Wyn’s sight slowly returned as he blinked away the darkness in his peripheral vision. He could see the cloudy green-blue sky and a few large but distant creatures slowly floating like fish meandering in water. The most comforting sight, though, was the rest of his group surrounding him. Each of their faces and necks outlined his focused sight in a circle.
“Thank the gods,” Tasha said, closing her eyes and disappearing.
“Come on, Wyn,” Marcy said, helping him sit up.
Wyn sat up while the others backed away to give him some space. The first thing he did was look at his hands and feet. His boots were off and his feet looked normal, while his hands were a bright red from his wrists to his finger tips. Flexing his fingers, hands, toes and ankles though, brought him immediate comfort, as well as realizing everything was still there. It was strange his boots were off, though.
He suddenly had a very serious appreciation for what Cedric went through losing an entire arm. Of course Wyn knew how detrimental it was for him, but the sudden threat of losing parts of him weighed heavily on his consciousness.
“What happened?” Wyn asked.
Lucy scoffed. “You decided to go all hero trying to face an angry wyvern by yourself. Not the smartest move I’ve ever seen, but a badass one, at least.”
“No, what happened after I went down?”
“Tasha and Marcy immediately healed you while the rest of us dealt with the wyvern,” Cedric said.
Wyn looked over at Marcy. She held up a corked jar and wagged it in the air. It glowed a faint white aura with a small amount of a viscous substance inside. “Remember this?”
Wyn thought back to the burn he suffered in the second floor cave during his first climb. She used that same cream to ease his pain and wound. “Yea, I do. That helps with frostbite, too?”
“Most secondary effects, yes. Tasha healed you but your hands were still gray and fingers black. Your boots protected your feet, but your hands were completely exposed. The balm helped but it took nearly the whole jar and about five minutes.”
Wyn was out longer than he thought. Still, if Tasha wasn’t able to heal that extent of frostbite, well… it was a damn good thing Marcy had that jar.
“Didn’t you say that was a Ranger spell?” Wyn asked. He was genuinely curious about it, but he also wanted to talk about anything else besides him almost dying and losing his hands and feet.
Marcy sat beside him and crossed her legs. “Rangers have fairly straightforward magic when it comes to fighting, like my arrow effects or traps. But their support spells are a bit more odd. Like how a Druid's magic works. It’s not as cut and dry as a Wizard’s.”
Wyn then understood why she had a bit of a fascination with Faye. Or at least with her class. Liking her as a person was of another matter that Wyn had no business inquiring about.
Lucy walked away from the group while John bent down on one knee beside Wyn. He looked somber and concerned.
“Wyn, I…” the Squire started. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”
Wyn snickered. “How is it your fault? Did you make me attack that monster from the side and forget to better protect myself?”
“Well, no, but I didn’t do a great job setting us up to fight it.”
Wyn smiled softly. John wasn’t wrong, but Wyn didn’t want to point that out at the moment. He was obviously upset about Wyn being hurt. No need to make it worse.
“That… can be fixed, though,” Wyn said. “Choosing to act under stress isn’t always easy, and telling others how to act is always harder. It just takes time and practice.”
“Two things not worth it if it means my friends almost dying.”
“Well, we know this floor, now. I’ll be more ready next time. And now you have a better idea of positioning and what we need to do to fight that wyvern.”
John sighed. “I guess. Lucy’s pissed, too. We kept getting in each other’s way and were getting angry at each other. The wyvern could have been dead or nearly dead by the time you showed up if I had us in better positions.”
Wyn looked over his shoulder and saw Lucy working her way through the piles of treasure left behind by the enemies. She was scowling while sifting through a handful of coins. Wyn couldn’t tell if she was still angry or if that was just her usual expression. Either way, he felt like it was worth having a talk with her.
But not today. Today, he was just glad he was alive. And he did not want to push his luck.
“Something to work on for next time,” Cedric said, patting John on the back.
“As in tomorrow,” Wyn said. “No offense, but I think I might be done for today.”
The others looked at Wyn with confused expressions. Except for Tasha, who sighed in relief.
“I agree with Wyn,” Tasha said. “That was far too stressful. Not being able to recover your hands was a nightmare. I’ll be scouring the trading district for an item or potion that can work like Marcy’s salve. I can’t focus on climbing more today.”
John helped Wyn up and nodded. “Okay. Again, I’m… sorry. I’ll be better.”
“I know,” Wyn said, smiling. “It’s probably best if we all take the day and do what we want. Maybe reconvene tomorrow morning?”
“I think we can manage that,” Marcy said. She plucked the string on her bow before slinging it around her chest. “Wouldn’t hurt to have a night off.”
“I’ll be training for the day,” John said. “If any of you need me.”
“I’ll be going through my fresh and very minuscule stash,” Cedric said, pointing to a pile of treasure that set on the ground. “I need to get back to saving what I can. My personal account is almost gone.”
“Good thing these things are dropping coins like a cow drops shit,” Lucy said, walking by the group with a small pouch. She tossed it to Cedric who caught it awkwardly against his stomach. “Most of it is silver cloaks but there’s a good number of crowns, too.”
“Anything else?” Wyn asked.
Lucy held up two bottles in one hand and a pair of gloves in the other. The gloves were glowing green. “Two potions and a green item. Looks like there’s another in the wyvern pile.”
Marcy knelt down where the wyvern was killed and picked up a plan circlet. She held it in the air with a wide smile like a victor would hold a trophy. Wyn could see that the item was blue rarity.
A blue item was a great find, but something that valuable from the boss monster was sure to be great. It would go well to the guild if none of them could use it.
Gathering their rewards and leaving the tower, Wyn had some satisfaction slowly replace his anxiety. Despite nearly dying and losing his appendages, his pouch full of coins helped his mood. They cleared the fourth floor and the sixth floor over the course of the morning, and Wyn made over 400 crowns from the floor clears alone. He earned another 150 crowns from the treasure piles from killed monsters, and was more than satisfied with the day.
He said his goodbyes to his team and walked with Tasha to the trading district. She wanted to look for an item to improve her healing ability while Wyn wanted to look for something to give to Arabelle. The items they found that day they would identify later and then see if they were useful, but he wanted something just for her to help her climb. And there wasn’t much point to rushing identifying the items found while climbing. If one of them could use it, they’d give an item to the guild and then replace it with what they found. If not, it would be the guild’s.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
That was fine with Wyn. It was only the second week of climbing, and they already found a dozen green rarity items that the guild didn’t need. Considering that they already were climbing in the second tier, it wouldn’t be long before they’d meet the guild’s quota and then would start adding the magical items to their own personal stores. Wyn’s stash was slowly increasing to help pay off their debt, and he was confident he would have at least six items to sell before the end of the month.
Unfortunately since his business partnership with Melvin was over, he was missing a secure buyer. But he had an idea to make that up.
And it involved Arabelle. His sister would be more than happy to be included. It was their debt to pay, after all, as she previously reminded him. He wasn’t alone anymore. And neither was she.
Walking up to the counter in the trading district, Wyn knew exactly what he wanted to get. He flipped open the large book and immediately began searching for the effect.
*****
A bluish white shard of ice smashed into the nearby dummy’s mid section, coating it with ice and causing a sharp indent to appear on its wooden frame. Arabelle was standing ten feet away, holding a rod the size of her arm and pointing it at the wooden dummy.
“Good,” Daniel said. He stood a few feet behind her holding a book and a rune pen. “A precise shot that was also well-timed. Now increase the range.”
Arabelle took three large steps back and held out the rod in front of her. The dummy was as still as a statue, only serving as a man-shaped target.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Daniel said.
Arabelle took a deep breath and focused on her target. She held the rod in front of her and aimed for the dummy’s chest. “Ice Shard!” Her Ruby Magician mark appeared in front of the rod, but she ignored looking at it like she did at first. It only made her lose her focus and aim. Instead, she stayed locked in on the dummy and watched as a brick-sized slab of ice fired from her rod to the dummy.
The projectile visibly shrunk before hitting the wooden body but still made contact at the last moment. Instead of a solid hit, it looked like it barely hit the dummy.
“Excellent,” Daniel said, taking notes in his book.
“Excellent?” Arabelle repeated. “It was so weak it barely did a thing!”
“True. But excellent in the sense that we now have an idea of your range! That’s the point of these training exercises, remember?”
Arabelle started to reply but stopped herself. He was right. She wasn’t in a life or death situation. This was training. And they were testing her Ruby Magician abilities and use of magic, something she needed to feel comfortable with before attempting to climb.
Wyn had a strong advantage over her with his background of weapons training and military experience. With magic, though, he was as new to the process as she was when he first started. And according to Daniel, he jumped head first into the tower without much practice.
She wouldn’t make the same mistake. By the end of the month, she’d be ready.
“Well what’s going on here?” A voice said, drawing Arabelle’s attention.
She looked over and smiled with excitement. “Wyn!” Running over to him, she threw her arms around his waist in a hug. He embraced her warmly.
“Training almost every day, huh?” Wyn asked. “You sure Daniel can take that?”
Daniel chuckled, still writing in his book. “I’m doing just fine, Ardwyn. If you aren’t careful, she’ll be caught up to you before long.”
“That's right,” Arabelle said, letting go of her brother. “Aren’t you supposed to be climbing right now anyway?”
Wyn’s smile dimmed a bit. “We decided to take the rest of the day off. I thought I’d come get you at work and go eat a late lunch, but Benedict said you were already done for the day. And I figured this would be the next best place to look.”
Arabelle looked to Daniel but the man just shrugged and returned to his book, ignoring them. She didn't miss Wyn's reaction but apparently Daniel did.
“I already had lunch, but thank you,” Arabelle said. “You’re welcome to join, though, if you want?”
“Thank you, but you’re not dipping out on work to train, are you? Working for Benedict is still your job. Not being a Climber.”
“Not yet,” Arabelle said. When she realized Wyn wasn’t smiling, she scoffed. “Don’t worry, he was the one who actually told me to leave for the day. I helped secure a good buy from a small group of first tier Climbers and they gave me five crowns as a tip! He told me to celebrate but I wanted to come train instead. And Daniel was happy to help.”
Wyn looked at Daniel, who gave him a glance from the corner of his eye, but quickly returned to scribble something in his book with far more vigor than before.
“Fair enough,” Wyn said. “I’m not going to tell you how to spend your day, just… don’t skip out on work.”
Arabelle smiled. “I won’t do that. Benedict’s been too nice to me. I plan to make him my exclusive buyer when I climb, including my group. So I would say it’s mutually beneficial.”
This time Wyn did smile. Arabelle liked seeing him in a good mood. It was far better than his typical serious self.
“What are you working on today?” Wyn asked.
“Great you should ask!” Daniel said, slamming his book shut. “Arabelle is practicing using magic with her Ruby Magician abilities. You know, something you should have done more than just a few hours before climbing Alistair.”
Arabelle couldn’t help but smirk. Daniel was feisty despite his typical jovial demeanor, and it was obvious he was comfortable enough with her and Wyn to share that side of him.
“Let me see your sheet,” Wyn asked, holding out a hand.
Arabelle reached into a side pocket in her pants and pulled out her folded class parchment. She already knew it by heart and could recite it easily.
“Armored Spellcasting and Ruby Spellcasting is the same as mine,” Wyn said. “So that’s nothing new. Defense Up is interesting. A Fighter skill that improves defense for a time like my Speed Up skill. But Ruby Well and Arcane Strike?”
Daniel smiled like a proud parent. “That’s right! Those make for a strong magical focus while emphasizing defense. They’re a great combination!”
Wyn narrowed his eyes at Daniel. “And how would you rate mine?”
Daniel opened his mouth to speak but paused. “Yours is a bit more… supportive? Not quite as focused as Arabelle’s, but still has some uses.”
Wyn leaned over to Arabelle. “That means I got shit. Congratulations, I guess.”
Arabelle snorted.
Despite Wyn’s joke, she was grateful for her own abilities. Wyn would be fine, of course. He already proved he could more than hold his own and he was already part of a guild. But for Arabelle, any leg up was more than helpful. It was almost necessary.
Ruby Well was, according to Daniel, the Ruby Magician’s version of an improved magical support ability like the Diamond or elemental Magicians’ own Increased Mana Pool. It both increased her mana capacity and gave her one additional spell slot. Simple but valuable. Arcane Strike was… different, but potentially incredible, as Daniel put it. Though the skill was a double edged sword. It reduced spell’s mana cost by a small amount and increased their power by a small amount while reducing its effective range to ‘close’. For every one of her spells.
Daniel explained to Wyn - and, to her benefit, Arabelle - that her maximum range was about fifteen feet. At that point, her spells were rapidly reduced to nothing, becoming nearly nonexistent. Which was unfortunate, because most mages preferred to stay far away from monsters since they couldn’t wear armor or maneuver themselves as well as other melee Climbers. Arabelle didn’t have that luxury as she needed to stay fairly close for her spells to be effective at all.
What she did have, though, was a boon in her Defense Up skill she could use in a pinch, and the ability to use armor with her Armored Spellcasting. As she showed Wyn during training, her strategy was going to be using a shield with a simple weapon like a hammer or mace and be a close range mage that still focused on dealing damage with occasional support. Daniel had been helping her pick appropriate spells that best suited close fighting, like the standard elemental spells such as Ice Shard. Her ability made it to where the Ruby Magician's normal deficit of having less mana and no support ability to improve the spell's power less pronounced, and he said she would likely be similar to an elemental magician. Except she could have multiple elements, a few support spells, and be armored.
The largest benefit, according to Daniel, was the skill's progression when the class was upgraded. The effects increased while the range shortened, which didn't seem nearly as great. But he said she would be able to cast spells through her weapons. She didn't quite understand how that worked, but Daniel said it was something like she could empower a strike of her weapon with an actual spell for huge potential damage. And that it stacked with weapon effects. The thought made Arabelle giddy.
Wyn was hesitant but supportive. Arabelle couldn’t blame him, though. He was a protective older brother and only wanted her to be safe. Her style was going to be a bit more specific and not standard, but she enjoyed the challenge. Everything Daniel mentioned and helped prepare made sense. She was confident she would be fine and a good, contributing team member.
But she wanted to prove that she was not only valuable, but capable. And she’d use every advantage she had to be not just good, but great. Just like him.
“If you need a certain item let me know,” Wyn said. “I’ll gladly get you what you need. I want you as safe and prepared as possible.”
Arabelle hugged him again before he let go and held out a belt. It was leather, wide, and had a silver buckle at the front with two loops equally spaced to the left and right of the buckle. There was a faint green glow to it that made it shimmer. In two of the loops were vials that Arabelle recognized as potions - one blue and one red, a mana and healing potion respectively.
“This is a Potion Belt,” Wyn said. “It will magically hold and protect potions preventing them from falling or being damaged. I added some potions, too, for your first climb. Simple but valuable.”
Arabelle stood in shock. She half expected him to lecture her, not give her a gift. She squeezed him in another hug, holding him close. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“I’m always here for you,” Wyn said. “But I have something else besides this, too.”
Arabelle lifted her head. “What is it?”
Wyn smirked. “A request. Didn’t you say Roscoe was still in town?”