The Ruby Magician

Aliyar slowly nodded his head as his fingers remained steepled under his chin. "And you're sure of this decision? Think carefully. We have quite a bit of time, here."

Wyn took one more sip of his tea before looking at the hearth. The fire continued to crackle and pop, though the heat remained constant and the wood wasn't burning into ash. It was still as perfect as when it appeared. "My entire reasoning for coming here was to help my family. Well, specifically, my sister. My father was not a good man. I knew I could find work, especially after being in the military, but my sister was younger. She was forced to live in the same house as that bastard, and was subjected to whatever emotion he felt like exercising at any time. I didn't know what was in store for her, and I was afraid of what could have happened if our debt remained."

"So you came to Alestead for money?" Aliyar asked.

"Yes. I won't lie about that. I knew that with my experience as a soldier I could at least fight, and had hoped the magic would be manageable. I learned very quickly that it wasn't going to be as easy as I thought and that mistakes would be costly. But I was determined. I had to clear our debt so me and my sister could be free."

"And so your climbing journey began."

"…In a way."

"In a way?"

Wyn took a moment to form the words. Despite being in the presence of a god, he didn't feel nervous. He just wanted to come up with the right explanation. "Of course I started climbing, but finding the right teammates was critical. I knew the importance of trusted allies and having someone capable fighting beside you. I valued that just as much as I needed the money. And I was fortunate to have good people to climb with, but I didn't want to rush anything. Not after that first climb. I wanted a solid team around me first before I thought about how high I could climb."

"That makes sense. Climbing Alistair isn't a solitary experience. And you never wanted to reach the top during your time?"

"No, I didn't. I didn't feel like I needed to. I only wanted the coin, and then once I cleared our debt and my sister came here, well… I started making moves to secure our future instead. It was never about trying to reach the top."

Aliyar folded his arms and stayed relaxed in his chair. "A noble effort, if not a bit misguided. It's a shame that Alistair has been reduced to being a source of income rather than its intended purpose, but I knew that would be a possibility. Such is the way of the world."

Wyn furrowed his brow. "What was the intention, then? If you don't mind me asking."

Aliyar slightly bowed his head. "I don't mind. Alistair is a funnel, a gate from the wider universe. There are many other worlds out there that are connected, but this world is young and inexperienced. To both challenge the citizens and to improve the quality of the world, the towers were created as markers to decide who were worthy to take on greater challenges and if the world was ready for those gates to be open fully."

Wyn's mind reeled with the information given, and he hardly believed what he heard. There were more worlds out there? More…people on them? Not just that, but monsters like the floors had? If the towers showed what life was like beyond what Wyn knew...

"Does that mean that each season's environment and each floor is part of another world?"

Aliyar's lips twisted into a smirk. "I can't reveal too much about Alistair's wonders to you, despite the enjoyment of seeing you react like that. Aren't we supposed to discussing something else?"

Wyn acquiesced, though he didn't miss how easily Aliyar shifted away from actually answering him. "Yes, you're right, of course. My decision."

"Yes, your decision. The freedom from power, to give up what you've earned so you can freely leave the city as you wish. It comes with a cost but has its own rewards, as well."

"My request."

Aliyar picked up his teacup again. "That's right. Some people call it a wish, but I'm no genie. I do have quite a lot of power, though." He smiled as he took another sip.

Wyn sat up in his chair, eager to ask but afraid of the answer. He knew what he wanted but once he asked, the answer would either relieve or devastate him.

"Getting here wasn't easy," Wyn said. "I didn't plan for it, but I did plan to stop the Faceless Four. It resulted in my team - my friends - being hurt or killed."

Aliyar didn't respond, but instead held Wyn's gaze.

Wyn swallowed the growing lump in his throat. "I…my request is that they be okay. Or healed, brought back alive, however that's possible."

Aliyar set the teacup on the table. "You're asking for your team to be healthy?"

Wyn nodded. "If that's even possible, though you are a god, so…"

"Yes, I am a god, but you're talking about transcending the realm of the living to influence time and fate."

Wyn felt his hopes wash away. Still, he was determined. "I don't care about my own life. It was actually one of my teammates who was most excited about getting here, not me. I just… I don't want them to suffer or be killed for my own anger. My own mistakes. Not again."

Aliyar leaned forward in his chair. He paused, studying Wyn with a curious stare. "Interesting. So that will be your request?"

"I don't want riches, or fame, or glory," Wyn said. "I just want my friends to live."

Aliyar's face slowly turned into a broad, wide smile. "Come with me, Wyn." He stood and extended his hand as though inviting Wyn towards somewhere.

Wyn stood and followed the god, stepping out into the sea of white. Slowly the environment started to change until Wyn recognized the environment.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw the black stone temple and matching ground, as well as the bridge portal and floor portal of the fourteenth floor. The very spot he just left.

Tears started to form in his eyes as he saw his friends not ten feet away, lying on the ground grouped together. John was cradling Tasha's blackened body, his shoulders rocking and jerking from sobs. He could barely hold her from his own injuries as he was still missing his left arm, though he was comforted from Cedric at his back. The Storm Sage had a long gash down his face that enveloped his now-missing right eye but he was still holding and supporting John.

Marcy lay still beside them, only half of her body remaining. Cal's ashes were scattered, no where to be found. The three other bodies in the room belonged to the Faceless Four, but Wyn held no emotions for them. Oddly, the Avatar was missing.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"It's more than commendable to want to save your friends," Aliyar said, raising his hand. The four Climbers started to glow with a white light, faint but steadily growing. "Consider your request granted."

Wyn felt more tears fall from his face as his friends started to glow so brightly they were nearly impossible to look at, then rise in the air and disappear. Worry filled him, but a hand on his shoulder calmed his racing heart instantly.

"They are safe," Aliyar said, his voice soft. "And waiting on you."

"What now, then?" Wyn asked.

The god smiled as Wyn was surrounded with his own white light. "You have chosen wisely, Ardwyn Thatcher. While your magic won't ever be the same, and you can no longer progress, I'm leaving you with one additional gift - and if you so happen to want to leave Alestead, you'll find that it's not only possible, but that your magic will go with you. A reward that has never been given for a Climber who has shown exceptional courage."

Wyn looked down at his hands as the white light continued to grow. Confusion ran rampant through his mind, and he couldn't find the words to respond.

Aliyar folded his hands behind his back and looked off into the distance. "You are the first Ruby Magician to reach the pinnacle of Alistair. While it was unconventional, your character was anything but. You are courageous and wise. Go and be yourself, Ardwyn, and the world will be a better place. Congratulations."

Wyn tried to speak but felt his body intensify with the same white light as the environment was once again changed in the blink of an eye.

"Wait!" Wyn cried.

"Wyn?"

Wyn turned around, blinking the white out of his eyes. As he focused, he realized he was looking at John. His friend was wearing his armor but was laying down on a lofted bed, underneath a single, white sheet that looked like the finest most pristine silk Wyn had ever seen.

John pulled the cover off of him and sat on the edge of the bed, looking around in confusion. He then rubbed at his eyes. With both hands.

"John?" Wyn asked. He walked over to him, then reached out and touched his left shoulder and arm. Part of him thought they were in a dream. But what he felt was undeniably real.

"I…I'm not sure where we are," John said, looking around.

Wyn looked around, too, and noticed that the rest of their group were laying in their own identical beds to John but were starting to move and wake. They all had on their armor and equipment, but were laying under their own thin white sheets. Flitting his eyes over the other four, Wyn felt more tears form in the corners of his eyes.

"Wyn, is that you?" Cal asked. He carefully set off his sheet and sat up, rubbing his neck.

"Gods, you all are damn loud," Marcy said, throwing the sheet off of her. She jumped out of the bed, then swayed on the spot. "Woah. My head feels strange."

"Am I dreaming?" Tasha asked as she rose out of her bed.

"That's what I was about to ask," Cedric added, flinging the sheet off of him. "I just had the strangest -" he froze, staring at his left arm.

His complete, flesh and bone left arm.

Tasha gasped. "Cedric! How?"

Cedric opened his mouth to speak and worked his jaw, but no words came out. He moved his arm and hand fluidly, flexing the fingers and bending his elbow. He ran his hand over his face before closing his eyes and looking away.

"What in the hells is happening," Marcy said, her voice low.

"And why are you still holding my arm?" John asked.

Wyn looked at him with a confused smile. "What do you mean? You have your arm! It's a damn…" he stopped, realization hitting him.

What he just experienced with being teleported to the perfectly white room, the meeting and conversation with the god Aliyar - it wasn't a dream. It was real. Which means that he not only saved their lives, but completely remade them whole.

"Miracle?" John finished. "Wyn, Cedric's the one missing an arm. My arm's fine!"

"Not anymore," Cal breathed, staring at Cedric in wonder. "I can't believe it and I'm staring at it with my own eyes!"

Wyn looked at his friends. They looked happy if not a bit lost. But it wasn't long ago when they were all fighting for their lives. Unless Aliyar somehow altered more parts of them. "What's the last thing you remember?" Wyn asked. "All of you?"

"Well, we went into the fourteenth floor to face the Faceless Four," Marcy said. "Then we… we…" her face scrunched in obvious confusion.

"What?"

Marcy scratched her head. "Huh. I don't remember. I remember going through the portal, but then there's a blank. Not much of one though, more like a blink. But instead of going to the floor I woke up here, in this bed under that sheet. In this ridiculously pristine room that is very clearly not the fourteenth floor."

"That's exactly what happened to me," Tasha said. She looked over at Cedric. "But you suddenly have your arm back, now?"

Cedric wiped his eyes but didn't lose his smile. "I do. It's a damn miracle!"

"A damn miracle," John repeated. He narrowed his eyes as he focused on Wyn. "Wyn, what do you remember?"

Wyn clapped John on both of his shoulders. "We did it, John. We fucking did it!"

"Did what?" Marcy asked, walking towards John's bed. "Beat them?"

Wyn shook his head. "Not just that. The tablets."

"Yes, the tablets!" Tasha said, hopping up and down. "Wait. What about them?"

Wyn huffed a laugh. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"I have an educated guess," Cedric said, not taking his eyes off of his arm. "No magic exists that can give me back my arm. And yet here it is, whole and perfect."

"No, there is magic that exists that can give you your arm," Wyn said. "Among many other miracles."

John's face fell as he grabbed Wyn's shoulders back, locking the pair. "Wyn. Don't tell me?"

Wyn nodded. "Yea. You were right, John. The tablets were a portal to a higher floor. But not just any floor - the floor. The very top."

John laughed. At first it was small, barely louder than a whisper, but then it grew to a hearty, fully hysterical laugh, and he fell back onto his bed as he held his stomach and continued laughing.

"You did it?" Marcy asked. "You really fucking did it?"

Wyn's smile fell as he thought back to the fight on the fourteenth floor. How they fought against the Avatar and the Faceless Four, about how half of them died and all were hurt in some way. Should he tell them? It was the truth, even if it was erased by Aliyar's magic. But what good would it do? There was only pain and suffering with that knowledge. Pain and suffering that Wyn wanted to prevent.

And now he could prevent it. By keeping those memories only to himself.

"It didn't go well, did it?" Cal asked. "I can tell from your expression."

Wyn took a deep breath. "Just know that we're all okay and that the Faceless Four won't be bothering us again. That's true enough."

"What did you see?" Cedric asked. He finally took his gaze off of his arm, staring at Wyn intently. "What happened?"

Wyn searched his pockets and found his parchment. He was still wearing his armor and equipment, and found his parchment easily. Opening it up, he found a mixture of sobering relief. His class was nearly entirely gone, and his magic reduced back to the base Ruby Magician.

Though from what Aliyar had said, that was a gift in of itself. He could leave the city and keep his magic. No matter where he went in the world, he'd have his base skills and spells at his disposal.

"I made a deal," Wyn said. "Well, not really deal. More like made a choice from two required options."

"What were the options?" Cedric asked.

"Who did you talk to?" John asked at the same time.

"Would you believe me if I told you the truth?" Wyn asked.

It was Cedric's turn to laugh. "Wyn, I have my arm back. I have a pretty good idea who you talked to, I was just curious about the options."

"And I'm just curious to know what you found at the top," John said.

"It was Aliyar," Wyn said. "In a room not much different than this one, honestly. But his options were to either upgrade my class fully, then past a fourth upgrade similar to the power of a god with a small boon from Aliyar himself. But I'd have to stay in the city, never be able to leave or else the magic that became part of me would kill me."

"Damn," Marcy said. "That one's a tough choice. Power would be nice, but never being able to leave would be heartbreaking."

"And the other choice was that I could leave the city but I had to forfeit my class and magic, never able to climb again. But I could ask Aliyar for a personal request."

"A wish," John said. "At the price of losing everything else."

"Sort of," Wyn said. "But essentially, yes."

"A wish like making me whole?" Cedric asked.

"A wish like making all of us whole," Marcy asked. "You really aren't going to tell us what happened on the fourteenth floor, are you?"

Wyn smiled. It wasn't a sad smile, but instead one of complete contentedness. "Just know that you're all safe and we're all going to be just fine."

John stood up from his bed and nearly ran to hug Wyn. He held him tight, squeezing him without budging.

The others quickly followed him, and in seconds the six friends were in a tight group together as tears fell and thanks were shared. They stayed that way for only a minute, but Wyn could have stayed for far longer.

What made them separate was a door opening in their room, followed by heavy footsteps.

Wyn turned abruptly to see a familiar face walking through the white room. He had a look of absolute joy on his face, a contrast to his somber mood he wore lately.

"Congratulations, Ardwyn, on finishing Alistair's challenge," Aureus said, extending a hand to shake. "It seems as though you had some tricks up your sleeve. Here I was concerned about your safety from the Faceless Four when you were actually readying yourself to complete the tower!"

Wyn took his hand and shook it. "Thank you, Tower Master. I can't take all the credit, but know that group won't be causing anymore trouble."

"Though he was the only one to actually reach the top," John said. "Do we get any sort of commendation for being his teammates?"

The others laughed, including Aureus. "It will be recorded, yes, though only Wyn will have the accolade." The Tower Master's smile lessened a bit as he cleared his throat and stood a bit taller. "I'm glad you made it through safely, Ardwyn. There are few of us who have cleared the tower's challenges, and I know just how difficult the end of the climb can be. We all have our own stories of how we cleared the tower, and I'd particularly enjoy to hear yours."

"I'd happily tell you," Wyn said. "It is quite the story."