The Ruby Magician

Wyn smiled as John yawned beside him. Marcy didn't fare much better, rubbing her eyes and stretching, but at least the others were more awake. Wyn was used to early mornings. He slacked off some when he first came to Alestead, getting used to a new schedule and lack of military oversight, but eventually fell back into previous habits.

"Come on, guys, it's not that early," Wyn said, adjusting the pack on his back.

John glared at him. "Wyn. I had to rush through breakfast. And after last night's party, don't you think it's better for us to sleep in, anyway?"

Wyn shook his head. "We agreed before to push in the early days this first week! It's not my fault you stayed out late!"

John started to respond but Tasha patted him on the chest, drawing his attention away. She just gave him a sympathetic smile, causing John to slump in defeat.

"We'll adjust quickly," Marcy said. She then punched John in the arm. "Stretch with me and wake up!"

"How about we all stretch," Wyn said, looking at Cedric and Cal, who also looked half-asleep. "Should we do some light training in the city, first?"

"No!" Came several responses in unison, and everyone started to lightly warm up.

Wyn noted how empty the large entrance in Alistair was. There were no other groups in sight, and only one guild attendant was behind the large counter on the far wall. It was only seven in the morning, and the sun had already lit up the sky for an hour. Was he asking too much of them? He didn't ask them to start training or climbing before the sun even rose.

Clanking of metal and footsteps on the stone floor drew everyone's attention. Wyn looked over to see a group of Climbers walking into Alistair. They looked familiar, and their equipment was pristine.

John's gasp beside him confirmed Wyn's suspicion. The new group had equipment that looked to be mostly purple rarity, and the few pieces that didn't radiate with a purple aura had an orange aura instead.

Only one guild had a group with equipment that advanced and powerful. The Order of the Scaled Dragons. The top guild in the city.

And the guild who lost one of their top groups, half of whom died trying to reach the nineteenth floor.

"Good morning," one of the Climbers said, nodding to Wyn's group as they passed. She was tall and confident, possessing piercing green eyes and an alert gaze, along with a sleek robe and circlet that gave her away as a mage. "It looks like we weren't the only ones looking to get a head start on today's climb."

"Good morning to you, too," Wyn said, nodding his head in greeting. "We wanted to take advantage of our good fortune yesterday. No time like the present."

Some of the Climbers laughed, and the woman smirked. Her eyes flitted over Wyn's group, assessing each of them. He could tell she stopped at something interesting, then pointed to Cedric.

"Your emblem," the woman said, "Dawn's Light?"

"That new guild replacing Twilight's Blade?" A man in their group said.

"That's right," Cedric said, holding his pin with his ethereal hand. "We came from Twilight's Blade, along with most of our guild."

"I see," the woman said, slowly nodding her head. "And Gregory and Caryn?"

Wyn shrugged. "They're cordial now, at least. But not climbing at the moment. They are offering consulting services until they make a final decision, but are practically part of the guild, still."

"Good. They are good people. Caryn's a bit eccentric, but he means well."

"You're telling me. I never could quite figure him out."

The woman chuckled. "And you're the Ruby Magician, aren't you? Rumors say you're a third tier Climber."

Wyn nodded. "I am. Both of those things."

"And your guild is providing mentoring services to new Climbers, right?"

"That's right. We want rookies to be equipped to handle the first and second tiers, better than they have been."

The woman smiled softly, then put her hands on her hips. "That's admirable. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon in the guild meeting, but good luck in your endeavors. I hope it works out for all of you." She gave one more nod before heading further into the base of Alistair with the rest of her group.

"Gods," John said, waiting for the group to completely leave. "I'm honestly surprised they're even climbing so soon after… well, you know."

"Some people cope with loss in different ways," Wyn said. "If it helps them, we shouldn't judge."

Collecting themselves, the group set out for the portal room soon after meeting the Order of the Scaled Dragons. They briefly reviewed their strategy for the sixth floor while they walked, then entered the portal room right as the other group was entering their own portal. The tower was obviously becoming busier as Wyn could hear footsteps of another group following behind them.

"Are we ready?" Wyn asked.

When everyone agreed, they each stepped through the portal, Wyn following them.

The familiar spatial tug wasn't any different than prior experiences, but Wyn still had to adjust his eyes after stepping into the new environment. The white surrounding portal room was too stark of a contrast to the darkness the seemed to be the sixth floor.

Around them was an open field in the middle of the night, once again lit only by the large, silvery moon above. A similar fog to the first floor was nestled on the ground at their feet, though it wasn't nearly as thick, only slightly obscuring the grass below them. Wyn immediately noticed in the far distance was a castle, an incredibly massive structure that seemed like it was more of a city with its many buildings. But it was unmistakably a sprawling castle, with familiar stone towers, battlements on the wall, and what looked possibly like a moat surrounding it. It was easily a mile away across an open, empty field.

"What in the hells?" Marcy asked, looking off to the side. "That's rare."

Wyn followed her line of sight and was shocked at what he saw. About a hundred feet to their right was the group from the Order of the Scaled Dragons. They stood together as a team also studying the castle and also studying them.

The woman they spoke to waved at them, and Wyn waved back. He took that as a sign to approach.

"I have to admit, this is a strange season," the mage woman said, once the two groups met. "How often do climbing groups start at the same place?"

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"Not often at all," Cedric replied.

"We'll do our best to stay out of your way," Wyn added. "We don't want to encroach on your day."

The woman smiled. "I was going to say the same thing. But thank you for saying it first. This will make quite the conversation starter during the guild meeting."

Wyn exchanged some more pleasantries before moving to leave, but Marcy stopped him. She held out an arm in front of him, alerting both groups.

"The fuck is going on?" Marcy asked. She was looking back to where their group entered the portal.

Wyn looked back to see yet another group appear in the vast, dark field.

"That can't be right," the mage woman said.

Wyn thought about the various secondary quests and decided to open his parchment to see if the floor had one.

Floor Six

Group: 6/6

Raid: 18/30

Primary Quest: Valeford has fallen to the undead corruption. Unfortunately it was only one of many as the scourge continues its rampage through the lands. The region's local baron, who decided to abandon the city and others, was held out in his vast keep with his consort, hired army, and people of importance in the local region. But another army has already knocked on his door. What could be inside?

Secondary Quest: You've entered a Raid floor. Join other Climbers to advance against a set number of enemies that will not change based on the number of Climbers present. Maximum number of Climbers: 30.

"Gods," Wyn said, holding his parchment. "The secondary quest is a raid?"

The others checked their own parchments, including the group from the Order of the Scaled Dragons. Wyn watched the group in the distance, and they didn't seem interested in joining them or even aware of their presence.

"So, I guess we're together, then," the mage woman said. "Though this feels very unorthodox."

"That's putting it lightly," Marcy said. "Might as well try to advance? We're all strong, here."

"I agree," Wyn said. "Let's at least see how the floor is structured."

The twelve Climbers slowly started walking towards the castle. It was the only obvious path forward as every other direction was dark and seemingly endless. The group in the distance kept their distance, though also moved towards the castle.

Wyn's team mostly walked in silence. They walked along the Order of the Scaled Dragons, but they had no idea how they approached climbing. Every team had different ways to face traps, fight monsters, and even pick paths along the floors. Despite them being strong, they were still mostly unknown.

Soon Marcy stopped, making Wyn and the rest of his team stop. She looked ahead, squinting, obviously sensing something in the distance.

"What is it?" Cal asked. "I can hardly see anything."

"Look closely," Marcy said, pointing ahead. "Focus on the light of the castle as a contrast to the dark field."

Wyn stood still, following what Marcy was saying. It was difficult to see, especially since his lantern and their magical lights only protruded so far, but he started to see what she was talking about. It wasn't easy to make out well, but it looked like movement in front of the castle and some more movement heading towards them.

"I just see movement," Wyn said. "I can't tell what it is, though."

"Gods," Marcy said, her eyes widening. "Umm, this isn't good."

"What?" John asked. "Seriously, what in the hells! I can't see a thing!"

Wyn looked harder at the movement, then felt the ground under his feet vibrate. It was a small movement at first, but it was apparent and growing.

Realization hit him, then. At first Wyn didn't form the connection as he didn't imagine anything like that could be created inside Alistair. But it was unmistakable as he'd seen that movement and felt that sensation before.

It was an army. And based on the amount of motion he saw in the dark, it looked to be hundreds of monsters. Possibly even thousands.

"By the gods," Wyn said. "There are so many of them!"

"Many of them?" Cal asked. "How? We're only the sixth floor!"

"What does your scout see?" The mage woman asked. "Roderick, are you able to see the enemies?"

"Not well, Karla," a man said, stepping out of the other huddled group. "They're definitely enemies, but I can't see -"

"What?" The mage woman – Karla – asked.

Wyn looked over at the other guild's group and saw the man's shocked face. He took a step backward, obviously afraid.

"An army of monsters," Marcy said, stepping in front of the two groups. "A godsdamned army! What the fuck!"

"That has to be the Raid component," Cedric said. "This floor is designed to be conquered in a larger group rather than just one team. Thirty Climbers as a maximum!"

"Five entire teams?" Tasha asked. "How would regular Climbers deal with that? Some guilds don't even have that many people!"

"We need to retreat," Wyn said. He kept staring at the encroaching blackness, a solid mass of monsters that was unidentifiable at their current distance. The ground began shaking so hard he felt his equipment vibrate. "We can't handle fighting a group that large with only three teams."

"Two teams," John said, pointing to their left.

Looking in the direction he was pointing, Wyn noticed the third team that had entered the floor was in the process of disappearing. There was a portal floating near them, and they were jumping into it quickly.

Apparently they saw the monsters and decided it wasn't worth it. Wyn didn't blame them.

"I'm sorry, but we can't risk ourselves again," Karla said. "Good luck to you. But we will be leaving."

"I understand," Wyn said. "I don't think it's the right time for us to fight, either. This is too much."

"Wait," Marcy said. "We aren't even going to try? We can handle sixth floor monsters! What if we stuck to one area and just plowed through them?"

"You don't understand how fighting an army works," Wyn said. "I do. If we approach them with only our small team, we'll be surrounded on all sides in seconds. If their overwhelming numbers don't prove too much for us, the chaos will. It's near impossible to fight against that many enemies at one time."

Marcy paused, then slowly nodded her head. "I know you have more battlefield experience than the rest of us. But this isn't a level playing field, either. We're far stronger than them. We have magical abilities that exceeds theirs. We could take on a greater number if we prepare for it!"

Wyn looked back at the castle, watching the enemies. They were about halfway across the plains and the rumble under their feet was so great he could hear the buttons on his jacket jingle. Approaching that soon meant they were moving fast. The large swarm of monsters wasn't infinite, though – he estimated where the mass ended due to the empty space behind them towards the castle.

Still, the monster group was hundreds of feet wide and thick, now that he could see them more clearly. Most of the monsters looked to be human, though it was still hard to tell if they had any weapons or were just more undead people. There were some that were larger, looking like giants in the army, and some smaller creatures flew above them.

That meant they had variety. Were they magical, too? It was impossible to tell. But he estimated there were one or two thousand enemies, which somewhat narrowed it down but was still a large range.

Despite seeing the army, and knowing what it was, Wyn wasn't afraid. He was reminded of his time at war but didn't shy away from it. There were horrors he experienced, sure, but he came to peace with it over the months talking with Daniel. And this wasn't fighting other humans – these were monsters. Magical creations by Alistair that would disappear just like all the other monsters he'd killed.

A large part of him felt determined. Determined to be better than he was before. Determined to succeed. Determined to prove he was capable.

Beside them, the Order of the Scaled Dragons left, using their own portal key to leave. That left only Wyn and his group against an entire army of enemies.

"A compromise, then," Wyn finally offered, still watching the steadily approaching enemies. "We're still going to leave, but let's see what we're up against. We use a portal key right before they come and try to spot some of their numbers. Magical abilities, weapons, groups, monster types, anything beneficial to note."

The six of them spread out, facing the castle and army. Tasha held a portal key in her hands, rubbing it nervously. John and Cal both looked like they were ready to engage the enemies on the spot, while Cedric just watched the army with a stoic posture.

Marcy jogged ahead about ten feet, watching them most of all. Wyn knew she was mentally noting any possible features of the army. He changed his lantern and made it a bright orange, then nodded to Tasha to give some more light.

Soon their small area was cast in multiple waves of orange and yellow light, looking like a beacon in the dark night.

The rumble shook Wyn's body but he planted his feet and took a deep breath. The monsters were nearly on them, only a few hundred feet away. Their snarls, growls, and roars were boisterously loud, and Wyn knew it would be nearly deafening once they were close enough to engage. He'd need to review some basic strategy with the others before they came back. Fighting in an army was not the same as climbing.

"Now, Tasha," Wyn yelled, making sure his voice carried over the monster army.

A portal formed beside them, and Wyn stepped in front of it beside Marcy to gauge the distance of the monsters. He put down two Siphon glyphs in front of them to make sure nothing would come on too suddenly.

"About half have weapons, none on the front line," Marcy yelled, taking steps backwards towards the portal.

Wyn looked back and saw Tasha step through, then Cal behind her. Cedric was finishing a spell, then stepped into the portal once it was completed. A storm cloud formed just in front of Marcy and Wyn, adding another layer of security for their retreat.

Wyn saw the monsters, now. They were mostly people, and for a moment he mentally returned to a long-lost battle. Slapping his face, he pulled himself out of the memory like Daniel recommended to do in a pinch.

These enemies weren't humans. They were monsters. Ravenous undead. And they were sprinting to them with no signs of slowing down.

"Go!" Wyn yelled, pulling Marcy with him. The first of the monsters were fast and were caught in their magical traps, giving them a brief moment to escape.

After seeing the rest of the team was gone, as well as Marcy, Wyn took one last look at the army. They were vast, they were quick, and they were hungry for violence.

Strangely, though, he didn't feel worry or fear. Not like he did the last time he stared down an army. This wasn't fighting other humans in a meaningless war to the common soldier. This was different.

And he wasn't just a regular human, anymore. He had strength. Power. Magical abilities to boost himself and protect his allies. Abilities that, like Marcy said, could overpower the enemies in front of him.

Stepping through the portal to return to the base of Alistair, he wasn't afraid. He was eager. Eager to prove himself to overcome the next obstacle the tower presented.

As his boots landed on the perfect stone floor of the portal room, Wyn looked at the rest of his team. They were clearly upset and startled, but looked to him for guidance. He felt a sense of calm wash over him. "We need to hurry back to the guild house before everyone else leaves. Planning and sharing information is important right now. Because we have a raid to conduct."