The Ruby Magician

John and Tasha stood by the many portals in the base of Alistair. Tasha was fiddling with the hem of her cloak, watching the various Climbers enter and exit the portals all around them.

"Didn't they say 9?" Tasha asked. "It's almost 9:30."

"Maybe they took a few wrong turns," John said, picking his teeth with his fingernail. "I'm sure they're fine. It happens all the time!”

Tasha let out an exasperated huff. “I just have a bad feeling. Especially since we couldn’t get another Fighter.”

John winced. “Yea, I know. It was a bit short notice, to be fair. But I’m as disappointed as you. We’ll just have to manage.”

“I’m sure the others will take it as easily as I did. I don’t blame you, John. We’ll find our last member when the time is right.”

John put his arm around Tasha and sighed with relief. “You know, m’lady, you’re quite forgiving. I appreciate that!”

Tasha pushed him off of her with a giggle.

“Isn’t it a little early to be flirting?” Marcy asked from behind them.

Both John and Tasha spun around to see Marcy, Wyn, and Cedric standing directly outside a portal. Marcy and Cedric wore big smiles but Cedric was eyeing every Climber that passed by them with a scrutinizing eye.

“You made it!” Tasha said, running up to hug Marcy. The Ranger stood there while being hugged, and her face quickly morphed to an awkward smile. “Even though you’re late!”

“You can thank Cedric for that,” Marcy said, weaseling her way out of Tasha’s embrace. “He took his sweet time there at the end.”

“He did fine,” Wyn said, defending the Wizard. “There were no major problems on our end. Marcy’s just impatient.”

“Well, did you find anything good?” John asked. “Did the monsters drop anything? Those ugly snake things?”

“Lamierts,” Cedric said, whipping his head back to the group. “They’re called Lamierts. And only a pair of scaled boots that you’re already wearing. Otherwise basic coins, gems, and a few potions.”

John deflated, his shoulders slumping from the disappointing news.

“How about the other Fighter?” Wyn asked. “Were you able to find someone?”

John’s face went hot and he cleared his throat loudly, finding it hard to look Wyn in the eyes. “Unfortunately no.”

Then it was Marcy and Cedric who deflated.

“The ones I trusted,” John continued, “either had groups or weren’t available yet. It was pretty short notice, though.”

Wyn nodded with a sigh. “It was a long shot, but it was worth trying. Thanks for asking around. We’ll manage for the time being, especially with Cedric back.”

John smiled and relaxed.

“We can go through Marcy’s key portal here,” Wyn said. “We’re just at the start of the third floor. Are we ready?”

John stretched like he was readying himself to train before giving a nod of agreement. Wyn rummaged through his pack and pulled out his mushroom lantern. He attached it to the front of his belt, securing it so it wouldn’t hinder him while fighting. The first two floors were too bright to actually use it, but based on what they saw for the third floor, it would come in handy.

“You know, at some point we need to talk about that witch,” Cedric said. “That’s still been bothering me.”

“How about over dinner?” Wyn said. “Let’s get through the floor and we can talk at the guild hall.”

Cedric shook his head. “No, I’d like somewhere private. We can go to my quarters to discuss it.”

The others stood around with bated breath, waiting for a response. Cedric and Wyn looked at each other, a sort of power dynamic forming between them. It was previously established that Wyn was their leader, but Cedric had undeniable experience and power as a Climber.

“But,” Cedric continued, “we can go wherever you’d like.” He smiled, capping his offer.

The others relaxed.

“Your place is great,” Wyn said. “You make a valid point. It’ll give me a chance to get out of my own apartment, too.”

“But first,” John said, “we need to make it through this third floor. It was definitely the creepiest so far.”

Tasha groaned. “Don’t remind me. At least my staff will be useful again.”

The Climbers stepped into the portal one by one, and were soon transported to the third floor.

*****

“So after we cross this space, a flood of monsters enters from one of the side walls?” Cedric asked, staring into the large space at the entrance of the third floor.

Tasha was holding her staff out, providing the initial lighting to see the open room. Just like before, torches magically began lighting themselves, providing enough light for the entire chamber rather than the relatively smaller area her staff showed.

“That’s right,” Wyn said. “A section of the wall disappeared and created a path.”

“Probably a means to push us to make a decision about those three archways,” Cedric said. “They look identical from here, but the odds of returning are slim if it means raging enemies on the other side. So whatever we choose we stick with.”

“I didn’t hear any rumors or information about the language, either,” Marcy said. “They’re still trying to work it out in Alestead and nothing has been found. At least from the ones who care enough to try.”

“So we’re going in blind,” Wyn said. “Then we choose a path at random.”

“Maybe take a minute or so to see if there is any difference with the symbols first?” John asked. “Wouldn’t hurt to remember them or write them down ourselves.”

“I’ll write them down once we’re on the other side,” Tasha said.

“Good,” Wyn said. He began to cross the room, and the others soon followed.

Wyn walked up to the middle path and stared at the symbols above it. They were arranged in a line as though meant to be read like words in a book. Or at least that was what Wyn thought. It was impossible to make out the language or meaning, at least in the short time they had. He saw symbols of torches, a lizard, a snake holding a spear, fire, and various magical runes he didn’t recognize.

“These are so strange,” John said. “The symbols I have here are snakes with swords, a staff, a dagger, a water droplet, and squiggly lines.”

“That’s supposed to be running water,” Tasha corrected, pointing to the symbol on the wall.

“How was I supposed to guess that?” John asked. “And how do you know that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Cedric said. He stood with Marcy at the third and final archway. “This one has an axe, a human being sacrificed, runes for a ritual spell, and a tree.”

“How in the hells did you figure that out?” John asked. “I think you’re both making things up.”

Wyn looked at both walls and saw the opened path and light shining behind it. “They’re coming,” he said. “Which one do we pick?”

“What’s in your path?” Cedric asked.

Wyn quickly told them while still checking the path, watching the light grow and shadows form of the Lacerts running towards them.

“Which one, Wyn?” Tasha asked. “There’s no rhyme or reason to them!”

“Let’s go through this one,” Wyn said, waving them over to his path. “I don’t like the sound of a woman being sacrificed.” He also didn’t like the sound of more water to overcome, but he decided to keep that to himself.

The Climbers all pushed into the pathway, now lit by Tasha’s staff. It was empty and long, the same clean and smooth stone lining every surface. The instant Marcy crossed the archway as the last one of their group, a large stone fell through the space, blocking them from returning.

It was silent and dark except for Tasha’s staff. No torches were in the hallway, and it was completely empty.

“This doesn’t look ominous,” John said. “Why didn’t you want to go through mine and Tasha’s path?”

Wyn briefly debated whether he should keep his fears of water to himself but ultimately decided to share. No sense in keeping it from them if they were going to trust him as their leader. “Because there was a chance of going through water. And I hate water.”

The others laughed, which made Wyn relax a bit despite them laughing at his shortcoming.

“If there aren’t any traps,” Wyn said, glancing at Marcy, “then let’s get to the next room.”

“Not before we check this floor out,” Cedric said. He pulled out his parchment and began to read it like a scroll.

Wyn mentally slapped himself. He completely forgot about his parchment giving him more information. It was an incredibly valuable piece of magic, if not the most valuable item in his possession. Turning the pages over, he found the new description.

FLOOR 3

PARTY 5/5

Quest: After finding the temple within the jungle, you’ve decided to investigate further. The chambers within house secrets and disturbing passages at every corner - what will you find during your path as you continue to explore the ancient structure?

Wyn creased his eyebrows. The description was ominous at best. So far the environment had been fairly simple, except for the symbols above the passageway. Nothing had been shown or foretelling about any sinister dealings except for Alistair actually mentioning disturbing passages on this floor.

“I don’t like that description,” Tasha said. She folded her parchment and tucked it away. “I don’t remember the other floors being that foreboding.”

“That’s what happens when you start climbing higher,” Marcy said. “Oh man, I’ll never forget the description of a floor we faced climbing a frozen prison. Do you remember that, Cedric?”

Cedric snickered. “As much as I try to forget, yes. It said we were looking for a foul beast eating any small creatures that found their way into the dungeon, including humans. Many Climbers didn’t want to face it simply from that description alone.”

Tasha gulped.

Wyn walked forward along the path still lit by Tasha’s Torchlight spell. He thought about activating his lantern but didn’t think he needed the light just yet. At the end of the hallway was a complete left turn, and light protruding from around the corner enticed Wyn to keep going.

After turning the corner with the others, he immediately stopped and surveyed the room. A bead of sweat fell down his face. He knew each floor was more difficult, but he still didn’t know the extent.

A large, long stone path was laid out before them, and an open doorway was in the midst of the wall at the far end. Four iron bars covered the dark path leading beyond. Four torches in sconces were also on the far wall, two on either side of the barred path.

What was truly interesting, though, was the four man-sized snake statues that lined the room, two on either side and each in a corner. They were staggered in their placement, though all faced the exact middle of the path. A fifth snake statue was set in the middle of the room on a circular stone base.

Two large wooden dials were placed at the entrance, like boat wheels that were turned on their side. They were set in small stone pillars with more inscriptions and symbols all around them.

Wyn walked up and inspected one of the dials. It looked like it was meant to be turned, and likely caused something to happen from the statues.

“Should we see what happens?” Wyn asked. He put his spear against the near wall and grabbed the left dial.

“Might as well,” Cedric said. “Those statues look menacing. I don’t believe we should just walk down the path, either.”

The others gathered around the dials as Wyn began to turn the left one. There was quite a bit of resistance as he started to pull it clockwise, but it slowly began to budge and move. He dug into the stone floor and used his body weight to help gather the strength needed to turn it. A sound like stone grinding against stone bellowed from under the floor, and after a quarter turn the dial stopped.

When he looked up, he saw the stone statue in the middle of the room was now facing the far left snake statue.

“Try the other one,” Wyn said.

John grabbed the dial and turned it similar to Wyn, though seemed to have an easier time. It spun a complete turn before flames erupted from the statue in the middle of the room. The flames spewed directly into the mouth of the snake statue, and a rune magically appeared under the far left torch on the wall. A flame emerged from the tip, and one of the iron bars over the pathway retreated and disappeared.

“Alright!” Tasha said. “That worked!”

“It seems as though we just need to do the same thing for the other three,” Cedric said. “Fairly straightforward.”

“I assume it’ll only get harder from here?” Wyn asked. “More complicated and in-depth?”

Cedric smiled and patted Wyn on the shoulder. “Now you’re thinking like a Climber! This is likely the foundation for future puzzles. It’ll be a play on this similar setup.”

John rotated the dial back to its starting position to turn off the spewing fire. Wyn then rotated his dial again to change the statue’s direction, and they repeated this process to light all four statues. It took a little while due to the strength needed for Wyn’s dial, and Marcy opted to turn it on the last statue to give him a break.

With the final torch lit the last bar opened, clearing their path. John turned his dial one last time to shut off the fire. Then they all advanced to the next section, confident and happy at their current progress.

Wyn was walking ahead with Marcy while Cedric and John followed at the back, boxing Tasha in the middle so her light spell could equally illuminate as much area as possible. When they walked into the next room, though, similar looking torches on the wall were magically set ablaze on their arrival. It wasn’t as large as the previous chambers and not empty, either. Two doorways were in the room, one on the left wall and the other on the right. The left door was barred similar to before. Clay pots of all sizes were littered around the room, some as tall as people. Most of the pots were broken or cracked, though Wyn noticed a couple were radiating magic.

On the very far wall was a large statue of a Lamiert holding a spear. It was just as tall as the actual monsters they fought, though weathered, cracked, and broken in several places. Hieroglyphs were also scattered all around the room, coating the tops of the doorways, above and below the statue, and along a singular line all around the room. Vines were creeping into the room through various holes and cracks in the stone walls and ceiling, and moisture was thicker in the air than before.

“Woah,” John said. “This is incredible.”

“And creepy,” Tasha said, staring up at the statue. “I really wish I knew what these symbols meant.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Marcy said. “All we need to know is how to push forward. We aren’t here for research, after all.”

Wyn walked over to one of the faintly glowing pots in the room. It was more intact than the others, and the lid was at his hip. He picked up the wooden lid and peered inside, curious about what it contained. A potion was glowing at the bottom of the jar which allowed him to also see more treasure.

“I’ve got some coins, a potion, and it looks like a few gems,” Wyn said.

“I’ll take whatever gem I don’t have as my share!” John said. “If it’s in there!”

“I’ve got some more,” Cedric said. He let go of his scepter and reached into the pot with his arm to haul out the treasure inside. “Luck is on our side today!”

John tilted his head and scrunched his face. “Cedric?“

“Yes, John?” Cedric asked, bending over in order to reach the bottom of the pot.

“Is your scepter floating?”

Beside the Wizard’s torso, his scepter was hovering in the air, bobbing ever so slightly like tackle on a fishing line.

“Why, of course it is,” Cedric said. “It would get in my way on my sash and I don’t exactly have a second hand to hold it.”

John nodded as though floating magical items was a perfectly normal, reasonable thing.

There was a rickety wooden table beside the statue and the Climbers set out their found treasures. John took a topaz gem as his share, Tasha took the mana potion as Cedric had plenty for himself, and then they were stuck at what they wanted to do for the item Cedric found.

“A pair of gloves could be useful,” Marcy said. “Depending on what they are. We could identity it now and see?”

“It’s blue rarity, too,” Wyn said. “I have an identifying eye glass with me. If it’s helpful, I could use a pair, as long as it doesn’t cover my mark.”

“Don’t forget, Wyn, I can identify items. Do you really not remember? It’s only been a week!”

“I remember. I was just offering to save your mana.”

Cedric shook his head in understanding but raised his scepter. “It’s hardly any mana at all. Don’t worry.” He pointed his scepter at the gloves and a runic circle of magic appeared in front of the item.

“I’m out, for obvious reasons,” Cedric said, his voice flat. “Plus I’m fine with my equipment for the foreseeable future.”

The previously worn leather gloves changed into a pristine, dark brown leather pair with a small emerald stud at each of the wrists. They shimmered blue magic and were fingerless, suddenly growing in length and looking as though they extended up into the forearm.

“It says here,” Cedric said, “that they’re called Stone Hurler Gloves, and that they can make basic projectiles into the earth element, as well as increase accuracy and power. Marcy, they’re right up your alley.”

Marcy put a hand to her chin before shaking her head. “Nah. Thanks, but they’re not for me, either.”

“What?” Wyn asked. “Why not? That magical property is perfect for you!”

“I don’t like gloves. I’ll do just fine without them. My bow and quiver already increase several abilities for my arrows - if I wanted something like that I’d have been wearing them long before now.”

“So we trade them for something better,” Cedric said, putting them away in a pocket. “It’s a good find regardless.”

“It probably wouldn’t hurt for your arrows to be magical, though,” John said. “Wait, are they? You never really said.”

“Most of these aren’t,” Marcy said. “Some definitely are.”

Wyn thought about the gift for Marcy. He wondered if now would be a good time to give it to her, but second guessed himself. Would she appreciate the gesture in front of everyone, or would she prefer something more private? Would the others be self conscious about not having a gift for them?

“Wyn,” Tasha said, shaking him by the arm. “Are you coming?”

“Hmm?” Wyn mumbled.

Tasha sighed. “You know, you really should stop doing that. We’re ready to keep going.”

Wyn silently cursed himself for his inaction. He was always the captain that told his company to act instead of think, and here he was lost in his thoughts. There was something about being a Climber that reminded him of his early days of being a soldier. When he was more hesitant and reserved. Maybe it was the introduction of magic or being looked down on.

Regardless, maybe one day he’d break free from the habit. Maybe.