations in his mind. Deep down he knew that the Climber was dead, and no healing spell of their capability would be able to help him. Hells, he didn’t even know if it was possible to bring back someone from the dead. After he knelt and inspected Hal’s body closer his suspicions were confirmed.
Wyn felt tension and anger rise in his chest and had to suppress an outburst of emotion. Sometime ago he thought that he would leave death behind him at war, ready to move on to another section of life. Little did he know he would be right back in the thick of it. Though the environment and situation was a bit different, the underlying principle was the same - defeat the other side and survive.
Still, he thought it best that he inspect the Climbers body, not Tasha. She had only recently overcome her fears of being injured along with the threat of death, and seeing Hal up close likely wouldn’t help her mindset.
Marcy knelt beside him and put a hand on the man’s back. She slowly nodded her head in understanding. “We should pull him to the side so his body won’t get damaged further.“ She pointed towards the portal behind her, where one bar still remained in place.
Wyn let out a long breath before finally meeting Marcy’s strained gaze. “I’ll get his arms.”
The two Climbers gingerly pulled Hal’s body over to the side, trying to be as respectful and discreet as possible. Thankfully, Cal, Cedric, and Lucy wrangled the newer Climbers together about what to do next, all but shielding them from the sight of their dead ally being dragged off to a corner.
“What about Hal?” The Mage asked. “We need to check on him!”
Lucy glanced over her shoulder at Marcy and Wyn. Then she took a deep, remorseful breath. “I’m afraid Hal didn’t make it.”
The Mage’s face went pale. He didn’t reply.
*****
Wyn stood at the entrance just outside the base of Alastair, looking back at the looming tower. The sun was setting and the air cool. The rewards he gained for finishing their climb didn’t seem very appropriate at the time, considering what they cost. He knew this wouldn’t be an easy process when he came to Alestead to become a Climber, and felt as though he had no other choice. Even so, death was never easy. He didn’t know the Climber, but he didn’t know every soldier he saw die, either. It didn’t make it any less upsetting.
“They took Hal’s body,” John said. He stood beside Wyn, joining him to look at the tower. “The rest of his group went with him and Lucy vouched for us, saying they wouldn’t have survived without our help.”
“That’s something, at least.”
John didn’t say anything for a few seconds, pausing. Then he cursed under his breath. “You know, I prepared for a long time to become a Climber. Trained, studied, everything. Impatiently waited for my chance to come and prove myself. Learned about magic in case I was chosen to be a Magician. Learned combat techniques and styles, got my affairs in order. But this… I don’t know. It’s something else entirely.”
Wyn nodded. He completely understood. He’d been there before, in John’s shoes, years ago. “You can’t ever prepare for facing death. Your enemies, an allies, or your own. You’ve gone through a lot in just a few weeks here. Most people don’t come back from what you’ve experienced.”
“My parents prepared me as best they could for these moments. Warned me about the consequences of failing or being too risky. At first I ignored them, thought it was just over protective parents watching out for me.”
“Seeing it first hand is another matter.”
John nodded with a sigh. “Yea.”
“Still, I’m proud of you. Tasha, too. Both of you have proven yourselves over and over. I don’t have any more climbing experience than either of you but I know combat. Life or death. Unfortunately all too well.”
John looked down at his open palms. “That could’ve been us, though.”
“No.”
John looked at Wyn with a frown. “That can happen to anyone! There were five of them, one more experienced than the rest! On the third floor!”
Wyn kept staring at the tower, a soft smile forming on his face. “I know, but I mean what I said. It won’t happen to us. I won’t allow it.”
John snickered. “You’re good, Wyn, but you can’t be that bold climbing Alistair. You have to respect the climb and everything it entails.”
“I know that, too.” Wyn looked at his friend, staring at him with intent. “But John, believe me when I say, I’ll die before I let any of you share the same fate at Hal.”
John’s face relaxed and he nodded quickly. He swallowed hard. Sometimes, reality wasn’t easy to accept.
The rest of their group walked out of Alistair, the mood somber.
Wyn laughed and patted John on the shoulder. “I think we should take a break tomorrow. Let our minds rest. We’ve been climbing harder for the Vine Buds, and I need to go give them to Cara anyway. Thank you all for helping me, by the way.”
They looked at each other with sad but resolute faces.
Tasha suddenly perked up, snapping her fingers. “Let’s grab a picnic tomorrow! It’ll be a good chance to relax and get ready for the week ahead! The weather should be perfect, and gods know we could use the downtime.”
Marcy smiled. “Only if Cal makes the food for us.”
“I can do that,” Cal said.
“Sandwiches?” John asked with a smirk.
“Soup,” Marcy said, folding her arms.
Cedric sighed. “Here we go again.”