Wyn kept stopping himself from fidgeting with the chain of his Mushroom Lantern. Despite not going into Alistair to climb, the other guild leaders told him to wear his best gear for the joined guilds meeting. They said it was all a presentation of power and prestige, and it was important to look the part.
He felt out of place compared to Nigel, Gregory, and even Prian, but at least he could make his hat look like a proper captain’s hat to match his jacket. Even the normally aloof Caryn looked intimidating, and nearly as audacious as Gregory. His Commander class was more direct than the Knight class, though still melee oriented. Where the Knight was more defensive, the Commander was offensive, with some obvious overlap between the two. His gear looked similar to Gregory and to an extension Nigel, but his cloak was tattered and equipment more black and green. He looked intimidating and fierce, where Gregory and Nigel looked regal in their silvers, golds, and white colors.
Prian wore an elegant robe and carried a large, straight white staff. He looked like a high priest, both with his clothes and judgmental look. The five of them certainly looked powerful, if not a little cramped in the wagon while they rode to the meeting.
The meeting was being held in the largest war room in the training hall outside Alistair, where all of the guilds of the city met to discuss the month’s progress. Tower Master Aureus led the discussion, being a neutral party to everyone, to allow information to be shared so they all could have the best chance at succeeding inside the tower, including non-guild affiliated Climbers. All nine guilds would be present, with individual leaders from each group attending. Wyn didn’t understand why more than just the individual guild leader couldn’t attend, but Nigel mentioned it had to do with some displays of pride of each guild’s power. Wyn just accepted it and moved on. He wasn’t about to get involved with guild politics.
Having some time to ride gave him time to reflect on Cedric’s week leading the group. Overall, the Lightning Wizard did well as a leader. After completing the seventh floor, they returned to the lower floors for more items, then tried the eighth floor. A group of champions were the first enemy pack they found, and Cedric promptly used a key to escape after the fight wasn’t going their way. They didn’t necessarily have to push to the point of possible injury, and Faye mandated each of them carry a key both as an emergency and as a means to get out of unfinished floors. It was better to live to climb another day than to be seriously hurt or killed, and Cedric was a grim reminder of that.
Still, they managed to secure ten blue items during the week and over a dozen green items, all to be traded for equipment upgrades. That was a fantastic result, and Wyn was happy to have more items to add to his stash to sell. He now personally had two blue and two green items. His plan was to sell what he could to round out the month, then keep some to upgrade depending on what was left. Having the new Ashen Gallidium set from last month gave him plenty of strength currently, while the others wanted better gear. He just needed the coin at the moment.
Arriving at the training hall, there were already a few other guilds scattered in the large room. The room itself had four large tables, each big enough to hold a dozen people a fifth table sat perpendicular at the far end of the room with four seats on one side. The Tower Master sat in the middle of that table, going through stacks of papers with a person on either side of him pointing at the sheets and marking down their own notes with quills.
Wyn took a quick stock of the guilds already present while Gregory led the group to an empty in the corner. He recognized their insignias after being educated on the other guilds and their members by Faye and Nigel. Five of the guilds were present, with one of them standing against the wall. He didn’t need the education on three of them, as they were the other guilds that participated in the trials - the Alistair Junkies, Defenders, and Stair Chasers. He remembered the judges during the trials and the people who interviewed him and gave them a small nod of greeting. The other guilds present were the Jahnin Knights and Arcane Runners, the guilds comprised of melee oriented Climbers and Mage Climbers respectively. Nigel had mentioned they tended to work together a lot, but for some reason still separated themselves as different guilds.
Each of the Climbers wore elaborate clothing and equipment, all slightly different. One Climber wore a large sword on their back that was nearly as tall as him, while what Wyn assumed to be was a female mage wore a sheer face covering over intricately woven black and silver robes with an emerald encrusted black staff. The others had similarly eccentric outfits, and Wyn sat mesmerized. They were a far cry from the standard Climbers he saw when going into the tower, and they all looked intimidating and capable.
The doors behind them opened as two of the other groups entered. Wyn was wondering how they would look, and he wasn’t disappointed. The first three Climbers wore matching cloaks that glowed a strong aura, and Wyn’s eyes widened at the sight of the leader. Her cloak had a strong orange glow, while the two men behind her only had purple cloaks. She wore the fourth tier item with confidence and grace, and everyone in the room stared at her in awe. Wyn didn’t need to see their insignias to know they were the Shimmercloaks, one of the stronger guilds in the city. Their leadership was marked with powerful cloaks that gave off such a strong aura it was almost blinding. They confidently walked to the one of the tables closer to Aureus and sat, exchanging nods and waves to the others. Nigel mentioned that along with the strongest guild in the city, they were the only ones currently climbing in the fourth and final tier.
Wyn could see Gregory and Caryn both eyeing the leader with jealousy obvious in their eyes.
Soon after was the strongest guild in the city, and everyone stood when they walked in, including Aureus. The Order of the Scaled Dragons. It was a strange feeling but Wyn didn’t question it. Four Climbers then entered the room, all wearing full sets of equipment that glowed strong auras. Where the Shimmercloaks only had single pieces that gave off auras, these Climbers each had entire sets. The two Climbers in the front, a man and a woman, both had an orange glow to them, showing how powerful they really were. They acknowledged everyone in the room, then sat at an empty table by themselves.
“They’re expected to make it to the 20th floor soon,” Nigel said, whispering to Wyn. “Even though we’re the third strongest guild in the city, they are leagues above the rest of us. It would do you some good to be friendly with them.”
Wyn nodded in acknowledgement and understood his reasoning. Being friends with strong people was just good sense.
The noise in the room picked up and people started to talk to each other. Aureus then stood and waved, getting everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for joining. We’re still waiting on the final guild before we officially begin.”
“Of course it’s them,” Caryn said, sighing. “A bunch of damn freaks. Why do we have to wait on them anyway?”
“Because they’re still technically a guild,” Gregory said. “Just be patient.”
Caryn snickered.
Secretly, Wyn was wanting to see the final guild the most of all. He remembered Benedict mentioned them some time ago, and he only heard about them in rumors since. They were an enigma until Gregory gave more information about them. Their guild consisted entirely of their single group of four people, but they consistently climbed into the third tier. No one knew about their classes or even how they were so strong.
Wyn felt a vibration from his Mushroom Lantern on his hip and it began to glow with its green aura while the mushrooms inside the jar began bouncing around as though he was shaking it to activate. A dim yellow glow then lit up around him, and the others at the table and nearby looked at him curiously. The glow wasn’t terribly distracting since the room was well lit, but it was obvious it gave off a source of light as it bathed a good portion of the room in a soft yellow.
He inspected the jar, wondering why in the world it activated on its own. That never happened before.
Suddenly the doors opened and four masked and cloaked figures walked inside. Everyone in the room turned to watch them, including Wyn. Their cloaks looked ragged and dirty, and gave no sense of being magical at all, though their masks were an entirely different story. Each of them wore what looked to be animal masks that completely covered their faces and heads, and seemed to be made of dark brown wood with metal details. One of them was a bear of a man, easily a foot taller and wider than the average man, while the other three looked fairly average. A few seconds after they entered the room, each of their masks lit faintly with runes, small ones along the edges and large ones on the face. The four masked Climbers looked at each other, confused.
Their masks were previously unassuming, but now they lit up with a resounding orange glow like the other fourth tier items in the room. Everyone noticed and watched with obvious curiosity.
The four then slowed turned to Wyn, whose lantern was still glowing. One of them stepped closer, and Caryn abruptly stood up, causing the others to stand, too, including Wyn. He didn’t want to do nothing but was stunned into inaction. What was going on? How did his lantern activate? And why were their masks reacting like the environment inside the tower?
One of the members of the Faceless Four turned their head to each of the Twilight Blade members, then back to Wyn. Their mask looked like a dog, though the nose was elongated and the ears markedly pointed in a way that looked like a strange wolf. He wasn't familiar with the animal. The runes on the mask were glowing a whitish blue, making a strange combination with the overwhelming orange emitted from the mask’s rarity. The Climber pointed with a tanned hand at Wyn’s lantern. “Curious item you have there.” Their voice was muffled but deeper, obviously a man.
“We could say the same about your freakish masks,” Caryn said, stepping forward. “What the fuck is happening to them, anyway?”
“Come on, Landon,” one of the other Faceless Four members said. Their voice was feminine, and their mask looked like some exotic bird. It had what looked like a plume of feathers where the forehead should be, and the runes on her mask glowed red. “We don’t need to be here.”
The closest masked Climber - Landon - nodded slowly before pointing at Wyn again. “If you ever want to rid yourself of that strange lantern, find me. Though even if you don't, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other again.” He then turned and walked out of the training hall with the other three.
“Fucking freaks,” Caryn said, then motioned for the others to return to their seats. “Can we get on with it, then?”
Aureus cleared his throat, then asked everyone to sit to start the meeting.
“Those four have never so much as sat down, let alone talked in these meetings,” Nigel whispered. “What, exactly, is that lantern of yours?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Wyn looked down at the Mushroom Lantern, the small mushrooms inside glowing yellow as the jar rested on his leg. He wanted to answer Nigel, but he honestly had no idea. The longer Wyn had and used the lantern the more questions came rather than answers.
The meeting itself went on relatively smoothly after the situation with the Faceless Four. They discussed information that Wyn already knew, such as the early floor layouts, monsters, expected rewards and use of the new Reef Gliders. Some more specific information was given such as monster drops, elemental affinities, traps, and more for the first two tiers and part of the third. Sheets of parchment were passed out to everyone, and Wyn was impressed with the detail provided. Apparently it was all compiled from each guild’s contribution, and would be given to information brokers in the following few days for non-guild Climbers to purchase.
As the meeting grew more and more boring, Wyn couldn’t help but think about the mysterious four Climbers, their masks, and his lantern. Just what, exactly, had he gotten himself into?
*****
Lucy stared at the four items on the bed, and she felt as happy as Mathias would be with a large pile of gold coins. The necklace and chain mail were great additions to her gear, while the other two items would be good trading material. Even when she was with the best group on her own she still didn’t have as much success as she did the past three weeks. The guild took its cut first, of course, but then the six of them started distributing items evenly, and she’d never been so excited. Cedric - gods bless him - even curated a list of items that would suit an axe-wielding Barbarian that met the requirements the guild had for advancing into the third tier.
She picked up a green rarity bow and held it in her hands. This item, and the others on the bed, was hers. Mathias didn’t need to know about them. Fuck him. Fuck the Assembly. She’d gone too long not doing something for herself. Even the others were supporting her, both in her group and the guild.
It was time she thought of herself. If she needed items to advance, then she’d get them. It would be fairly easy to trade up for a couple of blue rarity items at the trading hall. She was used to putting pressure on people where it mattered. If she became stronger, even Mathias couldn’t order her around. If her strength grew to the fourth tier, maybe she could challenge the Assembly and dare them to come after her family.
Who knew if she could obtain that much power. But she sure as the hells was going to try.
Lucy then picked up her items and left the guild, ready to trade and improve.
*****
Tasha stared with amazement at the contents of the guild vault. It was a true treasure trove of items.
“It really is something,” John said, stepping beside her.
Tasha grabbed onto his arm and smiled broadly. “How did you even settle on those items? There’s so much in here!”
“Nigel gave me a big nudge, which was helpful. I would have been lost otherwise! But if you know what you’re looking for, maybe I can help you find something?”
Tasha stepped to the nearest shelf of blue rarity items and began searching. There was everything possible inside, but she had a clear goal. She unfolded a piece of parchment and held it out. “From what Cedric listed, I’m looking for something besides my boots, cloak, and wand. Those are great right now. My robe and belt are both green rarity and I don’t have a hat or anything. Though that would mess up my hair.”
John chuckled while looking through the items. There were brief descriptions of each beside them, making it easier to search. “So a belt, robe, and circlet, then. Maybe there’s a set in here with those items?”
Tasha and John looked for several minutes before they found what seemed to be part of a set. It was a robe and circlet, both with effects fit for a support and healing mage. The robe was dark green with gold accents and trim, and a stunning piece. The circlet was thick and gold and relatively simple, with a diamond set in the front. Together they were two pieces of a four piece set, and with both of them they provided improved mana recovery, greatly reduced the cost of support spells, and put up a completely protective barrier around the wearer that protected from both magical and physical attacks for one minute once a day. Tasha loved the effect and defensive focus, which would allow her to use more Callings on average.
“This is perfect!” Tasha said, clutching the circlet. “If a belt is one of the other set pieces and we could find it in the trading hall, it would be even better!”
John held the robe up beside Tasha. “You would look absolutely stunning in this, you know.”
Tasha poked him in the ribs, but it only made him laugh.
“How about we go look for the other pieces, then?” John asked.
Tasha agreed by giving him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled while his face flushed, causing Tasha to giggle. She then pulled her own robe out of her pack to be exchanged. They would mark down the trade with Faye, who was waiting for them to finish outside.
“How about you, though?” Tasha asked. “Are you going to keep your new armor set? I have to say, you look very menacing.”
“I think I will for now,” John said. “It’s helpful for the month, and gives good bonuses. But I do think it’s time to trade my sword and shield.”
Tasha jerked upright. “Really? You love that sword! And the shield is from your family!”
John pulled out the items from his pack and sat them against the wall. “Yes, but I knew I wouldn’t keep them forever. Cedric had a great list of items to have and I want to improve. If I’m going to be a Knight I need better equipment. So, it’s time. And why not put them in a place they’ll be secured and admired? My father said the shield was mine, and I’d like to leave his legacy somewhere I respect. I don’t see a better place.”
Tasha held onto John’s arm, and they held each other for a few seconds. Faye cleared her throat outside the vault, and the Climbers abruptly separated.
“Right,” John said, clapping his hands together. “Supposedly there’s part of good set for a Knight in here. Hopefully it won’t take long to find them.”
It only took a few minutes, and Tasha spotted the shield first. It was a fine kite shield, shaped like a teardrop and regal. It was mostly white and silver with red trim. A matching sheathed sword was nestled right beside it, with the blade being a true long sword. John held the weapon and appreciated its balance. It would take a few training sessions to get used to the difference but it was nothing he wasn’t familiar with.
John took the items and checked his parchment. They increased his endurance, the strength of his Aura by a large amount, the strength of his other skills by a small amount, and increased his strength and defense when in the close vicinity of allies. And that was only with the pair.
They were perfect.
After securing their items, the pair left the vault, informing Faye of their choices and exchanges. They walked to the trading hall to look for the other set pieces to both of their new sets, hand in hand.
*****
Cedric tried to sit stoically but found his nerves were getting the better of him. Cara’s letter was clutched in his hand, and he kept looking at it over and over. She wrote to him the day prior, saying she finished his arm early and wanted to present it. A nudge from Marcy reminded him to keep his cool, but he was having a hard time.
“I can’t help I’m nervous,” Cedric said. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“Of course,” Marcy said, her voice rising. “I’m nervous, too!”
The pair were in a private war room in the training hall. Cara said she wanted Cedric to see and test the item, and they needed space and the protection of the training area. Which was fine with Cedric. He was just excited to have a working arm again.
A knock at the door made both of them jump. Marcy rushed to it and opened the door.
“Hello there,” Cara said, stepping inside. “Nice to see you.”
“Understatement of the year,” Marcy said.
Cedric just stared at her. He couldn’t find the words to say.
Cara looked at him and smiled. “I have to say, I was proud to be done a bit early. It wasn’t easy work, but it was fascinating! The process is a bit labor intensive and the materials costly, but this could change so much. The academy wizards are going to be begging me for the recipe, and I’ll practically make a fortune! What was really tricky -”
“Cara,” Marcy said, standing beside Cedric. He was just staring at her and holding his empty shoulder. “Please.”
Cara looked between both of the Climbers and slowly nodded her head. “Right. Time and place. Okay. Sit down, please. I’ll go over it with you.” She stepped over to the table in the middle of the room and pulled out a wrap. It was brown, folded, and ugly.
Cara set the wrap on the table and delicately unfolded it. Cedric’s eyes widened at the item she revealed. Not because it was stunning or breathtaking, though. In fact, it was a fairly basic dark grey sleeve that was rectangular, as though it was meant to be wrapped around a neck. The only part that stood out on the item was a series of clear stones set in a line.
No, the reason why Cedric’s eyes widened was because he was staring at his new arm. And he desperately wanted to have it.
Cara picked up the item and opened one side. The opening wasn’t complete, though. As Cedric looked at it closer, it resembled a large and wide sock.
“This sleeve will go over your arm and part of your shoulder.” Cara held it up for Cedric and Marcy to look closer. “The stones I wove into it are mana stones.”
“I haven’t heard of those before,” Marcy said. “Are they like gemstones?”
“Sort of. They are great conduits of magic like gemstones, but they don’t follow a particular element or branch of magic. They simply hold mana and naturally recover mana, too. They’re popularly ground and used in items that have an effect that has a limited number of uses but allows for natural recovery.”
“Like once a day or something similar.”
“Exactly. Here, you have six of them, and they’re obviously complete. That heightens their effectiveness. The six stones allow the incorporeal arm to be used continuously for about two hours each, or half a day. Unfortunately the natural recovery takes a bit longer at about three fourths of a day, but you can also charge them yourself using your personal mana.”
She held the sleeve in front of her and motioned for Cedric to come closer. He scooted closer to her, holding out his barren shoulder. He still had a few inches of arm past the shoulder, which Cara carefully stretched the sleeve over. It clung to Cedric’s skin and stretched over his shoulder, nearly to his neck. The fit was so tight it looked like Cedric suddenly had dark grey skin.
“The item creates an incorporeal arm based on your intention. It may take some getting used to -”
A blob suddenly formed at the end of Cedric’s arm, causing him and Marcy to recoil in alarm. It looked like a formless mass a foot and a half long, without any other distinct features. It was the same dark grey color as the sleeve, though wispy like a dense cloud. One of the mana stones on the item began to softly glow.
“The color and makeup is from the Nimbus Cloud materials,” Cara said, shifting in her seat. “Now hold out your right arm.” She held up her left arm in front of Cedric.
Cedric faced her and did as she asked.
“Now bring your left arm beside it, and think about taking the same shape.” Cara held out her other arm to mirror Cedric.
Cedric concentrated, imagining his left arm looking exactly like his right. The blob suddenly began to shift and coalesce, forming into a rough outline of an arm as though Cedric was molding it. It took several seconds but eventually an elbow, wrist, and fingers formed. Cedric laughed, causing Marcy to laugh. Even Cara smiled in delight seeing him create an arm with just a thought.
“Now hold that form and move it around,” Cara said.
Cedric rotated the cloudy arm, moving the elbow, wrist, and fingers as though it was his actual arm. The moves looked jerky and sloppy, and sweat quickly formed on his forehead from focusing so hard.
“It will take some time, but you should have it down quickly with practice.”
“It’s wonderful,” Marcy said.
“It’s pure magic,” Cedric said. “I don’t know how else to describe it! I feel like a kid seeing this for the first time!”
Cara laughed. “The real magic will be putting it to use! Your parchment will give the full effects, but its enchantments are fairy straightforward like we discussed. It can maintain its shape through quite a bit of outside force, far more than I expected. It will rival some first tier Fighters who have enhanced strength in its density.”
“You’re shitting me?” Marcy said. “It's that powerful?”
Cara gave a wicked smile. “That’s not all! You can shape it freely, so it doesn’t have to just be an arm. It can be a weapon, or a shield, or anything. You can elongate it or shorten it or mold it into whatever you want! The possibilities are only limited to your imagination. But the more you use it that way, the quicker the stones will eat up its mana. And they’ll use mana especially fast if you’re using it to perform feats greater than just an arm could do.”
“Then I’ll be mindful how I use it,” Cedric said. He stood and moved the arm around, practicing movements and directions. It felt… strange. Like with his right arm, moving it barely took a conscious thought. He had intentions and it would easily move according to his will. But with the item’s cloudy arm, it took far more focus and direction to even just be smooth and natural.
It would take time to function as easily as a normal arm, if he could even get to that point. But it was far better than not having anything. He started laughing, then he couldn’t stop, and laughed until he cried.
Marcy started crying, too, but she wasn’t laughing. She was just happy for her best friend.
“I hope the item serves you well,” Cara said after a few minutes. “It’s certainly helped my craft. So thank you.” She extended a hand to shake.
“No, thank you,” Cedric said, shaking her hand.
“Wait,” Marcy said. “What’s the item’s name?”
Cara smirked as she headed for the door. “I thought it should be something fitting for a Lightning Wizard. Hopefully you like it.” She then left without another word.
Cedric and Marcy looked at each other, then Cedric pulled out his parchment. He smiled seeing the name.
“Well?” Marcy asked.
“Stormcloud's Reach,” Cedric said.