The Ruby Magician

Wyn stared at the floating portal in the portal room, the stone tablet in his arms heavier than normal. The entire area was empty, which was to be expected so late in the day. No one would try to climb a new floor so close to the day ending. There were still several hours left before midnight, but Wyn was restless.

A hand rested on Wyn's left shoulder. "We're going to find her," Marcy said. "We won't stop until we do."

Wyn nodded but stayed silent.

"Are we ready?" Cedric asked, holding another of the stone tablets. "No time like the present."

Everyone was gathered, their weapons and gear prepared to fight. Everyone except Marcy carried a stone tablet. They knew what was at stake and what was needed to be done.

Lionel and his cult. Mathias and the Assembly. They were people that threatened them and tried to hurt them, and were killed for it.

Wyn was fully prepared to kill once again. He was thankful that his friends were, too.

But, more than them, he was also ready to die if it meant his sister and his team could live.

He thought about Lucy and chasing her onto the ninth floor. She was prepared to die then, and climbed without fear. She had made her peace and was ready to face whatever came next.

Wyn understood. He didn't then, not fully, but now he did.

Whatever it took so Arabelle could escape alive.

"Wyn?" Tasha asked. "Are you ready?"

"Yea, I am," Wyn said. "But whatever happens, you follow the plan and get Arabelle out. All of you."

"We're all coming back tonight," Cal said. "I know it."

Then they stepped through the portal.

Floor 14

Group: 6/6

Raid: 10/12

Primary Quest: Finding the temple of the Hidden Serpent was no easy feat, but more secrets lay within. One figure stands in your way, a lone guardian that protects the hallowed space beyond. Do you have the strength to overcome their challenge? Or will you fall like so many others before you?

Secondary Quest: You've entered a Raid floor. Join other Climbers to advance against a predetermined enemy. Maximum number of Climbers: 12.

Wyn looked around and did not expect what he saw. They were at the top of the massive staircase at the base of the temple that was at the end of the thirteenth floor, where they killed the monstrous beast. It was flat black stone that made up the floor, and an equally black smooth stone on the temple's entrance beyond. It looked menacing but also well polished, as though it was were made entirely of onyx. The cavern was still lit dimly by torches placed around the entrance to the temple, and he suddenly had a pang of longing for his lantern.

But that longing wasn't enough to draw his attention from the floating red portal sitting in front of the temple's entrance.

Tasha gasped beside Wyn, and looked across the flat expanse. Two more things stood out to him. The first was standing on the opposite end of the temple's entrance, creating a triangle with the floor portal - the Faceless Four. The second was a swirling vortex of black clouds in front of the floor portal that appeared suddenly and disappeared just as fast. In its place stood a figure.

A figure that stood as still as a statue, and wore a black cloak that masked its features. It was tall, even a head taller than Cal, and wide, as though it were a giant. In its right hand was a tall staff seemingly made of pure onyx as it glittered in the faint light that protruded from the nearby torches.

And a light from the Mushroom Lantern that Landon wielded.

Wyn didn't hesitate and started walking towards the Faceless Four, ignoring the newly summoned figure. He held up his tablet so the group could see it.

Landon shook his head and clapped while the lantern swung at his waist, attached to clothes underneath his ragged cloak. "You were holding out on us, Wyn! Five tablets? Fucking hells! That's nearly the entire set with our three!"

Wyn had a modicum of joy as he thought about the possibility of the group actually failing to find the ninth and final tablet. It wasn't very likely as they had the lantern, now, but it was a slightly comforting thought that they wouldn't succeed after all the trouble they'd caused.

"I won't give these to you until you give me Arabelle," Wyn said.

Landon looked around, then put his hands on his waist as though he was bored. Or annoyed. "So caring about others. You know, to be a great Climber means sometimes you have to make the necessary sacrifice. Getting past these upper levels isn't easy, after all. These items could have carried you to greatness and you just threw them away."

"Threw them away? They're worth nothing compared to people's lives! And you threatened not only my guild, but my family!"

Landon shrugged. "That's the difference between us and why you won't make it. Nothing should come between you and getting to that final floor. But you're just like the rest - weak and shortsighted."

Wyn looked to other three masked Climbers behind Landon. "So if it meant sacrificing your team, or those masks you wear, in order to make it to the final floor you'd do it? That's what you're saying?"

The three Climbers behind Landon all stood a little straighter, then turned their masked faces to each other. Wyn knew that would sow some discourse among them, and welcomed the chaos. Mistrust was a huge kill to morale and could completely destroy groups that worked well together.

But even besides that, everything that Landon said was just selfish and wrong. What good would climbing be if it meant sacrificing other people? Granted, he didn't expect much less from the man. He was a bastard through and through.

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"I'm saying sacrifices are needed to achieve greatness," Landon said, his words slow and deliberate.

That was a practiced line if Wyn had ever heard one.

"That's still not the point," Wyn said, setting the stone tablet on the ground. "I'll walk away and leave the tablets if you tell me where Arabelle is. Now."

"You really think -"

"She's on the sixth floor," Octavius said, shouting over Landon.

Landon whipped around in surprise to his teammate. "Vi! Why in the hells would you say that!"

Wyn turned back to Marcy, who nodded and pulled out a portal key. The others carefully stepped forward with their stone tablets while the Faceless Four were arguing. Technically they hadn't given them over yet, but they all knew the group would make sure they left with them one way or another.

Part of Cedric's plan was to locate Arabelle then have Marcy slip out to find her. She was their best tracker, could fly and cover a lot of ground, and could manage herself if she got in a bind. They agreed on two different scenarios - if Arabelle was on a hard floor, they'd just drop the stone tablets and leave, spreading out to hunt her down. But if she was on an easy floor, then only Marcy would leave.

Either way Wyn planned to stay on the fourteenth floor to try and distract the masked group. He was going to end their feud one way or another tonight, and didn't plan to go down without a fight.

Having Arabelle on the sixth floor was the best case scenario, in Wyn's mind. Marcy could show up and find her right away, then come back to help.

Wyn watched the other group continue to argue, failing to keep their voice down, before glancing over to the odd statue-like figure in front of the floor portal. It hadn't moved one inch since appearing. Maybe it really was a statue.

Soft footsteps hitting the stone floor less than a minute later drew Wyn's attention back, and he had an almost physical reaction in his relief. Marcy stood in front of the disappearing portal with a smirk on her face. She nodded politely.

"She's safe," was all Marcy said.

Wyn closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. Arabelle was safe. That was the most important mission of the night.

But it wasn't the only one.

Wyn took the other stone tablets from the others and walked back to the Faceless Four, then threw them on the ground in front of him. "There. A deal's a deal."

The four Climbers stopped their bickering and faced Wyn. Landon broke their silence by leaving them to walk up to the pile of tablets, then reached out wordlessly to touch them.

Then all of the magical items rose and hovered in the air for a few moments, moving seemingly on their own, before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"What the fuck are you playing at?" Landon growled.

Wyn took another step back. "That wasn't me! How could I make five items like that suddenly disappear?"

"Give me those damn tablets!" Landon drew his swords, then crouched as though ready to attack.

Wyn summoned his own weapon as a longsword and expanded the shield on his left forearm. If he was ready to fight, then Wyn would oblige.

Then Landon's cloak starting moving in the back. He jolted upright, surprised, as another stone tablet lifted from beneath his cloak and started moving towards the floor portal.

Wyn watched in fascination as two other tablets, both from the Faceless Four members, rose and also starting hovering and moving to the floor portal.

No one said a word, but just watched as the items moved on their own.

Except they didn't move to the portal. They stopped in front of the statue, collecting themselves into a formation with one piece missing.

Then the statue creaked like cracking stone as the black robe on its body swayed. The hand around the staff flexed its fingers as the statue slowly started to step around the stone tablets on the ground.

Both Landon and Wyn slowly retreated to the comfort of their groups, both still brandishing their weapons. Except they weren't focused on each other.

"What in the name of the gods is happening," John said, holding his own greatsword by his side.

The statue walked forward about twenty feet before stopping, slowly turning its concealed head to both groups. "Interesting," the figure said, its voice hollow but resounding. The sound seemed to echo in the room, and was quiet and clear despite Wyn being nearly fifty feet away. It sounded as though it was speaking directly into his head.

Wyn's heart skipped a beat. Just what kind of monster was this?

"Interesting?" Landon asked. "I don't know what in the hells you are, or how you took the tablets, but once we flay you alive we'll be taking them back."

The figure let go of the staff it held as the weapon stayed exactly upright as though it had melded into the stone floor. Lifting back its hood, the figure revealed a bald, ghostly pale head that was devoid of all hair. Thick black markings surrounded its eyes, which were densely black as though made of onyx with piercing white pupils. The contrast to a regular person's eyes made them look otherworldly and demonic.

No, Wyn thought. It made them look like some form of undead mage.

"The tablets follow the command," the figure said, looking at Landon. "It is as it should be."

"Gods these kinds of enemies are the absolute worst," Jane said, stepping to the side while forming a ball of magic.

Wyn and his team prepared themselves as Tasha began chanting a spell. If they were going to attack, there was a strong chance they would attack them, too.

"What kinds of enemies are those, Jane?" The figure asked.

The swirling ball of magic forming between Jane's hands vanished as she froze. Wyn wasn't even sure she was breathing.

How did the figure know her name?

"How...how do you know her?" Landon asked.

The figure smiled. It was equally menacing as it was pitying, as though the simple question came from a child.

"I know all things within the Great One per the Lord Creator's commands," the figure said.

Something in Wyn's mind tugged at him hearing those words. Like he had heard them before. Were they from Lionel's cultish group? It seemed like something he would say.

"It is fortuitous that both of your groups would meet here this night," the figure continued. "I have been waiting to see what the bearers of the tablets would be able to accomplish. And soon we will all find out."

The figure looked intently at all of them, then paused when their eyes met Wyn's. He stared at the figure's eyes as though in a trance. Something about them felt…familiar.

Then the figure smiled again. "Ardwyn, the Ruby Magician. It will truly be a spectacle to have your group here. It is a pleasure to see you again, as well."

"Again?" Marcy asked. "What in the hells is it talking about?"

Wyn's stomach dropped. "It's… you? Isn't it?" He asked with a shaky voice.

The figure only kept smiling.

"It's who?" Cal asked. "Wyn, this is clearly the boss of the floor!"

"Not just the boss of the floor," Cedric said, his eyes wide. "It's…"

"That is correct, Storm Sage," the figure said. "I see you have fulfilled Aliyar's promise and have received his boon for the recompense of losing your arm. I must apologize for that, as that outcome was not my intention. Though manipulating the Great One is no easy feat, even for me."

"No," Marcy breathed, taking a small step backwards. "You?"

"Though I am disappointed to find that you no longer possess the Mushroom Lantern, Wyn," the figure said, looking at the Faceless Four. "There must have been some exchange that even my eyes were not able to see. But I guess not everyone wields their gifts with the same bond."

"It was a trade to save my family," Wyn said.

The figure slowly nodded. "Ahh. I understand the reasoning." It grabbed its staff and raised it. "But greater events are before us, Climbers. We have a special goal here, tonight, for the fourteenth floor. With a special reward as well."

It raised its other hand that was hidden in the long sleeve of the black robe, revealing a similarly pale hand grasping a familiar item with ease.

"With this ninth and final piece, the bridge will be formed," the figure said, letting go of the stone tablet. It remained floating in the air for just a moment before flying back to the others on the ground. All of the stone tablets began glowing with silver light, steadily growing in intensity until it was so bright Wyn had to shield his eyes. Despite his curiosity at what the image on the final picture would be, Wyn was unable to see what the symbol was due to the sheer brightness.

When the light dimmed a few seconds later, Wyn gawked at what formed above them. The others were equally as surprised as several gasps came from the area, both in his group and the Faceless Four.

A portal, three times as large as the floor portal behind it, swirled in the air. It was in the shape of a rounded doorway rather than an oval, and was an even mixture of red, white, and gray all coalescing together.

"This bridge is unique, in that it will allow passage through the upper echelon of Alistair directly to the source. The pinnacle. The prestigious resting ground of the 20th floor."

Several more gasps echoed around the cavern, Wyn's voice among them. He couldn't believe what he heard. The tablets weren't just any item - they completely bypassed the entire fourth tier.

"But the bridge will not be open for anyone," the figure continued. "It must be earned."

Throwing off its robe in a flourish, the Avatar revealed a toned body covered in intricate silk clothes. They looked like something a royal mage would wear, with flowing and baggy black pants lined with silver and an open cut top that was equally baggy and similarly colored.

"Before the trial will be explained, I must welcome you all to my domain, now. This is your final test as deemed appropriate by Lord Aliyar. You will either live to advance or die in tribute."

Wyn swallowed his nerves, then summoned his courage. He knew this day would come. It wasn't just about defeating the Faceless Four, anymore. There was now more at stake.

Now, once again being face to face with the tower's Avatar after that fateful meeting in the cabin during his very first climb, he would have to prove himself.

Everything he had gained, both experiences and magic, would come to this trial.

His life and the lives of his friends depended on it.