The Ruby Magician

Marcy’s arrow pierced another sickly monster, causing it to swell and pop in another poison cloud. It was the third and final dog in the pack down a new tunnel the group tried. No one dared getting close to the monsters from the poison they released, instead allowing and encouraging Marcy and Cedric to take them down from afar.

Since their first encounter with the poison dogs the Climbers only met one other pack. It was mostly wrong turns, false tunnels, and the occasional poison trap for the remainder of the floor. It was always shit, though. Always.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been on a floor I’ve hated more than this one,” Marcy said. “It’s even worse than the frozen pond.”

Cedric barked a laugh. “Wow. That’s saying something! Who knew a bit of feces would affect you so much.”

“What was the frozen pond floor?” John asked. He kept looking down the tunnel to see if any treasure was to be found from the monsters, but there was still only a cloud of poisoned fog.

“It was awful, that’s what,” Marcy said. “Just a long floor in deep snow that ended with a monster that had to be killed by destroying an item under a frozen pond. I drew the short stick to find the item and was cold for days.”

“And this is worse?” Tasha said. “I think I could handle the smell over that. I despise the cold!”

Marcy turned and patted the Herald on the shoulder. “You say that now, but what about when you can’t get the smell of shit out of those curls for weeks?”

Tasha’s eyes widened. “Gods, I didn’t think about that.”

Marcy chuckled. “Welcome to the life of a Climber, where you face death each day and smell like shit one way or another.”

John pointed forward and started walking down the tunnel. “Treasure! At least there might be some good to come from this!”

Wyn decided to go with him and see what the poison dogs dropped. When they arrived at the glowing pile they both shared a look. It wasn’t coins or potions or even gemstones. It was an item. And it was glowing blue.

“Damn, that’s a good find,” Cedric said behind them. “We could add it to the pile to be appraised without identifying first. That would make five in total, which should be plenty to get you three ready for the rest of the second tier.”

John bent down and carefully picked up the sheathless dagger. No additional smoke or poison was around, but he was cautious since Wyn set off the foulest fog cloud he’d ever experienced.

“But it’s a magic dagger. Found in a poison-based floor! I’m sure the effect is great, and any Rogue worth their weight would want something like this!”

“Maybe, but it could be a detrimental effect, too,” Cedric said. “Don’t forget the last item we identified.”

John sighed. “Yea, I know. A Helm of the Beetle isn’t exactly on most people’s list to use. I still think the effect could be useful, but I get your point.”

“Is limiting threats from insects and being immune to insect-born diseases really that useful?” Wyn asked.

“I don’t know, maybe ask that when we get to a floor with only insect monsters!”

“Alright, alright,” Cedric said. “Do what you want. Four unidentified items is plenty to trade for new gear even if this one is a bust. I’m sure we could get something useful for it since you three still need a few magical pieces.”

John excitedly fished around in his pocket before pulling out a small eyeglass. When he held it up to his eye to see the dagger the small glass piece glowed with white magic, causing the dagger to glow briefly before it morphed into its true form.

Wyn’s face scrunched up seeing the weapon. It wasn’t pretty, but it did fit the theme of the floor. The dagger’s hilt was a straight and firm piece of bone that directly changed to a straight black metal blade without a cross guard. It looked sinister and deathly, likely perfect for a Rogue who used daggers as John said.

John held the dagger a bit further away from him. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything different.”

“What does your parchment say?” Wyn asked. He reached for the dagger to hold while John fetched his papers. It wasn’t as light as he imagined and well balanced as he gently moved it around. All together the weapon was longer than a foot, and looked like it could be a solid secondary or backup weapon if the effect was decent.

John unraveled his papers. “Rotting Bone Dagger. This dagger was created from a bone of a Pestilent Dog, which gives it its sickly properties. When struck by this dagger, the being is inflicted with the Rot affliction, and slowly rots from the inside out. As long as the user of this blade has it on their person they are immune to toxic effects, both poisonous and venomous. Rot chance: very likely.”

Marcy whistled from behind the three men. “Cedric was dead wrong. That effect is great!”

“She’s right,” Cedric said. “The toxic immunity alone makes it a great weapon. I don’t find the appearance very appealing but that doesn’t matter with such a boon. It’ll trade well!”

John held the dagger up in triumph. “Finally, I scored a decent find! Maybe I can get a nice helm with this. Or a new armor piece like Wyn’s coat?”

“Or both,” Wyn said. “Would you want two green rarity pieces or maybe one blue rarity piece?”

“We could potentially find two lesser blue rarity items,” Cedric said. “As long as something has an effect you like and the trade is with the right person we have a good chance of a favorable trade.”

John twirled the dagger in his hand with a smile on his face. “Whatever we get I’ll be happy. I’m just glad I was able to find my first good item.”

Wyn clapped him on the shoulder. “And there’ll be more to come. Just wait until we’re running the second tier for the majority of the season.”

“I have a good feeling about this month,” Marcy said. “But first I want to stop smelling like shit.”

“That might not be this month, then,” Tasha said. “Though I plan to take several very long baths soaked in very nice perfumes.”

Marcy closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. “That sounds lovely.”

Wyn, John, and Cedric exchanged embarrassed looks. The girls caught on, creating an awkward silence between them.

Wyn cleared his throat. “Should we keep going then?”

“Yes!” John said. “Right. Priorities. Getting out of here first.”

Tasha abruptly looked away and cleared her throat. “Let’s keep following this way.”

“I’ll lead,” Marcy said. “Same lineup?”

“Yea,” Wyn said.

The group quickly moved to their positions but didn’t share glances.

Wyn laughed to himself. Maybe they had been spending a little too much time together.

*****

The next couple of hours were a literal slog. There were minimal traps on their winding route and they didn’t end up getting hurt, thankfully. Marcy spotted two of them to avoid and John accidentally set another off, but as he kept his new dagger in his pack he was immune to the effects. He set his shield and prepared himself just in case the actual explosion could hurt him, but he was resilient and brushed it off without much difficulty. He didn’t enjoy breathing the air despite the dagger’s immunity, though, and loathed the other’s decision to have him take the lead beside Marcy.

What they did find on their journey were two things - plenty of wrong turns and more Pestilent Dogs, as the dagger named them. They continued their plan of dealing with them with ranged attacks until Marcy brought up their next concern.

“I’m running through my arrows way too fast,” Marcy said. She plucked an arrow from a decaying monster dog and immediately threw it back to the ground. “These bastards ruin every arrow I use, too. I can’t recover any of them from their rotting effect.”

Wyn stole a glance at the Ranger’s quiver and didn’t like what he saw. There were only a handful of arrows inside, and likely they were ones she wanted to save either due to their magical effects or for harder enemies. Or both.

“How’s your mana, Cedric?” Wyn asked.

Cedric closed his eyes and paused, then took a deep breath. “Not great. About a third left. But I can take a potion if needed, so I’m alright.”

“Can’t your bow shoot magical arrows or your quiver make them?” John asked.

Marcy turned around and looked at the Squire with a confused expression. “In the past month of us climbing together have you ever seen me create an arrow from my bow like that?”

John looked up to the ceiling and rubbed his chin. “Hmm. Now that you say it, no, I don’t think I have.”

Marcy shook her head and sighed.

“Now that you mention it, you never told me what your equipment does,” Wyn said. “In the caves you and Cedric skirted around the issue. And since then you haven’t mentioned it.”

Marcy shrugged. “Honestly, I’ve never thought to bring it back up. But if you must know, it’s a fairly standard ranged pair. My bow improves my accuracy, increases the overall power of my arrows so I don’t have to pull as much weight, and reduces mana use of ranged spells. My quiver can make standard arrows slowly over time, acts like magical storage, and also reduces mana cost for my spells. But I’m going through them too fast this floor for it to recover in time.”

Wyn fiddled with one of the buttons on his jacket. “And they’re both blue rarity items?”

“Yes. I don’t want an element attached to either one because I can either cast elemental spells or get elemental arrows. I want other benefits instead.”

Wyn thought about that. It was a good idea. Where he had been focusing on an element with his weapon to overcome the deficit of not having more skills like a Fighter like John, she’d been pushing for alternative means of effectiveness. If he had a spear that had good effects and could boost his power through other means, maybe an element on his weapon wasn’t necessary. It was a good thought, and something to consider.

“I appreciate you sharing that,” Wyn said. “If we need to go back to Alestead and prepare better for the floor we can.”

John groaned. “Aww, come on. I really don’t want to start over and climb in this shitty place again. I’d rather just get through it and move on.”

“Says the Climber that’s currently immune to toxins,” Cedric said.

“I’m sure we can manage, right?” John pleaded. “I’ll take the lead now since Cedric’s right. We can handle it!”

“What about a compromise?” Wyn asked. “Would it be worth it to use a key and for just Marcy to go back and get more arrows? Do the key portals have a time limit?”

“They stay open as long as your group is still in the original portal’s vicinity or the person who used the key closes it,” Cedric said. “That’s not a bad idea. Do you have enough in your storage, Marcy?”

The Ranger nodded and reached into her wide belt. “I should have enough in my chest back in my apartment. At least to get us through the rest of the floor.”

“That’s a good plan,” Tasha said. “Even if we have to wait it’s better than restarting the floor.”

John looked around and threw his arms in the air. “Yea, alright. I wish I could actually sit down, though. We’ve been doing quite a bit of running.”

“You mean you don’t want to sit on this lovely slab of stone?” Marcy asked as she used her key to open a portal.

“I’d rather stand for a a day than sit in this shit for five seconds.”

Marcy laughed as she stepped through the portal and disappeared.

Wyn walked over to the wall and leaned it against to rest. If Marcy was going to be gone for awhile and he couldn’t sit on the floor, then at least he’d rest his body somehow.

The others caught on and walked over beside him. No one said anything for a few minutes as they rested the best they could.

“You know, Cedric, I’m grateful you decided to climb with us again,” Wyn said. “I don’t think I’d want another offensive Mage around instead of you.”

“That’s kind to say,” Cedric said. “But I really was going to leave. I still go back and forth some days.”

Wyn nodded along. He knew why Cedric contemplated leaving even without saying it. The shame of not having an arm and ridicule of still climbing with the constant reminder couldn’t be easy mentally.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Wyn said. “You really think it’s impossible to get your arm back?”

“Absolutely. There isn’t a kind of spell or magical ability that regrows limbs. That power would’ve been used a hundred times over by now if there were.”

Wyn shook his head. “I don’t know. I just don’t buy that.”

Tasha stepped away from the wall and looked over at Wyn. “He’s right. I even asked my mentor about it. Magic can do so many things but it can’t do that.”

“It’s like bringing back the dead,” John said. “Just impossible.”

“Of all the magical abilities there’s nothing?” Wyn asked. “Not even an item that could do it? Or act like an arm?”

“Not that I know of,” Cedric said. “And I’ve gone over this many, many times. I’m thankful for your concern, but I’ve come to accept my situation.”

Wyn didn’t immediately respond. How could he? It was Cedric’s choice at the end of the day, but Wyn still felt awful for what happened to him. The fact that they were surrounded by magic and used it daily gnawed at his mind. Cedric seemed like he was at a mentor’s level of knowledge about the tower’s magic, so if he said there wasn’t a magical effect that could replace his arm he was likely right. But of all the magic they’ve used and held Wyn found it hard to believe.

Wyn fingered with one of the buttons on his jacket again. He strangely found it comforting to keep his fingers moving, similar to Tasha playing with her curls.

An idea sparked to life in Wyn’s mind. His coat. John’s sword. They weren’t found in the tower, they were crafted. As in made by a Climber with intentional effects.

The fact that he didn’t think about it before was baffling and he wanted to smack himself in the face. “What about crafting one?”

Cedric opened his mouth to say something and then paused.

John cut him off and spoke first. “Crafting an item to use like his arm? You mean something like a peg leg?”

Wyn waved his hand in the air. “No, not something like that. That’s too primitive. I mean something magical.”

“Well, yea, like a magical peg leg. He can’t be walking around with a weird tree branch sticking out of his sleeve.”

“John, get off the wooden limb idea. I mean an item like a sleeve or a band or clasp that would go around his shoulder or arm that could project magic to be used like an arm. Does magic like that exist?”

“Not at the first tier, no,” Tasha said. “That would be more advanced magic that involves not just physical interaction with things but other elements, too. Strength to move or pick up items, longevity to last more than seconds or minutes, shaping to be usable at a certain distance. There’s a lot of components to something like that.”

“True, but it’s worth investigating,” Cedric said. “I honestly haven’t thought about it before. I don’t know why. After we left the cave I was in a bad state mentally. You pulled me out of it, Wyn, but only to a place to where I knew I’d always be second best. But this is definitely something new to think about it. I’ve accepted my life now and am fine if it doesn’t work, but… maybe this is something to look into despite the complexity.”

Wyn felt a surge of excitement rise inside of him. If Cedric was willing to pursue it then he was all in. “That’s great! Tasha, you make a good point. It would be best to ask someone who knows a lot more about crafting items first before we start dismissing the idea altogether. Maybe when you two go to the trading district you can find Cara and ask her about it?”

John stepped away from the wall and clapped his hands together. “Now there’s the answer! She’s brilliant! I’d bet my entire climb today that she’d find a way to come up with an item!”

“She’s not that great,” Tasha said quietly. “Wyn’s right, though. You two should find her and talk to her about it.”

Cedric smiled and looked up at the sole beam of light radiating down into their chamber. “It’s a start, though. More than I’ve had before.” He moved what was left of his arm in his robe’s sleeve and for the first time since he lost it, felt hopeful.

“First we have to get out of this shit hole,” Marcy said. “Then you can go and talk to the crazy Sorcerer.”

The others jolted in surprise at hearing the Ranger’s voice.

“When did you get back?” John asked with urgency in his voice. “And don’t sneak up on us like that!”

“Oh, it’s just been a minute or so,” Marcy said. “But I caught the gist of what you were saying. I’m in full support.”

“Thank you,” Cedric said.

Marcy smiled at her friend, then flourished her quiver full of arrows. “Alright, I’m all geared up. Are we ready to move on?”

“More than ready,” Tasha said.

“Absolutely,” Cedric added. “I’m not holding back, now. The sooner we get out of here the sooner I can get some answers.”

“That’s the spirit,” Wyn said. He couldn’t help but feel happy for his friend. He had a spark about him that he saw briefly when he first climbed in the tower again, but it had faded in the month they climbed together. Now it seemed the Lightning Wizard had a new purpose.

The group started moving towards another tunnel when Marcy turned around to face them all. “Oh, and we absolutely smell terrible. If you all could’ve seen the looks I got in the city, well…” She laughed to herself before turning back to continue forward.

“Fantastic,” John said. “I hate this place.”