The Ruby Magician

The warm sun felt calming on Wyn's face. He was happy to feel the outside air, and while he couldn't fully enjoy the tea due to the bouncing carriage ride, he was thankful for the gesture.

The group celebrated after they completed the thirteenth floor and earned their rewards. An incredible 1200 gold crowns were given to each of them for completing the floor, which was a veritable fortune. The chest they were able to open for it being their first clear also netted each of them a purple rarity item, and they were ecstatic about their success. They didn't find much inside while climbing, at least compared to previous seasons, but the floor reward made up for it.

Dinner was exquisite, second only to Cal's own cooking. It was mostly due to their success and thankfulness at being alive, and Wyn was more than happy to celebrate it all.

After dinner, the others bought him a pot of tea for his throat, as he was slightly hoarse from all of his yelling. Despite a quick Regen being more than enough to make his throat return to normal, he nonetheless sipped the tea and took a cup to go on their way back to the guild house.

It was a great day. It was also a long one, and Wyn was more than exhausted. He was ready to take a warm bath, regroup with the guild and Arabelle, and then call it a night. The group had already agreed to both sleep in and take some time away from Climbing, and Wyn was satisfied with that. They all earned it, and he wanted to get his mind right before going back inside Alistair.

Approaching the guild house under a star-lit night, everyone was still laughing from one of John's jokes before climbing the front stairs to head inside. Wyn's smile slowly faded as he noticed the front door wasn't fully closed and latched. Pushing it open without needing to use the knob, he stood at the doorway and looked inside.

It was eerily quiet. Which was strange, considering the rest of the guild should be back and getting ready to settle in for the night. His team behind him tried to peer inside, looking around him quietly to see.

"What is it?" John asked.

"It's quiet," Wyn said. "Why is it quiet?"

Marcy's furrowed brow shot up as she stood to attention. Wyn noticed the change and felt his heart drop. "What is it?"

"Shit," Marcy said, reaching to the bow at her back.

Wyn knew the moment he saw her demeanor change, but was almost too afraid to see for himself. His anger, that emotion that he was doing so well to quell, rose up like a billowing flame inside him threatening to consume everything else.

Running inside, he summoned his weapon as a sword while activating Sprint. What he saw in the foyer made him skid to a stop in horror.

Behind him, Tasha gasped.

Wyn looked past his teammates, all staring at the ground. Where a pile of blood stained the rug, pooling before a streak that led deeper into the left wing.

Into their wing. And the wing he shared with his sister.

Tightening his grip on his sword, Wyn slowly stepped to the wing alongside John. He could hear his friend's deep breaths, those angry puffs of air like a bull readying itself to charge an enemy.

Wyn knew it was the Faceless Four, and his team knew, too. At least he wasn't the only one ready for violence.

When they stepped into the wing, Wyn's eyes widened in shock.

"Nice of you to finally make it," Landon said, standing beside a cushioned chair. A chair that held Daniel, who looked as pale as a ghost but sat to attention seeing him. A chair that had a large pile of blood pooled underneath it.

Looking around, Wyn noted everything of importance in the room. And there was a lot to take in at once. On the side of the open area was Corbyn, leaning against the wall like he was bored. But at his feet was Adam, lying on the ground face down in another pool of blood. In the middle of the room was Octavius and Jane, the last two members of the masked group.

Both of whom were standing behind Arabelle, whose hands were bound behind her back. She glanced away from Adam's body and nearly went limp seeing Wyn. Tears streaked down her face, but otherwise she seemed uninjured. Jane had a knife held at Arabelle's side, though it didn't appear as she'd used it.

Wyn's mind reeled. Was Adam dead? How did the Faceless Four get inside? What did he need to do to make sure both Arabelle and Daniel survived this?

Wyn took one step before stopping. Landon moved with a speed that rivaled his own, possibly even outmatching it, raising a dagger to Daniel's neck. Wyn froze, unsure if he was about to witness Daniel being killed.

"No, sir, not a step further," Landon said. "He's nearly there, but I'll speed up the process. And you'll watch your sister die if you come any closer."

Wyn turned to see his team behind him, all still in the wing's entryway. They all took in the same sight, noting everyone in the room.

"If you let Daniel die, or harm my sister any further, you'll wish you were dead," Wyn growled.

Landon's masked head rose as he stood straighter beside Daniel's chair. "My, my, we haven't seen that side of you before."

Jane laughed, but Wyn shot her a glare. Her voice caught in her throat as she squeezed the knife in her hand.

"There's a lot you haven't seen of me," Wyn said. "When you've killed as much as I have, it makes it easier to hide. But trust me, it's there."

"We've likely killed more," Jane says, flashing the knife in her hand. "The tower is full of monsters, after all."

Wyn faced the woman. "I'm not talking about inside the tower."

Jane paused, the knife going still in her hand. She turned her masked head to Landon before taking a step back behind Arabelle.

Landon just laughed. "Interesting! We might be getting somewhere, now!"

"You'll get nothing!" Wyn yelled, making Octavius flinch.

Landon pointed one of his short swords towards him. "You don't have the power to do anything, Wyn! You couldn't do shit even if you wanted to!"

Wyn squeezed his sword so tight his hand started to go numb. Then he looked at Daniel. The man was smiling at him. It broke Wyn's heart, and the anger inside of him drifted away quickly like water being poured on a fire.

Despite everything, Daniel still had the courage to smile. The flash of every conversation with his mentor went through his mind in a moment, every encouraging word for Wyn to improve and be better. Maybe there really was another way.

Wyn tried to relax, forcing some tension to leave his body. "What do you want?" He asked softly. "You want my lantern? You can have it." Unfastening the chain at his belt, he held up his lantern in front of him. "If it means saving their life I'll gladly give it."

"Wyn, hold on now," Cedric said quietly, stepping closer to his back.

Wyn shook his head. "Nothing is worth their life. Nothing."

Landon laughed again, lowering his sword and stepping away from the chair beside him. "Good, now you see! That's a start, Wyn. Hand it over. For the men."

Wyn opened his mouth to protest but paused. Arabelle wasn't hurt, just held hostage. Adam and Daniel, though, they were both injured. If Adam was still alive, then he could be healed. And Daniel likely didn't have long based on his complexion.

Looking down at the Mushroom Lantern, Wyn said a quick, silent thank you. It was his most useful item that helped him and his group advance, and being a gift from the Avatar wasn't something to ignore. But no item, no matter its power, was worth keeping to let someone else die.

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It felt simultaneously heavy and freeing to toss the lantern towards Landon, who caught it deftly with one hand. The masked man stared at the item while his sword arm dropped, and Wyn took a cautious step forward. When none of the Faceless Four reacted, he took a few more steps and cast Regen on Daniel.

The familiar white aura surrounded him and his face relaxed. His breaths seemed to be more steady as he rested his head against the chair.

"Tasha, make sure Adam is alive," Wyn whispered behind him.

Tasha hesitated to move but John was beside her, standing directly in front of her while not taking his eyes off of the masked people in the room. Slowly the pair advanced to Adam's still body, and John clenched his fists while he stood between the monster of a man and Tasha, who was on her knees inspecting Adam.

Relief flooded Wyn as a white aura enveloped Adam's body. He took that as a good sign he was still alive, and a quick glance and nod from Tasha confirmed it.

So they'd both live, then. But this was far from over.

Wyn watched Landon move over to Arabelle, taking Octavius's place beside her while still holding the lantern and sword. Cal and Marcy moved to either side of Wyn, getting further inside the area while trying to position themselves in case something were to happen.

Casting Regen again on Daniel for good measure, Wyn took a steadying breath. He wanted to go and comfort Daniel, to grab him and get him out of there, but he knew making too big of moves would cause a chain reaction that he couldn't control. The Faceless Four were here for a reason, and at least they were agreeing to negotiate rather than recklessly attack. So for now, Daniel had to be patient as he continued to heal.

But there was still the matter of his sister.

"I don't know why the fuck you decided to come back here, but you can't expect to leave in one piece," Marcy said.

Landon tilted his masked head up, away from the lantern that he had been engrossed with. "I expect to leave with everything I wanted. Whether or not that's stepping over your corpse on the way out is up to all of you."

Wyn felt Marcy tense beside him, her hands squeezing into fists. Jane shook with laughter while the beast of a man leaning against the wall chuckled, shaking his shoulders. The noise sounded like a rumble coming from some giant monster.

"What do you want for my sister?" Wyn asked. There was no sense beating around the bush.

"Easy. I want the rest of your tablets."

Wyn tried to hide his expression. "Tablets?"

Landon scoffed. "Don't play fucking dumb, Wyn. I have a feeling that you either have most of them or the rest of them. And I want them. The stone tablets for her."

Arabelle raised her chin, trying to work around her bonds. "Don't give him shit, Wyn! Just -"

Landon backhanded her across the face.

Wyn instantly couldn't focus on anything else except killing Landon. Seeing his sister tied, then hit, he was ready to kill. Fury raged inside of him like a swirling storm, and he was ready to unleash it.

He subconsciously took several steps forward, but Landon raised Arabelle's head with the flat of his sword. "Easy there, guild leader. Take another step and no amount of healing magic will work on her."

Wyn couldn't calm his beating heart. He tried to think, tried to reason, but he was failing.

He was fast, but Landon had shown that he possessed a speed that was nearly the same. There was no way Wyn could do anything before Landon slit her throat. No spells, no movement could be done in time. Any activation, any flare of an ability would be seen as a threat.

But, that didn't really matter. He didn't need to try and save her with brute force or magic. After all, no amount of items was worth his sister's life. He'd give everything he owned to make sure she was safe.

So, Wyn raised his hands. "Okay. You can have every tablet we have."

Octavius jerked his head towards Wyn. "Really? Just like that?"

Wyn wanted to punch that sphinx mask right off his face.

"Of course just like that, Vi, read the damn room!" Jane yelled. Then she leaned over to Landon, whispering something to him.

Wyn furrowed his brow. What was she saying?

"They're pressed for time," Marcy whispered. "They want to hurry this up."

"And that's exactly what we're going to do," Landon said, jerking Arabelle closer to him. "Come on, Wyn, go get those damn tablets already!"

Wyn wondered why they were in a hurry. Was it because the rest of the guild could come and they'd be outnumbered? No, because they could still escape like last time.

Last time. Realization hit him like a punch to the face. They escaped only when Aureus showed up. The man who is actively hunting them. Who might know their whereabouts and could take them out himself.

Did all he need to do was delay? But he couldn't rely on that. They needed to act now. Even if Aureus walked right in there was a strong chance Landon would cut his sister's throat before they were detained.

"The tablets are in the vault," Wyn said. "I can go and get them, but it'll be a few minutes."

Landon cursed under his breath. "You don't keep them on you? You damned fool!"

"It doesn't matter," Jane said. "We can't wait around for him to go and get them out of the vault. Time for the backup plan."

Landon nodded. "Alright. New plan!" He pulled Arabelle back further into the wing, dragging her easily, and Jane and Octavius moved with them. Even the big man seemed to be paying attention and followed.

Wyn held out a hand. "Wait! You can't take her, I'm willing to give you the tablets!"

"We can't wait around for you to fetch them like a good boy," Jane said, pulling out some crystal from a pocket under her cloak. "So you'll need to bring them to us."

"Where?" Wyn couldn't stop the panic in his voice. They couldn't take Arabelle. What in the hells would they do to her?

"I hope you've made it to the fourteenth floor," Landon said. "It's a… unique floor. The perfect spot."

Wyn felt a small surge of relief. They had just cleared the thirteenth floor, so at least he could run straight there. But what was special about the fourteenth floor? And what would they have to face in order to find the Faceless Four?

"Wait, I haven't been out of the second tier!" Arabelle cried. "What are you going to do with me?"

Landon shook his head, chuckling while pulling her binds tighter. "Oh we have a great spot for you in Alistair. Once we get everything settled, you'll have to find her, Wyn. Just don't take too long!"

Wyn gritted his teeth and forced himself to not act. Any aggression now would mean they'd likely kill Arabelle. But he was furious at them for capturing her and treating her like a hostage.

"We'll see you on the fourteenth," Jane said, backing away down the hall. "Make sure all the tablets are with you!"

In a bright flash, the five of them disappeared, and Wyn ran forward to make sure they didn't just turn invisible or hide.

Seeing his sister gone, he couldn't think straight. Where were they taking her? Alistair was impossibly large and it was already night - she only had a few hours before the day would end and everything inside would disappear into the void.

Which meant he had to go with the tablets. Without delay.

Turning around, Daniel stood from the chair on shaky legs. Cedric was there to support him, and Wyn's anger rose further seeing his mentor hurt.

"Wyn," Daniel said, with an arm around Cedric's shoulder. "You have to go now!"

"Are you alright?" Wyn asked, running up and inspecting him closer. Freshly dried blood coated his robes but he seemed tired more than hurt. A side effect of the events and being healed.

Daniel nodded then pointed to his side. "They stabbed me in the side but I was making it. I'm fine, now. How's Adam?"

"He'll live," Tasha said, "but we should probably let him rest awhile longer. His chest was caved in, half of his ribs broken, his left arm and leg…" Tasha trailed off and looked at John, who just hugged her. Cal knelt beside them and then picked up Adam's body.

Wyn understood. The man likely tried to fight them and lost. At least he was alive.

"Where's the rest of their team?" Marcy asked.

"It was only us three in the guild house," Daniel said. "The rest of them were in the city with Nigel's team getting drinks. We were preparing the training room for the new Climbers when the Faceless Four attacked us."

"I'm glad you're okay," Wyn said, putting a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Stay with Adam and let the others know when they get back to go search for Arabelle. We'll all need to look for her if we have any chance of finding her."

"Our best chance is to force those bastards to tell us," John said, making a fist at his side. "This has gone too far, Wyn."

"Fuck yea it has," Marcy said. "Those bastards are dead."

"Hang on," Cedric said. "We can't be that rash."

"Rash?" Wyn asked. "After what they just did?"

Cedric raised his ethereal hand. "That's not what I mean. We can't force them to tell us. They were wanting a trade, remember?"

Wyn nodded. "The tablets."

"We can't give them what they want!" John pleaded. "Wyn already gave them his lantern. Giving them more means they'll win!"

"We'll lose if we can't get Arabelle," Cal said. "And it won't matter unless they tell us."

Wyn took several deep breaths. He tried to think. It wasn't easy, but he forced himself to see Cedric's point. He was right, of course. And he was planning to give the tablets anyway. Whatever it took to keep her safe.

"No item is worth someone's life," Tasha said, her voice low. "Right?"

Wyn nodded. "We're going to give them our tablets. They'll tell us where Arabelle is and then we can make sure she's safe."

"And if they don't let us leave to find her?" Marcy asked.

"I have a plan," Cedric said. "But let's discuss it on the way back to Alistair. We need to get moving, and fast."

*****

Arabelle felt the sudden sensation of transport through a portal, despite just being in the guild house. Whatever item the Faceless Four used to escape was similar to a portal key.

Except it worked outside in the city. Which was a terrifying thought.

When she blinked away the change of scenery, she realized she was in some kind of shack. It was bleak and pitiful, and she had no idea what part of Alestead she was in.

But it didn't matter, because Corbyn quickly picked her up and took her back to the tower through back alleys and secret paths.

Despite her flailing about, she was useless to escape. She tried to run at first but then a swift smack to her head made her dizzy. Casting magic would likely have a worse outcome if she couldn't think straight.

And if she was going back in the tower, she needed all of her strength so she could at least escape there.

Somehow the four masked Climbers found a secret entrance into the base of Alistair, because they didn't go in through the front. Instead, there was a series of paths and rooms before she saw they were in the portal room.

Then she was pulled through the portal once again, sentenced to her fate.

When she blinked away the new environment, her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, gods."

Corbyn threw her on the ground, and she landed with a harsh thud. Then he snapped the binds around her hands and feet as easily as though they were made of string.

Landon bent down to talk to her on her level. She stared at him, defiant.

"Dropping you off here will give you the best chance of being found," Landon said. "Can't say we didn't give you at least a chance, now can you?"

Arabelle spat on his mask. He simply wiped the spit away and shook his head.

"You know, I liked her," Jane said before using a portal key.

"If you come back through this portal, we'll kill you on the spot," Octavius said. "And being part of our party, now, means we'll know if you go back to the portal room. Do that before we get the tablets and we'll kill you."

"If I stay here, I'll die before long," Arabelle replied.

Landon just shrugged. "Let's hope Wyn will move fast."

Then the four of them stepped back through the portal.

Arabelle stood up and stared back at the only structure on the floor - the burning castle in the distance. It was a ways away, but she knew the monster army of the sixth floor would be heading her way before long. There was a small chance another group could enter and rescue her, but the chance was slim with it being so late in the day.

She said a silent prayer that her group, guild, or Wyn would find her. And soon.