The Ruby Magician

Wyn huffed at the vines on the tomb’s wall. Yet again, there was no Vine Bud anywhere to be seen, and he only had one he’d luckily found at the start of the third floor. He pulled out his parchment, reading the information again out of sheer frustration.

Secondary Quest: The temple is dangerous, fraught with enemies and perils despite the appearance of being abandoned long ago. Many vines have also made this place their home, growing flowers well known to alchemists and herbalists for their impressive properties. Maybe if one were to claim them, they could also claim their value?

1/5 Vine Buds

“No more here,” Wyn said. “They really are rare. Even the listed quest only asks for five.”

“I see why Cara gave us more time,” Tasha said. “It’ll likely take several trips to find them all at this rate. I’d be shocked if anyone has been able to complete the quest and find all five.”

“It would require lots of backtracking,” Cedric said. “Going through each of the paths and truly exploring the floor. It doesn’t seem worth it, to be honest.”

Wyn nodded in agreement. “It’s worth gathering them for the item, at least. I just wanted some positivity after not finding another secret room.”

“Now that was truly sad,” John said. “I can’t believe it didn’t work this time! That mushroom lantern isn’t very reliable.”

Wyn toyed with the lantern on his belt. “It has to be something with the color. It’s yellow this time. Maybe it only works with a green light since the crystal in the room was green?”

“Maybe,” John said. “Who knows. Can you change the color by shaking it several times?”

“I’ve already tried that,” Wyn said. “It seems like it’s the same color for the day.”

“The crystal in the room could change color, too,” Cedric said. “I don’t know exactly, but it might be the case where both your lantern and the crystal in the secret room need to be the same. If that’s the case, then the odds of finding it again drop quite a bit.”

John sighed. “Then no secret room that gives us amazing rewards. Oh well, we’ll try again before long.”

“Oh, yes, so disappointing we can’t go back to the death room,” Tasha said. “How sad for us!”

“Hey, we’ll be much better this time!” John said. “With our new gear, we can really go all out!”

“I think I’d still prefer another front liner,” Wyn said. “I don’t like the idea of absorbing blows. I’d rather that be for someone else.”

“Have you still not found another Fighter?” Marcy asked. “Surely there’s at least one that needs a group. It’s not like we’re fighting for our lives on these floors. They’re fairly simple, really. It should be easy money and items for a rookie Fighter.”

“The instant I tell them about our party, they suddenly want to train more or have another party they were invited to first,” John said. “Sorry, guys. I guess I’m not selling us well.”

“I need to go with you next time,” Tasha said. “And maybe Cedric, too. You’re a Wizard, after all, and once they see you on our team they’ll be begging to join!”

Cedric tried to wave his left shoulder, though it barely made any movement. “In case you haven’t forgotten, I don’t exactly instill confidence for our group.”

“Me neither,” Marcy said. “Rangers aren’t very popular.”

“Double for me,” Wyn added. “I don’t make a good first impression for my class.”

Tasha sighed. “Well I guess I can see why it’s hard to recruit for our group.”

John looked at all of them and shook his head. “Well yea, especially with that attitude! By the gods, you're all so depressing. What we really need is an attitude adjustment. Positivity comes from within, my dad would say."

Wyn looked at John’s resolve. He was right. Ever since learning about his family’s debt he’s been pessimistic and less positive than his usual self. A good self-evaluation is important. And John’s frank words really made a lot of sense. But knowing how serious it was to be in debt to a group that could completely kill him and his family wasn’t helping his mood.

"Maybe you're right,” Wyn said. “I should be happy with our progress but I know I'm getting impatient. I just..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter he mysteriously received last night. “There’s a lot going on. Take a look.” He handed it to John.

"What's this?" John asked, opening the page. He flipped the page over a few times before studying the broken wax seal. After a few seconds he seemed to put the pieces together and his eyes went wide. "Wyn. I knew I recognized this seal. Did you know your dad went to the Assembly for a loan?”

Tasha gasped. "The Assembly? They'll kill him! Those are the worst people to get involved with!"

Wyn nodded. "I found that letter on my pillow last night. I don't know how it got into my room, but at least they're being cordial for now. The debt went up, though, and now I have to secure a deposit by the end of the month. I may have to sell more items than I thought to make it. I don't know if I'll be able to make that amount unless I push harder and climb more floors."

"That's a pretty serious threat, too, mentioning your sister," John said. "If we need to help cover some of the amount, we can do it. We're a team."

Tasha took the letter from him, nearly snatching the paper. Her eyes grew wider with each line she read.

"Agreed," Cedric said. "You've been there for each of us when we needed you. We can collect the funds. It's not unheard of for Climbers to make that much, anyway - most will have a pretty impressive stash before retiring as it is. I don't doubt you can make up the debt while you're here."

Wyn shook his head. "I just didn't exactly choose this when I was thinking of what I wanted to do with my life. In some ways it's worse than the military - my family is at risk if I can't meet their demands. There’s more of a personal stake than going to war. It's definitely not the same." He sat down on the ground and rested his head against the wall.

"No, it's not," Marcy said, waving Tasha off, refusing to read the letter. "But it's no less responsible, just in different ways. You're making fine decisions here, don't start questioning yourself."

"She's right," Cedric said. "The moment you start to question your own decisions is the moment we're all dead. We trust you. So trust us to help you with this." He pointed at the letter still in Tasha's hands, not taking his eyes off Wyn.

Wyn felt a sense of relief. Not a lot, but a significant amount. He really was fortunate to find the perfect group for him. ”Alright, then. I'll try to put it out of my mind and keep pushing forward. It's the only way I know."

"That's the spirit!" John said, reaching down to pull Wyn up. "I'm glad I could light this fire of positivity! The gods know we sorely needed it!"

Tasha smacked him on the back, eliciting a surprised yelp. "And the gods know we need some humility from you."

*****

Wyn slashed across the frantic Lacert in front of him, his spear forming a large gouge across its chest. It fell in a pitiful groan onto the stone floor. He looked down at his side where the creature had caught him with its sharpened claws just moments before. A smile formed on his face both from seeing the Sage's Overcoat intact and his side feeling perfectly fine. The crafted item was showing its worth. It was reassuring to know his new leather armor was also there for more protection.

Hopefully the combination of both items meant no more stray hits and no more damage to his vitals. His legs were still exposed but that was alright for now. Handling the first tier would be more than manageable with his new gear. Maybe at some point finding a pair of magical pants would be helpful, too.

"That was the last one!" Cedric yelled.

Wyn looked around the large tomb. Nearly a dozen Lacerts were sprawled out dead on the floor, their bodies just beginning to crumble back into dust. A few patches of magical aura signaled some items that had dropped, but Wyn was mostly glad it was an easy fight.

The sarcophagus on the far wall began to slowly move to the left, stone grinding and crunching together.

“I knew it!“ John said.

“Not bad,“ Cedric said. “You caught it before I did.“

“What can I say,“ John said. “It was the only possible exit in here. I didn’t think it would be just an empty room.“

“Is that your Climber’s intuition?” Tasha asked.

John smirked. “I’d like to say it’s an inborn talent.”

Tasha groaned. Marcy chuckled.

Wyn decided to let the others loot the bodies. He still couldn’t shake some uneasy feeling, the distraction making it harder and harder to focus. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth.

John caught him before they climbed earlier this morning and told him he needed to get a handle on his focus. It was one thing to reminisce about his times at war, but it was another matter entirely to lose focus in the middle of a fight to the point where someone could get hurt. Or worse. John said how he didn’t want their leader getting himself or one of them hurt, and he was worried the new information from The Assembly’s letter would put him in a worse mental state.

His friend was right, of course. Wyn made a mental note to talk to Daniel about it and discuss some ways to help overcome any distractions and stay focused. Daniel has his own past and issues, and maybe there was a way to overcome them together.

Wyn opened his eyes and moved to push the anxiety out from him like a river. It was one of the techniques Daniel told him to try. He told Wyn to place a river in his mind and put his negative emotions in it so they could be carried downstream, away and gone. To let the natural flow take them away. It was a simple concept but had great potential, and Wyn was thankful for the imagery. He’d tried doing it each night before he slept and was making progress.

The others were talking or putting items away, and Wyn walked up to the new path forward to take a look.

“I just don’t know,” John said. “I think sandwiches have way more potential than soups.”

“How?” Marcy asked. “You can add literally anything to a soup. Meat. Vegetables. Any kind of liquid to form a base! The possibilities are likely limitless.”

“But it’s not portable! A sandwich, however, can be wrapped and taken with you. Different styles of bread and equally any kind of filling make it much more versatile than soup.”

Marcy tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows. “I can see your point. Soup is cheaper and feeds the soul, though.”

“A sandwich is made from bread, which is one of the cheapest food items you can get. But soup is a comfort food, I’ll give you that.”

“Of all the things to discuss,” Tasha said, her curls shaking along with her head. “Sandwiches versus soup. In the middle of climbing a deadly tower that could kill us any minute.”

“It’s the little things,” John said. “If you can’t enjoy the small moments, then you’ll go mad. You need to lighten up a bit, St. Clair!”

Tasha huffed but didn’t argue.

After passing through the hidden pathway, the group found the final room. It was slightly different from the last several times they climbed before, the hallmark feature of the tower’s magical ability to shift its layout. The three rookies still found the phenomenon slightly disorienting, though Marcy and Cedric had grown accustomed to the constantly shifting design.

“Let’s go,“ Wyn said. He immediately moved to the center cogwheel, joining Tasha.

“Three turns," Tasha said. She positioned herself on the opposite end of the same large wooden wheel, and had more difficulty moving the large piece but was still making it easier than if Wyn did it alone.

Similarly, the rest of the group took their spots with practiced haste. John moved to the far right wheel, readying it for when the group needed to light the statues on the right side. Marcy and Cedric took the left wheel, already turning it to receive the magical flames from the larger center statue. They found a succinct rhythm over the past several days with the statues and wheels and tightened the time and energy it took to maneuver them.

A large black portal opened in front of the barred portal leading to the fourth floor. Everyone stopped to look, still wondering if a human would step out instead of monsters. Lionel had yet to show himself again, but his appearance before still had everyone on edge.

Two Lamierts slithered through inky black smoke, both wielding daggers.

Wyn breathed a slight sigh of relief. He wanted to find Lionel and confront him, but another part of him only wanted to deal with the tower and its own challenges at the moment. He helped turn the wheel one more quarter turn, stopping the raging flames. They already lit the first statue right away, and had just finished the second on the left side when the portal opened.

An arrow whizzed across the empty space of the room directly towards the monster on the left. It raised its daggers to parry the arrow, but the instant the projectile made contact, it exploded in a heap of flames. Wyn knew, deep down, that the monster was killed instantly – he didn’t even afford it a glance. He continued his advancement towards the other enemy, his spear readied for a lunge.

The monster slashed at him with its dagger but he decided to exchange blows - he stabbed through the monster’s chest entirely through the spear head, while the larger monster’s attack only glanced off his coat. The spear yanked out of its lifeless body without difficulty as it was already turning to dust.

Another check on his coat brought another smile. Not even a scratch.

The group continued to systematically alternate between rotating wheels to solve the flaming statue puzzle and kill the monsters that spawned in the room. After the final bar was released and the portal cleared for the next floor, no more enemies came. Everyone looked at each other with expectant worry but no more black portals showed.

“Well that’s that, I guess,” John said. He sheathed his sword with a huff. “I wonder why in the hells he hasn’t shown back up.”

“Who knows,” Wyn said. “I feel like there are more moving parts behind this situation that we aren’t seeing. We need to be careful.”

“Yea, yea,” John said. “I just want to confront him.”

“I know. But I think he’ll show up at some point or another. You’ll have your chance.”

John shook his head and walked forward into the portal without another word.

Wyn looked around at the others, who had only just finished collecting the few piles of rewards left from the final area. They had decided days ago that they would only climb the third floor repeatedly so they could find the flower needed to pay off Wyn’s coat, but a small part of Wyn feared John would push to the fourth floor to try and somehow search for or goad Lionel into showing up.

The initial step back into the hall of portals made Wyn pause. His stomach twisted, and he took a deep breath to settle himself. He’d gone through quite a few portals at this point, but when the wrong combination of fatigue, hunger, and distraction hit, he still had to catch himself from throwing up.

John was a few feet away, holding his stomach with one hand and resting on a knee with the other. Obviously that feeling affected others, too.

“I think that’s our cue to break for lunch,” Marcy said.

Wyn turned around to see Tasha holding her forehead, her eyes closed. Marcy was helping hold her up.

“I believe you’re right,” Wyn said. “Some food would do us good.”

“Too bad we don’t have any of those sandwiches that Cal made,” John said. He weakly positioned his shield onto his back. “Those were divine.”

“Now if he made soup, I’d be sold,” Marcy said.

“Can we stop talking about food and just go eat?” Tasha asked.

Cedric laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Tasha asked.

“If the worst thing to be upset about today is food, then I think we’ll be alright.”