Despite the room being on the side of a fairly simple hallway, the magical doorway opened into a large great hall more fit for a royal banquet than inside a dank castle. Torches lit the area while hanging on the walls, a long red carpet split the room in the middle sitting below a fine wooden table and chairs decorating the space, and a raging fireplace was bellowing a great fire at the other end of the room. Five ornate chairs were arranged around the table with a smooth purple tablecloth resting on top. It felt strangely homey and comfortable for where they were, as if the tower was setting an area for them to feast rather than fight.
Wyn stepped inside cautiously beside John, but there were no enemies around to fight. Traps may have been placed but he didn’t notice anything immediate. Marcy likely could find something better but the room just seemed normal.
John relaxed a bit and walked over to the edge of the table. “This is strange. There’s nothing here.”
“That’s not true,” Marcy said. “There’s a table and chairs and a nice fire.”
John turned to the Ranger with a serious face. “Ha, ha. You’re hilarious.”
“There aren’t any traps?” Cedric asked. “That seems odd.”
“Not that I can tell,” Marcy said. She walked over by John and examined one of the chairs. “It looks just like a normal room.”
Tasha walked to the table, pulled out a chair and moved to sit down. The others stared at her in shock at her boldness.
“What?” Tasha asked. “It’s not like I can do anything else. I’d rather take a seat, at least.” She sat and the fire immediately roared in response, increasing in height and heat. The torches flickered, too, though nothing else happened.
“What in the hells was that,” John said.
Wyn looked around the room and tried to think. It definitely didn’t make sense with the room not having any traps or monsters. Like the room was more of a resting spot than a challenge. The door leading inside shifted from a symbol of three wolves to one, like it was a downgrade when John used the key. Like the tower was minimizing whatever actual challenge was inside to… well, whatever this was.
“Is it a sort of recovery room?” Wyn asked. “Are those types of places found outside of every fifth floor?”
“None that I’ve heard of,” Cedric said. “That’s why those floors exist and not other areas.” He took a seat beside Tasha and rested his scepter on the table. The crackling fire sparked and bellowed again, keeping its new strength and height for several seconds before slowly returning to normal.
“Okay, that’s helpful,” Cedric said.
“When someone sits at the table the room responds?” Wyn said, more as a statement than a question. “So that just leaves three of us. I wonder what will happen when we all sit.”
“Something terrible like the table collapsing into a pit of acid or the chairs binding and suffocating us,” John said. “No way am I sitting down there.”
Tasha sat a little straighter and swallowed hard. “I hope that isn’t true. Should I get up? What if something worse happens if I do?”
Marcy leaned against one of the backs of the empty chairs. “Don’t freak out just yet. That may happen on a higher floor, but we’re on the third floor, remember? Nothing quite that extreme should happen.”
“Yea, like the spiked pit of death Wyn nearly fell into last season,” John said. “Or the secret room we found on the third floor that was several floors stronger? You can’t convince me it isn’t dangerous!”
Marcy paused and then shrugged. “Well, you got me there.”
“Gods, we’re going to die,” Tasha said.
“No, we aren’t,” Wyn said. “Just take a deep breath, calm down, and think. The only two reactions in here were the fireplace and the torches. Both sources of light and flames. Something will likely happen with one or both of those.”
Marcy pulled out one of the chairs and sat and the flames once again roared in response, still growing in its power.
“Good theory,” Cedric said. “The real question, like you said, is what happens when we all sit down?”
Wyn and John looked at each other. John shook his head in protest and Wyn shrugged.
“We have to see what will happen,” Wyn said. “It’ll be alright. We’ll survive whatever it is!”
John looked at each of them and sighed before pulling out one of the chairs beside Marcy to sit. The moment he did, the fires once again raged and bellowed, this time heating the room to where it was uncomfortable sitting at the table.
Without delay, Wyn pulled out the chair at the head of the table. No sense in delaying what he was sure he needed to do. The moment he sat, the fire in the fireplace swirled like a wind caught it. Then it grew tall, growing out of the restricted space and into the room. As it reached about ten feet it split from the fireplace and began changing shape from a small twister to something else entirely.
Wyn abruptly stood up with John, both ready to fight. The fires didn’t change when they left their seats, and the form began to take shape of a giant dog. It was completely made of fire, no physical body to be seen, though its red claws and sharp teeth were easy enough to make out.
The Climbers all abruptly stood up up and backed up towards the door. Tasha pointed her wand at John and cast Arcane Aura, coating him in protective white light that layered on top of John’s Squire aura he was placing on himself and Wyn. Cedric and Marcy immediately fired a spell and arrow respectively, and both hit the beast but didn’t seem to hurt it much. It just roared a deafening roar at the group before launching itself at the closest Climber with a swift strike of its paw.
Which, fortunately, was John.
The Squire absorbed the hit with his shield but it forced him back. He maintained his footing but wasn’t able to immediately counter with an attack. The flaming dog then followed up with another strike, and John was able to stand his ground. When John struck back with his sword, that had an aquamarine gem socketed in the hilt, the dog moved its body to avoid a critical blow and only suffered a glancing hit before retaliating with impressive speed.
The two were locked into an engagement, equally powerful with both their offensive and defensive abilities. Unfortunately for the monster, there was only one of it. Wyn flanked the beast and cast Feeble as a quick flash of black runes around his Ruby Magician mark caused a magical skull to appear above the monster. The flames coating its body immediately shrank a bit, and its previously impressive speed slowed.
A flash of blue hit the side of the monster as Marcy’s now-magical water arrow pierced its fiery hide and caused it to yelp in pain. The elemental advantage was crucial, and Wyn followed up with his own series of quick jabs into the beast’s flank. Each stab dug into the monster with relative ease but wasn’t going to be the primary means of killing it. It did serve a good job of wounding and distracting, though. As the beast turned to Wyn and tried to bite him, he quickly cast Shield and deflected the attack, the monster awkwardly bouncing off the magical barrier.
Wyn used the moment to cast his new spell Aqua Blast, and the moment he did his mark appeared below him on the ground. When the spell activated, two jets of water exploded from his outstretched palm and slammed into the monster, causing it to stumble over backwards towards the wall. He kept the spell’s effect going for several more seconds, the water spraying the monster like a geyser and pushing it into the wall from its force.
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His Chaincast ability activated, and it was glorious.
“Get back!” Cedric yelled, and he charged up a spell while John retreated. Wyn waited another couple of seconds before cancelling the spell and leaping backwards.
Suddenly a large crackle of lightning shot out from Cedric’s scepter directly into the beast, and everyone had to shield their eyes from the bright, jagging magic. There was no continuous effect like Wyn’s spell, but the strength was obvious with a thundering boom.
Wyn lowered his arm from his eyes and was stunned to see the monster. Or, rather, what was left of it. The beast was smoking but not from its flames - the lightning spell completely decimated it, and all that was left was a charred, smoking husk that immediately began to dissolve back into the tower.
“Gods, Cedric, what in the hells was that?” John asked.
Cedric barked his high pitched, short laugh. “That, my friend, was an incredibly satisfying elemental interaction. Thanks mostly to Wyn.”
“What did I do?” Wyn asked.
“You drenched it in water,” Marcy said. “What do you think happens when lightning hits water?”
“Zap?” John asked.
“Zap,” Cedric confirmed.
Wyn looked back at the beast. It was already gone, but the wall was blackened from the lightning. It was a devastating effect, and one that he planned to utilize more as the enemies became stronger.
“It’s the perfect setup, really,” Marcy said. “My magical arrows can’t quite coat something in an element enough for an interaction, but your spell was more than enough. That Chaincast ability is going to be useful, I can already tell.”
“Guys, look over here,” Tasha said. She was pointing at the fireplace that was now barren and empty. In front it, though, was a large chest that looked like it had been placed there all long. A chest that was glowing blue.
“Rewards!” John yelled.
The group moved over to it but none were as fast as the Squire who promptly sheathed his sword and removed his shield. He needed uninhibited access to the treasure. As he opened the top more blue light radiated from inside, and an audible “oooh” came from him as he reached inside.
Wyn patiently waited to see what John found. His love for earning and discovering treasure knew no bounds, and Wyn didn’t want to rob him of his joy.
John pulled out a large, thin sack that jingled and hung low. Coins filled it but how much wasn’t exactly known. It seemed to be an impressive haul, though.
Then he pulled out another. And then a third.
“Gods, how many coins are there?” Marcy asked. She grabbed one of the pouches and opened it, her head nodding in silent appreciation. “This one looks to be all silver. But damn if these cloaks aren’t beautiful. Not a single speck of dirt on them!”
“Not as beautiful as these,” John said, opening his own sack. “Crowns just have a special look about them, especially ones that glisten with a fresh polish.”
“You’re obsessed,” Wyn said.
“You’re the one looking for every spare copper boot you can find,” John said.
Wyn shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I love it. Just means I need it.”
John tilted his head side to side in agreement before handing the sack over to Wyn. “Well, then this is for you. Should be a nice addition for your monthly quota! I bet there’s at least a few hundred coins.”
Wyn gently grabbed the sack. “I appreciate that, but shouldn’t we split it?”
“You need the coins. We can take the items.”
Wyn didn’t mind that. There’d be no shortage of items to find or trade for, and he felt confident in his current set for at least the season. They survived decently last week before the season changed running the sixth floor over and over, and they already had more items to be even better. The amount of potions they consumed last week was a bit of a concern, but he gathered that was part of climbing higher floors. For him, coins were the true prize.
“What items are in there, then?” Wyn asked.
John rubbed his hands together like a greedy noble preparing to dig into a feast. Then he reached inside the chest with his entire upper body, his head, shoulder, and torso all but disappearing inside the magical storage box. Then he pulled out a large cloak that glowed red and orange like embers in a fire. It swayed as he inspected it, and the motion made the item look like it was actually on fire.
Strangely, though, the cloak was already identified. John should have pulled out a basic cloak.
“Weird,” Tasha said. “Why does it already look like that?”
Wyn felt relieved. At least he wasn’t the only one with that question.
“Sometimes that happens,” Cedric said. “When rewards are predetermined they have a chance to be already identified. Rarer drops aren’t always a guarantee and they could be a small number of items, so they’re unidentified.”
“You mean that if we came back in here and fought it again we’d get the same reward?” Wyn asked. His mind raced. That could be incredibly lucrative, a borderline exploit.
“Sort of. Typically only items work that way, not coins or potions. If we kept trying this floor over and over for this secret room there’s a guaranteed chance we’d either find the cloak again or another item in the set if the door showed up. It’s why some groups and guilds farm areas for items.”
“For the set,” John said. He adjusted his armor and tapped his helmet. “A set of items can be better with the bonuses, so yea, that’s pretty common.”
Wyn deflated about as quickly as he got excited. Still, it was a nice reward for the moment. Though if the set was worth it, he could see the benefit of repeating this floor to try for all of the pieces.
“Why didn’t that happen last month in the secret room Wyn found?” Tasha asked.
Cedric snickered. “I have a feeling that we weren’t supposed to find that. I honestly don’t know about that entire situation.”
Wyn looked at the mushroom lantern on his belt, the tiny mushrooms bouncing around inside. He didn’t know either, but he wasn’t about to question their fortune. He wasn’t that stupid.
“What does it do?” Tasha asked.
“Not sure,” John said. “But I’m not too worried. It could be a great trade item. The color doesn’t really match my eyes.”
Tasha audibly sighed, her curls bouncing as she shook her head in disappointment.
Marcy pulled out four vials from the chest that were larger than the ones Wyn had seen before. They were a big longer and wider than the standard healing and mana potions he’d used so far. One even swirled with a strange green and yellow color.
“Now these are my rewards,” Marcy said.
“I’m the one who actually killed the beast,” Cedric said. “At least give me the mana potion.”
Marcy handed the blue vial to the Wizard who promptly stored it inside his robe. “Fine, fine. But the stamina potion and one healing potion is mine. Who wants the other healing vial?”
“Why are they bigger?” Wyn asked.
“They’re Greater potions,” Marcy said. “More potent than standard ones and more rare, too. Like this stamina potion isn’t found in the standard size. But damn if it isn’t great! I swear I could run for hours after drinking one.”
“I’ll take it,” Tasha said. “I am the group healer but it would be good to have as a backup.”
As they finalized spreading out the rewards, Wyn placed his coins inside his magical coin pouch. It really was a huge benefit to store the sheer amount of coins he had in a sack that didn’t change weight or size. Still, he thought about more of the tower he was learning every day. There likely was even more magical items and situations that he’d find climbing the second tier and higher regularly, becoming as familiar with Alistair as Marcy and Cedric. He envied their knowledge and wanted it for himself.
Still, it would come in time. This was the start of only his second season, and there were several more to go to even pay back his debt. After that, he had no idea what he’d do. But that was another concern for another time.
“Are we ready?” Tasha asked.
“Absolutely,” John said. His shield was strapped to his forearm once again and he stood beside the door, saluting the others. “After you all, sirs and madams.”
Marcy patted his shoulder as she walked by and Wyn give him a proper attentive stance and salute. John momentarily lost his composure at the gesture but quickly recovered. Wyn chuckled and walked back into the hallway.
As they continued to the stairs nothing else in the passage was particularly interesting. Tasha was right, and the others felt it, too - the quicker they could leave this cramped place the better they’d feel.
The stairs at the end were winding and ominous, only lit by torches that spiraled along with the wide stone steps. The climb was only about ten minutes but it felt like an hour, and they soon emerged in a grand hall that had three interesting things to note. Three very different things.
One was that the hall looked to be a sort of ballroom, with tall glass windows in the high ceilings and two large passages that split both left and right further into the castle. It was a beautiful environment, but not as beautiful as the other side of the area that opened to outside, where the familiar yet strange fiery sky beckoned them to keep going.
The second interesting thing they noted was worse. Far worse. There were not one, but two large beings that fought alongside more Ashen Dogs that were of similar size to the ones they killed on the floor. The beings looked like the same Fallen from the first floor, except these monsters were eight feet tall with bulbous bellies like overstuffed, obese creatures. Seven of the dogs still stood while two were lying dead on the ground, disappearing back into the tower before their very eyes.
The third and final interesting thing was that the enemies weren’t alone and were currently preoccupied. This was because they were fighting a group of Climbers. A group that were not only holding their own but winning. Handily.
Spells were firing off left and right, both offensive and defensive. Roots grew from the stony floor and smothered one of the Fallen before growing and entangling one of the Dogs. Arrows zoomed through the air and two warriors bashed and stabbed the monster’s pitiful attempts at fighting back.
“Damn, they’re good,” John said. “I really don’t think they need our help.”
“It’s because they’re part of the Twilight Blades guild,” Cedric said. He looked over to Marcy who nodded in agreement.
Tasha’s eyes widened. “They’re one of the top five guilds!”
“Top three as of last month,” John said.
“How can you tell it’s them?” Wyn asked.
“Because that Climber is causing those vines to snare monsters even with an elemental disadvantage,” Marcy said. “And I only know one Climber who can do that.”
“Only one Druid, you mean,” Cedric said. “Faye.”