The Ruby Magician

The group divvied up the spoils from the Lacert horde, and even though Tasha insisted that it be split between Marcy, John, and Wyn, Wyn fought back to split it evenly. He argued that her spell kept John in fighting condition and her healing after was important and comforting, so she was just as important as the rest of them. She relented, knowing they would trade or sell any item they couldn’t use, anyway, in order to obtain a more relevant piece of gear.

All in all, they collected two more gemstones for John - a garnet and another emerald - in addition to three small mana potions, two small health potions, at least a dozen more Lacert teeth and claws, some piles of coins, and a necklace. The necklace was the best find, at least to Wyn, since it was a magical piece of gear. According to Marcy, jewelry was popular to use as it was easy to wear and often complemented spells or skills.

Wyn held the necklace and decided to identify it now. The instant he did, it changed under the glass eye piece, forming a sort of tribal necklace with a wooden block at the center and small Lacert claws lining the rest of the chain. The block had small runes all over it.

He pulled out his parchment to read its description.

Tribal Chain - this necklace was popular among priests and priestesses of the snake god Simet. It gives the wearer the ability to have their skills last a bit longer at the cost of using more mana. As Simet would tell its followers, “every bit counts,” they often took it literally, draining as much blood from their sacrifices or utilizing every bit of their body as possible.

Wyn winced, holding the necklace away from him. The description was gruesome, though the effect seemed helpful.

“John, I think you can utilize this necklace best,” Wyn said. “It’ll let your skills last longer at the cost of more more mana to use them.”

“That would be a nice trade off,” John said. “Are you sure? You have skills, too. And I have these gemstones!”

“Yea, I’m sure. I want my mana available for both skills and spells and you could use the boost for your skills.”

John took it and immediately put it on. The runes briefly glowed green before returning to normal once it fell on his neck. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to put it to good use.”

“Are we ready to move on?” Marcy asked. She held an arrow along with her bow, though it wasn’t nocked. “I have a feeling like it isn’t far, now.”

Wyn shook his head. “I really can’t tell how you know that. Experience, I guess?”

Marcy chuckled. “Mostly. That horde of Lacerts was a special encounter, but I’m wondering if it was still a planned event on this floor. This room and setup is a little too perfect for that.”

“The funnel idea with your traps was absolutely brilliant, though,” John said. “It made things much easier.”

“Something I’ve done before, and likely will do again,” Marcy said. “But this section should be the last one. It just makes sense - an entry into the temple itself, still intact from the ruins but still outside on the temple grounds. The boss will be here before we know it.”

“So we continue on, then,” Tasha said. She tapped her staff on the ground with force. “Make it to the third floor, see what’s around, then leave.”

The others agreed, and Marcy led them. Wyn stayed back, surveying the room one last time. It was completely empty. No signs of dead Lacerts, blood, or combat at all were present. Stone blocks lining the floor and walls looked exactly the same as when they entered.

Wyn took a deep breath. Knowing that they killed dozens of monsters and the only evidence was the rewards they received was a strange concept.

No - strange wasn’t the right word. It was eerie.

He remembered the many times he was in combat with his soldiers. The worst parts weren’t necessarily the actual fights. His training made him more than capable in combat, as well as his soldiers. The worst was after. When his body would calm after the adrenaline rush and his breathing would pick up to compensate for the energy expended and the realization of what he had done. Seeing broken bodies and empty shells of people was not something easily handled.

Cleaning up after a battle humbled anyone involved. It turned rookie soldiers into veterans immediately when you had to pick up the body parts of people you fought with or against. Here, though, in the tower - there was no humbling. There was no visual shock of seeing the lasting effects of a body just stabbed or crushed. Not human, anyway. The tower magically whisked them away, and Climbers would continue on towards another obstacle.

“Wyn?” Cal asked. He shook Wyn’s shoulder. “Are you coming?”

Wyn shook his head and jumped at Cal’s touch. “Hmm? Oh, I’m sorry. Just… lost in thought.”

Cal smiled. “It’s okay. It happens to all of us. What were you thinking about?”

Wyn turned with Cal and walked behind the others. “I was in the military. Captain of my company. We… dealt with a lot, you could say.”

Cal chuckled. “Someone could say that, yes. I’m sure that was a hard life. Did you come to the tower to take it easy?”

Wyn offered a soft smile. “Not exactly. My family piled up a ton of debt and I’m here to pay it off. There’s no other way to get that much money so fast.”

“Oh.” Cal deflated a bit, his shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me to assume.”

“It’s alright. Really. How could you have known?”

Cal opened his mouth but then closed it, deciding not to speak. Wyn noticed but didn’t want to press him. If he wanted to share, he’d share when he wanted.

The path forward wasn’t terribly long - they passed only a few turns similar to what they’d seen before, though it was more intact overall. Eventually they came to a doorway that was open and dark, inviting them into the unknown.

“No more torches ahead,” Marcy said. “Something is down there, too. Don’t know what, but I can tell.”

Tasha raised her staff. “Torchlight,” she said, activating the spell from her staff. It immediately began to glow, and revealed another empty room past the previously darkened doorway.

Marcy poked her head through the threshold though didn’t step inside. She looked around carefully and placed her hands on the floor. It took nearly a minute for her to gauge the room. She then sighed and stepped back.

“It’s a large chamber. Trapped. But I think this might actually be the final room.”

“Already?” Wyn asked. “That was quicker than I thought! I felt like this floor was shorter than the second floor last time.”

Marcy shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not always the same distances or anything like that. Challenges and obstacles are what’s similar. I guess Alistair deemed it enough to be the second floor.”

Wyn sighed. Marcy talked like the tower was sentient, and maybe it was? Everything was still so complicated. He wondered if he would learn about it as much as her over time.

John pumped his arms and checked the strap on his shield. “It doesn’t matter. If it’s the end, we need to be ready. Who knows what’s coming out of there next.”

“Monsters and obstacles,” Tasha added. “You said the second floor last time was a puzzle. Do you think this will be the same?”

“I don’t think so,” Marcy said. “We had to reason our way through the entire floor, and the final room was a last test requiring similar reasoning. We didn’t have any kinds of puzzles here. Just traps and monsters.”

“So it’s reasonable to say both will be here in the final chamber,” Wyn said. “Now that makes sense.” He twirled his spear and took a deep breath. He suddenly had a funny feeling of being exposed with the relatively small amount of light in the room and hardly any armor to protect him.

Wyn's spell list was finally at a point he was satisfied with. Well, at least for the time being. His weapon was magical and could last at least the rest of the current season. He felt ready and confident, though lacking still. Next on his list would be better armor and defense, as it was only going to get harder and more dangerous each floor they climbed.

In this moment, though, he really wished he had his new mushroom jar item so he could have some light. He could relate to Marcy and Cedric from his first trip into the tower now after leaving behind a piece of equipment that could be useful. From here on out he decided to bring it with him so he wouldn’t be without a light source.

"What's the plan?" Tasha asked. She held her staff to the side so it wouldn't blind her, and she was darting her eyes left and right randomly.

"I think the usual," Wyn said. "We don't know what monsters could be in there but it's a good chance it'll either be a type of Lacert or one of those snake-hybrid creatures."

"And the traps," Marcy said. "Not sure exactly what's in there, but there's likely something. I'll be on the lookout for them. Just don't fan out too fast without making sure the area is clear." She eyed John and smirked.

John chuckled. "I'll be sure to stay in line. I tend to stay in the middle, anyway."

"The middle might not always be the best," Marcy said.

"Then I'll go where there is least resistance! Or maybe the most resistance, now that I think about it."

Wyn laughed this time. "How about we see what's in there and then adapt as needed. Tasha, we'll need you close so we can see. Cal can stay with you and be on the lookout for anything we might miss. Marcy will look for traps, John and I will take whatever is in there head on. I'll move around as needed - John, hold your ground."

Tasha stepped forward so they could see better, and they all took one more moment to compose themselves before entering. Marcy led them, carefully stepping inside while inspecting the ground with each step.

The Ranger slowly inched forward and Wyn could feel his heart rate steadily increase. One of the worst parts was the anticipation, and not being able to see well made it much, much worse.

Suddenly a large stone fell down in the doorway they crossed, right behind Cal as he stepped across the threshold. Torches higher up in sconces on the wall lit up providing only dim light in the chamber, though it was enough for everyone to see the entire layout in at least dim light. Tasha's staff was still the best method of seeing, though, and they continued to huddle around her.

The chamber was just as large as the cave room from the last season, giving them plenty of room to roam. Which unfortunately was a bad sign if they were a lot of enemies like the horde they just faced. Four large pillars stretched all the way from the floor to the ceiling, equally spread apart in the room and providing the only pieces of cover Wyn could see. At the opposite end of the room was a wide open passage that contained stone stairs that led up into darkness. A red portal was hovering in the air several stairs up, confirming their assumption that they were at the final room. Four bars separated them from the portal like a prison cell.

Before the portal, though, stood four snake-hybrid monsters, all frozen in place like statues. In fact, looking closer at them revealed they were actually stone statues. They were taller than the similar creatures they'd seen and were each holding different weapons.

"Is that normal?" John asked. He pointed with his sword to the enemies.

“Stay on guard,” Marcy said. “Who knows what’s normal here.”

Wyn walked over to the closest pillar and inspected it. The floor didn’t seem any different, and Marcy wasn’t as cautious the more she stepped further in, which Wyn took as a sign that traps might not be here after all.

The pillar in front of him was the same stone material as the floor and wall, but thick and sturdy, unlike the outer ruins. He ran a hand over it and felt a large indention. Squinting, he was able to make out what it was in the dim light.

“I think I found something,” he said, loud enough for his voice to carry through the large room.

The others came over and looked at it alongside him, Tasha’s staff giving enough light to see the image more clearly.

“So it’s an image of an axe,” John said. “What in the hells does that even mean?”

Wyn looked at the monster statues and studied their weapons. “The one on the far right is holding an axe just like the symbol on this statue.”

“I bet they’re connected, then,” Tasha said. “Four statues. Four pillars.”

They looked at each other then split off, all going to a different pillar. Tasha stayed in the middle of the room trying to provide an equal amount of light while the others checked the pillars.

Wyn stood beside the Divine Mage, wondering what the puzzle would be in this room. Something was going to happen, and whatever challenge they had to overcome wouldn’t be easy.

“I’ve got two crossed swords over here,” Marcy said. She went to the pillar diagonal to the one with the axe.

“And I have a halberd,” John said.

Cal cleared his throat, loud enough for them all to hear. “There’s a staff on this one.”

Wyn squinted at the statues to try to see any particular features. They each had different weapons, whether on their back, in their hands, or attached on their side. But knowing that the pillars held the four statue’s exact weapons confirmed his suspicion.

“They’re definitely connected,” Wyn said. “Everyone regroup until we can figure out more!”

The pillar beside Marcy began to illuminate a light green, covering that area of the room in more greenish light. The symbol etched into the pillar glowed brighter, and a matching rune formed under the monster statue that had two swords on either hip.

“It’s starting,” Marcy said. She drew an arrow and held it in position, slowly working her way beside the group while aiming at the statue.

Stone began to fall away from the statue like shedding skin, and the snake monster began to glow yellow. It moved its arms and tail like it just woke up from a deep slumber before drawing the swords on its side.

It locked eyes on the group and let out a piercing hiss.

John raised his shield and sword. “Focus!” The familiar red aura enveloped him as he stood his ground in front of the group.

The snake rushed the Climbers, heading for John first. Marcy released an arrow but the creature slithered side to side as it moved, and the missile only grazed it as it flew past and struck the stone wall. In seconds the monster reached John and lashed out with two fast sword strikes.

Both of them glanced off John’s shield while the Fighter held his ground. He clenched his jaw and stretched his left shoulder, the strength from the strike more than he anticipated.

Tasha pointed her palm to John and inched closer behind him to reach the range she needed. “Arcane Aura!” She said, casting her protective spell around him. The magical armor flared into existence on top of his own red aura, boosting his defenses further.

The monster craned it’s body over and around John and hissed at Tasha.

Tasha froze, her eyes widening from the realization that she could potentially be its next target.

John also realized this and stepped to the side, intercepting the creature as it tried to writhe its snake-like body beside him to reach the White Mage. He was magically enhanced and quick on his feet but the monster was larger and faster. His sword lashed out and carved a long gash in the monster’s side. John smiled after making contact but then his face contorted in horror.

Despite the new wound the creature kept rushing past the Fighter, ignoring him to continue its pursuit of Tasha. It seemed to perceive her as a greater threat.

Tasha took several small steps back, fear clouding her judgment as she held her staff close but lost the thought of what else to do.

The monster quickly towered over her, pulling its arm back for a powerful strike.

A strike which never came.

Cal suddenly appeared at her side, bashing the creature away with a large tower shield. A wave of force flew away from the impact, tussling Tasha’s hair and robes and flinging dust around them.

The monster slid against the ground more than ten feet before whipping its muscular tail against the cold stone and righting itself in a fluid motion. Blood seeped from the gash John made, and its left arm hung limply at its side, broken from Cal’s attack.

It stood still, breathing heavily, not rushing to attack again.

Cal had saved the Mage yet again.

The Climbers moved back into position, and Cal put himself in front of Tasha. His hammer was in his right hand and shield in his left, stoically standing guard.

Marcy let loose another arrow now that the monster was in an open space away from the rest of the group. At the same time, the pillar dimmed as green light disappeared from the chamber like a candle being snuffed. The arrow clanged off stone once more despite hitting its intended mark.

The monster had returned to stone just before the arrow made contact, frozen in its pitiful state of injury.

Marcy cursed. “That was unexpected.”

“Tasha, are you alright?” Wyn asked.

Tasha nodded, though didn’t respond. Her staff was slightly shaking, causing the projected light to shake in the room.

“Cal, we owe you again,” Wyn said. “Where did that shield come from?”

“No time,” Marcy said. She drew another arrow and nocked it. “Talk later.”

One of the other pillars began to glow exactly like before. It was the pillar Wyn had initially inspected, and the axe symbol stood out in the darkness.

The axe wielding statue slowly came to life, shaking chunks of stone off its body. It twirled its axe in a circle, stirring up dust around it.

Wyn looked at John. “Let’s kill it quickly this time.”

John nodded, not taking his eyes off the creature. Then he charged, barreling across the room with a newfound strength.

Wyn followed suit, though didn’t activate his speed skill, opting to save his mana for later on in the fight. He had a feeling he was going to need it.