License to Cultivate [Progression Fantasy Tower Climber] (FOUR books completed!)

From their vantage point, half a mile off, Chang-li and Joshi studied the lair of the floor guardian. In between training their new recruits and working on their own advancement, they had scouted this floor out thoroughly. As expected, it leaned heavily into the strengths of red lux. Enemies with hides tougher than armor, with sharp claws and strengthened muscles. Nothing here was subtle. It was about the power of tooth and claw. An excellent training scenario for their Darwur warriors.

Better yet, Chang-li had felt as though he were truly able to contribute to the fights. Even without extra lux enforcing him his body had been hardened and toughened by advanced cultivation. He was a match for many of the beasts they fought, and his swordplay skills were getting a much-needed workout.

They still had not received the word to begin their climb, but it was time he and Joshi scouted out the nature of this floor's guardian. Based on everything they'd read about such guardians and the nature of the floor, they were both assuming it would be a straight-up fight against the Guardian, perhaps assisted by minions.

They needed to know for sure.

In the center of this floor rose a tall mesa, about 40 feet tall. Not impossibly high. Chang-li and Joshi had found a spire of rock, half a mile long, that was almost as tall, and clambered up. From there they could see the top of the mesa and, Joshi sent Magen in for a closer look, while Chang-li focused on what he was seeing.

There was a round pavilion in the center of the mesa. Black stone pillars held up a black roof. Chang-li's instinct told him that was where the floor guardian must be.

"Magen's getting closer," Joshi said. "I've warned him to be careful and not get too close. He's circling the mesa now."

Chang-li was focused as though he were cycling, letting his senses fill him, and his awareness slide out past them. There on the center of the mesa, the other colors of lux were slightly thicker, though red was still dominant. That would be an advantage for his allies when they fought, especially Joshi and Min. But it also meant the Guardian might make use of abilities beyond just Red.

Joshi reported, "It looks like you could climb up at four different places around the mesa. Two of them have logs wedged into cracks along the mesa at intervals, like steps. That must be how we're expected to reach the top. He's going up farther now."

It would have been easier to use the flying cloud to go up, but the device had trouble rising so far off the ground in the turbulent lux of this tower, and bringing everyone up in twos and threes would have taken forever. Instead, they'd climb.

Chang-li watched intently, ready for any kind of change. As Magen started toward the pavilion, the shape of red lux began to swirl about and condense around the central pavilion.

"We've been spotted," he warned quietly.

"I'm calling him back," Joshi said, just as the red lux in the center erupted. A beam of red went sky high.

Joshi swore. It was like staring into the sun. Chang-li was busy gritting his teeth against the overwhelming power and staring out. Even from here he could make out the Guardian as he emerged from his pavilion.

It was a man-shaped creature, the dark body at least 20 feet tall.

"Magen's got a good look at him," Joshi said. "He's got the face of a man, with a lion's mane. His body moves strangely, like he's made of stone. He takes deliberate steps that shake the earth."

"He commands lux well," Chang-li muttered.

The Guardian raised its right hand, working a weave that Chang-li couldn't quite follow. There were multiple colors involved. The earth all around him began to shake and quake. Before their eyes, hillocks pushed their way upward, bumps and mounds that rose five or ten feet high. The mounds crumbled away, starting from the top, revealing creatures within. There were bipedal enemies, like smaller versions of the Guardian. Others were quadrupeds, low slung with broad limbs.

"They look like the sort of things we've been fighting," Joshi said grimly.

Chang-li was concentrating on feeling out the opponents. There were dozens, maybe a couple hundred of them.

"They feel like they're somewhere between the Peak of Bodily Refinement and the Peak of Mental Refinement to me," he said. "The Guardian feels stronger. I thought the Primal Tower was going to adjust itself to provide an adequate challenge."

"You don't think a hundred or so Bodily Refinement cultivators might pose a problem?" Joshi asked, amusement in his voice.

"Well, maybe," Chang-li allowed, "since I'm not sure about cultivating right now. But otherwise, I think we could take them."

The two shared a quick laugh, then Chang-li sobered up. "Maybe the Tower's adapting to the fact that we have a whole army of beginning cultivators here," he suggested. "It's providing a challenge worthy of them."

The enemies were standing in rows now, silent and waiting, with the floor Guardian himself just behind. "I'm going to send in Magen again and try to speak with the Guardian," Joshi said.

Chang-li tensed. "Is that safe?"

"First sign of trouble, I'll pull Magen back."

Joshi got a look of concentration on his face. After a moment, he began speaking, not to Chang-li. "Greetings, honored Floor Guardian of this Tower."

There was a rumbling reply, but Chang-li couldn't catch it.

"Yes, we are here to face your challenge," Joshi said. "We are worthy adversaries. What would you have us do?"

Another long, low rumble.

"Then we shall meet your challenge, O revered one. You have honored us with your words. We shall seek to be worthy foes."

He turned back as Magen zoomed toward Chang-li. "He says he is a commander of many, just as we are, and asks us to bring our forces and pit them against his. He will be here when we're ready for him."

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"Not a test of outright strength, but of command," Chang-li suggested. "Or training. Something like that."

"Do you think we should ask the Imperial soldiers to help?" Joshi spoke almost reluctantly, his face showing distaste.

"This is a challenge," Chang-li said. "How we defeat it matters almost as much as that we defeat it. If we try to bring an outside force that doesn't test our ability to train and lead..." He shook his head. "Besides, I'm not sure how well the imperials would follow our orders."

"Agreed," Joshi said. "This will be a challenge for my kin, in truth. None of them have reached the Peak of Bodily Refinement. And this is not a fighting style that suits them. Darwur fight in the saddle. We, of course, can fight on our feet as well, but without our horses we're at a disadvantage."

Chang-li had a brilliant idea. If they had time... He turned to Joshi. "Wait. Someone with less cultivation, or even almost no cultivation at all, can use a technique scroll."

"You mean get some from the army? That seems like it might be violating the spirit of the challenge."

Chang-li shook his head. "No. I mean I can create more. I have a few dozen on me in my soul space. But I can create more without putting a strain on my core or impacting the Lens. I know I can." He was starting to get excited. "The techniques I can provide would be at least Mental Refinement strength."

Joshi nodded. "Yes. Yes. But let's speak with my brother. As much as he irks me, he is a good commander and knows what his men are capable of. We'll lay this out and then get to work." Joshi hesitated. "Should I help you with your scrolls or...?"

Chang-li shook his head. "I think continuing to train the recruits is the best use of your time." He paused. "Aren't some of your people great archers?"

"All of us are," Joshi said stiffly.

"Then here's what we should do…"

For the next three days, Chang-li sat up day and night in a tent with papers in front of him, scribing lux technique scrolls. He had considered all of the patterns he knew, and the ones written in the basic Morning Mist texts he brought along for Min, before settling on three. Focusing on just those let him craft efficiently.

The first technique was Earth Shaker. If the creatures were partially made of stone and earth, like he thought, then it ought to be extra efficient, as it bound a bit of yellow lux tuned to earthen frequencies into its red. It would send out a shockwave in front of the caster, starting from his position, radiating out until it created a cone 30 feet wide where it would shake the ground and anything on it violently. That would be a good technique to start off a fight, but couldn't be used once the melee had begun. He made a few dozen of them, and planned to provide them only to the most dependable of the Darwur cultivators.

His second technique, he chided himself for not thinking of sooner, and intended to make as many copies of for himself as he could. It would apply his Bloodflame Venom ability to a weapon. It was a simple scroll to make; he could craft one in a handful of minutes, and it would last for most of an hour before wearing off. The creatures on this floor had thick hides, but almost all of them were susceptible to poison in their veins once you got through. Chang-li was certain this would work. If he'd thought of it before, he could have been using it on his own sword during hunting parties to make himself more effective.

His third ability made him slightly embarrassed at falling back on an old standby again. Firepot, but one designed with a shell of red lux all around. When the scroll was activated, it would form a Firepot which could be taken and thrown at the enemies. It would explode on contact, splattering them with fire.

If he had been willing to spend a little more time on each Firepot, he might have added a touch of acid as well. But he wasn't quite sure of himself there yet. It needed blue lux added to the mix, which would require him using green as an intermediary, and he had not yet managed a four-lux weave. He was looking forward to trying it. But not now, while time was paramount.

After three days of crafting, barely stopping for food and sleep, he emerged blearily from the tent to find his allies working hard. Min had a whole row of Darwur archers out shooting arrows at targets. She had her lux bow, while they had ordinary bone and hide compound bows. She was teaching them to weave lux into their arrowheads. Just red lux; none of these students were more than at their first Core Condensation on the path to Bodily Refinement. While they were accomplished archers, Min was far ahead of them in the art of crafting lux arrowheads, and they were responding well to her tutelage.

Under Min's orders, they pulled back their bows as one, let fly, and sent arrows toward their targets. Each hit home, dead on the center, punching deep into the target. She congratulated them, then turned to Chang-li. "Anything for us?"

He shook his head. "No, these lux arrows should be technique enough. We'll want the archers well back behind the melee, punching through wherever they can. I thought you might like to come and see my demonstration, though."

She nodded. "Sounds good. Joshi's got most of the men on the other side of camp at the main training ground. He and his brother have been drilling them day and night."

She accompanied him over. They'd seen little of each other in the last few days. Chang-li had slept perhaps two hours, scribing as much as he could. These technique scrolls were going to be central to their attack on the floor Guardian.

The Darwur were sitting in rows and columns, at least 200 men, all clearly concentrating on their cycling as Joshi strode up and down the ranks, correcting them, giving orders. As Chang-li and Min approached, he joined them, his brother getting up from the front row a moment later.

"I've got something to demonstrate," Chang-li said without preamble. "I need some of your best students to help. And a row of targets, too, if we can."

Khan Temaj began barking orders. The men he named got up and set about their tasks, while the rest remained where they were. Chang-li admired their discipline. In minutes, a set of twelve targets were arranged under Chang-li's direction into four rows of three, and all the cultivator students were watching him eagerly.

Chang-li pulled an Earth Shaker scroll from his satchel, gave it to Khan Temaj, and in a low voice, instructed him how to use it. "Aim it at the targets," he concluded. Then he turned to the crowd. "This will give you a taste of what cultivation can truly do," he said. "But you must be sure to use it as directed, or you'll hurt your ally as much as your enemy."

Joshi snorted. "They are aware of the concept that you do not shoot a volley of arrows once melee has been joined."

Chang-li found himself flushing. "I didn't mean —"

"It's fine," Joshi interrupted and turned to his brother. "When you're ready?"

Khan Temaj screwed up his face. He pursed his lips together, and after a moment began to turn bright red as he concentrated. A vein in his forehead throbbed. It was funny, and Chang-li had to restrain himself from laughing. At last, he pointed his hand, the scroll dangling from two fingers, and gave a loud cry as he unleashed what Chang-li had named Earth Shaker.

A wave of force blasted forward, rippling the ground beneath. It struck the middle target of the first row. In the second row it hit the middle target, and brushed the edges of the other two. It enveloped all three targets in the final row before dissipating.

The targets caught fully in its blast shivered and shook before dissolving into piles of sticks and straw. The ones only brushed by the technique shuddered, losing pieces, but remained intact.

Temaj lowered his hand, staring. The watchers muttered as they studied the results.

Joshi raised an arm. "This is what cultivation can do!" he shouted. "Imagine how an enemy's line could buckle under attacks like this!"

When the reactions had died down a bit, Chang-li cleared his throat. "The Bloodflame Venom isn't very showy, and it's not hard to use. I'll teach everyone how to apply it to their weapons before our attack. The other one I wanted to demonstrate to you, though, is a favorite of mine."

He took a Firepot scroll and tossed it to Joshi, who turned and, without hesitation, activated it. The scroll swirled away and was replaced by a Firepot in Joshi's hands. He didn't hesitate but turned and hurled the Firepot right into the cluster of remaining targets.

The Firepot hit the ground and exploded in a gout of flame that quickly devoured the intact targets and debris of destroyed targets alike. Again, the Darwur muttered.

"With these to back up our own arms, and the Venom technique to make each of our blows set poison in the enemy veins, we will easily destroy our enemy!" Joshi shouted.

Temaj was looking impressed. He approached Chang-li. "Can I learn how to do these things without the aid of a scribe's workings?" he asked.

Chang-li nodded. "This and more. We have whole books full of techniques."

Temaj marveled at this. "I don't think I will ever again underestimate the contents of a book," he said.