Marcy immediately activated her cloak to fly up in the air, followed by firing a fire coated arrow. The projectile smashed against its side causing a small blast but the creature didn’t even acknowledge the hit. Some of the scales were blackened and more were red, but it started walking towards them with determination.
“Everyone, large boss formation!” Cedric yelled, immediately activating his circlet. Two other copies of himself appeared nearby, mimicking his actions as illusions.
He wasn’t taking any chances, and Wyn knew the others were prepared to do the same.
The large boss formation was a standard strategy where an enhanced John would hold the enemy's attention with Wyn supporting him using his bracer shield and casts of his Shield spell to make sure John wasn’t hurt. Tasha would call Baratheon to come and either absorb damage or beat on the creature as much as possible, while Lucy attacked at any opening around the creature’s flank. Marcy performed her role as expected, and soon another creature joined the fight with her using her cloak’s other feature of summoning a deathhawk to help Lucy attack at whatever opening was available.
Cedric changed his spell type to fire and blasted the creature in the face with a beam of fire before it met John in direct combat. The blast actually caused it to shake its head in recognition of being hit, though no obvious injury was shown. Wyn hoped more damage was done that wasn't immediately obvious.
Wyn placed a Wellspring on the ground directly in front of John before casting Feeble. The spell took effect as a skull appeared above it with a subtle black aura coating its body. He then cast Shield as the creature swiped at John, and was horrified to see it completely smash through the barrier. John’s own shield held, though he was pushed back on the snowy ground.
A second attack was similarly slowed by breaking Wyn’s magical barrier and blocked with John’s defense, though loud thumping steps made Wyn breathe easier. The large form of Baratheon then joined the fight, stepping on the other side of John and punching the monster in the side. The beast wailed as it was knocked to the ground, and Marcy, Cedric, Lucy, John, and the deathhawk took the opportunity to attack wherever there was an opening.
Wyn didn’t want to be the only one standing to the side, though he saw John’s first strike only leave a small knick in the monster’s crystalline body despite the weapon being imbued with the fire element. John then activated his Bash skill and hit the monster with far more effectiveness, leaving a smoking dent where he hit it as the monster thrashed on the ground.
The weapon in Wyn’s hand morphed into a mace with a thought, and Wyn proceeded to bash the monster as many times as he could manage. With his enhanced speed he hit much faster than the others, and with his increased strength from John's aura he was able to break several of the crystal scales off.
A few seconds later the Zalman-drake curled into a ball, and Cedric immediately yelled at everyone to get away. Wyn remembered the monster’s ranged attack was wild but deadly, and he turned to sprint away. After crossing about twenty feet, he turned back to the monster, ready to cast Shield.
A bright white and blue glow quickly gathered around the boss and Wyn cast Shield in front of him. He saw a larger barrier form in front of Lucy and John, and Baratheon just knelt to the ground and covered its head and chest with crossed arms.
The light flashed as the monster yelled, causing a flurry of ice spikes to shoot in all directions. Wyn’s barrier caught three of them, Tasha’s caught more, and seemingly half of the projectiles flew out into the air harmlessly. One shard of ice embedded itself in Baratheon’s arm, but the angelic behemoth didn’t seem affected at all.
Before the combatants could return to the fight, another pair of spells hit the drake, one a flaming, jagged line of magic from Cedric, and the other an exploding fire arrow from Marcy. As the remains of the spells burned, Wyn coated his weapon in fire using Elemental Weapon. Taking every advantage he had was needed to overcome such a resilient monster.
To that end, he also cast Decay on himself while running forward to hit the beast in the nose. The monster recoiled in pain, damaged from the multitude of abilities being used against it. When it refocused back at Wyn, it swiped at him with a front leg with impressive speed.
Wyn fell to the ground, rolling under and away from the attack. He popped to his feet right away and hit the monster in the leg twice while the others continued pummeling on it from all sides. Baratheon connected a punch on the monster’s backside and sent it down to the ground again.
The Climbers and their summons kept pummeling on the monster repeatedly, whittling it down slowly but surely. After several minutes of fighting it, it began to glow again, readying another attack.
Wyn suddenly had an idea. He had another ability to use, one that didn’t have a solid opportunity to be useful. His other class skill, Silence Attack, was an active skill that cost little mana but was only useful for one hit. It worked to reduce magical power on enemies and make them temporarily unable to use magic. Most of the first tier had a lack of enemies that used strong magic, but now in the second tier the monsters were becoming more prominent and the skill would be needed. This boss was the perfect example.
His mace glowed blue on top of the red flaming aura, and Wyn struck the Zalman-drake on the leg with a relatively average hit. The blue glow transferred to the monster, though, and it was different than the usual ice-aspected elemental aura that it used when readying its ability. It suppressed the monster’s own aura and snuffed it like a candle in the wind.
The monster’s ice scales flared but didn’t budge. Wyn wanted to laugh at the skill’s effectiveness and how well it just prevented a boss monster from using a strong attack. Instead, he settled on continuing his assault along with the others.
Eventually the monster slowed to where its attacks were easier to avoid or block and it bled blood blue from its mouth and exposed wounds. Even with Baratheon there to punch and hit the monster with huge hits over and over, the monster displayed incredible endurance behind a ridiculous defense. Wyn started to wonder how they would have managed without the brutish Calling.
When the monster finally succumbed to the Climber’s attacks and fell without getting back up, Wyn wanted to fall over with it. His breathing was ragged, his arms as heavy as iron. He shrunk his mace back to a dagger and sheathed it, then reduced his shield to the dormant bracer. He went down to a knee in fatigue and watched the Zalman-drake slowly disappear into smoke leaving behind a huge pile of treasure.
John and Lucy both collapsed on the other side of the treasure pile. Baratheon and the deathhawk had been gone at that point, and the last portion of the fight was only the Climbers. They pushed themselves past the point of exhaustion to beat down the defensive monster, despite their improved physical bodies.
Cedric walked up to the melee fighters and knelt close to Wyn. “Let’s get our rewards and go home to rest. Congratulations, everyone. We finished the seventh floor.”
Tasha came over to inspect the Climbers, taking her time with John. After a few minutes of recovery, they hugged when he sat up, and Wyn left them alone. Lucy rolled over and sat up, staring at the treasure pile where the monster was defeated. Wyn didn’t blame her, as he couldn’t take his eyes off of it either.
It was the largest pile of treasure he’d ever seen.
He imagined the amount would be comparable to what they found in chests in the second tier, except it was just lying there on the ground. There had to be thousands of coins, and Wyn noted it was mostly silver cloaks and gold crowns. At least a dozen gemstones that Wyn could see where in it, too, along with several corked potion bottles and a buried item that gave off a blue aura. A smaller green aura came off a glass vial on the edge of the pile as well. Wyn remembered that potions rarely had better magical effects and were considered magically tiered, which was likely what was in the pile.
Marcy was kneeling near the pile and began to collect the treasure into her own pack. The others soon joined her. Silently they all pitched in to gather the treasure, even Lucy. Wyn watched her out of the corner of his eye but didn’t notice anything underhanded. They would receive a total amount of rewards collected when they returned to the base, so it wasn’t like they were stealing. Even if she kept whatever coins she was gathering it wouldn’t likely be an equal share from the total haul.
When they got to the item and potion, Marcy and John held them.
“The guild will probably want the potion,” Marcy said. “Non mana or healing potions are more rare than magical items, and we could likely trade for a good item in the vault.”
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“That’s true,” Cedric said. He pointed to the blue rarity chainmail shirt John was holding. “And that should be a good item. We only have enough of the secondary quest for two of us, but I don’t think we have the means to go hunting for the other requirements. I wanted to do another lower floor climb after dinner and we should rest until then.”
“And divvy up the rewards,” Lucy said. “This was a serious haul.”
“Yes it was. After we get the floor rewards we can tally everything up back at the guild. Just hold onto them until then.”
From there it was simple. They exited the floor, returned to the base in the tower, and met the guild attendant for their rewards.
Wyn was happy to see another 360 gold crowns slide across the counter. Clearing the seventh floor wasn’t easy, but the reward was worth it. And that was only the floor completion reward. He was confident he’d make nearly twice as many crowns with his share, and they still had items to distribute. Not only that, but they made it out without major injury. Several of them used mana potions - Cedric and Tasha using multiple - but overall their resource management was decent. The two biggest factors they actually used were their time and energy. Wyn was told the higher floors would use those the most, and that climbing the third and fourth tiers would take all day with most layouts, and he could see why. Even just the seventh floor was long, and took hours to complete with fatigue easily setting in at the boss.
Still, they completed it and lived to tell the rest of the guild about it. It was a good day.
The two rewards they received from the Secondary Quest was more coins and two blue rarity items. They waited until they returned to the guild to identify them and fully separate the winnings, per Cedric’s order. Wyn wasn’t about to complain or argue. It would be good to review them while in their new home.
The blue items they found were a helmet, chain mail, mace and cloak. The mace and cloak were from the reward chests while the others were found from monsters. The helmet was a Frost Giant’s Headwrap, an item that improved overall strength and endurance when wielding an ice elemental weapon, and gave great resistance to ice elemental attacks. It wasn’t a bad item at all, but not useful for anyone in the group since the condition involved using an ice elemental weapon.
The mace and cloak were identified as Wood Thumper and Shadowed Garb respectively, and had effects more suited to different climbing styles. The cloak was obviously fit for a Rogue, though Marcy could have used it more than anyone else. Her current cloak was far better, though. The mace was an earth elemental weapon that had a good chance to create magical knock back hits on every strike, which was a strong effect. It just wasn’t useful to the current season. They decided to both to the pile to trade.
The item drop from the boss was the best. It was called Drake’s Frozen Brand, and it was part of a set. It was blueish white with thick scales as the chain links, and improved the power of physical skills by a moderate amount, lessened mana for active skills, and provided elemental resistance. Lucy immediately asked to use it, and forfeited her other rewards for it. Wyn thought that was more than fair, since she also gave up her coins. She kept the necklace they found, and Cedric said it would be worth it to find the other pieces of the set for an improved bonus. She also agreed to give up any coins for the rest of the week as long as they would at least try to find the other pieces of the set, which impressed Wyn. It really did seem like she was trying to be fair in their group. Cedric reminded them that his other goal was to improve everyone’s equipment anyway, and if that set gave her similarly beneficial bonuses than it was in her best interest to find them and use them.
Everyone was in a good mood while they rested. Cedric said he wanted to climb a lower floor after dinner to hunt for more items, returning to the third floor for the secondary quest so they could exchange more green rarity items for some blue items on their lists.
Wyn asked to meet at Alistair after dinner as he wanted to go visit Arabelle. They had their own dinner meeting to attend.
*****
The salted pork nearly melted in Arabelle’s mouth, and she savored every bite. Ever since coming to Alestead she’d been eating like a queen. She was lucky to eat two meals a day before, and even then they were pathetic. Now, she ate as often as she wanted, driven by a healthy wage from Benedict and being payed for by Wyn frequently. She was initially concerned about the large difference in quantity of food she was eating, but training so much with Daniel was keeping her fit and healthy.
Now, though, the meal continued on, and her nerves were getting the better of her. That funny feeling in the pit of her stomach was stopping her from eating too much despite wanting to gorge on the food that was being covered by her brother.
Their guests, though, were normally good company, but the expected conversation made her queasy.
“This is one of the finest places in the city,” Bartholomew said, his second plate already cleaned. “It’s a shame we’ll be leaving in a few days!”
“One of the best despite not being the most expensive,” Roscoe added, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “You’ve certainly chosen well! I would have never tried it!”
“I’ll be sure to tell my friend you said that,” Wyn said, taking a sip of his wine. His plate was mostly clean, and it was only his first.
Arabelle recognized how Wyn was likely as nervous as she was. If Wyn forgot to thank Tasha for the recommendation, she would definitely not forget. Both Roscoe and Bartholomew were in one of the best moods she’d seen since knowing them.
“Please do,” Roscoe said. “I know people who would pay good money for a curated list of places to visit here in the city. Something to remember, dear,” he said, pointing with a finger to Arabelle while the rest of his hand held a wine glass.
“Oh, Benedict has been too good to me to suddenly leave,” Arabelle said. “Even when I start climbing I think I’ll help him when I can.”
“That’s a fantastic idea! Always good to keep your eyes open for business opportunities! Climbing isn’t meant to be your life’s end, after all.”
Arabelle smiled and nodded in agreement. She then glanced at Wyn, who cleared his throat to speak. That was the perfect invitation for him to pitch their idea.
“That’s a great point, Roscoe,” Wyn said. “And has a lot to do with why we asked both of you to dinner tonight.”
“This wasn’t just a friendly gathering?” Bartholomew asked, his lips curling into a smirk. “You don’t say.”
“You mean, dear friend, that our new acquaintances are wanting to utilize our profession?” Roscoe asked. “Say it isn’t so!”
The two men suddenly started chuckling and Arabelle felt her own lips creep into a smile. Surprisingly, it was relieving seeing them aware that she and her brother wanted to ask something of them.
“I guess we aren’t very subtle,” Wyn said, looking to Arabelle.
“Not at all,” Roscoe said. “But that’s alright. Before we get into details, Arabelle, dear. How has your payment been coming?”
Araballe cleared her throat and put a small pouch on the table. She was prepared for this. “I’ve managed to secure half.”
Roscoe smiled at her and took the pouch, examining the contents. He moved some coins around inside and nodded approvingly. “You’re too modest. It seems a bit more than half.”
“14 crowns, eight cloaks, and seven boots,” Arabelle said. “I made a few tips here and there to make that up. It’s what I’ve been able to spare.”
“Spare?” Roscoe said. “That’s an impressive amount for just three weeks. You should be proud of yourself!”
“That’s what I told her,” Wyn said. “And she adamantly refused any of my coin.”
“Good,” Roscoe said, pocketing the pouch. “I understand you wanting to help your sister but it speaks volumes about her wanting to settle this on her own. Arabelle, I’m glad we connected that dreadful day on the road. You’ll go far. I know it.”
“Thank you,” Arabelle said, steeling her resolve so she wouldn’t cry. Her father never so much as spared a kind word to her, and yet this man, who’s only known her for a short time, was both kind and fun.
“That’s also part of our business proposition,” Wyn said. “Arabelle plans to climb, and eventually we’ll be free from our father’s debt. We want to establish some long term opportunities, as you said. And a traveling merchant we trust is just who we’re looking for.”
Bartholomew filled his glass of wine and watched while Roscoe’s face turned serious. Arabelle recognized that look. That was a look that meant business.
“Continue,” Roscoe said.
Wyn looked to Arabelle. She only nodded.
“We obtain a fair number of magical items from the tower,” Wyn said. “Those we don’t use, we aim to sell rather than keep.”
“Why not use Benedict?” Bartholomew asked. “He has a shop suited for exactly that.”
“I do use him,” Wyn said. “But I tend to bring him more items than he can reasonably sell to customers here. I sought out a private buyer previously but it didn’t work out. And we have an idea for Benedict with our current proposal.”
“A private buyer, huh?” Roscoe said. “I take it they had specific demands for items?”
Wyn narrowed his eyes. “Yes. Exactly. I had a strange feeling about him, too. I couldn’t fully trust him and decided to stop our business together during our second meeting.”
“There are a lot of people out there who work for questionable clients,” Roscoe said. “Who knows where those items will end up, and in whose pockets. I can’t say it was a good idea to meet with them in the first place, but I understand your predicament. It was good you stopped.”
Arabelle knew what Wyn was thinking because she thought the same thing. It was something they discussed before the dinner. Benedict was the one who originally mentioned the private buyer, and both of them decided it was best not to bring that up. The shop owner was eccentric and had networks in all places, but that wasn’t the best avenue for both of them in the end. Roscoe would hopefully be far better. He visited Alestead once every month or two, and had consistent turn over with items and merchants.
“We are, too,” Wyn said. “But now that leaves us with items we stand to sell now, and potential deals in the future as we keep climbing.”
Roscoe leaned back and took a long drink of his wine. He then set it on the table, where Bartholomew quickly refilled it. “I don’t have a large clientele for tower items, but I do know of some buyers. For you two, I could sell about six items a month on average. At a lower price than your previous buyer, mind you, but consistent. From green rarity items up to purple at a fair price.”
Arabelle felt her heart race. That wasn’t just a decent offer, that was a promise of a lot of future wealth. If they could sell half a dozen items per month, they could easily net over a thousand crowns just from Roscoe, let alone whatever they earned in the tower.
With that kind of money, they could start a new life anywhere after a few years climbing. Even climbing conservatively. In the right place, they could even establish themselves as lesser nobles after some time. Arabelle had trouble wrapping her mind around that kind of life.
“That isn’t quite as much as you need now, though, isn’t it?” Bartholomew asked.
“No, but we have a plan for that,” Arabelle said, refocusing to the conversation.
“Good,” Roscoe said. “What’s your plan for Benedict?”
“His shop is going to be Arabelle’s exclusive supplier of items,” Wyn said. “Hopefully her group moving forward, too. I’m working on convincing my guild to use him as well, though they do have their own contacts. I’ll continue using him as able myself.”
Roscoe and Bartholomew exchanged a look, smiled, and then raised glasses. Arabelle quickly raised one herself after some looks of encouragement from the men, and Wyn joined, too. They finalized their deal with dessert, stories, and laughs.
The dinner was easy from there. Wyn had to leave to meet with his group for another climb, and she enjoyed Roscoe and Bartholomew’s company for likely the last time before the left the city. They promised to visit next month, at which point Arabelle would finish her payment to Roscoe for bringing her safely to the city.
She never felt so happy paying someone than she did for Roscoe. The man not only saved her - with some great help from Bartholomew - but he gave her a chance at a new life with her brother. Something she’d been wanting her whole life.
Her excitement grew within her and she couldn’t wait to tell Daniel about their deal and future.