The Ruby Magician

The chamber was large and empty - not a single torch or source of light could be found. From the entrance the group looked right and left, and the edges of light from both Wyn’s lantern and Tasha’s staff couldn’t reach any wall. The floor was the exact same makeup of stone, but there was a chill in the air that felt different compared to the cool inner halls of the temple.

It felt too different. It felt dangerous.

Marcy stepped further inside, holding a nocked arrow in her bow. She tiptoed her way forward, slowly advancing while trying to perceive anything around her. The group followed behind, paranoia running rampant though no one dared to speak up.

The Ranger perked up and took a step back. “Something’s ahead. I can’t see it, though. It… smells. Like dried sweat and blood.”

The light from Tasha’s staff quivered and shook as the mage began to tremble. The three men surrounded her in the front like an arrow formation, though she didn’t feel any safer. The air emitted a strange magic, different than anything she’d felt so far.

“This feels like a floor on the next tier,” Cedric said. “Surely that wasn’t some secret portal to the higher areas of the tower?”

Wyn shook his head. There was no way he could know. There was no way any of them could know what his lantern or this place was.

A green light began to glow at the other end of the chamber. The source was a small crystal hovering in the air, no bigger than a piece of fruit. It gave off a similar dim light to the mushroom lantern though it’s reach was far less, only covering about twenty feet around it.

“Shit,” John said.

The light bathed a small horde of Lacerts, all standing packed together like they were forced against some invisible barrier. They wielded various weapons and shields, and all of them were covered in thick leathers like soldiers.

Not one of them moved, except for their chests slowly rising and falling with their breaths.

“Shit,” Wyn said. “There’s at least two dozen standing over there!” He gripped his spear harder to stop his hands from trembling.

Marcy fired an arrow at the crowd of monsters. It pierced the first one’s chest armor by a few inches, causing it to jerk back from the momentum. It remained upright, however, and immediately roared in anger.

The attack caused a chain reaction, and the other monsters began to move, groaning and snapping their jaws like they were waking up.

“Shit,” Marcy said. She reached down and placed her hands on the ground, casting her Earthen Trap spell and causing a large rune to form on the stone. An arrow flew out of her quiver with incredible speed, and she nocked it to her bowstring with practiced grace. She backed up cautiously, not taking her eyes off the enemies.

“That arrow didn’t do much,” Marcy said, nearly yelling behind her towards the group. “It would’ve killed a standard Lacert on this floor!”

“Shit,” Cedric said. He pulled out his scepter and quickly checked the wall behind him. “The pathway is still open. We can exit if we need to, but I say we try and take on at least two waves!”

“Waves?” Wyn asked. “What in the hells does that mean?”

Cedric pointed towards the green light with his scepter. “That is a summoning crystal. It’s quite rare to find one, but they form monsters in waves as an added challenge. It’s damn hard for whatever floor it’s one the rewards are spectacular!” Cedric smiled, greed obvious in his eyes.

“We can do this!” Marcy said. She was now only ten feet in front of the group, still huddled around Tasha. “It’s a much better challenge than what we’ve been facing!”

The creatures began to inch forward, slowly but steadily. Growls and snapping jaws made the previously silent chamber echo with malice.

“This is why we came here, right?” Wyn said. He turned to Tasha and shook her shoulder gently. “Marcy’s right! If things get bad we can always leave. But if the payoff is as good as they say, then we should at least try. We might not have an opportunity like this again.”

Tasha stared at Wyn for only a second, noting his resolve. She looked back at the group of monsters and the danger that approached with them. A sigh escaped her mouth with a small shake of her head.

“Shit,” Tasha said. “Here we go, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit!” Cedric said, waving his scepter in front of him. A large cloud began to form in front of the group, hovering at least twenty feet above them. It was a menacing dark grey, and rumbles of thunder and arcs of lightning began to grow inside it. “Don’t hold back! Use your mana without reserve and top yourself with a potion!”

Marcy stepped to the left and aimed her bow. “Multiply!” She yelled, and her arrow flew away from her bow with a loud twang, leaving as one but soaring as many. Over a dozen arrows peppered the approaching horde, and two Lacerts fell to the ground as they were struck. Others either absorbed the arrows and continued their pursuit, or raised shields to block the projectiles from harming them.

They were at a steady jog now, their clawed feet pounding across the stone floor. The rumble grew louder and louder, and they fanned out across the chamber, using their numbers to try to overwhelm the Climbers.

Marcy’s trap sprang to their right, capturing four of them in magical chains. They roared in frustration, but were subdued for the time being. Others around them kept pushing forward, ignoring their trapped allies.

John pushed forward with his shield at the ready and sword pulsing with wind magic, poised to strike. Wyn was right beside him, waiting for his chance to spear the first Lacert he contacted. It looked as though they were rushing over a dozen monsters themselves, and some hesitation swelled up inside him. They’d fought and easily killed these creatures before, but these variants were stronger and tougher. It wouldn’t be an easy fight, and he knew he needed to be on guard.

Wyn lunged out with his spear and gored the first Lacert, easily stabbing it well before it was in range to attack back with its sword. The monster wailed in pain, grabbing his spear in desperation. Wyn slung it to one side with a push of extra effort, realizing it was denser than the previous Lacerts, too. A stream of blue blood flew behind the beast as it was thrown to the side, and the enemies behind it paused before advancing. Wyn then reached his hand out hoping to slow as many enemies as possible, casting his Flash spell and blinding multiple Lacerts in a well-placed area.

John, at the same time, blocked a sword strike with his shield and slashed back at the attacking monster. His opponent wore heavier armor along with a helmet and greaves, being much better equipped than any other Lacert they’ve fought so far. John was more proficient in combat, though, and it took several more attacks but he was able to swiftly kill it without issue.

Chaos continued in the large room. Wyn and John were trying to manage Lacerts in direct combat, blocking, parrying, and striking enemies left, right, and directly in front of them, but they could only hold a few back at a time. The other Lacerts were running around them, directly towards the other three Climbers.

Marcy’s arrows were slinging left and right, well-placed shots pulling some monsters towards her, or magical shots killing individual enemies with pops and bursts of magic. The storm cloud that Cedric summoned was wiping out nearly half of the Lacerts alone, a deadly combination of lightning striking across a wide distance and magical winds slicing through armor and limbs alike. It was a true storm cloud, deadly and precise.

Tasha, for all her worth, was trying to combat her own sense of impending doom. She had gained confidence over the past few climbs, but this was something different entirely. They had yet to face a group of monsters quite like this - the number of them mixed with the added strength was something the newer Climbers hadn’t expected to face for some weeks.

The Mage stood still, clutching her staff with shaking fingers. She took several deep breaths, trying to center herself to move. Everyone else was fighting to keep the monsters at bay, and just managing to hold them off. That reality weighed heavily on her.

A yell of pain that was clearly human stirred Tasha from her paralyzed state. Wyn clutched his left hip, and she saw him go down to one knee. He was hurt, and there were still several enemies surrounding him and John, though the Ruby Magician was trying to parry any strike possible with his shield. The Fighter shouted next, and she saw enemies beating him down with clubs and hammers. He blocked most of them, but errant strikes were hitting him on the arms or legs.

Tasha took one more deep breath and willed her legs to push her forward. She ran up behind them, pushing past Cedric who was casting spells in quick succession, managing half of the Lacerts at once. She reached a hand out and knew which spell to use. Her emergency spell that spent nearly all of her mana in one cast.

“Heavenly Circle,” she said, pointing her staff at the ground between the two injured Climbers. A large rune formed under their feet, and a bright white light enveloped them both. It lingered on their bodies, coating them in a magical aura similar to her other divine spells.

Wyn felt his body instantly recover, the gashes on his right hip and lower back disappearing and no longer hurting him. The wave of euphoria lifted his spirits and body altogether, and he was washed in rejuvenating magic that put his Regen spell to shame. It felt as though adrenaline was going to explode out of him, like his physical endurance was topped off and now spilling over his limits.

The spell Tasha cast was obviously a powerful one, and Wyn pushed himself forward to clean up the remaining Lacerts with his newfound resolve. Each strike sliced through one of the monsters with resounding force, as though he was physically empowered in addition to his recovery. He saw Lacerts being thrown around to his right, and noticed John was going through a similar experience, attacking their enemies with sword and boot alike.

One last strike with his spear felled a Lacert, and he stabbed it through the chest on the ground with a grunt. His heavy breathing was the only noise filling his ears, and he knew the current fight was over. Looking around, he saw John also realizing they had won, and a large smile formed on the Fighter’s face.

The green light from the crystal completely faded, and the room was again coated in light only from Tasha’s Sunstaff and Wyn’s lantern.

“Tasha, that was incredible!” John said. “I feel as good as I do with my Fighter skill!”

Tasha pulled out a small vial from her potion belt and drank the contents. “That was supposed to be a last resort spell! And I had to use it on the first wave!”

John waved his sword at her before sheathing it. “That’s why potions exist. But on a serious note, thank you. I really thought I was about to get beat to death for a second, there.”

“Me, too,” Wyn said. “Those wounds would’ve killed me if you hadn’t healed me like that. These enemies are something else.”

Cedric rushed beside them, bending down and picking up some items from one of the many Lacert corpses that were glowing with magic. “Stop talking and collect! We have one minute before the next wave starts!” His scepter was nonchalantly floating in the air beside him as his one arm was busy looting.

The rookies looked at each other for a second before rushing to grab whatever they could. Wyn dropped his spear and John dropped his shield, both realizing the task ahead of them. Most of the bodies were glowing with some type of treasure, which made nearly twenty piles to collect. They needed to grab whatever they could before the next group of enemies appeared, and they’d be busy fighting instead of collecting their rewards.

Wyn’s heart raced as he picked up another Lacert claw radiating blue magic. The effects of Tasha’s spell were still coursing through him, though the white aura surrounding his body was noticeably dull. In addition to the claw, he had packed roughly ten items of more claws, teeth, and scales, as well as a couple of potions into his magical pack. It was by far the best haul they’d seen yet.

He wondered if the middle and upper floors gave this much treasure. No wonder Climbers walked away from the towers rich - when they could walk away, of course.

“Found another item!” John yelled. “A hammer!”

“That makes a hammer, bracer, and gloves,” Cedric yelled. “See how good this is? Now group up! We have just a few seconds!”

The Climbers rushed back towards the entrance. Wyn’s mushroom lantern dimly lit the wall, and the original pathway was thankfully still there. He inwardly felt a sense of comfort wash over him, knowing they weren’t trapped and could leave at any time.

“That strategy worked well,” Wyn said. “It should work again for more of them, and I’ll cast more spells this time.”

The green light from the summoning crystal shown with a brighter glow, covering much more area than before as a stronger and faster pulse radiated in all directions. The light revealed a dozen Lacerts again, as well as a half dozen Lamierts behind them.

Wyn balked at the sight of them. Two of the Lamierts held staves, and the others had large, menacing weapons. They towered over the Lacerts in front of them, easily being over ten feet tall. Like before, they stood still, waiting for some unknown reason before advancing.

“This looks impossible,” Tasha said, her eyes wide. She took a step back towards the open pathway behind them. “No way we can kill all of them. Don’t we have plenty of rewards already? I’m more than satisfied!”

“This could be huge for us,” John said. “Treat this like our final wave. Don’t hold anything back. We can do it!”

Wyn nodded. Tasha had a point - there were more rewards just from the first wave of monsters than they’d found climbing for days. The potential to gain even more than that was a single battle away, though. There were more spells and skills they could use, and he was confident they’d survive.

It wouldn’t be easy by any means, but it was possible.

“I say we fight,” Wyn said. “Hold nothing back. Tasha, we can do this. I know it.”

The White Mage sighed and tapped her staff on John’s back. “Arcane Aura,” she said. A white aura radiated around the Fighter before forming into a magical suit of armor. It seemed fuller and more dense than before.

Tasha started to touch Wyn’s back be he raised a hand.

“No. Save your mana since you drank a potion already.”

The enemies began to stir. A Lamiert holding a staff raised it high, causing a strange green rune to form under three of the frontline Lacerts.

Wyn cast Speed Up on himself before putting a hand on John’s shoulder beside him. He didn’t have his Arcane Aura spell anymore, and Tasha already used one on the Fighter, but he wanted to boost his confidence in a reassuring gesture. This wasn’t going to be easy, but they were strong together.

The monsters in the chamber began to move, then. The Lacerts advanced forward, running this time, straight at the Climbers. The Lamierts lingered a bit, not wanting to run directly into combat.

Wyn knew this would be a harder fight. They were already more tactical than the last wave, and appeared stronger, too. If their group held anything back, they’d lose - one way or another.

He pulled out a mana potion and drank it. His mana pool was nearly empty, and he wanted to use whatever he needed in the coming fight.

John engulfed them with a red light, his Focus skill emitting a far stronger aura. He took two deep breaths, exhaling loudly like a raging beast.

Wyn could see the Fighter’s arms expand under his armor - it looked as though his muscles were enhanced, his body morphing into something far deadlier than the average warrior. When John breathed a third time, he leapt forward, bounding across the chamber with steps that shook the stone beneath him.

Wyn smirked. Defeating these enemies was possible. It had to be. He needed whatever advantage he could obtain, and this was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss.

He shot himself forward, exploding like an arrow from a taught bowstring thanks to his speed skill. In seconds he was beside John and mere feet from their enemies.

Despite the increased danger and threat of death, Wyn felt he was exactly where he needed to be. John stomped down with a boot, causing a tremor from the item’s spell to knock back a half dozen of the approaching monsters. Simultaneously, Wyn cast his Flash spell again, blinding and disorientating the other side of the first line.

In a whirlwind of spear and sword, the two Climbers began slicing and hacking, felling enemies quicker than either imagined. The enemies were also enhanced from abilities or equipment or both, though the practiced strikes of the two men overcame the erratic and now-disjointed attack of the monsters.

Streaks of wind blasted through several of the Lacerts in a chain reaction, as Cedric’s scepter changed his lightning spell to the wind element. A small explosion knocked everyone off guard for a second, as an arrow Marcy shot took out two Lacerts and hurt three more.

Wyn’s speed and skill was helpful but his lack of good armor started to show. No matter how good anyone was at fighting taking hits was inevitable, and he took slashes and pounds from all sides. They weren’t enough to warrant a spell or to use a potion, but if the fight dragged on he’d have to recover somehow.

John was faring much better, as he rolled through enemies like an untouchable harbinger of death. The multiple abilities layering over him made him look both angelic and demonic, and Wyn was left in awe as each sword strike dealt harsh blows from enhanced strength.

Three large stones flew across the room, and Wyn leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding them. He looked back to the Lamierts who still stood waiting. Another trio of rocks were already flying at him, and he threw up his Shield spell to block them.

The force of the attack was tremendous, and Wyn felt his arm tremble from behind the magical barrier. If there was a fourth rock, it likely would have shattered it. Wyn shuddered thinking about what would have happened then.

Two of the Lamierts began to slither towards them, away from the green summoning crystal. They crossed each other, each choosing to face Wyn and John in a one on one fight. Green light glinted off a well polished dagger that had a long, jagged edge. The Lamiert twirled it in its hand before raising its other arm and repeated the motion with a second dagger. Leather armor protected its torso and the scales on its body were glowing a dull green.

Wyn took a step forward and slashed in an arc, trying to catch it off guard. His movements were still heightened and he moved like a flash, his spear barely registering in the air due to its speed. The monster twisted its body in a way that made the strike completely miss, and it hissed at Wyn in retaliation.

The monster moved in a way that seemed effortless. This would not be an easy battle.