ã€ŠThe Legend of William Ohã€‹


 Chapter 1: He who has no Class

    ¡°Slow down. You¡¯re going to give yourself a stomach ache,¡± Gertrude admonished as Will devoured another entire loaf of bread. ¡°You¡¯ll throw up the moment you have to run.¡±

    ¡°Untrue,¡± Will mouthed past the wad of stew-soaked bread in his mouth, causing the old woman to wince and avert her eyes. ¡°The walk to the Hunting Grounds is over an hour, so I¡¯ll be fine by the time I get there.¡±

    ¡°If you can afford to walk slow, then you can eat slow,¡± Gertrude said, pulling the next loaf of bread away from his reaching hand.

    ¡°Awww...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll thank me when you¡¯re not reeling in pain from a busted stomach,¡± Gertrude said, nose raised.

    ¡°I am¡­constantly not reeling in pain,¡± Will sassed.

    Gertrude smacked him over the head with the loaf, the black bread¡¯s hard crust making a dull ¡®conk¡¯ as it delivered its force into his cranium.

    ¡°How ¡®bout now?¡± the ancient priestess asked.

    ¡°Ow. I think there was a rock in there,¡± Will said, holding his scalp and checking for bleeding.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Gertrude said, prying open the rough-milled bread over her wooden plate.

    Clunk! A fingernail-sized pebble dropped out of the bread and onto her plate, causing her weathered face to freeze in surprise.

    ¡°Just¡­eat slow, alright?¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Will grunted, nodding as he began to masticate much slower.

    It seemed the miller¡¯s new apprentice needed a bit more practice. Or perhaps a good caning.

    ¡°Seems like there might be a job opening at the mill,¡± Gertrude mused as Dana took the pebble and stared at it with wide eyes. The little girl looked like she was going to put the pebble in her mouth, before Gertrude snatched it out of her hand.

    ¡°I am not going to hunt a wheat gremlin,¡± Will said. ¡°How would that even combine with an¡­¡± Will lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°...Uru Drake?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t know. Make twice the flour from half the grain, perhaps? Don¡¯t act as though milling grain is beneath you. It¡¯s a lifetime of good, honest work.¡±

    ¡°Drudgery,¡± Will countered.

    ¡°Drudgery you can support a family with. Your parents¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are awesome,¡± Will interrupted.

    Perhaps reading Will¡¯s mood, Gertrude changed tactics. ¡°I¡¯m just saying it would be good for you to have a grounded life, raise children. Be happy. Many Climbers are not happy. I know. Perhaps you could even take Marissa as your bride? It¡¯d be one less mouth to feed here.¡±

    Will glanced over at where Marissa was picking her nose. The little girl glanced back at the mention of her name, nostril distended with her index finger.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re a good fit,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Sink into the Abyss,¡± Marissa said, flicking a booger at him.

    ¡°Already there, Abyss-spawn,¡± Will said, flicking the booger off. Marissa turned red, climbed over the table and leaped on him, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

    ¡°Children!¡± Gertrude hollered over the two of them before Will could get Marissa in a headlock. ¡°Sit. Down.¡±

    The promise of violence in the old nun¡¯s voice sent them scrambling back to their seats.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got one piece of advice for you, William¡ªsomething the Gods know I¡¯ve tried to teach you,¡± Gertrude said, pointing an old wooden spoon at him. ¡°Take your time. Don¡¯t leap into the Class Trial with the first three Sacrifices you can get your hands on. You¡¯ve got all summer to hunt. Shop around. Sell some of the Sacrifices you hunt, buy some gear. Check the market; other Aspirants might pass on something perfect for you. You don¡¯t even have to take your Class this year. There¡¯s no time limit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start The Trial until you¡¯re sure you have what you need.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Will muttered, ducking his head at Gertrude¡¯s intensity.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°Sooo¡­¡± Will glanced around the breakfast table at the other children, who watched him curiously.

    ¡°Yes, you can go join The Hunt.¡±

    Will shot to his feet and marched towards the door. Towards his Class, and by extension, his family.

    The door slammed before he got halfway across the room.

    ¡°After you clean your mess,¡± Gertrude said, her Relic of The Host glowing faintly as she pointed to his bowl and crumb-covered plate.

    Will took a deep breath and grabbed the dishes, walking over to the sink, where he used the morning water to clean off the plate before setting it back in its proper place.

    In a matter of seconds, Will was standing back in front of the door, practically vibrating with eagerness.

    Gertrude looked like she wanted to say something else, but simply sighed and motioned to the door, her Relic faintly glowing again.

    The door unlocked and swung open.

    One small step for William Oh, one giant leap for Saint Gertrude¡¯s Orphanage.

    Will could see it already: With the myriad potent Abilities granted by the Uru Drake Sacrifice, he would be able to acquire Relics and become a Climber, carving out a massive range on one of the upper floors, making him a Lord.

    In his benevolence, Lord William would deign to send supplies and money to the poor unfortunates forced to suffer through the old woman¡¯s sermons.

    Will burst into the early morning light, his calloused feet trotting down the compacted earth trail that led from the orphanage to the town proper.

    The sun itself was a bit weak this morning, barely radiating heat as the glow bloomed from the top of The Tower, illuminating the land.

    Still, the heat was fairly substantial, since the orphanage was parked in the undesirable arid land baked by proximity to The Tower, and by extension, the heat of the sun.

    Some people took days or even weeks to travel from the outskirts to earn their Classes. Even months for the maniacs who lived in the frigid wastes at the very edges of civilization¡­if you could call living in ice-houses and eating raw gonku meat ¡®civilization.¡¯

    Will only had to walk an hour, but he had to get some supplies first.

    ¡°One sling, two dozen bullets, two pounds of pemmican, and a waterskin!¡± Will called as he strode through the door to the general store.

    His plan to triumphantly slap the copper coins he¡¯d been saving up on Leon¡¯s countertop was somewhat muddled as he realized the way was blocked. The shop was packed wall-to-wall with others, ranging from aspirants his age getting hunting weapons to full-blooded Climbers grabbing last-minute toiletries or food.

    A group of Climbers currently crowding the countertop glanced over at him. Two women and three men, their Relics hinting at their roles in the party.

    One of the men sported a simple cuirass and a smooth wooden bow that practically hummed with power, while one of the women bore a wand that crackled faintly with energy. She wore a ring that exuded ominous energy, while the other woman had a wooden symbol of Grevash in her belt that radiated an aura of calm, not unlike Gertrude. Another man wore a ring on either hand, a helmet, and a waterproof smock.

    The leader, a man wearing heavy armor, with a close-shaved head and scars near his eyes, glanced over at Will, his gaze skimming over him in an instant before he dismissed him entirely, turning back to Leon.

    ¡°Hey Will,¡± Leon said, peering over his clients to catch sight of him. ¡°Catch!¡±

    Leon reached under the countertop, then threw a leather bundle over the heads of the store¡¯s many patrons, landing it in William¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Will said, tossing his handful of coins across the room at Leon.

    ¡°ACK!¡± The black-haired merchant ducked the flying metal, which clattered off the display pieces behind him, much to the amusement of his customers. ¡°Gertrude already paid, brat!¡±

    ¡°Oh. Then can I get my coins back?¡± Will asked, holding out his hand.

    Leon gave him a blistering stare.

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll check back later. Start a tab!¡±

    Leon gave him a good-natured rude gesture as Will waved his way back out of the store.

    He stopped in the shade of the store as the heat from The Tower began to build, opening up the satchel and peering inside.

    Not only was there everything he asked for, there were also bandages and a tiny dagger more suited for cutting cheese than braving the wilds inside The Tower.

    But¡­orphans can¡¯t be choosers, and it was far better than nothing.

    ¡°¡¯Sup, Will?¡± A familiar voice dragged him out of his musing.

    Will peered up at Ben, his partner for today¡¯s outing, one of the local boys who could keep up with Will. If Ben would tell it, it would be Will keeping up with him, but they both knew who was in charge.

    ¡°I got my stuff,¡± Will said, hoisting his leather sack of supplies. ¡°You got yours?¡±

    Ben raised a brow and wordlessly thumbed over his shoulder, where a fine wooden bow was slung. On his thigh was a machete for both setting up camp and defending himself if some of the monsters got a bit too friendly.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    He was wearing a leather cuirass and what looked like pants treated with Gollak glue, making them extra durable while maintaining flexibility. Will¡¯s gaze drifted farther down to the expensive shoes the boy was wearing that looked supremely comfortable.

    Will wiggled his bare toes. ¡°Try-hard.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hate the hunter, hate The Hunt,¡± Ben said with a shrug. ¡°So my dad said we should pick off some of the easier prey and cash them in at the bazaar, shop around while we give some of the more experienced hunters time to soften up the more dangerous locations before we go in¡ªmaybe after a week or so.¡±

    ¡°Do you do everything your dad tells you to?¡± Will said mockingly.

    ¡°Hmm, let me think about that,¡± Ben said, glancing off to the side before returning his gaze to Will. ¡°Yes. Yes, I do. Because my dad is a smart man with my best interests in mind. What did Gertrude tell you to do?¡±

    Will heaved a sigh. ¡°Basically the exact same thing. Fine. Let¡¯s do things the ¡®smart way,¡¯¡± Will said, making air quotes.

    Together, the two of them followed the path to The Tower, joining a steady stream of men and women marching along underneath the sweltering heat of The Tower.

    Only the top third or so glowed white-hot where it connected to the sky above, a mile or so above them.

    The massive, arching entrance in the base that opened during the summer was only slightly warm to the touch.

    Or so Will had heard.

    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Will said, nudging Ben to the side. ¡°Let¡¯s enter on the edge. I wanna touch the entrance.¡±

    Ben sighed, but didn¡¯t protest, and the two of them dragged their fingers along the skin-warm stone as the gargantuan archway swallowed them whole.

    The two of them broke off from the stream of Climbers and Aspirants as they passed the threshold, gawking up at the sky.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the sky?¡± Will asked, staring up at the strange monochrome blue fa?ade with wisps of white traveling across it.

    ¡°I¡¯unno.¡±

    ¡°What are those white things?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I¡¯unno,¡± Ben grunted again.

    ¡°Why is the sun¡ªOW!¡± Will blinked tears out of his eyes as he shielded his eyes. ¡°Why is the sun so bright?¡±

    ¡°How many times I gotta tell you?¡± Ben asked, glancing down at him.

    ¡°Newbies, huh?¡± A voice drew their attention away from the sky.

    Will glanced down and spotted the group that¡¯d been in the general store with Leon earlier that day.

    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Will asked defensively. If he was wearing a sign around his neck that read ¡®newbie,¡¯ he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

    Wordlessly, the Climber gestured around the entry field, pointing out several groups of young Aspirants shielding their eyes as they stared at the sky in amazement.

    ¡°¡­Fair,¡± Will admitted, resolving not to gawk.

    ¡°Also¡­you¡¯re children,¡± he said.

    ¡°¡­Also fair,¡± Will admitted, resolving to grow a foot taller and pack on forty pounds of muscle overnight.

    ¡°There¡¯s a good hunting ground that way. I used it when I was getting started out,¡± the scarred man said, pointing off to the right of the entrance. ¡°About three miles that way. There¡¯s a large boulder at the edge of a meadow with lots of wheat gremlins. Use the boulder and the entrance as your landmarks. Don¡¯t navigate with the sun, it moves.¡±

    ¡°The sun moves?!¡± Will demanded, glancing up at the sun and burning his eyes again. ¡°Ow, crap.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. He has no Class,¡± Ben said, offering his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Ben, he¡¯s Will. Thanks for the advice.¡±

    ¡°You can call me Mr. Fontaine,¡± the leader said, before turning and motioning to the rest of his group. ¡°That¡¯s Bess, Amy, Mark, and Roger.¡±

    ¡°And he¡¯s Kyle,¡± Amy said, pointing at ¡®Mr. Fontaine.¡¯

    ¡°Listen, we¡¯ve gotta be off, but if we meet up again, tell us how you did and we¡¯ll give you some pointers. It¡¯s always valuable to know if a hunting spot is still good or not from year to year.¡±

    ¡°Will do!¡± Ben said, waving them off. ¡°They seem nice.¡±

    Will wasn¡¯t so sure. Kindness from strangers usually was accompanied by a catch of some kind, or an offer that was far too good to be true.

    But...they hadn¡¯t offered the duo much of anything aside from a location that didn¡¯t hold any value to the experienced Climbers.

    Unless¡­we provide the value? Will thought for a moment, before he spotted Heath, a rather infamous bully about town.

    ¡°Heath, Heath!¡± Will shouted, flagging him down out of the flow of Aspirants.

    The young man with the extra foot of height Will so desperately wanted, and the squinty, confused expression that he so loathed, turned at the sound of his name, locking in on the two of them.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Ben hissed.

    ¡°There¡¯s a good hunting spot for wheat gremlins about three miles that way: a meadow with a boulder on the edge of it. Can¡¯t miss it.¡±

    Ben pinched him, but Will ignored it.

    Heath squinted harder, confusion plain across his face. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± he finally asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a teeny chance you might get kidnapped and sold into slavery,¡± Will admitted.

    ¡°That¡¯s what this is about?¡± Ben asked, rolling his eyes. ¡°Not everyone is out to get you, Will.¡±

    ¡°It sounds to me like you¡¯re too much of a pussy to handle it on your own,¡± Heath said.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Will shrugged. ¡°Whatever.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the heads-up, pussy.¡± With a malicious chuckle, Heath lumbered off in the direction they¡¯d pointed out.

    ¡°I admire his confidence,¡± Will mused as the overgrown slab walked away, long sword over his shoulder. Even if Heath were smart enough to suspect they might try to ambush him, he would never in a million years believe they could get the better of him.

    ¡°You just gave up a good hunting spot on a whim.¡±

    ¡°A prime hunting spot out in the middle of nowhere, where only we and they know where we went?¡± Will asked.

    Ben opened his mouth and considered it for a moment before shrugging. ¡°Yeah, okay.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else, and check up on Heath in a few hours,¡± Will said, motioning out into the wilderness.

    ¡°A¡¯ight.¡±

    They followed the stream of Aspirants for a while, until the stream thinned to nearly nothing before finally breaking off the path to delve into the forest.

    They ran into other Aspirants every now and then as they stalked through the forest, heading their separate ways. Thankfully, nobody got shot.

    About half an hour into the hunt, Ben tugged on his shirt, catching Will¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Jumper,¡± he whispered, pointing. The creature had short, tawny fur, scaly feet with strong grippers, sharp forelimbs, and absolutely MASSIVE thighs.

    Will recalled the information he¡¯d researched about using the Jumper as a Sacrifice.

    Jumper: Adds Leg-based abilities to the Aspirant¡¯s Class choices, mostly kicks and jumps. Provides 2 Str and 1 Kin/level. Suitable for unarmed fighters and scouts. 12 copper/leg.

    The monster was seemingly unaware of them, its attention directed off into the distance, its view obscured by the foliage.

    It was a long shot for a sling, but for a bow¡­

    ¡°You first,¡± Will whispered, plucking a bullet from his pouch and dropping it in the sling before pulling out his tiny dagger in the off hand.

    Ben nodded and quietly nocked an arrow, drawing it back while crouched in a hunter¡¯s stance.

    He loosed.

    The arrow hit some of the foliage between them and made copious amounts of noise as it dropped about two feet below the intended target. They both winced.

    The Jumper flinched, glancing over at them before it hissed, and in the manner of all monsters, charged them with reckless fury.

    ¡°Oh crap, it¡¯s fast!¡± Ben started as the Jumper began leaping from branch to branch, a blur of tawny fur and glittering claws.

    Will whipped the sling forward and the bullet hissed out, bouncing off the monster¡¯s hip as it shot through the air towards them. It let out a strangled cry of pain, but it was already¡ª

    ¡°Fu¡ª¡± Will stumbled backwards as it slammed into his chest, impaling itself on Will¡¯s tiny dagger. That held it at an awkward angle, so it wasn¡¯t able to bring its claws fully to bear, but it didn¡¯t take the fight out of it completely, scratching and snarling ferociously.

    Time seemed to slow as Ben dropped the bow and hefted the machete, eyeballing the mad creature scrambling to find purchase on Will¡¯s chest.

    There was no way Ben wouldn¡¯t catch him with the machete, and Will didn¡¯t think he was in a state to listen calmly. The boy¡¯s eyes were white all the way around.

    ¡°Gah!¡± Will shoved the Jumper aside and rolled out of the way as the machete came down.

    Crunch!

    Will got to his feet and glanced down at the beheaded Jumper, then Ben, and then remembered that some monsters come in packs, turning his attention back to the forest and their situation.

    ¡°That¡­was¡­it?¡± Ben panted.

    ¡°That was it, I guess,¡± Will said, looking down at his scratched-up chest. The pain that had been shoved aside in the moment was starting to soak back into his perception. ¡°Ow.¡±

    They took a break, eating pemmican and drinking water after cleaning and bandaging Will¡¯s wounds.

    Even low-level monsters were dangerous without Resistance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find that arrow,¡± Ben said once they¡¯d caught their breath.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stand in front of the monster next time?¡± Will whispered as they crept through the forest. ¡°You¡¯ve got armor. Better yet, don¡¯t miss the first shot.¡±

    ¡°How ¡®bout you don¡¯t stand there like an idiot while it charges?¡± Ben whispered back.

    ¡°I could say the same about¡ª¡± Will stopped and tapped Ben¡¯s shoulder.

    Will heard the faint trickle of water. After a moment of quiet listening, Ben nodded, indicating he could hear it too.

    The two of them crept toward the sound of running water, discovering a tiny creek that fed into a pond that either of them could probably jump across. There was even a part where the land rose up in the center of the pond, sporting a bit of water-grass.

    Will scanned the edge of the pond, but didn¡¯t see any prey out.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Ben whispered, grabbing Will¡¯s shoulder and pointing.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There. A foot.¡±

    Not willing to make any more sound, Will tried locating this ¡®foot¡¯ Ben had mentioned, without much success. Ben must¡¯ve seen the confusion on his face, because he clarified.

    ¡°Under the water,¡± Ben said, holding his hands apart to indicate its size.

    Will¡¯s eyes widened at that indication of size, adjusting his expectations.

    There it was.

    A frog foot about a foot across. Will traced the orientation of the foot¡­back to the lump of land in the center of the pond.

    He realized what they were dealing with.

    Wetlands Gulper: Adds Earth, Water, Slime, and Tongue-based abilities to the aspirant¡¯s Class choices. Provides 1 Res, 1 Str, 1 Acu/level. Highly sought after by Aspirant potters, farmers, and rich Lotharios.

    5 silver per foot of tongue.

    Judging by its size¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s a wetlands gulper, and it¡¯s huge.¡±

    Ben¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°We could trade that for a good Sacrifice, easy. Or maybe a Relic.¡±

    ¡°A cheap one, maybe,¡± Will mused, but the obvious question was: How would they kill it without getting dragged into a watery grave and eaten?

    5 minutes later.

    ¡°Keep shooting, keep shooting!¡± Will urged Ben, his voice more shrill than he planned.

    The wetlands gulper didn¡¯t have much in the way of sharp claws or teeth, and instead preferred to drag its prey underwater with its powerful, sticky tongue and drown it.

    So naturally, Will lashed himself to the top of a tree with his sling and began thrashing to get its attention.

    The stupid monster burst out of the water and shot its 20-foot-long tongue out, instantly ensnaring Will and dragging him down to the water¡­until the tree bent back and dangled the confused monster above the water¡¯s edge by its own tongue, whereupon Ben began using it for some much-needed target practice.

    The only thing Will failed to account for in his master plan: five hundred pounds of pressure on the sling rope looped around his waist, crushing his guts and threatening to tear him in half.

    It was an agonizing three minutes before the enormous toad stopped twitching and Ben deemed it safe enough to run up and slash the tongue with his machete.

    ¡°And that¡¯s how you make a good eighty silver,¡± Ben said, admiring the trophy as Will climbed down. ¡°You could buy half a dozen Sacrifices from this one tongue, easily.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna throw up,¡± Will muttered, holding his bruised waist.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ben gave him a side-glance. ¡°You seem like you¡¯re done for the day.¡±

    Will was about to respond when a flicker of light caught their attention. A pale yellow sliver of light opened out of thin air and formed a glowing archway.

    It was like nothing either of them had ever seen, but they¡¯d heard of it.

    The Trial presented itself to those who had acquired all the Sacrifices they needed.

    Ben¡¯s gaze flickered down to the satchel that housed Will¡¯s dried Uru Drake¡ªthe third piece that had summoned The Trial. ¡°Did you want a jump-y¡­tongue-y, frog-y Class?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Obviously not,¡± Will said, straightening.

    ¡°Then why bring the Uru Drake with you?¡±

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know what we were gonna find,¡± Will said. ¡°It could¡¯a been something cool.¡±

    ¡°It was something cool,¡± Ben said, lifting the tongue. ¡°Let¡¯s go check the bazaar. With the amount this sells for, we might be able to buy something a bit more¡­exotic for our Classes.¡±

 Chapter 2: Life Goals

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s more exotic, for sure,¡±  Ben mused as they looked down at the hunk of Lava Beetle.

    The carefully preserved hunk of flesh must¡¯ve come from climbers on the third floor. The Trial didn¡¯t care that no aspirant could possibly get to the third floor and back.

    ¡°Whaddya think?¡± Ben asked. ¡°Fire and Earth. Two of the most useful abilities for a spellslinger.¡±

    ¡°Also the most hotly contested Relics,¡± Will mused, rubbing his chin.

    ¡°For the love of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Anything that grants full magic growth?¡± he asked, glancing up at the merchant.

    ¡°Here?¡± the merchant asked, motioning to the bazaar in general. ¡°Nothing with strong growth or good abilities, anyways.¡±

    ¡°What about Uru Drake?¡± Will asked. ¡°Where could I get¡ª¡±

    The leathery-faced traveler laughed in Will¡¯s face. ¡°If I had Uru Drake, I would sell it to a Lord¡¯s son and live the rest of my life in ease.¡±

    ¡°That rare, huh?¡± Will asked, feigning disappointment.

    ¡°It¡¯s not guaranteed, but a climber could get the Teleport ability from it. And even without that, it¡¯s got strong growth and it blends seamlessly with nearly any Class, providing more powerful abilities than they might¡¯ve otherwise gained. It¡¯s worth more than everything and everyone else in this Bazaar combined.¡±

    Will blinked. He hadn¡¯t heard that.

    Ben gave him a sidelong glance.

    ¡°Well, whaddya got anyway?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°You wanna be a Climber, eh? Charge focus? That¡¯s a hard path, but you seem like the type that likes to aim high,¡± the leathery man asked, opening up a chest of preserved meat, usually retaining a portion of shell or distinctive feature of the monster¡¯s original body, to prevent counterfeiting.

    ¡°Here¡¯s what I got for Charge,¡± the merchant said as he peeled away a layer of waxed paper to reveal what he had on offer. Will¡¯s eyes scanned through the hand-painted tags, confirming what he already knew.

    Ethereal Hare

    Adds movement and dodging abilities to an Aspirant¡¯s Class. Favored by scouts and speed-oriented builds.

    2 kinesthetics, 1 acuity

    Spirit Turtle

    Adds passive defense abilities to an Aspirant¡¯s Class. Favored by Climbers who wish to survive grueling engagements.

    2 resistance, 1 focus

    Dreamcatcher

    Adds Sleep and Plant abilities to an Aspirant¡¯s Class. Favored by Charge-focused Support Climbers.

    1 acu, 1 foc, 1 res

    Will gasped, reaching out only for the merchant¡¯s pipe to smack the back of his hand.

    ¡°This may be the most expensive piece I have, but the turtle¡¯s a better choice for you,¡± the weathered man said, shifting his posture as he sat back again.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Will pointed at the Dreamcatcher, which grew both magic stats and Resistance. Plus, sleeping support abilities made one extremely valuable on the Climb, for both crowd control and morale, while Plant abilities were excellent logistics and utility. It would bolster the strength of abilities and the usage he could get from the Uru Drake, while still adding resistance.

    ¡°Listen, kid, the one thing that every climber who becomes a Lord has in common, is that they are alive when they do it. You hear stories about the likes of Baron Akul, or Lord Bakton, or the Rotwitch. You don¡¯t hear stories about so-and-so who died ignominiously on the First Floor because they went all-in on offense with their build.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Will asked, squinting.

    ¡°It¡¯s about surviving long enough to¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, what does ¡®ignoramously¡¯ mean?¡± Will clarified.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, you know.¡± A familiar voice sounded behind Will and Ben.

    They turned and saw the adventuring party from before.

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna find any Climbers above the Fifth Floor who don¡¯t have a strong defense. It gives you the leeway to make mistakes and learn from them,¡± Kyle said, pointing to one of the scars over his eye. ¡°Dropped my sword. Now I keep it on a lanyard.¡±

    He traced a wicked scar just under his jaw. ¡°Used to skimp on armor fittings. Exposed a bit of neck. Now I stand still for as long as the fitter tells me to.¡±

    He lifted his shirt, revealing a jagged seam of puckered flesh across his midsection. ¡°Shield strap broke. Bad luck.¡±

    ¡°Welp, I¡¯m sold,¡± Will said, turning back to the merchant. ¡°One spirit turtle Sacrifice, please.¡±

    ¡°Twenty silver,¡± the merchant said, holding out an expectant palm.

    Will felt physically ill as he handed the cash over. It was more than half of what he¡¯d earned from selling the tongue. Turned out you can¡¯t get retail price unless you preserve it yourself and set up a shop to find people willing to pay.

    Still, Will thought as he tucked the Sacrifice away in his satchel. Two thirds of the way there. On day one. Not bad.

    ¡°We stopped by on the way back from setting up base camp and were surprised to find someone else farming the wheat goblins,¡± Kyle said as Will turned away from the merchant.

    Ben took Will¡¯s spot, jingling his share of the silver in his hands as he scanned the preserved Sacrifices expectantly.

    ¡°He thought you were gonna kidnap us and sell us into slavery,¡± Ben called over his shoulder before returning to peruse the selection.

    ¡°Well, how do we know they didn¡¯t kidnap Heath?¡± Will turned back to ask Ben.

    ¡°Hey, thanks for the advice, you guys,¡± Heath said as he lumbered by, clasping hands with Kyle for a quick shake.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°¡­How do we know that¡¯s not someone using a Disguise Ability to make us lower our guards?¡± Will demanded as soon as he recovered from Heath¡¯s sudden appearance.

    ¡°Later, pussy,¡± Heath directed at Will before lumbering on, his coin purse jingling with copious copper pieces from all the wheat gremlins he¡¯d hunted, his giant two-hander slung over his shoulder.

    The five stoic Climbers broke into gales of laughter as soon as Heath was out of earshot.

    ¡°I like the way your head works, kid. Paranoia serves a Climber well. Just not in this case,¡± Kyle said, wiping a tear out of his eye. ¡°But relax. Just the ring on my finger is worth a dozen of you. With all the brutal honesty I can muster: Kid, you¡¯re simply not worth the effort of taking advantage of.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that makes me feel better!¡± Will sassed.

    ¡°Good,¡± Kyle said, patting him on the shoulder with a calloused hand that felt hard as rock. ¡°C¡¯mon guys, let¡¯s get a drink. Maybe there¡¯s some Ganishans in town for The Hunt.¡±

    ¡°They do know how to party,¡± the bow-wielding man murmured as he followed.

    The Climbers filed off, with the wand-wielding woman stopping to pinch his cheeks as she passed by.

    Will tried to dislodge her, but her Strength made that a futile endeavor, and he was forced to endure the indignity. It must¡¯ve only been a couple seconds, but it felt like an eternity before she let go and faded into the throngs of people among the bazaar.

    ¡°Check this out!¡± Ben said, showing him a copper ring with malachite studs.

    Will¡¯s nose wrinkled as he caught a whiff of an acrid scent that evaporated into nothing. ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°My first Relic!¡± Ben said. ¡°The Sting Ring.¡±

    ¡°You realize you don¡¯t have a Class yet?¡± Will asked. ¡°Also, a Relic you can buy for silver isn¡¯t gonna be a game-changer.¡±

    ¡°Dad already got me the Sacrifices. I¡¯m just hunting to ¡®get an idea what the first peoples went through,¡¯ buy some of my own equipment in the process.¡± Ben gazed at the malachite-studded ring covetously. ¡°This, here¡­I earned this myself.¡±

    He seemed to come to, glancing up and shaking Will by the shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s go test it!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡±

    ¡°It adds a tiny amount of acid damage to attacks, and when I get Charge, it has an Ability that can launch an unerring acid bolt.¡±

    Will thought about it for a moment. If it was for sale for twenty silver, the effects could not be particularly potent. Not to mention, any self-respecting Climber with a direct damage Ability would use their own, rather than that of a middling ring.

    A Climber measured Charge regeneration by the week, so every point counted.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t have any rings of Accuracy?¡± Will asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m more worried about you missing.¡±

    ¡°The cheapest one was three gold pieces for a 1.2% correction.¡±

    Will winced. That was so far out of his price range for such a tiny increase in accuracy that it boggled the mind.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go test it out.¡±

    Together, the two of them headed back through The Gate, and Ben put on the ring, firing his bow into a nearby tree.

    They were a bit disappointed until they spotted thin tendrils of smoke rising out of the narrow wounds inflicted by the arrows. That got them excited for a few minutes, but the acid damage was never worse than a few wisps of smoke that quickly dwindled to nothing.

    Will had cautioned himself not to get emotionally invested in the ring, but he was still a little bummed at his first close encounter with a Relic.

    ¡°Maybe the acid will cause extra pain?¡± Ben hazarded.

    ¡°You could do the same by dipping them in lemon juice,¡± Will pointed out.

    ¡°Damnit, you¡¯re right,¡± Ben mused, looking at his ring.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s gonna be a long time before you manage to find a better ring for that slot, and something is better than nothing,¡± Will said. ¡°And it¡¯s easier than carrying around a lemon with you everywhere you go.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, fair enough. I¡¯ll use it till I find something better, then put it up on the mantel.¡± Ben went back to rubbing the Relic manically, hunching over the ring protectively. ¡°My first Relic¡­it¡¯s precious to me.¡±

    Will rolled his eyes. ¡°Look, I gotta go home and sleep these bruises off. Gertrude¡¯s gonna probably keep me busy for a while to stop me from going out before I heal, too...¡± He glanced at the bandages over the scratches on his arms and torso. At least a week.

    ¡°Next week?¡± Will asked, offering his hand.

    ¡°Alright, sounds good,¡± Ben said, shaking it. ¡°I¡¯ll probably do a little hunting on the edges during the week. Wheat gremlins and the like. When you get back, I might have two Relics.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Will said, waving as he left.

    Will and Ben broke up, and Will trudged all the way back to Saint Gertrude¡¯s, up one good Sacrifice and down a bunch of minor wounds.

    As predicted, Gertrude gave him an earful for using up half the bandages on the first day, and forbade him from leaving the house until next week.

    Which was fine, because once the pain really set in, Will didn¡¯t really want to leave the orphanage for another week, even with the malicious gremlins haunting the halls and Marissa constantly trying to pick a fight.

    That night, Gertrude visited his room. Will had the rare honor of having his own room, being the only young man old enough to join The Hunt.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting until you¡¯re in a good position to talk,¡± Gertrude said, sitting on the edge of his bed. ¡°About your parents,¡± she clarified.

    Will glanced down at his wound-covered body, which had stiffened once he cooled down and the wounds began to scab. Now, between the cuts and the massive bruise around his torso, moving even the slightest bit caused intense pain.

    ¡°You waited for me to be too wounded to avoid this conversation?¡±

    ¡°Precisely.¡± Gertrude gave him a fatalistic smile that gave him chills. It was disturbingly unlike the Saintly expression she wore in front of the others.

    ¡°Will, it¡¯s been five years. Your parents are most likely dead.¡±

    ¡°You said they were gone three years before that. Maybe they just went further up The Tower this time.¡±

    ¡°Nobody has climbed The Tower higher than the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then where are my servants? Scratch that, where are my fucking shoes!?¡± Will demanded as a bit of the old simmering emotion leaked past the seal he kept around his heart.

    Gertrude let his words flow past her, showing no reaction to his anger as he desperately stuffed it back down where it belonged.

    ¡°I used to Climb, you know. Got to the twelfth floor.¡±

    Will¡¯s brows rose. He figured she¡¯d been a Climber at some point, to afford that Relic, but¡­the twelfth?

    ¡°I met all kinds of people,¡± Gertrude said, her gaze going distant as she spoke. ¡°Saw a lot of good people die, and a lot of bad people prosper. Eventually, when Ian¡ª¡± Her throat constricted. ¡°Eventually, I¡¯d had enough of the life, but your parents continued on. I realized that there are two different kinds of Climbers.

    ¡°There are those who are after money and power. They always stop somewhere between floor eight and fifteen, having carved out a little kingdom for themselves.¡±

    ¡°So, Mom and Dad¡­¡±

    ¡°They were the second kind: the people who¡¯ve become addicted to the challenge, to uncovering the mystery of The Tower.¡±

    ¡°Mystery?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s things up there, vestiges of an unknown past that cast doubt on everything we think we know.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    Gertrude pursed her lips for a moment. ¡°On the tenth floor, we found the ruins of a town. We made camp in it for the night. One of our members was half asleep in the morning and wandered off before he started screaming. When we arrived, he wasn¡¯t injured or attacked, but scared out of his mind.

    ¡°He had realized that the outline of the ruins matched the layout of his hometown precisely, right down to where his father¡¯s bakery was.¡±

    Will¡¯s hair stood on end. ¡°That¡¯s a coincidence¡­or an illusion¡­right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen far too many strange ¡®coincidences¡¯ to believe that,¡± Gertrude mused. ¡°In any case, that mystery, those nagging questions that build up and haunt you¡­they drove your parents onward.

    ¡°If they ever come back, they could shed more light on the mystery of The Tower than any other Climber, live or dead¡­but I wouldn¡¯t hold out hope.¡±

    Will frowned, but didn¡¯t argue with her.

    ¡°Which kind of Climber do you want to be?¡± Gertrude asked.

    ¡°I want money,¡± Will said.

    ¡°If you want money, I can sell the Uru Drake for you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fine. I want power. Enough to decide the course of my life. I want my parents. I wanna track them down and give them both a good thrashing for their irresponsibility.¡±

    ¡°And what if that¡¯s not possible? What if you can never reach them, because they¡¯ve already passed from this world? Are you going to dedicate your life to pain, struggle, and death chasing a hopeless goal?¡±

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­I should adopt an achievable goal that will include punching my dad in the face as a byproduct of the journey, and not the destination.¡±

    ¡°I¡­well, yes, that¡¯s actually quite wise, but...¡±

    ¡°Then my goal will be to make it to the tenth floor and carve out a Lordship there,¡± Will said. ¡°Then I will push further up, funneling money and Relics back down to my demesne, until the entire floor is pacified. Then I will do it again. And again, until the entire Tower is mine.¡±

 Chapter 3: Hype Man

    ¡°Pleaaase let me go with you,¡± Jason begged for the umpteenth time as Will unwound the bandages, revealing the fresh scabs. The scrawny twelve year old was on his knees, palms clasped together.

    ¡°This look like fun to you?¡± Will asked, motioning to himself.

    ¡°It looks like a way out of this craphole,¡± Jason said without missing a beat. ¡°I could do anything you want me to do. I¡¯ll dig latrines, I¡¯ll set up the tent. I¡¯ll take night watch, I¡¯ll taste food for poison. You can¡¯t leave me here, man. When you¡¯re gone, I¡¯ll be the only boy here.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Thomas, an eight-year-old boy protested.

    ¡°The oldest boy,¡± Jason hastily corrected.

    ¡°Come on, man, I¡¯ll do anything. I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll be your hype man.¡±

    ¡°My what?¡±

    ¡°You know, hype man. When you talk about how great someone is whenever they¡¯re not around so that they have an easier time conning the target or scoring with ladies.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d you learn that?!¡± Will demanded.

    ¡°My dad.¡±

    ¡°Was this before he dropped you in an orphanage because he was being chased by the mob, or after?¡±

    ¡°Before, obviously.¡±

    Will thought about it for a moment. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone has to go through The Trial by themselves before they can start Climbing. They don¡¯t let twelve year olds in there because it¡¯s pretty dangerous. They don¡¯t let scrawny thirteen year olds in either.¡±

    He could see Jason¡¯s lip trembling in that calculated half-cry meant to evoke pity.

    ¡°And you are scrawny as shit,¡± Will said, poking Jason¡¯s ribs. ¡°So here¡¯s the deal.¡±

    Will flashed his remaining five silver coins, causing Jason¡¯s eyes to glitter with awe.

    ¡°You are going to make an investment in yourself. You are going to go to town and order the ¡®Will Special¡¯ at Brenda¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the Will Special?¡±

    ¡°Stew scraped off the bottom of the inn¡¯s cookpot at the end of the night.¡±

    Jason¡¯s face lit up with understanding.

    ¡°You are going to pay for a year in advance. You are going to stuff yourself every night, and dedicate yourself to adding as much height and muscle as you possibly can to your frame in the next year.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you did?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Why you think they call it the ¡®Will Special¡¯?¡± Will asked with a shrug, holding out the coins.

    Jason lunged for them.

    ¡°Ah ah,¡± Will said, pulling the silver back out of the boy¡¯s grasp. ¡°I wanna see five inches of extra height by the next Hunt, and you better talk me up to anyone who¡¯ll listen. That¡¯s your job until you join my party next year. If you do that, I¡¯ll help you get your Sacrifices.¡±

    Jason¡¯s eyes widened with awe as Will pressed the coins into his hand.

    Will lowered his voice. ¡°And if I find out you spent them on something stupid like toys, fancy clothes, or candy, I will fong you into a paste.¡±

    Jason nodded enthusiastically. Or perhaps he was simply terrified.

    ¡°Alright, get outta here.¡± Will dismissed him, and Jason sprinted out of the room, nearly hyperventilating.

    He gave it a 20% chance that Jason would actually follow through and spend the money on growing up big and strong, but that was a 20% chance of finding a reliable team member.

    Plus, who couldn¡¯t use a good hype man? Jason was good with words. He¡¯d gotten five silver out of his fellow orphan, after all. Hopefully he didn¡¯t take too strongly after his father and simply disappear.

    A week had gone by and Will¡¯s wounds were still stiff, but it was manageable. He wanted to get back out there, and Ben was already a week ahead of him. The boy might¡¯ve decided to do his Trial already, which would put Will on the back foot, with the lack of a hunting partner.

    I might have to rebandage, in case some of the deeper scratches ooze blood while we¡¯re hunting, Will thought, wincing as he poked some of the scabs.

    The satchel that bore the Uru Drake scale caught his attention as the candle in his bedroom flickered.

    The leather appeared as new as the day it had arrived at the orphanage bearing the Uru Drake scale, with nothing but his name and address on it. Whoever had created it knew what they were doing. The satchel itself was unassuming and plain, but Will had long suspected a subtle enchantment bound into the leather, as it always fit, was never off-balance, and seemed to weigh just a tiny bit less than it should.

    And inside the satchel¡­

    Will reached inside and pulled out the glittering scale, holding it up to the candlelight.

    Uru Drake

    Adds Spacetime abilities to an Aspirant¡¯s Class, and modifies the abilities offered by other Sacrifices. Adds a staggering 5 points of Growth. Favored by¡­everyone.

    2 resistance, 1 focus, 1 acuity, 1 strength

    There were subtle variations in the reflection off the polished grey scale, as the natural powers caused the light to bend and shift around it. It caused a faint rainbow to spawn wherever the light hit it.

    The Uru Drake, like many other dragon-spawn, had a breath weapon. Many drakes breathed fire, or acid, or poison, or a choking necrotic miasma, but the Uru Drake¡¯s was particularly nasty.

    It would warp the space inside and around its victim, crumpling and twisting them up into ghoulish statues before they succumbed to their wounds.

    The scale was about as big as his two palms held together, and weighed several pounds. Will¡¯s breath hitched as he imagined his parents fighting something with scales that big. Something that could wring you out like a dirty dishrag with its breath.

    Will shook the daydreams off and bent to return the scale to its home.

    A jolt of pain through his wounds caused him to hiss and wince. Definitely gotta rebandage. Hopefully wounds become few and far between. With the spirit turtle and the drake, I¡¯ll be quite the tank, huh? Like the guy said, you gotta be alive to be a Lord.

    He glanced down at the scale in his hand, a thought occurring to him.

    ¡­Paranoia serves a Climber well, does it?

    Will finished getting ready for The Hunt, put his ragged, ill-fitting clothes back on and headed out the door, satchel slung over his shoulder.

    If everything goes well, I¡¯ll have all the Sacrifices I need by the end of the day.

    ¡°Good luck, William!¡± Gertrude said, kissing him on the cheek.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you being so nice?¡± Will asked. ¡°You sound like you think I¡¯m gonna die.¡±

    ¡°You will, if you don¡¯t come back and tell me before you take The Trial,¡± Gertrude promised with a wrinkly smile.

    ¡°¡­I love you too,¡± Will muttered, giving the ancient priestess a hug before setting out for his second day of Hunting.

    Maybe since I¡¯m injured I should just do wheat gremlins, save up some cash and buy that Dreamcatcher Vine, Will thought as he walked.

    It would take dozens of the gremlins to pay for the Dreamcatcher, but the little creatures were too slow and stupid to add to Will¡¯s wounds, and that was important because he wanted to be in top shape when he took The Trial.

    Will hadn¡¯t considered that aiming high and getting injured might slow him down more than playing it safe. Old people knowing what they¡¯re talking about¡­ Who would¡¯ve thought?

    There has to be a middle ground between fast and steady. I just have to find it. That was when Will¡¯s thoughts turned back to the Wetlands Gulper.

    With the right bait, those things were mind-bogglingly easy to hunt, and lucrative.

    I¡¯ll talk with Ben about it. Maybe we can find a good spawn point and set up a method to farm them that doesn¡¯t involve breaking my ribs. A dummy or something.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Will refined the plan and half a dozen others as he walked out to the town, aiming for Leon¡¯s General, their usual meet-up spot.

    Ben wasn¡¯t there when he arrived, so he went inside Leon¡¯s.

    It was much less crowded after the crowd of Climbers had died down, and the inventory had swelled drastically as Leon had been fleecing the out-of-town merchants for everything he could, buying up unsold inventory from merchants making the trip back home for coppers on the silver.

    ¡°Hey, Leon, you still got those six copper?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Leon said. The black-haired shopkeep leaned against his countertop. ¡°Spent it.¡±

    Will blinked. ¡°What did you spend it on?¡±

    Leon smiled and leaned under the counter and came back with a pair of fine boots that couldn¡¯t have cost less than a couple silver.

    ¡°A kid got an unarmed Class and a Relic to go with it: boots that increase fall damage. Turned out he didn¡¯t need his old boots anymore, so he liquidated them.¡±

    ¡°For six copper?¡± Will asked, approaching the boots and breathing in their scent. Smelled like luxury and foot odor.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say he was very bright. Thought you¡¯d like a new pair of boots more than six measly copper.¡±

    ¡°You thought correctly,¡± Will said, taking them off the counter and angling to put his feet in them.

    ¡°Socks!¡± Leon said, tossing them over. ¡°Unless you want rot-foot. No charge.¡±

    ¡°You are a saint among mortals,¡± Will said, slipping on the socks and then the boots.

    They were the tiniest bit too big, but the socks helped with that, and Will figured his feet would grow a bit over the next few years anyway.

    ¡°I feel like a human,¡± Will said, wiggling his toes inside the hardened leather boots.

    ¡°Almost look like one too. Just gotta do something about¡­¡± Leon gestured to Will¡¯s ragged clothes and face. ¡°All of that.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Leon.¡±

    ¡°Anytime, Will. Tell Gertrude ¡®hi¡¯ for me. I can tell that woman¡¯s falling for my charms. She¡¯s ripe for the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not listening!¡± Will said, clapping his hands over his ears and marching out of the general store, his new boots making satisfying ¡®clunk¡¯s he could hear even through his palms.

    Once Will had safely escaped from Leon¡¯s deranged fantasies, he paused and glanced up at the sky. The blank grey ceiling was studded with glittering reflective surfaces set up there by Climbers thousands of years ago to catch the light of the sun and reflect it back down to the surface.

    The first mystery of the Tower: Why is the sky in The Tower so weird?

    Maybe Gertrude was right; he could feel the question nagging at him.

    ¡°Sup?¡± Will heard Ben¡¯s voice calling out, strangely tinny.

    He turned and found himself face-to-steel with a full helmet, faceplate drawn down. ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, dude,¡± Ben said, pulling off the helmet to reveal a bloody bandage covering one eye.

    ¡°Holy cra¡ªdid you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just my eyebrow,¡± Ben said. ¡°I¡¯ll get to keep the eye. But ever since this happened, I¡¯ve developed an appreciation for helmets.¡±

    ¡°No shit,¡± Will mused, glancing down at the solid steel helmet. It wasn¡¯t just that: his friend¡¯s cuirass now had sleeves made of chain, and he was wearing some new leather gloves.

    The pristine armor he was wearing before now had some scuffs on it that a good cleaning couldn¡¯t completely erase.

    He¡¯d seen some action.

    Will felt that old caustic fire of envy burning inside him, but he stomped it out before it could make him say or do something stupid. Even his new boots couldn¡¯t make the sting completely go away.

    ¡°So hey, I¡¯ve been hunting with Kyle¡¯s team,¡± Ben said, pointing off to the side, where the group of five Climbers were chatting with each other.

    Or¡­three of them? Will thought, noting that the priestess with the symbol of Granesh and the man with the mud-covered smock were absent.

    ¡°Two of their members are injured, so they¡¯re slumming it in the Hunting Grounds until they recover. They¡¯ve been giving me advice and helping me get some pretty sweet kills. I want you to get in on this for as long as it lasts.¡±

    Will thought for a moment. ¡°Alright.¡± He didn¡¯t trust them completely, but the wheat gremlins hadn¡¯t been a setup, Ben was still fine after being alone with them, and if they were willing to help a couple newbies out, Will needed all the forward momentum he could get.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Ben said, beaming a smile as he put the helmet back over his head.

    Will walked with Ben back to the group.

    ¡°Mr. Fontaine, Bess, Roger,¡± Will said as he reached out and shook their hands. He was calling Kyle ¡®Mr. Fontaine¡¯ because he wasn¡¯t interested in earning the ire of the party leader this early in their working relationship.

    ¡°Will. We¡¯ve heard a lot about you from your friend. Some of it was pretty good,¡± Mr. Fontaine said as they shook hands.

    ¡°Hah, I imagine,¡± Will said as he released the stonelike grip.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t get you a head start. Maybe one of these days, you can fight arkul side by side with us on the eighth floor. So, Aspirant, what archetype are you aiming for?¡±

    ¡°Charge Focus,¡± Will replied.

    ¡°High risk, high reward, huh?¡± Kyle said, stroking his chin. ¡°Not many magical monsters in the Hunting Grounds, but¡­¡±

    He snapped his fingers. ¡°Will-o-wisp. I know where we can get some. Bess can bottle them, too.¡±

    The wand-wielding sorceress nodded.

    ¡°That would be¡­fantastic.¡±

    Will-o-wisp

    Add illusion and meta abilities. Favored by any Mage archetype Aspirant.

    2 focus, 1 acuity

    Will-o-wisps weren¡¯t generally considered an option by Aspirants, because while they did exist in the Hunting Grounds, the bottleneck was how insanely difficult it was to preserve a Sacrifice after defeating one. You needed to have a magician with the right build on hand at the exact moment they died. Someone able to stuff their essence inside a bottle. Otherwise, they simply evaporated into nothing.

    That being said, they were an excellent choice for someone planning on going with a Mage archetype, as those two Focus per level stacked up to quite a lot of magical endurance, and meta abilities were excellent for casters.

    Meta abilities were add-ons to typical Abilities added by a Class, whereby a caster could add effects by spending extra Charge. Make a fireball bigger, make it quieter, add a hypnotic effect to a shield Ability.

    The possibilities were literally endless.

    Meta abilities on those granted by the Uru Drake would be phenomenal.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long hike to their spawn. We¡¯re also gonna have to pull an all-nighter. They only show at dawn and dusk. Think you can handle that?¡± Kyle asked Will.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Will said. He had no idea if he could handle it, but he was going to, because that was what needed to happen.

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    Will told Leon to let Gertrude know he was heading off with some complete strangers to go on an overnight hunting trip, then they set off.

    They arrived at the Hunting Ground just as the sun was ¡®setting.¡¯ Rather than simply dim down like it should, the sun sank below the horizon, making the shadows grow long and ominous.

    They spent the next hour stalking the shadowy woods for sign of the elusive monster, but didn¡¯t catch sight of it.

    They bedded down for the night once it was too dark to see, and Kyle took first watch.

    Will didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to sleep with heavily armed strangers milling around him, but his healing wounds and the all-day trek to reach the hunting spot knocked him out.

    The next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake by Ben.

    Will pried his eyes open and spotted Ben above him. His friend held a finger over his mouth before pointing.

    Blinking, Will glanced that way, and spotted a glowing light drifting through the pre-dawn shadows, weaving around the trees. A strange, tinkling sound seemed to emanate from the light that made him want to follow it¡­allow it to guide him wherever it led. Something inside Will knew it would be wonderful when he arrived at the destination.

    He even began pushing himself to his feet, when a wicked pinch assaulted his side, scattering the Will-o-wisp¡¯s illusion. Will clenched his teeth and choked back the hiss of pain.

    ¡®You good?¡¯ Ben mouthed.

    Will nodded, slowly pushing himself up, trying to make as little noise as possible.

    He spotted the others, all awake and watching the drifting orb with the silent intensity of professional hunters.

    Kyle caught Will¡¯s eye and motioned him over, holding out Will¡¯s sling, already loaded with a bullet.

    ¡®Do the honors?¡¯ he mouthed.

    The group¡¯s archer readied his bow, ready to take a follow-up shot if Will missed.

    Will nodded, taking the sling.

    He studied the ethereal monster¡¯s speed for a moment. Its distance.

    The orb went behind a tree.

    The sling made a low whistle as he made a single rotation before he whipped the bullet forward, aiming just on the other side of the tree.

    The Will-o-wisp appeared on the other side of the obscuring tree trunk, before it jerked and began spinning wildly in place, sinking towards the ground.

    ¡°He got it!¡± Roger said, lowering his bow, jaw slack.

    Will was almost as surprised as he was.

    The sorceress stepped forward, and with a frown of concentration, an invisible plane of force wrapped around the rapidly dissolving Will-o-wisp, crushing it into a cube the size of Will¡¯s fist.

    She cautiously approached and retrieved an empty glass bottle from her belt. She placed the neck of the bottle against one of the corners of the cube. The corner of the invisible cube opened up, shooting the glowing essence of the monster into the glass bottle.

    Bess whipped out a cork and forced it into the neck of the bottle, turning to display the glowing wisp inside with a triumphant grin, trotting back and placing it in Mr. Fontaine¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Nice shot, kid,¡± Mr. Fontaine said, handing over the bottle.

    Will¡¯s hands trembled as he studied the magical swirling mist inside the bottle.

    This is it. This is the last part of my Class.

    Will knelt beside his satchel and began looking for a way to secure the bottle so it didn¡¯t rattle around or crack against something in there.

    Swaddle it in some spare bandages, maybe? Will thought to himself a moment before a thin beam of yellow light expanded into an opaque doorway of pure yellow light, looming directly in front of him.

    ¡°Alright, time to head back?¡± Will asked, slinging his satchel over his shoulder and turning towards the other four.

    ¡°Actually, you¡¯re probably gonna want to take your Trial now,¡± Mr. Fontaine said, nodding towards the glowing Door.

    Will frowned. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the proper tools to preserve a Will-o-wisp Sacrifice indefinitely. It¡¯s seeping past the cork as we speak. The stuff is devilishly hard to contain. Probably won¡¯t even last until we get back to town.¡±

    Will frowned, his guts twisting. He wasn¡¯t in the best shape to take The Trial, but Will-o-wisp was insanely difficult to acquire. It would be foolish to pass on this opportunity¡­wouldn¡¯t it?

    Something about this felt wrong, but Will couldn¡¯t put his finger on it.

    ¡°Look, you¡¯ve got all your Sacrifices on you,¡± Ben said, walking up to him. ¡°You¡¯re ready to go. We were lucky to find the Will-o-Wisp we did find. Who knows if we could find another¡­and it¡¯s not gonna last the day. You gotta do it now.¡±

    He placed a hand on Will¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    Ben¡¯s hand grabbed the strap of his satchel while his foot lashed out, kicking Will backwards, towards The Trial.

    In that weightless instant of falling, Will reached out and caught the strap of the satchel bearing his Sacrifices, yanking on it with every fiber of muscle he could bring to bear.

    The last thing he saw before the yellow doorway swallowed him up was the satchel splitting open, scattering its contents across the forest floor.

 Chapter 4: Escape Room

    ¡°William Oh is the smartest, most talented, badass, stoic individual that this town has ever produced, bar none,¡± Jason announced. Let it never be said that Jason Salazar skimps on a job.

    ¡°Really?¡± the priestess asked, leaning forward and putting her elbows on the table, staring directly at him. She bore a symbol of Granesh on her waist, and honestly, a questionable choice of clothes.

    ¡°Have you heard about William Oh?¡± Jason asked between scooping the thick stew into his mouth. The stuff on the bottom was the tiniest bit burnt-tasting, and it was rare to get a piece of meat or veggies, but it was a damn sight better than the orphanage¡¯s bread and gruel.

    ¡°I sure haven¡¯t. Do tell.¡±

    Jason lowered his voice and leaned forward conspiratorially, prompting the pretty priestess to do the same. ¡°Some say he¡¯s a descendant of the very gods themselves. Nothing human could possibly have accomplished the same feats,¡± Jason whispered. ¡°I personally saw him kill three men¡­with a writing quill.¡±

    ¡°Oh my,¡± the priestess said, resting her chin on her palm, completely unconvinced.

    ¡°Indeed. People say he was BORN on the top floor of The Tower. They say he was steeped in its lethal miasma from birth, giving him strange and unnatural powers.¡±

    ¡°They say that, huh?¡± the priestess asked with a smirk. ¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard of him, then?¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Jason said, pointing his greasy spoon at the woman. ¡°Keep your ear to the ground and you¡¯ll soon hear whispers of his prowess. William is a master of both blade and women. A man of Focus, Commitment, and sheer fuckin¡¯ Will.

    ¡°He¡¯s indomitable, he¡¯s unquenchable, he¡¯s unstoppable, he¡¯s unflappable, he¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ***Will***

    ¡°Totally fucked,¡± Will said, pacing back and forth in a panic as the hyperventilation began to kick in.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna die. This is me, dead.¡±

    Will was in a plain white room with three Altars, and no exit. A white cube from which there was no escape.

    People had tried. The walls were seemingly immune to any force an Aspirant could bring to bear, and that included Relic weapons gifted to them by high-level Climbers.

    Why the creators of The Trial would design it in such a way that bad luck could trap you in the Class Creation Room until you starved to death spoke to a, quite frankly, criminally negligent oversight.

    The only way to open the Door to The Trial and avoid a protracted death by dehydration was to offer three Sacrifices.

    Typically, this was not a problem, because the Door only opened when a person had three Sacrifices in their possession.

    Will did not have three Sacrifices in his possession.

    Alright, let¡¯s lay everything out and go over what we have.

    Will unwound his bandages and retrieved the Uru Drake scale, which had been bound tightly to his midsection.

    I wonder if things would¡¯ve gone better if I¡¯d left this thing at home, Will thought, rubbing his thumb along the smooth surface of the scale before setting it down.

    Nah. They used The Trial opening to determine whether or not I had it. If I¡¯d left it at home, they would¡¯ve kept up appearances and waited for me to reenter the Hunting Grounds with it. Ambushed me then.

    The only way he would¡¯ve been able to avoid this fate would¡¯ve been if he had left it home, guessed their intentions and acted on the hunch, hiking several days to a different town, with another entrance to the Hunting Grounds.

    He wouldn¡¯t have done that. Will was paranoid, but not particularly perceptive. He would¡¯ve retrieved the Uru Drake and come back through the same entrance, and gotten ambushed when he tried to take his Trial.

    This was one of the best possible outcomes without advance knowledge. Or at least, the more spitefully gratifying one.

    They didn¡¯t get what they came for, and now they never will.

    Will grabbed the tattered leather satchel and shook it inside out in a vain attempt to make the Will-o-wisp and spirit turtle Sacrifices fall out.

    No such luck. The other two keys to open The Trial remained on the other side of a nonexistent door.

    There were, however, several crumbs of pemmican trapped in the interior folds.

    Will let out a primal scream and threw the satchel across the pure white room, the simmering anger coming to a boil.

    ¡°Having everything given to you wasn¡¯t enough?! You had to take mine, too, Ben?!¡±

    When did I screw up? Was he always planning on taking it from me, or did that merchant make Ben aware of it in a way he hadn¡¯t been before? Did they conspire to steal it during the week I was gone? Were the Climbers working with him, or did he do that on his own? Did they plan on reselling the Uru Drake and splitting the profit, or did Ben lie about what I had and promise something else as long as he could keep the scale for his Class?

    Did he bring two Sacrifices with him with the intention of taking the scale?

    Eventually, Will realized he was pacing again, thinking about things that had no bearing on his immediate survival.

    Not that anything would really help with that.

    Will took a deep breath and slowed his walk, coming to a stand. Right. Calm down. Lay everything out.

    Will took off his shirt, folded it, and set it on the floor. He rolled up his bandages and set them beside the scale, followed by his pants, boots, and socks.

    He stalked across the room and grabbed the satchel, placing it in his line of ¡®supplies.¡¯

    Uru Scale, clothes, bandages, boots, bootlaces, pemmican crumbs¡­

    Will squished them into a thumb-sized bite of food and was about to pop them in his mouth, when it occurred to him.

    Pemmican is preserved meat, fat, and berries. It¡¯ll bind you up like nothing else, but ¡®meat¡¯ is on the ingredient list.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Will didn¡¯t care if he got a ¡®spacetime cow-rancher¡¯ or ¡®mystic berry¡¯ Class, as long as it allowed him to leave the room alive.

    He stood and approached the Altars, heart hammering in his chest.

    He placed the thumb-sized chunk of pemmican on the Altar and stood back.

    As soon as the pemmican touched the Altar, a beam of light descended on it, gradually growing in brightness until it suddenly flashed, leaving nothing behind.

    A voice spoke directly into his mind.

    Suboptimal Sacrifice detected¡­attempting to generate Class Seed¡­ Failed.

    Please place an adequate Sacrifice on the Altar. Poorly preserved or mixed Sacrifices have a diminished chance of successfully generating Class Seeds.

    But there IS a chance? Will thought to himself, glancing back at his supplies.

    His gaze settled on the ruined satchel. It was leather. Monster leather of some type, most likely.

    Will went over to the satchel and tore the fabric lining out of the inside, then gnawed the metal studs away from the leather.

    He tore the seams apart and pulled the stitches out with his teeth, isolating the leather of the satchel to the best of his ability.

    Hours later, he had a frayed stack of pure leather with nary a stitch, stud, or seam. A bit of William spit, but he patted that off with his shirt.

    Once the taste of leather faded from his mouth and the hide fully dried, he picked it up.

    Here goes nothing, Will thought, heart hammering in his ears as he approached the Altar.

    With trembling hands, he put the stack of leather on the Altar.

    It¡¯s about the same mass as the Uru Drake scale. Let this work.

    The Altar blazed with light, and the leather was gone.

    Suboptimal Sacrifice detected¡­attempting to generate Class Seed¡­ Retrying¡­ Success.

    Generating seed¡­.

    Gravity Goat

    2 kinesthetics, 1 acuity

    Earth, Mobility.

    Will¡¯s brows rose, and he shook his head. ¡°They sent me two Sacrifices in one. Huh.¡±

    The beam of light remained above the Altar, indicating that it had been used, leaving the two on the sides.

    Will grabbed the Uru Drake scale, contemplating the sheer amount of trouble it had caused him, holding something so valuable without the strength to protect it.

    If he hadn¡¯t had it, he¡¯d be just a nobody not worth the effort of robbing. He might even have been friends with the Climbers. They seemed friendly enough, before they knew he had something they wanted.

    His Class would¡¯ve been less powerful, but at least he¡¯d be able to pick what he wanted without constantly looking over his shoulder for betrayal.

    Just add that to the list of things to punch my parents for, I guess, Will thought, placing the scale in the center of the rightmost Altar.

    Sacrifice detected¡­attempting to generate Class Seed¡­ Success.

    Generating seed¡­.

    Uru Drake Primogenitor

    2 resistance, 1 focus, 1 acuity, 1 strength

    Spacetime, Meta.

    Will processed that for a moment before he shrugged. ¡°Okay. It was even more valuable than everyone thought. Whatever. It¡¯s gone now.¡±

    Will stared at the two lit-up Altars for a moment before his belly began to rumble. He hadn¡¯t had breakfast.

    He turned to stare at his brand-new leather boots.

    I¡¯m gonna have to give Leon a raise, Will thought, stretching his aching jaw, warming up his leather-cutters. Now to spend the next couple hours chewing on boots.

    Over the next five hours, Will learned more about the taste of shoe polish and old foot than he thought he ever would.

    Finally, he¡¯d disassembled the boots, taking out anything that wasn¡¯t pure leather, assembling the rest into a pile of leather scraps.

    Gums bleeding, Will shuffled forward and deposited the leather scraps on the Altar.

    The beam of light descended, grew in strength¡­

    Having gotten the hang of it, Will closed his eyes an instant before the flash of light washed across the Altar, heralding the disappearance of the leather scraps.

    Suboptimal Sacrifice detected¡­attempting to generate Class Seed¡­ Retrying¡­ Retrying¡­ Failed.

    ¡°NO!¡± Will shouted over the voice in his mind as it continued to emotionlessly deliver its pointless message.

    Please place an adequate Sacrifice on the Altar. Poorly preserved or mixed Sacrifices have a diminished chance of successfully generating Class Seeds.

    ¡°I would if I could!¡± Will shouted, kicking the Altar with his calloused foot, having about as much effect on the solid stone as an aggressive cough.

    Will¡¯s head turned, almost as if someone had seized his head and forced him to look.

    Metal studs, bandages, clothes, bootstrings.

    I¡¯m gonna die, Will¡¯s brain realized.

    His body, however, wanted to live. With the burning urgency of a man swimming to the surface before he drowned, he leapt forward and seized his shirt, crumpling it up and placing it on the Altar.

    Suboptimal Sacrifice detected¡­attempting to generate Class Seed¡­ Failed.

    Without bothering to listen to the follow-up, Will grabbed his pants, socks, underwear, the bandages, and threw them all on the Altar, one at a time.

    When he got the last ¡®Failed,¡¯ he slumped down against the wall.

    ¡°Heath always told me I would die naked and afraid,¡± Will mused. This probably wasn¡¯t what he was talking about, but it sure fit the situation.

    36 hours later, Will was considering the best way to kill himself.

    The thirst was really starting to get to him, and he wasn¡¯t particularly enthusiastic about the next two days of agonizing pain before he finally expired.

    The only problem was, there was no good way of killing himself available.

    The only metal he had left was a collection of metal studs from the satchel and boots. The bootstrings were long enough to strangle himself, but there was nothing to use as leverage.

    It was times like this, woozy from dehydration and hopelessness, that he considered what the future held for this extradimensional room that would exist in perpetuity, waiting for a mold-covered corpse to get off its ass and place a Sacrifice on the Altar.

    Will blinked.

    He stood up, staring at the final unlit Altar.

    ¡­Now there¡¯s a good way to kill myself.

    But what if¡­

    His heart leapt in his chest, rattled back into action by the sliver of hope he¡¯d uncovered.

    If this didn¡¯t work, he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer another two days of agonizing dehydration.

    If it did work¡­he might still die.

    Either way, slowly wasting away was no longer on the menu.

    Will picked up one of the bootstrings and tied it around his left forearm. He grabbed one side with his bloody teeth, and the other with his right hand. He cinched the string tight around his forearm, until it was painful.

    Then he pulled it tighter, knotting it firmly to keep it closed.

    Before he could lose his nerve, Will slapped his left hand down on the Altar, his stomach sinking with nausea as the enormity of this decision tried to catch up with him.

    The pure adrenaline flowing through his veins made time seem to slow, made it feel like the light took ages to come down, to gain strength, until finally¡ª

    A flash of light accompanied a burst of searing pain.

    Sacrifice detected¡­attempting to generate Class Seed¡­ Success.

    ¡°HAH!¡± Will crowed in victory moments before he passed out.

    ***

    ¡°They say he was born on the hundredth floor, bathed in its lethal miasma, which granted him abilities beyond human comprehension,¡± Jason said over his bowl of soup, doing his job, as per their agreement.

    Across from him was a scar-faced tanker with a faintly amused expression, picking at a shepherd¡¯s pie.

    ¡°How could he be born on the hundredth floor? Nobody¡¯s ever been there, especially not a pregnant woman. The only people who could¡¯ve come close¡­¡± The Climber frowned.

    ¡°What were this William character¡¯s parents¡¯ names, again?¡±

    ¡°Mary and Thomas Oh, I think. Why?¡±

    The scar-face paled as he stood, his chair clattering to the ground behind him.

    Jason watched him march out the door, grabbing the arm of one of his teammates as he moved, hauling them out of Brenda¡¯s Inn.

    Huh. Jason shrugged, sliding the man¡¯s food over to himself and devouring it before he scanned the room for another out-of-towner. One who hadn¡¯t heard him out yet.

    There. Jason locked on a short figure cloaked in leather, scraping bits of food from his plate into a barrel of soil beside him.

    ¡°Have you heard of William Oh?¡± Jason asked, whispering conspiratorially as he slid into the empty bench in front of the figure.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I have,¡± a raspy voice emanated from the confines of the Climber¡¯s leather hood.

 Chapter 5: Resourceful Climber

    You don¡¯t get it. William Oh is an expert in guerilla warfare. He¡¯s the best. With slings, with knives, with his bare hands. He¡¯s a man who¡¯s learned to ignore pain. To ignore weather. To live off the land. To eat things that would make a billy goat puke.

    -          Jason Salazar

    .

    ..

    ¡­

    Please choose your Primary Abilities.

    .

    ..

    ¡­

    Please choose your Primary Abilities.

    Will¡¯s eyes creaked open, which was, frankly, a surprise.

    Please choose your Primary Abilities.

    He was still in the white room, but there was A DOOR!

    Please choose your Primary Abilities.

    Ignoring the voice, Will pushed himself to his feet, hissing in pain as he lightly nudged the scabbing edge of his arm against the floor.

    Once he was standing¡­he went back down. Will had never been faint before, but he¡¯d  also never had this much blood loss, either.

    Will turned it into a process.

    Raise your head.

    Lean against the wall.

    Sit up straight.

    Get to your knees.

    Wait.

    Once he was confident he wouldn¡¯t falter again, Will pushed himself to his feet.

    He needed to see his Trial before he decided on his Abilities.

    Oftentimes, people could pick whatever Abilities they wanted for their future Class, breeze through The Trial, then move on, but if Will didn¡¯t choose the best primaries specifically suited for finishing The Trial, then he might just die.

    Well, let¡¯s see what we¡¯ve got.

    Will took a deep breath and stepped through the glowing yellow portal.

    Sunlight.

    Chirping birds.

    His eyes adjusted.

    He was standing on a narrow ridge in a canyon of some kind, with rugged terrain in every direction. There were cactuses, scrub brush, and the unnaturally strong sun beat down on his dehydrated frame like he owed it money.

    Above him, sheer cliffs trapped him inside the Trial. Below: jagged crags, narrow footholds, and the occasional patch of flat ground which was completely dominated by plant life.

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    Welcome to your Trial, Climber. Somewhere in this canyon is the portal which leads back to the Hunting Grounds.

    The portal is guarded by a wicked tribe of Maksu, led by their leader, Sezz¡¯kenal, a vicious raider of caravans who has acquired a taste for human flesh.

    Make it back to the Hunting Grounds, and you will be qualified to join The Climb.

    Oh, great, it¡¯s a fighting Trial, Will thought, sitting down.

    Well, no, it didn¡¯t say I had to fight them. Just that I had to make it back to the Hunting Grounds. Although not fighting them might be difficult. Which is the point.

    Please choose your Primary Abilities.

    ¡°Sta¡ª¡± *COUGH*

    Not having spoken except to scream or cry in a couple days, Will¡¯s voice was gunked up.

    ¡°Status.¡±

    Moment of truth¡ªwhen we find out what cards the cruel hand of Fate has dealt me.

    Will¡¯s stat sheet began to print itself in the air in front of his eyes.

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber, Level 1

    1 Strength

    3 Kinesthetics

    3 Resistance

    2 Focus

    3 Acuity

    Charges: 2

    Free Points: 1

    Please choose your Primary Abilities.

    ¡°What¡¯s a Resourceful Climber?¡± Will mused, interrupting the display of his primaries to go back and study his Class. Again, he needed to know the context of his Class to have a better inkling of how his abilities might develop.

    The orphanage did have basic instruction in how to pick your Primaries, and what Classes did what.

    Never heard of ¡®Climber¡¯ before, though. Aren¡¯t we all Climbers?

    Resourceful Climber:

    A Resourceful Climber will use any means at their disposal to make it to the top. They are strong, mentally and physically, but most importantly, they are tenacious, enduring. Receives bonuses to tools, Meta Relic use, hardiness, and mobility, with a minor focus in Earth and Spacetime.

    ¡°Oh, like a climber climber? Not a Climber? One who literally climbs? Shit.¡±

    That sounded like the sort of thing that having two hands would be fantastic for.

    It sounded like a scout archetype, which wasn¡¯t the worst. The Focus per level was better than a scout should¡¯ve expected, too. The resistance, as well...

    Matter of fact, those stats are really high. 12 points?

    5 from the Uru Drake, 3 from the gravity goat, and¡­4 from his hand?

    That was 3 points per level more than a typical Climber. That was the kind of stat growth that could give birth to a Lord.

    You know, assuming I live long enough to capitalize on it, Will thought.

    Please choose your Primary Abilities.

    Alright, I¡¯ve put this off long enough. Show me the Abilities.

    Stone Charge

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Aspect of the Goat

    Mighty Leap

    Prey¡¯s Senses

    Sourdough

    Phantom Hand

    Everyone started with two Primaries. The first two abilities a Climber picked gained the most upgrades over time, which meant that whatever he picked would grow and change and become more powerful as his Class advanced, forming the core of their style.

    Every ten levels, he could pick a new Ability, but of course it would be 10, 20, even 30 levels of growth behind the Primaries.

    Let¡¯s see what we got¡­

    Stone Charge

    Active: 1 Charge

    20ft range.

    Coats the user¡¯s body in stone armor and/or propels them forward at lethal speeds.

    It¡¯s not a bad ability; it could be used for mobility, defense, or attack, depending on how you use it¡­but it¡¯s not enough by itself.

    Will only had 2 Charge at the moment. Not enough to take out or bypass an entire camp of maksu twenty feet at a time.

    Next.

    Aspect of the Goat

    Passive.

    A collection of minor passives that focus on mobility and hardiness. The bearer of this Ability becomes more resistant to exposure and altitude. Their digestive system becomes able to process food unfit for human consumption, and their hands and feet always find safe purchase on even the most hostile terrain. Scales with Resistance.

    Will¡¯s eyebrows rose.

    That could be useful. Less likely to die of starvation before I even reach the end, or fall down a cliff and break an ankle and THEN dying of starvation.

    Will mentally marked it down as a possible choice.

    Mighty Leap

    Active: 1 Charge

    Your Jump distance is tripled for a single jump.

    Now that might help me get out of here alive, too.

    If the portal was guarded, then sneak up to it and cover the last thirty feet or so in a single leap, bypassing the fight entirely.

    It¡¯s got more potential range than Stone Charge. Possible. Next.

    Prey¡¯s Senses

    Passive.

    The User¡¯s field of vision widens, as well as minor improvements to their hearing and smell. Scales with Acuity.

    That¡¯s a good Ability. Not sure I want it as a Primary, though.

    It would help with survival, definitely, but since it didn¡¯t help with actually doing anything, that assistance was limited.

    Sourdough

    Active: 1 Charge

    The user may gain the full effect of a Consumable Relic only using 80% of the Relic. The remaining 20% may be reserved to ferment a new Consumable Relic, if provided powdered Relics, time, and additional Charges. Scales with Focus.

    That is¡­what? That seemed like an Alchemist archetype minor ability. If it was strengthened enough, it would probably allow someone to grow consumables in batches, like¡­sourdough. Hah.

    Upgrades might expand this ability to include equipment maintenance, or food-creating abilities. It gave Will the impression that it was pretty useful for a Climber. Or a climber, for that matter.

    Abyss, if he raised it high enough to produce more than he used, he could make a living off of selling batch-grown Healing Potions.

    But it didn¡¯t help survive The Trial. He didn¡¯t have any Relics to hand. Next.

    Phantom Hand

    Passive.

    Active: 1 charge

    Gain the use of an ethereal Phantom Hand. Access a tiny amount of dimensional storage with a Charge. Sacrifice a stored Relic to gain its effect. Scales with Acuity.

    Will took it. He¡¯d never heard of Phantom Hand. It wasn¡¯t a rational decision, he just wanted his hand back.

    Phantom Hand set as Primary Ability.

    Damnit.

    Will took a deep breath and rationalized his decision. If he continued raising it as his Primary, there was a good chance it would unlock an upgrade that allowed it to touch real things and substitute for his lost hand. Which would be just¡­really, really great.

    But it¡¯s not gonna help me survive The Trial, is it? Damnit.

    Will went back through the other Abilities, and settled on Aspect of the Goat. It was just too helpful in a survival situation to pass. And, like everyone was telling him: Gotta be alive to make it to the top.

    Aspect of the Goat set as Primary Ability.

    Apply my free point to Strength, Will thought.

    Strength is now 2.

    There was a saying: ¡®Magic is a wonderful, glorious thing that can be doom or savior¡­but it takes a week off. Strength is Strength.¡¯

    If Will was going to be climbing cliffs with one hand, he needed every bit he could get.

    Finalizing Class.

    A tingling sensation prompted a shudder as it felt like an ephemeral force moved through him, locking in his selections.

    A semi-transparent left hand appeared on the end of his truncated wrist, glowing a faint blue.

    He clenched it. Unclenched it. Wiggled the fingers.

    If anything, the hand had more dexterity to it than the one he¡¯d been born with, responding with unnatural smoothness and precision.

    Heart pounding, Will reached out and poked a nearby bush. The hand went right through it, living up to its ¡®phantom¡¯ moniker.

    Will sighed, crouching down before leaning back, allowing his legs to splay out in front of him. ¡°Yeah, I figured.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be useful for some time. No sense crying and wasting some of the little remaining moisture he had.

    Guess I should try out the other Ability, then.

    Will reached out with his good hand and carefully plucked a cactus out of the soil, and began munching on it.

    Taste is pretty good, Will thought, spitting out thorns as he went, amazing himself at the sheer toughness of his mouth. Tons of water. Almost as much as a watermelon. I guess now we just need to wait and find out how poisonous it is, and if that falls under the ¡®not fit for human consumption¡¯ tag.

    There was no time limit to this Trial, and if the Aspect of the Goat Ability told the truth, a whole cornucopia of food had just opened up to him. So Will resolved to recover his condition as much as possible before he sought out the tribe of maksu.

    Will crushed the thick cactus flesh between his teeth, drinking in the doubtlessly poisonous moisture as it flowed down his throat, spitting out the spines.

    Gods, I hope I don¡¯t spend the next fifteen hours helplessly puking out everything I just ate.

    Whatever else Aspect of the Goat did, it kept the food down, and the unnatural moving sun of The Tower that had been scorching hot against his unprotected skin now felt like the gentle warmth of the real sun.

    Wish I had saved some of those bandages, Will mused to himself as he tucked the scabbing stub against his chest, lying down on the tiny ledge and trying to make himself comfortable.

    Or my clothes.

    Yeah¡­clothes would be fantastic right about now¡­ Will thought as the gentle rustle of the wind through the nearby bushes lulled him to sleep, despite the rocks and thorns and insects making their presence known against his unprotected flesh.

    Will grabbed a branch from the bush, snapped it off and started chewing on the tough, sun-baked leaves, falling asleep with the branch half-eaten.

    When he woke up in the morning, Will was again surprised, having expected either the sweet release of death or an acute case of food poisoning in the night, which, in his current condition, would also mean death.

    How long have I been sleeping? he wondered, sitting up to scan his surroundings.

    There was lingering coolness in the stone, despite the sun baking the surroundings.

    Is it morning?

    It had felt like noon when he passed out, although Will couldn¡¯t be sure, with the unfamiliar sun.

    At least twelve hours. Maybe closer to sixteen or seventeen.

    Will felt surprisingly good.

    Sure, his skin was red and peeling, and his left hand was missing¡­but he felt better. Like he¡¯d gotten a big dinner and a full night¡¯s sleep¡­which he supposed he had.

    Not even mild discomfort, Will thought, patting his stomach. Come to think of it, ¡®unfit for human consumption¡¯ covers a pretty wide spectrum, doesn¡¯t it?

    Further down the cliffside was more food and water: a bit of brush and another cactus.

    Will¡¯s mouth started watering involuntarily.

    Alright, let¡¯s figure out how we¡¯re going to actually get there. The plants were over fifteen feet below him, with only tiny ridges sticking out of the rock between here and there.

    Will tucked his wounded arm in and began carefully setting his feet on the tiny variations in the stone that he could barely snag a toenail on¡­

    And found a solid surface.

    Will pulled his foot back and glanced down, spotting the tiny lip. There was no way he had managed to fit his whole toe on that vestigial outcropping.

    Watching the entire process, Will carefully lowered his foot to the toehold.

    It subtly grew as his toe came down on it, extending outward an extra inch to meet his foot.

    What¡­the¡­

    Will deeply suspected the Uru Drake¡¯s spacetime abilities had enhanced Aspect of the Goat to make it go beyond simply being good at climbing, altering the size, sturdiness, and orientation of his foot- and handholds.

    Will took another step down and a tiny protrusion jutted out to meet his foot.

    Moment of truth, Will thought, letting go with his hand.

    The tiny ridges he balanced on supported him. The whole process was almost as simple as walking down a staircase.

    Will grabbed a tiny outcropping, which smoothly jutted outward, conforming to his fingers in an ideal grip.

    He let go with his feet, then unscrunched his body, catching unseen footholds several feet lower.

    In a matter of seconds, Will was at the bottom of the cliff, with less effort than he would¡¯ve spent if he¡¯d had both hands and no Class.

    Mobility is right, Will thought, surveying the surroundings as he munched on cactus and scrub brush. He had entered this canyon with a frame of mind that the steep cliffs and boulders were nearly impassable terrain, and that he would have to carefully pick his way down to the bottom in order to reach the portal over the course of several hours.

    But this place was his playground, wasn¡¯t it? It wasn¡¯t a disadvantage for a Resourceful Climber. He was on his home turf, even missing a hand.

    How can I capitalize on this?

    In the far distance, Will saw a tendril of smoke wafting up above the canyon.

    I need a weapon.

 Chapter 6: Attrition

    William Oh once rescued sixteen nubile slave girls from certain death with nothing but bootstrings, a piece of leather, and a shiny scrap of metal.

    -          Jason Salazar

    ¡°That¡­is not going to work,¡± Will whispered to himself, peering down at the village of maksu milling around the portal. The sheer numbers alone made the idea of sprinting past them to dive through the portal laughable.

    Maybe¡­three hundred or so?

    They had set up some kind of shrine around the portal, seemingly worshiping it as a divine object. The only hint that it was there was the faint yellow glow leaking from the shoddily assembled seams of the building.

    Maksu were small, angry, and blue, with extended muzzles and canines that would make a cat jealous. They carried short spears and slings.

    They were also capable climbers. So much so that Will was no longer sure he had the home-field advantage.

    Maybe if I had both my¡­

    Will shook the thought off, tapping his phantom fingers through the nearby terrain. It had almost become a habit at this point to poke things with his Phantom Hand, looking for anything that he could touch with it.

    It was common sense to explore the use of your Abilities as much as possible.

    The ¡®tiny dimensional storage¡¯ the hand offered seemed to be enough to store a couple pebbles¡¯ worth of material.

    Not exactly build-defining.

    It does scale with Acuity, though, so we can look forward to it growing in capacity.

    Just not enough to help Will right this instant.

    What can we do with what we have, what we know, right now?

    Will knew that their leader, one Sezz¡¯kenal, was a vicious raider of caravans who had acquired a taste for human flesh.

    Stands to reason that sooner or later, they¡¯ll set out with the intention of raiding a caravan, and the number of eyes on the portal will dwindle drastically¡­or he¡¯ll return back from raiding, and the population will rise drastically.

    In the latter case, Will just needed to wait until their leader left again, but he had no idea how long that might be. Months, perhaps?

    ¡®Take your time.¡¯ Gertrude¡¯s voice seemed to echo in his ears as Will lay in the dirt, overlooking his target. There was no time limit, and everything to lose if they spotted him before he was ready. There were lizards and cactuses aplenty to keep him going as long as he had to.

    It took three days of observing the camp before he caught his break.

    A lone maksu out hunting by itself wandered directly below his vantage point.

    Whispering a silent prayer, Will dropped a head-sized rock off the ledge.

    He gave a quiet whistle, and the maksu stopped in its tracks, glancing up an instant before the rock caved in its skull.

    Will watched for several minutes to see if any of the others had seen or heard anything, but they went about their day as usual.

    Maksu were smart¡­ish. If they found their wayward hunter missing their weapons, they would be alerted to the fact that there was another sapient creature in the area hunting them.

    On the other hand¡­if a bit of their leather tunic was gnawed at by an animal, well, that¡¯s just what happens when wild animals get to your corpse.

    And even if it was a bit odd, it didn¡¯t scream ¡®sapient¡¯ like taking valuable tools did.

    Once he was sure there were no maksu coming, Will climbed down the cliff face, coming to crouch on the narrow path the hunter had been treading, keeping his head down to ensure his burned skin didn¡¯t act as a signal fire and give away his position.

    Will¡¯s nose wrinkled at the scent of blood, but he did what he had to do.

    He took one of the hunter¡¯s spare stone spearheads and used the razor-sharp tip to cut a chunk off the hunter¡¯s tunic.

    He poked a hole on either side of the oblong piece of leather, and a little slit down the center to allow some bend. It was a pain with one hand, but he managed to secure the leather between his foot and the ground.

    And there¡¯s the cradle for a sling, Will thought, putting his bootlace string through the hole and tying the scrap of leather around his neck, putting the spare spearhead back where it came from.

    Maybe they knew how many spearheads this fellow had on him, maybe not, but it was far too soon to tip his hand.

    Will left as quickly as he arrived, climbing up into the harsh upper cliffs of the canyon and trekking far away from the kill site before he found a spot to watch the fallout as he carefully assembled a sling from the leather and bootlaces.

    The maksu found their brethren, skull crushed beneath a rock.

    He watched as they craned their necks and inspected the cliffside above. They climbed up and located the cliff he¡¯d dropped the rock from.

    Will¡¯s breath caught, holding as he tried in vain to study every moment of their reaction. If he¡¯d left some sign of his presence, and they found it, he was screwed.

    He watched as they milled around for a bit, conferring with each other for a moment before they took the hunter¡¯s gear and left the body behind for the scavengers.

    If anyone noticed their hunter¡¯s tunic was missing a patch, they didn¡¯t seem to make a big deal out of it.

    The true test was their response over the next few hours. If they were crawling all over the site, then he had roused their suspicion, and would have to adjust his strategy.

    If not, he was in the clear.

    In the maksu camp, life went on as usual.

    1 down, 299 to go, Will thought as he completed the sling, creating the loop and knot, using his teeth to anchor the bootstring where tension was necessary.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    The next opportunity came nearly a week later, when the maksu formed a war party and went caravan hunting.

    Overlooking that blue snake of maksu stacked three deep winding its way up the side of the canyon, Will was faced with a choice.

    The absence of the majority of their combat-ready troops should give him plenty of opportunity to sneak in at night and walk through the portal, finishing his Trial.

    There was no reward for going above and beyond during a Trial, other than bragging rights, and the inherent benefits like levels and Relics¡­

    On the other hand, there¡¯s a caravan of innocent people out there.

    And if Will wanted the experience and Relics from defeating the maksu, there was no better option than pulling a reverse-ambush.

    From Will¡¯s secondhand knowledge of The Trials, once you passed, you were returned to exactly where you entered.

    Or, the campsite where they¡¯d been hunting Will-o-wisps.

    So, if the adventuring party wanted to kill him the moment he came back, they knew exactly where he¡¯d arrive.

    I mean, they¡¯re probably absolutely sure that I¡¯m dead. Especially since it¡¯s been nearly two weeks. Even the longest Trials Will had ever heard of only lasted a handful of days. All logic Will knew of spoke to him being dead.

    Still¡­perhaps Will could loot the dead maksu warriors and/or barter with the assisted caravan for some gear, and head back to the Hunting Grounds with a level or two under his belt, and some measure of self-defense.

    Even if he failed to save the caravan, he could probably get a few kills and retreat.

    An extra level would help pass The Trial, for sure.

    Decision made, Will began climbing the canyon wall.

    He stalked behind the maksu raiding party, following the trail they¡¯d pounded into the dusty desert floor with their sheer numbers.

    Will made sure to stay far behind and out of sight. Eventually, he arrived at their ambush site. From his perspective as he crested the hill, he could see every single one of the blue warriors, but from the road below, they would all be concealed behind boulders and dips in the land.

    In the far distance, Will could make out a plume of dust slowly approaching, following a road seemingly cut into the arid wasteland that brought the caravan right beneath the maksu-dotted hillside.

    Will saw the maksu limber up their arms, setting their spears down in a row, ready to throw one after the next.

    Some of them had man-made weapons, shortswords and steel spearheads clearly made for a larger species.

    An idea occurred to Will, and he began climbing down the side of the hill, his heart hammering in his chest.

    This was the most dangerous portion of his ¡®clever¡¯ plan. If he caught the maksu¡¯s attention before the caravan arrived, they would all just chase him, and the caravan would turtle up, leaving him to his fate.

    But, if he wanted to have a distinct advantage, this was the way to do it.

    Will targeted the maksu farthest away from his brethren, climbing behind it with every ounce of quiet he could manage.

    Aspect of the Goat helped tremendously in that respect, as the crunchy ground seemed to flatten and solidify beneath his feet, quieting his steps as a side effect of enhancing his footing.

    When he was close enough, Will picked up a big rock and bashed the maksu in the back of the head.

    The raider dropped to the ground, twitching. Will dropped down beside it, out of sight of its brethren, in case one of them glanced up at the sound.

    If they were curious about what had just happened, they didn¡¯t move.

    The creeping stalk had taken nearly an hour, and the caravan was much closer now than before, when it¡¯d been a smear on the horizon. Too close for the maksu to move without giving themselves away.

    Will searched the raider and found a steel dagger with a half-polished surface, pitted with rust and neglect, but still shiny in places.

    Good enough, Will thought, taking the dagger and cautiously scooting forward around the concealing boulder, body pressed into the dirt.

    None of the other maksu were coming, but they were all within a stone¡¯s throw. He should hear it if they approached.

    As the caravan approached, Will faced the shiniest portion of the dagger towards the caravan, trying to catch the light of the sun.

    The response was immediate.

    The caravan¡¯s guards began shouting, pointing at his location, arranging themselves in a defensive line.

    Their ambush blown, the maksu began throwing their spears a few seconds too late.

    Defensive Abilities were employed, and the rain of spears did far less than the maksu would¡¯ve preferred, leaving the caravan largely unscathed.

    The blue raiders leapt to their feet and began streaming down the hillside, waving their weapons and baring their impressive fangs in a stunning display of ferocity.

    Will leapt to his feet, grabbing a nearby rock and laboriously loading it into his sling one-handed, setting the pouch on the ground, placing the rock inside, and then picking up the whole thing.

    Where¡¯s the leader? Will thought, scanning the maksu.

    At the back of the assault was the maksu leader, wearing an ornate headdress and chanting, a wobbling haze of energy forming around him. He was outside the range of return fire from the caravan, seemingly warming up an Ability that would help turn the tide of the battle.

    Whiiz!

    The rock flung out and caught Sezz¡¯kenal in the back of the head.

    The haze of energy dissipated as the maksu leader sank bonelessly to the ground.

    Congratulations!

    You are now a level 2 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber, Level 2

    3 Strength

    6 Kinesthetics

    6 Resistance

    4 Focus

    6 Acuity

    Charges: 2

    Free Points: 1

    Whatever Ability the maksu were expecting to descend from the hillside didn¡¯t manifest. Instead, a hail of rocks picked off a handful of their rearmost warriors before they realized they couldn¡¯t win.

    By then, it was already too late.

    Will didn¡¯t have anything white, but while the caravan finished off the remaining maksu, he put one of their tunics on a spear and waved it above his head.

    It must¡¯ve worked, because nobody shot him as he approached. Once he was within speaking distance of the caravan, the dialogue between the grateful caravaneers and their savior began.

    ¡°Son, where in the Abyss are your clothes?¡± the lead guard demanded as Will approached. He was a sour-looking older man with ancient acne scars pitting his jowls. ¡°You look like shit.¡±

    ¡°Long story,¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°I was hoping I might be able to help out and barter for some clothes.¡± Will raised his stolen dagger and caught the sun with it.

    ¡°That was you, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yessir.¡±

    ¡°How many did you kill?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°The one with the headdress and four more.¡±

    The guard chewed his lip for a moment before opening his purse and tossing Will a gold coin and four silver. Will dropped the knife to snatch them out of midair.

    ¡°For the help. And whatever¡¯s on Headdress is yours. Merchants are cowering on the other side. Talk to them about spending your money. We¡¯re gonna make camp and take stock of the situation.¡±

    ¡°Yessir, thank you, sir!¡± Will said, nodding.

    ¡°You on your Trial, kid?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Just hit level two.¡±

    ¡°I suggest you give up on being a Climber.¡± He pointed at Will¡¯s missing hand. ¡°Missing a hand means you¡¯re missing a Relic slot, and that means you¡¯ll always be one step behind everyone else.¡±

    Will frowned. He can¡¯t see the phantom hand?

    ¡°Anyway, go get some pants,¡± the guard said, pointing toward the other side of the caravan. ¡°I¡¯m tired of seeing your cock.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t look at it,¡± Will retorted, walking around to the other side of the wagon.

    A gaggle of old women glanced up at his approach¡ªno less than sixteen merchants with sun-weathered faces. Normally, old ladies were unflappable, but seeing a one-armed young man appear in the middle of the desert with no clothes seemed to be too much for them.

    They stared at him silently.

    Will cleared his throat, holding money in front of his junk. It was insufficient. ¡°I¡¯d like to buy some clothes?¡± he said into the silence.

    ¡°Son, where the Abyss are your clothes?!¡± the nearest matron demanded.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know the answer to that question,¡± Will said with a shrug.

 Chapter 7: Casualties

    William Oh once ate a lightning bolt and crapped thunder. There he was, at the heart of the army of the dead. He had snuck his way past the minions into the shrine holding the Relic that granted eternal life, when the lich rose from the stone floor as if it were made of water. As he faced down the ancient lich, a bolt of lightning shot from the foul creature¡¯s fingers directly towards his face! So, being William Oh, he snatched the lightning out of the air with his teeth, chewing and swallowing before he handily dispatched the monster.

    It was much later that the princess¡¯s toilet was utterly destroyed.

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    Pockets are a gift from the gods themselves, Will thought, enjoying the heavenly soft feel of sturdy burlap cloth cinched around his waist, with suspenders over the roughspun shirt, keeping the whole outfit extra secure, adding support for its massive pockets.

    Lucky me, some of them are seamstresses. The fabric itself was focused primarily on sturdiness, but they were truly the first tailored clothes he¡¯d ever had.

    Thick socks, real shoes, a belt with nice loops to carry weapons and tools, an itchy wool cloak that shed the heat of the sun and retained warmth at night.

    All for four silver.

    Will deeply suspected the aged seamstresses were giving him the ¡®Random Teen Wandering Naked Through the Desert¡¯ discount, but he wasn¡¯t going to say anything while benefiting from it.

    It was too soon to fit him for a prosthesis, they said, since it hadn¡¯t finished healing yet, but they gave him the name of a talented crafter who lived on the bottom floor near the base of the tower, servicing injured Climbers retiring from the life.

    Just a couple days¡¯ walk from Will¡¯s village, actually.

    The old women fussed over him and offered to take him as far as The Pit. They were passing by the way down to the bottom floor on their way up to a kingdom on the second floor, which didn¡¯t have the land mass for agriculture.

    They¡¯d trade bulk fabrics (including a few magical ones) in exchange for the second floor¡¯s unique Sacrifices, salt, and other exports, before heading back to The Pit to change it all out for coin outside the Hunting Grounds, then going back to their farms on the first floor and doing it all over again.

    ¡°You selling rope there too?¡± Will had asked, seeing an entire wagon full of the stuff.

    ¡°The second floor is¡­difficult to navigate without a lot of good rope,¡± Tyson said, the guard leader pulling up the rope to reveal steel hooks and pulleys. ¡°They¡¯ve got their own infrastructure there, but you can never be totally sure. We may sell a bit, and for a good price, but not all of it.¡±

    Will gently refused the offer of a ride back to The Pit. He¡¯d never heard of anyone coming back from their Trial the long way ¡®round, but he was pretty confident he wouldn¡¯t finish The Trial that way.

    Besides, with the majority of the maksu warriors dead, the defenses on the Door will be drastically reduced.

    That reminds me! Will thought, clapping his hand over his new pockets.

    Now that he could actually carry things, it was time to get to the looting.

    He climbed back up the hillside, the ground treating his new boots with much the same grace as they treated his bare feet.

    Whew.

    Will had been afraid he¡¯d be stuck barefoot for the entirety of his career as a Climber solely based on his Aspect of the Goat ability, but it seemed to be more universal than that.

    I wonder how soft materials can be before they stop widening and stabilizing under my feet? Tree branches? Crumbly sandstone? Mud? Water? Dust motes suspended in air?

    Sure, it wouldn¡¯t happen anytime soon, but such ridiculous feats were the staple of tales of Lords, and Will had no reason to doubt the possibility, especially since it was his Primary Ability.

    It scales with Resistance, which has strong growth at 3 per level. Even the most specialized Climbers never get more than four in a stat per level, and that¡¯s by sacrificing growth in nearly every other stat.

    Meanwhile, Will was rocking 3 growth in no less than three stats.

    The future was looking up.

    Where¡­is the leader¡¯s corpse? Will thought, scanning the surroundings as the sun went down. Another fifteen minutes searching the boulder-strewn hillside, and Will came to a horrifying conclusion:

    That bastard isn¡¯t dead?

    The level he got could¡¯ve easily been for the first maksu he killed during the raid, or after he nailed a few further down the hill. He¡¯d been too pumped full of adrenaline to note the exact timing.

    The moment Will came to that conclusion, he dropped to the ground, getting his precious skull out of line of sight.

    He probably retreated, Will surmised. He probably retreated and is readying his village for a counterattack. Shit.

    The caravan was probably safe. The leader wouldn¡¯t attack it again with less troops.

    Will, on the other hand, was significantly less safe. The maksu leader had a massive lump on the back of his head proving that there had been a third party attending the caravan raid, and maksu were definitely clever enough to realize that the dead hunter back home hadn¡¯t been an accident.

    The survivors would be waiting for him.

    Damn.

    Will made his hasty farewells to the old ladies and their retired Climber husbands, and started sprinting.

    The sun sank below the horizon and a weird pale sun rose in its place, significantly dimmer, casting the world in a pale shadow of its former appearance. Light became shadow and shadow became fathomless blackness.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Yet, no matter how fast Will ran, the ground never betrayed him. He fully expected to slip and fall or perhaps roll an ankle, but the ground felt as flat as the orphanage¡¯s hard-packed earth floors.

    He made good time.

    Will ran by the light of the dimmer sun, following the edge of the canyon for a good hour before he began climbing back down into it, deliberately avoiding following the same path he and the maksu had taken on the way out.

    That seemed like an excellent way to get speared.

    Once he got to the bottom of the canyon, Will crossed the river and made it to the other side of the canyon, then climbed that.

    By the time the morning sun broke on the opposite side of the horizon, Will overlooked the village from up high, opposite the trail the maksu had used to attack the caravan.

    Sure enough, that side of the canyon was crawling with the blue-skinned humanoids, watching the easy trail into the canyon, slings ready to unleash a hail of stones on Will¡¯s face should he try to sneak back in that way.

    This is the best chance I¡¯m going to get. The vast majority of their warriors, including their reserve units, were up in the rough terrain on the opposite side of the river. The sun was coming from behind him, and his side of the canyon was cloaked in shadow, while the warriors were lit up.

    The village was still bathed in shadow and would be for another hour or so. There was no sign of movement.

    Will limbered up, then started sprinting down the cliffside, straight for the village.

    What might¡¯ve been a suicidal freefall was slowed just enough to prevent broken bones as Will hurtled downhill, covering ground in the blink of an eye, the terrain morphing to conform to his feet as he ran.

    Will hit the ground with a spine-jarring slam and kept running, sprinting faster than he ever had in his life.

    He thought maybe one of the warriors on the opposite side had seen him by the time he hit the village proper, but it was already too late.

    Will arrived at the shrine built around his Trial¡¯s exit portal and ducked to enter the undersized entrance as quietly as possible.

    A flicker of firelight on steel out of the corner of his eye was the only warning.

    A faintly glowing, straight-handled hatchet nicked his forearm as Will caught the wood shaft on his truncated wrist.

    Hisss!

    The maksu leader lunged forward, fangs pointing outward as it attempted to chomp down on Will¡¯s arm. He punched it in the snout, snapping one of the slender teeth off and propelling the maksu leader backwards even as Will sustained a gash along his knuckles.

    The maksu recovered in midair and bounced off the far wall like a child¡¯s ball, bounding back at Will¡¯s face, the tomahawk whipping forward.

    Will caught it with his good hand, and the maksu gave him a bloody grin as it raised its free hand and began summoning a sickly green energy, aiming directly at Will¡¯s chest.

    Acting on instinct, Will slapped the burgeoning spell out of the maksu¡¯s hand with his Phantom Hand, scattering it against the wall of the shrine.

    The wall began to smolder and pit.

    They both froze, stunned at what had transpired.

    Will recovered first, slamming the maksu leader with the elbow of his wounded arm while wrenching the tomahawk out of his opponent¡¯s hand.

    The maksu reeled back in pain and glanced up just in time for the tomahawk to bury itself in the creature¡¯s skull.

    The maksu leader collapsed to the ground, the hatchet slipping out of its skull with a wet pop, seemingly reluctant to leave Will¡¯s hand.

    Will could hear harsh maksu shouting and urgent footsteps outside the shrine.

    Time to go, Will thought, diving through the glowing yellow portal.

    Will hit a strangely yielding surface as the world shifted around him. The temperature dropped, the humidity bumped up, and the smell of forest and rot assailed his senses.

    Congratulations on completing your Trial!

    Based on your methods, you have been assigned the Scout/Infiltrator roles in Quest Assignment. If you wish to dispute this assignment and apply for a different role, apply for a new Trial at the Kiosk on Floor 5.

    You may now travel freely between floors at Key Locations, be assigned Quests, form Parties, and petition to subjugate land.

    Booting¡­

    Complete.

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber, Level 2

    3 Strength

    6 Kinesthetics

    6 Resistance

    4 Focus

    6 Acuity

    Charges: 2

    Free Points: 1

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Will blinked, climbing to his feet as text obscured his vision, scrolling past nearly too quickly for him to process it.

    That was it. I¡¯m a full-blooded Climber now.

    A spark of awareness came back to him, and Will crouched low, looking for any sign that Kyle¡¯s party was waiting for him.

    There was a week-old-looking fire pit, some scuffs on the ground where they¡¯d set up camp, but other than that¡­nothing.

    They were gone.

    Will took a cautious step, his foot coming down on something strangely soft.

    Directly underneath him was Ben¡¯s corpse.

    Whatever Ben promised them, it seems as though he wasn¡¯t able to deliver, Will thought, his face scrunching up as the smell of week-old Ben caught up with him. The boy¡¯s skin was mottled like blue cheese, and the smell was beyond awful.

    Ben still wore all of his expensive gear. The chainmail sleeves were beginning to rust, and his satchel was soggy and strewn across the campsite, as if someone had dug through it furiously, looking for their promised payment. Ben¡¯s pockets were also turned inside out, spilling their contents across the forest floor.

    They didn¡¯t even take the Sting Ring, Will thought, silently studying the ring on the bloated finger.

    ¡®With all the brutal honesty I can muster: Kid, you¡¯re simply not worth the effort of taking advantage of.¡¯ The Climbers wouldn¡¯t even bother to take the time to pluck a ring worth 20 silver off a corpse¡¯s hand.

    Lesson learned, Will thought sourly. Never present yourself as being worth the effort.

    ¡°Well, Ben, this is gonna suck for both of us,¡± Will mused, slipping his new tomahawk in his belt loop before grabbing one of Ben¡¯s less-soggy bandages and wrapping up his wounds.

    Once he was done, he stripped off Ben¡¯s heavy armor and hauled Ben¡¯s remains over his shoulder.

    Three points of strength was a flat fifteen percent boost to his actual strength. This was enough to make it possible to carry a limp corpse across his shoulders.

    If only just barely.

    Will caught a lot of looks from Aspirants just arriving from the outskirts as he marched down the road, but they didn¡¯t question it.

    People died on The Hunt all the time.

    Will trudged all the way to Ben¡¯s house, dropped the corpse on his father¡¯s doorstep, and knocked on the door.

    He then proceeded to spend the night in jail, which wasn¡¯t unexpected given the circumstances. Sleeping in an actual bed was fantastic.

    The following morning, the magistrate interviewed him, asking Will a lot of pointed questions about how he came by Ben¡¯s body.

    Will gave him the truth.

    Turned out, the Climbers claimed the two had gone into their Trials and not returned. The easiest explanation without any need of proof. They had then spent three days in town before leaving abruptly.

    The magistrate seemed satisfied with Will¡¯s story, and Will was released later that afternoon, as the town printer began putting up wanted posters.

    They¡¯ll never come back to this tiny village, Will mused as he walked into Brenda¡¯s Inn and ordered a full bowl of the stew, using some of the coppers he¡¯d gotten from selling the maksu¡¯s rusty dagger.

    ¡°Have you heard of William Oh?¡± a voice asked as Jason Salazar slid into the seat across from him.

    Will smiled.

    ¡°No, I honestly haven¡¯t,¡± he said as he began eating his stew.

 Chapter 8: Establishing Quest

    William Oh is so popular that he had to turn down dozens of heaving-bosomed young women who wished to join him on his very first quest. He refused them because he knew that only a few days in his presence would create a looming shadow in these young women¡¯s minds that no other man could ever hope to measure up to.

    He is not so cruel as to allow these gentle maidens to wither away the rest of their days with a William-shaped void in their hearts.

    -          Jason Salazar

    ¡°Can you put a lanyard on this?¡± Will asked, putting his new weapon on Leon¡¯s countertop. Despite wanting to kill Kyle - Will wasn¡¯t calling him Mr. Fontaine - on sight, the lanyard advice was sound. Especially for a guy with one hand.

    ¡°Is it a Relic?¡± Leon asked, inspecting the tomahawk. It had a straight, wooden handle slightly longer than his forearm, the grip was carved to resemble a rattlesnake¡¯s tail, and the hammer on the backside had a cup with a hole that lead into the interior, while a decoration of a snake with an unhinged jaw formed the base of the blade. There were strange holes on the sides of the blade where it appeared there¡¯d been fangs before they were torn out.

    ¡°I think so,¡± Will said, recalling the vaguely ominous light it¡¯d been shedding earlier, when the maksu had been swinging it at him.

    ¡°Do you know what it does?¡± Leon asked.

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Then yes, I can, but you probably don¡¯t want me to drill any holes in this thing,¡± Leon mused, looking it over.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You see the hole in the hammer on the back?¡± Leon asked, pointing it out.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a hole in the bottom for you to inhale,¡± Leon said, turning the axe over and showing Will a small hole in the bottom of the handle.

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°Additionally, these two holes look like they do something,¡± Leon mused, looking at the fang-holes in the side of the blade.

    ¡°One sec.¡± Leon pulled out a metal tool with a tiny hook on the end and plunged it into the fang-hole, prying out a chunk of rotting meat with a scowl before switching to a swab and cleaning out a plug of crusted-up blood and dirt. Leon turned the axe right side up and shook it, causing dirt and dried blood to fall out of the mouthpiece.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ll figure out what it does now,¡± he said, handing it back to Will.

    ¡°I think I got lucky,¡± Will mused, hefting the tomahawk. If it hadn¡¯t been gunked up, the maksu would¡¯ve probably killed him with it. He lifted the weapon.

    ¡°Not in here!¡± Leon said, dropping down behind the desk.

    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Will let the handle slide through his fingers until his knuckles were under the steel, then he slipped the tomahawk through a belt loop.

    ¡°Anyway, I can tie a tight lanyard around the bottom, but the Relic seems to have an ability that does something with airflow, so it¡¯d be best not to poke holes in it until you know what it does,¡± Leon said.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Will said, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll test it and we¡¯ll revisit the lanyard idea.¡±

    ¡°So, Gertrude¡¯s been looking for you,¡± Leon said, changing the subject. ¡°Almost a week now.¡±

    Will sucked in a breath through his teeth.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you got so much sun and lost, what, twenty pounds over the last ten days? You¡¯re almost completely unrecognizable. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the only thing that saved your skin. Thus far.¡±

    ¡°I was a victim of attempted murder,¡± Will said, pointing to himself. ¡°I was going to go back and talk to her before The Trial. They literally shoved me through the Door.¡±

    ¡°I believe you,¡± Leon said with a shrug. ¡°I just don¡¯t think Gertrude cares about whether or not it was your fault.¡±

    Leon glanced to the side. Suspiciously.

    With the supernatural speed given to him by his Class, Will dropped and twisted out of range of the old woman¡¯s¡ª

    ¡°OW, ow, ow, ow!¡± Will said as Gertrude caught his ear between her gnarled fingers.

    ¡°There you are!¡± Gertrude shouted, hauling Will out of Leon¡¯s shop.

    ¡°How are you so fa¡ªow ow!¡±

    ¡°How dare you disappear without a word to anyone!¡±

    ¡°Well, you know it wasn¡¯t really my idea¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡®Gone on an overnight hunting trip with a bunch of total strangers¡¯?! Seems like you had plenty of time to think things through. Enough to craft a message specifically designed to worry me.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­ Fine, I took a risk, and it didn¡¯t work out well for me, but I¡¯m still alive.¡±

    ¡°Ben isn¡¯t!¡± Gertrude retorted.

    Will felt his expression cool. ¡°Ben committed suicide through sheer stupidity. It wasn¡¯t even the fault of the Climbers who killed him, really. If he had just kept. His. Mouth. Shut¡­we could¡¯ve been good friends with those people.¡±

    Gertrude released his ear and took a step back, searching his face. ¡°Is that what you believe?¡± she asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no sin greater than being an easy meal,¡± Will replied.

    ¡°¡­I can see you¡¯ve had some time to think about things, but you obviously need a little more,¡± Gertrude said, shaking her head as she turned away.

    ¡°And if I hear about you taking ¡®easy meals,¡¯ I swear to all the gods that I will climb to whatever floor you¡¯re on and put you out of your misguided misery.¡± She shook her head as she walked away.

    Will watched the ancient priestess tromp down the dirt main street of their village, down the path that would eventually lead her back to her orphanage.

    Will couldn¡¯t quite grasp her logic there, so he put it in the back of his mind and turned back to the general store.

    ¡°You¡¯re more alive than I was expecting,¡± Leon said.

    ¡°Same,¡± Will said. ¡°Come by any Relics recently that you could part with for one gold?¡± Will asked, revealing the tooth-dented gold coin he¡¯d received from the caravan.

    ¡°Mm.¡± Leon rubbed his chin and ducked behind the counter, and returned with three pieces of gear.

    ¡°Boots of Moisture Wicking, Eyepatch of Darkening, Amulet of Environmental Resistance.¡±

    ¡°Boots of Moisture Wicking? Seriously?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°What do you expect for one gold?¡± Leon asked back. ¡°Anything that¡¯ll save a life or win a fight is WAY more expensive.¡±

    ¡°This is the most money I¡¯ve ever had,¡± Will responded, brandishing his gold coin.

    ¡°Good for you.¡± Leon shrugged. ¡°Tell you what. Come back when you¡¯ve got fifteen gold or the equivalent,¡± Leon said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for Relics that suit your build.¡±

    ¡°That would be¡­¡± Will shook his head. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°I do it for all the Climbers who come out of Ashwood.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± Leon¡¯s portly wife ducked out from the storage room to undercut him before vanishing again.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Leon¡¯s expression soured, glancing over his shoulder at the empty doorway behind him. ¡°Anyway¡ª¡±

    Quest Received!

    Establishing Quest: Break the supply lines!

    Kaith have pushed into the First Floor, and are currently the subject of an extermination order for higher-level Climbers. Their primary nest is under siege, but they are still receiving supplies through unknown channels.

    Find these channels and sever them so that the primary force may successfully drive them back to the second floor.

    Do you accept?

    Y/N

    14 minutes, 58 seconds remaining.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Will said, blinking.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a kaith?¡±

    ¡°Hive-mind creature, lives on the second floor. They build huge bridges out of their own spit and whatever material they have available. Nasty one-on-one, deadly in groups.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s an Establishing Quest?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°About the right time for you. What¡¯s the time limit?¡±

    ¡°Fourteen minutes,¡± Will responded.

    ¡°That¡¯s how long you have to decide whether you wanna go on it or not, so take your time,¡± Leon said. ¡°Generally, Establishing Quests are called that because they¡¯re an easy mission given to newbies, with an outsized reward for completion.

    ¡°They¡¯re also a great way to find teammates,¡± Leon continued. ¡°Since they¡¯re primarily composed of young newbies without parties.

    ¡°And sometimes¡­¡± Leon said, wiggling his eyebrows. ¡°...you meet cute single girls that you get to pair up with¡­if you know what I mean¡­¡± He glanced over his shoulder at the empty doorway. ¡°For the rest of your life.¡±

    Leon¡¯s expression turned haunted, and he let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t take them after level five or if you are in a party, so now¡¯s the time to meet some cute girls and make a good impression.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that under advisement,¡± Will said. ¡°Anything else I should know?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get killed?¡± Leon offered.

    ¡°How wise,¡± Will said. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t accept it in here,¡± Leon said, shooing him away. ¡°I don¡¯t need an interdimensional doorway taking a chunk out of my floor, nor do I need you tumbling back through, all bloody in the middle of the night and dirtying up my shop. Accept it outside.¡±

    Bemused, Will walked outside and a ways away from Leon¡¯s shop.

    Do you accept?

    Yes.

    Silently, a doorway opened in front of Will, identical to the one that had trapped him in a featureless box for two days. The featureless box that his corpse could be growing mushrooms in this very instant, if he hadn¡¯t gotten lucky.

    Well, here we go.

    Will strode forward.

    And stopped a couple inches away from the Door as his entire body flooded with adrenaline.

    Will took a step back, and his heart settled down almost immediately.

    No problem. I¡¯ll just close my eyes, take a deep breath, and¡­

    Will¡¯s feet unconsciously swerved around the Door. When he opened his eyes, he was way off the mark, the glowing Door behind him and to his right.

    Oh¡­this could be a problem.

    Will came up with a solution.

    ¡°Hey Leon, could I get a hand out here?¡±

    ¡°Eh, whaddya need me for?¡± the gruff shopkeep demanded, already heading out from behind the counter.

    ¡°I need you to give me a little push,¡± Will said as he arrived in front of the Door, miming the action.

    ¡°Nah. Ain¡¯t gonna do it.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve seen this before. A couple times. Heard about it even more,¡± Leon said. ¡°Oftentimes people have real bad experiences on the other side of those Doors.¡± He glanced at Will¡¯s missing hand.

    ¡°Sometimes they can¡¯t bear to go through the Door anymore. I¡¯ve seen people try to get others to give them the nudge they need to make it through. It always escalates until they¡¯re kicking and screaming every time, and they always wash out. Or die.¡±

    ¡°But I feel fine!¡± Will protested.

    ¡°Yeah, the way you feel, and what¡¯s really going on up here¡ª¡± he tapped his head, ¡°¡ªain¡¯t always the same.¡±

    ¡°So what am I supposed to do?¡± Will demanded, his heart sinking.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got two options: Give up on Climbing and start a life out here, or figure out a way to get yourself through that Door entirely under your own power, in the next thirteen minutes.¡±

    Over the next ten minutes, Will tried running at it, jumping at it, but each time, one of his legs would give out, leaving him sprawled out in the dirt.

    Several of those minutes were simply forcing himself to march through on sheer willpower, and they failed miserably.

    As the timer was ticking down on the last two minutes, Leon scoffed and walked back to his shop.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if the local hunter¡¯ll apprentice ya,¡± he said, turning towards Will and giving him a salute before rocking back on his heels and allowing himself to fall most of the way through his doorway before he caught himself.

    Will¡¯s eyes widened.

    I just have to let gravity do the work. I really should give Leon a raise.

    Will stood with his back to the Door, as close to the brilliant yellow death-portal as he could stomach, then closed his eyes and rocked back on his heels.

    There was a fleeting sensation of weightlessness and mind-bending dread, and an instant later, Will slammed into a floor that was much rockier than the hard-packed earth street outside Leon¡¯s shop.

    Will opened his eyes and above him was that godsforsaken blue sky.

    In the center of it was a grizzled veteran, looming directly over him.

    ¡°Nice of you to join us. Entamaphobia?¡± The older Climber asked what sounded like a question made of a jumble of syllables, while offering him a hand.

    ¡°I have no idea what that means,¡± Will said, taking the hand and coming to a stand, his ears catching whispers and feminine giggles.

    Oh, right. Well, there goes my first impression, Will thought as he scanned the crowd. Leon was right. There were a lot of girls his age here.

    ¡°Fear of Doors,¡± the veteran said, dusting Will¡¯s shoulders off.

    ¡°Oh, then yes.¡±

    ¡°You make it through on your own?¡± he asked. His tone was neutral, but Will felt a menacing energy carried through beneath it.

    ¡°Yessir. Closed my eyes and fell backwards.¡±

    ¡°Good! Means you might recover. NOW GET YOUR ASS IN THAT LINE!¡±

    He shoved Will over towards the rest of the new Climbers, who were assembled into a rough line.

    ¡°We¡¯re short on time, so I¡¯ll make it quick. My name is Nathan. I¡¯m your babysitter on this Quest.

    ¡°Now, just a few hundred feet that way is a big hole in the ground. That hole in the ground leads to an extensive cave system that the kaith are using to move food to the front lines, where they are battling higher-level climbers.

    ¡°Our quest is to find and destroy their supply lines. It is not to get into a direct fight with the kaith. If you¡¯re here to advance a civilian Class, step forward.¡±

    A dozen or so Climbers stepped forward.

    ¡°Set up camp. Bake bread. Whatever you do, do it,¡± he said, waving for them to get to work. The young men and women broke apart and began surveying the land, leaving the scrappier-looking Climbers behind.

    Will was glad to count himself among them.

    ¡°You, what¡¯s your archetype?¡±

    ¡°Tanker,¡± a large boy said.

    ¡°You?¡± he asked, moving on.

    ¡°Striker,¡± a young woman with lean muscles said.

    ¡°You?¡± he asked, pointing at a short figure in a leather cloak, a barrel resting beside it, nearly the same size as the figure itself.

    ¡°Saboteur,¡± a raspy voice responded.

    ¡°Lift that hood.¡±

    Taloned hands reached up and lifted the deep hood, revealing a ruddy, scaled muzzle with eyes like emerald gemstones.

    ¡°A kobold. The hell did you get mixed in here? Don¡¯t your people have their own land on the other side of the tower?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± the kobold responded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care. I hear your people like traps.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t just ¡®like¡¯ traps. We live them,¡± the kobold said with a genteel nod.

    Nathan grunted, moving on. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Nuker,¡± a young man said, pridefully raising his chin.

    Will bit down on the instant envy.

    Nathan went down a dozen or so before he got to Will. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Scout/Infiltrator,¡± Will responded.

    ¡°Was that before or after this?¡± he asked, pointing at Will¡¯s missing hand.

    ¡°After.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Good on you.¡±

    Nathan moved down the line until he reached the end.

    ¡°Alright, break into teams, no less than two, no more than five. I don¡¯t really care what your logic is, just be aware that a poor choice in teammates will get you killed.¡±

    Will approached some people he thought could complement his style, but by and large, they ignored him after one look at his missing hand.

    In a matter of minutes, half a dozen knots of young men and women had formed, leaving Will standing by himself.

    Well, not entirely by himself.

    ¡°Care for a grub?¡± the kobold asked, reaching up to offer him a wriggling larva.

    Will shrugged and ate it. It tasted¡­not bad, all things considered. Probably would be better if cooked and spiced, but one simply did not turn down free food.

    ¡°My name is Loth,¡± Loth said. ¡°You are the first human who accepted my gift of friendship. I believe the human custom is to¡­clasp hands, correct?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Will said, taking the oddly pebbled hand and giving it a firm shake. ¡°My name¡¯s William Oh.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then our victory is assured,¡± Loth said with a sharp-toothed grin.

    ¡°Whaddya mean?¡± Will asked, before realizing that the knots of chatting teens had turned silent.

    ¡°The William Oh?¡± one of the nearby teen Climbers asked.

    Will scanned the surrounding Climbers, staring at him with a mixture of burgeoning awe and envy.

    Holy shit, Jason. You weren¡¯t kidding.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s on my team!¡± a girl shouted, grabbing Will¡¯s arm, which unleashed a flood of noise and motion as everyone crowded around him.

 Chapter 9: Spelunking

    William Oh once climbed down into the bowels of the Abyss. He went so deep that he accidentally crossed into the underworld itself, where the lord of Death himself was waiting to claim another soul.

    With his mighty war axe, Will cleaved the god¡¯s jaw off of his body and brought back his teeth as a trophy.

    Naturally, you can¡¯t kill the lord of Death, but if you hear strange sounds coming from the ground at night, that might very well be Lumesh himself moaning as he searches for his severed jaw.

    -          Jason Salazar

    Will sat against the cold stone, staring straight ahead at the blank cave wall, lit by the faint light of Loth¡¯s glowbugs.

    ¡°Why did I do that?¡± he asked aloud. ¡°Why did I do that?¡±

    ¡°You said it was because you didn¡¯t want them to grow accustomed to your greatness and then suffer in its absence,¡± Loth replied, sitting beside him.

    ¡°Yeah, but why did I DO that?!¡± Will demanded. ¡°I could¡¯ve had four girls in my party. Four¡­girls. We could¡¯ve had¡­adventures.¡±

    ¡°In my admittedly short experience, one cannot change their nature at the first crack of shell.¡± Loth looked up at him. ¡°Do you perhaps not have much experience with multiple women fighting over you?¡±

    ¡°That would be the understatement of the century,¡± Will replied.

    ¡°Then it would follow that your tolerance for those situations would be limited. If it happens more, then you will be able to respond with consideration, rather than panic.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like that¡¯ll ever happen again,¡± Will muttered. Then he recalled how the girls made those weird sighing noises at his reflexively made-up bullshit to escape their attention.

    He also recalled Jason¡¯s over-achieving manner of handling his end of the bargain. It had been amusing when he¡¯d heard the stories firsthand, when Jason couldn¡¯t recognize him due to the sunburns and weight loss, but now¡­

    He¡¯s gonna keep going an entire year, isn¡¯t he? Dear gods, I don¡¯t think I can handle any more unearned fame.

    On the other hand, now that I¡¯ve got some distance, being mobbed by girls wasn¡¯t so bad¡­

    Will didn¡¯t really know how to deal with them, though. A girl older than him had left the orphanage six years prior, and the closest one in age to him was Marissa, and she was three years younger. Pretty much a complete brat.

    There were a handful of girls in the village about his age, but they didn¡¯t really¡­interact much.

    ¡°How do kobolds deal with women?¡± Will asked idly.

    ¡°Well, there are many courtship rituals among our people, so there¡¯s no one way of doing it, but I¡¯m quite partial to the method whereby the man grabs the woman by the horns¡ª¡± He tapped the rear-facing horns jutting out of the back of his skull, before miming the action. ¡°¡ªwrestles her upper body to the ground, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll work,¡± Will said, shaking his head. ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s move on. It feels like this conversation isn¡¯t going to bear fruit.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Loth said with a nod. ¡°Also, in what manner can a conversation bear fruit?¡±

    ¡°It means ¡®nothing good will come of it.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ah. Idioms. Those are difficult.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Will said, pushing himself to his feet and surveying the stone walls. They¡¯d split into seven groups and begun scouting out the caverns, looking for the kaith supply line. It was a branching web of tunnels that plunged into pitch blackness, causing them to split up rather quickly. Thankfully before Will ran out of his severely limited supply of smooth one-liners.

    In theory, all the kaith warriors should be at the front line, where higher-level Climbers were dealing with them. The workers themselves were much more in line with what one could expect on the first floor of The Tower.

    The barrel of soil topped with food scraps turned out to house dozens of insect species, which Loth manipulated with ease.

    Every time they came to a branch in the cave system, Loth left an arrow pointing back the way they came, marked with the luminescent juices of glowbugs squished against the wall.

    ¡°How many different bugs do you have, anyway?¡± Will asked, stepping carefully as they walked down the tunnel.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got feeders,¡± Loth said, pulling out one of the wiggling grubs he¡¯d offered Will. ¡°They¡¯ll eat anything and store food scraps as more of themselves. Good field rations. They feed the others, too. I¡¯ve got silkstriders, wood-worms, venomous Gnatters, Pics, ticks. These ones coagulate blood, these make it flow freely. These barbs house flesh-eating bacteria. Squash some bleeders and barbs on a blade, and a tiny nick becomes a wound requiring a healer to intervene. And fast.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got binders: they glue things together. A fungus for feeding the ones that prefer plants. Stinkers, Seekers¡­ Use them together to mark a target and track it down later.

    ¡°Gillies, sweeteners, masks, firestarters, poppers, glowbugs, of course, and umm¡­I think that¡¯s about it. Probably.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a microcosm of Death,¡± Will said, leaning over the innocuous barrel of soil, watching the tiny flashes of light as shiny chitin moved about just under the surface.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fantastic?!¡± Loth asked, looking up at him with a sharp-toothed grin. ¡°It was a challenge and a half to get them all living together, and half of my Class is dedicated to simply keeping them in balance and under control.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the other half dedicated to?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Traps.¡±

    ¡°I see. ACK!¡±

    Will nearly tumbled into the afterlife as the bottom of the tunnel fell out from under him. What he assumed to be a small shadow between one ridge in the floor and the next was actually a pitch-black drop into nothingness, only about three feet wide, but immeasurably deep.

    Will plummeted down for a fraction of a second before his body caught up with what was happening, and his good hand whipped out, catching the far edge.

    Will kicked off the stone and whipped himself back up into the ¡®safety¡¯ of the pitch-black tunnel through enemy territory they¡¯d been spelunking.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Loth said, kneeling beside the hole in the floor. A handful of glowing worms climbed up to the edge of his barrel, and Loth scooped them up, placing them in a dish of polished silver.

    He turned the dish upside down, and Will blinked when he realized that it focused their light into a beam. Despite the beam of pale blue light, they couldn¡¯t see the bottom.

    ¡°Looks like this may be another path,¡± Loth mused.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°¡­We shouldn¡¯t give something the opportunity to come up behind us,¡± Will said, eyeing the hole in the floor. It needed to be explored otherwise there would be a possibility of being ambushed from behind.

    ¡°Which direction would you like to go?¡± Loth asked, pointing down at the hole, then the continuation of the tunnel.

    Will heaved a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go down. I¡¯m better suited for climbing than the others, so I should do it.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Loth held up a finger, and placed the barrel down beside the hole. The kobold¡¯s silk-striders marched out of the barrel and began crawling up to the far tunnel.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those just spiders?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°A special breed of them. They¡¯re a domesticated variety that has a hard time hunting for themselves, but they make several excellent varieties of silk on command,¡± Loth said.

    Will watched as the spiders strung an invisible strand of silk from the top of the far tunnel before Loth reached into his pouch and retrieved a tiny bell, hanging it up.

    It seemed as though it was hanging in midair, in the shadow of an overhang, nearly entirely out of sight.

    Loth plucked the vertical strand of silk, which gave off a clear tinkling sound. He nodded in satisfaction. All told, it took the kobold maybe five seconds to set up an imperceptible alarm trap.

    Loth squished a glow bug between his fingers, then drew symbols explaining to any follow-up crews that they¡¯d gone down the hole and the tunnel in front of them was unexplored.

    Hopefully, those symbols would prevent anyone else mindlessly stumbling into the pit like Will had.

    ¡°Alright, here we go,¡± Will said, dropping down into the pit and beginning to climb down.

    As Will got started, a line of glow-bugs began marching down the wall alongside him, providing dim illumination as he went.

    About three minutes into the downward climb, Will was beginning to accept that this was an actual path, and they weren¡¯t going to hit a dead end and come back again.

    Shortly afterward, something lunged out of the dark and grabbed his foot.

    ¡°SHIT!¡± Will shouted as a ring of predatory teeth latched around his ankle, poking through the tough leather of his boots.

    It yanked his foot off the wall and tried to yank him back into a hole where it would begin the process of feasting.

    ¡°Damnit!¡± Will only had two contact points on the wall, which was less than ideal when being ragdolled around by¡­

    Will caught a glance of it, and wished he hadn¡¯t. It was a wormlike appendage with a ring of fanglike protrusions that convulsed in sync with each other, with the sole purpose of drawing his foot down its gullet.

    Will hissed in pain as he set his body weight on his left elbow and slipped the tomahawk out of his belt.

    An instant later, his elbow slipped and he was in freefall, held up only by the monstrous creature reeling him into its coffin-like lair.

    Will whipped the tomahawk forward and buried it in the maggot-white neck just beyond where he knew his foot was.

    The creature pulled harder.

    Will went into a frenzy, slamming the blade into the creature¡¯s neck over and over, a faint hum building up behind his eyes as he did so.

    Finally, Will slammed the ax through the creature¡¯s neck, severing its hold on him completely. Will¡¯s weight ripped the last threads of muscle, causing the monster¡¯s jaws to detach with a sickly pop.

    Unfortunately, that put him into freefall again.

    Will hit his head on something, sending stars shooting across his vision.

    He dropped the tomahawk and flailed around for any purchase he could find.

    The stone conformed to his grip, and he wrenched to a stop, nearly pulling his arm out of its socket as his weapon kept tumbling.

    Desperate not to lose his Relic, Will swung forward and caught the tomahawk between his thighs, nearly unmanning himself in the process.

    ¡°Well,¡± Will muttered to himself, dangling by a single hand in complete darkness above an unknowable drop, potentially surrounded by an entire hive of those flesh-eating creatures. ¡°This could¡¯ve gone better.¡±

    Through a monumental effort, Will crunched up and passed the head of his weapon into the crook of his elbow, then carefully guided it into a belt loop.

    ¡°William, are you still alive?¡± Loth asked as he rappelled down on spider silk rope.

    ¡°Technically,¡± Will muttered. Once his weapon was secured, he got to work setting his feet¡­except there was nothing to set them on.

    ¡°¡­I think I¡¯m hanging from the ceiling of a thousand-foot drop¡­with one hand,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Allow me to confirm,¡± Loth said, setting his feet and tugging on the rope. The silk-striders above him chewed through the rope and rejoined their master, where they reset the silk rope at his current position.

    The glow-bugs marched down in tandem with their master until the walls of the tunnel suddenly gave way, leaving the kobold suspended over nothing.

    Without losing a beat, Loth put glowbugs in his silver dish and scanned the surrounding emptiness.

    ¡°There¡¯s a ledge there,¡± he said, pointing.

    Will craned his neck to see, and spotted a ledge about twenty feet out and twenty down, lit up by the pale blue light.

    ¡°Can you keep the light on it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Surely.¡±

    Will bunched up his body and put his legs on the lip of the tunnel, praying that his tomahawk didn¡¯t slip out of the belt-loop. His right arm was twisted nearly one hundred and eighty degrees moments before he pushed off with every fiber of his being, leaping across the empty chasm toward the ledge below.

    Will had all the wind crushed out of his lungs as he hit the ledge. For a brief, hair-raising instant, Will thought he would slip off and tumble into the emptiness beneath.

    His hand found a good grip less than a heartbeat later, and he hauled himself up onto the ledge, groaning as he rubbed what would surely become an impressive bruise by tomorrow morning.

    ¡°Catch!¡± Loth called, moments before a rope sailed across the gap and landed in Will¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Hold it to the wall for a moment,¡± Loth¡¯s voice called from the empty blackness in the distance, punctuated by the single blue light in his hand.

    Will did so.

    Dozens of silk-striders crawled down the rope and began webbing it to the wall.

    ¡°You can let go now,¡± Loth said as the rope went tight.

    A moment later, Loth slid down the rope, landing on the ledge, unhooking a metal hook with a latch on a spring as he settled.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite good at climbing, despite being a one-handed human.¡±

    ¡°Half of my Class is dedicated to it,¡± Will said.

    ¡°What¡¯s the other half dedicated to?¡± Loth asked, referencing their earlier conversation with a wry look.

    ¡°Magic,¡± Will said, releasing the Sting Ring from dimensional storage into his palm.

    Loth¡¯s scaly brows rose. ¡°Interesting.¡±

    Now that they were out of sight of anyone who might be from Ashwood, and likely to run into further trouble, Will figured this was a good time to equip it.

    He¡¯d gotten the opportunity to sacrifice it to his Phantom Hand when he¡¯d first taken it into the storage, hiding it from inconvenient questions by the magistrate.

    Will hadn¡¯t sacrificed the ring to Phantom Hand because there was no need to just yet. He only had one ring, and his ring slot was empty. Once he started having multiple Relics fighting over the same slot, then he could worry about which one he wanted to destroy.

    Wait a minute.

    Will realized that his Phantom Hand was ridiculously powerful.

    There were several slots that could only have one Relic, like helmets, boots (in pairs), amulets, two-handed primary weapons, etc.

    Typically, if someone found two helmets that would have had a synergistic effect between them, they could never combine those effects, because their wearer only had one head.

    Not so with the Phantom Hand.

    As its dimensional storage grew, he would eventually be able to use it as something like a Universal Slot, which vastly outweighed the utility of the Ring slot he¡¯d lost to get it.

    Awesome¡­ Still would prefer having my hand back, though.

    With his mouth, he pushed the Sting Ring onto the finger of his right hand, feeling the faint buzzing sensation signaling that it had activated and added its effects to his character sheet.

    Sting Ring equipped.

    +1 acid damage added to all attacks.

    1 Charge: Acid Bolt.

    Fire a shard of acid-impregnated stone at a target.

    They took a break. Will bandaged up the scrapes and shallow punctures on his foot while Loth sat on the edge of the ledge, idly swinging his legs over the abyss with the ease of a boy sitting in a tree branch ten steps from home, munching on grubs and drinking from a flask of water.

    ¡°Want some?¡± Loth asked, holding out a handful of grubs like trail rations.

    ¡°Nah, I got my own,¡± Will muttered, prying the creature¡¯s fangs out of the leather of his boot, forcing the hardened hide to relinquish his snack.

    He sat beside Loth, turned the creature¡¯s mouth around backwards and started chewing on the neck-meat. There were a couple pounds of it attached to the jaw, after all.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Loth asked.

    Wordlessly, Will seized some with his teeth and ripped the piece in half, offering it to Loth.

    The kobold took a ginger bite and nodded appreciatively before continuing on to devour the rest of it.

    The two of them took an hour to recover from the climb, sitting side by side, feet dangling over Death, leaning against the stone wall.

 Chapter 10: First Impressions

    With the sheer magnetism of his presence, William Oh attracted a ragtag army of green adventurers of four different species lost in the darkness. He shepherded them against the encroaching danger, dispensing his wisdom on underground survival as he did so.

    They say he shone so bright to their eyes that they didn¡¯t need lanterns to find him in the dark, such was their admiration.

    -          Jason Salazar

    ***Mason Lanover***

    ¡°Are you sure they came this way?¡± Reggie asked. The young Tanker was having trouble squeezing through the tunnels with his armor intact.

    Tankers were an interesting archetype. Nobody with any sense wanted to be one, and nobody without a significant amount of money and resources could create and equip one, but they were doubtlessly useful, so most Tankers wound up being sponsored by their village or by rich families to bodyguard their young heirs through their more vulnerable first dozen or so levels.

    Reggie being a case in point.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± Mason replied, covering the lantern with his hand.

    As soon as the light of the lantern vanished, the walls lit up with bioluminescent marks from the trap-rat¡¯s insects.

    ¡°Hold up,¡± June, their scout, said as she held up a hand, peering ahead of them cautiously. ¡°Cover the lantern again?¡±

    Mason covered the lantern, revealing a bar of kobold gibberish scribbled on the floor in glowing ink.

    ¡°How considerate. They marked the pit for anyone who came behind them.¡±

    ¡°Like actually considerate, or sarcastic considerate?¡± Reggie clarified.

    ¡°The former,¡± June said, hopping across the pit.

    JINGLE!

    A tiny bell suspended from above began tinkling, sending a clear note through the caverns. For an instant, Mason¡¯s heart seized, aware of the lethal traps the kobolds were known for. Thankfully, nothing followed.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an alert,¡± June said, pocketing the bell. ¡°We should assume they know we¡¯re coming.¡± She crept ahead of them into the dark for a minute before returning.

    ¡°They went down there,¡± she said, pointing down the hole.

    ¡°Like, down there, down there?¡± Reggie asked.

    ¡°Yes. Down there, down there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can fit down there,¡± Reggie said, peering down into the bottomless hole.

    ¡°Where did all your anger about that William Oh acting all high and mighty go?¡± Mason demanded. ¡°I thought you wanted to give him a little chin music now that he¡¯s not being mother-henned by that insufferable Nathan fellow.¡±

    ¡°I think that was mostly you,¡± Reggie replied. ¡°I thought he was pretty cool.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he was cute. I¡¯ll still send him a beating for the right price, though. Hand me the lantern,¡± June said, motioning with her hand as she leaned over the pit.

    June was planning on being a career Climber, and had taken Sacrifices to match that ambition, which made her odd, because most women were averse to lifestyles with such a high mortality rate. Most of them were back in camp, putting up defenses, ovens, water filters, and places to sleep.

    There were always a few, though¡­and for some reason, most of them had jumped at the chance to get William Oh on their team, ignoring the heir of the Lanover fortune. A future Lord, relegated to everyone¡¯s second choice. Laughable.

    Except, Mason wasn¡¯t laughing.

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t get it,¡± Mason said, handing over the lantern. ¡°He deliberately made up rumors about himself before his Establishing Quest to get girls, and the way they were eating up his spurious words¡­¡± A cold fury burned inside Mason¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Jealous you didn¡¯t think of it first?¡± June asked with a wry smile as she attached the lantern to the rope and began lowering it down.

    ¡°NO!¡± Mason protested. ¡°It¡¯s the principle of the thing. I am real. He is not. Girls shouldn¡¯t be fawning over an obvious faker.¡±

    ¡°They should be fawning over you?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    She raised a brow.

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Some advice?¡± June said, looking down into the pit as the sides were lit by the lowering lantern. ¡°You are never going to be able to control who girls fawn over, and the mere act of trying to do so makes you look like an ass.¡±

    ¡°Well, what about him?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he started those rumors,¡± June said. ¡°He was super nervous being the center of attention. We could tell. That¡¯s why we let him off the hook. It was pretty cute.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, you don¡¯t get to pull feminine hive-mind ¡®we all decided to mob him¡­as a joke, then we could all tell he was nervous, and then we all decided to let him off the hook without any communication to that effect¡¯ bullshit,¡± Mason griped at his friend. ¡°Women are either individuals, or they are a brain-linked hive-mind. You don¡¯t get to play both sides.¡±

    June shrugged and glanced at Reggie.

    ¡°Nah, pass,¡± Reggie said, waving his hand.

    ¡°We did communicate. You didn¡¯t see me make this face at Sasha?¡± Her face twitched indiscernibly. ¡°Sasha said this.¡± June¡¯s brows subtly shifted. ¡°Then Mary said this.¡± The corner of June¡¯s mouth twitched upward. ¡°Then Nancy joined in on the joke.¡± The other corner of June¡¯s mouth twitched upward.

    ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± Mason asked. Did girls really have some kind of face sign language? He was fairly sure June was exaggerating to make him feel stupid, but it felt like there might be a kernel of truth in there somewhere.

    ¡°Who knows? You certainly don¡¯t.

    ¡°Peggy was clueless, though. She just wanted an excuse to fangirl over someone,¡± June finished with a sigh before glancing back up at Reggie. ¡°I think we can fit you through here.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic. I totally wanted to climb down a claustrophobic, bottomless hole,¡± Reggie said with a sarcastic drawl.

    ¡°Tell me how you really feel,¡± June teased.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Do we have enough rope?¡± Mason asked.

    June glanced down at the lantern illuminating the pit fifty feet below them, with no bottom in sight. ¡°Maybe,¡± June said with a shrug.

    ¡°How did William Oh get down there with one hand?¡± Reggie asked.

    ¡°Using the kobold¡¯s help, obviously,¡± Mason said. ¡°Also, call him William or Will from now on.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were on a first-name basis,¡± Reggie said.

    ¡°We¡¯re not, I just don¡¯t want you to get in the habit of calling him by his first and last name like some kind of celebrity.¡±

    ***William***

    ¡°You hear that?¡± Will asked as a faint tinkling sound caught his ear.

    ¡°Yes, it appears as though someone or something has come behind us,¡± Loth replied, glancing over his shoulder. In the stillness of the underground, sound traveled far.

    They shared a look.

    ¡°Ambush?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Better to trap your neighbor and the klinnoth than neither,¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Idioms!¡± Will said as they headed back. Half an hour later, a rather large, sweaty young man began climbing down Loth¡¯s rope to land on the ledge. From his sheer bulk, he barely fit on the ledge, and his oversized armor didn¡¯t help either.

    Once he had solid ground under his feet, the oversized boy sat down, panting from exertion, unscrewing the cap of a flask and taking a swig of water.

    Will recognized him from the gathering outside the cave system. The Tanker.

    ¡°Are the other tunnels scouted, then?¡± Will asked, dropping down from above to land beside the Tanker, who proceeded to spit a mouthful of water into the abyss.

    ¡°Gods!¡± the Tanker cried, staring at him with round eyes. ¡°The Abyss did you come from?¡±

    Will pointed at the stone wall above them with a shrug. ¡°Heard you coming.¡±

    ¡°Right. Anyway, we hit dead ends and are backtracking.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you take the branch we didn¡¯t?¡± Will asked, frowning.

    ¡°Cuz of him,¡± the big guy said, pointing off into the distance at the Nuker, who was struggling to hand-over-hand down the rope to the ledge.

    ¡°Is that him?! Keep him there!¡± the mage shouted as he struggled along. ¡°I¡¯m on my way!¡±

    ¡°My name¡¯s Reggie,¡± the big kid said, offering his hand.

    ¡°If you try to keep me here, I¡¯ll throw you off the ledge,¡± Will said.

    Reggie¡¯s brows rose. ¡°Just a handshake, man.¡±

    ¡°Will.¡± Will grasped his hand, gave a solid shake and released, pleased to discover that Reggie wasn¡¯t going to try anything.

    ¡°You! You spurious cad!¡± the nuker said as he arrived, poking Will aggressively in the chest, which was awkward as he had to clamber over the tanker¡¯s legs to reach him.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°What do I mean? That well of pernicious lies you¡¯ve dug for yourself. The taste might be sweet right now, but it¡¯ll poison you, I¡¯ll make sure of that! I¡¯ll be the instrument of Karma that ensures you get your just desserts!¡±

    ¡°No, what does ¡®spurious¡¯ mean?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°You ignorant¡ª¡± The nuker fumed helplessly, unable to fully gesticulate his frustration on a narrow ledge.

    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m June,¡± the last person across the rope said as she arrived, swinging across the gap with significantly more skill than the first two.

    Will immediately hid behind the nuker in case she decided to attack him. And for no other reason.

    ¡°We decided to come reinforce you down here. It¡¯s slim pickings up there,¡± she said, pointing toward the tunnel in the ceiling.

    ¡°He says if we mess with him, he¡¯ll throw us off the cliff,¡± Reggie said, leaning against the wall.

    ¡°Wow, hardcore,¡± June said, slipping a backpack off and fishing through it for snacks.

    ¡°He is not hardcore!¡± the nuker said, pouting.

    ¡°So, to be clear, you guys aren¡¯t trying to kill me, steal my stuff, and leave me at the bottom of the abyss?¡± Will asked, peeking around the fuming noble¡¯s son.

    ¡°We are here to prove that you are a charlatan, a fraud, a festering boil on the ass of society,¡± the nuker said, turning back to Will.

    ¡°But not actually going to try to kill me?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°¡­No. We¡¯re not going to kill you, you coward,¡± the nuker said, rolling his eyes. ¡°But I¡¯m going to witness your fraud firsthand and warn others. You will be known among the highest circles for the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Cool. Looks like we¡¯re clear, Loth,¡± Will said, interrupting¡­whatever that was.

    ¡°Excellent.¡± Loth¡¯s voice came from beneath them. A moment later, the kobold climbed up from underneath the ledge. He pulled some taut silk up from the floor with a single claw and cut it with a belt knife.

    POW!

    The severed silk released a massive amount of energy as it snapped, whipping down into the darkness.

    Reggie¡¯s eyes traced the remains of the silk rope to where it joined the false wall behind him.

    ¡°You were gonna kill us?!¡± Reggie cried.

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know what you wanted with us, so¡­¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°What kind of irredeemable criminal assumes that everyone¡ª¡±

    ¡°Whatever. Loth and I are going to be the front scouts. J-June, would you mind watching our backs?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± June said, giving him a flippant salute.

    ¡°Sounds fine,¡± Reggie said.

    ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll be heading out that way. Follow when you¡¯re ready,¡± Will said, joining Loth on the walk back out into the darkness.

    ¡°Hardcore,¡± Reggie whispered.

    ¡°Hardcore,¡± June replied.

    ¡°He is NOT. HARDCORE!¡± the nuker shouted as the other group faded into the distance.

    ¡°I never got his name,¡± Will mused once they were out of earshot.

    ¡°I am sure you will,¡± Loth replied. ¡°He seems the type to say his own name aloud.¡±

    ¡°I am Mason Lanover, and I will not be ignored!¡± The nuker¡¯s voice turned shrill, piercing the darkness behind them.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Will whispered, craning his neck to peer behind them. ¡°Spot on.¡± He glanced down at Loth. ¡°Do you know what ¡®spurious¡¯ means?¡±

    ¡°Disingenuous, inauthentic, false, phony, or fraudulent,¡± Loth replied.

    At Will¡¯s stare, Loth shrugged. ¡°I learned English from a dictionary.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Are you, perhaps¡­unusual for a kobold?¡±

    Loth didn¡¯t answer and instead gave him a sharp-toothed grin. ¡°Pray tell, what is usual for a kobold?¡± Loth asked innocently.

    ¡°That¡¯s a trap, you trap-laying sonofabitch,¡± Will said, grinding his knuckles on Loth¡¯s skull.

    ¡°You¡¯ve stumbled across the closest thing to a compliment our species has,¡± Loth replied, brushing Will¡¯s hand away from his skull.

    They let the matter drop as they reached the point they hadn¡¯t scouted yet, falling silent and creeping along, ears open for any miniscule movement that might indicate a monster sneaking up on them.

    Now that they knew they had guests, they put a little more care into creating a navigable path behind them as they followed the narrow ledge, especially given the Tanker¡¯s overbearing size.

    Sometimes the ledge disappeared entirely, sometimes it moved up or down a couple body lengths, and rarely, it continued on straight for hundreds of feet only to crumble out from beneath the first person to walk across it.

    Will was almost ready to call it for the night, when they caught the first scent of trouble.

    Literally.

    ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s that?¡± Will whispered, scrunching up his nose as he came to a halt.

    ¡°Rotten meat,¡± Loth replied.

    They glanced at each other.

    ¡°Kaith supply line, maybe?¡± Will whispered.

    They went totally silent, sneaking forward, guided by the light of Loth¡¯s glowbugs.

    Eventually, the bridge came into sight.

    And what a sight it was: a ruddy brown material that seemed to be regurgitated stone mixed with rust, with a sort of organic latticework that arched out into the emptiness of the chasm, seemingly stretching into the distance without end.

    Kaith traveled across it at full speeds, their rotund yet insectoid bodies gliding past each other silently as one stream carried the rotting corpses of First Floor fauna and the occasional human, while the other was empty-handed.

    Empty-taloned? Empty-graspered?

    Well, whatever. I think we found our Quest target.

    Will and Loth quietly backed up and waited for the others to catch up.

    Once Reggie arrived, panting and sweaty from the modest amount of climbing he¡¯d been doing, followed shortly by Mason and June, they conferred.

    ¡°There¡¯s a kaith bridge a couple hundred feet in front of us,¡± Will said, pointing over his shoulder.

    ¡°We should get reinforcements,¡± Mason said.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Aye,¡± June said.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    They all glanced around at each other, as if in disbelief that none of them volunteered to be The Idiot That Gets Climbers Killed?.

    Nathan, the veteran in charge, was supposed to be the spearhead that held the bridge while they figured out how to destroy it. Their job now was to return to the surface and bring him back here tomorrow, along with the rest of the parties, so everyone was nice and rested and ready to go.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Will said. ¡°Since we¡¯re all on the same page, let¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°INCOMING!¡± Loth shouted, tossing a handful of glowbugs down the ledge, where the light glinted off of smooth, rotund chitin marching straight up the side of the wall.

 Chapter 11: Fighting Retreat

    William Oh once killed a dozen kaith without moving a muscle. ¨C Jason Salazar.

    What, with like, a trap? ¨C Onlooker.

    With his very gaze. - Jason Salazer

    Case file 8934: Ashwood

    ¡°RUN!¡±

    They all knew they didn¡¯t have a chance if the kaith bogged them down. They would be dragged down one by one, their biomass added to the ¡®supplies¡¯ the kaith were transporting to their central hive.

    June bolted down the narrow ledge back the way they came, bounding out in front of them like a startled deer.

    Mason followed shortly after, all pretense of noble bearing lost as he scrambled forward, dipping down to his hands and knees where he needed extra grip, without losing any of the desperate speed.

    Reggie tried to follow close behind, his ostentatious heavy armor causing more harm than help as his oversized pauldrons caught a jutting piece of rock, sending him teetering over the edge.

    Will set his feet, reached out and slammed Reggie back up against the wall as hard as he could, barely righting the Tanker.

    ¡°Keep moving!¡± Loth shouted, climbing over the both of them and hopping across the tanker¡¯s shoulders to continue on ahead, flinging sticky glowbugs in every direction like confetti to bring the battle into focus, heedless of the risk of being seen now that they had already engaged.

    Meanwhile, buzzing insects with wicked stingers swarmed from the bottom of Loth¡¯s barrel and began flinging themselves at the kaith¡¯s eyes, causing the monsters to flinch and scrape their forelimbs across their strangely mammalian eyes.

    ¡°You good?¡± Will asked.

    Reggie nodded, seizing his left pauldron and snapping the leather straps, tearing it away from his shoulder with one hand in a stunning display of strength, flinging it behind them before he continued running, leaving Will bringing up the rear.

    ¡°Fire to the rear-guard!¡± Mason¡¯s voice called out.

    Will leapt up and clung to the rock face as a mote of fire screamed past, cutting a thin line through his night-vision before it detonated behind him, sending a dozen or more of the closest monsters tumbling into the chasm.

    In the brief instant of light, Will saw a unit of kaith climbing the wall beneath and in front of Mason, about to form a wedge between their vanguard and their nuker.

    Will pulled out his tomahawk and sprinted along the side of the cliff, trusting Aspect of the Goat to provide footing as he ran across the sheer wall above Reggie and Mason, arcing high over their heads before jumping off.

    The nuker¡¯s slack jaw was worth probable death as Will sailed through the air over him, aiming to remedy the outflank.

    As the air flowed through the fang holes in his tomahawk, an unsettling chord began to float through the air, rising to a crescendo as Will came down feet-first on the lead kaith and buried the blade between the things mammalian eyes.

    Some unspoken feeling prompted Will to dump a Charge into the axe as it swept down.

    3 of 4 Charges remaining.

    The haunting chord thrummed outward from the tomahawk with a physical force, causing the surrounding kaith to flinch backwards before they began writhing in pain, dropping off the wall, trailing smoke from their eyes and mandibles.

    Relic use detected, decoding abilities¡­

    Tomahawk of- ¡°Crap.¡± Will muttered as the kaith he¡¯d struck fell, bringing him with it.

    Will leapt off the kaith, getting two steps up the side of the wall before his momentum began to push him away from the wall.

    Unwilling to drop his weapon again, Will caught the ledge with the blade of the axe, pulling himself back towards the stone wall before letting his feet do the rest of the work, pushing him up and onto the ledge.

    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Will said, climbing out of their way and ushering the mobility-impaired past.

    ¡°Will, catch!¡± Loth threw him a silk rope as the other two ran by them, attempting to catch up with June, who led the pack.

    Knowing the drill by now, Will secured the rope while Loth pulled the stretchy silk tight, adding a metal trigger from his pouch with a swiftness of claw he wouldn¡¯t have believed if he wasn¡¯t watching it.

    Loth took a leather box of some kind off his belt and slid it across the rope, and suddenly the stretchy silk was studded with poisoned blades, like an artist creating a detailed mountain vista out of paint with a single scrape of the knife.

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go!¡± Loth said, and the two of them sprinted to catch up with the other party as they barreled towards the rope stretching across the Abyss.

    ¡°WAIT! TURN AROUND!¡± Loth shouted, tugging on Will¡¯s shirt, nearly spinning him off his feet.

    ¡°What!?¡± Will asked as he spun around, trotting backwards on an unstable cliff face over a lethal drop, tomahawk ready to cut the encroaching enemy down.

    TWANG! CLATTER!

    A clump of kaith flowing past the trap they¡¯d just set were sent tumbling into the darkness as the stretchy silk whipped forward, some of them twitching from septic shock as glittering bits of metal stuck out of them.

    ¡°Fabulous.¡± Loth¡¯s raspy voice turned into a satisfied purr. ¡°That was almost an even dozen from a simple five-second trap. Mn. How many did you count?¡± Loth asked, peering up at him.

    Will shoved the tomahawk handle between his teeth and picked the kobold up, spinning around and sprinting forward, making up for lost time. He was heavier than Will expected due to the sheer amount of gear Loth wore, but Will was able to manage anyway.

    ¡°UA E A¡¯S WA AE OU!?¡± Will snarled. (What the Abyss was that about!?) Or perhaps (What the Abyss¡¯s wrong with you!?)

    ¡°Sometimes you just gotta watch it go off!¡± Loth said defensively, arms crossed over his chest as Will carried him like luggage, rapidly catching up with the three ahead.

    ¡°HE UH!¡± (Heads up!) Will shouted as he approached, tossing the kobold ahead.

    Loth flailed as he sailed through the air for a moment before he caught the rope suspended in midair and began scrambling up it, keeping pace with June.

    A moment later, the scout and the saboteur were up in the ceiling, paving the way for their retreat.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Mason said, rolling up his sleeves as he prepared to hand-over-hand the rope.

    ¡°Sorry, dude, we don¡¯t have time.¡± Reggie apologized and grabbed the nuker and threw him over his shoulder, wrenching a shriek of indignation out of the noble.

    A moment later, Reggie was huffing up the rope, showing no visible strain carrying two and full armor.

    ¡°Fire to the Rear!¡± Mason shouted, aiming from Reggie¡¯s shoulder.

    Will ducked down an instant before explosion sounded above him.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    A moment later, a cluster of kaith dropped from where they¡¯d been flanking on the wall above, their limbs twitching in shock as they tumbled past. One snagged his belt and nearly pulled him off the ledge before Will hacked the leg off with his axe.

    Slipping the tomahawk back into his beltloop, Will assessed the forty-five degree rope that stretched up about thirty feet into the hole in the ceiling lit by glowbugs.

    The Abyss am I supposed to climb that with one hand? Although¡­Loth does favor springy rope.

    ***Mason***

    ¡°Take ¡®im!¡± Reggie said, handing Mason up and into the hole with all the ceremony of a dockworker with a sack of flour, his face red from exertion.

    June took his hand and set Mason¡¯s foot into a loop placed on the side of the wall in silk by the kobold. Even now, the kobold saboteur was climbing above them, creating a well-lit path of handholds to follow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cover,¡± Mason said, allowing Reggie to climb up past him. The Tanker¡¯s crimson face and huffing looked like he might have a heart attack.

    ¡°Do you have the Charge?¡± Reggie asked.

    ¡°Seven left.¡± Mason replied, squinting as he saw William Oh study the rope, looking down at his hand in consternation.

    ¡°How¡¯s he going to climb that with one hand?¡± Mason asked aloud.

    June slid down past Reggie to stop beside him and peeked down.

    ¡°We can haul him up. Burn it behind him.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡± Mason said, aiming his Conflagration Ability at the rope. ¡°Wait, what is he- ACK!¡±

    Like some kind of disgusting three-legged spider, William Oh sprinted up the side of the stone wall until he hit the ceiling, then bunched up like a spring and leapt, catching the rope with his hand two thirds of the way up, before using the rebound of the rope to fling himself the rest of the way up, catching the edge of the tunnel with his hand.

    William twisted upside down, still clinging with one hand and somehow got one of his feet above him, and through some black magic, wound up flipping around and clinging to the wall face-to-face with Mason.

    ¡°Boy doesn¡¯t skimp on his Kinesthetics. All I¡¯mma say about that.¡± June said with a shrug before scampering up the rope ladder the kobold had laid down for them.

    ¡°After you,¡± William said, motioning to the ladder.

    ¡°R-right.¡± Despite Mason climbing a ladder rope as fast as he could, the three-armed scout made it to the top before he did using nothing but the rough stone walls

    ¡°Come ON!¡± Reggie shouted, offering Mason a hand. ¡°Movement behind you!¡±

    With an adrenaline-fueled surge of strength, Mason leapt up and grabbed Reggie¡¯s hand. The Tanker was pulling Mason out of the hole with one hand when something caught Mason¡¯s boot, eliciting an undignified shriek.

    ¡°Piece of-¡° Will muttered, pulling out that odd axe of his and chopping off the barbed forelimb attached to Mason¡¯s heel.

    ¡°Did it get any venom in me? Am I bleeding?¡± Mason demanded, hopping on one foot to inspect himself. Sometimes you didn¡¯t feel the wound until too late. Especially with numbing agents.

    ¡°Venom?¡± Will asked, glancing up at Mason with a furrowed brow.

    A moment later a stinger emerged from the darkness of the tunnel opposite the hole and caught Will in the shoulder.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hang the bell back up?¡± William Oh asked before his body stiffened, tumbling freefall into the kaith-swarming pit.

    Kaith soldiers, their stingers raised, approached with shield-like forelimbs at the ready from the other side of the pit, while the smaller workers boiled up from the hole.

    ¡°GODSDAMNIT!¡± Mason shouted, rushing forward. He¡¯d be damned if his legend started with some mentally challenged cripple dying because he lost composure.

    Conflagration.

    6/9 Charge remaining.

    Everyone¡¯s ear¡¯s popped as the suddenly narrower tunnel system focused far more of the force of the explosion back on them than Mason had intended.

    ¡°Mason, cool it, it¡¯s my turn!¡± Reggie said, picking up his tower shield from where he¡¯d left it on the floor beside the tunnel.

    ¡°But he-¡°

    ¡°We are not going to survive running into that!¡± June said, tugging Mason backwards.

    ¡°But I-¡°

    ¡°Everybody knows what they signed up for, let¡¯s GO!¡±

    ¡°Where is my teammate?¡± The kobold asked as they ran past him.

    ¡°I-¡°

    ¡°He was stung and fell back into the hole!¡± June shouted. ¡°Reggie is giving us some breathing room for as long as his shield covers the whole tunnel, but your teammate is dead! We need to make sure the way back is clear and prep it for Reggie!¡±

    ¡°Kaith venom only paralyzes!¡± Mason shouted as they ran. ¡°If we get to Nathan fast enough, he might be able to retrieve Will!¡±

    The kobold looked past Reggie at the tunnel filled top to bottom with shiny chiton armor and thrusting stingers, with no sign of William.

    ¡°We will discuss this later.¡± The kobold said, turning and running after them.

    ***William Oh***

    Sweet, I gained two levels. Fighting higher tier monsters will do that.

    ¡­I hope they write level 4 on my gravestone, not ¡®level 2¡¯ or ¡®level unknown¡¯ Will thought as the kaith forelimbs almost gingerly carried him across the ceiling.

    Level four was almost respectable. A lot of people jumped off The Climb around there.

    The ride would¡¯ve had an interesting view if he hadn¡¯t been clutched in such a way that 85% of his field of vision were kaith mandibles poised to bifurcate his face.

    Bifurcate. That¡¯s a good one.

    The other 15% of his view wasn¡¯t great. Mostly legs, empty void and a little bit of rock.

    Despite the kaith carrying him having the ability to end him at any moment, Will had the dreadful realization that living food didn¡¯t spoil, and so the Kaith would most likely leave him alive and paralyzed for a day or two until the moment he was devoured alive. Maybe by larvae bursting out of his skin. Who knew with these things?

    Well, I guess Mason knew about the venom, which was why he was so freaked out, and also implies he¡¯s a nerd that studies bestiaries. I should tease him about it after I escape. He seems like a prime target for it.

    Challenge accepted. I¡¯m not only going to escape, I¡¯m also going to get back to camp before they do, and the cutest baker-girls in camp will offer me their buns as I lay in kingly repose, clothes artfully torn and bloody.

    Sounds like a plan, where¡¯s my out?

    ¡­.where¡¯s my out?

    Hmmm¡­ Will tried to move everything, but the only things he could move were his left pinkie toe, his eyes (a little), his lungs (a bit) and his Phantom Hand (as much as he wanted)

    This could be a problem, Will thought, trying to use the Phantom Hand to scratch the kaith carrying him along, but his arms were tucked against his chest so he couldn¡¯t really-

    POP!

    With a sickening mental pop that was deeply uncomfortable, his Phantom hand separated from his wrist and reached up to swipe at his carrier¡¯s leg.

    IT CAN COME OFF!? Will demanded internally. He would¡¯ve been agog if the paralytic allowed for it.

    As if it¡¯d been chastised, his hand retreated back to his wrist.

    Oh no! I¡¯m not mad! You can come off, it¡¯s okay! Will thought soothing thoughts towards his Phantom hand. The description never said anything about it being stuck to my wrist, did it? Go nuts!

    Pop! With another mental pop that would¡¯ve raised the hairs on his spine if he could feel them, his Phantom Hand separated from his wrist, bouncing in front of his face.

    Still completely under his control, the Phantom Hand waved in front of his eyes, then flipped him off.

    ¡­Why did I flip myself off? Will absolutely did tell it to do that, he just wasn¡¯t sure why.

    Probably for getting myself into this situation, he thought sourly.

    Okay, what resources do I have?

    Will tried to grab his tomahawk.

    No luck.

    He tried draining the very soul of the kaith carrying him.

    Nothing.

    I didn¡¯t figure it would work, but it was worth a shot.

    I¡¯ve got a handful of sling-shot stored in the phantom hand, but that¡¯s not gonna do anything¡­

    If Will¡¯s meat-finger wasn¡¯t jammed into his chest, he could at least fire the Sting Ring off randomly¡­

    Epiphany!

    ¡­good one, Will.

    Will moved his Phantom Hand over to his other hand and mentally selected the Sting Ring.

    Dimensional Storage

    2/8 Charges remaining.

    Ooh, I¡¯ve got Dailies, now.

    Charge was based on Focus, it fueled Abilities, and everyone¡¯s Charge took a solid seven days to recover from zero, without exception, so crossing the 7 Charge point was a landmark moment for most Climbers.

    Hitting 1<sup>st</sup> Daily at level 4 was good for anyone but a dedicated caster, who might¡¯ve hit it at level 2 by spending their free points.

    Would you like to Sacrifice The Sting Ring to gain its effect?

    Yes!

    Phantom Hand may only have one active Relic effect. If you acquire another, the Sting Ring¡¯s effect will be discarded. Do you still wish to Sacrifice it?

    Oh no! My 20-silver ring will eventually get destroyed when I find something better. I should probably just let the kaith eat me rather than ¡®waste¡¯ it.

    ¡­Sacrifice Cancelled.

    Yes, I want to Sacrifice the Sting Ring, you freakin-

    Sacrifice Accepted.

    Will felt a shiver run along the phantom hand as its appearance took on a greenish, mottled copper hue, matching that of the ring.

    Okay, how can I use two shots of acid bolt to escape?

    Is that the bridge?

    In the dim light of Loth¡¯s glow-worms, Will could see that the kaith holding him was rapidly approaching the bridge, aiming to rejoin that stream of meat heading for the kaith frontlines.

    Some of whom must¡¯ve just been paralyzed.

    Will briefly considered trying to take out the bridge, but that was simply beyond the firepower of the Sting Ring.

    Not with just two shots, anyway.

    I need to make this thing let go of me before we get there, so it doesn¡¯t have reinforcements.

    Will considered shooting it in the face, arms or torso, but that didn¡¯t guarantee a drop.

    Actually does it have to drop me? Will thought. What if I drop it?

    Here goes nothing.

    Will timed the shot to the best of his abilities, having the Phantom Hand hover near the creature¡¯s feet. Once two of its deceptively slender feet were lined up, Will took his shot.

    1/8 Charges Remaining.

    The bolt lodged itself in one foot, not carrying through like he¡¯d hoped, but the acid in it carried on under its own momentum, wrapped around and sprayed the other foot.

    The kaith¡¯s mandible gnashed reflexively, missing Will¡¯s face by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    Second shot.

    Will moved the Phantom Hand and fired again, hitting another two legs.

    0/8 Charges remaining.

    Without fanfare, they were in freefall, hurtling down into the chasm.

    Well, at least it¡¯s quicker and more dignified than being Kaith trail rations, Will thought as they tumbled into the darkness.

 Chapter 12: Kingly Repose

    When William Oh plummeted to the deepest point of the Netherworld, his body fell into a contemplative trance that allowed him to reach enlightenment. During this state, his mind wandered beyond the bounds of this reality, into other, stranger worlds.

    In this enlightened state, he witnessed the circular nature of his own existence, however briefly, and when he awoke it drove him to take the first steps towards his True Destiny, rising back to the surface with the Axe of Kings, destined to unite all noble Houses beneath him.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    Case file 8934: Ashwood

    I should track down that Merchant who suggested a healthy dose of Resistance, Will thought, his face pressed into a pool of Kaith blood.

    And give him a big, sloppy kiss.

    Resourceful Climber Level 4

    5 Strength

    12 Kinesthetics

    15 Resistance

    8 Focus

    12 Acuity

    Charges: 0/8

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    As they had been tumbling down into the emptiness, Will had spent all the Free Points he¡¯d been saving on Resistance.

    Resistance offered marginal protection from every kind of physical damage, and would also dictate how quickly he recovered from being paralyzed.

    Hurtling through the void without any ability to slow himself down, damage reduction had seemed like a priority.

    Luckily a tangle of barbed kaith limbs slowed his fall.

    Their fighting retreat above had left literal piles of dead kaith, and Will hit one straight on, his downward momentum was arrested and translated to an uncontrolled slide as the corpses gave way.

    A minute later, Will was laying on his side, cheek pressed into a shallow pool of possibly greenish ichor. It was hard to tell.

    The only light he could see by was the faint illumination of the glow-worms above.

    Note to self: Illumination is important.

    Sure, Gertrude preached it religiously during their government-mandated weekly ¡®How to be a Climber for Orphans¡¯ class, but Will kind of let a lot of it go in one ear and out the other, and now he would really like some more light.

    You never know when you might get trapped in the dark. Cut off from civilization for weeks or even months at a time. Food, water, bandages, alcohol, light source, rope, cutting tool, firestarter and tarp. I cannot tell you how many Climbers pass away from simple bad preparation.

    Okay, so I was leaning on Loth without realizing it. He¡¯s the better Climber.

    Being paralyzed at the bottom of a pit really gave Will the opportunity he needed to examine his life, the goals thereof, and how he planned on making them happen.

    Obviously I need a team to make it to the tenth Floor.

    I wonder if Loth is willing. He was pretty reliable, aside from the compulsion to watch traps go off. I definitely need better gear, and I¡¯ve got some ideas for how to use my Phantom hand as part of my build, that requires the right equipment.

    Light source Relic: On the shopping list.

    Bandages. Definitely.

    Pemmican is fine for food, although it binds you up.

    I actually like the tomahawk in practice. Works well as a hook in a pinch, focuses damage on a narrow spot, good output for a single-handed weapon. Can sub as a tool in a pinch. Might lean into that.

    ¡­I may not need armor. My build¡¯s going to have near-Tanker durability, and I saw the way that heavy armor nearly got Reggie killed. That would give me a chest slot to use for something made of cloth. Cloth Chest relics tend to grant more mobility, Meta and Charge-based effects.

    Could grant some interesting synergies.

    Approximately fifteen minutes of build-contemplation later, Will twitched his pinkie finger. His knee gave a little twitch.

    SUCCESS!

    ¡°Erk.¡± Will exclaimed in glorious victory. His tongue and lips weren¡¯t quite back to normal, yet.

    Shhh.

    Will¡¯s eyes widened as he heard the pile of kaith corpses shift.

    Crap, I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve made noise.

    Will spun his eyes around in the socket, limbs twitching uselessly as he tried to push himself up. He felt like he¡¯d woken in the middle of the night, all his limbs made of lead and unresponsive to his demands.

    Shhh.

    Will froze as he heard the sound again.

    It was ahead of him, but too far to make out in the dark.

    Shhh.

    Shhh.

    It came into view in the dim blue light. The kaith worker that¡¯d been carrying him. It was broken, part of its rounded exoskeleton cracked open from the fall, exposing its innards to the cave air. Its legs were a ruin, forcing it to drag itself forward on ruined nubs.

    It was not long for this world.

    But those mammalian eyes  above the insectoid mandibles were full of malice as it dragged itself towards him.

    Maybe I can play dead. Will thought, lying still, eyes staring straight ahead.

    Shhh. It dragged itself closer, gaze unwavering.

    No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work.

    Shhh.

    Will¡¯s limbs twitched as he tried to move. To stand. To protect himself.

    MOVE YOU SON OF A BITCH!

    ¡­sorry Mom, but if the shoe fits¡­

    Will¡¯s arm twitched uselessly. It was a little better than it was a moment ago. Will was regaining the use of his limbs rapidly, but not quite fast enough to save himself.

    Alright, what do I have?

    He still had the phantom hand with the sling bullets in the storage.

    Could that work? Will wondered, eyes widening.

    Picturing it as a sling cradle, Will whipped the Phantom Hand in a circle above him and released one of the sling bullets.

    The bullet came out with the right trajectory, but it didn¡¯t have nearly the velocity Will was hoping for, arcing forward with little more speed than a hand-thrown lead marble, impacting against the approaching creature¡¯s eye socket before bouncing off without inflicting any tangible damage.

    Damnit, what are my other-

    The eye socket started to smoke, and the kaith began writhing in place and shrieking weakly.

    Oh right. the Sting Ring¡¯s effect. Take that punk! Now I¡¯ll just do the other eye and-

    Before Will could finish following through on his plan, A maggot pale neck descended from high above and latched onto the shrieking Kaith¡¯s limbs, latching on with the circular jaw and beginning to engulf it.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Then another.

    And another.

    In a matter of minutes, dozens of the pale tube-mouths were extending down from the walls, fighting over the kaith¡¯s body until the monster was torn apart, sliding down those maggot-white throats.

    Sensing more food, the teeth-on-a-tube creatures began feasting on the pile of dead kaith surrounding him. Eventually one would land on him.

    Okay, now would be a good time to move, Will thought, putting a weak hand underneath himself.

    In the time they¡¯d spent subduing the struggling Kaith, Will had regained a small fraction of his strength.

    As quietly as he could, Will pushed himself to his feet, wincing in pain as the numbness began wearing off, revealing scrapes and bruises across his entire body.

    An eyeless, circular mouth began questing his direction, perhaps sensing his movement, or his smell.

    Will silently danced around it, avoiding touching it.

    The mouth-on-a-tube seemed a bit confused, whipping around a bit until it touched a kaith corpse, then began happily engulfing it.

    Will glanced across the forest of white necks descending form the cave walls, bits and pieces of raw meat creating bulges in the necks as they drew them back to the creature¡¯s main body.

    I need to find a place to recover fully before I try to scale that, Will thought.

    If one of them caught his right arm, he was toast. He needed to scale the wall at full speed if he was going to make it past them.

    Will knelt down and grabbed one of Loth¡¯s glow-worms, collecting another and another as he crept along, searching for an overhang or an alcove that would offer shelter from the man-eating mouths¡­

    Without having one of the creatures in it.

    There.

    Will spotted a shadow that grew deeper the closer he got to it.

    His heart hammered in his chest as he limped his way toward the alcove, avoiding the feasting mouths as he moved.

    There were only scant feet between them, and there wasn¡¯t a single joint in his body that didn¡¯t ache, but somehow, Will managed to slip between the creatures and make it to the alcove.

    Will was ready to switch to his axe at a moment¡¯s notice, but the alcove was empty. He nearly tripped as he entered as something caught his foot. Will whirled silently and passed the glow-worm over it.

    There was some kind of perfectly straight lip in the floor. In fact¡­ Will tapped the tomahawk against the floor, making a quiet chime of steel on steel.

    The floor is steel?

    Sweeping the glow-worm across the floor, Will thought he might be able to make out some white paint forming lettering of some kind. Unfortunately the entire message couldn¡¯t be read, as it disappeared beneath seamless stone that composed the cave system.

    How¡­what even is this? How could there be steel with paint on it beneath solid stone?

    Will raised his gaze and crept forward, keeping his head on a swivel for one of those mouths that might try and grab him from behind.

    The alcove turned into a tunnel, and in the distance, a faint red light began to outcompete the handful of glow-worms in his hand.

    As he arrived, he saw a single strange egg of some kind radiating red light into the small room. It was placed high above, near the ceiling, and it seemed to be protected by two metal wires looped around it.

    The walls seemed to be made partially of steel, and partially of stone that had coated it like some kind of creeping growth over centuries.

    In the corner of the room was a skeleton.

    It was about Will¡¯s size, wearing deteriorated roughspun clothes, a wool cloak and leather boots. There was a flawless archery arm-guard on its left wrist, while everything below seemed to have been gnawed off and carried away by a wild animal.

    The other hand was empty: No hope for another ring.

    Beside the skeleton there was a sling and a crumbling pouch of seemingly glass marbles

    Everyone knew when you found a corpse with perfectly preserved gear on it, the gear was probably a Relic. They did not seem to deteriorate. It wasn¡¯t entirely unheard of to pry a perfectly preserved Relic out of a pile of corrosion and rust buried by a landside and weathered by decades of water damage.

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry it forward,¡± Will murmured, gently sliding the wrist-guard off the skeleton¡¯s arm, and slipping it over his own handless wrist.

    Armguard of Tracers equipped.

    When the bearer makes a ranged attack, a trail of fire hangs suspended in the air behind the projectile for ten seconds. These tracers will burn anything they come into contact with for a moderate amount of fire damage.

    Well, that¡¯s¡­interesting, but not unexpected. Ranged modification in the gauntlet Slot.

    It also reminded Will that he never got the description for his axe. He was too busy not dying.

    Will pulled out his axe and focused on it.

    Tomahawk of the Serpent

    Passive: creates a venomous chord as it is swung that inflicts a 3% debuff on the stats of enemies that hear it, each debuff lasts 3 seconds.

    1 Charge: unleash a 20ft radius sound-based attack that does a small amount of psychic damage on all enemies within range.

    1 Charge: May be used to seal an agreement between two individuals by sharing smoke from the pipe. Anyone who willingly violates the spirit of an agreement suffers from triple the passive debuff for one month.

    ¡°That¡¯s not bad at all,¡± Will mused, flipping the blade over to inspect the hole in the bowl-shaped back. It was obviously a pipe now that he looked at it. Not just a weapon or a tool, but also a negotiation guarantor? He was fairly sure its value would be assessed somewhere in the 1000 gold or higher range, solely for the third ability.

    Which was too bad, because Will had no intention of selling it.

    Much like Ben had been, Will was rather fond of his first Relic, even if it would be a better idea to sell the thing and outfit himself in cheaper Relics that gave him a complete build.

    Will sat down beside the skeleton and lifted the bony right arm it held over its stomach, revealing a man-made arrow rattling around in its pelvis.

    ¡°You got stabbed in the back too, huh?¡± Will said, throwing his arm over the skeleton¡¯s shoulder in a perhaps too familiar way.

    Will studied the arrow. It was finely made. Expensive.

    ¡°looks we¡¯ve both had our share of run-ins with rich kids. Whaddya think we should do about Mason? He didn¡¯t actively try to sabotage anything, he just got a little panicky and that distracted me. During the fight he covered my six pretty good.¡±

    The change in posture made the skeleton¡¯s head tilt towards him at a rakish angle, the posture someone would adopt if they were giving someone an ¡®are you serious?¡¯ look.

    ¡°I am serious. He didn¡¯t do anything wrong, just yelled at me a bit before things went down, and that¡¯s not a crime. And I can see him having years of guilt about leaving me behind.

    ¡°Years of guilt that I can monetize.¡± Will said, with a devious grin.

    ¡°¡­No, that doesn¡¯t make me the bad guy, does it?¡±

    ¡°I know I said he didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but he¡¯s rich. He¡¯ll be fine parting with some cash.¡±

    The skeleton¡¯s head popped off and fell into Will¡¯s lap.

    ¡°Alright, fine, I won¡¯t monetize it, I¡¯ll settle for winning every argument and free drinks for life. Happy?¡± Will asked, holding the skull up.

    The skull nodded.

    ¡°Yeah, that seems fair,¡± Will mused, setting the skull back where it belonged as he rose to his feet and studied the room.

    There was a hatch on the roof, clearly labeled ¡®EMERGENCY ESCAPE¡¯ in immaculate white paint.

    Against the wall was a ruddy stain where an iron ladder had dissolved into nothing.

    Don¡¯t mind if I do, Will thought.

    Will bounded up and caught a bit of the rock growing out of the wall and clambered up to the ceiling, awkwardly balancing on two feet against the corner of the room as he swung himself out and grabbed the hatch¡¯s handle.

    It took a feat of sheer determination to open the hatch and swing it up, revealing a narrow tunnel that led straight up, nearly choked with stone growing from the outside in.

    Will started climbing.

    Two hours of sweaty, claustrophobic climbing later, Will was face-to-face with a solid stone wall.

    Come on! The last thing he wanted to do was wriggle his way back through that claustrophobic mess, praying he didn¡¯t get stuck.

    With a grunt, Will grabbed the tomahawk out of his belt. There wasn¡¯t enough room to get a full swing, so he held it by the head and slammed it against what seemed like the thinnest portion of stone covering the wall.

    Will¡¯s breath grew faster and faster as the air in the tiny tunnel turned stale and humid.

    Bright little worms began to dance across his vision.

    I wonder if the next one-armed adventurer to come across here will use my corpse as a puppet, Will thought.

    Crack!

    A burst of fresh air flooded over him as the stone cracked away along the blade of his axe.

    And though it was the faintest suggestion¡­Will smelled bread.

    He redoubled his efforts, carving out a palm-sized piece of wall, peering out.

    He recalled what he was looking at: Far down below him was one of the first chambers the other adventurers branched off into, Will recognized the triple stalagmite formation. He was literally paces away from the entrance, which was in turn only a few hundred feet from civilization! FOOD!

    Will began furiously hacked away at the thin stone, but soon discovered it was easier to break off larger chunks by setting his feet against the thin wall, shoulders against the opposite side and pushing with every muscle in his body, breaking off head-sized slabs and sending them tumbling below.

    After two head-size chunks were dislodged, Will was able to squirm his way through the hole, and even the scrapes and bruises couldn¡¯t slow him down as he sprinted for the entrance.

    Will came to a sliding halt as he came face to face with the Quest Babysitter, standing above the outer rim of the cavern, making sure any Kaith backsplash didn¡¯t reach the civilians in camp.

    ¡°You look like shit. Something to report?¡± Nathan asked with a cocked brow.

    ¡°¡­Yessir,¡± Will said.

    ***Mason***

    ¡°Are they still following us?¡± Reggie asked, glancing over his shoulder. They¡¯d been chased through the tunnels for what felt like an eternity at this point, and only recently did they begin to see landmarks that were familiar to them.

    We¡¯re almost back.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Mason said, listening closely. He and June had some of the highest Acuity, which made them the eyes and ears of the group. June¡¯s class would probably develop some enhancements that would eventually place her ahead of him in that respect, but for now, they were evenly matched.

    ¡°That just means they¡¯ll begin sealing off the entrance.¡± Mason mused. ¡°We need to get Nathon there as soon as possible and guide him to the tunnel so he can cut through while it¡¯s still setting.¡±

    Maybe if we¡¯re fast enough¡­AGH!

    The sight of sunlight was both most welcome and extremely painful to Mason¡¯s dark-adjusted eyes as they stepped up into the evening-reddened sky.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Nathan?¡± June asked aloud as she arrived at the edge, helping Mason and Reggie up. The Tanker was well and truly spent, slumping down on the ground as soon as they were above-ground. Loth refused the hand and climbed up alone, peering back down at the cavernous hole below them with a contemplative frown.

    Mason¡¯s heart began hammering in his chest as he heard distant screaming.

    Was the camp under attack?

    The three of them glanced at each other before the began sprinting towards the camp, weapons and Abilities at the ready.  Reggie caught his breath long enough to stumble to his feet and started trotting after them, burdened by his armor.

    ¡°GET ON THAT LINE!¡±

    ¡°FIX THAT HARNESS, THAT¡¯S GONNA CHOKE YOU OUT! WHERE¡¯S YOUR WATER!? IS THAT DIRT ON YOUR BLADE!? I SWEAR TO ZALKIR I MUST¡¯VE KICKED ALL THE PUPPIES IN A PREVIOUS LIFE TO DESERVE YOU GREEN CLIMBERS!¡±

    Their pace slowed as they arrived to find the camp in total chaos, but a constructive one, as Climbers were quickly assembling for an excursion under Nathan¡¯s ¡®guidance¡¯.

    The steel-haired Climber glanced up at them approaching and grunted.

    ¡°Good to see you four alive. You¡¯ll be guarding the camp. We¡¯ve got word of where the Kaish supply lines are. The fresh Climbers are coming with me. Get some rest, but don¡¯t let down your guard.¡±

    ¡°Got word how!?¡± Mason asked before he could school his reaction.

    Nathan grunted and gestured deeper in the camp, where a single figure sat in kingly repose on a camp chair, his clothes artfully torn and bloodied, with no less than five young women fussing over him as he sat.

    The two bakers stuffed his mouth with golden-brown buns while the seamstresses cleaned and stitched myriad cuts and punctures all over his body, from his scalp to his feet.

    ¡°Oh hey. Mason.¡± William Oh said around the bun he was doing his best effort to inhale. He took a moment to swallow. ¡°You guys caught up. Yes, another, please.¡±

 Chapter 13: Guyâ€™s Shopping Trip

    Quest Complete!

    Visit your local Exchange Hall for monetary Quest Reward disbursement.

    +1500 XP

    You are now a level 5 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 5

    6 Strength

    15 Kinesthetics

    18 Resistance

    10 Focus

    15 Acuity

    Charges: 4/10

    Free Points: 1

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Ability Upgrade Available!

    ¡°GAH!¡±

    Will sat up in a familiar bed.

    ¡°Dear gods no.¡± Will muttered, taking in the orphanage¡¯s plain walls. He was back here.

    He checked his Charge. Four out of ten. 40% of a week, or roughly three days unconscious.

    He remembered up until the point they started stitching the wounds on his back.

    That poppy milk packed a punch.

    ¡°Feeling better?¡± Gertrude asked from where she loomed in the corner.

    ¡°It hurts to breathe,¡± Will said.

    ¡°So much for constantly not writhing in pain.¡± Gertrude said.

    ¡°You¡¯re still on about that?¡± Will asked, wincing as he carefully slid his legs out of bed, moving with all the speed of a drunken tortoise.

    ¡°You were brought back here by your friends.¡±

    ¡°I have friends?¡± Will asked, locating a crutch in the corner of the room that had been conveniently modified to be used without a hand. there was a leather loop to slip his wrist through instead.

    He leaned forward and grabbed it, biting back a cry of pain as the stitches all across his body pulled tight.

    ¡°Four of them. A large boy, a noble, a young woman and a kobold.¡±

    ¡°Oh them. Will mused as he climbed to his feet. ¡°I thought the poppy-milk made them up. Like the talking skeleton.¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re real. Although it is very strange to see a kobold this far outside their typical haunts. Very well-spoken, too.¡±

    ¡°Neat. I hope Loth is still in town. I want him in my party.¡±

    Will began tottering towards the door.

    ¡°Now where are you going?¡± Gertrude demanded, arms crossed.

    ¡°To the Exchange Hall.¡± Will said. ¡°Gotta get that Quest Money.¡± Will pantomimed rubbing together two gold coins. Not that he¡¯d ever done that before in his life. Hopefully after this.

    Gertrude sighed. ¡°Just¡­don¡¯t spend it all on booze and women, alright?¡±

    ¡°Alcohol is gross, and girls don¡¯t like me.¡± Will said, aiming for the doorway.

    Gertrude put a hand in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about girls. I¡¯m talking about women, the kind who prey on na?ve young men exiting the Exchange Hall with large sacks of gold. Understood?¡±

    Will blinked twice, then nodded.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Good. Enjoy your first quest reward.¡± She said, pulling the arm out of the way.

    ¡°Oh, I will,¡± Will said with a barely suppressed chuckle. He was gonna buy all the gear. Maybe get fitted for a prosthetic that could help with climbing or holding more than one thing at a time.

    Will tottered out of the orphanage, cutting through the sea of grabby-fingered children like the prow of a ship.

    With great effort, he managed to mantle down the two steps leading to the orphanage¡¯s door, leaving him staring down the long and winding dirt path to the road itself.

    After the path, I have to hobble all the way to the other side of the village to the Exchange Hall, then the bazaar, and then back? Will was already having second thoughts.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not up for it, you can always rest another day,¡± Gertrude said from the doorway.

    She has to know that¡¯s going to make me keep going, Will thought.

    ¡°No, I can manage!¡± Will protested, beginning his long, painful hobble down the dirt path.

    An excruciating experience later, Will arrived at the bottom of the hill, the village road revealing itself as he turned a corner.

    Not only that¡­

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Will asked Loth, who was standing beside a wheelchair facing the path.

    ¡°I surmised you would have trouble walking all the way to the Exchange Hall. They have lots of wheelchairs to borrow. As it turns out, you¡¯re not the first Climber to come back wounded.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­how did you know I¡¯d be here, now?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I trapped your bed with a pressure-release trigger.¡± Loth said, pointing up the hill.

    From their vantage point they could see the very roof of the orphanage, upon which a shiny piece of metal spun in place, creating a blinking flash of reflected light.

    ¡°Huh. And Gertrude didn¡¯t notice you trapping my bed?¡±

    ¡°Not to my knowledge. We were talking about what you were like as a baby while my insects set the trap.¡±

    To Will¡¯s knowledge, Gertrude was at least level 40, which meant she should¡¯ve noticed.

    ¡°Smooth. You are the best Saboteur I know.¡± Loth could¡¯ve 100% assassinated him under the watch of a level 40 if the kobold had the desire. That was a skill Will wanted.

    ¡°I am likely the only Saboteur you know.¡± Loth said, motioning toward the chair. ¡°It¡¯s a rare archetype among humans.¡±

    With a tremendous cry of pain, Will turned around and lowered himself into the wheelchair.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in the market for a human lackey to both lubricate social interactions with other humans, and serve as a reliable scout. I¡¯m wondering if you¡¯d be interested in joining my Party.¡± Loth said as Will settled himself and put the crutch away.

    ¡°Nah man, you should join my Party.¡± Will responded, trying to steer the wheelchair before realizing he only had one hand, and resigning himself to being pushed.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Mine¡¯s better, as it is run by a kobold.¡± Loth replied, reaching up to take the handles and turning him around.

    ¡°Your Party is inferior simply because it is not ¡®Willliam Oh¡¯s Party¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­You make a strong argument. Say I join your party, would I get the role of party leader?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°I would take on that burden.¡± Will said with faux arrogance.

    ¡°Would you? If taking me on created some messy trouble that you had to deal with, would you take on that burden?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t blindly answer ¡®yes¡¯ to that. We don¡¯t know each other that well¡­yet.¡± Will replied.

    Loth went silent for a moment.

    ¡°What if we did know each other that well?¡±

    ¡°Then yes. If we knew each other well enough, I would eliminate who or whatever was causing you...¡± Will went silent as he thought of the adventuring party who had killed Ben, who had become Messy Trouble himself.

    They cruised down the packed-earth street in silence.

    Loth quietly pushed him down the road, peering out from behind, as his height did not allow him to look over Will, even with the latter sitting down.

    ¡°That¡¯s gotta be awkward,¡± Will said, changing the subject.

    ¡°I¡¯ll manage. Unless you would prefer me to steer from your lap?¡±

    Will briefly considered.

    ¡°Hop on,¡± Will said, scooting over. The wheelchair was made to accommodate even the bulkiest wounded adventurers, and Will was fairly thin, so there was no issue with space.

    Loth hopped up in the space next to him and put his taloned hands on the left wheel, while Will gripped the right-hand side.

    ¡°Ready?¡± He asked.

    Loth thought for a moment, then seemed to come to a firm decision as he nodded.

    You have Formed a Party!

    Loth The Luminary has joined the Party!

    Loth The Luminary

    Hive-wielding Saboteur Level 5

    10 Strength

    10 Kinesthetics

    8 Resistance

    17 Focus

    10 Acuity

    Charges: 9/17

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Master of the Vivarium*, Trap Savant

    Minutes later, they were hurtling down the hardpacked roads, navigating the throngs of passerby at speeds that could only be described as ¡®unsafe¡¯.

    ¡°WHOOO!¡± They whooped as Will hit the handbrake, skidding to a drifting halt outside the Exchange Hall.

    ¡°Is that him?¡± Somebody whispered.

    ¡°No way, too short.¡±

    ¡°Does have one hand, though.¡±

    Will ignored the people milling around the entrance and pulled the crutch out of the wheelchair¡¯s holster to tackle the stairs while Loth lifted the wheelchair itself up the staircase.

    The Exchange Hall was the biggest building in the Podunk town of Ashwood, regulation-size in an undersized mudhole, with regulation-sized marble pillars that could crush the nearby inn.

    They saw a kiosk with a blackboard above, reading: Establishing Quest:  Break the supply lines!

    In the line were dozens of people Will recognized, signalling that he was truly in the right place.

    ¡°An excellent showing for Mason Lanover,¡± The receptionist said, opening up a box and handing over a sack of ¨C presumably ¨C gold.

    Will¡¯s mouth was watering already.

    ¡°William!¡± Mason said as he turned around and spotted the two of them wheeling into the line to receive quest rewards.

    ¡°Mason, how¡¯s it going?¡± Will shook the noble¡¯s hand as he approached.

    ¡°I¡¯m well. This is an excellent start to my career, and even still, I think your contribution may eclipse my own,¡± Mason said before shaking Loth¡¯s. ¡°I would offer to hire you as a Scout, but June-¡°

    ¡°HEY!¡± June said from where she waited near the front of the line, casting a dirty look at the mention of ¡®hiring a scout¡¯.

    ¡°Could definitely use a saboteur on my team, though.¡± Mason continued, unbothered. ¡°I never really thought about how advantageous it could be to have someone who can give their Party the home-field¡­advantage.¡±

    ¡°How much are you paying?¡± Loth asked, perking up.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Will said.

    ¡°One Hundred gold a Quest, fifty gold per floor advancement. Special missions are negotiable. Pay increases on higher floors.¡±

    Loth the Luminary has left the Party.

    Will¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°Bu-but, we¡­but¡­¡±

    Loth the luminary has Joined the Party

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. Loth said with an apologetic smile before turning back to Mason. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mister Lanover, but I¡¯ve decided to Join William Oh¡¯s Party.¡±

    ¡°May I ask why?¡±

    ¡°He ate the grub. You did not.¡±

    Mason¡¯s face paled for a moment. ¡°Yes, I¡­suppose that¡¯s true. Well, the offer remains open.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll teach him he should eat strange food from strange people.¡± Will said as Mason disappeared into the distance, seemingly shellshocked.

    ¡°I can only imagine what he¡¯ll be convinced to eat in the name of diplomacy in the future.¡± Loth said, following Mason with his gaze.

    Once the noble was out of eyeshot, they turned their attention back to the line, slowly inching forward.

    As they made their way to the front, the density of Climbers seemed to subtly increase as those who got their reward hung around.

    ¡°What are they waiting for?¡± Will asked the clerk as they arrived at the front.

    ¡°They¡¯re waiting to see who the MVP is.¡± The clerk said. ¡°Names?¡±

    ¡°William Oh.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She asked with a cocked brow, glancing up at him. ¡°You¡¯re the Sixth William Oh to show up, but you¡­¡± She flipped up a sheet on her clipboard and compared him to it, her eyes glowing faintly. ¡°Seem to be the right one. Let¡¯s get you your quest reward.¡±

    ¡°Five people tried to steal my quest reward!?¡± Will asked, but the clerk continued on as if he hadn¡¯t said anything.

    ¡°The system has rated your performance as ¡®exceptional¡¯. Well done. Here¡¯s your reward.¡± She pulled out a bag of gold, roughly equivalent to Mason¡¯s.

    ¡°What about me?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Oh, you speak?¡± the clerk asked, a bit taken aback. ¡°I thought you were a Tamer or something¡­¡± She murmured.

    ¡°Loth, if you please, miss.¡± Loth said, tapping the roster with a single black talon.

    ¡°I see. Loth. The System has rated your performance as ¡®Critical to Quest Success.¡¯¡± She consulted the paper, flipped it up, glanced at Loth, frowned and did it all again. ¡°¡­You were the MVP,¡± she said. ¡°here¡¯s¡­ummm¡­Your reward. You may wish to visit a money changer.¡±

    The clerk pulled out a much smaller bag and gave it to Loth, who accepted it graciously.

    ¡°You have my gratitude, miss.¡± Loth said with a deep nod, still shorter than her despite standing on the seat of the wheelchair.

    ¡°Score!¡± Will said, clinking his bag of coin against Loth¡¯s as they headed for the exit.

    this is more money than I¡¯ve seen in my life¡­and I¡¯m about to spend all of it at Leon¡¯s! I can¡¯t wait to see what he¡¯s got in store for me¡­

    Then Will saw the hungry eyes following them towards the exit, and thought about the first major lesson he¡¯d learned: Never be an easy meal.

    Before he could stew on the thoughts any further, a massive hand clapped down over his shoulder.

    ¡°Hey dude,¡± Reggie said. ¡°How¡¯d you do?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Reggie, how¡¯s it going?¡± Will said, glancing up at Reggie. ¡°I got ¡®exceptional¡¯ and Loth won the MVP.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he pretty much singlehandedly defended the camp from a kaith raid while you were passed out. By the time we got to any of them they were already messed up by his traps. We just mopped up.¡±

    ¡°Where you guys heading after this?¡± Reggie asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna blow a bunch of my cash at Leon¡¯s.¡± Will said. ¡°Then hit the Bazaar. See what kind of Sacrifices they have.¡±

    He had a Primary Ability upgrade available, and now was the time to shop around for the Sacrifice for it.

    ¡°I need to replace many of my lost triggers and blades. I¡¯ll be visiting a smith. Then the Bazaar.¡±

    ¡°A smith, then Leon¡¯s, then the bazaar.¡± Will summarized. He considered a moment. ¡°Would you be willing to hang around us and look menacing until we¡¯ve spent enough of our cash that we no longer look like an easy meal?¡±

    Reggie gave a belly laugh. ¡°Sure, man. You saved my life, and my game plan doesn¡¯t look too much different for the rest of the night.¡±

    ¡°Guys shopping trip!¡± Will said, fist-bumping Reggie. Everyone knew how much guys liked shopping¡­for sharp pointy things.

    They waited for Reggie to pick up his cash and the three of them started their tour of the tiny town. Greg, the local blacksmith, didn¡¯t seem to have any issue when Loth slapped a single Ivory coin on the table and requesting a frankly ridiculous number of copies of a handful of simple trigger mechanisms and blades.

    ¡°Would you rather have change or have me apply my Abilities to these?¡± Greg asked, inspecting the pale, opalescent coin before glancing up at Will.

    ¡°The latter, of course.¡± Loth said.

    Greg kept looking at Will.

    ¡°The latter, of course.¡±

    ¡°Right, then,¡± Greg said, turning to get to work. The three of them glanced at each other before leaving.

    ¡°What just happened?¡± Will asked as they stepped back out into the open.

    ¡°You begin to see why I need a human lackey?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Yeah¡­that was weird.¡± Reggie said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of humans who know someone who¡¯s been killed by a kobold trap,¡± Loth said with a shrug as they headed to their next location. ¡°Especially older humans. Many don¡¯t think of Kobolds as anything but monsters who can talk.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you were warning me about?¡± Will asked. ¡°That you¡¯re more trouble than you¡¯re worth?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worth¡­a lot of trouble.¡± Loth preened.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re the MVP,¡± Reggie said, reaching down to give Loth a noogie, which the kobold deftly avoided.

    ¡°Next stop, Leon¡¯s!¡± Will said, pointing.

    Reggie grabbed the handles and began pushing them at maximum speed.

    When they arrived, Reggie seemed fine.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you out of breath?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Two levels higher and not wearing a hundred pounds of steel.¡± Reggie explained. ¡°I¡¯m not actually in bad shape, no matter what you saw on during the last quest.¡±

    ¡°Did you want to join my party?¡± Will asked as they entered.

    ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t. I¡¯m under contract to bodyguard Mason until he hits level 30, or work for his father ten years after he dies.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one the hook even if he dies?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Makes it so I don¡¯t have any incentive to let him die on a climb.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yeah, I suppose that tracks.¡±

    ¡°Ask me again if you¡¯re still alive after Mason is level thirty,¡± Reggie said, slapping Will on the shoulder and nearly bowling him over. ¡°Or better yet, if by some miracle you can get Mason to join your Party, I¡¯m contractually obligated to come along. But he wouldn¡¯t do that, because it would make Mr. Lanover furious for his son to be in someone else¡¯s Party.¡±

    ¡°But¡­Mason isn¡¯t the leader of your Party, is he?¡± It seemed to Will like it¡¯d been June making most of the decisions in the heat of the moment.

    ¡°On paper, he is. Which is all his dad cares about.¡± Reggie said with a shrug.

    ¡°William Oh!¡± Leon exclaimed as he noticed Will hobbling out from behind Reggie¡¯s bulk.

    ¡°Why my full name?¡± Will asked, frowning.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re getting famous! You¡¯ve already had three impersonators trying to get credit in my shop.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve got your own share of messy trouble.¡± Loth opined.

    ¡°Indeed¡­I¡¯m going to need to see your I.D., young man.¡± Leon said with an ominous frown.

    ¡°You know damn well I don¡¯t have an I.D., Leon. But I could inform your wife about your dissatisfaction with how your life turned out.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Good enough,¡± Leon said, clapping his hands together before heading into the back and wheeling out a hand-kart filled with gear.

    ¡°I have here, a curated selection of Relics from the Bazaar that may help with your build, purchased at ¡®Leaving-town¡¯ clearance prices.¡±

    Leon began unloading one Relic after another onto the countertop while Will felt his eyes pop out of his head.

 Chapter 14: Promote Synergy!

    Cloak of Misty Escape (Torso)

    Provides a passive resistance to high temperature environments as wisps of vapor cool the wearer.

    1 Charge: The cloak explodes into a 30-ft cloud of fog, concealing the user¡¯s movements. Takes 30 minutes for the cloak to reform.

    ¡°This one¡¯s good for the third floor.¡± Leon said. ¡°Fifteen gold.¡±

    ¡°Next.¡± Will said. He only had fifty gold, and he wanted to see everything Leon had available before he made a decision.

    ¡°Before you move on, I¡¯ve got something right here,¡± Leon said, pulling out a blackened pair of boots that seemed to have magpie wings stitched along the sides.

    ¡°Boots of Outflanking. During a combat situation, if you break line of sight with all enemies, you get a five-second triple boost to your movement speed. Fifteen gold.¡±

    ¡°Now right here, you¡¯ve got a guaranteed way to break line of sight, and here you¡¯ve got a guaranteed benefit from doing so.¡±

    ¡°You sound like a Setter,¡± Will said. Setters were con-men who sold ¡®sets¡¯ of two or more items that they claimed had synergistic effects that would provide explosive power. That begged the question: If it was such a good synergy, why didn¡¯t they use it themselves?

    Typically it was because there was a restrictive caviat that they failed to mention, such as ¡®while bleeding¡¯ or an unmentioned third item that they used as a catalyst.

    Of course, this was Leon.

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to con you, it¡¯s a 2-part soft-set. No tricks.¡±

    ¡°Alright, put them together, what else we got?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Pants.¡± Leon said, taking out the next. ¡°Two-point bonus to Strength. I hear tell it¡¯s your weakest Attribute. Ten gold.¡±

    ¡°Next.¡±

    ¡°Now this is an interesting one I thought would be good for you,¡± Leon said, pulling out what appeared to be the finest sling Will had ever seen. Frankly a bit too fine for such a simple weapon. It had scales embossed into its cords, which were thicker than Will was used to, and the cradle depicted a shake eating its own tail.

    ¡°The Self-Loading Sling.¡± Leon said, putting a similarly decorated pouch beside it.

    ¡°Anything you put in this pouch will be loaded into the sling ¨C one at a time, of course ¨C should you wield it with the intention of using it. Since most people have two hands to load with, and this weapon doesn¡¯t have any damage boosts, I got it for a steal.¡±

    Will motioned Leon to come closer.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a way to load my sling fast,¡± Will whispered, ¡°Can¡¯t tell you what it is, but¡­

    ¡°Does it cost Charge?¡± Leon asked.

    It did, actually. Loading his Phantom Hand took 1 Charge to fill up if everything was there at the same time, and it¡¯s current volume was¡­not much. This was a way to save Charge and reserve his Phantom Hand for more interesting interactions.

    ¡°¡­Fair point. How much?¡±

    ¡°Two gold. It¡¯s not particularly popular, but thought you might want a ranged option you can use one-handed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it. By the way, do you have any cubes? I wanna measure the volume of an Ability before we continue.¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Is the Ability gonna destroy the cubes?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then help yourself.¡± Leon said, grabbing a bucket from the back filled with wooden cubes stamped with different volumes before turning to Loth. The cubes had lots of splotchy discoloration and singe marks as various Climbers before him had tried different abilities on them.

    Will found himself some privacy while he dug through the bucket until he assembled twenty-five cubic inches, and used Dimensional Storage on the little stack.

    3/10 Charges Remaining.

    Fifteen cubes vanished in one go.

    Will released them, then spent his Free Point on Acuity.

    2/10 Charges remaining.

    Sixteen cubes vanished.

    So it¡¯s one cubic inch per point of Acuity. Will thought. Or three cubic inches per level.

    That didn¡¯t sound like a lot, but by level 40, he could store¡­maybe half a gallon.

    So it isn¡¯t a lot.

    A thought occurred to Will, and he stood up, bringing the bucket of cubes back to Leon, who was suffering Loth¡¯s displeasure with the stoic demeanor of a professional salesman.

    ¡°It¡¯s sacrilege, is what it is!¡± Loth said, wagging a black-taloned finger at Leon.

    ¡°This cad tried to sell me a ring of Trap Detection. Even if it weren¡¯t deeply insulting to my people, do you really think I¡¯m not wearing any traps? What would it do, just glow all the time!?¡±

    ¡°Alright, calm down, my apologies. I¡¯ve never sold to a kobold before.¡± Leon said, raising his hands.

    ¡°I accept discounted wares as a form of apology for insulting the rich history of my people.¡± Loth said, haughtily.

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±

    ¡°Foo.¡±

    ¡°What can I get for you instead?¡± Leon said with a shrug, putting the insistently flashing ring back behind the counter.

    ¡°Passive boosts to allies or minions, the kind a Beastmaster might use. Small flat boosts would be better than percentages, anything that grants control of, or increases the strength of, rope or thread, boosts to Resistance, trap-laying, and debuffs. Horn and scale polish¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Also, do you happen to have any Bullet Wasp larva?¡± Loth asked, peering up at Leon with a cocked head.

    ¡°Those live on level 8,¡± Leon explained, putting a can of polish on the counter along with a buffing rag, a pair of gloves, three rings and an amulet made of coarse rope.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any Bullet Wasp Larva.¡±

    ¡°Some general store.¡± Loth groused.

    ¡°Leon, do you have any stiff wire?¡± Will asked as he came back.

    ¡°How long?¡± Leon asked, pivoting seamlessly from customer to customer.

    Will motioned with his hand.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± Leon threw him a length of wire roughly three feet in length. Far longer than sixteen inches, but much thinner.

    Will ducked into a corner of the shop where nobody was watching and used Dimensional Storage.

    1/10 Charge remaining.

    The wire vanished into storage.

    So it¡¯s liquid volume, huh? Not rigid. That¡¯s a relief at least.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    That meant that rounded, yet hollow objects like helmets, would be far easier to store than they might¡¯ve been if the storage had been rigid, because the interior of the helmet didn¡¯t count. Only the amount of water it would displace if he dipped it in a bucket.

    On a whim, Will spun his Phantom Hand when he released the wire, noting that the wire had the same spin as it dropped into his hand.

    Interesting. Can I choose an item¡¯s orientation as I release it?

    This required more experimentation, but Will was already nearing empty on his Charges.

    ¡°Sorry for wandering off in the middle of your demonstration,¡± Will said as he came back.

    ¡°No need. I know how it is when you¡¯re young. Constantly finding new ways to use your Abilities. Sudden epiphanies, burning questions that NEED answers. Shall we continue?¡±

    Loth was wearing the coarse rope amulet, a piece of rope creating complicated knots in his hand as he watched with a sharp-toothed grin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take these three,¡± Loth said, sliding all the gear save for two rings and the rope amulet that looked suspiciously like a noose.

    Leon slid the Relics behind the counter and caught the ivory coin, making change without missing a beat.

    ¡°Boots of the Pathfinder,¡± Leon said, switching to Will as he pulled out another pair of boots. ¡°These will highlight your route to any party members, so they can see where you went and follow if necessary.¡±

    ¡°Next.¡±

    ¡°Ring of accuracy, one degree and two degree correction on ranged attacks.¡± Leon said, pulling out two rings, each seemingly cold steel studded with emerald.

    ¡°Three gold for this one, one hundred and fifty for this one.¡±

    Will¡¯s brows raised.

    ¡°Why show me both if you know I can¡¯t afford that one?¡±

    ¡°To show you the difference in price between one degree,¡± Leon said, tapping the more expensive ring.

    ¡°These rings cause ranged projectiles to bend in the direction of the intended target. The rate at which this happens is expressed by the degree. Let¡¯s say you had a target a hundred miles away and shot an arrow with enough force to reach.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Well, the rate of change is 1 degree of correction every thirty feet. How many yards in a hundred miles?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, you¡¯d pass three hundred and sixty degrees after thirty six hundred yards.¡± Will replied, not quite smart enough to multiply thirty feet by three sixty off the top of his head. A hair over ten thousand.

    ¡­10800

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Rings of Accuracy have a human-defined statistic known as ¡®the range of total accuracy¡¯, which you just calculated, after which point it is guaranteed to hit the intended target, regardless of the direction you fire, provided sufficient propulsion and nothing in the way, of course.

    ¡°That¡¯s really only possible with rings of accuracy with 30 degrees of correction or higher, which aren¡¯t the sort of thing you can buy with money, but price does jump extraordinarily quick with these rings.¡±

    ¡°Can I get the two degree one as a congratulatory gift for finishing my Establishing Quest?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Did you get MVP?¡± Leon asked.

    ¡°I did!¡± Loth said.

    ¡°You still have to pay,¡± Leon said, glancing at Loth.

    ¡°Foo.¡±

    ¡°Any other rings that increase damage dealt?¡± Will asked. ¡°I had a twenty- silver Sting Ring, but it got destroyed during the Establishing Quest.¡±

    ¡°Lowest level Sting Ring? Why not just squirt lemon juice in their eyes?¡± Leon asked, bringing several cases up onto the countertop.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know it was literally life-saving on multiple occasions.

    ¡°Here¡¯s what I got for rings. These add damage, these add stats, these are a bit of both.

    ¡°Anything that adds or boosts psychic damage?¡±

    ¡°HAH!¡± Leon barked, giving Will all the answer he needed.

    ¡°Anything that boosts debuffs?¡± Will asked, thinking of his axe.

    ¡°No. Like rings of accuracy, those things spiral rapidly out of the price range of plebs like us. They can be used as the catalyst for powerful synergies, so even weak ones go for absurd amounts of money. If you go high enough in the tower, they begin to be rather common, though,¡± Leon said with a shrug.

    ¡°May I make a suggestion?¡± Leon said as Will was perusing the rings.

    ¡°sure.¡±

    ¡°The Sting Ring you took off Ben¡¯s corpse was the ideal damage type for the first three floors. Your best bet would be to take a more expensive Sting Ring and then trade it in for a different damage type when you hit the fourth-floor swamps.¡±

    ¡°Oh right¡­you sold it to Ben,¡± Will mused.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t believe you killed him for it, any more than I believe a party of high-level adventurers would bother to take it off him.¡±

    ¡°Could you maybe¡­not tell his dad about me keeping it?¡±

    ¡°What happens in the Tower...¡± Leon said with a shrug.

    ¡°Anyway, if that Sting Ring suited you, we¡¯ve got a fifteen-gold version that boosts Kinesthetics by one and provides a ¡®moderate¡¯ amount of bonus acid damage, and a hundred gold version that grants two Strength and ¡®Great¡¯ amount of acid damage.

    ¡°You know I can¡¯t afford that,¡± Will said, even as he drooled over the possibilities.

    ¡°Shopkeep!¡± Loth said, sliding another ivory coin across the table. ¡°The greater Sting Ring, please. My scout¡¯s Strength is pitiful.¡±

    Leon shrugged and handed the ring over to Loth, who in turn offered it to Will.

    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± Will said, taking the ring and slipping it on, feeling the tingles spread through his body.

    ¡°¡­I own you now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works.¡± Will said, shaking his head.

    ¡°Foo. At least my party is well equipped.¡±

    ¡°What else you got?¡±

    ¡°The Earthslide Cloak,¡± Leon said, pulling down the rings and pulling out a cloak.

    ¡°When you¡¯re knocked down by an enemy attack, you gain Earthslide for a few seconds, which causes you to bob under the surface of the earth, then re-emerge somewhere else based on your momentum. Makes you incredibly hard to coup de grace. Fifteen gold.¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­¡±

    ¡°I also have the cudchew amulet, which¡­

    After over two hours of shopping and comparing, Will limped out with the soft-set that Leon had recommended, the Cloak of Misty Escape, and the Boots of Outflanking. He also had the Self-loading Sling, the Greater Sting Ring, and the Pants of Strength, leaving Will with eight gold after all was said and done.

    ¡°Check this out!¡± Loth exclaimed, setting his barrel down. A moment later, the barrel began to scoot across the ground alongside him as he walked.

    ¡°This ring raises the carrying capacity of all my allies by five pounds. This one boosts their movement speed by two feet per second.¡±

    Five pounds multiplied by thousands of insects¡­

    ¡°I see.¡± Will said, nodding. It was good synergy.

    ¡°In fact¡­¡±

    Loth held his arms out and fell backwards onto a few dozen or so insects, so few as to be nearly invisible against the hard-packed earth. A moment later, he began to slide across the ground, held aloft by an unfeasibly small amount of insects, moving incredibly fast for an insect¡¯s pace. Two feet per second faster, obviously.

    ¡°This will save so much weight on my back!¡± Loth said, giggling manically as he began to slide up the side of a building, causing several pedestrians to do a double-take.

    ¡°You may wish to buy some large crates for supplies, because you¡¯re a one-kobold caravan now.¡± Reggie said as he exited the shop, adjusting the fit on some new bracers.

    ¡°I could do that!¡± Loth said with a gasp. ¡°Will, we have to buy some supply crates and fill them with necessities. Trap components!¡±

    Shaking his head, Will sat down in his wheelchair and was about to try to steer it toward the bazaar one-handed when it began sliding across the street by itself, setting a walking pace beside Loth.

    ¡°You know this won¡¯t work for the third floor when your bugs are burning to a crisp just by touching the ground?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°¡­Foo. Maybe there¡¯s an Environmental Resistance upgrade in Master of the Vivarium?¡± Loth mused.

    That reminded Will¡­he¡¯d reached level 5 and needed to see what kind of upgrades were available for his Primary Abilities.

    He turned his attention toward his abilities.

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Ability Upgrade Available!

    Upgrades for Aspect of the Goat:

    Aspect of the Uru Drake: Sacrifice an Uru Drake to grant a breath-attack, a fly speed, and boosted stats on all space-time abilities.

    Aspect of the Gravity Goat: Sacrifice a Gravity Goat to strengthen the user¡¯s footing even further, causing the user¡¯s personal gravity to slightly shift in the direction of their footing. This allows the user to climb walls at an acute angle.

    Aspect of the Immortal Serpent: Sacrifice an Immortal Serpent to allow the user to heal more completely. Scars and damage, both external and internal will fade away over time, and only a complete removal of a limb or organ will prevent this healing.

    Well, there goes the hope of growing back my hand. Of course, if Will took Aspect of the Immortal Serpent, there might be another Upgrade later that upgraded it to regenerate missing limbs.

    One could always hope. Will made a mental note to keep an eye open for it.

    Getting a piece of Immortal Serpent to sacrifice wasn¡¯t going to be easy or cheap. Will hadn¡¯t even heard of them before now, so the chances were that he¡¯d have to go get one himself, and if someone did have a sacrifice, it¡¯d most likely be incredibly expensive.

    Will kept reading down the list of viable sacrifices, but they were largely uninteresting. By and large, they were less powerful, and none of them were ¡®Aspects¡¯, like the first three. The earliest one he could hope to get was the Gravity Goat on floor 2. There were Gravity goats there.

    What about upgrades to Phantom Hand?

    Will cruised through, finding sacrifices that increased the hand¡¯s speed, dimensional Storage, added passive buffs, and a few minor abilities.

    Nothing that allowed it to manipulate physical objects. That seemed to be a non-starter in the Ability¡¯s progression, much to Will¡¯s frustration.

    Eventually he landed on one that made his skin break out in a cold sweat.

    Relic Focus. Sacrifice a Relic Worm to allow the ability¡¯s Scaling to apply to any Relic effects imprinted on the Phantom Hand.

    If Will was interpreting this correctly, he could boost a Relic¡¯s effect by his Acuity?

    All stats worked on a 5% basis. Each point made the corresponding aspect of one¡¯s abilities raise by 5%

    So if a Climber had 20 points in Acuity, their vision, hearing, taste, smell, and attention to detail were doubled.

    Simple.

    If this Ability Upgrade worked the way it sounded like it did, a ring of accuracy that provided a 2% boost would rise to a 4% boost at an Acuity of twenty.

    Now, as a hypothetical, if Will found a helmet that gave him the ability to see through obstacles, and another helmet that allowed him to deal a tiny amount of fire damage to anything in line of sight¡­he could feed the fire damage helmet to the Phantom Hand, and keep the obstacle-piercing helmet on his head.

    The Sacrificed helmet¡¯s effect would be doubled, or tripled, or quadrupled, scaling with his Acuity as he leveled, giving him the absolutely insane ability to disintegrate anything he laid eyes on¡­through obstacles.

    Hypothetically.

    It was the kind of thing that could create an absolutely unfair synergy if he used it right. Will had never heard of a Relic Worm, but he knew where to get that information.

    ¡°To the Bazaar!¡± he declared, pointing the way.

    ¡°To the Bazaar!¡± Loth echoed, riding atop his insect barrel.

    ¡°I¡¯m tapped out, so I¡¯m gonna go¡­¡± Reggie said, watching them sliding away at slightly faster than walking speed on a bed of insects.

 Chapter 15: Camel Abuse

    On his first Climb, William Oh singlehandedly engaged in combat with over a thousand carnivorous camels. Corrupted and turned foul by Miasma, each one was big enough to build a city between the humps on their back. He grabbed the Boss by its nose hairs, the only part small enough for him to hold on, and used his prodigious strength to steer the creature into slamming its head into the mountainside.

    When that didn¡¯t work, William Oh grabbed the mountainside, and steered it into the monster! The Earth bucked like a fly-bit mule and launched the Monster into the sky, where it resides to this day among the broken mirrors.

    -Jason Salazar

    As it turned out, Relic Worms were bad business, occupying a special place in local infamy. They were technically floor four monsters, but were notoriously difficult to hunt due to a combination of environment and their penchant for infesting a Climber¡¯s relics, disabling them and making a ¡®normal¡¯ fight suddenly life-or-death without warning.

    They were a palm¡¯s length, thin as a few hairs, and liked to burrow through flesh and Relics with equal voracity.

    They attacked in swarms of tens of thousands, swimming through the murky, concealing swamps of floor four to attack Climber¡¯s legs as they waded through the water.

    Low level Climbers died, and high level ones weren¡¯t interested in risking extremely valuable Relics while hunting them, as one could easily lose more than the value of the worms themselves if they ate your boots or weapon.

    Not to mention the sudden loss of power might actually pose a risk to the high-level Climber¡¯s life.

    The only people who might safely hunt Relic Worms were Climbers who were so high level that they could safely subdue them entirely without Relics.

    But their relatively modest value prevented that from being an attractive option for Climbers who by all rights should have a Demesne in the upper Floors.

    No, if Will wanted the obscene power promised by the Relic Worm upgrade to his Phantom Hand, he would have to go get it himself from the swamps of the fourth floor.

    His spending done, Will gave his remaining eight gold coins to Gertrude, on the condition that she earmark half of them for Jason¡¯s Sacrifices.

    Despite Jason going above and beyond following through on his promises, Will wasn¡¯t about to trust a twelve-year-old with enough money to get a Class right now, which is what he would inevitably do with it.

    In a week, Will was Charged, his stitches were out, and he was eager to get back to the Climb.

    New Quest!

    Ascend to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor.

    Congratulations on reaching level five on your first Establishing Quest! Among this year¡¯s Aspirants, your performance thus far places you at rank 1053<sup>rd</sup>.

    Now that you have reached level 5, experience gain in the Hunting Grounds and the 1<sup>st</sup> Floor have been nerfed.

    If you wish to continue to accumulate power, you must Climb to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor.

    There are two ways to reach the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor: the first is to follow established routes, this is slow, safe and reliable.

    The second is to clear a Key Site on the 1<sup>st</sup> floor, opening an inter-floor Door. This Method is quick, dangerous and rewarding.

    It should be noted that above the 5<sup>th</sup> floor, ¡®established routes¡¯ no longer exist, and the only way to Ascend or Descend is by securing Key Locations, so The System recommends acclimating to these trials early.

    Do you wish to clear a Key Site to gain access to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor?

    Y/N?

    ¡°One thousand fifty-third out of what?¡± Will asked aloud, but was met with silence from The System. Will knew he didn¡¯t do bad, since his quest reward had been ¡®exceptional¡¯, but below thousandth place? How many people joined The Climb every year?

    Will set those thoughts aside and waited to accept the quest until Loth was with him, opening up the orange door that their party could share.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Loth asked as Will backed up to the glowing door hanging in empty air outside the orphanage, getting as close as his body would allow him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Will said, tucking in his arms and legs and falling backwards.

    Will¡¯s back slammed into the dusty arid land of the 1<sup>st</sup> Floor.

    Cull the herd.

    A wild flock of camels have begun to camp out around the Key Point. Investigate, cull any showing aberrant behavior and drive the rest away from the Key Point.

    ¡°Camels, seriously?¡± Will asked, sitting up as Loth stepped gingerly past him.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I read,¡± Loth said,

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Key Point?¡± Will mused, rising to his feet, glancing around.

    Wordlessly, Loth pointed off to the side, where a beam of light shone straight up into the unnatural blue sky.

    ¡°Yeah¡­that¡¯d probably do it.¡±

    Together, the two of them crouched and began trotting in the direction of the light.

    Only a few minutes later, they arrived at the hill.

    The Key Point was an unnaturally round, pointed hill that resembled an enormous stalagmite. The only thing ¡®natural¡¯ about it was the scrub brush growing off its sides.

    Resting camels dotted the hill, some with their long limbs folded up beneath them while others simply slept standing up. At the top was a beam of solid light piercing high into the sky.

    A single camel stood at the top of the hill, rubbing its long neck against the beam of solid light and shuddering in a way that made Will feel¡­icky.

    Its coloring was darker and redder than the others, and it seemed to be at least half again larger than the next largest camel.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s probably our target right there,¡± Will said, pointing at the creature standing on top of the hill.

    ¡°What is it doing?¡± Loth asked, cocking his head in confusion.

    Will shrugged. ¡°Something aberrant, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Well, how do you want to handle this, Party leader?¡± Loth asked, looking up at him expectantly.

    Will squinted at the camel in the distance making love to the beam of light, squinting in thought before he glanced back at Loth.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I wanna drop a rock on it.¡±

    Fifteen minutes later, several hundred of Loth¡¯s seekers released their payload, sending a man-sized stone hurtling downward, gaining an alarming amount of inertia as it plummeted to the ground.

    The camel-lord never stood a chance, vanishing in a plume of dust as its long neck was driven into the ground like a tent stake.

    This explosion did half the work for Will and Loth, as every normal Camel immediately fled at top speed with their gangly, awkward gait.

    Every aberrant camel began scanning the surroundings before locking on the two of them, immediately breaking into a gangly charge that Will simply couldn¡¯t take seriously.

    ¡°Ahahahah!¡± Will broke into laughter as the braying animals descended the hill, charging toward them, looking for all the world like fools from the fair on stilts.

    Then their mouths opened to reveal the mutated tubelike tongue pulsing with ichor, the distinctly carnivorous teeth.

    ¡°Yikes.¡±

    The creatures began to spit as they charged, sending remarkably accurate streams of nastiness in their direction.

    The two of them turned and fled. No sense hanging around to get spat on by whatever pre-digestive fluids those monsters were trying to slime them with.

    By the time they stopped running, every single one of the aberrant camels was dead or disabled by Loth¡¯s traps.

    ¡°What did I need you for again?¡± Loth asked as the two of them surveyed the carnage.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Will said, taking aim at one of the wounded camels and whipping his sling around.

    The magical sling grew a mote heavier as a lead bullet filled it from the feeder pouch, then Will released.

    ZZZZ.

    The bullet flew out, creating a scintillating curtain of orange and green that came to an abrupt halt against the wounded camel¡¯s skull.

    The gangly monster dropped like a rock, its mutated tongue twitching until the very end, seemingly still seeking out something to spit at or latch on to.

    Together the two of them retraced their steps, putting any survivors of the monstrous camels out of their misery.

    ¡°I wonder what causes them to mutate like this,¡± Loth said as they walked, recovering trap components as they did so.

    ¡°It¡¯s gotta have something to do with the Key Point, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Will asked, pointing at the pillar of light they worked their way back towards it.

    ¡°That seems to be the case, but the why of it escapes me. Did the Key point make these camels into monsters? If so, were they deliberately lured in or attracted by a byproduct of some other process? The fact that The System sends people like you and me to cull them suggests that it is not deliberate. Would you and I mutate into some awful creature if we spent too much time here, or do our Classes protect us from this effect?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s it like, asking questions no one has the answers to all the time?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s awful.¡± Loth said with a sigh.

    ¡°Sounds like you might get along well with my parents,¡± Will said, patting Loth on the head. ¡°You¡¯re a type-two Climber if I¡¯ve ever seen one. Destined to find the answers or die trying.¡±

    ¡°What type are you?¡± Loth asked, looking up at him.

    ¡°I make it a point not to think too hard about the weird shit that I¡¯ve seen,¡± Will said, tapping his temple. ¡°But I¡¯m also not going to rest on my laurels once I reach a high level. I¡¯m the William Oh type of Climber.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna conquer the Tower,¡± Will said, clenching his fist. ¡°Once and for all.¡±

    PSST!

    The distinctive sound of a camel spitting was their only warning.

    Cloak of Misty Escape

    9/10 Charges Remaining.

    BOOM!

    An explosion of cloud cover shot out in every direction as Will felt his body grow lighter than air, his limbs filled with a singular purpose. To MOVE.

    He scooped up Loth and ran, nearly shitting himself as he underestimated triple speed and as a result of that overconfidence, nearly broke his neck.

    Triple speed for five seconds doesn¡¯t sound like a lot until you are running blind across rocky desert at roughly the speed of insanity.

    ¡°Dear Gods!¡± Will gulped out as the Boots of Outflanking did their job, sending him tripping over a rock so quickly that he flipped in midair twice before his feet hit the ground again.

    He kept running.

    Will burst out of the thirty feet of could cover at about the time he heard the camel spit hit the ground where they¡¯d just been a second ago.

    Will didn¡¯t have the leeway to look over his shoulder, but Loth did.

    ¡°Left!¡±

    Will juked to the left, narrowly avoiding another stream of the camel spit flying over his shoulder, despite running at the speed of light.

    I wonder if that stuff¡¯s even dangerous, Will wondered, until the rock he passed by dissolved like cotton candy.

    ¡°The Boss is still alive!¡± Loth said.

    ¡°REALLY!?¡± Will finally risked a glance over his shoulder, and spotted the dark red camel. It looked significantly worse for wear, with a broken leg and a not-insignificant amount of missing flesh from it¡¯s neck.

    But it still hobbled along on the remaining three legs, it¡¯s wound-covered head tracking them with the single-minded murderous intent only Monsters could harbor.

    Will tripped again, tumbling through the air, his feet touching down an instant before the effect of the Boots of Outflanking vanished, returning gravity and inertia to normal.

    They skidded to a halt, Will¡¯s heels cutting deep furrows in the ground as he desperately tried to stop.

    When they finally came to a halt, they looked back at the creature charging at them. They¡¯d left it in the dust, but it was charging at a rapid, if painful-looking pace.

    ¡°Can you set up something to defend us?¡± Will asked, sizing up the range.

    ¡°Indubitably.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean yes or no?¡± Will asked, winding up the sling.

    ¡°Means ¡®yes¡¯.¡± Loth said, pulling his trap supplies out of the satchels around his waist.

    ZZZZ

    The first shot went wide because of the creature¡¯s awkward, lurching, three-legged gait which caused its head to flail wildly as it charged.

    The shot missed, but the camel¡¯s neck bumped into the orange-and-green tracer that lingered along the projectile¡¯s trail.

    The creature gave a nerve-rattling shriek that didn¡¯t belong in the throat of a terrestrial animal as an additional layer of fur and skin was carved away by the tracer of fire and acid hanging in midair.

    The camel stumbled in it¡¯s charge and was forced to step to the side to avoid running directly into the deadly scintillating curtain stretching between them.

    This lost the creature time. Time that Will used to line up another shot.

    ZZZZ

    The bullet whizzed out into the distance, carrying a curtain of acid and fire along behind it.

    Will missed again, but it was a close thing, forcing the monster to take more precious time to weave around the curtain of burning death.

    The next shot hit.

    The camel reeled back as a bullet struck its cheek, turning part of the monster¡¯s long snout into a bloody mess.

    It shrieked in pain and frustration, reeling back to spit at him again with it¡¯s wormlike tongue.

    Will took a step to the left, interposing the curtain of fire between himself and the creature.

    The camel¡¯s vision was partially blocked by the curtain, and it¡¯s spit went wide while Will lined up another shot.

    This one flew a bit lower, catching the creature in its oversized neck, causing a great gout of blood to splatter against the scrub brush beneath it.

    ¡°It¡¯s set up,¡± Loth said, tugging his shirt.

    On Loth¡¯s signal, the two of them began backing up.

    ¡°Those two boulders,¡± Loth said, pointing to a pair of rocks slightly ahead of them, one medium sized, the other massive.

    Will could barely make out a tripline stretching between them.

    He nodded, keeping one eye out for further spit from the mutated camel.

    He sent his Phantom Hand out beside the larger boulder, and when the camel came into the right distance, he had the hand accelerate as fast as it could, releasing a handful of bullet stones as it did so.

    Much to Will¡¯s delight, the Armguard of Tracers applied to ranged attacks made by his Phantom Hand.

    The bullets flew out in front of the Boss, creating a curtain of fire directly in front of the creature.

    The camel attempted to stop, but ran directly into half a dozen curtains of fire, burning and melting the majority of its upper body to the bone as it did so.

    An instant later, it must¡¯ve hit the tripline, because the smaller boulder leapt forward as if it¡¯d been kicked by a giant, slamming into the larger one in an explosion of stone shrapnel¡­with the camel directly in between them.

    Will didn¡¯t have to wait long for the confirmation of the kill:

    Thank you for clearing the Key Site. You may advance to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor at your discretion.

    + 200XP

    The two of them looted the monsters as they dissolved into foul-smelling gunk with wisps of pale blue light escaping from their skeletal remains.

    They found a Tap of Plenty, Still-Boots, a nonmagical flamberge that neither of them wanted, and fifteen gold.

    ¡°Not bad for an hour¡¯s work,¡± Will mused. Sure, the possibility of death was there, but still¡­

    ¡°How did that camel have a giant piece of finely worked steel inside it?¡± Loth demanded.

    ¡°There is a story among my people,¡± Will said solemnly ¡°That when the gods created The Tower, they knew they must bind the miasma in monsters into Relics so that it might be put to better use and not poison the land, but they could never know the perfect things to give Climbers, so they created¡­the Loot Table, which automagically assigns Relics and loot,  weighted by the creature slain, the slayer¡¯s class, and a dash of randomizer on top, so that no one class/monster combination can be guaranteed to produce a certain item, for that would lead to a stagnation of society.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°You¡¯re stupid.¡± Will shot back.

    ¡°I¡¯m a genius.¡±

    ¡°That was pretty smart of you, choosing me to lead,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°That remains to be seen,¡± Loth replied, motioning for Will to open the Door to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor.

    Will did so, and a moment later, a brilliant orange Party door opened beside them.

    Will psyched himself up before standing in front of the door and allowing himself to fall backwards through it while Loth watched on, a single scaly brow raised.

    Will fell through the Door.

    And fell.

    And fell.

    Tap of Plenty: Insert the Tap of Plenty into an object to extract water or other liquids. Magically boosts the extraction efficiency beyond what might normally be possible with static internal pressure

    Still-Boots:

    +2 Resistance

    these boots distill water from the environment into pouches on the side. Part of the Still-suit set.

 Chapter 16: Ants on a Log

    Upon reaching the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor, William Oh set about asserting his dominance on the local wildlife. Like a fairy tale princess, the local animals bent over backwards to cater to his every whim. The Rocs granted him their down to guard against the cold, the Kaith built him bridges so that he could survey his new domain.

    Those disgusting Barnacle-looking things¡­stayed in their shells.

    Yep, just like a fairy tale princess, all it took to get the local animals to fall in line was a light beating followed by a sound cussing. William Oh¡¯s threats could make a veteran Climber¡¯s heart explode in his chest.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    To his credit, Will didn¡¯t start flailing until after he¡¯d gone horizontal and shown no signs of slowing down.

    A world of sun, stone and clouds flashed around him as he felt his heels begin to scrape against the ground, drawn further off the cliff by his sheer momentum.

    Panic springing forth in his guts, Will rocked his foot forward and dug his heels into the stone while his hand flung out, seeking purchase on anything he could find.

    His hand seized on something with leaves, while his heels found miraculous purchase on the edge of the cliff, Aspect of The Goat exaggerating the footing and saving him from a sheer drop.

    Will was, however, dangling upside down from a cliff face, with his back to the cliff, looking out and down at the miles of empty air below him.

    This was not ideal.

    ¡°Bahahaha!¡± Loth guffawed as soon as he stepped out onto the cliff-face, looking down at Will and pointing as he did so.

    ¡°Rope please?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I thought this was some kind of human custom you were doing.¡± Loth said as he unwound some rope from his pack, securing it to the cliff before tossing it down to Will. ¡°But I never saw anyone else doing it.¡±

    ¡°No, just me dealing with some stuff,¡± Will muttered, grabbing the rope and beginning to pull himself up one-handed.

    ¡°¡­You wanna talk about it?¡±

    ¡°Maybe sometime when I¡¯m not dangling above certain death.¡± Will replied, grunting with effort as he pulled his whole body up with one hand then released, reaching up to snatch the next handful of rope before gravity could take over.

    ¡°Fair enough¡­Gods, it¡¯s chilly up here.¡± Loth muttered, disappearing above the cliff face.

    Welcome to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor!

    Miasma Acclimation: 2 days.

    It is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the Miasma acclimation period has elapsed. Side effects of doing so include fever, bulging bloodshot eyes, coughing, pustules, necrosis of the extremities, paraphilia, parasitic twin growths, and Death.

    There is a Stronghold to your north, and a Key Site in need of clearing to your East.

    Again, it is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the Acclimation period has elapsed.

    ¡°I always wondered why it took years for my parents to make the trip,¡± Will mused as he hauled himself back up onto the cliffside. ¡°I guess I never knew that you had to take the same amount of time to go down too¡­¡±

    Will frowned as he arrived at the top of the cliff, spotting Loth, with his hood up, drawn tight around his face until nothing was visible but the end of his muzzle. He was wearing a coat drawn from his supplies, and the kobold was tending a tiny fire on a round metal sheet while some of his hardier beetles brought bits and pieces of wood from nearby scrub and trees.

    ¡°Cold?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Not good with it,¡± Loth admitted, adding some pre-made coals and folding a second dish of steel overtop, forming an almost flask-like shape before shoving the whole thing in his coat pocket, causing smoke to begin floating up from the kobold¡¯s coat and over his shoulder.

    Will tested the air with his finger.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be colder than fifty degrees out here.¡±

    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t bother you?¡± Loth asked, glancing over his shoulder at Will, who was still wearing his Cloak of Misty Escape which did little to warm him up, made of solidified vapor as it was.

    Will shrugged. Aspect of The Goat made him adaptable.

    Grumbling, Loth ushered his insects back into their barrel, then slipped a barrel cozy around it before picking up the entire thing and beginning to trudge towards the North.

    That didn¡¯t last long, as the land ended suddenly in a sheer cliff, separating them from their destination by hundreds of feet of open air.

    They tried to find a way around, circling the edge of their mountain peak, only to find that they were cut off from any other land by at least a solid fifty feet.

    After Will climbed down to investigate, he realized that they weren¡¯t on a mountain peak, they were on a floating mountain in the sky, completely disconnected from their surroundings, so far above the ground as to call into question the very existence of ¡®the ground¡¯.

    ¡°Starting to understand why they can¡¯t grow their own wheat on this floor,¡± Will mused to himself. And why the caravan needed so much rope.

    ¡°Which one?¡± Loth asked, scanning the surrounding floating mountains.

    ¡°That one looks like it abuts several others,¡± Will said, pointing to the Northeast It. was a little off-course from the stronghold, but it was in close proximity with several others, looking like it offered several paths to travel from.

    Loth nodded and took his scaled hand out of his smouldering coat and fished out the head of a silk rope from his supplies.

    His insects carried the rope across the gap, and the noose around Loth¡¯s neck glowed faintly a moment before the spidersilk rope knotted itself around a thick pine.

    They made their way across the bridge, the rope unknotting itself behind them with an application of Loth¡¯s amulet before rolling up on its own.

    They made it about fifteen minutes without incident before they saw the first sign of kaith. The second floor was their home, after all, so this wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected. It was, however, a pain in the ass.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what the bridges look like in daylight,¡± Will mused as they two of them crouched below the nearby ridge, peeking out only far enough to see.

    The bridge seemed to be made of regurgitated wood pulp laced into an intricate organic latticework that stretched between the two floating mountians. It appeared as though the kaith had somehow pushed two closer together and then secured them using their bridges as fasteners, effectively joining the range of the two mountains.

    That means that the cluster of mountains close together that we just entered is probably Kaith territory. That means the Key Point is probably Kaith territory.

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, fearless leader?¡± Loth asked.

    Will shrugged, glancing down at Loth.

    ¡°Drop a rock on it?¡±

    ¡°Do you think we should secure a retreat route before we commit to an engagement with a swarm creature?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°¡­Yes. I do think that.¡± Will said with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s set up that bridge back the way we came, then see if we can¡¯t pick a fight. Even if we can¡¯t come this way, maybe we can get some grinding done.¡±

    Now that they were on the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor, their XP wasn¡¯t being nerfed. Probably.

    Following the tactics they had begun refining on the first floor, they created a path of retreat and lined it with traps before dropping a big rock on the bridge.

    Rather than destroying the delicate-seeming bridge made of wood pulp, the boulder bounced off of it, causing a shudder to spread across the construction for a moment as the force dissipated through the arch.

    If anything, it seemed to just piss the kaith off.

    Dozens of workers seemed to materialize out of nowhere, charging toward the two of them.

    Will used the trick he¡¯d first discovered against the camel Boss, using his Phantom Hand to shoot tracers across their path, forcing the kaith to push their way through the curtains of fire and acid provided by the wristguard and his ring.

    The good news was that they cut the kaith down like wheat, each wave dropping as they were pushed into the lines of fire and deadly traps, pushed by the one behind them.

    The bad news was that there was always another wave, pushing with mindless ferocity to reach them, climbing over the bodies of their brethren with no regard for their losses.

    Then the soldiers showed up, head and shoulders above the other bizarre insectoid monsters, with chitin armor and stingers to match.

    ¡°Maybe we should-¡°

    ¡°Right,¡± Will nodded, and the two of them turned and ran.

    The traps left behind by Loth slowed the kaith enough to allow them to retreat back across the rope. Minutes after they cut the rope, the opposite cliffside was boiling with kaith.

    You are now a level 6 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 6

    7 + 4 Strength

    18 Kinesthetics

    21 Resistance

    12 Focus

    19 Acuity

    Charges: 9/12

    Free Points: 1

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Ability Upgrade Available!

    ¡°Level,¡± Will said aloud.

    ¡°Same.¡± Loth agreed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the recommended level for fighting Kaith with a party of two without a combat class?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°What makes you think I know?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°For total safety, the recommended level for a direct confrontation is twenty-five, but many can and do fight them at lower levels, albeit in guerilla engagements.¡± Loth said with a sigh.

    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Will mused. ¡°In other news, I¡¯m about to hit my double-dailies.¡±

    ¡°What should we do about that?¡± Loth asked, motioning to where the boiling mass of mutant insects was growing closer at a nearly imperceptible rate.

    ¡°They¡¯re building another bridge!¡± Will exclaimed.

    ¡°Seems that way.¡±

    ¡°Bastards. Well¡­we don¡¯t want to be here when they arrive, but we also don¡¯t want to pass on easy XP. Let¡¯s secure another path of retreat and then milk that bridge for every kaith soul it¡¯s worth.

    They found a less¡­insect-y path north, ¡®bridged¡¯ it, then doubled back and set up a shooting gallery while the Kaith continued mindlessly building their bridge towards them.

    Will emptied out his good sling-bullets from the self-loading pouch and made due with the jagged half-fist sized stones that Loth¡¯s insects dropped into the pouch.

    Without having to worry about loading the sling or the pouch itself, Will was able to fling rocks at the kaith at a rate that most slingers could only dream of.

    Since the rocks were uneven messes, Will¡¯s aim was way off, but that didn¡¯t matter so much, as the entire surface of the opposite bank was boiling with them.

    The Greater Sting Ring caused each stone to melt several inches through the monster¡¯s chitin, causing intense pain, and in some cases, instant death, if it landed near the spine or brain.

    For a good hour, Will slung rocks at the kaith bridge-builders while Loth dropped huge rocks on them.

    Due to the bridge still being new and uncured, without the support of an opposite bank, Loth was able to smash large portions of the bridge away, along with the kaith holding onto them.

    ¡°My insects can¡¯t keep going.¡± Loth said as the unnatural sun began to dip below the cloud-covered horizon, casting them in shade. ¡°It¡¯s getting too cold for them.¡± Loth shivered. ¡°Too cold for me.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be colder than¡­¡± Will licked his finger and felt his spit freeze on it. ¡°Several degrees below freezing. Wow, I didn¡¯t realize.¡±

    ¡°This rock is really comfortable¡­¡± Loth said, curling up around a lichen-covered rock, one arm around his barrel.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go to sleep!¡± Will shouted. It would only take a couple hours for the Kaith to finish their bridge unhindered.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I trapped my bed,¡± Loth mumbled. ¡°Shai-Lazu can¡¯t get to me.¡±

    ¡°Godsdamnit,¡± Will muttered, packing up his gear before awkwardly picking up Loth and his gear and carrying him toward their path of retreat. He wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to think that the Kaith couldn¡¯t track them if they crossed over onto another mountain, but if they did, that would be another two hours for Will to figure out a solution to their situation.

    When Will arrived at the rope bridge they¡¯d left behind, He skidded to a halt upon spotting the rope dangling slack, and across the gap was a fire with three Climbers sitting around it.

    One of them noticed him, a man wearing hardboiled leather armor with a fur undercoat keeping him warm.

    ¡°Ho, the other side!¡± he shouted, waving, while the other three Climbers turned to look at them.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you cut my bridge!?¡± Will demanded.

    ¡°Can¡¯t make it easier on Kaith to take new territory, can we?¡±

    His words sounded rational, but Will could hear the smile in his voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got Kaith coming in behind me. Toss me a rope or something!¡± Will shouted.

    ¡°Toss us your weapons first! We can¡¯t exactly trust a stranger in camp. ¡®Specially not one with a Kobold companion!¡±

    As far as Will knew, it was Climbers against The Tower, and anything less than total cooperation meant they intended to rob him.

    He would become an easy meal.

    And gods know how I feel about that.

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how you wanna play!?¡± Will demanded, inspecting the distance between them. About fifty feet across and maybe a ten-foot drop.

    ¡°That¡¯s the rules if you want to cross, boy!¡±

    Will shifted Loth to his other shoulder.

    Loth would probably ask a clarifying question that highlighted exactly how stupid this is¡­ Will thought. But what Loth don¡¯t know¡­

    Will whipped out a bullet, catching the fastest looking one of them on the leg.

    ¡°AGH!¡± The Climber doubled over as his leg began to smoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± A more lightly dressed Climber stood up and began to weave a glowing bead of flame between his fingers, gaze fixated on the two of them.

    I think that officially establishes Combat.

    Cloak of Misty Escape.

    8/12 Charges remaining.

    Boots of Outflanking Active.

    Will broke line of sight with his targets, zipped to the side a bit and then made a harsh turn towards his target.

    A ball of fire exploded, carving out a large chunk of the obscuring mist where they had just been.

    Will got to full speed and jumped, the Boots of Outflanking living up to their Namesake as he crossed the fifty-foot gap and landed beside the Nuker. The lightly armored Climber¡¯s eyes widened as Will skidded to a halt behind him.

    Will flung Loth¡¯s limp body toward the fire while Will capitalized on the remaining time on the Boots, charging toward the nuker at triple speed.

    ¡°Fu-¡°

    The nuker held up a flat palm and a shield of shimmering light interposed itself between the two of them, deflecting the Serpent¡¯s Axe.

    The nuker¡¯s other hand reached forward with a nasty-looking spell growing between his fingers. Will slapped it with his Phantom Hand, causing a gout of flame to erupt over the cliffs and out into the thin mountain air.

    Will kicked the nuker in the knee, causing it to fold over backwards. The nuker went down with a scream until Will kicked him in the head.

    ¡°Try and rob ME!?¡± Will demanded, spit flying from his mouth as he rounded on the last unwounded Climber, The Serpent¡¯s Axe rattling in his hand as it begged to be used. ¡°I oughta gut the lot of you and hang you from the side of the mountain by your own entrails!¡±

    The Climber glanced down to where his weapons lay beside the fire, his wounded companions, then at Will¡¯s truncated hand. He raised his hands in surrender.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be¡­William Oh, would you?¡±

 Chapter 17: Stoking The Fire

    So we saw this noob-bridge, and we figured we¡¯d just haze ¡®em a bit. If they threw their weapons over to us, then they needed to get sent back to the Hunting grounds and rethink their careers, ya know?

    Well, we figured we¡¯d show ¡®em how to use Barnacles to cross if they stuck it out, or gave us a good cussing, but that¡¯s not what happened.

    Before we even knew he was mad, William Oh shot Thomas in the leg with this acidic bolt that nearly crippled him, then he summoned this massive thundercloud, at least a hundred feet across, which turned him into a bolt of lightning and slammed him directly into Richard, our Nuker.

    Well, I saw my Party rolling around on the ground, and I knew it was just me and him then. I drew my weapons and gave him a good fight, but he had some kind of Ability that disarmed me¡­

    <ul>

    <li>Harry Almsfield, level 8 Climber</li>

    </ul>

    After a couple hours in front of the fire, Loth woke up, giving a razor-toothed yawn as he sat up, rubbing bleary eyes and inspecting the surroundings.

    ¡°Guess you finally figured out what you needed me for, huh?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re still alive. Fantastic. What did I miss?¡±

    ¡°Met some other climbers and they told us where to go to make it to Skyhold.¡± Will pointed at a rough map of the floating mountains scratched into the dirt.

    They did so under duress, so the map was suspect, but Will was fairly sure it matched up with what he saw from the higher vantage point they¡¯d had earlier in the day.

    ¡°How much longer will it stay cold?¡± Loth asked, scootching closer to the fire.

    ¡°Five hours, maybe?¡± Will said, glancing up at the black sky with its odd pinpoints of light.

    Loth began picking at the fire, taking coals and putting them in his personal heater, dumping out the previous day¡¯s ash.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to get moving soon, I¡¯m not sure how long we have before the Kaith figure out which way we went.

    Loth nodded, and after an hour or so getting as warm as they could, they started heading to the northwest, trudging along the mountainside in search of another easy crossing.

    Halfway through the trek to the other side of the floating mountain, the sun was rising and they were passing underneath a massive stone overhang when a clattering noise caught their attention.

    They tensed, but no danger reared its head.

    Above was a goat, chewing on its cud as it watched them suspiciously with it¡¯s odd flat eyes¡­standing upside down, directly above them on the underside of the overhang, casual as can be, as if it weren¡¯t directly spitting in the eye of physics.

    Will could kill it and sacrifice it to his Aspect of the Goat Ability¡­but upgrade slots were limited by the quality of the Ability, and Aspect of the Immortal Serpent and Aspect of the Uru drake both seemed like qualitatively better upgrades than Aspect of the gravity goat.

    They would be almost surely be able to house more upgrades than a goat from level 2.

    Not to mention, further upgrades would be influenced by each upgrade before it. If he got The Immortal Serpent, there was a chance he could push it further towards healing and regeneration. Specifically regenerating limbs.

    And while that wasn¡¯t a cohesive build by any stretch of the imagination, Will really wanted his hand back.

    Will hissed and made a ¡®get outta here¡¯ shooing gesture at the Gravity Goat. It startled, hopping along the underside of the cliff before disappearing above.

    ¡°Gravity goat.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Yes, they make good Scout Archetype Sacrifices.¡±

    ¡°One of mine, actually.¡±

    ¡°That explains the climbing.¡± Loth mused as they continued on their way.

    Once the sun was fully up, Loth gained some speed, and they made it to the other side of the mountain a little after midday.

    In the distance three mountains over, Will could see the faintest plume of smoke. That was their destination.

    They used their usual tactic to cross the mountains, but as they got closer to the stronghold, they saw more and more signs of humans, ranging from abandoned campsites to permanent bridges.

    They were rickety rope constructions that made Will question how the caravans could possibly traverse this kind of terrain without breaking the damn things and spiralling down into the abyss.

    I suppose that¡¯s what all the extra ropes are for, Will thought as he and Loth cautiously traversed the rickety bridge.

    As they got closer to the stronghold, they began to encounter other Climbers, passing each other with a nod and a hand gently resting on the pommel of their weapons. Will noticed their gazes lingering longer on Loth before they carried on with their business.

    ¡°It seems like the camaraderie among Climbers does not cross the barrier of species,¡± Loth said as they passed the most recent group of Climbers.

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re not killing you on sight. That counts for something, I suppose?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I believe it¡¯s because you are obviously in my employ, they understand me to be a reasonable employer of the handicapped.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not because they think you¡¯re in my employ?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Until proven otherwise, I¡¯ll believe what I wish,¡± Loth said airily.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Will chuckled and took in the sights as they rounded the corner and the stronghold was suddenly laid out before them.

    The stronghold appeared to be a mine. There was no wall, since the edge of the floating mountain could do anything a wall could do, and better. Instead a series of ballista dotted the edge of the mountain, while soldiers patrolled the edges, keeping their eyes opened to kaith invasion forces or flying threats.

    The ¡®mine¡¯ portion of the stronghold appeared to be where part of the mountain had been sheered away in onion-like layers, revealing solid quartz¡­ or is that salt? Will recalled the caravan mention something about salt.

    Salt wasn¡¯t easy to get ahold of, and as far as spices went, it was one of the most popular. Everything tasted a little better with some salt. He¡¯d gotten to sprinkle some on his soup once last year.

    It made the whole thing taste divine.

    Wonder how much it costs at the source¡­ Will wondered, rubbing his chin. If it was cheaper here than outside The Tower, then he could get a sack of it here for only a few gold.

    Heck, if I bought a big sack of it, I could resell it piecemeal on the main floor for quite a profit. Loth¡¯s bugs could carry five pounds of salt apiece, netting us ¨C

    Will smacked himself in the forehead.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a merchant caravan with extra steps!¡± Will admonished himself, gaining a curious glance from Loth.

    That wasn¡¯t to say they couldn¡¯t do it.

    ¡°You wanna snag some salt and resell it for a profit on the way back down?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be opposed, but gold isn¡¯t at a premium in the second floor, given that gold is one of the principal Loot rewards in The Tower. It¡¯s mostly fabrics, fruits and grains that can¡¯t be looted or grown here that would buy the most salt. Our profit margin wouldn¡¯t be as high. Although, salt is worth slightly more than gold by mass outside The Tower. If salt is worth any fraction less by mass inside the mine, with my insect¡¯s ability to move several tons effortlessly, we would make a tidy profit from sheer volume. This is all assuming we could buy enough to strain their carrying capacity¡­which I doubt we could afford to do in the first place.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve put a lot of thought into this, huh?¡± Will asked.

    Loth gave him a curious gaze. ¡°No, why?¡±

    Will glanced back at the road. ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°CLEAR A PATH!¡±

    Loth and Will glanced behind them and stepped aside as a dozen or so Climbers charged towards them, carrying a palanquin on their shoulders made of solid steel. Each climber bore the wounds of years of battle, and looked like they could slap the two of them aside with contemptuous ease.

    They must be heading to a higher up floor.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°A bus,¡± Will said as the group passed by. ¡°First time seeing one in person, though.¡±

    ¡°a bus?¡± Loth frowned.

    ¡°Yeah, so sometimes people enter contracts with a Lord. It goes something along the lines of ¡®I¡¯ll provide you these rare Sacrifices that will get you this really valuable non-combat class, and when you come out of your Trial, I have veteran climbers ¡®bus¡¯ you up to the level my stronghold is on and then you work for me for ten, fifteen, twenty years or so.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like indentured servitude.¡± Loth said, watching the bus disappear into the distance. Will thought he could see silhouettes through the tiny eye-slits on the side of the palanquin.

    ¡°Well, it is, Will said with a shrug. ¡°But generally once their term elapses, they¡¯ve got very high-demand skills and can effectively charge independent strongholds whatever they want. There¡¯s probably a handful of them milking SKyhold for whatever it¡¯s worth. The salt-mine isn¡¯t on a high enough floor to require a Lord, really.¡±

    ¡°¡­Generally?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re non-combat classes way outside their recommended Floor.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°So¡­¡± Will waggled his hand. ¡°Sometimes they get squished. You know I hear that the stream of powerful non-combat classes taking over the leadership of lower-floor strongholds so Lords can go higher is what¡¯ll allow humans to keep pushing further up the Tower.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like propaganda perpetuated by those who would have slaves eager to pledge themselves to their service.¡± Loth said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that these non-combat classes have a difficult time leaving the strongholds they find themselves in even after their term of service elapses, simply because they are unsuited for Climbing back down. This inability to leave creates an unfavorable bargaining position for them.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s propaganda?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Propaganda. Noun. Information, especially of a biased, or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political point of view.¡±

    ¡°Uuuh¡­¡±

    ¡°Like that boy you paid to tell stories about you.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Clever that you did that. It attracted my attention. A reputation can be as good as armor in some situations.¡±

    Will thought back to the group that had surrendered after learning his name. I never thought about it that way.

    ¡°¡­That was his idea, though?¡± Will said.

    ¡°How precocious.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s precocious mean?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Precocious. Adjective (Of a child): Having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age¡­

    The two of them continued chatting, relaxing as the stream of Climbers became so thick that there was no chance of an ambush by monsters.

    They found that sacks full of personal use salt were available for sale, but without a contract with Skyhold, one couldn¡¯t purchase more than a small amount at once.

    Roc down, harvested from their nests, was sold in street vendor stalls, woven into remarkably warm cloaks. They bought one for Loth and a cozy for his barrel, despite the jaw-dropping price tag.

    Afterwards they visited an Inn for some food and sleep.

    ¡°I shit you not, William Oh can turn into lightning. He¡¯s got some kind of Ability that creates a thundercloud and turns him into lightning.¡± A man said, waving his beer stein emphatically.

    ¡°Bang, POW! And he¡¯s on top of you!¡±

    ¡°I heard he¡¯s only got one hand, because a witch cast a curse with it. Turned it into a talisman that brings his enemies ill fortune. It roams the world and acts against those who would act against him.¡± Another man said.

    ¡°I heard a Nuker shot him in the face and he ate it!¡± Another replied.

    ¡°I saw it myself! William Oh was riding the dawnglow as it descended from the sky like a godsdamned Seraph!¡±

    ¡°You old coots are just making shit up to outdo each other!¡± a younger Climber exclaimed. ¡°If William Oh were here right now, I¡¯d kick the shit out of him if only to shut you up!¡±

    ¡°Ooh, careful what you say, kiddo,¡± One of the old salts ¨C he was literally covered in salt powder ¨C said menacingly, wiggling his fingers. ¡°Or else William Oh¡¯s disembodied hand will kill you while you sleep!¡±

    ¡°Horseshit!¡± The younger Climber said, teetering back in his chair.

    Will couldn¡¯t help but notice he had a small dagger in his belt with a distinctive pattern on the handle.

    He couldn¡¯t help himself.

    Dimensional Storage

    8/12 Charges Remaining.

    ¡°He¡¯s just some bullshit story you idiots made up to make yourselves feel better about being unremarkable. He¡¯s not even real.¡± The young Climber said, teetering back in his seat, using a hand to stabilize himself while the other downed a pint of beer.

    THUNK!

    The young Climber¡¯s dagger shot down from the ceiling and landed point-first into the wood of the table, inches away from the Climber¡¯s hand.

    The group of men stared silently at the dagger embedded in the table for a moment before, as one, they looked up at the empty ceiling above them.

    Will¡¯s Phantom Hand was hovering in the air above, waving at them, but none of them could see it.

    It really is invisible.

    ¡°Is that my dagger?¡± the younger climber asked, patting the empty sheath on his waist, eyes widening.

    ¡°Umm¡­I didn¡¯t mean nothing by the story about you being born of an unholy union between man and monster, Mr. Oh, sir,¡± one of the old salts said, glancing around the room. ¡°Just a bit of tall tales, is all.¡±

    Must¡¯ve been something he said earlier. Oh well, in for a penny¡­

    Dimensional Storage

    7/12 Charges Remaining

    Will snagged some air with Dimensional Storage, accelerated it, then released a bit at a time, creating an errant breeze where there should be none, directly into the man¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope!¡± The old salt said, leaping out of his chair and running for the exit, Will faded into the background as the man passed by, mumbling to himself, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

    ¡°Welllp, I¡¯m out.¡± Another Climber said, downing his drink before scurrying out, followed by the rest, leaving the young Climber sitting alone, silently inspecting his own dagger.

 Chapter 18: Run boy Run

    I once saw William Oh run away. Yep. Glanced up from sharpening my tool and spotted the afterimage of the one-armed lad bolting like a jackrabbit. I thought ¡®that boy¡¯s not so special; there¡¯s something he runs from.¡¯

    Then I saw what he was running from: War, Famine, Pestilence, Death¡­and the concept of Failure.

    At the speed he was going, I¡¯m pretty sure he gave ¡®em the slip.

    Mark Saltminer, level 15 Salter

    When morning came, Will and Loth packed their stuff up and headed out into the wilds to the east. The roc-feather cloak kept Loth toasty warm against the frost-tinged morning, and warded off the heat of the sun once it began to beat down on them in earnest.

    Will was unaffected by temperature extremes, and made sure to tease Loth about it to the best of his abilities.

    Today their plan was to head east and rub elbows with some other Grinders.

    Grinding was a phenomena where hundreds or even thousands of Climbers would spontaneously form a rough line around the edge of a specific monster¡¯s territory, each  group trying their hand at luring some close in order to kill them for loot and XP.

    Sharing a border with another camp of climbers lowered the amount of XP and loot you got, but it provided a safety net, since monsters were unlikely to hit your camp from the sides or behind, and even if they did, there were hundreds of other Climbers eager to ¡®rescue¡¯ you.

    It was a safe and boring way to earn XP, yet competitive and stressful¡­Or so Will had heard. He¡¯d never actually joined in on one before.

    Supposedly other Climbers were camping out on the edge of kaith territory, luring the homicidal bugs in and reaping huge rewards from slaughtering them en masse.

    Hopefully Will and Loth could get a good spot as it was being vacated by a team that had reached their quota. Since they still had a day of Acclimation remaining, they needed to spend it on something.

    Might as well make a little cash, maybe get some new Relics, levels, and prepare themselves for the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor.

    The two of them were a few miles outside the city, walking through a secluded mountain path on their way east when -

    Will blinked his eyes blearily, finding a lot more gunk in them than usual.

    Did I fall asleep?

    The last thing he remembered they were going to bed.

    Wait. No.

    His head swam as his mind caught up.

    The last thing he remembered was heading out to the East for some grinding, since he and Loth still had to acclimate for a day, they figured they should get some levels before they attempted to hit the 3rd floor, if they could.

    He remembered them watching wistfully as a bus headed out to the south, aiming for the next floor.

    The absolute fastest way to make it to the next floor was to run in the wake of a bus and assist in clearing the Key Point. The rules were pretty lenient. As long as you were there and weren¡¯t actively sabotaging the other climbers, you got a pass.

    Sadly, they were still Acclimating, and he remembered¡­

    He remembered Loth pointing out that going to a higher Floor with less than the maximum level allowed for the current Floor would be foolish, even if they could follow in the wake of a bus.

    So they shrugged and decided to head East and see if they couldn¡¯t set up a camp and do some grinding before moving on. It was what ¡®smart¡¯ Climbers did.

    Later, in the higher floors, when the Acclimation could last for months, then they would have to do it every time, especially after there were no strongholds to retreat to. Might as well get used to it now.

    As I get to higher floors, I¡¯ll need a campmaker, Will thought, opening his eyes. Maybe a cute baker girl who can use charges to bake buns big and springy enough to erect my defensive formation-wait¡­Where the Abyss am I!?

    He was hanging upside down by a meat hook. His legs were bound together by thick rope that was slipped through the hook. The ropes would be painfully tight around his ankles¡­if he could feel them. It seemed as though the ropes were cutting off circulation.

    Will hadn¡¯t been around a long time, and he considered himself a bit green as a Climber, but it was probably a safe assumption¡­ that regaining consciousness hanging upside down by a meat hook was considered a Bad Sign?.

    What really bothered him though, was the hollowed out human torsos on the other meat hooks surrounding him. Like a butchered animal, the head and entrails had been carved out, leaving just the tasty meat, missing bits and pieces that the Eaters must have been snacking on. A hand here, a rib there.

    Will had heard stories about Eaters in the upper floors. Heard about how there was nothing even resembling a natural creature in the upper floors, so everything that died dissolved into Miasma.

    There were no vegetables or game meat on the upper floors, so sometimes¡­sometimes when a Party got trapped on an upper floor for months at a time with no Key Site in range, and growing hunger¡­they resorted to eating their weakest members first.

    These people who threw away the last shred of their humanity finally succumb to The Miasma, and become monsters themselves, hunting humans for food forevermore.

    Or at least, that was the story.

    But¡­the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor? Will thought with a frown. There were goats and birds and regular shipments of wheat from the lower Floors.

    Why would an Eater be on this Floor? Unless they moved down for easier pickings? Lots of noobs on the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor.

    In any case, Will was not in a good situation, and it was time to take steps to correct that.

    He looked up ¨Cdown in this case¨C and saw that his hands were bound together as well. There was some kind of barbed metal clamp on his stump to prevent him from simply slipping out of the manacles on his wrists.

    His mouth was gagged, rough rope digging painfully into his cheeks. His belt loops was empty. None of his gear was at hand.

    Matter of fact¡­ Will mused, looking back up at his legs. He wasn¡¯t wearing anything at all, save for a bell attached to the rope around his feet.

    To make noise as soon as I start struggling.

    Will¡¯s breathing began to grow rapid, his skin crawling, heart hammering, vision going blurry as he lost focus, picturing himself, a slightly different William Oh, stumbling upon this slaughterhouse and discovering a one-armed, hollowed-out corpse.

    No. Will¡¯s vision snapped back into focus. Will directed his Phantom Hand towards the bell and the rope around his legs. It seemed oddly sluggish, to match his oddly sluggish awakening.

    Drugged, maybe?

    When it arrived, he didn¡¯t waste any time and scooped up the bell.

    Dimensional Storage

    A lance of pain shot through Will¡¯s entire body and nearly jolted him hard enough to cause him to ring the bell.

    Which would¡¯ve alerted his captor.

    Which would¡¯ve been a problem.

    The shackle around his stump glowed momentarily, betraying itself as the culprit behind interrupting his Ability.

    Okay, just a little harder than I thought.

    Will took a deep breath, steadying breath and crunched his body up, his entire body straining as he slowly and smoothly lifted his arms up to his feet.

    He stuck a finger in the bell, securing the ringer against the brass wall of the bell.

    It made a quiet scraping sound, and Will¡¯s heart leapt in his chest, but nothing arrived to stop him.

    Holding the bell, he heaved himself up momentarily, just long enough to shove his legs up and over the curve of the hook, detatching himself from the ceiling without releasing the bell.

    There was a moment of weightlessness as he fell before hitting the blood-sticky floor of the slaughterhouse.

    ¡°MFF!¡± Will grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, the gag keeping him quieter than he would¡¯ve been otherwise.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    He lay there for a moment, blinking the stars out of his eyes as he considered his life choices, and how they might¡¯ve led him to his current situation.

    Slowly, carefully¡­Will released the bell and reached down with his stump, placing the clamp between his bound feet.

    This is gonna suck.

    Before Will could get cold feet, he tensed all the muscles in his core and yanked the stump out of the clamp keeping the manacle on.

    He was thankful he had a gag.

    When he stopped crying, Will tried releasing himself again. The barbs had taken some skin with them, but it was nothing permanent, and this time, he was able to suck up the bell and rope around his ankles.

    Dimensional Storage

    6/12 remaining.

    That¡¯s odd. A lot less Charge than I should have. Did I resist being captured but can¡¯t remember?

    Where¡¯s Loth?

    Panicked, Will scanned the meatlocker for a black, scaly carcass, but found nothing.

    Maybe he got away.

    Will wrapped the manacle chain around his arm to prevent it from making noise. Sadly it was too voluminous to store in his hand.

    Silently freed of his impediments, Will began creeping through the dimly lit room looking for an escape.

    The first place to look was naturally the course of the light: A doorway with flickering candlelight streaming through the rough planks that composed the door itself, and a pool of illumination near the bottom.

    the door itself didn¡¯t have bars or a convenient window to look through, so Will laid down on the floor and peered through the gap.

    He saw an empty stone hall, with torchlight and deep shadows. Not much else, from this angle.

    Wait.

    A pair of feet arrived, then another.

    Then the most Abyssal voice spoke in a hair-raising, guttural language that meant nothing to him, other than to demonstrate that the speaker was not human.

    The demon-speech was answered by another, then the two pairs of feet turned away from each other and walked away from Will¡¯s door.

    Hair standing on end, Will backed away from the door.

    Well, that way is not what I need ¨C

    BANG!

    Will startled and nearly lost his footing as a sound reverberated through the meat locker. The sound of steel struggling to contain¡­something.

    Will ducked down and hid behind some poor bastard, heart hammering in his chest as he expected the demons to come to the door immediately to check out the noise.

    Nothing.

    Still nothing.

    They¡¯re not coming?

    Frowning, Will glanced back at where he¡¯d heard the noise come from. He crept deeper into the dimly lit meatlocker and just as the shadows were about to become impenetrable, he came across a heavy steel door. This door had bars around eye level, but Will couldn¡¯t see anything matter how close he leaned¡­

    He felt something move inside, the air shifting as something big rushed towards him, causing him to reflexively lunge backwards.

    BANG!

    The entire door shuddered and glowed with warding magic, launching Will backward moments before clawed limbs swiped out from between the bars, missing his face by inches.

    Gods! Will thought, heart hammering in his chest.

    Whatever these demons are keeping captive in there, it¡¯s big, and it¡¯s angry.

    Will glanced around at the butchered human corpses.

    Are they feeding it these people?

    Will glanced at the empty hook that had once held him aloft.

    His absence would immediately betray the fact that he¡¯d escaped. He needed to buy himself some extra time to run.

    And he would run. These things had seemingly subdued him with little to no effort, which meant his only option was to remove himself from the situation. There would be no heroic fight if Will could help it.

    Will took a moment to catch his breath and steel his nerve, finding the best hiding spot he could close to the door.

    Once he was in position, he used Phantom Hand to throw the bell into the monster¡¯s cage.

    Gods, I hope this isn¡¯t a stupid idea.

    His thinking was, if they heard the bell ringing like crazy as the feral monster savaged it, they would investigate and assume he¡¯d wandered close and been grabbed.

    That wouldn¡¯t last forever, maybe giving him an extra fifteen seconds to run.

    But every second counted.

    DINGDINGDINGDINGDING! The bell began ringing furiously as it impacted against the wall of the monster¡¯s cell and tumbled to the ground. Thankfully whatever magic was placed on the door only made it durable.

    Now we wait.

    It took longer than Will expected. In fact, no one came at all.

    Are they all taking a piss, or what? There wasn¡¯t a chance in The Abyss that Will was going to retrieve the bell and try to lure them in again.

    Ding¡­

    Ding¡­

    Ding¡­

    Will¡¯s hair raised on end as he glanced back at the cell.

    A shadow-clad arm, nearly invisible in the darkness, extended from the bars, ringing the bell with precise, almost delicate deliberation, eliciting a single clear ring from the bell, pausing, then doing it again.

    It¡¯s sapient. Will realized, eyes widening.

    It¡¯s a giant monster that requires massive magical steel doors to contain, eats people, and is intelligent. It understood my plan to lure its captors in, and is making that plan it¡¯s own.

    ¡­What kind of mess just dropped in my lap?

    Minutes of ringing later, the door opened with a metallic screech as a seven-foot tall demon stepped into the meat locker.

    It had a humanoid shape, with obscenely bulging muscles covering the hulking frame. It held a torch in one hand and bore a cleaver on its leather belt, beside a keyring.

    It¡¯s face was-

    Will¡¯s attention snapped back to the keyring.

    That seemed like something he might need.

    Will had no guarantee that they couldn¡¯t see the Phantom Hand, so he guided the invisible hand around and behind the creature, avoiding it¡¯s peripheral gaze.

    Thankfully, it¡¯s face was covered in a mask of a snarling boar.

    Dimensional Storage

    5/12 Charges Remaining.

    Got it.

    Will faded behind the hanging meat as the creature strode past him, heading for the ringing bell.

    The monster behind the door had faded further back into its cell, making the ringing bell sound more animated, like whoever was wearing it was being killed.

    The demon began shouting in the guttural demon-speech, stomping towards the cage.

    There¡¯s another one, I know there¡¯s another one. Please arrive before he realizes I¡¯m not in there.

    As if answering his prayers, another demon arrived. This one was a bit more slender, with blood-stained weapons of every sort hanging from it¡¯s belt, and well-worn armor covering its vitals. It wore a mask of a snarling red man with canines that curved and extended beyond its mouth

    It rushed past him to join the one peering into the cage, his guttural speech echoing the first one¡¯s

    Time to go, Will thought, aiming for the door.

    ¡­just as Demon #3 turned the corner.

    It was a lithe thing, every bit as tall as the others, but gaunt and skeletal, with a single wicked-looking scythe over its shoulder that radiated malignant power. This one¡¯s mask was a void of blackest black.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Will grumbled as the creature let out a harsh shriek, reaching for the weapon on its back.

    Will rushed forward and attempted to dive between the creature¡¯s legs, only to receive a kick to the face that felt like he¡¯d insulted a mule¡¯s heritage.

    Will tumbled back into the meat locker as the creature readied its weapon, shouting all the while in that inhuman speech.

    Unfettered son of a pustulant cockroach! Will cursed as he scrambled to his feet.

    With an effortless swing, the reaper cut the corpses above him down, forcing Will to scramble backwards to avoid being bisected.

    ¡°GRABUGALATHOR! EGROTH SANNUK GAM!¡± it shouted as Will turned and ran. He dodged, ducked and dived, scrambling faster than he¡¯d ever run before, with every intention of outflanking the reaper, but the DAMN THING stayed by the door, it¡¯s scythe raised defensively.

    Mere seconds of terror-fueled scrambling around the meat locker later a ham-fist clamped down around Will¡¯s neck, encircling it entirely.

    ¡°Urk!¡± Will croaked as he was lifted

    ¡°UDERGAAR VIK BEN CLOTH HAGAR!?¡± The boar-faced one screamed in his face as he lifted Will by the neck, brandishing his cleaver.

    Through the terror and the sudden loss of air, Will realized that he was about to die.

    Will had always been petty.

    As the three demons closed around him, his Phantom Hand tossed the keyring into their captive monster¡¯s cell.

    The three creatures presumably argued about how they were going to kill him, holding him aloft as their guttural speech reached new volumes, taking hostile stances against each other.

    None of them were facing the cell door, which was lit by a fallen torch.

    A single pale arm reached through the bars, slender and beautiful, as though it belonged to a mermaid in a fairy tale.

    It bore the key ring.

    As Will¡¯s vision began to fade, he watched the delicate arm quietly and carefully reach down, insert the proper key, and turn it.

    Seeing one last chance at freedom, Will patted the boar-masked demon on the arm under his chin and pointed at the cell door, which swung open, revealing the vacant interior of the cell.

    The reaper looked first, uttering a booming exclamation of surprise. As the monster swept down from the ceiling of its cell with the speed of a lunging snake, heading straight for them. The others were a bit too late.

    The hand clamped around his neck released as a horrifying tangle of limbs barreled through the open door and smashed into the three demons, sending two of them slamming into the wall while the third readied his scythe.

    Will ran for the door.

    Demon # 4¡¯s hulking shape filled the doorway as he arrived to investigate the noise.

    This time, Will managed to slide between the demon¡¯s legs as it stared at its bretheren being tossed around the room by the wild tangle of limbs seemingly without end.

    Will didn¡¯t get a good look at the creature, but he could hear it, speaking with the same voice that seemed to emanate from thousands of mouths along every point of the tangle of limbs:

    ¡°Wanna go home!¡±

    ¡°wanna go home!¡±

    ¡°Wanna go HOME!¡±

    Will¡¯s feet hit the far wall of the hallway, and he didn¡¯t bother to slow down for the turn. The wall offered his bare feet a solid grip as he ran, covering half the rough-stone hallway literally sprinting across the wall.

    At the end of the hall was a somewhat grungy living room, with cots and a simple cook pot, along with four set of crude wooden bowls, filled with a suspicious gravylike substance.

    On a nearby table, Will saw his gear.

    Bang!

    Will glanced behind him and saw that the four demons were busy battling the creature, which was pushing the four of them out of the meat locker and further into the hall.

    But gradually.

    I got time, Will thought, possibly setting a world record for one-handed dressing as he slipped on his ring, his bracer and whipped the cloak of Misty Escape over his shoulders, pulled on his pants and cinched the cord tight while simultaneously slipping on his shoes.

    A bellowing roar caught his attention, and Will glanced over, noticing the demons, who¡¯d been pushed back nearly to the room he currently occupied.

    They looked at him.

    He looked at them.

    Will bolted, snagging his tomahawk and sling as he ran, kicking open the door and blinking against the light that stabbed his eyes. He was outside.

    The Reaper began chasing him, moving like greased lightning.

    Will began sprinting downhill, sure the reaper would catch him, as the demon flowed like air over the obstacles in his way, but the reaper¡¯s fingers fell a hair short of Will when he tripped over a protrusion that had previously cupped Will¡¯s heel to provide extra grip.

    I can use it like that!? Will thought, too desperate to stop and dissect how it¡¯d happened.

    Without the fourth member pushing the creature back, their formation buckled, and the other three demons broke away, deciding to chase after Will instead.

    Together, the four of them erupted from the plain shack in the hidden dip in the mountainside, limbs pumping as they attempted to catch up with Will.

    The limb-monster followed suit, screaming and crying with the same voice in a thousand flavors of agony.

    Will whipped around and shot a bullet at the reaper¡¯s shin as it stood up.

    The reaper flowed around his attack and effortlessly avoided the tracer, seemingly turning to smoke.

    I should¡¯ve known that was pointless.

    If they¡¯d kidnapped him effortlessly the first time, there was no way he could win a fight.

    The reaper pushed off the ground, flying towards him, his entire body smoke save for the strangely shimmering void-mask and the scythe cocked back and ready to kill.

    Cloak of Misty Escape

    5/12 Charges Remaining.

    Boots of Ouflanking active.

    Will exploded out of the way of the attack, rapidly gaining ground as he began sprinting at triple speed downhill, the demons and monster hot on his heels.

    He thought he might¡¯ve passed somebody, but he couldn¡¯t be sure.

 Chapter 19: 7th Timeâ€™s the Charm

    REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION:

    During our stint at site 214, No-face spotted a Target of Opportunity and took him into custody.

    William Oh tried to escape six times. We were forced to wipe his memory on multiple occasions, until in our frustration we decided to strip him, Hobble him, put a bell on him and hang him in the meat-locker to wait until he could be delivered to you.

    This was a mistake.

    The seventh escape attempt made use of Experiment 327 from the Multi-body line. William Oh was able to remove Boar¡¯s keyring and give it to the Experiment without any of us noticing, despite our levels being significantly higher.

    The escape attempt succeeded, and both Experiment 327 and William Oh have evaded recapture. Boar and Armory led 327 to a local town where it was destroyed before it could reveal its nature to the locals. Shortly afterward, we received a notification that No-face¡¯s bounty had been claimed. As planned, we will destroy all evidence of Site 214 and await further orders at Fallback 14.

    On the Target of Opportunity:

    In one of his earlier escape attempts, William Oh demonstrated the functionality of a low-quality Sting-ring despite having none on his person, firing the caustic bolt into Boar¡¯s eye from thin air.

    We believe he may have a mobile extradimensional storage that also functions as a Relic Slot, and/or a way to rip effects from Relics that he can then activate at any point in space. This is an extremely rare ability that may prove disruptive to My Lord should it be upgraded properly.

    We recommend subordinating or killing William Oh before he becomes too powerful.

    <ul>

    <li>Letter on a fine wooden desk.</li>

    </ul>

    Will ran like hell, looking up at the surrounding mountains in confusion. There was no landmark which he could orient on and judge his location. He was completely lost.

    Where the Abyss am I?

    If he could just find some modicum of civilization, he could scrape off his pursuers. None of them were mindless beasts, so they¡¯d back off as soon as they saw numbers stacked against them. Probably.

    There! Will spotted smoke on the horizon, a thin sheet of it.

    That¡¯s probably where the grinders are! He didn¡¯t know where he was, but as long as he found civilization¡­

    Will turned, tweaking his muscles as he changed direction, swerving out of the way of a hissing blade that cut through the air where he¡¯d just been.

    Gods!

    The five second timer on his boots ran out just as Will threw himself prone, diving behind a rock formation.

    Boots of Outflanking active.

    I LOVE THESE BOOTS! Will thought as he scrambled back to his feet, sending up a wave of earth as he propelled himself further forward. The Boots of Outflanking didn¡¯t have a cooldown on their activation, so all he had to do was duck behind something that completely obscured himself, and he would reset the five-second timer.

    Will began to sprint from rock to tree to dip in the ground, each time breaking line of sight, resetting the boots and gaining further ground.

    As long as all his enemies were behind him, the boots were unstoppable.

    No freaking way Leon paid so little for these things.

    Boar fell behind first, breaking off and away from the tangle of limbs hounding him, unwittingly dragging the monster away from Will and the other three.

    The one with the array of weapons floating behind him fell behind next, sending a handful of blades spinning out at him, but Will juked, and the demon¡¯s telekinetic control didn¡¯t extend far enough out to change their course. The hulking demon paused atop a ridge, watching Will blaze into the chilly mountainside before glancing up at where Boar was running from the monster.

    He turned and ran towards his teammate.

    Finally it was just down to Will and Reaper, flowing across the landscape in a nearly ecstatic expression of pure speed.

    Rocks, ridges and trees whipped by at the speed of thought. Will would¡¯ve been having a great time if not for the threat of death.

    When Will broke the ridgeline and saw what was making the line of smoke, his heart sank, but he didn¡¯t stop running.

    They were on the wrong side of the line of grinders and kaith. The disturbing insectoid creatures were sending wave after wave of soldiers along the line of grinders, unheeding of their losses.

    The grinders, for their part, seemed like they were having a great time. Will was fairly sure he saw a few of the Climbers in the back of the line manning a barbecue, while others drank beer, looking for all the world like uncles catching up at a fishing hole.

    The ones near the front of the line were stepping in, dispatching kaith and then dragging the corpses back to let another Climber take their place.

    Spirits were high and Loot was flowing.

    And Will was on the wrong side.

    The entire field between him and the front line was crawling with Kaith, who streamed in from nearly every direction, emerging from small holes in the ground, eager to repel the ¡®invaders¡¯, unaware that they were being systematically slaughtered.

    Once I¡¯m in there, the boots will stop working¡­

    But it was either that or become a Will Sandwich for some Eaters.

    Honestly, escaping from kaith was the easier proposition.

    Willl put his head down and sprinted. The kaith locked onto him immediately, but he was far too fast for them to snap at.

    When his boots were about to expire, Will jumped as hard as he could, gaining a respectable three seconds of air time, sailing through the air and maintaining his momentum.

    When he hit the ground, he tumbled, sky, earth and insect whipping past his vision as he did so.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    When he caught his balance, he whipped out his tomahawk and whipped it back the way he¡¯d come, causing it to whistle it¡¯s venomous chord.

    The reaper caught the attack on his scythe, appearing like Death himself in front of Will.

    4/12 Charges remaining.

    3/12 Charges remaining.

    2/13 Charges remaining.

    Will simultaneously triggered the Tomahawk of the Serpent and both Sting Rings.

    The surrounding kaith began writhing in pain, bursting into smoke as the two Sting rings stacked their Acid damage buff on top of the Tomahawk¡¯s Psychic damage AOE, killing over a dozen of the monsters with a single swing.

    Reaper seemed to be unbothered by the AOE, dodged the point-blank Greater Sting Ring, but grunted in pain when the last attack launched from the Phantom Hand directly behind him hit him in the achilles tendon.

    Reaper shoved Will back, but Will dug his feet in, and the earth supported him, allowing him to match the shove, swinging with his Tomahawk as swiftly as he could, desperately trying to stay inside thex ¡®kill¡¯ range of the scythe.

    If each swing is 3% for three seconds, I can stack three attacks in one second, and cut out a large portion of Reaper¡¯s power.

    As long as Will stayed on the offensive, he could keep things even¡­somehow.

    Reaper seemed to understand this, and was having none of it. He let out a guttural shout that carried physical weight, lifting Will up and sending him tumbling backwards.

    The Scythe in Reapers hand shone a sickly color before he unleashed a massive swipe across the battlefield. A hundred kaith around them fell silent, a torrent of Miasma sucked out of their bodies and whirling around Reaper.

    ¡°You gotta be-¡°

    With a guttural shout, a wave of Miasma erupted from the reaper¡¯s scythe.

    Will dropped to the ground, barely avoiding it, but the kaith weren¡¯t so lucky.

    Even more of the insectoid creatures dropped to the ground, only to get back up, their corpses forming a disciplined circle around the two of them, blocking any avenue of escape.

    The reaper appeared standing above Will, his chest heaving as he looked down at him.

    It said something in its strange language, holding out its hand.

    Almost like ¡®nice try, kid¡¯? Will thought with a frown as he stared at the offered hand. He knew if he didn¡¯t take it, Reaper would kill him...

    ¡°Hey kid! Duck¡¯n¡¯Cover!¡±

    Will had only enough presence of mind to cover his eyes as an explosion of stone sent shrapnel along the encirclement of corpses. He glanced over and through the skittering legs of the kaith surrounding them, he saw a contingent of Climbers pushing  a wedge through the kaith line towards the two of them.

    Reaper looked up at the advancing Climbers and growled in frustration. He raised his Scythe and Will raised his tomahawk. They both watched each other expectantly. After a heartbeat, Reaper turned and dashed off into the distance.

    A moment later, hands clasped on Will¡¯s shoulders and began dragging him back towards the line of grinders.

    ¡°What kind of damn fool goes and gets himself lost behind-¡°

    Will tuned out the scolding by the older climbers, watching the Eater streak back up the hill, nearly as fast as Will at a dead sprint, speed tripled by his boots and running downhill.

    Fast.

    Will walked through a haze of Climbers patting him on the back, punching his shoulder, congratulating and reprimanding him in equal measure.

    He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d made it.

    Will was guided to a shady stone and leaned up against it, a blanket thrown over his shoulders, something hot and meaty shoved into one hand, a mug of something frothy placed beside him.

    Roast roc, Will thought through the haze, taking a bite.

    Needs salt.

    He was still replaying the entire ordeal in his mind, unable to fully let go of the fear.

    What in the Abyss just happened?

    ¡°Hey there, kiddo, that was a mighty fine run,¡± A voice said as yet another Climber squatted down beside him and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s your level?¡±

    ¡°Six,¡± Will said, still glancing up at the unremarkable Climber before looking back out over the line of grinders who¡¯d gone back to their business of slaughtering kaith now that he was safe.

    ¡°Six!?, by the gods, you fight like you¡¯re level nine, and you run like you¡¯re level forty.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°What kind of class did you get?¡±

    ¡°Resourceful Climber,¡± Will answered, frowning. It wasn¡¯t a super special Class, so telling him about it was fine.

    ¡°Interesting. Doesn¡¯t sound like a combat Class, though, so the talent must be all up in here.¡± The man tapped Will¡¯s skull.

    ¡°We recognized the Gravity Goat abilities, and we know your parents gave you Uru Drake, but we can¡¯t place the traces of your third Sacrifice. What was it?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡± Will answered, raising his left arm a moment before a cold sweat broke out across his skin. This was information he wasn¡¯t supposed to be sharing. That wasn¡¯t information he was supposed to KNOW!

    He looked up at the unremarkable man again¡­and saw he had no face. The mask tightened around his skull was a featureless ball of skin-colored putty¡­and none of the surrounding Climbers noticed it. Will hadn¡¯t even noticed it.

    I forgot about you. Will thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not a thing you can do,¡± No-face replied to his statement, seemingly as stunned as Will himself.

    ¡°Well, it HAPPENED!¡± Will grunted as he swung his tomahawk around from beside him, directly into the demon¡¯s neck, whistling it¡¯s venomous chord as it did.

    Well, that¡¯s what he intended to happen.

    No-face reached out and caught Will¡¯s hand before he¡¯d even made it halfway to the tomahawk, his other hand pressing a needle to Will¡¯s neck.

    A sudden numbness spread across his body.

    ¡°You are testing my patience, boy. And that¡¯s a good thing. I¡¯ve never erased someone¡¯s memory so many times in a single day. You¡¯ll make a fine addition to our number¡­once you¡¯re properly inducted.¡±

    Behind No-face, a tree began bending down.

    Then another.

    And another.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Will asked, struggling to form the words.

    ¡°Someone just like you,¡± No-face said, standing. ¡°Someone who had a lot of potential, someone who could¡¯ve been a Lord, if the gods were kinder. Now hold still, you¡¯re expected at your new owner¡¯s.¡±

    Will glared at him, slipping bonelessly to the ground in the only act of defiance he could muster, determined to be dead-weight.

    No-face sighed, putting his hands on his hips.

    ¡°Tell you what: Since you¡¯re not going to remember any of this, how about you don¡¯t fight me on the way back, and I can say you gave me the toughest fight I¡¯ve ever had? How does that sound, hmmm?¡±

    Click.

    ¡°Eh?¡± No-face turned around as the nearby trees were released, jerking upright and sending a whip of thick steel wire hissing out, making an explosive noise as it broke the sound barrier against No-face¡¯s neck.

    No-face¡¯s body fell backwards, his head spinning in midair a moment before it fell onto his chest.

    ¡°Gods I love pulleys,¡± Loth said as he arrived. ¡°Are you all right?¡±

    ¡°Good aim,¡± Will wheezed through the rapidly fading paralytic.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Loth said with a nod as he knelt down beside Will and began checking him for wounds. ¡°Apologies. My seekers had followed your trail to that cabin, but I knew I couldn¡¯t beat them so I-¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± Will said, then frowned. ¡°Wait, you had your bugs put their stink on me for tracking?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, I just¡­don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you,¡± Loth admitted, his eyes shifting away from Will¡¯s face.

    ¡°I totally agree. I also don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to me.¡± Will said, struggling to sit up as the paralytic wore off.

    Who was this guy anyway? Will thought, looking at No-face¡¯s mask, the seams clearly visible now that he was no longer among the living. Everyone knew about Will, but Will knew next to nothing about¡­anything.

    ¡°I swear to the gods, this unearned fame has been the bane of my existence,¡± Will muttered, leaning forward and tugging off the mask. The mask tumbled off the man¡¯s face, revealing a normal human¡¯s face. Blue eyes, brown hair, a somewhat startled expression. Not an Eater. Not a demon. A human.

    Floor-wide Alert!

    James ¡®No-face¡¯ Elroy has been spotted on Floor 2.

    James ¡®No-face¡¯ Elroy is wanted dead for a staggering number criminal acts, primarily including assassination and human trafficking.

    Bounty: 3000 gold, 20000XP, to be shared among the party that claims the bounty.

    Floor-wide Alert!

    Loth the Luminary and William Oh have claimed the bounty!

    Many thanks to our Climbers for enforcing the rule of Law.

    ¡°Well, looks like you just got some more ¡®unearned fame¡¯,¡± Loth said with a smirk.

    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that!?¡± Will demanded as the surrounding Climbers began to crowd around the two of them, gawking at the corpse and cheering.

    You are now a level 8 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 8

    9 + 4 Strength

    24 Kinesthetics

    27 Resistance

    16 Focus

    25 Acuity

    Charges: 2/16

    Free Points: 3

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Ability Upgrades Available!

 Chapter 20: Rent-a-miracle

    ¡°Congratulations¡­gentlemen,¡± The Exchange Hall clerk said, glancing at Loth as he handed the two bags of delicious gold to the two of them.

    ¡°Feels light,¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°Amounts over five hundred gold are paid in Ivory, to save weight,¡± The clerk said with a tired expression. ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± he waved them off.

    Will was halfway to the door when he made the stunning realization, stopping in his tracks.

    This is it. This is the wealth I was looking for. I could go back outside The Tower, buy a couple businesses, get married to a cute baker girl and supply her with as much wheat and sugar as she needs to keep me rolling in delicious, fluffy buns.

    Will opened up the sack and pulled out a single ivory coin. That alone was worth a large portion of the orphanage itself.

    Suddenly, with the option of an easy life laid out in front of him, his declaration of conquering the tower seemed a bit¡­misguided.

    Will shook the impulse away.

    Gods, they told me the majority of Climbers stop in the first ten floors, but they never said how tempting it was.

    Will arranged for four coins to make their way down on a bus in exchange for a fifth. The mail in the first four floors was still fairly reliable.

    The other ten coins he went on a spending spree with.

    ¡°Endless bag of salt.¡± Will mused at the label, turning the fist-sized bag this way and that before glancing up at the merchant, then over at the mine at the top of the mountain, busily stripping away the rapidly regenerating salt layer.

    ¡°How much salt does it make?¡±

    ¡°About a quarter cup per Charge, to a maximum of four charges a day.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot. how much do you want for it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Five hundred.¡±

    Will nearly spat out his bread.

    ¡°What!? I could purchase a man¡¯s weight in salt, go outside the tower, sell it and be back in a week.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you misunderstand, young master. The Endless Bag of Salt is not to make profits, but to pickle and preserve food in the floors above,¡± The merchant pointed upward.

    ¡°The further up one goes, the more¡­eh¡­Logistics must be accounted for. A cunning Climber has a plan for how to use their dailies, you know.¡±

    Either that hadn¡¯t been covered in the orphanage¡¯s classes, or Will had been asleep, but what the merchant said did make sense. A man¡¯s dailies were simply wasted if they weren¡¯t used.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you fifty.¡±

    ¡°Three hundred.¡±

    ¡°Pass,¡± Will said, handing the bag back. ¡°I¡¯m not going to the upper floors just yet anyway.¡±

    ¡°You do seem a bit young.¡± The man said, placing the bag back where it¡¯d been.

    ¡°Wazzat?¡± Will asked, pointing at a satchel.

    ¡°Traveller¡¯s Chemistry Set.¡± The merchant said, opening up the leather satchel to reveal tightly packed glassware. ¡°Everything inside the satchel is protected from damage and it includes the tools needed to refine or distill several different alchemical ingredients.

    ¡°On the back is a heating pad, which will set itself to whatever temperature the user desires, while simultaneously stirring the concoction. And lastly, when glass is placed back inside the satchel, it is thoroughly cleaned.¡±

    ¡°MINE!¡± Loth said, jostling will out of the way.

    Will met his eyes, cocking a brow.

    ¡°I make a lot of poisons.¡± Loth said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to pick up explosives, but I haven¡¯t had a good chemistry set to do it with.¡±

    ¡°Since milord is so passionate, I¡¯d be willing to part with it for a mere eight hundred ¨C¡°

    ¡°Pass,¡± Loth said, waving him off.

    The merchant gave the two of them a sour look.

    ¡°wazzat?¡± Will asked, pointing at an amulet with a little glass capsule.

    ¡°Amulet of the Home Field Advantage.¡± The merchant said, turning the amulet over in his hand. ¡°¡¯Load¡¯ it with a terrain and for a Charge, you can change a small area around yourself to match the terrain you loaded for thirty seconds. Eighty gold.¡±

    Perhaps pre-haggled by Will¡¯s earlier unwillingness to negotiate, the merchant gave him a price he was willing to snap at.

    ¡°Deal. Do you have change for Ivory?¡± Will asked, offering him a coin.

    The merchant¡¯s eyes bugged out for a moment before he nodded and counted out twenty gold coins.

    ¡°Got any helmet slots?¡± Will asked, putting on the amulet.

    ¡°Night vision, concussion protection, ramming, audio-enhancing.¡±

    Wonder what the mask does. Will mused to himself, shaking his head to indicate he wasn¡¯t interested

    The instant he had picked up No-face¡¯s mask, it had shifted form to resemble a goat. Will had shoved it into his new backpack along with most of the rest of his gear, rather than put it on to learn its Abilities.

    Because putting on a shapeshifting mask you get off a guy named No-Face seemed like a great way to wind up Cursed with a capital C.

    Later in the day they could take it to the temple of¡­Who likes me? Granesh? Lumesh? Andover? Melisk? The priests of Andover were generally willing to do anything for coin, so that was probably where they would end up going to check if the mask was cursed.

    There was a strange thingy that drained blood from it¡¯s victims to make arrowheads, and a wand that boosted cold Abilities.

    No Space-boosting wands. Those were much rarer. Will practically salivated at the idea of one day getting a wand that boosted Space-based abilities, making his Phantom Hand carry more, move with more speed, enhance it¡¯s boosts, or, gods-willing¡­touch things.

    There were no debuff-boosting items to synergize with his tomahawk: those were about as hard to find as Leon had said.

    Slim pickings on the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor.

    Although Will did find a pair of gauntlets that boosted Strength by 2 and Attack Speed by 8% for a reasonable price.

    He snatched those up. The salesman glanced at his missing hand. ¡°You realize you need to wear both the gauntlets for them to be effective?¡± the gap-toothed man asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re for a friend.¡± Will lied. The man shrugged, selling Will the pair anyway.

    Will shoved them in his back pack. If he decided it was worth it, he could switch out his Sting Ring for the gauntlets, and enjoy a tangible boost to his attack speed.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Since the Tomahawk of the Serpent applied one layer of debuff per attack, in theory¡­if he could attack 33 times in 3 seconds, he could debuff someone¡¯s stats by 99%...before resistances or other factors.

    Will¡¯s Kinesthetics was going to be high enough to handle processing that kind of speed in a dozen levels or so, but his Class lacked the Strength to pull it off unaided.

    So the strength-cum-speed boost of the gauntlets was a key booster for bigger stacks of the debuff from the Tomahawk of the Serpent, especially if he couldn¡¯t find anything to make the debuff last longer or increase its potency.

    Plus it was hard to go wrong boosting Attack speed and strength.

    I just wonder how many cubic inches the gauntlets are.

    Another thing to test later when nobody was watching.

    People already knew way too much about William Oh.

    Once they¡¯d cruised through the Skyhold bazaar, they stopped at a sandwich shop on the street-corner.

    It was only when the vendor turned to the wall next to her, carved off a piece of it and placed that slice on some meager rye bread before handing it to Will, did Will understand what he was looking at. The wall, and even the roof itself, was all part of a single piece of breast meat, so thoroughly steeped in salt that it was spontaneously growing crystals in places.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be two gold!¡± The woman said, cheerfully extending her hand.

    ¡°Two gold!?¡± Will demanded, fishing out two coins and passing them over before continuing to devour the Roc-sandwich.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s more expensive in The Tower.¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°How¡¯d you come by this?¡± Will asked, pointing at the salty meat the woman was ensconced in.

    ¡°Oh this? My grandfather won the bid for a roc¡¯s carcass after it¡¯d all been plucked and gutted, and we¡¯ve been selling it ever since.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how long?¡±

    ¡°About forty years now,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°We started selling the second breast when my son was born.¡±

    Will coughed mid swallow. Whether it was from the sheer saltiness or the fact that he was eating 40-year-old bird meat, he couldn¡¯t be sure.

    ¡°..Neat!¡± Will said when he finally managed to swallow.

    ¡°When my boy grows up and gets his Class¡­Well, by then we¡¯ll have to consider another line of work, but by then we should have a decent amount saved up.¡±

    For 2 gold a slice out of literally millions of slices worth of meat, I should hope so, Will thought, nodding along.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll buy another Roc, continue the family business. Maybe he¡¯ll get a good Class and become a Lord. Could you imagine?¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I don¡¯t know your son, but I know he¡¯s in good hands.¡± Will said through the overpowering flavor of fermented salt-bird.

    Good, though.

    ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you sweet? Have another slice, on the house,¡± She said, cutting off a slice and handing it to Will, who pinched the salt-crystal laden meat nearly triple his age between thumb and forefinger before rolling it up.

    ¡°MMm.¡± Will nodded and saluted with the roll of Ostensibly Meat? before he and Loth excused themselves politely and walked out of line of sight, where they could finish devouring the ambrosia of the gods without fear of judgement or ridicule.

    ¡°Gods!¡± Will groaned when the extra slice of roc cleared his vocal cords.

    ¡°So ¡®ood!¡± Loth said around his food.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve decided.¡± Will declared, holding his finger meaningfully to the sky.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to defeat a roc and brine it!¡± Loth declared.

    ¡°What, no, we¡¯re going to get a cook!¡± Will said. ¡°A battle cook. Preferably a cute one my age¡­¡± Will rubbed his chin. ¡°Brining our own roc isn¡¯t entirely out of the question though, because that was delicious.¡±

    ¡°You know they¡¯re a raid boss, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh, I think we could take one.¡±

    ¡°Cute, huh?¡± Loth asked, rubbing his chin too. ¡°Male or female?¡±

    ¡°Guys are not ¡®cute¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­human girls are all¡­fatty.¡± Loth said, making an hourglass shape with his hands. ¡°kinda weird.¡±

    ¡°Agree to disagree. The merchant did say logistics became more important the higher you go, and I¡¯ve heard about parties numbering in the dozens or even the hundreds for the top floors. If we¡¯re going to make it to the top, we¡¯re going to need a cook eventually.¡±

    ¡°Not just yet, though,¡± Loth said, tugging on Will¡¯s empty sleeve and pointing up.

    Rent-A-Miracle!

    A garish gilded sign hung over the temple of Andover.

    Will and Loth steered their feet towards the temple, walking under the gilded archway as they arrived, glancing around at the dimply lit interior.

    There was a single priest at the front desk, hands clasped calmly, waiting for Will to balk at the prices and bail out.

    Healing: 100 Gold

    Resurrection: 10000 Gold

    Rent a priest!

    This Floor=500 Gold

    5<sup>th</sup> Floor and back: 3000 Gold

    Purchase a priest: Negotiable.

    ¡°Yo, can you fix this?¡± Will asked, lifting his stump and pointing at it.

    ¡°Absolutely. Fifteen hundred gold.¡± The priest said.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Will muttered. He only had six Ivory left after the shopping spree. ¡°It says one hundred gold for healing.

    ¡°Healing and regeneration are two different things.¡± The priest of Andover said, folding his hands together.

    Will¡¯s eye twitched. I should¡¯ve come here first. If I¡¯d known we had enough for my hand¡­

    ¡°We have that much.¡± Loth said, glancing, gesturing to his pouch.

    ¡°You sure?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll fill in the rest. You¡¯ll owe me.¡±

    ¡°This is the second time, you know. I already owe you.¡± Will said, dumping out his six ivory while Loth counted out nine and placed them on the counter.

    ¡°Indeed. If you see some Mankeran Burrowers on the fourth floor, be sure to grab some for me. I wish to domesticate them.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°Careful not to let them reach your bones. They¡¯re very hard to remove once that happens.¡± Loth said.

    Will was still staring at his Saboteur when the priest finished counting and cleared his throat.

    ¡°This is indeed fifteen hundred gold. Do all parties agree to this sacrifice for the restoration of this one¡¯s limb?¡± he gestured at Will.

    The word ¡®sacrifice¡¯ sent goosebumps up Will¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Loth echoed him.

    ¡°Very well,¡± the priest held his hand over the ivory coins. A moment later, an ethereal glow descended from his hand to the coins, and Will felt a brief surge of¡­indignation?

    An irrational urge to slap the priest so hard that his deity felt it.

    His right arm twitched before he got it back under control.

    The coins dissolved, and the priest gestured for him to hold out his hand, hand glowing with the light of Andover¡¯s miracle.

    Will put his stump on the counter, heart hammering in his chest.

    This is it! I¡¯m back in the game, baby! Will was going to do so much cool stuff with his left hand back. Climb without using his feet, hold two things at the same time.

    Gods it¡¯ll be sooo much easier to put my clothes on. Will¡¯s clothing choices had all adapted to be one-handed.

    Actually, you know what would work better than the cincher I¡¯m using? Suspenders! Hah! Funny I just realized it now, when I no longer need it¡­wait¡­

    ¡°Why am I still missing my hand?¡± Will asked the Priest, who met his gaze with a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

    ¡°What Andover is saying doesn¡¯t make sense¡­Wait here, I¡¯m going to fetch the deacon.¡± The priest turned and practically dove through the curtains behind his desk, leaving Loth and Will there to stare at each other.

    ¡°You think we can get a refund?¡± Loth asked.

    Wordlessly, Will pointed at a sign on the wall.

    No Refunds on the purchase of miracles or Priests.

    A moment later, the priest returned, guiding a saggy old relic.

    ¡°Hand,¡± He growled, yanking Will¡¯s stump over the counter, nearly making Will fall. ¡°Journeymen these days, it¡¯s like they can¡¯t handle a simple regeneration¡­¡±

    The old man went silent as the scintilating light of Andover emerged from his palm, bathing Will¡¯s stump in light.

    A moment later, he released Will¡¯s hand to him with a craggy scowl.

    ¡°Andover tells me that your hand belongs to The Tower now,¡± He said, peering up at Will through a single bushy eyebrow.

    ¡°None of my business what mysteries you¡¯ve stuck your hand into. That¡¯s the Tower¡¯s nature, after all. If we all went chasing those mysteries, there¡¯d be none of us left to keep the lights on¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting your hand back unless you grow a new one yourself,¡± The priest gave him the brutal news with callous disregard. ¡°However, since we already took your coin, and we don¡¯t do refunds¡­

    ¡°Come around the counter,¡± he said, opening up the bar and motioning for them to follow.

    Confused, Will and Loth followed, ducking through the lush velvet curtains.

    The dim light of the interior of the temple revealed dozens upon dozens of people, ranging in age from his age to mid-thirties, each of them dressed in the ornate robes of an Andover priest¡­and each of them was locked up in a sturdy steel cage.

    Will¡¯s brows rose precipitously.

    ¡°Behold, the Debtors.¡± The priest said, his voice scratchy with phlegm. ¡°Those who have not yet bought their way into Andover¡¯s good graces.¡±

    ¡°Pick one.¡±

    The Journeyman priest put his fingers in his ears.

    ¡°Pick me, young man!¡± A woman with her robes parted just enough to enhance her cleavage panted, squishing up against the bars. ¡°I¡¯ll take such good care of you!¡±

    A moment later, another priestess did the same, followed by a priest, and another. Soon enough, all of the captive clergy, young and old, were begging to be picked, turning the silence upside down as the hall devolved into raucous screams.

    ¡°That one.¡± Will pointed at a pretty girl about his age.

    ¡°That one,¡± Loth said at the same time, pointing out a rather large man with a hint of grey in his beard.

    ¡°What, why?¡± Will demanded as the shouting died down.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get more for our money if we get someone who knows what they¡¯re doing. Experience is worth more than gold when we hit the next couple floors.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right!¡± the older man said, his eyes wide. ¡°I¡¯ve been all the way to the fifth floor! I can help you Climb! Warn you of the dangers! Not only that, I can cook and make camp! You¡¯ve got a very smart companion.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Will rubbed his chin.

    ¡°Plus, since he¡¯s an older human male, the mores of human society dictate that when he inevitably dies, we won¡¯t feel sad, since human males, especially older ones without family, are disposable.¡± Loth pointed out. "Think of him as a Training Priest we can learn to keep alive."

    ¡°Ummm.¡± The priest paled, taking a step back from the bars.

    ¡°Excuse me, sirs, since the money came from both of you, you must reach a consensus on which Debtor to purchase.¡± The younger priest said, sweat beading on his brow.

    Will and Loth glanced at each other and nodded.

    ¡°That one.¡± The two of them said as one, pointing at the disposable priest with the salt-and-pepper hair.

 Chapter 21: No Refunds

    His name¡­is Steve Holland. The most powerful disciple of Androth to ever draw breath. William Oh found him working miracles in a women¡¯s hospital and knew he was the one he was looking for. With a wave of his hand, he could cure anything from wounds to baldness and the runs.

    He had a particular knack for laying down pre-miracles. He could bless the Floor itself such that whenever one of Will¡¯s party members suffered an injury, they would be instantly healed.

    Recognizing the value of such an unbelievable ability, William Oh sent Steve ahead to bless each Floor above; to prepare the world for his coming. Even now, he toils away, preparing for the arrival of The Lord.

    -Jason Salazar.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Will grunted, his hands on his hips.

    ¡°Yep.¡± Loth nodded, arms crossed.

    ¡°Is his head supposed to be¡­bent, like that?¡± Will asked as they stared down at their healer.

    Steve Holland, their brand-new Healer¡­was lying at the bottom of a twelve-foot drop, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, face purple, eyes wide and staring.

    ¡°You know it¡¯s not!¡± Loth snapped.

    ¡°It¡¯s a twelve-foot rise! It¡¯s not even that steep. I could jump that!¡± Will said, pointing at the rise. ¡°I could fall straight onto my neck from that far and be fine!¡±

    ¡°Apparently¡­he can¡¯t.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°He could¡¯ve said something!¡± Will cried. ¡°He¡¯s old! He said he¡¯d been to the fifth Floor! He should be at least level twenty! Even with a noncombat class, he should¡¯ve had some Resistance. Enough to not die from a fall!¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯d accepted the party invite, we would know.¡± Loth mused. ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡±

    ¡°You think he wasn¡¯t actually a healer?¡± Will asked. That would explain the unwillingness to join the Party. They would be able to see his Class. Perhaps the Andover temple had simply foisted off an actual debtor, and not a Debtor.

    ¡°¡­Maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, whatever, let¡¯s go get a refund. That priest was obviously defective,¡± Will said, turning his feet away from the corpse a mere hundred yards outside the walls of Skyhold.

    ¡°You know they don¡¯t do refunds, right?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, they¡¯ve screwed us too many times!¡± Will said, shaking his fist as he walked away. ¡°That fifteen hundred gold could¡¯ve bought us some shiny gear that could save our lives and instead we¡¯re dealing with this bullshit! To the Abyss with Andover!¡±

    Loth twitched at a distant thunderclap, but Will kept marching on, straight back into the city, straight back to the temple of Andover, where the exact same journeyman priest looked up at Will with a tired expression.

    ¡°How can I help you?¡± He asked, his voice strained.

    ¡°Steve¡¯s dead. I want a better healer. One that¡¯s not going to fall and break his neck on the first rise.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s dead?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I checked his pulse and everything,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Very well, I will cross him off the roster¡­¡± The priest muttered, opening up a massive book and striking out a name with his quill before adding a note beside it.

    ¡°¡­Very well, we would be happy to arrange a replacement, given that you¡¯ve returned within our half-hour replacement policy.¡± the priest said, pulling out some paperwork. ¡°There¡¯s just the very small matter of bringing back Steve¡¯s corpse.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°You see, this line on the paperwork you signed granting you guardianship? It states that should your priest of Andover die in the course of their duties, that you are responsible for returning their corpse to a temple of Andover in a timely manner ¨C in this case thirty days ¨C or you will be held liable, and required to pay a fee commensurate with their value.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It means-¡°

    ¡°Commensurate means ¡®of equal value or importance,¡¯¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Ah. Wait, you¡¯re going to have us pay fifteen hundred gold if we don¡¯t bring you his corpse!?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Ah, actually, we were giving you a large discount on the purchase of a priest, given the nature of our mishap earlier. Steve¡¯s actual retail value is¡­¡± He opened the ledger up again and dragged his finger down until he stopped on Steve¡¯s crossed out name.

    ¡°Fifteen thousand gold, as he is level thirty-five.¡±

    ¡°WHAT!?¡± Will demanded.

    ¡°How on Earth is he still a Debtor if he¡¯s level thirty-five!?¡± Will demanded.

    ¡°Steve Holland was in the Debtor¡¯s prison for¡­let¡¯s see¡­¡± The priest mused, flipping through pages of the ledger. ¡°Ah, here. Multiple counts of insurance fraud.¡±

    Will¡¯s eyes widened as a sudden realization began to cool his guts. He looked at Loth. Loth looked at him curiously.

    ¡°You don¡¯t mind if his corpse is full of stab wounds, do you?¡± Will asked looking back at the priest.

    ¡°What happens to his corpse after he is declared dead is no concern of ours,¡± the priest said, nodding to Will, that he understood their situation and they had full permission from the Temple of Andover. ¡°As long as it is returned to us.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. Excuse us,¡± Will said, tapping Loth on the shoulder and running for the door.

    Together the two of them sprinted back to the bluff where Steve had dramatically tumbled down the low cliff and landed with an unsettling crack.

    Will stood at the top of the cliff, hands on his hips.

    Loth¡¯s arms were crossed.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Will grunted.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°There¡¯s no corpse, Loth.¡± Will said, scowling down at the bottom of the cliff. There was, however, a broken tree-branch to provide that unsettling snapping noise.

    ¡°Maybe a scavenger came¡­¡± Loth offered.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°We got scammed. It¡¯s not smart to try and escape from it.¡± Will said, eyes narrowed.

    ¡°¡­I see. Do humans pull elaborate scams like this¡­often?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. More than I¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°I see. So what are we going to do?¡±

    ¡°We are going to deliver Steve¡¯s corpse back to his temple, full of stab wounds, if necessary.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I see. That¡¯s what that exchange meant.¡± Loth¡¯s brilliant yellow eyes narrowed.

    ¡°This priest fucker thinks I¡¯m young and na?ve. I¡¯m going to carve the latter thought out of him,¡± Will muttered, pulling out his tomahawk.

    ¡°You know how you figure out who committed a crime, and why?¡± Will asked, turning away from the bluff and stalking back to town.

    Loth smiled, looking up at him as they walked, seemingly eager to learn more about human society.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°You gotta ask yourself who stands to gain from the crime, and how much.¡± Will said.

    ¡°I see¡­Cui Bono.¡± Loth said, nodding.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Latin for ¡®who benefits?¡¯ used in legal considerations.¡±

    ¡°The Abyss is Latin?¡± Will asked, looking down at him.

    ¡°The language of ancient Rome and it¡¯s empire, widely used historically as a language of scholarship and administration¡­according to the dictionary I memorized.¡±

    Loth looked up at him expectantly.

    Will shrugged, indicating he had no idea what Loth was talking about.

    Loth shrugged, dropping the subject.

    ¡°So where do you want to look first?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°The last place a na?ve young man driven to desperation by a sudden debt would check,¡± Will said, marching through the gates into Skyhold.

    ¡°Ooh, do tell. This is all fascinatingly human.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see here in a moment,¡± Will said, setting down his backpack and fishing the goat mask out of No-face¡¯s loot.

    ¡°Foo.¡± Loth pouted.

    Food for thought though:¡± Will said before he put it on. ¡°If we fail to catch this guy¡­Cui bono?¡±

    Mask of Manifestation:

    +2 Acuity

    Manifests an Ability based on one of the Wearer¡¯s Sacrifices.

    Gravity Charge: 1 charge

    The user¡¯s personal gravity is oriented in the direction of the target for Resistance seconds. Ethereal horns grow from the user¡¯s skull, and their brain, skull, and neck are strengthened against impact. Potency of effect based on Res.

    Cancelable.

    Secondary, at will: encodes speech such that only other Mask wearers may understand.

    The goat mask clamped down around Will¡¯s face without the need for straps, tightening for a moment before it seemed to disappear, leaving his view as clear as it¡¯d been before.

    A minute later, Will swept through the door to the Temple of Andover.

    ¡°Greetings, how can I-¡°

    The priest gave a strangled yelp as Will kicked open the panel separating their side of the room from Retribution and marched through.

    ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t-¡±

    Will beat the journeyman with the back of his tomahawk before he could raise the alarm, causing the non-combat class to crumple to the ground.

    ¡°Here!?¡± Loth whispered, eyes wide.

    Will marched through the curtain, through the hall of cages, who watched them as they passed, until he arrived at a small room, where the ancient master of the temple was eating lunch with Steve Holland, the pair of them chuckling heartily at a certain Party¡¯s naivete until a goat faced, one-armed man with a tomahawk stomped into the room.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve seen the looks on their fa-¡°

    Steve froze as he met the mask¡¯s dead, square eyes.

    ¡°Oh, look, it¡¯s Steve¡¯s Corpse!¡± Will said, pointing at the salt-and-pepper priest.

    Of course, since the encoding function of the mask was switched on, it sounded like:

    ¡°GNA BOKAR GRUBASH SAR GAA!¡±

    ¡°Steve¡­I think you should run.¡± The ancient leader of their order said before sipping his tea.

    The pastry fell out of Steve¡¯s hand as he bolted for the back door, sending his chair flying.

    Gravity Charge

    1/16 Charges Remaining.

    ¡°WHOOOO!¡±

    Will couldn¡¯t help but let out a cry of pure joy as he relaxed his body and simply fell towards Steve, his prey became the new down, and there was only one way to go.

    Even after Steve turned the corner, he remained the center of Will¡¯s world, pulling Will in.

    Will landed on the doorframe, stood sideways on it, and peered down the hallway Steve was fleeing through, which appeared to descend straight into the earth according to Will¡¯s inner ear.

    He stooped to climb through the sideways doorframe and hopped off, falling effortlessly towards the figure sprinting down the hallway.

    Will caught Steve in the back with a headbutt, sending the priest sprawling to the ground, Will atop him.

    ¡°Now, Steve, we¡¯re going to-¡°

    Steve backhanded him with enough force to send Will skittering across the wall before leaping to his feet and sprinting away.

    Oh right. Level thirty-five.

    Steve might have basic stat progression, might not be wearing any Relics, and he might not be a combat class, but it was hard to argue with thirty-five levels.

    Will¡¯s Resistance was roughly on par with Steve¡¯s Strength, which was why he wasn¡¯t dead from the slap¡­but this complicated things.

    How can I salvage this situation without murdering this fellow? He¡¯s certainly made that the most attractive option, certain that I¡¯ll be unable to do so.

    In essence, the priest had bet his life that he could run and hide from Will long enough for Will to assume his Debt to Andover, allowing him to move on with his life free from the church¡¯s influence.

    Once Steve had been declared dead, the path of honest work had been shut.

    Will crossed his arms in contemplation as Gravity Charge had him sliding across the floor after Steve.

    Will dug his heels in for an instant, straightening himself out so he was falling straight down at Steve instead of sliding.

    Steve looked over his shoulder and squawked in alarm at the goat-faced creature floating after him at ever-increasing speed, arms crossed, legs still, following him in total stillness.

    The priest sprinted out onto the street, Will falling out of the temple after him. Steve juked right hard, and Will¡¯s momentum swung him wide, forcing the Climber to gallop sideways along the buildings as he absorbed the sideways momentum before his new Down reasserted itself, tugging Will effortlessly along.

    ¡°Hey Steve!¡± one of the local salters shouted, waving. ¡°Your past is catching up with you!¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, Frank!¡± Steve shouted back before diving past a display full of weapons, standing directly behind them, using Will¡¯s inexorable fall against him.

    Will¡¯s eyes widened, and he canceled Gravity Charge, causing a brief moment of nausea as down became sideways.

    Will¡¯s momentum was still there, though, and as soon as he touched the ground, he jumped up and over the display.

    The priest was already trying to run, but Will wasn¡¯t having any of it, bouncing off the soot-covered ceiling and aiming straight for the priest¡¯s back.

    Steve whipped around and put up a divine shield that glittered in the colors of Andover.

    Will struck it with his Phantom hand, causing cracks to appear, then followed it with the Tomahawk of the Serpent in one of the cracks, shattering the defenses and placing the blade under Steve¡¯s chin.

    ¡°Listen!¡± Will said without encoding his speech as he caught the priest in a grapple. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you¡­well, I want to kill you, but I¡¯m only going to do it if you make me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Steve said, panting with exertion.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your stash?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Would you rather be dead!?¡± Will demanded, pressing the blade against Steve¡¯s throat. ¡°The Temple of Andover gave me a month to hunt you down. I did it in two minutes.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed that.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t get as old as you are without considering backup plans. Where. Is. Your stash? The money you were saving to pay off your Debt in case I caught you.¡±

    If Will got his hands on that, he could pay the fine for not returning with the priest¡¯s corpse and simply wash his hands of the whole situation.

    The prospect of switching out for another priest of Andover had long since soured.

    ¡°Well reasoned, young man, but have you considered what life might be like¡­as an aardvark!?¡±

    Will slapped the magic out of Steve¡¯s hand and drew blood with the tomahawk.

    ¡°Ow, ow, fine, fine, I¡¯ll stop, gods! How did you do that!?¡±

    ¡°The stash. Now.¡± Will said as Loth arrived beside them.

    Steve¡¯s expression crumpled as Loth began securing all the exits.

    ¡°I can¡¯t! You¡¯ll just kill me and take it!¡± he bawled. ¡°I gave my life for Andover¡¯s blessing and still¡­and still¡­.boooooohoooohoooooo.¡±

    The blubbering middle-aged man in Will¡¯s grip threw him off guard, especially when snot started dripping out of the priest¡¯s nose¡­which allowed Steve to elbow him in the ribs hard enough to send Will through the nearby wall, creating a hole for the aging priest to dive through.

    A short and violent chase later, Steve was wrapped up in Loth¡¯s silk ropes, wiggling in place, firing off Abilities left and right in a desperate attempt to save his skin, but Will disrupted every one of them.

    ¡°How are you DOING that!?¡± The priest demanded, his tone completely shifted from fear and despair to righteous fury. ¡°You¡¯ll be inviting the curse of Andover if you kill me! Fire and brimstone will rain down on you! Milk will sour in your presence and food will spoil before you eat it! I have friends! Powerful friends who¡¯ll stop at nothing to see you dead!¡±

    Will shrugged and raised the tomahawk, aiming at the priest¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! I¡¯ll tell you where my stash is! I just need some kind of guarantee you won¡¯t kill me!¡±

    Will glanced at the Tomahawk of the Serpent.

    1 Charge: May be used to seal an agreement between two individuals by sharing smoke from the pipe. Anyone who willingly violates the spirit of an agreement suffers from triple the passive debuff for one month.

    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Will said.

 Chapter 22: An Expert Opinion

    Dispose of him.

    <ul>

    <li>A note wrapped around a windrider¡¯s ankle.</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Say it right.¡± Will said, prompting Loth to prod their priest with something sharp.

    ¡°Gods, I¡¯ll say it-¡° Steve was interrupted by a hacking cough. ¡°I can barely see. How are people supposed to hold this pipe without cutting themselv-ow!¡±

    After another poke, he caught his breath and read the script.

    ¡°I will tell the truth to William Oh¡¯s party. I will not attack, abandon, nor endeavor to mislead them into danger. I will not deceive them with half-truths or misrepresented facts. I will support them to the best of my ability, and guide them to my most monetarily valuable assets that I have hidden away. I will allow them to leverage these assets.

    ¡°In return, William Oh¡¯s Party will refrain from killing Steve, and leverage his assets with the express purpose of paying his Corpse Fine. We will attempt to pay this fine in a timely manner, and only kill Steve should we be blatantly unlikely to succeed at raising the capital required within thirty days.¡±

    ¡°Should my assets not prove to be valuable enough, I will ¨C do I have to say this part?-

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Should my assets not prove valuable enough, I will willingly submit myself to death at the hands of William Oh¡¯s Party.¡±

    ¡°This agreement will elapse in thirty-two days.¡± Will put the endcap on the agreement.

    ¡°I agree to these terms.¡± Will said, a tendril of smoke escaping from his mouth, the words drawn involuntarily out of him by the Ability.

    ¡°I agree to these terms.¡± Steve said, his face contorted into a deep scowl.

    The two streams of smoke mingled in the air before returning to them, sealing the contract.

    The twelfth one.

    (6) Contracts active!

    ¡°There,¡± Will said, standing. ¡°Now, if you break the contract, you will literally keel over and die.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for that¡­¡± Steve said sourly.

    They¡¯d had Steve agree to the exact same thing twelve times as soon as Will had realized that a person could have more than one contract active.

    Meanwhile, Will had only agreed to not kill Steve six times, as had Loth.

    So they wouldn¡¯t die if they tried to kill him prematurely, but they definitely wouldn¡¯t succeed, losing more than half their stats.

    ¡°You could¡¯ve told me you were William Oh,¡± Steve said pouting.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was important,¡± Will said, motioning for their priest to lead them to his stash.

    ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± Steve said, turning and walking away.

    ¡°He seems quite petulant when driven into a corner.¡± Loth said, falling into step behind the priest

    ¡°I heard that!¡± Steve said, glaring back at them.

    ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Loth said with a shrug.

    A few hours later, Steve stopped at a nondescript cliffside, kicked over a rock and found a coin.

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± He said.

    ¡°Where is here?¡± Will asked, glancing around the rocky hillside.

    ¡°This is where I incurred most of my Debt, abandoning a group of noblesons, covered head-to-toe in expensive relics bought and paid for by Daddy Dearest.¡±

    Will¡¯s brow raised.

    ¡°And their gear is your stash?¡±

    ¡°Their gear is the icing on the cake,¡± Steve said. ¡°Metaphorically.¡± He hastily corrected.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not dead, so it seems like the contract to tell the truth is more intent-based than literal.¡± Loth said. ¡°Which is good for our purposes.¡±

    Will narrowed his eyes. ¡°Less wiggle room for you. Plus you still get to complain.¡±

    Steve grunted, peering over the edge.

    ¡°The ¡®cake¡¯ in this instance is a route down through the side of the mountain that leads to a Spawning Ground. One that isn¡¯t on anyone¡¯s map.¡±

    ¡°Yetis. Lots of ¡®em. Enough to surround and kill a party of half a dozen over-equipped noobs. They had fancy gear, but they were stupid as hell, bickering, fraternizing, treating me like a porter and chef, as if The Tower was a leisure walk.¡±

    He glanced up at Will and Loth. ¡°I think you two would fare much better than a bunch of noobs did, and since you don¡¯t have to share the spot with others, fifteen thousand gold is only a matter of time. Maybe two weeks? After we pay off my Corpse Fine, we could get rich down there in a matter months.¡±

    ¡°Do we look like we¡¯re not noobs?¡± Will asked, gesturing between the two of them.

    ¡°You guys¡­are level thirty-ish, right? Late twenties? Gearing up for the 6<sup>th</sup> Floor¡­At least?¡± Steve asked, his voice becoming faint at their expressions.

    ¡°Join our party.¡± Will said.

    Grumbling, Steve did so.

    Steve Holland

    Itinerant Charlatan Level 35

    Strength 35

    Kinesthetics 35

    Resistance 105

    Focus 105

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Acuity 70

    Charges: 5/105

    Free Points:

    Primary Abilities: Smooth Talker, Wandering Feet

    Secondary Abilities: Blessing of Andover, Confusion

    Tertiary Ability: Feign Death

    ¡°You¡¯re level EIGHT!?¡± Steve exclaimed. ¡°How are your stats so high!? You don¡¯t have a counterspell ability at all, so how¡­¡± The priest clapped his hand over his mouth until he could regain his composure.

    He cleared his throat, shifting in place, his posture and tone becoming instantly obsequious.

    ¡°None of us are even close to full on Charge, so I diligently recommend that we return to Skyhold for a week of rest and attempt the descent while topped off, Milord.¡±

    Steve gave a flowery bow.

    ¡°And if you wish to continue to employ me after all is said and done, I charge a very modest fee of one percent.¡±

    Will was tempted to laugh in Steve¡¯s face at the sheer speed of Steve¡¯s attitude change, but his paranoia was beginning to cry bloody murder.

    ¡°Explain your thought process just now, in full.¡± Will demanded. Steve was contractually obligated to tell the truth, in full, or die, and Will was more than willing to take advantage of it.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re going to be a very successful Climber, and I want to benefit by association.¡± Steve admitted.

    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re earning <u>three</u> extra stat points per level! and¡­I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve been using that Phantom Hand effectively as a Counterspell, with no Charge cost? That¡¯s how you countered my Confusion Ability¡­ That ability is¡­¡±

    Steve shook his head. ¡°Climbers would give a lot more than a hand for that. You¡¯re going to be a Lord, William Oh, as long as another Lord doesn¡¯t find you first.¡±

    Will frowned.

    ¡°What do you mean about another Lord finding me?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Steve rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°New Lords are very rare.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Will said, nodding along.

    ¡°There¡¯s no direct evidence for this, but believe me, I¡¯ve been hanging around the first five floors for a long time,¡± Steve said. ¡°And promising noobs are always disappearing or dying. Especially ones without the backing of a powerful family. You¡¯d think talented Climbers would die less often than untalented ones, because, ya know, talent, but for some reason being exceptional is exceptionally hazardous.¡±

    ¡°Now, I know people, and it would not surprise me one bit if Lords have their Vassals stationed on the lower Floors, keeping an eye out for ¡®talent¡¯.

    Steve made a ¡®snatching¡¯ motion.

    ¡°They drag these talented young men and women up to their Stronghold and force them to agree to become their Vassals, effectively ending any possibility of Lordship. Or kill them.¡±

    ¡°Or at least, that¡¯s my theory.¡± Steve said with a shrug.

    ¡°You can just force someone to become a Vassal?¡± Will asked.

    Steve glanced down at Will¡¯s tomahawk, which they¡¯d just used to force a somewhat lopsided arrangement with the Healer.

    ¡°Point taken,¡± Will said.

    ¡°The Tower is very¡­loose about ¡®fairness¡¯.¡± Steve said, waggling his hand. ¡°Anyway, once you become a Vassal, that¡¯s it. You can switch Lords under the right circumstances, but you can never become one yourself.¡±

    ¡°What do you get from being a Lord?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Other than land and money¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡± Steve said with a shrug. ¡°They¡¯re not exactly the sharing type, and I don¡¯t know any of them personally, either.¡±

    ¡°I can however, make a few guesses.¡± Steve said. ¡°It¡¯s thought that the Lordship system was meant to propel a select few up to the top of the Tower, by gathering the powerful beneath them and focusing that power into individuals who can then punch above their weight class and tackle and claim the upper floors, with a solid supply chain behind them.¡±

    ¡°This is supported by the fact that the most powerful Lords seem to have the most Vassals. Although whether this is because more people are attracted to the powerful, or because more Vassals equates to more power¡­nobody knows for sure, except the Lords, and again¡­they¡¯re not telling.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Will grunted.

    ¡°Anway, as long as you haven¡¯t caught the attention of a Lord or their Vassals, you should be fine¡­you should probably quit with those rumors about you that¡¯ve been going around the taverns and stuff, though.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop that if I wanted to at this point,¡± Will said. ¡°It¡¯s taken on a life of its own.¡±

    Will thought for a moment about what question he should ask next, given that Steve was sworn to assist them faithfully for the next month.

    ¡°Hey, Steve.¡± Will asked as they were heading back to Skyhold. ¡°Hypothetically, what if I was kidnapped earlier by four high level veterans and just barely managed to escape by the skin of my teeth?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well then you would want to lay really freakin¡¯ low, because their boss is going to want you dead.¡±

    Will nodded, continuing to walk, but Steve caught his shoulder.

    ¡°Like, not returning to Skyhold and camping out on the underside of a troll¡¯s asscheek low. Tell me that was just a hypothetical.¡±

    Will relayed the story of his kidnapping.

    ¡°Right! The bounty the other day!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°That was you! There were three more, and they got away!?¡±

    ¡°If by ¡®they got away¡¯, you mean ¡®decided not to finish me off because I was surrounded by other Climbers¡¯, then yes.¡±

    ¡°Dear gods! You¡¯ve already got one¡¯s attention and you killed one of his vassals!¡± Steve said, clutching his head, eyes wide.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any Lord¡¯s insignia. Honestly I thought they were Eaters until we killed one. He did say something about my ¡®new owner¡¯, but I thought he was talking about selling me at an auction or something.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course! I¡¯m a Lord doing highly illegal bullshit, let me just put my insignia on it! Of course they looked like Eaters!¡± Steve said mockingly, throwing his hands up in the air. ¡°By the gods, you¡¯re in more trouble than I am, and I¡¯m stuck with you for another month!¡±

    Steve gasped, clutching his heart.

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave. I can¡¯t leave without dying! Your blasted ¡®deal¡¯ has killed me! Dear Andover, whom I¡¯ve always been faithful to, why must you test me so?¡±

    Guess he doesn¡¯t trigger the ¡®no lying¡¯ thing for whining to the universe at large.

    ¡°Your Blessing of Andover is a Secondary Ability,¡± Will pointed out. No one would have passed up undeniably lucrative healing abilities offered as a primary, therefore¡­

    ¡°Faithful since I found religion, anyway.¡± Steve clarified. ¡°I may have¡­shopped around a bit for a religion with¡­eh¡­low barrier to entry.¡±

    Will raised a brow. ¡°No, really?¡±

    ¡°Do you realize how hard it is to get gigs as a ¡®charlatan?¡¯¡± Steve demanded. ¡°If I couldn¡¯t heal, I¡¯d be long since cast out of the Tower, committing petty fraud to get by.¡±

    ¡°And faking your own death to saddle us with your Corpse Fine isn¡¯t petty fraud?¡±

    ¡°Anything above ten gold is Greater Fraud, and anything above ten thousand is Grand fraud.¡± Steve pointed out.

    ¡°Right. Of course. Good to know.¡±

    ¡°Ooh¡­I¡¯m gonna die, I¡¯m gonna die¡­¡± Steve crouched down beside a boulder and bemoaned his fate.

    ¡°If I¡¯m already dead and it looks like they¡¯re gonna kill you too, you¡¯ve got my permission to trip and break your neck again,¡± Will said.

    Steve looked contemplative.

    Will gave a sharp inhale of breath as a thought occurred to him.

    ¡°Actually, can the Feign Death Ability work on other people?¡± He asked.

    Steve looked up at him, then glanced at Loth, then back to him. A moment later a hint of understanding glinted in his eye. ¡°Indeed it can.¡±

    Will took out The Serpent¡¯s Tomahawk and twirled it like a baton. ¡°Would you be interested in adding some terms to our agreement?¡± Will asked.

    Steve¡¯s posture filled with confidence.

    ¡°My rates just went u-¡° Steve¡¯s eyes bulged, and he sank to his knees.

    ¡°Aww, is raising your prices not ¡®supporting my party to the best of your abilities¡¯?¡± Will asked, squatting beside the priest as Steve gave up on the scam and drew a ragged breath instead.

    ¡°This thing even gives warning nudges,¡± Will said, marvelling at his weapon. ¡°Neat.¡±

    ¡°Oftentimes things have effects that don¡¯t show in the description,¡± Steve gasped. ¡°Why don¡¯t we sell that weapon? It¡¯s worth as much as me, at least.¡±

    ¡°No thanks,¡± Will said. ¡°I¡¯m not selling my first Relic to settle your debt. We either get the money we need from your secret stash of dead rich kids and yetis, or you die. There is no in between.¡±

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t-¡° Steve began strangling again as the weight of twelve identical pacts began weighing down on him, for a grand total of 108% stat reduction. Negative stats weren¡¯t a thing, and typically if someone¡¯s stats dropped to zero, they would just die.

    Some people thought it was because the body had fully integrated with the system, others that stats reduced to zero de-acclimated a Climber. Whatever the cause, it was often lethal.

    ¡°How much time do we have?¡± Will thought aloud. ¡°If it takes a messenger an increasing amount of time to stay on one level, before moving on to the next, and the exact same amount of time on the way back, we should have¡­like a month? At least?¡±

    Steve shook his head and cleared his throat.

    ¡°There are teams who specialized in moving mail quickly. They have manned stations on every floor, where they pass the mail from one person to the next. A letter can get to the fifth floor in a day, for the right price.¡±

    ¡°A day up and a day back?¡± Will mused.

    Steve nodded.

    ¡°So word could get back to the men who tried to kidnap me about what to do as early as¡­tonight?¡±

    Steve nodded. ¡°They¡¯re definitely going to be ordered to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Steve, I need your help faking my death.¡± Will said.

 Chapter 23: Ice Cave

    The Oh situation has resolved itself.

    <ul>

    <li>Message attached to a Windrider¡¯s leg.</li>

    </ul>

    William Oh died once. Spent seven days dead before his errant hand found him and dug him back up.

    For three nights, The groundskeeper saw the disembodied hand scratching at the earth above the boy¡¯s coffin, like a dog desperately trying to unearth its master. He realized that the hand was sinking deeper and deeper, until on the third night, it vanished beneath the earth.

    Even though the phantom hand had vanished, the groundskeeper could swear he could almost hear the scratching of displaced earth whenever he walked by the burial site.

    He swore it grew louder at night. The groundskeeper dreaded what would happen when it finally made it to it¡¯s goal.

    Four nights later, the groundskeeper returned to an empty plot of Earth, and the legend of William Oh continued.

    <ul>

    <li> It¡¯s believed that the story was a result of concealing an attempted graverobbing by the groundskeeper. Imagine his horror when the coffin didn¡¯t have any of the Relics he¡¯d seen William Oh buried with.

    </li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Good morning Sunshine.¡± A hideous voice echoed in Will¡¯s ears.

    Will gave a sharp inhale that instantly turned into a full-blown cough as he inhaled dirt and dust that had settled in his outlandishly dry mouth and throat.

    He coughed so hard that he couldn¡¯t see. The tears streaming from his eyes caught the dirt in his eyes and carried them out, turning his world into a glob of blurry lantern-light.

    Something heavy and sloshing was shoved into his hand.

    Wineskin.

    Will mastered the coughs for just long enough to take a swig of lukewarm water, swallowing half and coughing the other half in Steve¡¯s face.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Will gasped, his voice hoarse as the liquid finally started moving things in his throat, allowing him to take a ragged breath and ask a question. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe?¡± Steve said, wiping his face. ¡°The people who gawked at your ¡®corpse¡¯ weren¡¯t wearing signs saying ¡®Informant¡¯. News will spread, though, so it should at least buy you little time. At best, a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°As long as we fill the grave back in, that is,¡± Loth said, motioning for them to stand aside.

    Steve pulled Will out of the coffin and Loth¡¯s insects carried a handless corpse into the coffin before they began hastily pushing the dirt back into the hole, doing their best to re-pack the earth to the same consistency it¡¯d had before.

    Loth even went out of his way to individual replant all the sprouts that had been beginning to grow on the surface of Will¡¯s grave.

    ¡°So, umm¡­¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t kill anybody,¡± Steve whispered. ¡°We just got lucky. Kid got killed a couple days ago, and I told his Party I¡¯d bury him for free, long as they didn¡¯t ask questions.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Will whispered back. ¡°How was my funeral?¡±

    ¡°There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°We paid some professional mourners to really sell the bit,¡± Steve whispered.

    In a matter of minutes, the grave looked completely undisturbed. Even then, Loth¡¯s insects swarmed the site, picking up bits of soil and smudges of dirt they¡¯d missed and packing them back over the coffin.

    ¡°How long was I out?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°A week, as planned.¡±

    ¡°It felt like nothing,¡± Will marvelled.

    ¡°A week¡¯s the longest I¡¯ve ever tested, I¡¯m not sure when or how the effect expires if I don¡¯t dismiss it, so maybe we could¡¯ve gone longer, I just didn¡¯t want to risk you waking up in the box and suffocating.¡±

    ¡°Huh, have you ever considered using that ability as a personnel storage technique?¡± Will asked. If it could keep someone fresh in an airless box for a week or longer, there might be some utility there¡­

    ¡°Yeah, that might be valuable in the upper floors, where food is at a premium. Good thinking, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Glove,¡± Loth said, retrieving Will¡¯s gauntlet and strapping it onto his wrist. ¡°Cloak.¡±

    Will settled the vaporous fabric over his shoulders, then put his mask over his face.

    ¡°Amulet.¡± Steve said, dropping it over his head.

    ¡°Pants.¡±

    ¡°Boots.¡±

    ¡°Wristguard.¡±

    ¡°Belt.¡±

    ¡°Axe.¡±

    Will stood still and allowed them to put on his equipment, making the process almost instantaneous, and much faster than what a man with one hand could accomplish.

    It was a little weird having people help him put on his pants, though.

    Will checked his Charges. They were completely topped off.

    16/16 Charges remaining.

    He glanced back at his gravestone, hewn from the salt of the mines and destined to gradually wear away in the rain as new Climbers came and took his place, fading as rapidly as new Climbers streamed in, creating their own legends.

    Here lies William Oh.

    A hyperbolic young man, full of potential,

    cut down before his prime.

    F¡¯s in chat.

    ¡°let¡¯s go,¡± he whispered.

    Sneaking out of a graveyard in the middle of the night was child¡¯s play, and there were no town walls to speak of, since they were on a floating island.

    Steve showed them how to assemble a temporary bridge by luring the barnacles on the side of the wall into extending their feeding apparatus, tangling together into a walkable surface.

    In the middle of the night, they fled Skyhold, aiming for the final resting place of a bunch of rich kids.

    They still needed to pay off Steve¡¯s Corpse Fine or the church would send a debt collector after them, which was something none of them wanted to happen.

    They arrived at the spot and spent the rest of the night resting before they headed down in the morning.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    It was a hidden path, concealed beneath an outcropping of stone. One simply had to hang from it and swing themselves down onto the narrow passageway below.

    ¡°How did you get back up that?¡± Will asked, looking up at the stone overhang above them. It was no trouble for Will and Loth, but Steve was rather inept at climbing, and Loth¡¯s insects had to carry him over the ledge.

    Something the priest was entirely uncomfortable with.

    ¡°There was a rope.¡± Steve said, brushing the heeby-jeebies off, despite every insect being accounted for.

    ¡°Did you cut the rope?¡±

    ¡°No. I left the rope there for several nights until it became obvious that no one was coming back. I considered telling the authorities what happened, but then I realized how much loot they had on them, and that it was worth more than the debt for breach of contract.¡±

    ¡°Cold.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t the one that got ¡®em killed, despite what the official records and their parents claim. Their special babies bit off more than they could chew and I barely escaped with my life. You think I can heal a head that got hit so hard that it detatched? Or someone who got torn in half? Nuh-uh.¡±

    Will paused on the narrow switchback, Loth nearly bumping into him.

    It occurs to me that we need to put our game-face on.

    ¡°Loth, prep us an emergency exit. One even Steve can use.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Loth nodded and went back up to start creating a rope ladder.

    ¡°Steve. Tell me everything you know about the spawning ground and its inhabitants. Especially where exactly it starts.¡±

    Steve did so.

    The spawning ground for the yetis was a few switchbacks further down, when the trail turned inward and led to a cavernous entrance to an extensive cave network, formed largely of the ice.

    The underside of the mountain was extra cold, never feeling the warmth of the sun, and as clouds passed by the underside of these ranges, ice grew faster than it sublimated, creating a solid layer of ice in some places.

    This place being one of them.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s kinda cold in here,¡± Will whispered as they made it to the entrance.

    It was a massive hole in the ice layer leading further into pitch-black nothingness, with a deceptively smooth bottom to walk on, as it the inside of the cave had partially metled time and again, filling the bottom of the cavern with a flat sheet of ice.

    ¡°Kinda cold?¡± Steve demanded, arms wrapped around himself, shivering despite the cold-weather gear he¡¯d packed.

    ¡°Do your thing,¡± Will said to Loth, who began trapping the way back to their exit against anything taller than seven feet, smoke rising from his roc-down jacket.

    Will tentatively stepped through the ominous entrance onto the smooth frozen floor.

    Aspect of the Goat caused the perfectly smooth ice to rise up and fill in the treads of his shoes, like inverse ice-gear.

    Huh. I guess Ice counts as a mineral.

    Steve waited at the entrance as Will walked down the hall massive hall. The noise seemed to be swallowed by the hoarfrost glittering in the faint light of the entrance.

    Will knelt down and pressed his hand to the immaculate ice floor.

    Amulet of the home Field Advantage loaded.

    Inside the glass vial at the end of the amulet, a small ice cube appeared and began lazily spinning.

    It probably wouldn¡¯t serve any purpose against the creatures who lived here, but back up on the surface, a sheet of slippery ice on command might work rather well. Especially if Will was able to treat it like normal stone.

    Will had considered loading some ankle-turning rocky terrain, but he hadn¡¯t seen anything nearly as aggressively spiky as he¡¯d wanted yet, so he would go for slippery instead.

    Will pulled out several of Loth¡¯s glowbugs and threw them into the distance, beyond the reach of the dim light of the entrance, revealing an endless expanse of ice and darkness that seemed to go on forever.

    In the distance the floor had a lump of ice, partially covered in hoarfrost .

    Will walked over, continuing to scan the walls, not seeing any sign of the creatures.

    He knelt beside the lump of hoarfrost marring the perfect floor and wiped the growing ice crystals off of it.

    Will squinted, still unable to quite make out what he was looking at through the ice.

    He looked around and then pulled out his weapon, hacking a bit of the ice away.

    Clunk.

    Clunk.

    The ice sloughed off, revealing a boot.

    A boot with a foot in it.

    An expensive boot, Will mused. Faint evidence that a party of six Climbers with Floor-inappropriate gear had died here, where Steve had said they did.

    Will glanced up again.

    Still just hoarfrost everywhere.

    Wait¡­is that hoarfrost moving?

    Will lunged backwards as a patch of the wall whipped out with clawed hands nearly the size of his torso.

    Something Steve had forgot to mention: Yeti fur and hoarfrost looked nearly identical. He¡¯d been surrounded this entire time.

    ROOAAAR!

    The creature¡¯s red face split open, revealing massive canines as it¡¯s roar caused other ice patches on the walls to wake from their slumber. In front of, and behind Will.

    Especially behind him, the available light grew dimmer as a wall of fur and claws formed, blocking his exit.

    Or perhaps they knew he was here all along and were baiting him with the boot.

    Best assume this is a planned ambush.

    Gravity Charge.

    15/16 Charges remaining.

    Will picked a point on the ceiling halfway between himself and the exit, jumping as the Ability kicked in.

    The yeti was too feral to be surprised by Will¡¯s sudden ups, charging forward and grabbing Will¡¯s leg.

    Crap.

    BOOM!

    The world went white for and instant as Will¡¯s back and neck was slammed against the floor.

    Thankfully, gravity was pulling him the other direction and his spine was reinforced by Gravity Charge, so the monster¡¯s tactic of slamming its prey¡¯s upper body into the ground wasn¡¯t nearly as effective as it would normally be.

    Will whipped out his axe and chopped off one of the creature¡¯s fingers.

    It screeched, releasing him.

    Will kicked off its other hand before it could get a grip on him and shot upwards at a forty-five degree angle, putting him face to face with another Yeti, whose eyes widened as he sailed towards it¡¯s face.

    Will headbutted it.

    Typically, headbutting things that were at least two feet taller than oneself was ill-advised, but Gravity Charge made that a viable means of attack.

    The yeti staggered backwards as Gravity Charge carried Will up and over, his momentum not stopping like any sane creature would expect.

    Will drove the tomahawk into the creature¡¯s skull, flipping his body around and riding it¡¯s twitching corpse back to the ground.

    Will¡¯s full weight was resting on his tomahawk in the creature¡¯s skull, springloaded to fall towards the exit. He set his feet on the creature¡¯s shoulders and pulled the tomahawk free, leaping further into the cave system, away from his set point.

    The wounded yeti reached out to snatch Will out of midair, but missed as Will¡¯s momentum died just in front of it¡¯s hand.

    Will hooked his tomahawk into the creature¡¯s arm, yanking himself forward against the pull of Gravity Charge as the creature flinched backwards.

    A hand closed down around his leg from behind, followed by another around his chest.

    A sudden image of being ripped in half made Will break out in a cold sweat.

    He whipped the tomahawk around and triggered its Active.

    14/16 Charges Remaining.

    A mind-shredding chord sounded around him as Will buried the axe in the monster¡¯s wrists.

    The Yetis around Will backed away as the psychic attack was boosted by the Sting Ring, causing them to smoke faintly from the acid damage.

    ¡°Whoops!¡±

    Will fell upwards as he was let go, missing a hold on a nearby thrashing wall of fur.

    He tumbled out of their reach and landed on the ceiling, dislodging a rain of hoarfrost as he smashed into the ice.

    Groaning, Will stood up, looking up at the yetis.

    From his perspective, they seemed to be standing on a perfectly smooth ceiling, snarling and jumping at him, trying to reach him so they could tear him to pieces.

    This is Abyss on my inner ear, Will thought, turning and running deeper into the cave, the orientation of gravity instantly changing as he got away from the point he¡¯d marked with Gravity charge.

    When it felt like gravity was pulling him straight down the ceiling, as if it were a cliff he were climbing, Will jumped off and let Gravity charge slingshot him back towards the entrance.

    He dipped low for an instant before he began falling forward and up again.

    Cancel.

    Will flew past the point he¡¯d marked, momentum carrying him on a shallow arc over the heads of the snarling yetis and their grasping claws.

    Will landed at the entrance and immediately began sprinting out and up the switchbacks.

    The first yeti that came through had a snare tighten around it¡¯s neck, lifting it off the ground and strangling it.

    And the next.

    And the next.

    The following yetis shoved past the strangling yeti-curtain at the entrance and began scrambling up the switchback after Will.

    One was decapitated, another lost their hands. A third was stuck in place and crushed, the fourth was perforated by dozens of poisoned blades.

    The fifth and sixth got another snare. Will glanced at Loth.

    ¡°I ran out of ideas, okay!¡± Loth said defensively.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Will said, raising his hands.

    ¡°They don¡¯t look like they¡¯re slowing down. One second. Don¡¯t move.¡± Steve said, pulling out a mannequin on a rope before lifting his hand, forming a whorl of dense magic. He shoved it forward in a conical wave of magic that rippled through the line of charging yetis.

    As one, they faltered, seemingly confused about where they were and what they were doing.

    ¡°I¡¯m a big bad adventurer!¡± Steve said in a high-pitched voice, holding the mannequin in front of himself and wiggling it to give it a semblance of motion. ¡°Can¡¯t catch me!¡±

    Steve threw the mannequin off the side of the cliff.

    The yetis shook off the confusion and locked onto the target, diving off the cliff to pounce on the decoy.

    ¡­inadvertently tossing themselves off the edge of the floating island in the process.

    They probably wouldn¡¯t get XP for those, and definitely not loot, but it was better to have the numbers under control. Will approved.

    ¡°Any more?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°I think we got the biggest chunk of them,¡± Will mused. ¡°it¡¯s probably ones and twos now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go mop up.¡±

 Chapter 24: Fancy Meeting You Here

    William Oh once discovered a princess trapped in ice. The ice was enchanted by a demon to ward off any external heat or force, keeping her trapped there forever as punishment for her father¡¯s misdeeds.

    Upon discovering that his efforts were futile, William Oh removed his shirt and plucked a single chest hair out, placing it upon the ice to seal the promise that he would return and find a way to free her.

    In a matter of minutes, the princess had melted her way out of the infernal ice.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar.</li>

    </ul>

    It was not ones and twos. It was a veritable yeti-buffet.

    You are now a level 9 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 9

    10 + 4 Strength

    27 Kinesthetics

    30 Resistance

    18 Focus

    28 Acuity

    Charges: 9/18

    Free Points: 4

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Ability Upgrade Available!

    Will sat on top of a mound of Yetis, panting for breath.

    ¡°How are you still alive?¡± Steve demanded.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. Good clean living and always expecting an ambush?¡±

    The Yetis had demonstrated basic intelligence, setting up an ambush around just about every piece of expensive gear the previous group had been wearing.

    But it grew predictable, and after a while, Loth and Will fell into a rhythm: Trap a location, push deeper, empty it out, trap that location, then press deeper, always making sure to Yeti-proof their tail.

    There were a few yeti corpses hanging from snares that hadn¡¯t been there before, slowly decomposing into pale blue Miasma.

    Clank!

    Will and Steve¡¯s attention was drawn to where one of the older corpses had evaporated enough to drop its loot onto the ice. Followed by another, and another.

    The party shifted gears, looting and cataloging while Loth kept them safe.

    Ice cleats, cloak, a warhammer made of Yeti tusk, a nonmagical sword, a sickle made of ice, boots of grounding,  a helmet covered in a layer of frost that grew back every time they tried to get rid of it, a wicked-looking dagger, a couple rings with flat stat boosts, a ring of fire resistance¡­and the loot continued to pour in.

    The cloak provided a better resistance to hot and cold than nonmagical roc down, so Loth took it. Steve took the cleats and was more effective inside the caves from then on, being able to actually run on the slippery floors.

    The warhammer was a single tusk on a crude bone shaft that nevertheless felt good in his hand. The whole thing only weighed a few pounds but it looked like it would be effective.

    Will gave it some experimental swings to give The System a chance to I.D. it.

    Feral Warhammer

    +4 Strength

    Whenever a Melee archetype breaks bone or exoskeleton with the Feral Warhammer, they receive +5% attack and movement speed for 30 seconds.

    ¡°Boo.¡± Melee archetype was Tanker, Frontliner, etc. Scout and Infiltrator weren¡¯t on the list. He handed it off to Steve. It suited none of them.

    ¡°Not bad, definitely worth a few hundred to the right person.¡± Steve said, adding it to the growing pile. ¡°You¡¯re gonna want to keep the fire resistance ring for the next Floor.¡±

    Will tossed the ring to Loth, who secured it in one of his satchels.

    Will picked up the curved blade made of clear ice that looked as though it had been carved into a razor-sharp edge.

    Sickle of Cold Harvest

    +2 Focus

    + 3 Strength

    2% life drain

    Applies Hoarfrost debuff to those damaged by the sickle, 5 seconds.

    (Hoarfrost: the victim¡¯s attack and movement are slowed 30% as crystals grow on their joints. The sharp crystals boost bludgeoning damage against the victim but interfere with slashing and fire damage.)

    ¡°ooh, bad luck,¡± Steve said as he handled the magic sickle. ¡°If it were a bludgeoning weapon it would sell for a pretty penny, but it¡¯s debuff actively makes the victim stronger against its damage output. It works against itself. Still worth a bit, though. Maybe a hundred? Life drain is usually more valuable, but since all damage after the first hit is nerfed, it won¡¯t sell well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it.¡± Will said, inspecting the blade and pondering how many cubic inches of volume it was. If he could strip the enchantment and put on his phantom hand, maybe he could apply the effect while he used the back of his tomahawk.

    Would make the front no longer effective, though. I¡¯ll worry about it later.

    There was no hard and fast rule that he had to use the Tomahawk of the Serpent for the rest of his life. If he could stack the sickle¡¯s effect on a nice one-handed bludgeoning weapon using his Phantom Hand, Will would gain a significant amount of attack power.

    Next.

    Boots of Grounding

    +2 Kinesthetics

    + 5% movement speed.

    + 12% lightning resistance.

    Will added it to the ¡®sell¡¯ pile.

    Helm of Hoarfrost

    +3 Focus

    +12% cold resistance.

    small bonus cold damage

    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t want this one,¡± Steve said, handling the helmet.

    ¡°Bonus cold damage has an unintended side effect of weakening acid and fire. Cold slows down chemical reactions. Good Focus boost, though. Noobs are always trying to get every ounce they can. Hundred and fifty to the right person.¡±

    ¡°Cold doesn¡¯t play well with other damage types, does it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Steve shook his head. ¡°In exchange it usually has the best debuff, a large penalty to movement and attack speed. A lot of Climbers will cuss out someone who busts out the frost damage in the middle of a raid, though, because half of them will suddenly have penalties.¡±

    Will marked that down as ¡®rude¡¯ in his head.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Steve glanced at Will¡¯s axe.

    ¡°Psychic damage is the only type that doesn¡¯t have any kind of interaction with other damage types. It also completely disregards physical defenses, which makes it¡­kinda valuable. Where did you say you found that tomahawk again?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Well you sure as Abyss didn¡¯t find it on the first floor.¡±

    Will shrugged.

    ¡°Because that would be insane.¡±

    Will shrugged.

    ¡°Bah, fine. Let¡¯s go make some more money. We¡¯ve already got nearly two grand in a couple hours. Imagine what we can do in a week.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a few hours left in the day,¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s get rich.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can purchase a better priest with the proceeds.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s fair.¡± Steve shrugged.

    ¡°Eh, let¡¯s try a different Temple next time. Andover is skeevy.¡± Will said.

    Together they pushed deeper into the ice caves, each of them dealing with the slippery floor in their own way.

    Will by  being Will, Steve by using his cleats, and Loth by fashioning makeshift footing of his own.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you use your umm¡­toe claws?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Yes, but it wouldn¡¯t be comfortable.¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°We got a payday over here.¡± Steve said, drawing their attention to him.

    The priest was holding up a handful of glowbugs to the wall, where the faintest shadow in the wall rested.

    ¡°Can I get some heat on here?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I got no fire abilities.¡± Will said, shaking his head.

    ¡°One moment.¡± Loth said, starting another one of his personal heaters before hanging it form a chain next to the lump.

    As the hoarfrost melted away by Loth¡¯s heater, a crystal-clear surface of pure ice was revealed¡­bearing the perfectly preserved corpse of a young woman, wearing obvious Ranger gear. A bow was suspended in the ice beside her, and she bore obvious Relics on every part of her body¡­except her head, because that was missing.

    ¡°Alicia Zodiac.¡± Steve said. ¡°Daughter of the famed Lord Zodiac.¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s like I always say. Women got no place dying in The Tower. A shame. Just a damn shame¡­¡±

    He glanced up at Will, wiggling his brows.

    ¡°I¡¯m of the opinion that if anyone dies while Climbing, it¡¯s their own fault, gender notwithstanding.¡± Will said while Loth looked on.

    ¡°Oh well, let¡¯s take her shit! Boss, if you would,¡± Steve said, motioning to the ice.

    ¡°You got more Strength than me.¡± Will said, handing him the Feral Warhammer. ¡°I¡¯ll watch your back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Damnit.¡±

    They spent the next half hour watching for encroaching Yetis while Steve grunted with effort, chipping away at the unnaturally sturdy ice.

    To be fair, he was doing a good job, but there was just so much of it, and the bow suspended a few yards away made the total area much wider than they originally planned, and¡­

    ¡°Hey, I think I see her head!¡± Loth said, pointing. He was standing at an angle, peering past the beheaded corpse. ¡°It¡¯s about three meters past her body. And it¡¯s got a Relic!¡±

    Steve groaned in exhaustion, but kept picking at the ice using the spike of the warhammer.

    When he had cut through enough space, Will joined in beside him, cutting away at the ice in tandem.

    They split around the corpse, cutting away the ice on either side.

    ¡°Yeah, she had a Ranger build.¡± Steve said conversationally. ¡°Every shot she made, something died. But her synergy was too good. You see, normal Rangers go into The Tower and build their kit a little bit at a time. They figure out what works, what doesn¡¯t, what their weaknesses are. What jobs they should avoid.¡±

    ¡°This woman, she did so much damage that nothing ever got close to her. Maybe her father trained her poorly, maybe she got complacent. She went into a claustrophobic Spawning Ground full of of tough bastards. She got separated from the Tanker, shot a yeti in the heart, and while that was enough to kill it, it only took one swipe from the doomed monster to remove her head.¡±

    Will¡¯s hair stood on end, recalling the fraction of a second a Yeti had both hands on him.

    ¡°You probably won¡¯t get your head knocked off, Boss. You¡¯ve got great Resistance for your level. She did not.¡±

    The merchant¡¯s wise words echoed in Will¡¯s mind.

    The common factor that all Lords have is that they are still alive.

    ¡°Anyway, my point is, she¡¯s going to have a full set of items dedicated to min-maxing ranged damage. This should cover the vast majority of the Corpse Fee, even if we have to fence it.¡±

    ¡°Why would we have to fence it?¡± Will asked. It was common knowledge that Finders Keepers was the rule of The Tower.

    ¡°Because her old man will be pissed if we sell her keepsakes instead of giving them back to him?¡± Steve said.

    ¡°Why not just give them back to him, then? He¡¯ll probably pay a reward.¡±

    ¡°A couple problems with that.¡± Steve said between grunts as he chipped through the ice.

    ¡°First one: I¡¯m in your party, and he thinks I abandoned his daughter to her death.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Second problem. If, say, Loth delivers her corpse instead of me, or you ¨C who is dead, by the way ¨C then Loth will have to tell him where he found her, negating our monopoly on this hunting ground.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m gonna do it anyway.¡± Will said.

    ¡°I just told you why it would be a bad idea.¡± Steve said.

    ¡°You also mentioned how promising noobs without families backing them disappear at a staggering rate. I want Zodiac to owe me a favor. That¡¯ll retain it¡¯s value long after I move past the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor.¡±

    ¡°What if he¡¯s the Lord that sicced his Vassals on you?¡± Steve asked.

    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be really funny when I mail his daughter¡¯s corpse back to him.¡± Will said with a shrug. Steve gave him an incredulous look, holding it for an awkwardly long time.

    ¡°¡­Fine. We¡¯re gonna have to use a service to deliver it, though, and it won¡¯t be cheap.¡± Steve turned away, muttering. ¡°Can¡¯t believe we¡¯re working for free here¡­¡±

    A distant rumble caused them both to pause. Then six more rumbles, back-to-back, then silence.

    ¡°Nuker¡¯s having a good day above us,¡± Steve said, pointing up above them.

    ***Mason Lanover***

    ¡°Back under control?¡± Mason asked, scanning the smoking remains.

    ¡°Yessir,¡± The mercenary Warrior said, echoed by the others as they reformed their line, pushing the kaith back to the choke-point, re-establishing the line and cutting them down in droves.

    ¡°Thanks, Mason!¡± Reggie said, his voice rising above the others. He hadn¡¯t been the one to fold, but one person¡¯s problem was everyone¡¯s.

    The duty of a Nuker was to¡­observe. To do nothing for extended periods of time, until it was time to rain fire.

    Similar to a Healer, a Nuker must always be observant and able to read the larger battle. They must not waste Charge where the warriors were going to win, unless softening up the enemies would save the Warriors a significant amount of time they could use putting their muscle to work somewhere better.

    They must judge this in an instant and guide the progress of battle.

    Mason felt like a conductor in one of those fancy orchestras his father had taken him to.

    It was beautiful.

    He checked his Charges.

    14/27 Charges remaining.

    ¡°I¡¯m about hallway spent, prepare to pull back!¡±

    ¡°Halfway spent already?¡± Mason heard one of the mercenaries grumble.

    His face grew hot, but he didn¡¯t lose his cool. That was unbecoming of a Nuker.

    His father had advised him not to spend any of his spare Ability points into Focus despite the temptation, saying that while at low levels, Focus was extremely important for Charge, at higher levels, it became less of a critical issue. Three per level was plenty for Nukers.

    By level 35, The difference between 105 and 140 Focus was minimal in anything except for the longest engagements, and if a Nuker was required to carry an engagement that long, something had gone very wrong.

    They might grumble about it, but everyone knew that without the safety blanket a Nuker offered, they might be overrun, and it was a stupid idea to push a Nuker to the limit of their Charges.

    ¡°Fallback point set!¡± June shouted, standing at the next chokepoint. ¡°¡­Move!¡±

    ¡°Fire to the Van!¡±

    On her signal, Mason dropped three Conflagrations into the tunnels, roasting the kaith and giving his army the opportunity to break away and pull back.

    Conflagration (x3)

    11/27 Charges remaining.

    The warriors broke away and sprinted back towards them, while June picked off anything that moved to follow.

    A moment later, they assembled a line at the new choke point.

    ¡°Barely got any loot,¡± one of the mercenaries muttered. ¡°This is roc shit.¡±

    Mason¡¯s eye twitched. A lot of people forgot that a Nuker¡¯s Acuity was one of their primary Stats, which meant they had excellent hearing, on par with a scout without any sense enhancements.

    ¡°We did get pretty deep,¡± one of the mercenaries replied quietly as they braced themselves and slammed into the wave of kaith.

    ¡°We could¡¯ve got deeper and actually hit a kaith depot. The lordling¡¯s just throwing his weight around like a bull Hokk in a glasser¡¯s, wasting his Charge.¡±

    Mason¡¯s eye twitched.

    Apparently you didn¡¯t see the time I saved your ass when your partner got pushed away from you!

    Mason turned to tell the uppity merc exactly that, when he noticed a crack in the wall, moments before a telltale claw penetrated the fa?ade.

    ¡°BREACH!¡± Mason shouted.

    ***William Oh***

    A mind-numbing amount of chipping later, they disconnected the main corpse, dragging the stiff block of ice away from the wall.

    Loth slid her out into the sun and got started on the detail work while the two of them split up, Will chipping toward the head while  Steve went for the bow.

    Will got to the head shortly after Steve came back with the bow.

    The left side was horrifically crushed, but the right side was a young woman, no older than him, with a surprised expression.

    Will examined the leather headband that came with the head.

    Headband of the sharpshooter.

    +4 Acuity

    +4 Focus

    Increases range of ranged attacks by 30%

    Increase damage of ranged attacks by 5% for every 30 ft.

    Whenever a Ranged Archetype activates a Ranged Ability, split the resulting missile into three, which go on to seek out their own targets.

    ¡°Dear Gods!¡± Will shouted at the simple leather headband that was worth more than he was. A Scout counts as a ranger subtype, which is ranged. I don¡¯t have any ranged abilities now, but if I got one as a secondary¡­this could¡­

    ¡°You still wanna give ¡®em back!?¡± Steve asked from where he and Loth were inspecting the bow, which was surely amazing in its own right.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe!¡± Will shouted back. ¡°Shit!¡±

    Will was very tempted to just keep it. Decency be damned. He had never felt so cheap in his life.

    Boom!

    A rumble shook the cave system.

    That Nuker must be right overtop us, Will mused.

    PING! CRACK!

    The floor beneath him let out a musical Ping as a crack propogated from their tunnel through the ice beneath him.

    Will saw the crack spreading underneath him, and dove back toward the main room.

    CRACK!

    A section of the ice wall, weakened by their excavation and the quakes, sloughed off, leaving Will lying in the main ice cavern, his feet hanging over a sheer drop.

    Will pulled himself away from the drop and peered down at where the ice on the underside of the floating mountain had cleaved away from the stone. In the distance a massive chunk of ice was shrinking rapidly into nothing as it fell.

    ¡°Kinda forgot we were on the underside of the mountain,¡± Will mused, glancing up at the stone that the ice had been attached to.

    BOOM!

    The stone exploded outward, revealing a half-dozen kaith facing off against an isolated Nuker in his traditional evening gown.

    ¡°Mason!?¡± Will asked, peering incredulously at the familiar Nuker warding off the onslaught of kaith, his team struggling to reach him.

    ¡°Will!?¡± Mason said, frowning.

    Crack!

    With a seismic rumble, a massive chunk of stone fell out from beneath Mason¡¯s feet, sending the wide-eyed Nuker plummeting straight down with a girlish shriek.

 Chapter 25: Off-Build Relics

    William Oh once took over an expedition doomed to failure and through his masterful foreknowledge, experience and leadership skills, guided them to the biggest haul of Loot the Floor had ever seen.

    He may look young, but that¡¯s simply his masterful discipline over his body. In reality, he has wound his way through The Tower for thousands of years, constantly reinventing himself, crossing over paths he¡¯s covered a thousand times before, chasing his own tail as he searches for the truth of his soul.

    He¡¯s a rich, conflicted, experienced man with a youthful body and a complex, <u>dark</u> past, just waiting for the right woman to come and fix him.

    Don¡¯t let his appearance fool you. He¡¯s the real deal, and his very blood surges with raw, barely restrained power.

    Careful, ladies.

    -          Jason Salazar.

    Will sprinted forward and dove.

    What if he¡¯s heavier than you? Will thought to himself a moment after he¡¯d already committed to the plan.

    To the Abyss with it.

    Gravity Charge.

    8/14 Charges Remaining.

    Will locked on the Nuker and began falling faster, tucking in his arms and legs.

    Mason, for his part, shrieked in alarm as a goat-faced, one-armed man with massive glowing horns shot through the air towards him. Mason reflexively created a burning mote of light in his palm at Will approached.

    Seriously? Is this how I die? Friendly fire?

    Mason must¡¯ve remembered who he was at the last second, because the glowing magic in his palm was sent off to the side an instant before Will slammed into him, and they began tumbling midair.

    Through the wind and the whipping robes, Will desperately searched for the floating mountain above them, but all he saw was vapor.

    Did we already go through a cloud?

    Come to think of it? Which way is down?

    He was tumbling with Mason in a tangle of limbs, and since he was still using Gravity Charge, he couldn¡¯t tell which way was up.

    Cancel.

    Something smoking whizzed past them, and Will realized they¡¯d been moving sideways as normal gravity reasserted itself.

    Re-orienting, Will looked up at the rock above them, orienting on the highest point he could see.

    Gravity Charge.

    7/18 Charges remaining.

    Mason grunted as Will¡¯s inertia began to drag the opposite direction, causing him to roll towards the top, Mason downward. Mason¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Fire to the rear.¡± He said, words clipped with a sense of urgency.

    A massive explosion sounded behind them and a smoking harpy tumbled through the air, falling past them.

    That was what the other one was, Will thought.

    ¡°Any behind me?¡± Mason asked, scanning over Will¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°We¡¯re clear.¡±

    Will craned his neck to see above them. They were slowly regaining altitude.

    ¡°How are you lighter than an orphan raised on black bread and burnt stew?¡± Will asked. ¡°Do you need more food? I¡¯ve got some dried meat in my belt-pouch you can have.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still growing!¡± Mason shouted, turning red.

    ¡°Mhmm.¡±

    Gravity Charge.

    6/18 Charges remaining.

    When the time ran out on Gravity Charge, Will did it again, allowing them to continue floating upward until he spotted the silk rope descending towards then, squirming like a living thing as it approached.

    The rope wound around them, knotted itself to cradle the two of them, and suddenly they were ascending much faster.

    A minute later, Reggie was giving Mason a hand back up onto the stone side of the cavern system.

    Loth had wound a rope bridge between the two openings, linking the yeti ice cave to the kaith tunnels, and they had decided to use the better footing provided by the stone to haul them in.

    Behind Reggie were a dozen or so Climbers that Will didn¡¯t recognize, along with June.

    ¡°Thanks for the save,¡± Mason said, clapping his shoulder. ¡°Gentlemen, this is-¡°

    ¡°They call me¡­Billy Goat.¡± Will said through his mask.

    ¡°¡­Riiight.¡± Mason said, brows furrowed. ¡°Gentlemen this is¡­Billy Goat. He¡¯s helped me out before. Mr. Billy Goat, this is my party, The Lanover Expedition.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that you got over there?¡± One of the Climbers asked, peering into the darkness of the ice caves, where the corpse of Alicia Zodiac ¨C a significant payday ¨C lay.

    ¡°It¡¯s the corpse of Alicia Zodiac, and tens of thousands of gold worth of loot!¡± Steve said, stepping forward. ¡°And I¡¯m telling you this, I¡¯m telling you the truth, because there¡¯s not a godsdamned thing you can do to take it from us, so stand there and bite your pillowcases in frustration, because it¡¯s ours!¡±

    ¡°Tall words, old man.¡± One of the younger Climbers said, stepping forward.

    ¡°Gentlemen ¨C¡° Mason said, trying to de-escalate.

    ¡°I¡¯m level Thirty-five, brat!¡± Steve bellowed. ¡°I¡¯ve got fuckin¡¯ Deca-dailies, and I¡¯m the weakest member of my party! Do you really want to know what level the Goat is? No, do you want to experience what level he is? Do you want to test yourselves against the traps of The Shadow?¡±

    Loth looked down at his black scales and shrugged.

    ¡°You¡¯re all still green behind the ears! The Goat is over level forty, and with decades of experience slaughtering for fun and profit, and he¡¯s only here on Lord Zodiac¡¯s behalf, so by all means¡­try something¡­We might just make it back to Skyhold with a little more loot than we intended.¡±

    Sensing a bluff, Will puffed himself up, looking as imposing as possible, while Mason glanced back and forth between them in total confusion.

    Because Will was wearing a mask and Loth was a kobold, they had no way of determining the age and potential level of the people standing before them.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    There was a tense moment before the young Climber scoffed and shook his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re not worth our time, old man.¡± He said, walking away, at least half the Climbers following him.

    ¡°Mercenaries,¡± Steve scoffed as soon as they were out of earshot. ¡°Never interested in a hard fight. Not if they can help it. Judging by their faces, they¡¯re last year¡¯s Aspirants washouts, capped at level ten and saving up their cash to tackle the Third Floor. We should get the Abyss outta here before their greed overwhelms their sense of self-preservation and they start testing us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Will, right?¡± Reggie whispered to Mason, pointing with his thumb. ¡°He¡¯s got the tomahawk and everything.¡±

    Mason rubbed his temples. ¡°He¡¯s got something going on¡­I guess? Just leave ¡®em be.¡±

    ¡°HOLD!¡± Will shouted, artificially deepening his voice, reaching the back of the retreating mercenaries, causing them to turn back, looking at him curiously.

    ¡°Our pack animals were lost by your Party leader¡¯s incompetence.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Steve whispered.

    ¡°We were only paid to retrieve three of the six corpses and their effects,¡± Will said, nudging Steve with his elbow.

    Steve¡¯s eye twitched as he caught Will¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°¡­.Yes!¡± Steve said, disdainfully throwing Alicia¡¯s bow across the gap to Mason¡¯s crew.

    ¡°We were called down from the sixth floor to retrieve the bodies and effects of Alicia Zodiac, Mark Wyrd, and Ramone Flash.¡±

    Will assumed these three were the ones with the richest parents.

    ¡°The other three had comparable equipment. Carry them, and receive a cut.¡±

    ¡°Dear gods!¡± the young man who¡¯d caught the bow began sweating as he reviewed the stats.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m in!¡± the kid said, passing it to the next person.

    ¡°What do you ¨C ai!¡± the man reflexively tossed the bow to the next in line, as if gear of that quality might get him killed for holding it.

    Which, to be fair¡­

    It might.

    One by one the mercs ditched Mason and joined up with them.

    ¡°Um, Mr. Goat?¡± June said sourly, the scout arriving beside Mason.

    ¡°Speak.¡± Will said, arms crossed in what he hoped was Supreme Confidence.

    ¡°We need those men to get back to the surface. We can¡¯t cut our way through a quarter mile of kaith-infested tunnels with just three people.¡±

    ¡°Guess you¡¯re coming with us, then.¡± Will said, turning and leading them into the ice caves.

    ¡°I know why you did it, but you¡¯ve got some balls, kid,¡± Steve whispered as they led the way.

    Will had done it to keep word of the ice caves from reaching the surface before they had what they wanted and were gone. Before word of a one-handed tomahawk wielder reached anyone. He mentioned being contracted to retrieve three corpses in order to have a pre-established claim on enough gear to pay the damned Corpse Fee for their priest, and string them along with the promise of another three, each bearing Relics of great value.

    After this, I¡¯m going to take a long damned nap.

    Pretending to be level forty was exhausting, but Will was able to fake it, only fighting sparingly, Steve lending a hand with Confusion where necessary, making Will look more agile and effortless where he might¡¯ve otherwise struggled.

    Mostly they relied on Loth.

    Saboteur was a rare class for humans, who didn¡¯t have the trap-lust that kobolds were born with. Thus it was hard for them to judge exactly how powerful a Saboteur was.

    So when they saw Loth set up half a dozen traps in the space of a few breaths, and those traps annihilated their intended targets, they shrugged and attributed it to Loth being higher level.

    There were a few rumblings here and there when one of the mercs got nearly bisected, but after they found another half-eaten corpse dripping with wealth, those quieted down.

    Plus he got a cool scar.

    While they cut the corpse out of the ice, Will inspected the rest of Alicia Zodiac¡¯s kit.

    Ring of accuracy

    +4 Acuity

    +4 Strength

    8 degrees of correction.

    Rapid-fire Ring

    +4 Kinesthetics

    +4 Focus

    +30% load speed for ranged weapons.

    Adds fire damage for each consecutive hit on the same target.

    Boots of the high Ground:

    Ascending and descending terrain is 30% faster.

    Shooting from high ground inflicts Confusion on the target.

    Leather* Pants of Tightness

    + 4 Focus

    +2 Strength

    These leather* pants lift and accentuate the lower body, drawing the attention of the opposite sex without forsaking comfort.

    Charm archetypes benefit from 20% increased potency of their Abilities when used against those who enjoy the view.

    ¡­Alicia, you weren¡¯t taking this seriously.

    ¡°Got some pants for you, Steve,¡± Will said, offering them to Steve.

    ¡°Screw you.¡±

    I guess that¡¯s a ¡®no.¡¯ Will thought, leaving the pants where they were.

    Gloves of Thunderstrike

    +3 focus

    +4 Strength

    Ranged attacks gain thunder damage and minor knockback.

    Amulet of Heart¡¯s Desire:

    +3 resistance

    +2 Strength

    Mark a target: 1 charge.

    A marked target will find the bearer more attractive for a week.

    Shared dream: 1 charge.

    Enter a marked target¡¯s dream. The user has no control over the dream, save for their own actions.

    ¡°Aliiiiiciiaaaa¡­¡± Will groaned. That might be amazing for someone with a Charm archetype, but going off-build for secret night-time liaisons or trying to get the attention of the boy/girl you liked¡­

    ¡­It would be unkind of me to say a girl in love deserved to die¡­but what a waste of dailies.

    Unless she was a spy. It would be a more interesting than a lovestruck rich girl that made bad choices and wound up dying because of it.

    ¡­That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to believe. She was seducing one of the other kids and entering their dreams, trying to uncover a secret behind their parent¡¯s power, in order to advance her family¡¯s agenda, or uncover some kind of vicious scheme.

    Because believing she got herself killed trying to impress a boy makes me sad.

    Will¡¯s resolution crumbled as one of the mercenaries held up a ring from the newly released corpse and shouted:

    ¡°This ring makes you better at sex!¡± he cried, holding the flesh-toned band high in the air.

    ¡°Whooo!¡± The surrounding mercs whooped.

    ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s like they wanted to die!¡± Will shouted to no one in particular.

    ¡°I told you they were treating it like a leisure walk.¡± Steve said with a shrug. ¡°And I can¡¯t lie to you.¡±

    ¡°Tell me that Alicia was at least doing some kind of power play.¡± Will said. He needed to believe that she hadn¡¯t been completely stupid now that he was invested in her story.

    ¡°You know, come to think of it, she was always hanging around that Mark Wyrd character. He was tall, handsome and had curly hair, so I never thought twice about it, but their fathers aren¡¯t exactly on the best terms. Not a blood feud, but not great either. I thought it was some kind of¡­Forbidden Fruit thing at the time¡­¡±

    Steve stroked his chin a moment before he shrugged. ¡°Who knows? None of them are alive to tell us what their drama was.¡±

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Will asked, pointing at the corpse their new porters had pulled out of the ice.

    ¡°Jason Bakton.¡±

    ¡°Lord Bakton¡¯s son?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°How are you not dead?¡± Will asked. Bakton was a demon with the blade, but sadly his build wasn¡¯t unique enough to get a Mononym. Despite being somewhat plain, there were plenty of stories about those who crossed him not living to regret it.

    ¡°The church interceded on my behalf.¡± Steve said.

    ¡°Why did one of the Lords not buy you, kill you, then pay the Corpse Fine? They could afford it, and the church doesn¡¯t seem to care, long as they get paid.¡± Will asked.

    Steve¡¯s mouth opened, and a bead of sweat formed on his brow. ¡°Because none of them thought of it?¡±

    ¡°I thought of it in five seconds.¡±

    ¡°I can only think that they deterred each other. If one came to the second floor to acquire me, another might seize their demesne.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly friends, these people.¡± Will mused. ¡°Then why did a group of their kids get together in the same Party instead of each of them ¡®leading¡¯ their own Party, like Mason here?¡±

    ¡°Connections. Make friends with potential Lords. That¡¯s usually the only reason the rich congregate. They build a safety net that prevents their children from failing too spectacularly. If one is horrible at Climbing and washes out early, at least they¡¯ll have friends who go on to become Lords. These friends then drop lucrative breadcrumbs on these washouts who they remember fondly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say this was a pretty spectacular failure,¡± Will said, motioning to the frozen corpse.

    ¡°Without a doubt.¡± Steve said.

    ¡°How are you still alive?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t KNOW! I should be dead a thousand times over, but someone or something swept it under the rug!¡± Steve said.

    ¡°Who had the power to do that, among the Lords represented here?¡±

    ¡°Well, only four Lord¡¯s children were here, two just came from very rich families, like Lanover over there. Of the four Lords, only Wyrd had the sway to make the others drop the subject of a lost child. Zodiac was a close second.¡±

    ¡°Hmm..¡± Will mused, his brain picking at details and sorting things out. Something felt weird about the whole situation, but he didn¡¯t have the whole story, and likely never would.

    Will shelved it and continued on with the Ice Caves.

    Several hours later, they had four of the six corpses on their list, and they headed back.

    With Loth securing the route back, it was a fast and simple task to take the Ice Cave route back to the surface.

    Mason and June, who had been anxious about the amount of Charge necessary to fight their way back to the surface, boggled at the smoothness of their departure, as most yetis they encountered on the way out were dead or severely injured.

    Mason tried to scalp Loth again, at a higher price than before, but the kobold turned him down.

    Once they reached the surface, they divvied up the loot, taking the two bodies that had been on Steve¡¯s list and leaving the other two for Mason¡¯s party to distribute amongst themselves.

    Mark Wyrd¡¯s corpse was nowhere to be found.

 Chapter 26: Cling-ons

    ***Written in a shaky hand with poor spelling***

    Dear Lord Zodiak. In this cofin rests the bodi of your dotter, Alishia, along with her effekts.  I can¡¯t I am truli sorry for

    Her deth was kwick, which is the most we can hope for in The Tower. I chooze to believe she dyed risking her life for somethin important to her, and I hope she is at rest.

    My condolenses.

    <ul>

    <li>William Oh.</li>

    </ul>

    P.S.

    If yur the Lord who tried to have his Vasals feed me to yur wyrd secret arm-monster, better luck next time. If yur not¡­Were you aware another lord has wyrd arm-monster pets heer? on 2<sup>nd</sup> floor? Fud for thot.

    ***Post-post script, hastily written in beautiful cursive***

    I apologize for my Party Leader. It appears his education was rudimentary at best. He is actually quite clever. We mean no disrespect and I will personally see to a remedy for his oafishness.

    We are truly sorry for your loss and hope that having Alicia returned provides some measure of closure to you and your family.

    <ul>

    <li>Loth the Luminary.</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Fourteen nine, Fifteen¡­thousand,¡± Loth said, sliding the last Ivory coin across the counter.

    ¡°Thank you for paying the Corpse Fine,¡± the bruised priest said, bowing. ¡°The Temple of Andover appreciates your custom.¡± His face was still a bit swollen from where Will had bashed it with the back of his axe.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± Loth said sourly. ¡°You realize he¡¯s standing right behind me, alive and well?¡±

    ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, your party is the one that reported Steve Holland expired. Are you admitting to committing fraud?¡±

    Steve giggled.

    Will reached for his tomahawk, causing the healer to flinch.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you healed that bruise yet, Nate?¡± Steve asked. ¡°Did the old man not give you permission to use your own powers?¡±

    ¡°Until my dailies exceed-¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, you¡¯re the FNG, I gotcha.¡± Steve waved off the young man and turned back to them. ¡°So whaddya wanna-

    Will and Loth were already heading out.

    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Steve jolted before running after them. ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°You are free of your debt to the church in its totality, and we all walked away with more wealth than we had before. You are still alive. Perhaps you should quit while you¡¯re ahead.¡± Loth added.

    ¡°Look, Boss, I can see this Party is going somewhere, and I want in on it.¡±

    Will eyed Steve up and down, the Charlatan holding his arms out, presenting himself in his entirety.

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°No!?¡± Steve demanded.

    ¡°You¡¯re a level thirty five, an extremely sub-par one at that, such that a pair of level tens could cause you trouble. Your class is ill-suited for battle, and your healing ability is a secondary, which means it¡¯ll grow incredibly slowly, if at all. You only have one debuff, also a secondary, no buffs, and no offensive abilities.

    You won¡¯t gain any levels until we pass the 7<sup>th</sup> Floor, and by that point you will have become extremely weak compared to the native monsters, the difference between us only growing with time.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­shit.¡± Steve deflated for a moment before he seemed to think of something and brighten.

    ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve bounced around the first six floors as a rental for two decades. I know the places, I know the people. I¡¯ve got experience.¡±

    ¡°What if I write you a dossier on the next four floors, follow you to each floor, and be your liaison in town while you¡¯re out and about?¡±

    Will narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

    ¡°You¡¯re making those words up.¡±

    Loth cleared his throat, tugging on Will¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°A collection of documents on a specific subject is called a ¡®dossier¡¯, and a person who acts as a middle-man between parties is a ¡®liaison¡¯. He¡¯s offering to handle logistics in town, buy and sell for us, bid on jobs, deflect suspicion, keep abreast of the news. Whatever we need done in town while we go Climbing.¡± He advised when Will turned to look at him.

    Will frowned. That wasn¡¯t¡­a bad offer. He understood object permanence. Things happened, and they, by default, continued happening even if they weren¡¯t in town to see them happen. Information on the Floors was often valuable and difficult to come by, since anyone who found something new kept it to themselves in order to gain an advantage.

    Their recent adventure to the ice caves were a case in point.

    ¡°Alright. you said One percent?¡±

    ¡°I did indeed.¡±

    They shook on it.

    ¡°Money for giving advice, staying in the safety of town and keeping my ears open? I could get used to that.¡± Steve said with a grin.

    ¡°We¡¯ll formalize it at some point,¡± Will said, gesturing to his tomahawk. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to stack any more deals on you until the current ones expire.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Steve said.

    ¡°Here. Down payment.¡± Will said, handing Steve some of the ivory coins. ¡°It¡¯ll help pay for your costs.¡±

    ¡°Costs? What costs?¡±

    ¡°Oh, supplies for writing guides to the next few levels, paying buses to bring you to higher floors. Food. Those come out of pocket.¡±

    ¡°You monster!¡± Steve said with a gasp.

    ¡°Eh.¡± Will shrugged.

    ¡°Fine. But you guys better strike it rich.¡±

    ¡°Richer than what we just did?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be gone in a month. Things get real expensive the higher you go. I¡¯m talkin¡¯ ivory for a bed at an Inn. Maybe there isn¡¯t even an Inn. In which case you¡¯re paying Ivory for a tent you could¡¯ve bought for a copper outside the tower.¡±

    ¡°Any other advice?¡±

    ¡°It is going to be very important to find a way to deal with extreme heat on the Third floor. If you can buy good fire resistance for yourself, do so, even if it cripples your Build.¡±

    He turned to Loth.

    ¡°Your insects are going to have to hole up in your barrel with a block of ice, unless you can find a way to give them all heat resistance.¡±

    Loth rubbed his chin in thought.

    ¡°And you guys might want to consider hiring an actual healer, nuker, and warrior: balance your party out so you don¡¯t run into something that you have no way of dealing with.¡±

    ¡°And visit home before you tackle the Fourth Floor,¡± Steve said, clapping Will on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s where a lot of people die.¡±

    Steve gave him a thumbs up, then began walking away, muttering to himself. ¡°Where in the Abyss am I supposed to find a stationary shop around here? Maybe it would be cheaper to go back down¡­I can solo the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor anyway¡­¡±

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Well, now what?¡± Loth asked.

    Will jingled their bag of ivory. After sending Ms. Zodiac back to her Father, they still had a decent amount of cash to burn.

    And why not? Better to be alive and tapped out than dead and rich.

    ¡°Now, we find some Fire resistance equipment.¡±

    They cruised the bazaar for hours, discovering that the equipment necessary to climb to the next level was permanently in short supply for obvious reasons. Eventually they found an amulet and a pair of boots that offered good resistance to Fire. They weren¡¯t great, especially compared to the loot they¡¯d just retrieved from the ice caves, but more importantly, they weren¡¯t going to get them in trouble.

    Amulet of the Hearth-keeper

    +2 Focus

    12% Resistance to fire

    Boots of the Ash-walker

    + 2 Resistance

    12% resistance to fire.

    Increased tread grip on ash, coal, lava, and to a lesser extent, sand and snow. Spreads the user¡¯s weight.

    Loth took the boots, and Will took the amulet.

    Between the ring and the boots, Loth was up to 22.5% Fire resistance. A respectable amount for 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor gear. They prioritized him because he had low Resistance. Will could probably skate by with just one item.

    Now he had a decision to make: sacrifice the new amulet and re-slot it into the phantom hand, or sacrifice the amulet of the Homefield Advantage?

    Will inspected it, allowing the System to fill his mind with it¡¯s details.

    Amulet of the Homefield Advantage.

    +1 Focus

    +2 resistance

    Active: 1 Charge.

    Load a terrain into the Amulet for a charge, Summon that terrain around the wearer for another. This does not consume the terrain. Only one terrain may be loaded into the amulet.

    Will decided to sacrifice the new amulet. He would probably outgrow both of them, but he felt like the Amulet of the Homefield Advantage would outlast his need for fire damage resistance.

    Into the Phantom Hand the item went.

    Would you like to Sacrifice The Amulet of the Hearth-Keeper to gain its effect?

    Yes.

    The Sting Ring¡¯s effect will be discarded. Do you still wish to Sacrifice the Amulet of the Hearth-Keeper?

    Yes.

    Will shuddered as a strange sensation ran through his body, as if he¡¯d become suddenly hollow, before something else took its place.

    ¡°Bleh,¡± Will shuddered. ¡°I hate how¡­physical the Phantom Hand¡¯s feedback is sometimes.¡±

    He opened up his backpack and inspected the Sickle of Cold Harvest and the Gauntlets of Speed. He could¡¯ve sold them for a healthy profit, but he¡¯d decided to keep them around in case he found a way to use them with Phantom Hand.

    Sooner or later.

    Their acclimation timer was long since expired, and they were a hair¡¯s breadth from level 10. It was time to knuckle down and try their hand at clearing a Key Site and hitting level 3. They would have to pit their very lives against the worst the tower had to offer and come out of it stronger than befo-

    ¡°MOVE ASIDE!¡± A steel palanquin marched down the road, carried by men in their forties.

    Loth and Will watched the bus go by.

    ¡°You wanna just follow a bus?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Oh gods, yes,¡± Will groaned. ¡°I need a break from nearly dying.¡±

    ¡°You jinxed it,¡± Loth said, shaking his head as the two of them began jogging along behind the bus, joining the dozen or so Climbers of the same level as them.

    As it turned out, following in the wake of a bus wasn¡¯t nearly as easy or safe as the common perception of simply hitching a ride to the next level.

    The high-level porters didn¡¯t bother to kill any monsters except those that were directly between themselves and their destination. Nor did they slow down, easily outpacing some of the slower level 10¡¯s over the course of several hours of running.

    Those who got left behind were left by themselves to contend with all the pissed-off monsters that had been riled up by the nearly twenty climbers sprinting through their domain.

    Will personally witnessed two Climbers fall behind only to be buried under kaith and harpies.

    Realizing if they fell behind they would die, Will picked Loth up and began running harder, seeking out the rough terrain beside the path, sprinting up the side of the switchback, taking shortcuts through impassable terrain to keep pace with the bus.

    By the time they made it to the Key Site, Will was absolutely exhausted, bent over and heaving for breath.

    Clang! The veterans set down the steel palanquin just outside the key site, their gaze lingering on Will a bit longer than the others.

    Of the dozen who¡¯d set out to follow the bus, only six remained, not including Will and Loth.

    ¡°Bit more cling-ons than usual,¡± one of the veterans said with a scowl. ¡°Listen up, because I¡¯m only gonna say this once! You will wait to engage the monsters until after we¡¯ve secured our package¡¯s contribution to the clear. After which, you¡¯re welcome to assist with clearing¡­If you can.¡±

    After his short speech the veteran Climber opened the steel door on the side of the palanquin and gestured for it¡¯s occupants to step outside.

    A dozen young men and women, all in civilian dress, about Will¡¯s age, stepped out of the bus, scanning their surroundings with wide eyes.

    Cull the Down.

    A wild down of Sky Hares have begun to reproduce in the area around the Key Point. Investigate, cull any showing aberrant behavior and drive the rest away from the Key Point.

    In the distance, Will could see the pillar of light indicating the Key Site, and their eventual target.

    ¡°Stay here.¡± The leader said, motioning to their passengers before turning to address theClimbers.

    ¡°That goes for you too.¡±

    A moment later, three quarters of the veterans began sprinting towards the gigantic stalagmite with a beam of light emerging from it, while the remaining ones took positions around the perimeter, watching for any trouble that might rear its head in the next few minutes.

    No longer having to listen, Will went back to panting desperately to regain his stamina.

    ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± A girl about Will¡¯s age asked. She was fair skinned, blue-eyed and black-haired, wearing a posy-covered dress. It was a riot of faded colors a poor mother might buy for her daughter¡¯s birthday and then carefully patch and let out the seams as she grew. The hem was too high for a sundress, just under her knees, indicating she¡¯d been much smaller when she first got it.

    The faded stains it was covered in disappeared into the tumultuous flower design, which was the original intent of the fabric.

    It was the nicest thing she owned, and it couldn¡¯t have cost more than a few silver.

    ¡°Me? Fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± Will said, mastering his breathing and standing up straight in front of the girl.

    ¡°Why were you carrying a Kobold?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Cuz he¡¯s got short legs, obviously.¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°Why are you wearing a goat mask?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s got a good Ability.¡±

    ¡°Are you older?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Will flipped up the mask to show her.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Brianna. You can call me Bri, Brianna, or Anna.¡± She said, sticking out her hand, elbow fully extended in the awkward, going-to-force-you-to-shake-my-hand pose.

    ¡°¡­William. You can call me Will.¡± Will said, reluctantly shaking her hand. ¡°So what are you Climbing for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a baker, and-¡±

    ¡°Really!?¡± Will asked, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, causing Brianna to take a half-step back.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, go on.¡± Will motioned for her to continue.

    ¡°Well, I was granted the Sacrifices to get a Class that¡¯s supposed to allow me to duplicate and modify bread. Put one bun in the oven, pull out two, make hardtack take on some of the characteristics of a soft potato bread while maintaining its shelf-stability. That sort of thing. I¡¯m told the higher floors need exactly that kind of Ability to keep everyone fed.¡±

    ¡°What class?¡± Will asked, drooling at the thought.

    Brianna¡¯s eyes widened and she winced. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not allowed to talk about it. I shouldn¡¯t have even told you that. I can say that the work is going to give my family a leg up.¡±

    ¡°Ah well,¡± Will said with a shrug, dropping the subject of her Class.

    ¡°What about you? Why are you Climbing?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make it to the top.¡± Will said, pointing up.

    Brianna¡¯s expression changed, just slightly more closed off than it had been before.

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re one of those people that¡¯s going to die.¡±

    ¡°What!? No!¡± Will denied vehemently. ¡°I have literally never done that before and I¡¯m not gonna start now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­you¡¯re gonna die. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She patted him on the shoulder, expression consolatory. ¡°I can¡¯t be friends with someone who¡¯s gonna die.¡±

    ¡°Bah, You¡¯ll see¡­ I¡¯ll pull up on Floor¡­¡± Will frowned. ¡°What Floor are you going to?

    ¡°7<sup>th</sup>.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pull up on the 7<sup>th</sup> floor, and I¡¯ll be all like ¡®Look at me, breathing and everything. Gimme some bread.¡¯¡±

    ¡°And I¡­will charge you several Ivory per loaf, because there will be no one else with bread on that Floor.¡±

    ¡°Dang. That¡¯s cold,¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°That¡¯s business.¡± Brianna said with a smirk and a shrug.

    Will was about to respond when they were interrupted by the bussers.

    ¡°Look alive, brats!¡± One of the veterans shouted, pointing out his team returning with their hands full of near-dead hares.

    ¡°Alright, passengers, line up and each of you give one of these rodents a good stabbing.¡± The boss said, twirling a knife in his hands. ¡°Cling-ons, you¡¯ve got twenty seconds to do your thing before we¡¯re wiping them out. Get to it.¡±

    As one, Will and the other Climbers broke into a sprint towards the Key site.

    Out of the shrubbery, a wave of Sky Hares dashed, chasing the veterans with mindless fury, their mouths unnaturally¡­fang-y.

    One jumped toward Will, but an arrow from a nearby Climber knocked it aside, sending it twitching to the ground.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± The archer said, giving him a mock salute before turning and running away.

    Another one raced towards him when an explosion flung it far over Will¡¯s shoulder, killing that one and another half dozen as a Nuker let out a single blast that annihilated them.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± The Nuker shrugged, disengaging.

    In the distance, he could see the passengers each squeamishly stabbing one of the subdued mutated hares, adding their ¡®contribution¡¯, which would allow them to go up a floor.

    Damnit, I¡¯m not going to let them steal my ticket up. And that nuker killing six of them! The nerve!

    Will slipped his tomahawk back in his belt and whipped out the sling, whipping it around once, feeding a bullet from the sack on his belt into the cradle before releasing it.

    The bullet whirred out and caught a white hare in the side of the head, creating a curtain of greenish fire hanging in midair.

    ¡°Watch it!¡± A nearby warrior said, diverting his course moments before he ran into the curtain of fire.

    ¡°Oh. Sorry!¡± Will said, taking his turn to mock-salute and leave.

    That was when the white hare he¡¯d nailed turned around and leapt at the warrior with a snarl, the side of its head smoking.

    How is it still. - Wait, is that the only white one? Will¡¯s eyes widened as he noticed it¡¯s coloration was different than the others. White instead of tan.

    The warrior reached out to seize the Hare in midair as it leapt for him.

    The Hare bounded off a wisp of cloud it created near its feet, changing course in midair before exhaling an arctic storm across the warrior¡¯s side, lining the Climber¡¯s body with hoarfrost before rebounding off the man¡¯s head, causing it to shatter.

    ¡°Oh Gods! That¡¯s the boss!¡± Will shouted, more to himself than anyone else. Everyone knew it was the Boss.

 Chapter 27: Fame Attracts Crazy

    William Oh once faced down an entire army of Climbers: Tens of thousands of young, ambitious Climbers eager to test their Abilities against the paragon of their generation. As one, they charged him from every direction, riding a wave of fancy Abilities with the intent of subduing him through sheer numbers.

    William Oh merely sneezed, and a quarter of them were flung into the far reaches of the Floor.

    The rest did not fare well, either.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    Naturally, Will was the next closest target.

    The Boss rebounded off vapor and rocketed towards him at a speed that defied comprehension.

    Will shoved the flat blade of the tomahawk towards the hare¡¯s mouth, causing the blast of unnaturally cold ice vapor to skew off to the side.

    It still got some of his arm, causing shooting pain before a worrying numbness spread from the rapidly growing ice crystals.

    He was still limber enough to duck low, allowing the hare to fly over him, its feet passing through the spot where Will¡¯s head had been.

    JINGLE!

    An annoying jingle sounded directly behind Will as someone stepped between him and the hare on the rebound.

    Will rolled and turned to see a Climber wielding what looked like a riding crop mixed with a sword-catcher in one hand, and a short sword in the other.

    ¡°Look at this, a bouncing baby bunny.¡± The Climber said, waggling the colorful tassels and bells at the end of the whip in the Sky hare¡¯s face. ¡°You wanna play, little guy?¡±

    Will could feel a Charge emanating from the Climber as he provoked the Sky Hare.

    The boss snarled and switched targets, giving Will the opportunity to regain his stance.

    The Climber performed a delicate move, trying to use the tassels on his off-hand to conceal a stab, sliding the sword fluidly past the tip of the whip as the boss charged him.

    The move was graceful and deadly, almost dancing, but unfortunately the boss was faster than the Climber had bargained for, dodging around the strike and covering half the Climber¡¯s body in hoarfrost.

    Will lunged forward and kicked the back of the Climber¡¯s knee, dropping his head out of the way of the Sky hare¡¯s trajectory, whipping the Tomahawk through the spot at the same time.

    The Boss caught the strike on a hind limb, nearly severing it entirely.

    Will turned to catch the Boss with a coup de grace when another hare jumped up into his face, forcing him to abandon his plan and decapitate the flying rodent instead.

    ¡°Mine!¡± A girl about Will¡¯s age dove forward, fiery claws springing from her ring, swinging them down at the Boss.

    The Boss dodged aside, still quick despite one of its legs being ruined, blasting the girl in the face with a blast of superchilled air.

    Will saw a flicker of something form in front of her face in the instant before she began reeling backwards, flailing wildly, her flaming claws blinking out.

    Will lunged forward and struck at the boss Sky Hare with his tomahawk before it could finish the job.

    The boss struck the blade with its foreclaws, turning the weapon sideways at the last instant, causing the attack to hit with the flat of the blade, sending the boss creature tumbling.

    Jingle Jingle!

    ¡°heeeere, bunny, bunny, bunny,¡± The one with the annoying weapon said, jangling the bells irritatingly.

    Will wanted to walk up and shove the idiot the more he looked at him, until he realized it was an Ability. Some kind of Taunt effect. Will averted his gaze, and the desire to punch the guy¡¯s face was drastically lessened.

    Almost completely gone.

    ¡°Two steps back, Jangles,¡± Loth said, tapping the taunter on the back.

    The taunter took two steps back as the Boss charged, and a snare whipped up into the air in front of him, snagging the flightly creature out of the air and dragging it to the ground with explosive force.

    The taunter and the claw-girl lunged forward and stabbed the hare in unison, putting the boss out of the fight.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really fast,¡± The Taunter said to¡­the claw girl?

    What the¡­

    ¡°You too,¡± she said, looking up at him with round eyes.

    ¡°Are you in a Party yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m between Parties. You?¡±

    ¡°Did you miss me saving both of you?¡± Will asked as they sank into their own little world. Half of him was irritated his contribution was being ignored, and the other half was irritated the Taunter somehow had the girl¡¯s complete attention despite being a screw-up.

    It wasn¡¯t logical.

    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re old, so it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re fast.¡± Taunter said.

    ¡°Say that to my face,¡± Will said, tilting up his mask.

    The girl¡¯s eyes widened and she glanced down to the gauntlet hanging slack on his left arm.

    ¡°Wait a second. Are you William Oh? The William Oh?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Shit.¡± Will slapped the mask back down. ¡°No. I¡¯m old. Just a level thirty slumming it on the second Floor.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s William Oh?¡± The Taunter asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s this famous noob with one hand and a tomahawk. There¡¯re stories about him in every inn and rest stop all around the tower.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I never heard his name, but I did hear some stories about a one-armed noob.¡± The Taunter said as he approached. He had black hair shorn close to his scalp, brown eyes, and a crooked nose.

    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Carrie,¡± she said, grabbing his hand and shaking it over-enthusiastically. She had short, frizzy brown hair and crooked teeth. ¡°Is it true you don¡¯t blink? What¡¯s your build that lets you fight with one hand? You¡¯re missing out on two slots!¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean, how can you be sure he only has one hand? What if I do this-¡° Taunter lazily whipped his sword forward.

    Will tugged his hand out of Carrie¡¯s Grip, but the girl didn¡¯t let go. Will caught a mischievous grin as she anchored him in place.

    Shit. Will lunged toward Taunter, coming inside the man¡¯s range and headbutting his wrist before lashing out with his leg, causing the Taunter to topple to the ground. A blur of motion caught his eye as Carrie had released his hand and pulled out her claws out again, aiming for his leg while he was completely off balance.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Will released a stored bullet from the Phantom Hand in front of her attack, causing her to reel backwards before she burned herself on the tracer of fire hanging in front of his leg.

    Will swerved the Phantom Hand and released another bullet at her side while he regained his balance. He saw her claws flicker out, dimming before something moved at lightning speed over to her chest piece, causing the Relic to glow before a tiny patch of iridescent black armor appeared directly in front of the bullet.

    ¡°Ah! Where did that-¡° She stumbled sideways, her footwork suffering as she tried to dodge around the glowing curtain between the two of them.

    Will shot another round at her chest while swinging a punch at her face.

    The tiny piece of armor shifted to block the more deadly projectile and Will¡¯s punch sailed through, causing Carrie to stumble backwards, blood shooting out of her nose.

    ¡°Poor William Oh. Wanted a hand, but no.¡±

    Something clicked in Will, and he knew he had to punch this guy.

    Will turned and charged.

    Taunter was in a peculiar stance with the length of his short sword tucked directly underneath the riding crop, tip hidden in the tassels like a predator hiding from its prey in long grass.

    Amulet of the home field advantage.

    6/18 Charges Remaining.

    The ground under the two of them became a perfectly smooth sheet of ice. Will was pleased to note that the altered landscape moved with him as the center of the effect.

    Taunter shifted his weight to perform a perfect counter-attack to Will¡¯s charge, when his feet slipped out from under him. For an instant, the taunter was horizontal, his eyes as big as those doilies old ladies use to hold their drinks as he fell.

    Will punched him in the face.

    Or, he tried.

    Jangle Jangle!

    The tassels and bells filled his entire world as the Taunter thrust the whip into his face.

    Will couldn¡¯t see or hear anything else.

    On instinct, he swept the gauntlet through the spot where he¡¯d last seen the shortsword.

    There was a sensation of metal on metal as the nonmagical gauntlet strapped to his stump deflected a stab away from his leg.

    Will guessed where Taunter¡¯s face would be. Since he was still falling, he couldn¡¯t dodge, so he¡¯d be¡­Will lunged forward with an extended knee. There.

    Crack! Will¡¯s knee met something distinctly skull-like with a satisfying impact.

    The tassels stopped flooding his senses as Taunter hit the ground and went spinning into the distance, sliding away on the zero-friction surface.

    ¡°Did you two want to keep going?¡± Will asked as the two Climbers rose to their feet, groaning. ¡°Because I can always tag in the rest of my Party.¡±

    Loth nodded, his hand near his satchel of trap supplies.

    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Carrie said, holding her nose shut. ¡°Where did those shots even come from?¡±

    ¡°How many Abilities do you have?¡± Taunter asked, holding a piece of ice to his eye.

    ¡°A few,¡± Will admitted. Sure, most of them were from his equipment, but that went for everyone.

    ¡°I¡¯m Travis.¡± The Taunter said, putting away his weapons and gingerly crossing the ice before offering Will his hand.

    Will cocked his head, looking down at the offered hand suspiciously.

    ¡°What?¡± Travis asked, glancing down at his hand. ¡°We¡¯re done. I¡¯m not going to attack you any more, I just wanted to see how good you were.¡±

    ¡°And attacking people without warning is¡­normal?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°What? That was just a spar. Spaaar. Totally normal.¡± Carrie said, waving off the kobold¡¯s concern.

    Will and Loth¡¯s gaze met. Will shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Master Decoy.¡± Travis said, drawing Will¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°I¡¯ve got taunts and a passive based on the number of enemies I¡¯m fighting. This here¡¯s The Irritating Whip. Tilts people and boosts Charm abilities.¡±  He motioned to the colorful riding crop. ¡°I¡¯ve got an attack speed ring and an amulet that boosts my off-hand strength. Makes it easier to block and disarm with the whip.¡±

    ¡°You need better footing.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Yes, I just noticed that.¡± Travis admitted.

    ¡°I¡¯m an Eldritch Fashionista.¡± Carrie said, arriving beside them and raising her hand. ¡°This is Summer. Say hi, Summer.¡±

    The Relic on Carrie¡¯s hand glowed for a moment as the black thing flitted over to it. Then the iridescent black glob emerged from the ring and wiggled at them.

    It was covered in burning red lines that seemed to extend from the ring itself, almost like roots extending into the ring.

    ¡°She adopts the properties of the Relic she¡¯s parasitizing. This ring adds fire damage to attacks, so she can turn into burning claws.¡±

    ¡°And she can defend autonomously.¡± Loth mused. ¡°¡­means ¡®by itself¡¯,¡± He said before Will could ask.

    ¡°Well just say that, then.¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Travis said, eyes wide. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be a Rare Class.¡±

    Decoy was a rare Class too, as far as Will knew, but only because they usually died real quick.

    ¡°You betcha.¡± Carrie said, looking pleased with herself. ¡°She¡¯s just a baby right now. One day I¡¯ll ride her around. I¡¯ve got a fire ring, some enhanced armor, a fire resist amulet, resistance pants, charging boots.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you charge?¡± Will asked. He didn¡¯t remember her using any enhanced speed or anything.

    Her eyes widened.

    ¡°I need more Kinesthetics.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Will nodded in agreement. Kinesthetics helped use Abilities fluidly.

    ¡°Anyway, my primaries gave me Summer, and a Teamwork passive. No active Abilities yet.¡± Carrie said.

    ¡°¡­So what¡¯s your Class?¡± Travis asked.

    Will nearly recoiled at the wide-eyed pair looking at him with innocent awe.

    ¡°Resourceful Climber.¡± Will admitted. ¡°I climb good. My primaries are a passive that improves footing, and an Ability that lets me shoot items directly from anything I¡¯m carrying.¡± Will omitted a few details, patting the bag of bullets on his hip.

    No reason to tell them everything when they attacked people for fun.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why you¡¯re Resourceful. You don¡¯t even need the hand to attack. That¡¯s cool! And the synergy with that sheet of ice was just MM!¡± Carrie smiled through the sheet of blood running down her chin. ¡°You just kneed him right in the face! BAM!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was there,¡± Travis said, his eye already swelling from the aforementioned kneeing. ¡°So you basically just pull your opponents into disadvantageous terrain and capitalize on it?

    ¡°Basically.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Effective.¡±

    Will grunted in agreement.

    ¡°So, do you need any more Party members?¡± Carrie asked, pursing her lips.

    While Will did need more Party members, he didn¡¯t really want to add people who randomly attacked him because he was getting famous, even if it was a misguided attempt at an audition.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Loth said at the same time.

    Will glanced over at Loth, who shrugged.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not going to invite you to my Party right this moment because you attacked without warning, which for me is a bit of a red flag. People don¡¯t just attack each other where I¡¯m from. But stick around for a while and prove you¡¯re not crazy and I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Carrie said, giving a blood-soaked grin and pumping her fist. ¡°Totally not crazy, so I¡¯ve got this in the bag.¡±

    She punctuated that statement by spitting out some blood.

    ¡°Nice.¡± Travis said, nodding. ¡°Also, what kind of city did you live in where Climbers don¡¯t fight to confirm who¡¯s stronger?¡±

    ¡°Ashwood.¡±

    ¡°Never heard of it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s small.¡± Will admitted.

    ¡°Well, in the city, if you meet someone you don¡¯t know, and you wanna make a good impression, you gotta fight ¡®em.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Will met Travis¡¯s eye and held his gaze for a long moment.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not gonna do that.¡± Will said.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Travis said with a shrug.

    Thank you for clearing the Key Site. You may advance to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor at your discretion.

    + 300XP

    Will glanced up and noticed that the remaining Sky Hares had long since been mopped up.

    He glanced at Loth, who nodded, indicating that he¡¯d gotten the message as well.

    An extra-large Door appeared to accommodate their large group, and the bus was already heading through it.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Will said, heading towards the door.

    ¡°But¡­Loot?¡± Travis said, pointing at the Boss they¡¯d defeated, which was still decomposing into neon blue Miasma that rose from its corpse.

    ¡°The bus is going to hand off their package to another bus waiting on the other side of the door. The second bus will have secured the hand-off area against monsters, but they¡¯re going to leave as soon as they get their passengers. If we want to keep trailing the bus to a stronghold on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor, we need to go now.¡± Will explained.

    ¡°But¡­loot?¡± Travis repeated, his voice nearly a whimper.

    ¡°You can stay if you want, you¡¯re not technically under my command,¡± Will said with a shrug, jogging towards the Door.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Will heard the Decoy mutter before running to catch up, joining the other three.

    Will screeched to a halt in front of the Door, his heartbeat spiking dramatically.

    I thought I was over this.

    You¡¯ve done this three times already. And look, this door is bigger than the other ones, not the same thing at all. Will logic-ed his way through the problem, disassociating with the moment, watching himself act, as though he were viewing everything from the end of a long tunnel.

    He could not keep falling backwards through the Doors, not when more and more dangerous monsters and terrain waited on the other end.

    ¡°You good?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Will said, swallowing the animalistic terror in his throat and stepping through.

    Will¡¯s face was slammed by a wave of hot air, nearly making him stagger in place. Ash crunched under his feet, the smell of ash and caustic fumes was thick, and the sun was dim, hanging blood red in the sky, casting everything in a reddish shade.

    Welcome to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor!

    Miasma Acclimation: 3 days.

    It is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the Miasma acclimation period has elapsed. Side effects of doing so include fever, bulging bloodshot eyes, coughing, pustules, necrosis of the extremities, paraphilia, parasitic twin growths, and Death.

    There is a Stronghold to your East, and a Key Site in need of clearing to your North.

    Again, it is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the Acclimation period has elapsed.

    It wasn¡¯t just the sun that looked bloody. Will thought he could smell it through the caustic fumes.

    Then he heard the screaming.

 Chapter 28: Why Baker Girls Specifically

    Will zeroed in on the noise, eyes widening.

    The veterans running the bus, people who were vastly overleveled for the Floor, were under attack by¡­other Climbers?

    Will¡¯s blood ran cold as he saw one of the men get bisected in a flash of light, only for his killer to be destroyed by a torrent of raging green fire.

    And on and on it went as the bandits and veterans tore each other apart.

    Will could see where the palanquin carried by the group that was supposed to meet them here had toppled over, it¡¯s flame-retardant exterior jutting into the ash.

    What do we even have that is that valuable? Men didn¡¯t fight to the death for a busload of noncombat classes¡­even if that could allow a Lord to write them off as dead while establishing a secret Stronghold on the floor from which he could stage an attack on a rival.

    Just answered my own question.

    A girl¡¯s shriek caused Will¡¯s legs to twitch with urgency. In the distance, Brianna was being dragged out of the iron palanquin, kicking, scratching, and biting. She was hauled out by a scruffy climber with an iron grip on her wrist, a furrowed brow and what looked like very bad teeth.

    Will started running.

    ¡°OW! Calm down, you little cunt!¡± The Climber¡¯s voice came into earshot as Will came closer.

    Will wanted to hit him with his sling, but at this range¡­it wasn¡¯t a sure thing that he wouldn¡¯t hit Brianna, as the two were struggling violently less than an arm¡¯s length away from each other.

    SHHHH

    There was a hissing of torn air as one of the veterans ran past and swung his blade at the kidnapper, who was forced to defend. The attack glanced off his blade and Will saw flashes of neon blue Miasma crackling through the air where their Active Abilities struggled against each other.

    The kidnapper lost his footing and was sent tumbling backwards, spinning into the distance, but unharmed.

    ¡°Stay in the palanquin!¡± The veteran ordered, his meaty hand shoving Bri back into the Iron cage before chasing after the kidnapper.

    They¡¯re not gonna win, Will thought, continuing to run towards her.

    There were only three veterans left, fending off more than a dozen men of nearly equal strength.

    It was only a matter of time.

    ¡°Where are you going!?¡± Loth demanded, his voice rising as Will charged into danger.

    ¡°Cute baker girl!¡± Will hollered over his shoulder ¡°Secure escape!¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t even want us! Why are you¡­¡± Loth¡¯s voice faded into the distance as Will arrived next to the Palanquin, peering in through the empty iron door.

    A shriek locked up his joints, and a blast of makeup caught him full in the face, only missing his eyes by virtue of his mask¡¯s supernatural clarity.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Will said, scanning the sideways palanquin. The other passengers were unconscious, bleeding from the head where they¡¯d slammed into the side of the transport unexpectedly. Brianna¡¯s own hair was matted with blood, but she seemed lucid enough to try to blind him.

    Brianna had a bag of face powder in one hand and a crocheting needle in the other, regarding him with a feral expression, her arm cocked back to deliver a vicious stab. Her expression shifted when she saw his goat mask.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t looking good,¡± Will said, glancing to either side, trying to keep his eyes open for that bisecting flash of light. ¡°You wanna get out of here, Bri?¡±

    ¡°He said to stay in the bus.¡± Bri said.

    ¡°Well, he just died,¡± Will said, watching the veteran get pinned to the ground by a massive spear, then beheaded by the spear-wielder¡¯s teammate.

    ¡°I¡¯ll die too if I stay any longer. Now or never, Brianna.¡± Will said, offering his hand.

    I¡¯ll give you two heartbeats before I cut and run, Will thought.

    It only took one.

    Bri took his hand and he hauled her out of the palanquin.

    ¡°Piggy back ride.¡± Will said, taking off his backpack and kneeling, grabbing Cold Harvest and looping it through the other side of his belt.

    Losing the Gauntlets of speed was a shame, but they were basic equipment he could replace, obtaining a Baker Girl was always going to be Will¡¯s higher priority.

    Will grunted as the slender girl locked her arms around his neck.

    ¡°Try not to choke me,¡± Will rasped.

    ¡°Okay, what now?¡± Brianna asked, adjusting her grip as the last Veteran went down.

    The surrounding bandits turned to face the two of them with hungry expressions.

    ¡°What NOW!?¡± Brianna demanded.

    Will whipped out a bullet with his sling, aiming at the attackers, careful not to hit the girl peering over his shoulder, officially engaging the other Climbers in combat.

    He didn¡¯t hang around to see if it had hit: he knew it hadn¡¯t. No veteran who saw a low power bullet like that coming at them would allow it to hit them.

    That wasn¡¯t what Will had been aiming for. He just wanted his boots to acknowledge it as a combat encounter.

    ¡°Close your eyes and hold on really tight,¡± Will said as he ducked down behind the palanquin, cutting off line of sight between himself and the enemy.

    ¡°Okay, but WHYYYY!!!!¡±

    Brianna¡¯s question turned into a shriek as they blasted off at triple speed.

    Boots of Outflanking Active.

    5.

    Will got halfway to Loth in the first second.

    4.

    Will arrived at the escape zone and saw that Carrie and Travis had already gained a significant amount of distance while Loth set up their escape route.

    ¡°STEP HERE!¡± Loth shouted, pointing at a spot on the ground before raising his arms for pickup.

    Will stepped on it on the way past, picking up Loth as he did.

    3.

    BOOM!

    An explosion sounded behind them as a curtain of ash cut off line of sight, resetting Will¡¯s boots and hiding Loth¡¯s other traps.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to have a talk about your fixation on bakers.¡± Loth said, arms crossed, glancing at Brianna, whose legs were threatening to cut off the blood supply to his lower body as she shrieked.

    At least she wasn¡¯t choking him.

    ¡°Later!¡± Will shouted as he ran.

    Man, carrying two people at a dead sprint is hard. Who would¡¯ve thought?

    BANG!

    Will heard  cries of pain behind him as their pursuers ran into Loth¡¯s traps.

    ¡°Use your Amulet.¡± Loth said.

    Will didn¡¯t see anyone nearby, but Loth was probably seeing something he wasn¡¯t.

    Will did so.

    Amulet of the home field advantage.

    5/18 Charges Remaining.

    ¡°That way,¡± Loth said, pointing off to the side, across the softest stretch of ash, towards what looked like a stream-bed.

    Will didn¡¯t think about it and just ran.

    They came across a wide stream of lava burbling merrily along, cracks of orange-hot stone peeking out from underneath the solid black coating on the surface. It was singing the hairs on Will¡¯s arm even from a stone¡¯s throw away, but thanks to Loth¡¯s coaching, the stream turned to ice as Will passed over it, saving them from severe burns as he sprinted over it.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Hide here, cancel the effect.¡± Loth said, pointing

    Will dove behind the raised ledge of baked rock, cancelling the ability.

    The heat of the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor beat down on them again as the comforting ice faded out of existence.

    Will dropped to the ground, panting, dropping Brianna into the ash with a squawk.

    ¡°Excellent.¡± Loth said, peering over the edge of their concealment with a tiny polished mirror. ¡°Look.¡±

    He handed the mirror to Will, who peered over the edge of the rock with it.

    The explosion of ash settled, revealing the confused bandits.. no, they¡¯re probably a Lord¡¯s Vassals, aiming to steal critical Non-combat classes.

    ¡°What happened to us against the Tower?¡± Will muttered quietly to himself.

    ¡°As long as resource scarcity dictates our behavior, that will never be the case.¡± Loth replied. ¡°Do you see what I¡¯ve done?¡±

    Will scanned the confused Climbers for another second before he noticed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t leave any footprints on the ice,¡± Will said.

    Indeed, the soft ash that had turned into hard ice as he ran by had turned back into soft ash, none the worse for wear.

    It was as if Will had never come this direction, and no one in their right mind would expect a low-level like him to have crossed that lava flow without dying.

    The high-level veterans were scratching their heads and scanning the surrounding, looking for any hint of where Brianna had been taken. They seemed to sniff around after Carrie and Travis¡¯s tracks for a moment before shaking their heads.

    However temporarily, they¡¯d slipped away from high level Climbers.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you the party leader?¡± Will whispered.

    ¡°Because you wanted it more than I did.¡± Loth said with a shrug. ¡°Makes no difference to me as long as you¡¯re willing to do as I ask when it matters. That being said, help me set up this tarp.¡± He said, unfolding a tightly packed piece of waxed cloth. ¡°And it goes without saying, but I¡¯ll go ahead and say it: don¡¯t stand up.¡±

    ¡°Noted.¡± Will said, and together they unfolded the tarp and began covering it with ash.

    ¡°Can I help?¡± Brianna asked as the two of them worked.

    ¡°Make the edges of the ash look undisturbed, if you can,¡± Loth said, sending Brianna busily to work. ¡°Don¡¯t stray from behind the rock, though.

    A minute later, the three of them were huddled under the stiffened tarp, which had taken the color and consistency of the surrounding wasteland.

    None too soon, either, as the surrounding ash began to crunch and shift under someone¡¯s feet.

    ¡°Thought I heard something out this way.¡± The voice said, coming around the rock they were hiding behind and standing in front of them.

    For a dreadful moment, they held their collective breath, praying that the Climbers didn¡¯t try to stand on their hiding spot, revealing it as flimsy fabric.

    ¡°See anything?¡± Another voice asked.

    ¡°¡­Nah, no sign of ¡®em. Let¡¯s keep following the river.¡±

    Crunch, crunch, crunch¡­

    The sound of footsteps through the ash faded into the distance. Will was tempted to let out a sigh of relief, but he couldn¡¯t believe they got away that easily. They continued waiting and listening, the sound of footsteps coming and going several times as the blood red sun, faintly visible through the fabric, began to set on the third Floor.

    The temperature under the tarp was sweltering, even before cramming three individuals together in a space the size of a poor man¡¯s bathtub.

    Will and Bri were sweating profusely, gradually becoming fused together as their clothes became sodden. Loth wasn¡¯t doing much better, panting quietly out of his mouth, tongue hanging out like a tired dog.

    Even with Will¡¯s cloak providing faint whisps of cool vapor, it seemed as though the environment confiscated them with prejudice, as they only lasted long enough to highlight how uncomfortable they really were.

    ¡°You¡¯re smearing your scent-ooze on me.¡± Loth said at a nearly sub-audible whisper. ¡°Ugh, humans are disgusting! Quit it!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t shut it off!¡± Will whispered back. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop panting like a do-¡°

    Will felt a faint pinch on his ribs as Bri held a finger to her lips.

    They froze in place, listening quietly, but no sounds approached. Still, the message had been received.

    Eventually the sun sank into the earth granting them a slight reprieve from the oppressive heat. Despite being dim, the sun seemed to provide more heat than on other floors. Will had no idea why that was, he was only thankful it was gone.

    Several minutes after the sun had fallen, Loth poked a tiny hole in the tarp and used his mirror to do a full scan of their surroundings.

    ¡°Looks clear,¡± He whispered. ¡°Their search pattern has expanded far enough that we may safely travel inside it.¡±

    ¡°Actually, Loth, can I get some glowbugs?¡± Will asked, patting the side of Bri¡¯s head, where blood had matted her hair into a stiff knot. ¡°We need to make sure that head wound isn¡¯t going to get worse.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my blood,¡± Bri said, pushing his hand away, groaning in disgust as they unstuck themselves from each other, sweat-fused fibers reluctantly releasing.

    They emerged from the camouflage tarp cocoon, newly hatched denizens of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor. Sticky, and barely alive.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Will groaned, taking off his shirt and plopped it off to the side, leaving just the Cloak of Misty Escape over his shoulders. Will drew the Relic tight around him, shuddering at the cooling sensation.

    ¡°Must be nice to be able to take your shirt off whenever you want,¡± Brianna said, wistfully glancing at his shirt, her own patterned dress clinging to her form.

    ¡°Oh. Uh¡­Uh¡­¡± Will¡¯s brain tried and failed to come up with a reasonable solution.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Bri said, waving him off. ¡°I¡¯m okay, it¡¯s just really gross.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha,¡± Will said with a nod. ¡°Oh, by the way.¡± He pulled out and offered her the Sickle of Cold Harvest.

    ¡°This is a bad weapon. It raises the resistances against it¡¯s own damage type¡­but it¡¯s better than a rock. Use it if we come up against something mean.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­I¡¯ve¡­never had any training.¡± Bri said, holding the weapon at arm¡¯s length like it might bite her.

    ¡°The pointy end goes into the other man.¡± Will said, tapping the tip of the sickle. ¡°There. Now you¡¯ve got the same amount of weapons training that I do.¡±

    ¡°William, I believe you¡¯re underestimating how much of a natural talent you are at dispensing violence.¡± Loth said. ¡°Also, can I talk to you over there?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Will followed Loth out of immediate earshot.

    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s your deal with bread and baker girls? You got us into a deep hole for a noncombat class that we do not have the infrastructure to utilize right now.¡±

    Will opened his mouth and shut it again. ¡°I never really thought about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking.¡±

    ¡°If you must know, when I was about ten, there was this older girl in the orphanage who would bake every morning before everyone woke up¡­¡±

    Will briefly remembered the morning he¡¯d woken up early, seeing Muse standing in front of the window, the morning sun rendering her in silhouette as she carried her buns in front of the window¡­

    ¡°So you imprinted on a baker girl when you were young and she¡¯s the yardstick by which you measure all potential mates?¡±

    ¡°You make it sound so reductive.¡± Will said sourly. ¡°But yeah, probably. Never thought about it.¡±

    ¡°You understand how deep our problems are right now?¡± Loth asked.

    Will nodded. ¡°What do you think is the best way to survive?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to concentrate their search on the stronghold to the east,¡± Loth said, musing. ¡°The best chance of us surviving lies on making it to the Stronghold, so they¡¯ll inevitably try and block it off.¡±

    ¡°So what are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking we need to find a source of water, and if we can do that¡­we can stay in one spot, camp out within sight of a Key Site, grind XP, and once the Acclimation is over, we can jump in on a bus as it¡¯s heading up to the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor. Bypass this mess entirely.

    ¡°You wanna just rawdog all of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor!?¡± Will asked, eyes wide.

    ¡°It¡¯s got about the same odds as trying to sneak past a determined search party of high-level Climbers, with the added benefit of allowing us to gain levels and expire on our own terms.¡±

    ¡°You mean succeed on our own terms?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I know what I said.¡± Loth responded.

    ¡°EEEEK!¡±

    The two of them jumped at a shriek from Bri¡¯s direction.

    Bri was standing over a giant snail, about the size of a man. It¡¯s head was lying on the ground, severed by Cold Harvest. Hundreds of thumb-length crystals had emerged from the creature¡¯s skin. The body itself was slowly writhing as it died.

    ¡°Are you okay!?¡± Will asked as he arrived.

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Bri said, nodding. ¡°Just surprised when I turned around and saw it oozing towards me. Menacingly.¡±

    ¡°Drink this now,¡± Loth said, shoving his waterskin in Will¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Will drank about half and handed the rest to Bri while Loth pulled out a pair of metal tongs from his toolkit and began prying the ice crystals off.

    ¡°If this is real ice, we could be looking at our solution,¡± Loth said, taking the mouthpiece out of his waterskin once Bri was done with it and dropping the crystals in, continuing to pry them off one at a time.

    ¡°¡­Here,¡± Bri said, kneeling down with Cold Harvest, putting down a napkin from her dress and setting the edge of the sickle against the monster¡¯s skin.

    With a smooth sawing motion, she freed hundreds of crystals from the snail¡¯s head, dropping them into the napkin before bundling them up.

    The cloth rapidly turned moist from the ambient temperature and began dripping.

    ¡°In the waterskin,¡± Loth said, prompting Bri to pour her ice crystal harvest into the waterproof leather pouch. Loth regarded Bri with a weighing gaze as she stood up.

    ¡°Good thinking,¡± Loth admitted, shaking his bag of ice, which was condensing water on the outside. He ran his finger through the condensed water and tasted it, his expression thoughtful.

    ¡°Sometimes a weapon¡¯s description doesn¡¯t cover everything.¡± She said with a shrug. ¡°It just seemed like the right way to use it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re a natural Climber too,¡± Loth mused, glancing over at the severed head of the giant snail.

    The monster had begun to break down, it¡¯s soft rubbery flesh dissolving into flickers of blue miasma as it shrank, leaving behind an empty metallic shell.

    Thunk. A sound came from inside the shell, prompting them to tip the heavy armor over, revealing a breastplate and a handful of gold coins.

    ¡°Want some armor?¡± Will asked.

    Bri considered a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes, but if it¡¯s really heavy, I¡¯ll have to leave it.¡±

    She took the breastplate and put it over her head. In the manner of Relics, it changed itself to match her body, shrinking in size.

    ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t really heavy at all! And it¡¯s got Strength and Resistance boosts.¡±

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Will said, giving a thumb¡¯s up and trying not to laugh at the image of a plate cuirass secured over a faded floral dress.

    ¡°How do I look?¡± Bri asked, flexing.

    ¡°Like you¡¯re wearing a cuirass.¡± Loth said with a shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s get started North.

    Half the night into their trek, they came across Carrie and Travis, cooking a giant beetle in its own shell.

    ¡°We thought you two were dead,¡± Carrie said, her gaze lingering on Bri for a moment.

    ¡°What a great idea. Skip the loot, dive straight into a free-for all.¡± Travis added with a bit more sass than Will liked.

    ¡°You and I both know no one could¡¯ve predicted that,¡± Will said, sitting in the ash across the fire from from them, Loth and Bri following . ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice you¡¯re heading North as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, the closest Stronghold is East, but there¡¯s another past the Key Site north of us.¡± Travis said, pulling out a map.

    ¡°You wanna join our Party for the trip?¡±

    Carrie and Travis glanced at each other.

    ¡°Look, we¡¯re willing to travel with you for safety, but we¡¯re not going to join your Party right this moment¡­ because you ran into a suicidal fight within minutes of meeting you, which for us is a bit of a red flag. People don¡¯t just try to get themselves killed where we¡¯re from. But if you make a good impression over the next few days, we¡¯ll consider it.¡±  Travis said.

    ¡°Been saving that one up, huh?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been working on it the whole way here.¡± Travis admitted with an annoying smirk.

    ¡°How about you?¡± Will asked Brianna.

    ¡°Me? Oh, I¡¯m not allowed to join any Parties until I make it to my destination. It¡¯s part of my Contract.¡± Bri said, shaking her head.

    Being in a Party made it easier to coordinate based on their Classes, and easier for The System to calculate contribution and what rewards should be assigned to a group of Climbers, but it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary, so Will dropped the subject.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about the northern Stronghold. I guess we¡¯ll be travelling together for the next few days,¡± Loth said. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll trade you some water for some beetle.¡± He held out the waterskin and shook it a bit, sloshing the liquid inside.

    ¡°Deal,¡± Carrie said, snapping off a leg of beetle and trading it for Loth¡¯s waterskin.

    ¡°AH!¡± Carrie gasped in satisfaction after taking a long drink.

    ¡®¡­Safe to drink¡¯ Loth mouthed at Will, his face hidden from the others by the leg of beetle.

    Will patted Loth on the back.

    You¡¯re a cunning little bastard.

 Chapter 29: Boot Swap

    William Oh is the most unparalleled survivalist in the tower. With his one hand, he squeezes water from stones, dirt into food, courage from the spineless, and love from the heartless.

    He once crossed a pit full of Gorbash Fire-spewers by hopping on one¡¯s back, hooking its mouth with his hair and surfing through the lava all the way to the other side. Some say you can still smell his singed arm-hairs on the third floor.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    The snails were actually harder to kill than Bri had made it seem, due to their mace-like eyeballs laden with metal deposits from a lifetime spent sucking on metal-laden rocks.

    These eyeballs were the size of a man¡¯s fist, with natural protrusions made to crumple armor, whipping around fast enough to hear them.

    ¡°Hold it still!¡± Loth said, riding on the snail¡¯s extended neck, wielding Cold Harvest.

    ¡°Whaddya think I¡¯m- agh!- doing!¡± Carrie demanded, the whipping eyeball dragging her feet through the soft ashen floor.

    ¡°I could help?¡± Bri asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re helping by watching for more of them,¡± Will said, ¡°Plus, you¡¯re a noncombat class, so-Oh, Crap ¨C So you¡¯re not really cut out for it.¡±

    ¡°Good job you guys.¡± Travis said, stifling a yawn as he idly jingled his whip in the snail¡¯s face, keeping it fixated on the same target and not doing anything unexpected. ¡°Keep it up.¡±

    His was the most important job, but it was also the easiest.

    Loth nicked the snail¡¯s neck, creating a massive patch of hoarfrost. It seemed as though the amount of hoarfrost created was unrelated to the amount of damage dealt¡­which meant they could game it quite a bit.

    Real bad day for the snail.

    ¡°Hold the bag, Bri.¡± Loth said, motioning to the side of the snail. Bri hustled to stand on that side with the water bag.

    Scrape. Loth scraped the edge of the sickle across the hoarfrost, sending a rain of tiny crystals down into the maxed bag.

    Nick.

    Scrape.

    Nick.

    Loth made a series of minor cuts along the length of the snail¡¯s neck, harvesting each patch of hoarfrost in between. This went on for several minutes before the bag was full, and they needed to dispose of the monster.

    With the snail¡¯s neck stretched out, Loth raised Cold Harvest high and brought it down with all his might¡­

    Getting the blade stuck a couple inches into the creature¡¯s neck as ice kept filling the wound.

    ¡°Could I get some-¡°

    ¡°Here, lemme help,¡± Travis said, moving to help now that keeping the snail fixated was no longer necessary.

    Will and Carrie grunted with effort as they got violently dragged around the ash while Travis and Loth sawed their way through the neck until the head finally fell off.

    The mace-like eyeball he was holding onto went glassy and stopped trying to whip him, and Will finally was able to take a step back, rubbing the cramps out of his arms.

    Panting, Loth glanced down at the severed head, then up at Will, meeting his gaze for a heartbeat before he glanced at Brianna.

    ¡°Well, looks like water has been acquired.¡± Will said, approaching the dissolving snail and waiting for it to dispense their prize.

    Clunk. Clatter.

    They tipped over the shell to reveal a mace shaped like an eyeball on the end of a stalk and a few gold pieces.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve seen that coming,¡± Will mused, picking up the weapon.

    Mace of Second Sight

    +2 Accuity

    +1 Strength

    Active Ability: 1 Charge.

    Second sight. The wielder may see further into the infrared spectrum allowing them to see things they may otherwise have not perceived. Lasts 1 hour.

    ¡°What¡¯s the infrared spectrum?¡± Will mused.

    ¡°Of electromagnetic radiation: having a wavelength just greater than that of the red end of the visible light spectrum but less than that of microwaves. Infrared radiation has a wavelength from about 800 nm to 1 mm, and is emitted particularly by heated objects.¡±

    ¡°And¡­what does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I know the definition of almost all of the words contained in that sentence, but I still¡­¡± Loth shrugged, shaking his head. ¡°It sounds like you can see¡­hot things?¡±

    It sounded like an interesting ability, but no one had the Charge required to keep it up and running indefinitely, so the Active was only applicable in specific circumstances.

    They wound up giving it to Bri, who was beginning to look snail-like herself, gradually acquiring a collection of snail-related plate armor over her floral dress. All of it shared the same organic smoothness and hue of the snail¡¯s shell.

    She had become ¡®The Snail Knight¡¯.

    ¡°We need to get you some pants.¡± Carrie mused, looking at Bri¡¯s sabatons peeking out from under the hem of her faded floral dress.

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± Bri admitted, shouldering the man-sized sack of ice.

    ¡°I have a tap in my kit for getting sap from trees, but I might be able to sew it into the bag and turn it into a faucet,¡± Loth mused, running his clawed hands over the bag of ice.

    ¡°Best not risk putting holes in our biggest watertight container.¡± Carrie said. ¡°Tight seals in fabric are not easily created in the field.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Loth nodded, turning his attention back to packing up, getting the pitons he¡¯d used to keep the snail in place dug out of the ground.

    ¡°Is this what leading a larger Party feels like?¡± Will asked, standing on top of a nearby rock with his hand on his hip, overseeing the group preparing to head out.

    Travis looked like he wanted to say something, but Will was already packed up and ready to go, so there wasn¡¯t really much he could complain about.

    Which was exactly the way Will preferred it.

    They trekked to the north, carefully avoiding combat as much as possible. It made no sense to seek out combat when they didn¡¯t have a safe place to retreat to. Even if gaining levels would make the trip safer on average, every encounter always ran the possibility of pulling way more aggro than your team could handle¡­

    And then you died.

    The only time they stopped to fight something was when they started running low on water and could find a relatively slow or weak monster, like the snails.

    They skirted around an ominously bubbling pond of inky black tar.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    After Loth nearly fell into a sloping ash-pit with a menacing grasper-faced creature in the center, Will always took the lead.

    He guided them around a hill that felt suspiciously hollow under his enhanced footing, avoided the dried-up spoor of flammenwulf, took them across a lava flow with an application of Home Field Advantage and a rope to tug them along, and created a manageable path up a cliff, standing at the top and helping them up one by one.

    ¡°Your class¡­¡± Travis panted between swigs of water as they rested at the top. ¡°Is really good¡­at travelling. Have you considered being a messenger?¡±

    ¡°I suppose it is, but no, never considered it.¡± Will said, snacking on a carbon-covered shrub that pretended to be burnt to avoid being snacked on. He¡¯d peeled the charred bark and underneath It tasted pleasantly astringent. Mildly poisonous. Best of all there was a little water inside it.

    He hadn¡¯t drunk any water since Carrie and Travis had seen him arrive. Will noticed them giving him odd looks now and again. It was hot, sure, but Aspect of the Goat cut it down from dangerously hot to uncomfortably hot, and the Cloak of Misty escape lowered that even further. Not to mention his high Resistance for his level.

    Once he got used to the sensation of the blistering heat on his face¡­it wasn¡¯t that bad.

    He also got plenty of water from the local plant life. Especially their roots, where they seemed to store what little moisture they could eke out of the environment.

    This possibly led their temporary members to believe he didn¡¯t need to drink at all.

    Perceived superhuman endurance suited Will just fine when dealing with those two city-slickers.

    They traveled slow, backtracking several times when a particular area was impassable to everyone save Will, or filled with monsters that they stood no chance against.

    After two days, they caught sight of the Key Site, blasting the neon blue light into the sky, visible for miles in every direction.

    According to Travis¡¯s fancy, expensive map, there was a Stronghold a couple days further north past the Key Site.

    ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s pretty!¡± Bri said, drawing Will¡¯s attention towards her.

    She was standing in the middle of the group, pointing at a curtain of tiny motes of swirling light, ranging in color from amber to crimson, gently drifting towards them¡­against the wind.

    ¡°¡­We should run. Run¡­RUN, NOW!¡± Will shouted as they sat there staring at the motes of pretty light like a bunch of lobotomized.

    The cloud moved deceptively fast. A single mote leading the pack alighted on Bri¡¯s shoulder and burned a thumb-sized hole through the heavy plate armor she was wearing, eliciting a cry of pain and the faint hiss of boiling blood.

    That got the Party moving. As one, the five of them began to sprint northwest, aiming away from¡­whatever the Abyss that was.

    Whatever organism it was, it had them in its sights, and it followed them at a dead sprint, flowing gracefully across the land, almost as if the motes were suspended in some kind of liquid.

    About a minute into the run, Carrie ran out of breath first.

    ¡°I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t!¡± she gasped, her breathing ragged.

    They hadn¡¯t gotten much distance between themselves and the mote swarm. If she slowed down now, she was dead.

    Where¡¯s a monster to brush this thing off on when you need it? closest guaranteed spot with monsters is the Key Site¡­Idea.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to!¡± Will said, turning to Loth. ¡°Loth, give me a rope with four handholds!¡±

    Loth nodded and pulled out one of his spidersilk ropes. His rope amulet glimmered as he activated it, causing the rope to instantly form the knots necessary to create the four loops.

    ¡°Stop, stop!¡± Will said, waving for them to halt. They¡¯d gained a few scant seconds on the creature, but they needed more speed. A lot more.

    ¡°Arms through,¡± Will said, grabbing Carrie¡¯s arm and shoving it through the loop, crooking her elbow over it and clasping the arm with her other, making it nearly impossible to let go. Travis and Brianna nodded, following suit.

    Loth looked down at Will¡¯s boots, his eyes widening before he wrapped the rope around his arm several times and held on for dear life.

    When everyone was on board the Will Bus, he got them underway.

    Will wrapped the rope around his waist, where it tied itself into a comfortable harness thanks to Loth.

    Cloak of Misty Escape

    9/18 Charges remaining.

    A thick cloud erupted from Will and obscured all five of them.

    Boots of outflanking active.

    Amulet of the Homefield Advantage.

    8/18 Charges remaining.

    The ground under Will turned into a perfect surface of frictionless ice, and Will started hauling ass.

    The ice rose up to fill the tread of his shoes, curling around his heel and providing perfect grip despite being nearly frictionless.

    Despite moving at triple speed, it was almost impossible for Will to immediately get up to max speed while dragging three and a half people across a flat plane of ice. It was a problem of Inertia more than anything else.

    Will heard screaming from behind him, and was pleased to note that none of the screams were falling behind, indicating that the plan was working.

    He reached max speed just as the Boots of Outflanking cut out, diving to the ground.

    ¡°Whaddya think?¡± Will asked as they slid across the ice at frankly dangerous speeds, gaining tons of distance on the voracious motes of light.

    ¡°I think I want your boots and cloak. How much?¡± Travis said, sliding close behind him.

    ¡°Five hundred Ivory,¡± Will said, fifty thousand gold was a price no one in their right mind would-

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Here,¡± Travis began counting out ivory ten-pieces as the hot wind whipped past them, while the ice under their butts threatened to freeze their nuts off.

    Once the coin was jingling in front of his face, Will had to make the snap decision: give up the soft-set that had saved his life on more than one occasion in exchange for a huge amount of money, or pass the offer.

    Do you honestly intend to only run away from danger your entire career as a Climber? Will asked himself.

    The cloak couldn¡¯t be used for another half an hour, and while the boots were great, Will knew he would eventually get better gear.

    It does put me at risk in the short term, though¡­but it fits Travis¡¯s class better than mine. Plus now that I have Gravity Charge I can do some really crazy evasive maneuvers even without the soft set.

    Gravity Charge could allow him to stand on the ceiling or fall away from danger pretty much as far as he wanted.

    That settled Will¡¯s mind.

    And again, I never planned on wearing a 1<sup>st</sup> Floor set the rest of my career.

    Climbing was all about risk versus reward.

    ¡°Alright, Deal,¡± Will said, accepting the cash and taking off his boots and cloak, handing them over and accepting Travis¡¯s boots in return. This was all done as they slid across ice at mind-boggling speed.

    Boots of the Generous Leader

    +3 Strength

    +1 Kinesthetics

    Party members and Minions gain 5% of the user¡¯s max natural movement speed.

    ¡°It looks like it didn¡¯t go very deep,¡± Loth was saying, inspecting Bri¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That cuirass absorbed most of the heat. You¡¯ll have a nice scar, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have any permanent damage.¡±

    ¡°Whew,¡± Bri sighed, relaxing against the ice she was currently hurtling across at break-neck speed.

    ¡°You want these boots?¡± Will asked, offering them to the Kobold.

    ¡°Lemme see.¡± Loth said, taking the boots.

    ¡°Hmm¡­yes, I want these boots.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Will you be okay with the loss of Fire resistance?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I believe I¡¯ve grown accustomed to it.¡± Loth said, taking his boots off and passing them to Will.

    ¡°Why do you have leadership boots anyway?¡± Will asked Travis. ¡°Your Class has no use for those.¡±

    ¡°You ever have your parents refuse to give up on their plan for you?¡± Travis asked. ¡°Who try to fit you in their little mold regardless of how they have to force it?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°What do those boots do?¡± Carrie asked, pointing at the Ashwalkers.

    ¡°Better grip on ash and fire-related surfaces, and fire resistance.¡± Will said, handing them to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll trade you for mine,¡± She said. ¡°Part of the reason I couldn¡¯t keep running was because that ash is so tiring to run on.¡±

    ¡°What do yours do?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­weighted combat platforms,¡± She said, pulling them off to reveal that the sole was several inches thicker than Will had thought. This also meant Carrie was several inches shorter than he¡¯d been led to believe.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s your problem right there,¡± Will said, trading the shoes. ¡°I¡¯ll loan you the Ashwalkers until we arrive in town or one of us dies.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± She said with a grateful nod as they switched boots. ¡°This is gonna be a life-saver.¡±

    Will inspected the boots he¡¯d wound up with.

    Weighted combat platforms.

    +3 Strength

    +2 Resistance

    Has a solid metal sole that Adds weight to the user¡¯s feet, enhancing kick attacks while protecting the feet.

    Increase the potency of kicks and charge attacks by 25%.

    Does that include Gravity Charge?

    When Will put them on his feet, they altered their size to match his feet, the polished black exterior turning dark brown and slightly¡­cloven.

    ¡°Seriously? Oops, momentum is dying,¡± Will said, strapping the platforms on. ¡°Get ready to run again!¡±

    They tensed, and a moment later, Will canceled the Homefield Advantage.

    The five of them leapt to their feet and kept running, each of them showing different reactions to their new footwear.

    Carrie looked like a weight had been lifted, which it obviously had, because now each of Will¡¯s feet felt like it weighed an extra ten pounds.

    Loth was moving just a bit slower, but he seemed determined to power through in exchange for the bonus to his insects.

    And Travis was giggling with barely restrained glee, anxious to put his new boots to work.

    Will was anxious to buy some sweet gear with the frankly ridiculous amount of pocket money Travis¡¯s parents had obviously given him.

    They were halfway past the Key Site when the curtain of hungry motes decided they weren¡¯t worth pursuing, instead turning its attention on the monsters surrounding the Key site.

    In the distance, they watched as the monsters squirmed violently and died, bursting into flames as the veil of fire settled over them, which spoke volumes about the extreme heat the motes were generating.

    Creatures on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor were generally fire-tolerant, at the very least.

    ¡°I hope that doesn¡¯t get the next Party to visit the Key Site killed,¡± Will said.

    It probably would, but maybe not.

    ¡°We can report it to the Exchange Hall if we get to the Stronghold fast enough,¡± Travis said, pulling out his map and checking it.

    He oriented north northeast.

    ¡°We¡¯re about here¡­so maybe one more day and we¡¯ll hit the Stronghold.¡± Travis said, pointing outward.

    ¡°How much for that map?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°One million gold.¡± Travis said, tucking it back in his vest pocket.

    ¡°Boo.¡±

    They set off again, returning to their relaxed pace, slow and cautious of the brutal environment.

    ¡°I feel like an idiot in these things,¡± Will muttered, clomping along, three inches taller than he was used to. Although it does feel nice to look down on Travis.

 Chapter 30: The Dead City

    William Oh once came across a city of ghosts, and exorcised them all, freeing them to move on to the Great Beyond by doing the ancient traditional dance of their people, a solemn ritual known as¡­twerking.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar.

    </li>

    </ul>

    Clomp, clomp, clomp, Will trudged along, acclimating to the platforms.

    ¡°People wear these? Willingly?¡± Will asked, resolving to buy a sweet pair of boots at the next possible opportunity.

    ¡°Mostly young women and male actors who need to appear taller on stage,¡± Carrie admitted.

    Whatever. I¡¯ll just buy a better one when I get where I¡¯m going¡­unless they try to rob me.

    Will¡¯s paranoia began measuring him up against their travelling companions, entirely without his consent.

    Let¡¯s see, there¡¯s two of them, two of us, and Bri is a wildcard. Although I did save her life, so it¡¯s unlikely she¡¯s playing a long con. They¡¯re both average at fighting¡­ I beat them both at the same time¡­unless that was what they wanted me to think!

    Then again, if they were going to try and kill me to take the money back, they would¡¯ve just tried to kill me for the boots.

    His paranoia at least mildly satisfied, Will refocused on their mission: Make it to the Stronghold, then start pushing into the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor from a position of safety.

    And to do that¡­he just needed to put one clomping foot in front of another.

    Increases potency of charges and kicks by 25%? I wonder if a charge that ends in a kick activates both 25% bonuses or just one? Would that 25% bonus offset the fact I was using my feet instead of the mask¡¯s horns?

    Does it increase the acceleration of Gravity Charge or just the oomph at the end?

    This requires testing.

    Unfortunately, they were trudging through the middle of the wilderness, at about half Charge, and there was no telling when a fight would take all his Charge to win or escape from, so there was no sense playing around with his Abilities.

    I can target a section of wall with Gravity Charge and use it to fly up to the ceiling. Can Gravity Charge target anything? What about a ball or a rock? Just cock it back and throw it, then target it and go along for the ride. I already know it can track moving targets, with Steve, and I know it can target inanimate objects.

    ¡­Can I fly?

    Of course, to Will, it was the gut-twisting experience of free-fall, intensified by the extra gravity, but to everyone else? It was flight.

    And Gravity Charge lasted for seconds equal to his Resistance. That was thirty seconds of falling, which could cover a pretty vast distance, not even including inertia carrying him through after the Ability cut out.

    That would keep me flying way longer than I could get a thrown ball to fly. Maybe an arrow? Or¡­does it even have to be thrown at all?

    What if he held something in his hand and used it as the target? Would he then fly towards the object while simultaneously pushing it forward in his hand? Something about that didn¡¯t feel right, like he was going to run into some weirdness if he tried, but Will couldn¡¯t try it out until he had the leeway to experiment.

    ¡°There it is!¡± Travis said, pointing out the distant Stronghold. The optics of the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor weren¡¯t good for viewing things from a distance, and all any of them could make out was a smudge on the horizon.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll be impressed when you see my family¡¯s Stronghold,¡± Travis said. ¡°I¡¯m told the entire city is built around a giant corkscrew that pumps oil straight out of the ground using steam power.¡±

    ¡°Where do they get the water?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Abilities, mostly.¡± Travis said with a shrug. ¡°The third floor pays Climbers with water-creating Abilities rather well. My family especially.¡±

    ¡°¡­Have you ever been there?¡± Will asked, wondering how on earth someone could be proud of a screw, let alone build a city around a screw.

    ¡°This is going to be my first visit. Unannounced, of course.¡± Travis preened annoyingly. ¡°I find it¡¯s best to catch the commoners unawares so you can get an accurate evaluation of their work ethic.¡±

    Pretty much everything Travis did was annoying, but Will tried not to hold it against him, he was starting to suspect it was a Passive Ability.

    ¡°This is the same family whose plan you want nothing to do with?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Its¡­complicated.¡± Travis admitted. ¡°They¡¯ve got other children better suited to Leadership Classes, though. I won¡¯t be missed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet.¡± Carrie said with a shrug.

    ¡°Anyway! I can see the road from here, let¡¯s get on it.¡± Travis said, tucking away his map and pointing.

    Will could see a winding brown line drifting through the ash-cloaked valleys below heading towards the smudge. Roads weren¡¯t perfectly safe, but it was well understood that if there was enough traffic to make a road, then the risk of travel was evenly split by all of the Climbers on that road, lowering the danger when taken as a whole.

    It was as good a plan as any.

    They made it to the road and followed its winding path north, the Key Site fading into the distance behind them.

    The road itself was covered with a thin coating of ash from the drifts that were occasionally pushed around by the wind.

    The wind was dead still, though.

    Will frowned as something nagged at him.

    About half an hour into their trek along the road, Will realized what was giving him the bad feeling.

    ¡°How come there aren¡¯t any people on the road?¡± Will asked. Their prints in the ash were the only sign of anyone passing through.

    Travis looked at him, then up and down the road, his gaze finally settling on their lonely footprints in the thin layer of ash.

    The group settled into foreboding silence.

    Loth held a finger up to his lips and pointing up the side of the hill they¡¯d been winding around.

    Will and the other three nodded

    Silently, the five of them left the road, climbing up the nearby hill to perch at the top, peering down at the road ahead of them, concealed in the heat-cracked boulders.

    There were no travellers on the road. Seemingly no monsters either.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Travis whispered. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re under attack? I can¡¯t think of any other reason for the roads to be empty. Merchants with big tankers full of oil follow these roads day and night¡­or so I¡¯m told.¡±

    ¡°Should we avoid it?¡± Brianna asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re on the Stronghold¡¯s doorstep already,¡± Will said, as much to himself as everyone else. ¡°We should at least verify what¡¯s going on with our own eyes, in case it¡¯s something we can handle. Because the alternative is another dangerous trek, while also trying to dodge those bandits.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The others nodded, and they set off.

    They didn¡¯t follow the road exactly anymore, instead skipping from hilltop to hilltop. It was much more effort than simply following the road, but it allowed them to get a good view of their path before they committed to it.

    No ambushes, no monsters, no people.

    Strange.

    They finally reached the top of the last hill, cautiously crawling to the summit and peering over.

    In the distance, the stronghold loomed large, a massive plume of steam rising above the city. Will could pick of the faintest sound of grinding at an ultra-low pitch, as if the very earth itself was sliding against itself.

    ¡°Looks like the pump is still working,¡± Travis mused. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be a good sign. The lights too.¡±

    Man-sized flames burned bright on the walls, shedding light on the area around the stronghold¡¯s walls. They must¡¯ve been fed by the endless oil that was being pumped out of the earth.

    ¡°Nobody on the walls.¡± Loth said.

    ¡­

    ¡­¡­

    There weren¡¯t.

    The hairs on Will¡¯s neck stood on end. The swirling paranoia in his stomach was telling him that this could be very dangerous¡­and very lucrative.

    ¡°Bad air, maybe?¡± Carrie asked. ¡°Sometimes people suffocate when they keep fires going inside a contained environment?¡±

    ¡°But some people would¡¯ve gotten out and warned others about it.¡± Travis pointed out. ¡°Besides, they¡¯ve got tons of safety features in place. You see those towers?¡±

    He pointed.

    ¡°Those harvest fresh air from up high, concentrate it and funnel it down into the earth, where it flows across the water supply for the boiler, cooling it down and pre-heating the water. There shouldn¡¯t be any issue with bad air.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just going to have to see.¡± Will said, scanning the silent stronghold.

    ¡°Well, no time like the present-¡° Travis said, aiming to rise to his feet. Loth caught his elbow.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until nightfall.¡± Loth said, looking up at him. ¡°If something did this, it might be nocturnal. We might be able to spot it before it sees us. And if the stronghold is occupied, night may well conceal our approach.¡±

    ¡°Like I¡¯ll take a command from-¡°

    ¡°From what?¡± Will interjected before Travis could finish his ill-advised sentence.

    ¡°S-Someone who isn¡¯t my party leader.¡± Travis finished, stumbling over the words at Will¡¯s expression.

    Will¡¯s shoulders relaxed, Carrie let out a breath, and Bri glanced between them curiously.

    ¡°When I work with Loth, we like to put his skill with traps to good use. Do you think you could set up that hill over there as a fall-back point?¡± Will asked, pointing to a hill off to the east, a little to the right of the city and somewhat close to its walls.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Loth said, nodding. ¡°Over the wall?¡± he pointed a single talon at the nearby stone wall, seemingly eyeing the distance between it and the fallback point.

    ¡°Why on earth would I ever go through the front door?¡± Will asked before turning back to their guests. ¡°You three are more than welcome to go the front door right now. Loth and I are going to wait until night.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you guys,¡± Bri said, shuffling over to Will.

    ¡°Seconded.¡± Carrie said.

    ¡°¡­Fine.¡± Travis muttered, his gaze lingering on the lifeless Stronghold.

    The five of them circled around to the side of the Stronghold, setting up a camp on the opposite side of the hill, resting and drinking as necessary, watching the sun pass over their heads to fall on the opposite side.

    No matter how many times Will saw it, a sun that moved was unnatural. Give me a stationary light in the sky any day.

    The dark closed in around the stronghold, pressing in against it until only tiny pools of light at the very edge of the walls remained, kept alive by the man-sized beacons burning on the walls.

    There were a few pools of darkness here and there. In particular, there was a spot nearby where a small portion of the wall was cast in shadow at the base.

    At the top it was well lit, but an enterprising individual could at least make it to the base and start climbing without being spotted.

    Loth pulled out a scrap of paper and jotted down a note with a piece of charcoal.

    ¡°Adding a spyglass to my shopping list,¡± he said upon seeing Will¡¯s curious gaze. ¡°Right after fire-beetle larvae.¡±

    After he put the paper away, he closed one eye and used his fingers to block out the light from the beacons on the wall.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any activity, neither on the wall nor inside the city. If there is something in there, it¡¯s not moving overtly.¡±

    ¡°Great, we wasted our time, can we go?¡± Travis demanded.

    Carrie and Will shared a glance at the Decoy¡¯s eagerness to put his head on the chopping block.

    ¡°It¡¯s his family,¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°And he doesn¡¯t wanna punch them?¡± Will asked. What a weird family dynamic.

    ¡°Sometimes, but right now, I just need to know,¡± Travis said, beginning to march towards the wall.

    ¡°Knotted rope,¡± Loth said, handing it over to Will.

    ¡°Much obliged.¡±

    ¡°Take this too. If there¡¯s danger, throw this in the fire.¡± Loth said, handing him a pack of what felt like sand.

    Will frowned.

    ¡°It burns green.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Will you be swooping in to our rescue?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll warn me not to. Anything you can¡¯t escape, I can¡¯t escape.¡± Loth pointed out.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Will said, shouldering the rope.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± Carrie said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m curious, but I¡¯m not ¡®Enter-a-dead-city-in-the-middle-of-the-night¡¯ curious.¡±

    Brianna hesitantly raised her hand.

    ¡°Yes, you can stay too.¡± Will said. With his boots and cloak, Travis was nearly as good at getting out of tight spots as Will.

    Will and Loth had their misgivings about Bri¡¯s ¡®baker¡¯ Class, but she seemed normal enough, and though she took to Climbing well, it was fairly obvious that she hadn¡¯t been raised to it.

    The girl was an enigma, but at least she was sane, with a healthy respect for the danger involved.

    ¡°No, I want to go,¡± Bri said, shaking her head.

    ¡°Bwah?¡± Will asked eloquently.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t cleaned my clothes since I started getting bussed two weeks ago.¡±

    Carrie winced in sympathetic pain.

    Loth and Will just glanced at each other and shrugged. Clothes always felt greasy and itchy and hardened in place by oils and dead skin, didn¡¯t they?

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything except grubs in three days, and I NEED to eat something else or I will literally break down crying. No offense Loth.¡± She said, glancing down at the kobold.

    ¡°They¡¯re emergency rations, not the ¡®dish of my people¡¯. I don¡¯t care.¡± Loth said with a shrug.

    ¡°Right, so to summarize: I would kill every last one of you for a bar of soap, and brave a dead Stronghold for just a pinch of salt.¡±

    I should¡¯ve gotten that endless bag of salt, Will thought.

    ¡°Okay, but I want to make sure you¡¯ll be able to get away if we run into trouble,¡± Will said. ¡°Jump as high as you can.¡±

    Brianna jumped nine feet in the air. While wearing armor. She obviously hadn¡¯t expected to go that high, as she let out a little squeak and began flailing as she went back down, only barely managing to stick the landing.

    She slammed back down to the ground, creating a puff of ash around her landing point.

    ¡°Was that high enough?¡± She asked as she straightened, innocent of the fact that she¡¯d just revealed her Strength.

    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Will said, nodding.

    This girl¡¯s got somewhere around 40 Strength. She just got to the third floor, so unless she was secretly a veteran from a higher floor ¨C unlikely, given her clothing, age, and inexperience ¨C, her Strength growth was four.

    Which was prime warrior material. Neither Carrie nor Travis had that kind of muscle.

    What kind of baker class requires four Strength growth? Will thought, frowning.

    ¡°So are we going now¡­or?¡± She asked, fidgeting awkwardly.

    ¡°Mm, yep,¡± Will nodded, motioning for her to follow.

    Together, they caught up with Travis and walked through the shadows to the base of the city wall.

    ¡°When we get in there, remember to always, always, ALWAYS keep your mind on your path of retreat.¡± Will said, mostly for Brianna¡¯s benefit.

    Brianna nodded with a serious expression, but Travis just crossed his arms and waited impatiently.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go find Travis¡¯s dead family.¡± Will said.

    ¡°They¡¯re not dead!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re one hundred percent dead,¡± Will said, grabbing Travis¡¯s collar and hauling him in close. ¡°And no amount of magical thinking or suicidal bravado is going to change that. You know what you can do for your family? Don¡¯t fuck up William Oh¡¯s day by forcing him to rescue your ass.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± Travis shoved Will away. ¡°Just climb the damned wall, Climber.¡±

    ¡°Can do,¡± Will said before scampering up the side of the wall. It was rough-hewn stone quarried from the third floor. The imperfections jutted out to support Will¡¯s hands and feet, allowing him to make it to the top in a matter of seconds.

    When he arrived, he was bathed in the light of the beacons.

    Will froze at the top of the wall, waiting for any sign that he¡¯d been noticed.

    Nothing. In either direction, the wall was empty save for the massive fires.

    Will grabbed hold of the end of the rope and tossed the rest down, holding it in place as Travis and Brianna climbed up.

    Together, they crept towards the inner edge of the wall and peered down into the stronghold.

    Will didn¡¯t know what he was expecting. Maybe an empty void, or the ghosts of all the previous inhabitants carrying about their business. Fungal zombies chasing a young woman and an older man?

    Instead, corpses.

    Lots and lots of corpses.

    The streets were lined with bodies, all of whom appeared to have suffered various levels of physical damage.

    No indication that whatever had done it had used weapons of any kind. There were smashed in heads, twisted spines, and missing chunks of flesh, but no stab or slash marks.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief,¡± Will said with a sigh.

    ¡®URK.¡¯

    Will didn¡¯t turn to look as he heard the telltale sound of vomit hitting stone.

    Once it ended, Brianna arrived behind him.

    ¡°Why is that a relief?¡± Brianna said, her voice trembling.

    ¡°Because they died through physical violence, that means it¡¯s something with a form. Something you can run from. Something that isn¡¯t here right now. Can you imagine how much scarier it would be if the bodies had no damage or we didn¡¯t find any bodies at all?¡±

    ¡°That really doesn¡¯t make me feel any better,¡± Bri muttered.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good news.¡± Will said.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s the Lord¡¯s castle,¡± Travis said, pointing at a taller building near the center of the city. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°One second.¡± Will said, pulling out his sling and sending a bullet into the alleyway in the distance, striking the metal sign of a shop.

    Clang! Clatter!

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Travis hissed, ducking down.

    ¡°Because I¡¯d rather see whatever did this before it sees us,¡± Will whispered back. ¡°Even if it means we have to turn back now because we kicked the hornet¡¯s nest. I would rather know that there is a hornet¡¯s nest. Right now we have the luxury of running but once we get inside that wall¡­¡±

    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Travis said, hunkering down.

    A minute went by, but nothing came sniffing around the alleyway.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Will said, nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the Lord¡¯s castle.¡±

 Chapter 31: Score of a Lifetime

    Carrie watched the black kobold as he meticulously organized his belongings, finally pulling out a stubby spade and slowly digging through the ash, pouring each spoonful through some kind of metal grate.

    Everything about the creature ran counter to what she¡¯d been taught about Kobolds. That they were barbaric and bloodthirsty, blessed with cunning when it came to creating traps, but little else.

    Loth was the picture of deliberation in every action and every word.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Looking for insects,¡± Loth said, feeding another trowel of ash through the grate.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°My vivarium has been rendered useless by the extreme heat, only useful as emergency rations. The heat has been slowly cooking them. I¡¯m operating at less than half my capacity without the support of my insects.¡±

    ¡°You really think you¡¯ll find insects in the ash?¡±

    ¡°Insects are incredibly adaptive,¡± Loth said, feeding another trowel through the grate. ¡°despite their relative weakness, they are able to expand to fill any niche.¡±

    ¡°But will some random insect you pull out of the ground be able to help?¡± Carrie clarified.

    ¡°Every living species has some method, some tool or tactic by which it defends itself, secures it¡¯s food and mates, whether that be the swarming proliferation of an ant, the stink of a stinkbug or the web of a spider.

    ¡°Every insect has some utility that an enlightened mind can bend towards their own ends.¡± Loth said. ¡°Ends that their minds couldn¡¯t possibly comprehend, yet quite simple to higher beings like you and me.¡±

    With a little burst of ash, some kind of insect was revealed as its surroundings were sifted through the grate.

    Loth snatched it up, and begin inspecting it as it skittered along his palm. It looked a bit like a chip of shiny black volcanic glass.

    ¡°Imagine, a being of unimaginable power and intelligence snatches you out of your world and sets you on a course that makes every action you take, everything that comes naturally to you, benefit them.¡±

    Loth put the insect inside a barrel filled with ash and fungus carefully prepared from the nearby environment. A miniature world of Loth¡¯s creation. ¡°Not unlike the gods themselves.¡±

    Carries brows rose.

    ¡°¡­Do you have a god complex?¡±

    Loth froze, his clawed hand hovering over the top of the barrel, glowing with an Ability.

    ¡°¡­Possibly.¡±

    ***William Oh***

    ¡°Hup,¡± Will grunted as he jumped to the next rooftop, the roof tiles catching his feet without too much fuss.

    Bri jumped next, trying not to scream as she covered the twenty-foot gap, Will stabilizing her landing.

    Travis followed, and the two of them caught him.

    They crossed the city like that, leaping from roof to roof, staying off the streets where the corpses stretched in every direction.

    The last thing Will wanted to do was be down in those tight streets and alleys, unable to see any further than the next bend in the labyrinthine passages.

    Maybe when the sun came up, if there was still no danger, they would head down to the bazaar and steal everything they could carry.

    Climbers had a strong culture of ¡®Finders Keepers¡¯.

    There had to be millions of gold worth of Relics and Sacrifices down there, just waiting for someone to take it.

    But¡­the best stuff was sure to be in the Lord¡¯s mansion.

    And if the Lord was still alive, just holed up in his castle, then looting the city was illegal anyway¡­or at least, it would piss off a Lord. So common sense dictated they knocked on the door first before they started their shopping spree.

    It took about two hours to cross the city on the rooftops, always dropping down and waiting for the unexpected after every jump.

    Nothing.

    Finally they got to the roof of the building closest to the castle.

    The Lord¡¯s castle had sustained significantly more damage than the rest of the city. it was covered in telltale scorch marks, melting stone, and damage from weapons.

    So something without weapons killed the city¡­some kind of monster. And Climbers killed the Lord. Will¡¯s appraisal of the situation was becoming more and more clear.

    Another Lord had transported an unknown species of monster into the city and had assaulted the Lord¡¯s castle while the monsters mopped up everything else.

    Well, the good news is it¡¯s not some kind of evil curse. Just regular evil.

    Will scowled, inspecting the shattered shield generators on the walls of the castle and the melted shut front gate. They would have to go over the wall and none of them could jump that far.

    ¡°Hold this,¡± Will said, handing Bri the other end of his rope as he took the opportunity to try something.

    Gravity Charge.

    10/18 Charges Remaining.

    ¡°FUuuuuuck!¡± Will¡¯s breath was torn from his body as he fell towards the castle tower beyond the outer wall. The good news is that the boots make Gravity Charge faster! The bad news is I think I¡¯m gonna die!

    He passed where the shield would¡¯ve been and impacted against the tower, smashing through the wall. Will¡¯s new boots made the landing ¨C which should¡¯ve shattered his legs and spine ¨C feel like a dream.

    Once his target ¨C the wall ¨C was shattered into a thousand pieces, Gravity Charge cut out, leaving only the momentum carrying him across the floor of the room he¡¯d smashed into, sliding across the floor until his feet hit the inner wall.

    It must¡¯ve been someone¡¯s bathroom once upon a time, because there was soap, mirrors, and a giant brass tub that must¡¯ve weighed a dozen Wills. Will tied the rope to the tub and limped over to the Will-shaped hole in the wall, giving Bri and Travis a thumb¡¯s up.

    They pulled the rope tight and began climbing, swinging over to the outer wall before scaling it. While they climbed, Will turned around and inspected the room he was in with a closer eye.

    This had been a woman¡¯s bathroom, if he had to judge by the soap and bathtub, fluffy towels, razors, etc. This¡¯ll make Bri and Carrie happy, Will thought, looking for the door.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It was on the opposite wall, slightly splintered where his feet had slammed into them on his first landing.

    Will pressed his ear to the door, listening for the telltale signs of alarms being raised.

    Nothing.

    Pretty sure they¡¯re dead then. Will¡¯s entrance had not been quiet.

    He opened the door and peered in the hall.

    Faint blood splotches and weapon damage, suggesting the fighting had gotten all the way inside the castle.

    Will opened the door and crept into the hall, looking both ways before he went towards the dead end, intent on clearing every room behind him before he pushed deeper into the castle.

    Office, cleaning supplies, office, wha-

    Will paused by a window in his methodical clearing of the hall.

    In the distance, he could barely make out the edge of something moving. Some enormous thing seemed to be rotating. Will could only catch the metallic edge of it because of the darkness, but judging by the curve he could make out, it had to be at least as big around as his entire village.

    No way.

    Will studied the rotating screw for another couple minutes before shaking his head and getting back to work. He checked the next room and found another office.

    A fancier one this time.

    There were trophies on the walls, bits and pieces from high-floor monsters, relics that had been collecting dust for years. A desk made of expensive-looking wood, and a chair with a pretentiously high back.

    This must be the Lord¡¯s office.

    Will went to the shelf full of Relics and did Climbers everywhere proud.

    He started looting.

    Will went through about half the shelf before he noticed one of the Relics was missing. There was a conspicuous rod-shaped patch of clean shelf.

    Somebody else already got the best loot, Will thought, clicking his tongue. Will craned his neck, scanning the surroundings for any sign of other looted Relics.

    Just this one, huh?

    That implied that it hadn¡¯t been a simple robbery for the sake of making money. Whoever had smashed this castle had wanted this one specific Relic, likely to complete a Build that granted unimaginable power.

    Looks like becoming a Lord is basically painting a target on your own back¡­Still wanna do it though.

    In the meantime, might as well grab the rest of Travis¡¯s dad¡¯s stuff.

    Will grabbed a display of six rings, then two amulets, a bangle and a small dagger, dumping out all the bullets in his Phantom Hand before shoving the loot inside in one go, then turning back towards the hall.

    9/18 Charges remaining.

    Will froze in place, his eyes landing on an odd trophy on a high shelf near the door. It was a glass dome with a wood foot, with something pale floating inside.

    It was a gigantic larva suspended in preserving fluid, about the size of two fists pressed together.

    <u>Bullet Wasp Larva</u> The plaque helpfully read.

    Will knew for a fact that Loth wanted that.

    He got up on his tippy-toes, pulling the ornate fluid-filled glass stand down and inspecting it.

    The larva was curled in on itself in death, showing no outward sign of why Loth wanted it so badly. The larva was bulky, and Will didn¡¯t have that kind of space in his Phantom Hand.

    But Loth wanted it, and Will owed him gear twice over now, so he tucked it under his arm, even though he knew Travis was going to cause a stink about robbing his dead parents.

    Shame they didn¡¯t have any Relic Worms. Will thought, creeping back into the hall, where Travis was peering out from the bathroom.

    ¡°SOAP!¡± Will heard Bri¡¯s astonished whisper from behind him.

    ¡°What were you doing in there?¡± Travis asked, glancing down at the trophy under Will¡¯s arm, his eyes narrowing. ¡°That belongs to my father.¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s still alive, I¡¯ll give it back to him,¡± Will said. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s likely, though, because quite a bit of his stuff has already been looted.¡±

    Travis frowned stalking past Will to peer into the office, scanning the partially emptied shelves.

    ¡°Put it back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s got a Sacrifice that will help my Party with their Build.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°Unless you want a giant dead bug for sentimental reasons?¡±

    Travis scanned Will up and down, his gaze lingering on Will¡¯s pockets and pouches.

    ¡°Fine. If he¡¯s alive, you give everything back.¡±

    ¡°This is all I got,¡± Will lied, raising the bug.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, but I¡¯ve never been here before, so I have no idea what was here originally.¡±

    Me neither, most of it¡¯s gone,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    Sorry dude, you¡¯re not in my Party. Will had learned his priorities. If Travis had been in his Party, he might¡¯ve gone about things differently.

    They checked the other doors and cleared the hall before opening the door to the main hall. It had been shattered by the foot of a high-level climber.

    Brianna was grinning like a maniac, a pillowcase stuffed with all sorts of toiletries slung over her shoulder.

    ¡°Gonna brush my teeth, gonna clean my clothes, oh yeah¡­¡± She half whispered, half-sung to herself as they stalked down the stairs.

    The throne hall was a slaughter.

    High-level Climbers and parts of High-level Climbers were strewn about the throne room, including a richly dressed one near the center of the room, surrounded by a sphere of destruction.

    He hadn¡¯t gone down easy.

    Travis knelt down, inspecting the corpse.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t spent much time with my father,¡± he mused, standing back up. ¡°Every once in a while he¡¯d ¡®visit¡¯ us. His children would be lined up for inspection, and he¡¯d stalk past, not giving any of us a second glance before disappearing into his bedroom.

    He spent more time with the older kids, but I don¡¯t think they really knew him that well, either,¡± Travis said. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure he wrote the letter condemning me for my choice of Sacrifices himself. I think it was probably a secretary, one of my older siblings, maybe. I don¡¯t know if me acting out even reached his ears.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s his loot?¡± Will asked.

    Travis turned on him with a snarl.

    ¡°You-¡°

    ¡°Where¡¯s all their loot?¡± Will interrupted, gesturing at the surrounding Climbers, who had been relieved of their valuable gear.

    ¡°Obviously the people who attacked took-¡°

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t they clear out the upper floor?¡± Will mused.

    He didn¡¯t have to muse for very long as a glint of light caught his eye.

    A spear emerged from the darkness, carried by a pink, shiny hand about half the size of a man¡¯s.

    ¡°Hold it right there, humans.¡± The Jibleya said as more of them emerged from the edges of the room. Jibleya had somewhat distended translucent pink flesh with shiny skin stretched tight like a grape. They were industrious folk whose skin and flesh was naturally resistant to poisons and acids, so they tended to steer towards alchemy.

    From the other side of the throne room, a half-dozen kobolds emerged from beneath the tufted stools that, in retrospect, had been far too neatly arranged given the amount of battle damage that had filled the room.

    Damnit.

    Bri clutched her pillowcase full of toiletries to her chest protectively as they circled around them.

    ¡°Why you no wait for humies to touch body!?¡± The closest Kobold hissed at the Jibleya.

    ¡°They were about to figure out we were here,¡± The Jibleya said. ¡°We decided to move while we still have the element of surprise.¡±

    ¡°You ruin good trap!¡± The kobold spat, hunched over it¡¯s spear and eagerly jabbing it in Will¡¯s direction. Will and Travis took a half-step away from the Lord¡¯s body.

    The kobolds run the gamut of colors: Red, rust colored, metallic, brown, green¡­No black though, and they moved with an odd twitchiness that spoke of barely formed thoughts constantly being interrupted by new sensory information.

    Like an animal.

    ¡°Who are you people and what do you want!?¡± The lead Jibleya said, gesturing towards them with their spears. He was wearing fine Relics that Will could only assume came from the nearby corpses.

    Looters, like us.

    ¡°We¡¯re Looters.¡± Will said with a shrug. Will figured Travis¡¯s relation to the Lord of the city would only serve to complicate things.

    He could have played the game of claiming to be the people who had destroyed the city, but it seemed like it might backfire if they didn¡¯t buy it. As fellow looters, they were at least starting on neutral footing.

    ¡°This our find!¡± the kobold leader said aggressively.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, we got here first,¡± The Jibleya said. ¡°By Tower Law, loot belongs to those who discover it.¡±

    ¡°Well, we discovered the upper floors first, so everything we took from there is ours by law, then.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°I know you guys haven¡¯t been up there yet.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Law¡¯ not stronger than pokey spears! How you not get stopped by traps, Looter?¡± The nearest Kobold, a creature slightly shorter than Loth asked, poking Will in the armor with his spear for emphasis.

    ¡°We came across the rooftops.¡± Will said, brushing the spear away from him.

    ¡°Hah. Haha. HAHAHAHA!¡± The surrounding Kobolds broke into uproarious laughter.

    ¡°You lucky! Lucky humie! Streets trapped good. REAL good, to catch the Tangled.¡±

    ¡°¡­The what now?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Did you not see the bodies on the way in?¡± the Jibleya leader asked, cocking a shiny eyebrow.

    ¡°No, I saw them. I just didn¡¯t know what caused them. Was it these Tangled you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that normally, Jibleya and Kobold don¡¯t get along¡­¡± the jibleya leader said. ¡°But there¡¯s a lot less of us than there were a week ago, so we can¡¯t exactly afford the luxury of fighting each other for loot anymore.¡±

    ¡°This is everyone?¡± Will asked, scanning the two dozen or so individuals.

    ¡°Used to be a lot more.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything I¡¯d describe as Tangled on the way in.¡± Will said.

    ¡°They sleep at night,¡± The Jibleya leader said, pointing towards the center of the city. ¡°They like to sleep near the water storage. It¡¯s cooler there. During the day they spread out and fill the city. Every day it seems like there are more of them and less of us¡­no matter how many we kill.¡±

    ¡°You could just leave?¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°And abandon the score of a lifetime!?¡± The jibleya leader demanded.

    ¡°We be gods among kin, even¡­sharing with berry-people.¡± The kobold leader said, growling out ¡®sharing¡¯ with a level of disgust reserved for people who dislike traps.

    ¡°It sounds to me like you¡¯re in need of extra hands.¡±

    The kobolds and Jibleya glanced at each other then back up to him, seeming to contemplate Will¡¯s words.

    ¡°¡­Perhaps even some leadership.¡±

 Chapter 32: Leadership

    William Oh took control of the Tower¡¯s first multi-species coalition by defeating the dragon prince in single combat. Once that magnificent creature was subordinated, the other species aligned themselves with the banner of the Hand, uniting them under one goal:

    Conquer the world.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Loth said, making a chopping motion with his hand. ¡°Kobolds are vile, dirty, nasty creatures with room-temperature IQ. Their only saving grace is their appreciation of a good trap.¡±

    Carrie¡¯s brows rose as Loth laid into his own species.

    ¡°What if I asked¡­¡¯nicely¡¯?¡± Will asked, pulling out the Bullet Wasp Larva from underneath his shirt.

    Loth gasped, his hand half-reaching out towards the bullet wasp sample before reaching up to stroke his scaly chin.

    ¡°A bribe, eh? What clan did you say they were from?¡±

    ¡°I forgot to ask.¡±

    ¡°What color?¡±

    ¡°Mixed.¡±

    ¡°Really? Must be outcasts. Can we euthanize them once we¡¯re done? No one will ever know I was here.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Youth-a-nize mean?¡± Will asked. ¡°Make them younger?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s where you put down a particularly sick, or in this case, stupid animal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d¡­rather not?¡± Will said. Killing people after leading them sounded¡­not good.

    ¡°You will by the time we¡¯re done with them, I guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°Is that a yes?¡± Will asked.

    Loth sighed. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a yes. Give me the bug.¡±

    Willl handed it over, and Loth promptly unscrewed the glass and plucked out the larva. He held it up to the Tower, almost as if it were a toast to the gods.

    An instant later, there was a flash of light and the Bullet Wasp was gone.

    ¡°So what did you get!?¡± Will asked, eager to see his Party member¡¯s enhanced Ability.

    ¡°You see that boulder?¡± Loth asked, pointing.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Loth reached out towards his second barrel and imperiously crooked a single black claw.

    Where did he get a second barrel?

    A black beetle that looked like a chip of obsidian flew up and out of the barrel, and a moment later Loth pointed at the boulder. Will felt the fluctuation in the Miasma around them as some sort of buff suffused the beetle.

    The insect¡¯s wings subtly lengthened, its shiny black body armor seemingly becoming thicker an instant before it blasted forward, creating a gust of air that Will could feel.

    ¡°Holy-¡°

    Crack!

    The boulder split in half around a coin-sized hole in the center.

    The beetle flew back to Loth¡¯s finger, its buffs fading.

    ¡°My class was always lacking a direct damage option. The bullet wasp sacrifice was able to tilt Master of the Vivarium in a more aggressive direction without losing any of its previous abilities.¡±

    He glanced up at Will, the beetle jumping off the tip of his claw to return to its ashen home.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I was gonna give you the bug either way.¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°I figured. For my next Sacrifice, we¡¯ll need to keep an eye open for Ripleys.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what those are,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°They have a stinger which lays eggs in your chest. The eggs proceed to hatch, eat their way out and consume your corpse.¡±

    ¡°Good gods!¡± Will shouted, while Carrie looked a bit green.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s-¡° Loth began to apologize, but Will cut him off.

    ¡°That is an amazing Build! You, Loth, are a genius! How will it work?¡± Will asked, setting aside the monsters and the time limit to geek out about cool Abilities. Something he¡¯d been wanting to do since he was twelve.

    ¡°If my hunch is right, it will upgrade my current direct damage attack to proliferate the insect I shot inside the target, bursting out and consuming them.¡±

    ¡°I love it. No notes.¡± Will said.

    ¡°It sounds like the most awful, disgusting, inhumane thing you could possibly think of,¡± Carrie interjected, finally speaking up.

    ¡°Which is why¡­no one will ever make me use it on them.¡± Loth said, his expression flat.

    ¡°Goddamn, dude,¡± Carrie said, backing away from the kobold.

    ¡°Alright, keep that¡­aura of menace,¡± Will said, motioning around Loth¡¯s general vicinity. ¡°Because we¡¯re about to introduce you to the kobolds.¡± Will pointed to the wall. ¡°We¡¯ve only got a few hours before daylight.¡±

    Loth heaved a sigh. ¡°I did say yes, I suppose. Fine. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    Having traveled the path before and knowing it was safe, Will was able to guide the other two back to the lord¡¯s castle in a matter of minutes.

    ¡°Great one!¡± The lead Kobold, Grak, said, grovelling down in front of Loth, swiftly followed by the rest of the kobolds.

    The Jibleya looked around, confused by the attitude of their kobold allies turning on a dime. Their leader had a look in his eye, though, he knew that Will had seized control of half their group instantly, and if he wanted to avoid conflict he would have to follow.

    Loth rolled his eyes at the grovelling.

    ¡°Stand up.¡±

    Grak leapt to his feet, but hunched over obsequiously, avoiding eye contact with Loth. Loth taught me that word.

    ¡°How did you know I could wrangle them?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re like three inches taller than the tallest one, an unusual color, and highly educated.¡± Will shrugged. ¡°You constantly talk about Fil-ah-so-fee while I¡¯m trying to sleep, and these guys have a vocabulary worse than mine. It¡¯s fairly obvious you¡¯re special.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Loth grunted.

    ¡°Please, Great One! Grant us the honor of forming a new clan!¡± Grak begged at Loth¡¯s feet. the other dozen kobolds shuffled forward, seemingly trying to get closer as well.

    ¡°Not on your life.¡±

    ¡°I gladly die for it!¡±

    ¡°I know. Which is why I said, ¡®not on your life¡¯ two seconds ago. Were you not listening?¡±

    ¡°No, Great one! I stunned by Great One¡¯s beauty and strength! Great One¡¯s color, Great One¡¯s sheer size!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of my height and color.¡±

    ¡°Still seem pretty short to me,¡± Will said, patting Loth on the head.

    Grak¡¯s tail went straight, his lips peeling back into a feral hiss that revealed a mouth lined with meat-cutting teeth. This was mirrored by the dozen or so kobolds present.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I might¡¯ve made a mistake.

    ¡°<u>You</u> don¡¯t touch!¡± He snarled.

    Loth held out a single hand, causing the kobolds to fall silent, waiting for his words with bated breath. Loth sighed and made a sour face before he began speaking in kobold¡¯s half-speak.

    ¡°Stupid humie doesn¡¯t know what he does. For humies, head-pats are like-like. Won¡¯t do again.¡±

    ¡°Us make sure he never does again. TAKE HAND!¡± Grak shouted, the surrounding kobolds joining in a cheer, shaking their spears.

    ¡°No.¡± Loth said with a flat expression.

    ¡°Kill?¡± Grak whimpered.

    ¡°No.¡± Loth reiterated.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you guys. You already took the hand I touched him with. This all happened last week. Remember?¡± Will asked, revealing his missing hand.

    ¡°No, but¡­did we? Hand missing¡­¡± Graks brow furrowed in confusion. The kobolds gathered into a huddle, discussing whether or not they had already cut off Will¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Good evening.¡± The Jibleya leader said, offering his hand. ¡°My name¡¯s Fond.¡±

    ¡°Ah, a Jibleya. I¡¯ve always admired your people¡¯s intelligence and natural talent at alchemy. You know, I¡¯ve always dreamed, in my heart of hearts, that if our species could cooperate, we could make beautiful and deadly things together.¡± Loth said, shaking the man¡¯s rotund hand.

    ¡°That¡­might just be possible.¡± Fond said, looking Loth up and down. ¡°¡­Great One?¡±

    ¡°Psssh, that¡¯s just what kobolds call me, my name is Loth the Luminary.¡±

    ¡°The Loth who published the treatise on mechanical force?¡± Fond asked, eyes widening.

    ¡°And the distortion that Abilities play on the Laws of physics, yes.¡± Loth said. ¡°Figured it out when I was designing a trap.¡±

    Fond dropped Loth¡¯s hand and began to bow deeply.

    ¡°The Jibleya would be glad to work with you, Loth the Luminary!¡±

    ¡°The pleasure will be all mine, I¡¯m sure,¡± Loth said graciously.

    ¡°We remembered! We did take hand, and if Humie touch Great One again, Take all of him!¡± Grak said, returning to wave a spear in Will¡¯s general direction.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Will said with a shrug, not remotely threatened.

    ¡°Gentlemen¡­kin,¡± Loth said, addressing both the jibleya and kobolds. ¡°Show me what we¡¯re fighting.¡±

    The surrounding looters nodding enthusiastically, falling over themselves to do Loth¡¯s bidding.

    ¡°Sorry about calling you a ¡®stupid humie¡¯,¡± Loth whispered as Loth¡¯s minions scurried around, discussing the best observation spot for ¡®the Great One¡¯.

    ¡°Sorry about touching your head so often,¡± Will replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was a kobold thing.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Loth said slightly too quickly, with a shrug that was slightly too casual.

    Will raised a brow.

    Loth glanced up at him, and began stammering. ¡°I-I better go keep them under control b-before they try to stick us in some over-engineered deathtrap.¡±

    Loth marched away, his shoulders stiff.

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Will stroked his chin. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s sick?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got a crush on you, you moron,¡± Carrie said, smacking Will in the back of the head.

    It took a moment for Will¡¯s brain to process that, and in the end, he realized that he had no frame of reference, so he defaulted to repressing it with jokes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never dated a kobold before,¡± Will said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never dated anyone before.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know me!¡± Will exclaimed.

    Carrie cocked her head and waited.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ve never dated anyone.¡± Will admitted. ¡°But that was an easy guess.¡±

    ¡°I would advise against you dating anyone.¡± Travis interjected. ¡°For their sake.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know me either,¡± Will said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he is kinda out of your league,¡± Brianna said, dropping out of her silence to opine on the situation.

    ¡°Really? You too, Bri?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that much of an insult. Seems like he¡¯s out of everyone¡¯s league.¡± Carrie said, watching Loth organizing the non-humans. ¡°¡­He¡¯s kinda cute, actually.¡±

    That reminded Will that the humans needed to get to work before morning too.

    ¡°Bri, can you take Travis and find something to bake before morning? I¡¯m sure in a city this big there¡¯s gotta be thousands of pounds of flour somewhere. We need real food. Start with the castle¡¯s kitchen. Take a kobold with you to avoid traps.¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡± Bri nodded. Travis grunted and followed her over to where the kobolds were discussing adding traps to Loth¡¯s observation deck.

    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Carrie asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re looting Travis¡¯s dad¡¯s castle while he¡¯s not looking.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Carrie nodded. ¡°Smart.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the Lord¡¯s office.¡± Will said, ¡°And work our way back down.¡±

    They grabbed a bag and started filling it with priceless Relics without constraining oversight. Other than the handful of items that remained on the shelf, there wasn¡¯t much. Will rifled through the Lord¡¯s desk, hoping to find powerful Rings he might¡¯ve squirreled away for emergencies.

    No, all he found was dumb letters detailing the hottest gossip between Lords. Who was planning on invading who, why the price of gold was going down and how to fix it. Dumb stuff like that.

    How does the price of money go down? That makes no sense. It¡¯s money. Will thought, scoffing as he continued shamelessly reading the letters.

    The next one was even more interesting.

    Our ¡®friend¡¯ is up to something. There¡¯s been concerning rumors of monster sightings up and down the Tower. Strange monsters that no one has ever seen before. Ones that do not adhere to typical Floor restrictions for their danger level. I sent an agent to investigate his activities on the second floor. Far too much of his gold, people, and supply flows to it for there to be any innocuous reason.

    If he¡¯s behind these monsters, you need to keep a close eye on your surroundings, Reggie. He may have found some method of bypassing the System¡¯s restrictions on using monsters in warfare, and if they¡¯re more powerful than their Floor Restriction¡­It would be a slaughter.

    If this is the case, given your proximity, he could pop up without warning at any time. I¡¯m not just being paranoid, I¡¯ve got mountains of evidence. MOUNTAINS!

    I know you won¡¯t, but please, if you feel the slightest doubt in your defenses, ASK FOR HELP! I would be relieved to provide you with anything you need. I¡¯d even go so far as to stage the reinforcements as a marriage. I could marry off a few of my brats to a few of yours to prove my offer is in good faith while simultaneously providing additional security.

    <ul>

    <li>Z</li>

    </ul>

    ¡®Innocuous¡¯, Will grabbed a fountain pen and wrote on his arm, followed by ¡®bypassing¡¯ and ¡®simultaneously¡¯.

    Several hours of looting later, the sun was beginning to rise, and the kobolds ushered them to an abandoned building whose entrances had been boarded up, leaving the only way to enter a hole in the roof.

    The rafters of the building provided an excellent view of the street, given the disconnect between the wall and the roof, originally meant for ventilation, but equally good for spying on the street.

    The street turned gradually brighter and more orange as the smoke-reddened sun rose above.

    They sat there in the rafters of their abandoned house, none of them daring to move, much less breathe as the Tangled came out to play.

    ¡°There,¡± Grak whispered, pointing with a claw, his voice barely audible. ¡°Tangled comes.¡±

    Will waited with bated breath for the new monster to show its hideous face, but a moment later, the creature came into sight, and it was¡­A naked young man about Will¡¯s age, stumbling through the street with a vacant expression on his face.

    Is it behind the Aspirant? Will thought, frowning.

    ¡°Is it a shapeshifter?¡± Loth whispered.

    ¡°Yes Great One. Still sleepy. We show.¡±

    A pair of Kobolds jumped out from the alley in front of the dazed-looking young man.

    The dazed look evaporated in an instant, followed by an expression of pure hate that seemed to wriggle from the kid¡¯s eyebrows across his whole body and-

    Will had to clench his jaw to prevent from gasping in surprise as limbs and torsos exploded from every square inch of the young man¡¯s body, seeming to extend up to ten feet in every direction, creating a¡­tangle of limbs that began sprinting after the two kobolds with outlandish speed, the hundreds of limbs clawing the surroundings for traction as it passed.

    I see where they got their name, Will thought.

    ZIIIP!

    A series of thick wires whipped out of the nearby walls, cutting dozens of limbs off entirely, but more importantly, they held it in place. The amputated limbs sprouted new ones as the monster bellowed in a roar that sounded like a hundred young men being strangled simultaneously.

    The walls around the creature popped open, revealing murder holes filled with kobolds and Jibleya, who proceeded to stab the creature as one.

    Dozens of spears penetrated the creature, but it was nearly impossible to get past the thicket of flailing limbs, and any damage healed in a matter of seconds.

    The creature finally went down when one of the Jibleya dumped a bucketful of bubbling acid on the creature¡¯s torso, which seemed to put an end to its struggles.

    ¡°Sound will draw more. We must go.¡± Grak said.

    They nodded and went back up to the roof and relocated as quickly and quietly as possible, re-entering the Lord¡¯s castle, which was inaccessible from the ground floor.

    Once they were safe to talk, Will spilled the beans.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen these things before,¡± Will admitted. ¡°There was one on the Second Floor, in a cage, guarded by a handful of Climbers.¡± And it was intelligent.

    There was also the letter in Reggie¡¯s desk.

    There was something strange going on here.

    ¡°On the second floor? These things are tough enough to belong on the seve-¡° Travis was cut off as something more important happened.

    Discussing plans and plots was important, no doubt, but some things were just more important. Like baker girls with their hair tied back, covered in flour and wearing an apron.

    ¡°Food¡¯s on!¡± Bri announced, marching out into the throne room with an enormous platter filled to the brim with steaming bread.

    But it didn¡¯t stop there. Each loaf was hollowed out and filled with some kind of thick stew, spreading the mouthwatering aroma of fat, salt, potatoes and carrots around the room.

    Thanks to whichever god brought Brianna to us. I¡¯m not picky. Will offered a quick prayer before heading for the food.

    He shouldn¡¯t have bothered praying, because nobody else did, instead mobbing the baker and snatching up bread bowls at an alarming rate.

    Now concerned that he might not get one, Will shoved his way into the pile and snatched up a bread bowl, scuttling off with his prize, bowl tucked to his chest with his good hand, elbows out to ward off any competition.

    Will¡¯s tactics that he¡¯d learned from the orphanage were rather more similar to the kobolds than Travis and Carrie, who watched with concern as he retreated with his bowl.

    They waited politely, and received their bread bowl once they reached the impromptu line that had sprung up, consisting of the humans and Jibleya.

    Jokes on them. If there hadn¡¯t been enough to share they would¡¯ve been totally screwed.

    Will glanced around for a place to sit and eat.

    Carrie and Travis had settled into a conversation at the side of the room, and Will didn¡¯t feel like intruding.

    The kobolds were trying to force Loth to eat their food, while Loth was ordering them to eat their fill first. The jibleya had formed their own little knot in the opposite corner, chatting merrily as they ate. Bri grabbed her own bowl and joined Carrie and Travis.

    Will looked around for somewhere he could sit. He didn¡¯t really belong with any of those groups, and more importantly, there wasn¡¯t a good spot for a man with one arm to sit and eat his food. No tables.

    Oh, there¡¯s a chair with nice flat armrests! I could set the bowl on it without getting it on the floor or my pants.

    Will climbed up the stairs and sat down, unhinging his jaw and proceeding to stuff the entire loaf into his mouth. Metaphorically.

    About halfway through inhaling his food, he noticed that the room had gone silent.

    ¡°WA?¡± Will asked around the bread bowl in his mouth.

    ¡°You¡¯re sitting on the throne.¡± Travis said.

    Will glanced down and saw that he was on a raised dais, in an extremely ornamented chair with brocade velvet hanging above him, framing everything he did in pomp and circumstance.

    Will held up a finger and swallowed the massive chunk of bread and stew before clearing his throat.

    ¡°I¡¯m William Oh.¡±

 Chapter 33: Splitting the Loot

    William Oh once faced down an endless horde of monsters that had annihilated an entire city. Facing this threat, he yawned. Sixty-nine hydra heads emerged from his mouth and the sky darkened, raining down fire and destruction on his enemies.

    By the time the yawn was over, the world had been cleansed of their filth.

    <ul>

    <li>Cole Hunter, Level 20 Climber</li>

    </ul>

    The five of them sat in a circle around the Loot they¡¯d pulled from the Lord¡¯s castle, doing a round robin draw from the pile. Bri had opted out, saying that she was fine just baking until they left the castle.

    Normally, Travis might¡¯ve been upset that they had looted his father¡¯s castle, but they were surrounded by thousands of monsters that each took a dozen Climbers at their level to subdue. He no longer had the luxury of being offended.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one,¡± Travis said, taking the Ring of The Martyr.

    Ring of the Martyr.

    +7 resistance

    +5 Acuity

    +5 Focus

    Raises the effectiveness of Taunts by 25%, and restores a large portion of the user¡¯s stamina when a Taunt lands.

    It was a good choice for him. The stats alone made it a worthwhile pick, and restoring his stamina when a taunt landed made sure he was always able to lead the enemy on a merry chase.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one,¡± Carrie said, plucking a helmet out of the pile. No special Abilities, but it had good stats.

    ¡°This,¡± Loth said, picking up the ornate monocle from the pile.

    Monocle of the Overlord.

    +7 Focus

    +7 Acuity

    Grants minions a profound sense of purpose, increasing their speed by 15%.

    Bestows a small portion of the bearer¡¯s problem-solving ability and will upon their underlings, allowing them to adapt, problem solve, and coordinate with each other more fluidly, even when outside the bearer¡¯s direct control.

    ¡°If this actually makes my insects and kobolds a little smarter, then it¡¯s good enough to make me learn how to wear a monocle.¡± Loth mused, setting the lens against his cheek, humming in surprise as the monocle secured itself in place magically.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take these,¡± Will said, pulling the unassuming burlap pants out of the pile.

    Pants of the Ranger.

    +10 Strength

    +5 Resistance.

    +15% movement speed.

    Will already had magic pants, but these pants were way better than what he had on currently, and he was willing to bet nobody would snipe all the torso items before it came back around to him.

    Travis clicked his tongue but didn¡¯t argue, instead taking his turn.

    ¡°This,¡± He said, grabbing the sword.

    Dueling Blade of Agronash.

    +5 Strength

    +5 Acuity

    +5 Kinesthetics

    A second blade floats along beside the first, making additional strikes as the user attacks. These extra attacks benefit from any Abilities the wielder might have.

    1 Charge:

    The second blade switches from offence to defense, warding off blows autonomously. Lasts until a charge is spent to switch it back.

    Carrie looked a little peeved, and Will was a bit sad he wouldn¡¯t get a cool new weapon, but they kept going.

    ¡°This.¡± Carrie said, grabbing the gauntlets out of the pile.

    Gauntlets of Resonance

    +5 Resistance

    +5 Acuity

    +5 Focus

    Adds major sonic damage to any metallic or glass weapon wielded by the wearer, while increasing the wear on the weapon.

    1 Charge: Detonate the wielded weapon to inflict sonic damage in a 30ft sphere. Does not damage wielder.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡± Loth said, plucking a silk torso piece out of the pile.

    Shirt of Protection

    +10 resistance

    15% all damage mitigation.

    ¡°Dang,¡± Will muttered, shaking his head, studying the remaining items. ¡°I¡¯ll take this, then.¡±

    Gladiator¡¯s Chestpiece

    +10 Strength

    +5 Resistance

    +20% to Charm ability potency while not wearing a shirt. Oils up the muscles nice and shiny.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Travis said.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s the only chestpiece that¡¯s left.¡± Will said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any Charm abilities.¡± Travis said, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

    ¡°True, but Strength is Strength,¡± Will said with a shrug, adding the chestpiece to his pile. ¡°Unless you wanted to give my cloak back?¡±

    Travis grunted and picked out a pair of pants, then Carrie grabbed a physical boosting ring, Loth grabbed some leather riding chaps.

    Chaps of the Rough Rider

    +5 resistance

    +5 kinesthetics

    20% boost to mounted stability, shares a portion of the rider¡¯s defensive Abilities with their mount.

    ¡°You don¡¯t ride anything,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Stats are stats, and who knows? I might be riding giant insects someday.¡± Loth said with a shrug.

    They all paused, looking at Will as he regarded the much-diminished pile of loot, carefully weighing what he might be able to use.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this,¡± Will mused, taking a ring with better stats than the Amulet of the Hearth-keeper

    Ring of Insulation

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    +5 focus

    +5 resistance

    +20% resistance to fire.

    They went around like that for one more revolution before nobody could find anything they wanted.

    Loth got some fingerless gloves that boosted Claw Abilities. He didn¡¯t have any, but they made his natural claws sharper, and the physical stat boosts were good:

    Gloves of ferocity.

    +5 Strength

    +5 Kinesthetics

    +5 resistance

    Boosts the potency of Claw Abilities by 30%

    Strengthens and sharpens fingernails into natural claws.

    Once they had pulled everything out of the pile that they wanted, Will equipped everything and checked his stats.

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 9

    10 + 25 Strength

    27 Kinesthetics

    30 + 17 Resistance

    18 + 5 Focus

    28 + 2 Acuity

    Charges: 9/23

    Free Points: 4

    Item Abilities: Gravity Charge, +25% Charge/Kick potency, +15% movement speed, Fire Tracers, Acid Bolt, +greater acid Damage. Homefield Advantage (ice). 20% fire resistance.

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Ability Upgrade Available!

    Once all the Relics were on, Will tested his new Strength, hopping in place.

    ¡°Whoah!¡± Will let out an involuntary shout as he sprang into the air, nearly bashing his head on the high ceilings above. The Ranger pants and the Gladiator torso had tripled his Strength.

    Yes, this could work, Will thought as he began practicing his jumping, the floor catching him effortlessly as he landed. The others were also doing small exercises to figure out their new baseline.

    The gear was outlandishly good for their level, but so was the enemy they had to take down.

    ¡°There. We¡¯re each wearing a Lord¡¯s ransom in Relics.¡± Loth said before glancing at Travis. ¡°How attached to this city are you?¡±

    ¡°Why do you say it like that?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°I was considering rigging the city to self-destruct.¡± Loth admitted.

    ¡°You can do that!?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Great one!¡± Grak said, grovelling ¡°I would give my life to see such-¡°

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Loth said, baring his teeth in a less-than-amiable manner.

    Grak shut up.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather we didn¡¯t,¡± Travis said. ¡°My older siblings are underrepresented among the dead. I believe they¡¯ll arrive here within a few weeks to reclaim the city. It¡¯s a rather critical piece of infrastructure that can make millions of gold each month selling crude oil to the other floors.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s call blowing everything up plan B¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°Then we truly have our work cut out for us,¡± Loth said, musing. ¡°According to the Jibleya, there are thirteen thousand Tangled stalking the city, and this number was just below nine thousand three days ago.¡±

    ¡°Looking at the data they have provided, the population of Tangled seems to grow by 14.28 percent <u>per day</u>.¡±

    Loth looked around at them meaningfully.

    ¡°Okay?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°That is an exponential growth rate.¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°We have to kill no less than¡­eighteen hundred and fifty-six Tangled by the end of the day in order to keep their numbers stable.¡± Loth said, jotting down math on the Lord¡¯s stationary. ¡°And then we would have to do it again, and again, for many days, in order to actually make their numbers go down to a manageable level.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to revisit blowing everything up,¡± Carrie said, raising her hand.

    ¡°What about that curtain of death we ran from to get here?¡± Will asked. ¡°Last we saw it was at the Key Site just south of here. It can¡¯t have gone far.¡±

    ¡°It might have the proper amount of firepower, but getting it here would be a challenge¡­¡± Loth said, his yellow eyes drifting towards Travis.

    ¡°Yeah, we would need someone able to keep its attention for an extended period of time,¡± Will mused, his gaze also drifting towards Travis. ¡°Someone with high speed¡­and a taunt Ability.¡±

    Soon all four of them were staring at the Master Decoy.

    ¡°How in the name of the gods would you plan on killing the swarm afterwards?¡± Travis demanded. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we just be trading one problem for another?¡±

    Loth motioned for them to follow him and guided them to a window overlooking the massive screw in the center of the city, a plume of steam the size of several city blocks rising from it.

    ¡°What do you think would happen to that swarm of motes if they got doused by a sudden burst of steam?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to see where you¡¯re going with this,¡± Will mused.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk details.¡± Loth said, motioning for them to sit down.

    After a quick round of planning, they decided to send Travis out to lure in the swarm of fire-motes, while the other three went down into the bowels of the water-tanks and rigged them to explode.

    The water tanks where the Tangled like to sleep at night.

    Thankfully it was still early morning.

    And I thought Travis had the worst job, Will thought to himself as the three of them quietly crossed the rooftops, at the head of a raiding party of a dozen kobolds.

    ¡°There tanks.¡± Grak said, pointing into the distance at a couple squat, round buildings in the distance, halfway around the city from the giant screw that even now spun in the center of the city, pumping oil¡­somewhere.

    ¡°They don¡¯t really seem that big¡­they go underground?¡± Will asked.

    Loth nodded. ¡°They would have to, to continue holding water for a week after everyone who supplied it died.¡±

    ¡°How do you plan on making an explosion of steam?¡± Carrie asked.

    ¡°There have to be flow controls.¡± Loth said. ¡°If we restrict the flow, the natural heat will build up again, then we can unleash the water all at once when the curtain of fire gets where we want it to be.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll need some fireproof rope,¡± Loth muttered to himself, pulling wire and springs out of his satchel and eyeing them critically. ¡°These will do.¡±

    They hunched down and snuck along the rooftops, evading the notice of the Tangled wandering around in their human forms.

    ¡°Do all these Tangled look like the same person to you?¡± Will whispered as they ran past.

    Loth peered down and frowned.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Loth said with a shrug. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s just what the species looks like. Can you tell two giant snails apart?¡±

    ¡°No, but they do have differences. These Tangled do not,¡± Will squinted at the young man stumbling down the street with a vacant expression before glancing back up at Loth

    ¡±I¡¯m just wondering if-¡°

    ¡°Hey.¡± Carrie whispered, tugging Will¡¯s shirt and pointing.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will grunted, looking down.

    The Tangled had collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

    A moment later, a head and torso budded off the writhing Tangled, groaning in pain as it pulled itself¡­out of itself.

    In a matter of seconds, there were two Tangled wandering aimlessly.

    ¡°Well,¡± Loth whispered, ¡°That explains why they look the same, and why their numbers grow so quickly. Off we go.¡±

    ¡°I have even more questions now.¡± Will grumbled to himself as they got back on track.

    In minutes, they had made it to the water tanks, which were surrounded by steel cages in caravan wagons, disguised as merchants.

    Will already figured they¡¯d been planted by an outside force, but seeing tangible proof that someone had deliberately doomed an entire city to death, likely to cover the theft of a single Relic¡­Kinda pissed him off.

    ¡°Would you mind checking the inside?¡± Loth asked, nodding toward the squat buildings.

    ¡°I am the Scout,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    Time to put this new Strength to good use. Will thought, crouching down and leaping off the tiled roof.

    Typically, a jump that strong would¡¯ve shattered the roof tiles and sent him sprawling, but Aspect of the Goat kept them in one piece, allowing him to get the best possible jump.

    Will clenched his mouth shut as he sailed through the air and landed on the side of the water tanks. They only looked squat from several miles away. They were actually taller than everything around them. The sheer volume of water was comparable to a massive lake.

    Will arrested his fall on the uneven rust peppering the side of the building. Using rust and rivets as handholds, he scampered down to the ground, peering into the massive double doors that hung open and ominous.

    Will¡¯s eyes adjusted to the dim light in a matter of seconds, then widened. There were three Tangled in the room, seemingly still asleep. One of them was covered head to toes in restraints and cruelly bound to the floor in a painful-looking position.

    It clicked in Will¡¯s head.

    That was a human. The Tangled were the result of an Ability. They slept here because this was where their Originator was.

    Will crept forward, his heart pounding in his ears as he went.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡± Will heard Loth¡¯s whisper.

    He heard it, but he needed to know.

    Will crept up to the restrained figure and scanned the young man¡¯s body. It was riddled with the bright white scars of torture, most especially the semi-circle white scar on his cranium, which was just beginning to grow hair back in.

    A lobotomy.

    Will¡¯s hair stood on end, and his stomach turned, but he knew what needed done.

    ¡°Sorry about this,¡± Will whispered, sliding the Serpents Tomahawk out of his belt.

    The restrained Climber¡¯s eyes opened, meeting his for a second. Will might¡¯ve imagined some kind of recognition, but the boy¡¯s expression went slack as Will buried the Tomahawk in his skull, pulling it out and severing his spine for good measure.

    Will¡¯s grip caused the wood of his tomahawk to creak in pain.

    Congratulations!

    You are now a level 10-

    Will dismissed the prompt and scanned the surroundings.

    The other two Tangled were silent, laying completely still. Will couldn¡¯t even hear breathing.

    Taking a gamble, Will cautiously walked up and poked one with his axe.

    Nothing.

    Poke, Poke¡­

    CHOP!

    It was dead.

    Are they ALL dead!?

    The Tangled began leaking Miasma, like a normal monster would upon death. All of them except the one human he¡¯d murdered. The Original.

    The young man I could¡¯ve been, given an amazing Class, then betrayed, tortured, and used as a disposable weapon.

    Will was starting to think he might¡¯ve gotten off easy just losing a hand.

    Will scanned the surroundings for any surprises, then ducked his head back in and motioned for the others to join him.

    When Loth arrived, he took one look at the restrained human, then glanced at the deceased dopplegangers surrounding him, his sharp mind coming to the same conclusion as Will.

    ¡°Grak, take the others and check if the Tangled are still alive.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Great One!¡± Grak said, scuttling away.

    ¡°So it was an Ability. One capable of destroying a city,¡± Loth mused, rubbing his chin.

    Carrie gasped as she spotted the tortured corpse bolted to the center of the room. She turned a bit green and shook her head before stepping back out.

    ¡°Oh crap, Travis!¡± Will shouted. ¡°We don¡¯t need the swarm of fire, we should-¡°

    ¡°We still need to lay a trap,¡± Loth said, catching his elbow. ¡°We¡¯re just changing the target.¡±

    ¡°The deliberate weakness of having all the Tangled die with the originator means that this city can be reclaimed by a single assassin. Very convenient for a Lord looking to make a show of reclaiming a pristine city from mysterious monsters and earn quite a bit of glory. The perpetrator of this monstrous crime will be coming with an army to ¡®reclaim¡¯ the city very soon, now that the Tangled have proliferated to an impressive number.¡±

    Loth glanced up at Will.

    ¡°Would you like to hunt some monsters?¡±

    Will really did want someone to be punished for this, but his duty as the Party Leader weighed down on him. He couldn¡¯t pick a fight with a Lord. Not yet.

    But someone had to be punished.

    ¡°¡­I have some conditions.¡± Will said.

 Chapter 34: Thorns

    William Oh can fly.

    -Jason Salazar.

    Mark Wyrd leaned forward on his mount and studied the city in the distance.

    Oilton. What a creative name for a place that produces oil from the inexhaustible landscape of the tower.

    He¡¯d always expected his first Lordship to be something¡­grander, in one sense or another. He¡¯d always pictured staking a claim on hostile wilderness on the eleventh Floor, fighting tooth and nail to advance civilization¡­or a golden city that gleamed in the morning sun, with very little in between.

    A quaint little oil-city in the meager third floor wasn¡¯t exactly breaking ground in new exciting frontiers. Nor was it a river-spanning, gleaming center of civilization, like on the fifth Floor.

    Mark knew better than to complain, though.

    He had the required number of people, he had an empty plot. Like it or not, he¡¯d be a Lord before the sun went down.

    There was just one thing nagging him.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ferole?¡± Mark asked after the assassin his father had sent to clear the way for him. ¡°He should be back by now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Young Master.¡± Old Bron said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he has his reasons.¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve abandoned his mission. Either he did it already and didn¡¯t deign to tell me or the Tangled proved to be more of a challenge than anticipated.

    Mark shrugged. ¡°Set a course for the water tanks. We may have to fight our way toward the objective.¡±

    Mark shifted in his saddle, his heart beat beginning to sound like a drum. He knew it was unlikely, but the possibility of actually having to work for his Lordship had a certain charm. A certain sense of satisfaction that eluded him in his daily life.

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Bron nodded, before turning back to the army following behind and organizing the assault.

    They organized their ash-striders into a line. Ash-striders were large lizards whose widely splayed feet were able to gain purchase on the omnipresent ash inside the third floor, as their namesake implied.

    Mark always found their gait to be incredibly silly, and riding them was an exercise in nausea.

    ¡°Charge!¡± Bron shouted, and the Ash-striders began running, their limbs flopping out to the side, sending up sprays of ash and forcing their riders to sway violently side to side as they ran.

    But that speed made all the discomfort worth it.

    Some of the riders went through the gate, but others just had their mounts climb the walls, flowing straight over them like a conquering tide.

    Mark sent his own ash-strider over the wall for the sheer joy of it, holding tight to the reins as his weight settled into the saddle¡¯s restraints.

    A moment later, he joined the others at the top of the wall, primed to combat thousands of Tangled. They were disappointed.

    There were human corpses lining the streets, like they¡¯d been briefed, but the flood of Tangled that they¡¯d been expecting failed to manifest.

    In fact, there were Tangled corpses strewn about the city, their distinctive features corrupted by Miasmatic Putrefaction.

    In a matter of minutes, they confirmed that not a single Tangled remained alive.

    Mark stifled a sigh before it happened.

    That¡¯s what I get for getting my hopes up, I suppose. It seemed that Father¡¯s personal assassin had come, done his job and then left on more important matters.

    ¡°Thank goodness,¡± Old Bron said, wiping sweat from his forehead as they rode through the streets. In light of the circumstances, they had changed their destination from the water tanks to the Lord¡¯s castle, where Mark would gain his first real command.

    The castle was silent and foreboding, the gate was barred and they were forced to ride over thw wall and tear apart the makeshift barricade. The barricade itself was torn apart where a Tangled had pushed through it, but it was still a nuisance.

    Survivors? There shouldn¡¯t be a barricade unless people were still alive and attempting to resist the tangled. They seem to be dead now, though.

    That was a good thing, because Mark needed the city to be completely empty to stake a claim on it.

    Shield generator needs fixed, Mark noted as they rode in the main entrance hall. There was even a hole in the side of the castle tower where someone or something had broken it in the battle.

    They stabled their mounts and made their way the throne hall, and right away, something was off.

    ¡°Where are all the bodies?¡± Mark asked, scanning the room.  ¡°Survivors?¡±

    ¡°Looters, more like,¡± Old Bron said, studying the environment and pointing to where empty sockets in the furniture presumably bore gold and gems. He sniffed. ¡°Kobolds. Be cautious of traps.¡±

    Mark clicked his tongue as his humble beginnings became even more humble.

    Becoming a Lord in a stripped-down oil-pump on one of the easiest Floors in the entire Tower¡­with a kobold infestation.

    That meant that there were probably some doors with rusty blades rigged to pop out and skewer your foot, or other petty nonsense.

    Shield of Wyrd.

    64/70 Charges remaining.

    The last thing Mark wanted was to get a finger chopped off when he was opening up his new desk.

    Stupid kobolds. Let¡¯s get this over with.

    ¡°Gentlemen,¡± Mark said, turning to the twelve young CLimbers who had been selected to become his first Vassals. ¡°Swear your fealty to me.¡±

    Old Bron looked like he wanted to say something, as Mark had skipped a large portion of the grandstanding and speech that had been laid out for him, but the old man held his tongue.

    As one, the climbers went down on one knee.

    ¡°We pledge our life to your service as Vassals, as witnessed by The Tower.¡± They said as one.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    You have reached the minimum amount of Vassals to be considered a Lord. Scanning local Territory. No prior claim or residents found. Would you like to establish this location as your demesne?

    Yes, Mark thought, striding up the stairs to the throne and taking the throne overlooking his new responsibility.

    Congratulations! The Tower has acknowledged you as a Lord. Rule with courage and dignity, and always remember-

    Are those bread crumbs? Mark thought, eyeballing the throne¡¯s arm as he sat down

    ¡®Click.¡¯

    Click?

    ***William Oh***

    ¡°You were right,¡± Travis said, his face morphed into a scowl.

    ¡°I often am,¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Those are the standards of the Wyrd family,¡±  Travis pointed out the green and cream standards with the weird symbol.

    ¡°Is that why their standard is Weird?¡± Will asked. Everyone looked at him.

    ¡°Get it? The Wyrd¡¯s family crest is we-¡°

    ¡°Yes, we got it,¡± Loth interjected.

    ¡°There¡¯s only one way they could have an army here within a week of the city falling: And that¡¯s if they already had one ready to go before the city fell. They orchestrated this.¡± Travis said.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated isn¡¯t it?¡± Will asked. ¡°You¡¯re pissed they took your family from you and grateful you¡¯ll never have to deal with them again.¡±

    For an instant, Travis looked like he was going to lose it, but he sighed.

    ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s complicated. Still gonna kill as many of them as I can, though, and¡­¡± He glanced down at his boots. ¡°I predict some financial distress from this situation. Can I trade the boots and cloak. back for the cash?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Will replied, perfectly happy with his five hundred Ivory.

    ¡°Damnit.¡± Travis grumbled.

    ¡°Now sit back and watch how Loth handles these bastards.¡± Will said, taking a seat on the rugged mountaintop overlooking the city.

    A few minutes later, a light began to blink on the top of the water tower.

    ¡°Looks like the trap there caught someone,¡± Will mused, watching the amount of steam billowing off the engines begin gradually increasing, subtly raising the pressure in the oil lines.

    About half an hour later, Will and Loth were discussing Build strategy when Oilton exploded.

    It started with the castle, which erupted with burning oil as the over-pressured main line ruptured directly underneath it. The castle shattered, boulders of flaming rock going every direction as a fireball that dwarfed the mountain they sat on rose into the sky.

    Will could feel the heat.

    Then it spread to the rest of the town as those flaming boulders landed in the streets, rupturing more and more oil lines, flooding the streets with flaming oil, engulfing the entire city in choking smoke and hellfire, a scene straight out of a nightmare.

    Godsdamn, Loth. I didn¡¯t expect you to get the whole city with one trap.

    ¡°Great One¡­¡± Grak said, his eyes white all the way around.

    BOOM! A loud noise right beside Will made him flinch.

    The small army of humans, Kobolds, and Jibleya started at the explosion in their midst.

    Will looked over and saw Loth teetering backwards, his clothes burned away and his scales on fire.

    Will lunged forward and caught him before he hit the ground, ignoring the fire crawling up his arm. Loth¡¯s scales were burning away, as if being subjected to a monstrous heat that seemed to radiate directly from his skin.

    ¡°Loth, what happened!?¡± Will asked, but Loth was unresponsive. ¡°HEALTH POTION!¡± he snapped at Travis. Rich kids could afford Health Potions.

    Travis reached into his satchel and whipped a red ampule through the air to Will. Will caught it and snapped off the top before dumping it on Loth¡¯s body. The healing happened first where you put the potion, and the damage was-

    ¡°Get it in his mouth! He needs to breathe!¡± Carrie said, kneeling down beside Loth and dumping one of her own in his mouth.

    Loth let out a harsh cough filled with smoke and the stench of burning meat, followed by a gasp for air.

    ¡°What happened!?¡± Will demanded, standing.

    ¡°Thorn effect!¡± Travis said. ¡°The Wyrd family is known for it.¡±

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t warn us!?¡± Will shouted.

    ¡°I have never in my life heard of Thorns triggering from indirect damage!¡± Travis shouted back.

    ¡°Well, you just saw it!¡±

    ¡°Hey, umm¡­¡± Brianna interrupted them. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    In the distance, a single flaming figure had stepped outside the burning city and was sprinting at ungodly speed towards their mountaintop lookout.

    Will came to a decision.

    ¡°You want that money back?¡± Will said, grabbing his sack of Ivory and offering it to Travis. ¡°Give me the rest of your health potions and do your Class proud.¡±

    He nodded toward the streak of fire headed towards them.

    ¡°¡­Deal,¡± Travis said, snagging the bag out of Will¡¯s hand before reaching into his satchel and tossing another three red ampules his direction.

    Travis began to sprint downhill, and Will made to break the rest of the ampules, when Carrie stopped him.

    ¡°You need to stagger them. He¡¯s still burning. If the effect runs out before he stops taking damage,¡± She nodded towards the flaming figure below them, ¡°Loth will die.¡±

    ¡°Even then, he¡¯ll need a healer, the damage is far too extensive for a simple healing potion.¡±

    Will had a healer on tap to the southeast, where Steve was supposed to meet them at their original destination.

    ¡­Maybe thirty miles that direction.

    ¡°Hey, you giant cunt!¡± Will faintly heard Travis¡¯s voice in the distance, followed by the jingle-jangle of his annoying whip. ¡°My name is Travis Oilton, and I just ruined your day! Whaddyagonna do about it!?¡±

    BOOM!

    Will glanced up from Loth and saw the massive explosion of fog from the Cloak of Misty Escape. An instant later, Travis shot out of the side of the cloud like a bolt of lightning.

    So that¡¯s what it looks like when I do it.

    ¡°That cloud is blocking his view of us too,¡± Will said, lifting his burning teammate in the crook of his left arm, ignoring the pain as his clothes began to singe. ¡°We need to move.¡±

    Carrie and Bri nodded, following him as he began to sprint down the side of the mountain. Loth gasped and caught on fire.

    Will broke an ampule and poured it down Loth¡¯s throat as he ran, attempting to smother the fire as best as he could without slowing down.

    Need to move faster. Need to cover thirty miles as quickly as possible.

    Even sprinting at his top speed the entire time, Will didn¡¯t think he could get Loth to the Stronghold any sooner than an hour.

    I need some way of¡­

    Will tried targeting the distant stronghold with his Gravity Charge, but it fizzled. Whether it was out of range, out of sight, or just because he didn¡¯t know exactly where it was or what it looked like, it didn¡¯t matter.

    Will didn¡¯t have a free hand, holding the remaining health potions in his hand, so he shot a bullet out of his Phantom Hand at the next mountain and targeted it with Gravity Charge.

    8/25 Charges remaining.

    Will lifted off the ground, Loth¡¯s weight providing only meager resistance as he began falling towards the bullet flying into the distance. He drew a long arc through the air, following the bullet¡¯s arc until finally landing on the opposite mountain some thirty seconds later, a tremendous shock travelling up his knees, dampened from painful to tolerable by the Combat Platforms.

    He¡¯d gone maybe half a mile by cutting across the valley. Bri and Cassie sprinted along behind him, desperately trying to keep up.

    That¡¯s not far enough. I can¡¯t shoot anything further than that, though, If only-

    A bolt of inspiration struck him.

    ¡°Why, did, you, stop?¡± Carrie asked, panting as she reached the top of the mountain.

    ¡°I think I can get Loth to the Stronghold fast, but I¡¯m going to have to leave you behind to do it,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Do what you gotta do,¡± Carrie gasped. ¡°I¡¯ll keep Bri safe.¡±

    Brianna nodded, giving Will a push forward.

    Will nodded, then targeted Phantom Hand with Gravity Charge.

    7/25 Charges remaining.

    Will¡¯s feet left the ground as he angled the Phantom hand forward and up about fifteen degrees¡­and kept it there.

    The faster he went, the faster Phantom Hand went to keep pace as he and Loth fell into the sky, never slowing down or arcing, instead drawing a perfectly straight line through the sky.

    In retrospect, he should¡¯ve juked a bit.

    Will reached the speed of a falling stone, then kept speeding up far beyond that as the wildly more potent draw of Gravity Charge tried to catch up with the Phantom Hand, which could never tire. Will¡¯s primary Ability was acting like the mechanical hare in those dog races in the capital he¡¯d heard of.

    He had no idea how fast he was going, but the landscape slid by underneath him, and the wind was so strong that his clothes whipped painfully against his skin, as if lashing him to go faster. It was only thanks to his goat mask that Will was able to keep his eyes open at all.

    He could do this forty-seven seconds at a time, far, FAR faster than a man had any right to move, faster than stone falling from a clear sky.

    I¡¯m gonna make it!

    ¡­DEAR GODS I CAN FLY!

    Something pulled tight around his ankle and nearly pulled his leg off, whipping him straight down to smash into the ashen ground, creating an impact crater around where he¡¯d cradled Loth¡¯s body.

    ¡°Looks like we got the right one,¡± The Climber bandits said, looming over him as he rolled away from Loth¡¯s fire-ravaged body.

    Will looked up at the blood-red sun, and the two ugly faces peering down at him. His entire body was a blossoming bruise, and moving seemed ill-advised.

    There was a single unbroken Health Potion in his hand.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the girl you stole, goat-boy?¡± The bandit said, kneeling down beside Will¡¯s supine form.

 Chapter 35: Donâ€™t Forget The Kobold

    That boy fought like a coked-up Badger made love to an ornery mule and a Klar snake in an unholy threesome to produce the most vicious offspring you could possibly imagine. Yep, it was just William Oh. All by himself.

    <ul>

    <li>Thug McBandit ¨C level 25 Climber in a 4<sup>th</sup> floor Stilt-bar. Name redacted.</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Let me give my Party member this health potion and I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Will said, gesturing to the health potion.

    The two Climbers glanced at Loth¡¯s smoldering body. It was distressingly still.

    ¡°Odd company you keep.¡± The bandit said, plucking the health potion out of Will¡¯s hand. ¡°Tell us where the girl is and we¡¯ll heal your friend.¡±

    Should I tell them the truth, lie, or buy time? Will thought at a blistering pace as the ugly mug stared down at him.

    If he told the truth, they would get Brianna, then they might honor their promise and heal Loth. (unlikely)

    If he lied, they wouldn¡¯t get Bri, and they might honor their promise and heal Loth. (also unlikely)

    If he bought time, Loth was going to die, if he hadn¡¯t already.

    The flames across Loth¡¯s body had ceased, so maybe the Wyrd had stopped burning, and Loth had the chance to stabilize.

    Or maybe he was already dead.

    On top of this, there was a real good chance of them killing Will once he told them what they wanted to hear.

    About 99%.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Will said, keeping his hand up and open, deciding to mix the best of ¡®lying¡¯ and ¡®delaying¡¯. ¡°She got caught by a Wyrd army that came through and attacked the stronghold to our northwest.¡±

    The bandit¡¯s eyebrows rose, while the other one spat.

    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± the second bandit shouted, kicking the dirt.

    ¡°Hey, if you want her that much, you might still have a chance,¡± Will said quickly before they decided to kill him. ¡°That Wyrd army got wrecked by some weird arm-thingies that sprang up in the middle of the city. They lit the place on fire to burn them out as they retreated. They took staggering losses, though.¡±

    The two bandits shared meaningful glances. ¡°Were you there when it happened?¡± The first asked.

    ¡°No, I was watching from the mountaintop.¡± Will said. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, If she¡¯s still alive, they¡¯ve only got a handful of people left to watch her.¡±

    ¡°Nah, she¡¯s gone,¡± The first, skinnier bandit said, scowling.

    ¡°Then can you heal my Party member?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Waste a Health Potion on a kobold?¡± The second one asked, pocketing the red ampule. ¡°After you screwed us out of a payday?¡±

    ¡°Kid¡¯s wearing some nice gear,¡± the first said, scanning Will head to toe. ¡°Not only that, he¡¯s kitted.¡±

    ¡°Would take a bit of the sting out of-¡°

    ¡°You can have it if you heal my friend,¡± Will said, tensing.

    They laughed uproariously as Will scanned the horizon, hoping that Carrie and Bri, and Loth¡¯s minions would arrive soon.

    No such luck. Will had been Moving.

    ¡°Sorry kid, but-¡°

    At that point, Will knew there was nothing to be gained from further discussion. They intended to let Loth die and rob him at the very least.

    Unacceptable.

    Homefield Advantage

    Gravity Charge

    5/25 Charges remaining.

    The instant the Charge left Will¡¯s body, Bandit#1 struck, unsheathing his sword in a blast of light that dug a massive furrow into the sheet of ice beneath them.

    Will rose into the air, avoiding the attack by falling up towards his Phantom Hand, which he then swung to the right.

    Will¡¯s stomach did summersaults as down rapidly shifted.

    Bandit #1 slipped after making the attack, but Bandit #2 was standing on a piece of rope that seemed to stabilize his footing.

    POW!

    Will was caught by a knot of rope against his shoulder, which sent him spinning off to the side. Will scrambled to adjust Phantom Hand¡¯s orientation relative to himself to catch his breath as another blast of white light brushed past him, missing only because of his uncanny trajectory.

    Finally he just decided on the ground, sending the Phantom Hand deep into the earth.

    Boom!

    With ¡®normal¡¯ gravity recreated, Will hit the ice feet first, sending shocks through his entire body, which reminded him of the bruising it was working on¡­But especially the sprained hip where Bandit #2 had lassoed him.

    ¡°GAH!¡±

    Will clutched his hip and spotted Bandit #2 tensing for another attack.

    Without shifting his stance, Will moved Phantom Hand below ground, causing him to flow across the ice like water on a tilted table, sliding to the left.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    A knot of rope missed his ear by a couple inches.

    ¡°How are you moving like that!?¡±

    I guess Aspect of the Goat lets me slide when I want to slide, Will thought, drawing his Tomahawk.

    ¡°I¡¯m Willliam Oh,¡± Will growled, Sliding forward with Gravity Charge.

    ¡°Wait, the William- OH!¡±

    Will slid Phantom hand beneath and behind the rope bearer, moving the ephemeral hand through the solid ice, Gravity Charge accelerating him forward across the ice to chase it. Directly towards his enemy. He couldn¡¯t walk, or run. He could barely stand, but Gravity Charge didn¡¯t give a shit.

    He could slide.

    Rope Guy Whipped out the rope and Will shifted the phantom hand to the side causing him to wobble out of the way of the attack.

    Then he whipped Phantom hand around behind his opponent and released a bullet, striking the enemy in the lower back.

    ¡°Gah!¡± the bandit groaned in pain.

    A knot of rope whizzed by Will¡¯s ear from behind, the attack seemingly thrown off-course by Will¡¯s backstab landing first.

    Rope Bandit still managed to raise his arm to block. It was covered in loop after loop of writhing rope, which coiled around his arm and acted as a shield, blocking the Serpent¡¯s tomahawk.

    I need to hit him half a dozen times in swift succession.

    If Will could apply enough stacks of the debuff, he could make this fight far more even.

    The bandit¡¯s arm weakened by a near-imperceptible amount as Will¡¯s debuff landed. Will might not¡¯ve even noticed the difference if hadn¡¯t been wearing so much Strength-boosting gear.

    I¡¯m stronger than him! Will thought in a split second of optimism.

    Unfortunately the bandit realized the same thing, and he had two hands.

    The ropes around the bandit¡¯s arm exploded outward, tangling up Will¡¯s weapon while he unsheathed a dagger with his other hand, whipping it forward.

    Will threw his stump in the way, taking the stab on his useless arm and responding with an attack of his own, landing the Combat Platforms in the center of his opponent¡¯s chest.

    The kick wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as it should¡¯ve been because of the pain in his hip, and the bandit merely stumbled backwards, coughing air rather than blood.

    SHWING!

    Will tried to bring the tomahawk to bear to block, but the tangling ropes tore it out of his hand.

    Damnit!

    Sword Bandit had waited until Will disengaged with his buddy to unleash one of those bisecting sword-strikes.

    Will turtled up, orienting Phantom hand to pull him away from the attack, gritting his teeth as his body exploded in pain.

    The strike was shallower than it could¡¯ve been, but it still left a deep laceration along his arm and torso.

    How many Charges does he have left? Will thought, struggling to think of a way out.

    It could¡¯ve been anywhere between zero and fifty, which didn¡¯t really give Will a lot of hope.

    Will slid further back, aiming for Rope Bandit while keeping an eye out for another attack from Sword Bandit.¡±

    I need to get the-

    A loop of rope cinched down around Will¡¯s midsection.

    ¡°Checkmate, you little-¡° The Rope Bandit growled as his hands began to glow.

    Desperate, Will interposed the Phantom Hand in the center of the rope. The Ability traveled down the rope like lightning, faster than any of them could perceive it.

    The rope exploded right at the point where the phantom hand interrupted the flow of the Ability, knocking both Will and Rope Bandit on their asses.

    Will wiggled in midair, keeping his gaze on Rope Bandit¡¯s pocket the entire time.

    Dimensional Storage

    4/25 Charges Remaining.

    Will plucked the ampule out of Rope Bandit¡¯s pocket, with them none the wiser.

    He immediately whipped the Phantom Hand over to Loth, emptying the red liquid into Loth¡¯s mouth. For a brief instant he was resisted by something, but when he targeted the empty space above Loth¡¯s open mouth, it worked.

    Got it!

    Schwing!

    Will dove under another sword strike, then did a head-fake for the next one, not rising into the air as the bandit expected.

    Now I just need to buy some time, Will thought, backing away from Loth, arranging his positioning so that they didn¡¯t see Loth¡¯s wounds heal.

    ¡°Hey, fellas, why don¡¯t you just walk away? This obviously isn¡¯t going as easily for you as you expected.¡± Will said.

    ¡°You look like twice-trod shit, and one of us has a scratch.¡± Sword bandit said, pointing at him.

    ¡°Scratch? You try getting hit in the spine,¡± Rope Bandit muttered, rubbing his back, but not taking his eyes off Will.

    Good, they¡¯re both looking at me.

    ¡°He¡¯s got some kind of Counterspell,¡± Rope Bandit warned his buddy, whirling his knotted rope as the two of them crept towards him.

    ¡°And he can fly.¡± Sword bandit added.

    ¡°And some kind of Dimensional attack-from-behind-ability. I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Rope bandit said.

    The two of them glanced at each other, an unspoken question passing between the two of them.

    ¡®Should we actually be doing this?¡¯

    Will puffed up his chest, trying to look as intimidating as possible. If he could scare these guys off, that would be ide-

    Unfortunately, that was when Homefield Advantage expired, just as Will wobbled in place, his balance suffering from a tortured inner ear and sudden blood loss.

    They glanced at each other and grinned, charging forward.

    Sword Bandit took the front while Rope Bandit made long-range attacks, forcing Will to blow another Charge on Homefield Advantage.

    Sword Bandit slipped, but he didn¡¯t let Will take advantage of it, warding him off with ranged slashes while Rope Bandit tried to catch him again.

    What felt like an eternity later ¨C but must¡¯ve been twenty seconds ¨C Gravity charge expired, leaving Will lurching in place, hissing in pain as his weight settled on his wounded leg.

    BAM! Will blocked an attack, blinking through the pain before the man¡¯s other hand caught him in the jaw, sending him sprawling.

    ¡°You fought good, William Oh.¡±  Sword Bandit said, winding up for a killing blow.

    ZZZ

    Sword Bandit leaned aside, deflecting a bullet he¡¯d heard coming a mile away.

    On the nearby hill, a swarm of half a dozen Kobolds charged their position, their mouths frothing with rage as they whipped their slings over their head.

    ¡°FOR THE GREAT ONE!¡± Grak shouted, waving his spear as he charged. They were running like the wind, having been officially recognized by The Tower as Loth¡¯s minions, and enjoying the multiple stacking speed benefits thereof.

    Gravity Charge

    2/25 Charged remaining.

    Will seized the moment and fell towards Rope Bandit.

    The man raised his rope-covered arm defensively, ready to ward off whatever attack Will had to offer.

    Will grabbed the man¡¯s fist with his own and wrenched it down with all his might, finally using Gravity Charge for exactly what it was meant for:

    Headbutts.

    The ethereal horns jutting from Will¡¯s mask slammed into Rope Bandit¡¯s face, sending him reeling backwards.

    Hey you-damnit!¡± Sword Bandit shouted, forced to ward off a hail of attacks as more kobolds came in range.

    ¡°Enough!¡± Sword Bandit unleashed a blaze of fire from his sword that created a wall of fire, effectively blocking the Kobolds from interfering before turning back to Will.

    He stood over his teammate, blocking Will¡¯s follow-up kick. He seized Will¡¯s leg with one hand and wrenched it up, causing Will to crumble to his knees with a cry of pain.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand who you¡¯re messing with you little-

    BANG!

    Sword Bandit¡¯s eyes went wide as a coin-sized hole opened up in his chest.

    ¡°Shiiiit.¡± He groaned as he toppled over into the ash of the third Floor.

    Will glanced over at where Loth sat upright, his claws covered in ash from where he¡¯d been desperately sifting through the ash for a bug. The black kobold was about half scar-tissue, half fresh burns that¡¯d fused with his clothes and Relics. His scales had been largely burned away, leaving an almost mangy appearance.

    Loth met Will¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Level fifteen.¡± He said moments before his eyes rolled back in his head, and he dropped back down into the ash.

    Will glanced back at Rope Bandit.

    The man glanced at his dead partner, then the guttering flames that Kobolds were already beginning to jump over, flooding into their little arena.

    With a cry, Rope Bandit¡¯s ropes exploded into a blinding confetti of string, ensnaring everyone present at the expense of all of Rope Bandit¡¯s rope.

    By the time Will could see and move freely, Rope Bandit was already gone.

 Chapter 36: Fancy Inn

    Granesh found an idyllic pond in his divine realm, where a beautiful crimson fish of massive size swam back and forth from bank to bank. When none of his hooks were big enough, he cut the head off a magnificent ox with horns as sharp as blades. The god attached the head to a rope, carved barbs into the horns and threw it into the pond, eager to catch this enormous crimson fish.

    But it was no pond, that divine pool led to the sky of the third floor, where the crimson sun circles the world.

    One day Granesh succeeded, and the sun of the third floor simply stopped.

    William Oh flew up to investigate, to find that the burning circle had been snagged by a massive hook made of horn. Even as he watched, the crimson ball of fire consumed the ox¡¯s head, growing ever hotter as it did.

    William Oh wrenched the sun away from the razor-sharp horns that the gods had callously carved barbs into, his left arm turning to char and his wings bursting into flames.

    Having saved the sun, he fell from the sky and where he landed, the charwood nymphs of the ashlands gathered around, nursing their savior back to health.

    Without William Oh, the sun would loom forever overhead, growing hotter and hotter until there was no life left on the third Floor.

    No life at all.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Ah, this is the life,¡± Steve Holland said, relaxing in his bed, eating some Ashvine grapes, specially grown in the ash-covered vineyards that surrounded Coleton. Growing them was a major pain in the ass, but the flavor¡­

    By all accounts, this is where he should be meeting Will¡¯s party.

    He¡¯d already made inroads on over a dozen lucrative contracts that he knew were within his team¡¯s capabilities. He knew only one or two would pan out, but it was a good start.

    William Oh¡¯s name was starting to have Brand Value. There were only two downsides: First, the Lord he¡¯d pissed off on the 2<sup>nd</sup>  Floor who was probably looking for him, and second, the growing number of copycats.

    The second problem actually made the first problem less worrisome, although it made it difficult to convince people that his team included the actual William Oh, or failing that, William Oh levels of quality.

    Surprisingly that second option is more popular. People liked getting high-quality knock-offs: They felt like they were getting a good deal.

    A job where all he had to do was lounge around and talk to people? Perfect. He¡¯d even been making good money on the side healing parties drifting through town.

    Ah¡­but the job might be over before it even got started, Steve mused to himself.

    He¡¯d been here for several days, and it really didn¡¯t take that long for people to travel from the nearby Key Site to Coalton, which was the closest city to where they¡¯d arrived.

    He¡¯d picked up distressing rumors about busses getting attacked and Oilton going silent.

    If Will got swept up in the middle of all that and had died out there on the third floor¡­Well, that would be a bummer.

    End of the gravy train already in sight.

    At least Will¡¯s corpse would mummify in the heat, so the chances of it being brought in by scavengers and identified was pretty good.

    Always good to have closure, Steve thought, popping another grape in his mouth.

    CRASH!

    The ceiling of Steve¡¯s room at the inn collapsed inward as a figure covered in ash-caked blood fell through it.

    ¡°HEAL, NOW!¡± William Oh said, an ash-caked line across his chest and arm.

    ¡°Right!¡± Steve shouted, throwing the covers and debris off himself.

    Candy shrieked and tugged the covers back, but Steve was already halfway across the room, his hands glowing with divine power as he reached toward Will.

    ¡°Not me, him!¡± Will said, unwrapping Loth from a cloth swaddling he¡¯d wrapped around his chest.

    The black kobold was wrecked, covered from head to toe in oozing burns, and likely holding on by a thread. If he wasn¡¯t dead already. In a matter of hours, those wounds would get infected and things would get really bad.

    It was way beyond what a simple Health Potion could do.

    ¡°On it,¡± Steve said, rolling up his sleeves and warming up the 20 Charge Full Heal

    Blessing of Andover: Full Heal

    82/105 Charges remaining.

    Loth¡¯s body was suffused with Andover¡¯s grace, and the burns across his entire body began to fade.

    Still alive then. Can¡¯t heal a corpse.

    ¡°Oh, thank the gods,¡± Will said before he slumped down in the pile of ash-covered roof-debris and fell asleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna¡­go.¡± Candy said, wrapping the blanket around herself and tiptoeing out the door, which was currently laying on the floor.

    ¡°HEEEY! WHO¡¯S GONNA PAY FOR THIS!?¡± the Madame demanded, glaring through the empty doorway.

    Well, there go my plans for the night, Steve thought sourly. I should¡¯ve knocked on wood.

    ***William Oh***

    Will woke up in a soft bed with minimal ash covering. He tried to sit up, but his entire body was stiff as the Abyss.

    ¡°Gah,¡± He groaned, rubbing the soreness out of his arm as best he could. There was the faintest hint of a scar, but it appeared that their healer had fixed them up nicely.

    Where¡¯s Loth? Will wondered, his eyes adjusting to the dim candlelight.

    As it turned out, Loth was sleeping beside him, large patches of his scales had been burned away, leaving the dark skin underneath.

    ¡°Well, for only getting into one actual fight, we sure got wrecked,¡± Will mused.

    You are now a level 11 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 11

    12+ 2 Strength

    33 Kinesthetics

    36 + 5 Resistance

    22 + 5 Focus

    34 Acuity

    Charges: 9/27

    Free Points: 6

    Item Abilities: Acid Bolt, +greater acid Damage. Homefield Advantage (ice). 20% fire resistance.

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Ability Upgrade Available! (X2)

    Secondary Ability Available!

    All of Will¡¯s gear save for his amulet and rings were missing.

    Did that bastard¡­no, there they are, Will thought, leaning back against the headboard with a sigh as he spotted his gear against the wall.

    Got an extra level for fighting those bandits, Will thought. He¡¯d hit the magical level 10 in Oilton, which gave him the option to select a secondary Ability, as well as another Primary Ability upgrade slot.

    Maybe I should get an Ability with Direct damage? Will thought, thinking back to Loth¡¯s attack that absolutely wrecked the Climber he¡¯d been fighting.

    No. It is impressive, but it¡¯s part of a build that Loth is trying to complete, and it¡¯s well-suited for him. I shouldn¡¯t just grab a direct damage Ability Willy-nilly because I want one.

    Oooh, look at this one! Will thought to himself as he perused the Secondary Ability options, momentarily forgetting about his resolve to be cool and calculating towards his next ability.

    Uru Breath (minor)

    5 Charges: Unleash a blast of space-warping breath, the dimensional ripples cause temporary damage and nausea to those inside the cone. May cause objects to crack or joints to loosen.

    Wait, temporary damage¡­nausea? Will frowned. It had a (minor) tag which was the universal sign that he could definitely upgrade it at level 20. But¡­did he really want to spend all of level 11-20 with what was essentially an expensive debuff cone?

    Well, there¡¯s more choices to look at:

    Stone Charge

    Active: 1 Charge

    20ft range.

    Coats the user¡¯s body in stone armor and/or propels them forward at lethal speeds.

    Seen it.

    Venom strike

    Active: 1 charge

    Add a poison effect to the next attack with a slashing or piercing weapon. Scales with Acuity.

    That¡¯s new, Will thought, inspecting the effect. It probably wouldn¡¯t be anything he took, but it was interesting he was being offered it.

    Does the Uru Drake have poison?

    Mighty Leap

    Active: 1 Charge

    You Jump distance is tripled for a single jump.

    Seen it.

    Prey¡¯s Senses

    Passive

    The User¡¯s field of vision widens, as well as minor improvements to their hearing and smell. Scales with Acuity.

    Seen it.

    Molt

    Active: 3 charges

    Minor self-heal. Stops bleeding and minor ongoing damage.

    Very interesting.

    Sourdough:

    Active: 1 Charge

    The user may gain the full effect of a Consumable Relic only using 80% of the relic. The remaining 20% may be reserved to ferment a new Consumable Relic if provided powdered Relic dust, time, and additional Charges. Scales with Focus.

    Seen it. On the short list.

    Titan¡¯s Grasp

    Passive:

    Space and gravity subtly warp around objects the user tries to hold, allowing them to handle objects both larger and smaller than they might¡¯ve otherwise been able to handle, whether that be from cumbersome size or weight.

    Oooh.

    Just from a cursory glance at its effects, Will figured it would allow him to wield Two-handed weapons one-handed. Two-handed weapons had better stats and damage.

    There were also edge-case uses, like did it synergize with Phantom Hand¡¯s ability to touch magic, or a vastly expanded selection of Improvised weapons.

    Phantom Eye

    Active: 1 Charge

    Summon a Phantom Eye for (Acuity) Seconds. The Eye is invisible, goatlike, moves at the same speed as Phantom Hand, and has depth perception.

    Good Ability for the Infiltrator part of my build, Will thought, even though he was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t take it.

    Progenitor affinity

    Passive:

    Further enhances the natural affinity scaled creatures have towards you.

    Eh? Further enhances the natural affinity scaled creatures have towards you? Was it implying there was some affinity there already? It said ¡®progenitor, like the Progenitor Uru Drake. A fringe benefit, perhaps?

    Interesting, but not important enough to spend one of my few secondary slots on.

    Stubborn Ass

    Passive:

    User¡¯s Inertia becomes more difficult to change through outside forces, adding force to their attacks and resisting shoves and strikes.

    Oh, that¡¯s cool, but I wonder if it would increase the damage I take in certain circumstances? Like if I got hit with a massive log wielded by a troll, would my body just stay in place and get crushed rather than bounce off?

    Serpent¡¯s Tongue

    Active: 1 Charge

    With a vile word of Eternity, extend the duration of debuffs on the target for (Acu/10) Seconds.

    ¡­That¡¯s an odd one. Debuffs as defined by The Tower included things like poison, burning, bleeding, mind-control, fear, curses, and stat drains like the one Serpent¡¯s Tomahawk did.

    But did Will want to divert his entire Build towards debuff Synergy? Not really.

    If anything, Will gravitated towards two options:

    Sourdough and Titan¡¯s Grasp.

    The former because of the Relic synergies that were already at play with Phantom Hand, and that he was planning on improving once he got a Relic Worm Sacrifice, giving him a strong, unfair synergy that he might be able to loop Sourdough in on eventually, as the Ability specifically worked with Relics.

    The Latter attracted him because it partially offset his disability, and there were possible sacrifices in the future he could possibly use to link Titan¡¯s Grasp passive with Phantom hand. maybe even one day make it interact with the physical world.

    If he could get his ability give him a left hand again¡­

    Will took a deep breath and set aside the choices for now.

    I¡¯ll talk about it with Loth.

    Will got out from under the silk covers and paused.

    Silk covers?

    He paused and studied the expensive fabric, his gaze turning towards the oversized bedframe with opulent padding. The down pillows.

    The soft mattress.

    The rich rug that was heavenly smooth against his feet, which sank deep into the weave.

    The red walls, and fake gold on every surface¡­

    What kind of inn is this? Will thought as he slipped on his shirt and pants, looping the suspenders up over his shoulders.

    The door creaked open and Steve ducked his head in.

    Will thought he perceived a flash of someone running in the hall behind him, but he couldn¡¯t process exactly what he was seeing.

    ¡°Oh, good, you¡¯re awake!¡± Steve said, steering a cart into the room with a wide grin. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, I took some of the Ivory you hid in your socks to pay for the damages to the ceiling.

    Will had squirreled some away as soon as he had a moment of time away from prying eyes in case Travis double-crossed him. The young Master Decoy had not gotten the full amount back. Still, it hadn¡¯t been explicitly stated that the whole amount was in the bag when Will offered it to him to lead the Wyrd away from the rest of them.

    Explicitly. That¡¯s a good word.

    His paranoia had come in handy just now, it seemed.

    At the mention of the money in his socks, Will idly thumbed his belt, checking that the coin in the band of his underwear was still there.

    Still there.

    ¡°I brought you guys some meat, wine, cheeses.¡± Steve said. ¡°Not many vegetables here. The Ashvine grapes are delicious, but they¡¯re expensive and not exactly the filling. No, you two will need plenty of meat, to help restore some of your reserves.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t magical healing¡­Magical?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Well, yes, and no,¡± Steve said, reaching under the cart and pulling out a pitcher of wine and cups. ¡°All healing drains the body¡¯s resources to some extent, and this extent varies wildly based on the power of the healer, their skill, the god, the extent of the damage, the Resistance of the person being healed.¡±

    ¡°And I am not the most powerful or skilled healer,¡± Steve said, shaking his head and chuckling. ¡°Not by a long shot.¡±

    ¡°Should we find someone better?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Tough talk for someone whose life I saved.¡± Steve said, taking a sip of his cup before offering it to Will.

    Will eyed it suspiciously.

    ¡°It¡¯s watered down,¡± Steve said with a shrug.

    Will tried it, tasting the faintest hint of wine.

    After the first sip, his body realized exactly how thirsty he was, and he knocked the entire thing back, devolving into a coughing spree near the end as he partially inhaled some of the wine-flavored water.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t drunk anything except for cooled ice crystals and tuber-juice for days.¡± Will gasped once he was done coughing.

    ¡°Sounds like a good way to get scurvy,¡± Steve said, pulling Will¡¯s cup back down and refilling it, squeezing half a lime into it.

    ¡°Drink that.¡±

    Watered down Lime-wine was¡­an experience. Almost good. Tolerable, even.

    ¡°Here, have some stew,¡± Steve said, revealing two massive bowls of brown goop filled with massive chunks of meat. ¡°Made with salt from the second Floor and flamenwulf from this Floor. A regional specialty.¡±

    ¡°By the gods, I missed salt!¡± Will said, inhaling the stew. He¡¯d gotten some when Brianna cooked her bread bowl stew, but-

    ¡°Where¡¯s Brianna and Carrie!?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re resting in an Inn a few streets down.¡± Steve said. ¡°They arrived a few hours after you did, asking around town for you and Loth,¡± Steve said, pointing at the Kobold, who seemed to be rousing now that the noisy healer had barged in.

    ¡°Smell food,¡± Loth growled, uncharacteristically blunt. He tried to get up, but made an inhuman whine and went limp, panting in pain as he stared at the ceiling.

    ¡°I can move my arm,¡± Loth said, waggling his right arm for emphasis. ¡°Sit me up!¡±

    Will went and sat Loth up against the headboard and set the bowl in his lap.

    Over the next handful of seconds, Loth downed the contents of the bowl followed by the entire remainder of the pitcher.

    Where is it all going? Will thought, studying the waist-high kobold. Surely his stomach had to be smaller than Will¡¯s¡­surely.

    Loth set down the pitcher and glanced between the two humans staring at him.

    ¡°My apologies. That was rude of me. I was very hungry.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no problem! That was your food, so how you eat it is no concern of mine,¡± Steve said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll go get another serving in case she¡¯s still hungry.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Will asked as Steve disappeared through the doorway.

    Will glanced back at Loth, who drew the covers up over himself, watching him cautiously.

    ¡°Who was he¡­¡±

    Will cocked his head.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡­never really said anything one way or another, huh?¡± Will said, rubbing his chin.

    ¡°No, I did not.¡± Loth said. ¡°I don¡¯t even bother to hide it. It might not surprise you to know that humans have a great deal of difficulty telling apart kobold sexes. I typically don¡¯t bother to correct them. Being assigned male has social benefits.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Will looked around the room, eager to find some other topic of conversation.

    ¡°So! how about this Inn? Weird, right?¡± Will asked. ¡°Kinda fancy, but uses a lot of red and gold for some reason?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a brothel, Will.¡±

    ¡°So! Level fifteen, huh!?¡± Will desperately shifted topics.

    Loth laughed.

 Chapter 37: Knowledge is Pain, Power, and Purpose

    ¡°What¡¯s that on your face?¡± Brianna asked, cocking her head.

    ¡°Lipstick,¡± Will replied. ¡°The ladies of The Flotilla sensed weakness and swarmed me. Like Genshur fish smelling blood.¡±

    ¡°That is true,¡± Loth said, nodding.

    ¡°Black lipstick?¡± Bri asked, bemused. ¡°I thought you dove into a pile of coal or something.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Floor specialty, actually,¡± Carrie said. ¡°They sell a bunch in town for cheap, if you wanna check it out later.¡±

    Brianna nodded, lips pursed in consideration.

    ¡°So, what are your plans?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s an office of the bussing agency in town,¡± Brianna said. ¡°I¡¯m going to hitch a ride up to the Seventh Floor, since they¡¯re still under contract to get me there.¡±

    Will¡¯s brows rose. ¡°I would¡¯ve thought that, since you¡¯re basically declared dead, you could just¡­¡± Will made a ¡®wind¡¯ sound and waved his hand.

    ¡°I¡­can¡¯t, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Bri said, shaking her head. ¡°Contract.¡±

    ¡°Oh, like a Contract with a capital ¡®C,¡¯ Contract?¡± Carrie asked, blinking. Contract-with-a-capital-C implied there was an Ability enforcing it. Like Will¡¯s tomahawk, but probably meaner.

    ¡°Then I will see you on the Seventh Floor,¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°In a few months, anyway.¡±

    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to die before you get there anymore,¡± Bri offered.

    ¡°That does make me feel better,¡± Will said.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Loth asked, addressing Carrie.

    The Eldritch Fashionista shrugged, her little black thing riding her shoulder like a parrot. ¡°I think I¡¯ll join some grinders, then go back down to the Second Floor and feed Summer Relics until she grows a size or two. Then we¡¯re ready to advance to the Fourth Floor. I was less useful than I¡¯d like¡­pretty much that entire time.

    ¡°Also, you can fly?¡± Carrie asked, shifting her gaze to Will.

    ¡°Eh.¡± Will waggled his hand. ¡°The duration is nothing to write home about, but yes. More or less.¡±

    ¡°What about you two?¡± Brianna asked, putting her palms under her chin and leaning forward.

    ¡°As you can see, Loth needs some time to regrow scales,¡± Will said, motioning to the Saboteur.

    ¡°My entire body is hypersensitive, and it hurts to move,¡± Loth said from her rental wheelchair.

    ¡°Loth already maxed out her level for this floor when she¡­¡± Will lowered his voice, glancing around. ¡°...blew up Oilton, so I¡¯m going to grind while she recovers. Then we¡¯re going back down to the Hunting Grounds to visit family before we try the 4th Floor.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Carrie said, holding up her hand.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will grunted.

    ¡°¡®She¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Will said.

    Carrie glanced at Loth.

    Loth nodded.

    A superhuman squeal emerged from Carrie¡¯s mouth before she clapped her hands over it.

    ¡°We have to update your wardrobe,¡± Carrie said, pointing at Loth¡¯s baggy burlap robe that she hid all of her trapmaking tools in.

    ¡°No, we do not,¡± Loth said. ¡°Unless you can find something that can carry all of my tools.¡±

    ¡°Challenge fuckin¡¯ accepted,¡± Carrie said, grabbing Loth¡¯s wheelchair and steering her away from the table in spite of her protests.

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why she doesn¡¯t want people thinking she¡¯s a girl,¡± Will mused, watching them leave.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine with it, if Carrie pays,¡± Bri said.

    ¡°True.¡± Will rubbed his chin for a moment before he realized that he was alone with Bri.

    The black-haired Baker girl was looking at him expectantly.

    ¡°Ah, I, um, do you know what Stronghold you¡¯ll be stationed at on the 7th Floor?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to say,¡± Bri said apologetically.

    Will frowned, his nervousness at being alone with a Baker girl swept aside as his paranoia caught up with the situation. ¡°Why can¡¯t you say?¡± Will asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a high-level infinite Baker on the Seventh Floor be a draw? Your Lord would crow about it constantly.¡±

    ¡°Well, first, because I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going, and second, because I¡¯m not allowed to say even if I did know,¡± Bri said, shrugging too casually, a bit of sweat beading on her forehead.

    Will studied Bri, a black serpent of dread coiling in his guts. Something didn¡¯t add up.

    ¡°Do you still think you¡¯re going to be a Baker when you get where you¡¯re going?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Bri said, her knuckles turning white around a butter knife. Her expression said ¡®absolutely not¡¯ and her body language said ¡®keep talking and I¡¯ll have to cut you.¡¯

    Pretty similar to the behavior she showed when she thought he was one of the bandits trying to kidnap her.

    Does her Contract specify resisting being taken off her path to the Seventh Floor, with violence if necessary? Will chewed his lip as he thought of his next step.

    ¡°¡­Are you allowed to receive gifts?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I guess? There¡¯s nothing in the Contract that says I can¡¯t.¡±

    Will closed his hand, overlaid his Phantom Hand over his regular one, and let one of the rings he¡¯d stolen out, revealing it in his palm with a flourish.

    Ring of Total Freedom

    +15 Focus

    This Relic hides itself and causes Physical, Mental, energy-based, causal, and Ability-based Bindings to be slowly worn away. Aids in escaping grapples, adhesives, engulfing attacks, resisting slow debuffs, and allows the wearer to fit through significantly narrower spaces than they might¡¯ve otherwise. Scales with Focus.

    Reactive: 1 Charge.

    Dive into a mental projection of the Self.

    ¡°A gift for you, then,¡± Will said, offering it to Brianna. ¡°I¡¯d feel a lot better if you wore this.¡±

    Brianna¡¯s eyes slowly widened as she read the description. ¡°This Relic has to be worth more than I am.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I stole it,¡± Will said. ¡°Nobody else will know you have it. Besides, I don¡¯t exactly have the slots to burn on edge-case Relics.¡±

    ¡°¡­If you¡¯re sure¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Will said. ¡°Your Contract expires when you get where you¡¯re going, right?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Then maybe that Relic will help if you decide to quit.¡±

    ¡°You really think they¡¯re gonna tie me up?¡± she asked, expression wry.

    A flash entered Will¡¯s mind: the Tangled, a young Climber about their age, his tortured body covered in restraints from head to toe.

    Will inhaled sharply.

    ¡°What?¡± Bri asked.

    ¡°Just thought of something I need to buy before we head out,¡± Will lied. ¡°Wear the damn ring.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Gods,¡± she sighed, slipping it onto her finger. The band faded into her skin, disguising itself.

    ¡°Wow, fifteen Focus. That¡¯s double-dailies.¡±

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go save Loth from Carrie.¡± Will offered his hand as he stood up. Brianna took it, her soft hand smaller than his own.

    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± she said with a mischievous smile.

    A few minutes later, they tracked Carrie down to where she was holding different leathers in front of Loth, testing their look as Loth stared at the ceiling, seemingly desperately trying to lapse into a coma.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± Will said, grabbing the handles of Loth¡¯s chair. ¡°We need to go shopping for barrels.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Loth said, sitting up. ¡°I need a new barrel!¡± The last one had been left behind when Loth caught fire.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine,¡± Carrie said, almost pouting. ¡°I¡¯ve already picked out the design and the leather, so I suppose¡­¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Will said before leaning down beside Loth and whispering, ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here.¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Please, by the gods. Save me,¡± Loth whispered back.

    Carrie didn¡¯t stay behind at the tailor like they¡¯d planned, instead handing off the design to the shopkeep before chasing after them.

    The four of them spent an inordinate amount of time shopping for barrels and replacements for some of the tools that Loth had lost when they¡¯d fled Oilton. Due to her higher Strength, Loth wanted a slightly bigger barrel, which would allow her to partition off the inside into several different biomes.

    It looked like a pain in the ass to carry, though, because the barrel was soon to be bigger than she was.

    After their shopping, they found Travis staring into the distance at a restaurant table, looking pale, bruised, and utterly exhausted. Will was surprised the Master Decoy was still alive.

    When asked how he¡¯d managed to escape, Travis just grunted and drank his water, continuing to stare into the distance.

    ¡°Speed boost based on the number of enemies,¡± he muttered into his mug.

    Ah. So he kited.

    Travis hadn¡¯t been fast enough to escape by himself, but by running into the territory of several different kinds of monsters and pissing them off as he tried to lose the Wyrd, he¡¯d been able to boost his natural speed high enough to get away from all of them.

    Travis was truly safer the more people were trying to kill him.

    After a few hours, they all said their goodbyes. Will and Carrie agreed to go grinding together the next day while Loth healed, and Travis said he would see if he could get in contact with his family.

    They all waved off Brianna as she headed off to the bussing agency, then went their separate ways, with Will pushing Loth along back to The Flotilla, only to find that they rented rooms by the hour, and Will and Loth¡¯s room was already given away and ¡®in use.¡¯

    They got an inn on the other side of town and settled in for the evening.

    Now that they finally had privacy and there was nothing trying to kill them, Will and Loth could talk about a subject that was a little more¡­sensitive.

    ¡°So I stole a bunch of Relics out of Travis¡¯s dad¡¯s office,¡± Will said, his Phantom Hand dumping the five rings, two amulets, a bangle, and a tiny dagger out onto a table.

    ¡°So, you waited until we could get some distance from Oilton and some plausible deniability before we started wearing these?¡± Loth asked, spreading the pile of jewelry out on their rough wooden table.

    ¡°I think so. If ¡®possible deniability¡¯ is what it sounds like.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Loth said, inspecting the rings by the light of the candle.

    ¡°The Ring of Arcane Endurance,¡± Loth said, twirling the simple golden band between her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m tempted, but it¡¯s just good, not synergistic with my Build.¡±

    Ring of Arcane Endurance

    +8 Focus

    +5 Acuity

    Whenever the wearer enters a new combat encounter, they receive a 1-Charge buffer to spend on Abilities.

    ¡°We could probably sell it to Mason for good money,¡± Will said. Nukers were constantly starved for Charge, and taking one Charge off of every encounter could make a long excursion in the higher Floors much more manageable, especially if the Nuker was comfortable just blowing up everything that attacked before the situation got too serious.

    It could seriously lubricate a long Climb.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Loth nodded, checking the next ring.

    Ring of Regeneration

    -7 Focus

    User heals significantly faster, as long as the ring is equipped. Scales with Resistance.

    ¡°Oh, interesting, a daily Charge penalty,¡± Loth mused, wincing in pain as she tore off her Ring of the Wolf Pack, which had some scar tissue around it where the heat had seared the previous ring into the skin before it had been hastily healed.

    ¡°Ow,¡± Will said for his Party member, as she mostly seemed unaffected. Let no one say that kobolds had low pain tolerance.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to do the other one later,¡± Loth said, slipping the Ring of Regeneration on a different finger before pocketing the Wolf Pack.

    A moment later, she was looking at the next ring.

    Ring of Accuracy*

    +7 Strength

    4 degrees of correction.

    Manhunter: When a creature is struck by a projectile from the wearer, they are drawn toward the shooter along the path of the projectile. Force scales with Strength.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Loth studied the Ring of Accuracy. ¡°A mutated Ring of Accuracy.¡± Its stats weren¡¯t quite as good as the one Alicia Zodiac had had on her, and no sane Scout wanted their target to get closer, so Will hadn¡¯t put much thought into it.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this draw enemies directly onto your tracers?¡± Loth asked, turning back to him.

    Will¡¯s eyes widened as he imagined an enemy being drawn along the path of his sling¡¯s projectile, being hollowed out by the curtain of fire hanging in midair.

    The curtain of fire, which also dealt acid damage because of the Sting Ring.

    That would ensure the tracers hit every time, and the Sting Ring would add its bonus damage twice. That¡¯s a soft-set!

    ¡°Gimmie,¡± Will said, snatching the ring out of the air and pocketing it as Loth moved on to the next.

    ¡°Try this one,¡± Will said, sitting down across from Loth and pushing the amulet shaped like a bolt of lightning frozen in silver towards her.

    ¡°A little garish,¡± Loth mused, inspecting the amulet.

    Amulet of Chain Casting

    +5 Focus

    +8 Acuity

    Any single-target direct-damage Ability now has the option to be cast for quadruple Charges. If the option is taken, the Ability will then chain to up to five additional targets.

    ¡°Oooh,¡± Loth crooned over the amulet. ¡°Edge-case usage, but I like it¡­¡±

    ¡°I figured you might want it, since your rope Relic got burnt up.¡±

    ¡°I love it,¡± Loth said, putting the amulet over her head and tucking the amulet under her clothes.

    ¡°What else do we have?¡± she asked, rubbing her fire-scarred hands together.

    Will looked somewhere else. ¡°Last two rings.¡±

    Ring of Curse Concentration

    +3 Strength

    +4 Resistance

    The duration of debuffs inflicted by the wearer are divided by a certain amount, while their effects are multiplied by a similar amount. Scales with Focus.

    Ring of Haunting Blood

    +4 Focus

    +3 Kinesthetics

    Whenever the wearer bleeds in combat, create wraiths out of the blood that seek out and inflict Fear on the creature that caused the blood to be shed. Scales with Acuity.

    +20% potency of Blood Abilities.

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Will mused. ¡°Those two synergize. Might even cause people¡¯s hearts to stop from fear.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to make a Thorns Build and get yourself wounded constantly?¡± Loth asked.

    Will¡¯s expression soured. In order to truly maximize their effect, he¡¯d have to let enemies hit him, which wasn¡¯t really his style¡­at all. Will was not fond of pain, and those who inflicted wounds on themselves for a modest benefit were, quite frankly, idiots.

    ¡°Maybe we can sell it to Mason for Reggie,¡± Will said with a shrug. The guy was a Tank, so he¡¯d be getting hit plenty as a side effect of always being up front.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Loth said, sliding the rings across the table, where Will scooped them up and pocketed them. The rings were off-Build for both of them, but they were highly valuable.

    Loth inspected the second amulet, a gaudy lump of gold.

    Amulet of Divine Favor

    +10 Focus

    Heirloom Abilities gained from Deities or beings of similar power are reduced in cost by 1 Charge, to a minimum of 1.

    ¡°And we¡¯ll give this to Steve for pre-payment,¡± Loth said, while Will nodded.

    Last but not least, a tiny dagger and bangle.

    Banking Bangle

    +5 Resistance

    +5 Focus

    Store up to 5 Charges of an Ability, whose potency and Relic bonuses are locked in from the moment of storage.

    Mentally define a situation in which the Bangle will deploy the Ability.

    When the situation occurs, the Bangle will automagically deploy the Ability, regardless of the Wearer¡¯s state. May store multiple Abilities, up to the limit of five.

    ¡°Oh, this is quite good,¡± Loth mused, tapping her lips.

    ¡°How so?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°The wording is vague enough that it doesn¡¯t specify that the person who banks the Ability and the person who is wearing it currently have to be the same. It¡¯s possible we could get Steve to load a heal into it with a passphrase. And even if that didn¡¯t work, I could always load it with a Chained Bullet Wasp, set to trigger if we¡¯re ever ambushed by three or more people.¡±

    ¡°¡­It can be used as a trap.¡± Will nodded in understanding.

    ¡°EXACTLY!¡± Loth said, giving him a sharp-toothed grin before slipping the bangle onto her wrist.

    ¡°You may sell the Gloves of Ferocity. They weren¡¯t my style anyway,¡± Loth said, inspecting the five black pearls studding the gold of the bangle.

    The gloves were a little singed, but they still kept their Relic status, so Will would probably do that.

    Finally, they looked over the small dagger.

    Holdout Dagger

    +4 Kinesthetics

    +7 Resistance

    It is more difficult to notice the dagger for those who mean the wielder harm. In combat, apply a stacking bonus to the wielder¡¯s Strength, Resistance, and Movement Speed based on the number of enemies.

    ¡°Should we sell this to Travis, or just keep it?¡± Will asked.

    Loth shrugged. ¡°I could be persuaded either way.¡±

    ¡°I guess it depends on whether or not I can equip it in my off-hand slot,¡± Will said. If he could put the small dagger on his hip and benefit from the enhancements even while it wasn¡¯t drawn, then it would be worth keeping for himself.

    Only way to find out would be to equip it and see what happened.

    Will took off all his Relics except the dagger, slipping that into his belt.

    He noted the bonus to Kinesthetics and Resistance, then pulled out his Tomahawk of the Serpent.

    The bonuses were still there. The dagger was still in his off-hand slot, even though he could never actually wield it as an off-hand weapon.

    Oh, thank the gods, Will thought, sagging in relief.

    ¡°We¡¯re keeping it,¡± Will said.

    ¡°So¡­about that Brianna girl. How did your talk with her go once Carrie and I left? We made a little bet about what you would say to the Baker girl once we were gone.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Bri?¡± Will asked. ¡°She¡¯s a Tangled.¡±

    Loth froze. ¡°¡­That was not covered by the bet. Explain.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a poor girl offered a powerful, experimental Class by a Lord, who she either doesn¡¯t know the identity of, or is prohibited from revealing. When I first dragged her out of the palanquin, she had a big bloody clump of hair on the side of her head, which she told me was from someone else.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t from someone else. It¡¯d already healed. I noticed the Tangled in Oilton were able to regrow entire limbs in a matter of seconds, so a little cut on the scalp was probably no big deal. She also has an insane amount of Strength.

    ¡°When we got stopped by those ¡®bandits,¡¯ they were strangely fixated on Brianna specifically, called her a ¡®payday,¡¯ and when I told them a Tangled had gone wild in the center of the city and caused trouble, they didn¡¯t ask any followup questions, and instead said ¡®she¡¯s gone.¡¯ They thought she was the one who went insane and started destroying the city. A miscommunication on our part, but it worked out well for us.¡±

    Loth nodded. ¡°Judging by the previous Tangled that we killed, she¡¯s not yet been tortured to the point of insanity. We should do something,¡± Loth said.

    ¡°No.¡± Will shook his head. ¡°If I¡¯m right, she¡¯s under Contract to fight back to the best of her ability if someone tries to stop her from going to the Lord. We¡¯d have to kill her, and she¡¯d very likely spawn another Tangled mess in the process.¡±

    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Will said, his stomach sinking as he sat down. ¡°We do nothing. My sole responsibility is to my Party, and we don¡¯t have the power to sprint up to the Seventh Floor and rescue her once her Contract expires. Not in any shape or form. We would die.¡±

    Loth silently processed that.

    ¡°I gave her a chance,¡± Will said quietly. ¡°That was all I could do.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think her Contract will extend beyond her arrival on the Seventh Floor? Perhaps a term of servitude?¡±

    Will shook his head. ¡°She said it would expire. A normal Contract might have a term of servitude, but it would also include a clause where the Lord would be responsible for her well-being during that time.¡±

    ¡°Ah. The Contract would end as soon as she arrived, so they could immediately begin torturing her into a Tangled without the Lord breaking his end of the bargain.¡±

    Will nodded, staring at the floor.

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell her any of this?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°I think she might suspect already, and mentioning it to her might trigger the Contract and force her to try and kill us. Keep the secret, you know?

    ¡°I really wish I hadn¡¯t figured this out,¡± Will muttered into his palms. ¡°Would¡¯ve preferred to imagine her happy and baking nonstop on the Seventh Floor.¡±

    Loth stood beside him, and a moment later, he felt her hand on his back.

    ¡°Being intelligent¡­knowing things¡­can be painful, but it can also provide direction in a directionless existence.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Will asked, glancing up at Loth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill the Wyrd family.¡±

 Chapter 38: The Immediate Plan

    Bring him in. It seems as though it has begun again in our lifetimes. May the gods help us.

    Case file 8934: Ashwood

    They discussed Will¡¯s Build, where he was going with it, and what the possibilities might be.

    In the end, Will admitted that, while less exciting now, Sourdough could be upgraded to provide really interesting interactions with Relics, which was a cornerstone of his Build that he wanted to lean on.

    Once Will added Sourdough to his Build, he needed to go out and buy consumables.

    Before now, Will could barely afford the equipment he wore, and consumables were expensive and single-use, so the idea of buying some never crossed his mind.

    But, now that he was kitted, starting to make a lot more money at the Climbing game, he could stop a moment and buy solutions to specific problems.

    He sold the gloves of ferocity for fifteen ivory and went shopping. The other Relics he put back in his Phantom Hand for safekeeping, since they¡¯d already been earmarked to sell to rich kids who could give Will their actual value rather than haggle him down to what he knew was a fraction of their real value.

    Will stepped into a dinky little Consumable shop in Coalton, not particularly surprised to find a Jibleya manning the bar. It was a cute little rotund girl with skin shining like a berry.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± She said as Will entered, gesturing to the shelves lined with bottles of every color along with odd-looking Relics of every shape and size. Will saw a totem made with raven¡¯s skull and bones, another that was a heavy-looking cube with unsettling writing on the surface, and what sounded like faint screams resonating through his eyeballs rather than his ears. There was a piece of clay depicting a snake eating its tail that gave Will an odd feeling in his gut, along with a minitature set of dolls depicting two medics carrying a cot.

    There were tiny trees, a piece of chalk, a strangely durable soap bubble just sitting on the shelf, a barrel full of some kind of meat-pellets with a scoop and waxed bags next to it, a bag of elemental blasts a giant monster staring at him-

    As he scanned the wares, his gaze landed on an honest-to-gods troll, a humanoid creature at least eight feet tall with a reach that covered half the shop.

    Gotta have some kind of security in a place filled with this much expensive gear, Will thought to himself, but he wondered how the troll enforced security when it looked like any movement on it¡¯s part might shatter thousands of gold worth of consumables.

    He barely fit in the shop.

    Will met the Troll¡¯s gaze, and the creature started drooling.

    You know what? I¡¯m not interested in finding out.

    Instead, Will found the Health Potion section, having decided to grab one of them before anything else, because the ability to recover after a deadly mistake had proven it¡¯s worth.

    Minor Potion of Healing : 1 gold

    Stops bleeding, both internal and external. Arrests degradation due to major wounds. Seek immediate medical attention after use.

    High drain on body¡¯s resources.

    Potion of Healing: 100 gold.

    Stops bleeding and heals some wounds, starting with the ones closest to the application site.

    Medium drain on body¡¯s resources.

    Potion of Greater Healing: 10 Ivory

    Heals the majority of damage on the consumer¡¯s body. Does not heal missing limbs.

    Light drain on body¡¯s resources.

    There were more expensive ones, but Will didn¡¯t bother to look at them, since he couldn¡¯t afford them yet, and it would be cruel to wave something that could restore his hand in his face.

    If it even could restore my hand.

    If Andover couldn¡¯t do it, what were the chances a potion could?

    Will went up to the cheery Jibleya and put all his cash on the counter.

    ¡°One greater healing potion,¡± he said.

    ¡°Sure! Anything else?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Gonna look around,¡± Will said, turning back to the display cases.

    He started with the performance enhancing potions, picking out a Combat Enhancement potion

    Potion of Fury: 20 Gold.

    +10 Strength

    +10 resistance

    + 10 Kinesthetics

    Lasts ? hour.

    Heavy drain on the body¡¯s resources after expiration.

    There were more, many more, but Will was already running low on cash, and decided to check out the consumeable non-potions closer to the troll.

    The Jibleya must¡¯ve noticed that he was nervous standing within arm-length of the drooling creature, and spoke up:

    ¡°Willard, move to the other side of the shop, you¡¯re making our customer nervous.¡±

    Will gave a grateful nod as the troll lumbered past him. He could feel the very floor bow under his outrageous weight as ¡®Willard¡¯ stepped past him.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Will leaned forward and inspected what looked like an icicle of opaque blue. Even as he looked at it, waves of chilled vapor rolled off of it and off the side of the shelf.

    Shard of Primordial Ice: 15 gold

    Upon striking anything after it has been thrown, explodes and freezes everything in a 20 ft radius explosion.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Will mused, moving on, inspecting items rapid-fire.

    The tiny trees grew into bigger trees. There was a bottle of lightning, smoke bombs, seering stones, soft-body gum, a sonic attack bell that made a cone of sonic damage upon striking it.

    On the next shelf was a tiny paper tent that created a larger one, useful on other Floors. Next to it were tokens seemingly made carved out of ivory coins that cleaned and maintained your gear for you.

    There was a soul crystal that summoned a copy of whatever you could kill and put inside it.

    Will was tempted to get that one for a moment, but upon thinking about it for a while, he realized he¡¯d have to fill it, then get one summon of a creature he was weak enough to kill, and then he¡¯d have to spend a month or so feeding the remains of the crystal with Relic dust.

    Then risk his life to fill it again.

    Sure, he could probably pay someone else to kill a powerful creature to fill the crystal, but wasn¡¯t the point to spend less money, and be less reliant on others?

    It would probably be less time consuming to just buy a pre-set summoning consumable each time.

    There were edge case uses, but Will didn¡¯t think they would be a major issue.

    He moved on, landing on the shelf that he¡¯d originally spotted with the creepy metal cube.

    Will averted his eyes when the whispering in his eyes got too real.

    No, thank you.

    Whatever the cube did, it was mind-based, and Will didn¡¯t want any part of it. The bird-skull totem beside it summoned a murder of crows to assault your enemies and peck out their eyes.

    The two dolls bearing a cot were medic golems that would carry the bearer to safety to the best of their abilities, should the bearer be severely wounded.

    Will¡¯s gaze landed on the clay figurine of the snake biting its own tail.

    Clay Idol: 50 gold

    Break to summon an Immortal Serpent For 10 minutes. Obeys the user¡¯s commands. The power of the summon is restricted based on the available Miasma.

    Will went back to the counter.

    ¡°Did you make the clay circle-snake thingy?¡± Will asked, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

    ¡°It¡¯s called an ouroboros.¡± The shopkeeper said. ¡°And no, I didn¡¯t make it, my grandpappy did.¡±

    ¡°Did he use Immortal Serpent Sacrifices to do it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Maybe. We don¡¯t keep any Sacrifices in the store.¡± She clarified before Will could ask.

    ¡°Ah. I was just wondering where I could get one. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve caught sight of any information about where to get them.

    She chewed her lip in thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll grab my grandpappy. One moment.¡±

    Will tapped his feet and tried not to look scared that he was being left alone in the shop with the troll, who seemed really eager for Will to make a suspicious move and justify eating him.

    Will stopped tapping his feet, standing stock still.

    The troll gave a disappointed groan and rocked back on his heels.

    A minute later a wrinkled, no longer taut-skinned Jibleya clattered down from above. The man¡¯s shiny skin was covered in faded scars, and he was missing an eye and part of his ear.

    He smelled like a tidal wave of old.

    ¡°Whaddya want?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to ask about Immortal serpent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do. What makes you think I wanted to answer stupid questions?¡± The old man demanded.

    Will put the three remaining Ivory on the countertop and slid it over to the old man.

    ¡°Whaddya wanna know, youngin?¡± The jibleya asked, his bruised skin stretching over a wide, gap-toothed smile as he pocketed the cash.

    ¡°What are Immortal serpents, do you have any Sacrifices left I can buy, and if not, where can I find one?¡±

    ¡°Immortal Serpents¡­¡± The old man mused, his gaze flickering to the clay circle on the shelf. ¡°They¡¯re powerful demons with a stunning amount of life-force. They look like snakes, but they¡¯re huge, sapient, pissy, have magical Abilities, and they¡¯re damned near impossible to kill. I¡¯ve heard some of the more powerful ones on the highest Floors can even shapeshift and pretend to be human.¡±

    Will¡¯s brows rose.

    ¡°Can they regenerate limbs?¡±

    ¡°Well, they don¡¯t have limbs, per se, the ones who shapeshift are only faking it. But yes, they do regenerate just about any damage you deal to them in a matter of minutes. They do have some cousins that can regenerate like the hydra and axolotl.¡±

    ¡°Cousins?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re rumored to descend from the same stock. One landed in the water, one in the jungle, one the desert, when the blood of Ouroboros battling Granesh seeded the lands with scaled creatures.¡±

    ¡°And do you have any Sacrifices?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°No sir. Used the last one on that trinket over there.¡±

    ¡°Where can I find them?¡±

    ¡°You can find Immortal Serpents as Boss monsters on the seventh floor, and they presumably become more common above that Floor, but of course I¡¯ve never been.¡±

    ¡°How far did you get?¡± Will asked.

    The old Jibleya tapped the socket next to his missing eye.

    ¡°Seventh floor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s respectable,¡± Will said.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still Climbing with that missing hand.¡±

    ¡°Looking for a way to grow it back,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Respect. But wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just pay a Healer to do it for you? I¡¯ll have enough saved up for my eye by the end of the year.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Will said, thinking back to the high priest of Andover telling him that Andover couldn¡¯t give him his hand back because it belonged to the Tower now. If restoring his old hand was out of the question, then Will needed to grow a new one.

    And that meant get Aspect of the Immortal Serpent, then side-step to one of its cousins, like a Hydra or whatever the Abyss an axe-o-lot-er was.

    Just like Loth was trying to build on top of his Bullet Wasp Ability by adding a Ripley sacrifice, Will was going to build up his Aspect until he could grow back his hand.

    Or kill a lot of Hydras trying.

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re young, plenty of time to make stupid decisions,¡± The old Jibleya said, holding up his hands with a shrug. ¡°Anything else you needed?¡±

    Will scanned the surrounding eye-candy, none of which he could afford now that he¡¯d paid for information.

    ¡°More money.¡± he muttered.

    The old Jibleya broke into a chortle, tossing Will back two of his three ivory coins.

    ¡°For the laugh.¡±

    ¡°Much obliged.¡± Will said before slapping the two coins back down on the counter.

    ¡°I want the Clay Idol, the smoke bombs, one tiny tree, a bottle of lightning, a pound of the monster-attracting stink-pellets, three fireball beads, the Crawling Tar, Troll Glue, a rasp and a non-magical keg.¡±

    The Jibleya hopped to it.

    On his way back from the shop, Will spotted Travis, still at the same table he¡¯d been sitting at the last time they¡¯d seen him, just staring into the distance, a full mug of flat beer beside him.

    Surely he went to the bathroom or something, Will thought¡­though it didn¡¯t seem like it.

    Deciding to take a chance, Will went to sit down in front of Travis.

    The Master Decoy¡¯s gaze looked straight past Will for a few seconds before they seemed to focus on Will.

    ¡°Whaddya want?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I want you in my Party,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Pass,¡± Travis¡¯s gaze unfocused, looking past Will again.

    ¡°Loth and I want to kill the Wyrd Lord on the seventh Floor.¡±

    Travis¡¯s eyes brightened and he re-engaged. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because he deserves to die?¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°What we¡¯ve seen strongly suggests he¡¯s behind the deaths of tens of thousands, horrific human experimentation and the destabilization of the entire economy.¡±

    Travis waited.

    ¡°Plus if we kill him, we¡¯ll get lots of loot.¡± Will admitted.

    ¡°There it is. How do you think two noobs like you are going to kill a Lord from the Upper Floors?  Rumor has it the man¡¯s been to the twelfth Floor and back.¡±

    ¡°How? By forming a very powerful Party and making it to the top of The Tower. Should be able to snuff out Wyrd like a candle on the way back down.¡±

    Travis barked with laughter then sobered up a moment later. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re serious.¡±

    ¡°Sure am.¡± Will said.

    ¡°So your plan is¡­get strong enough to kill him?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s yours, wait until he dies of old age?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s your immediate plan?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°Carrie and I are going to do some Grinding until Loth is fully recovered, then my Party is going back to the bottom to say goodbye to our families before we tackle the Fourth Floor.¡±

    Travis¡¯s expression came alive as he began idly twirling a fork between his fingers, frowning contemplatively.

    ¡°That might work. I need to contact family outside The Tower. Back me up when I go to meet them, and I¡¯ll join your Party, for as long as your goal remains the accumulation of strength. If you decide to rest on your laurels before we are capable of killing Wyrd, I will quit.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Will said, offering his hand.

    ¡°Deal.¡± Travis said, shaking it.

    Travis Oilton has joined the party.

    Travis Oilton

    Master Decoy Level 12

    18 Strength

    36 Kinesthetics

    36 Resistance

    12 Focus

    18 Acuity

    Charges: 2/12

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Center of Attention, Taunt,

    Secondary Abilities: Mirage

 Chapter 39: Meet the Family

    William Oh is gonna smash in here like a bolt of lightning on a clear day.  He¡¯s gonna cut through your ranks like a ballista bolt through softened butter!

    You¡¯ve poked the bear. You¡¯re swimming with the hippos. You¡¯re out of your league, out of your depth, and you¡¯re gonna drown in a pool of your own blood!

    He¡¯s not gonna stand for this!

    You don¡¯t just kidnap a legend¡¯s hype man and live to tell about it! I am critical to the advancement of the story! Hey! Get that away from m¡ª

    ¡®Muffled angry noises¡¯

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    Case file 8934: Ashwood

    ¡®I don¡¯t understand. How is The Prophet on their side this time? We were far too late to bring him in because we thought he couldn¡¯t possibly be the right one. He¡¯s supposed to be warning people about the end of the world, not singing its damned praises.¡¯

    ¡®He¡¯s never been friends with one before. And five silver is five silver.¡¯

    ¡®¡­This is not a joking matter.¡¯

    Grinding on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor consisted of Flammenwulf hunting. One of the few spawns on the floor that retained its meat after the Miasma left its body.

    That and the Lava Beetles.

    Will, Travis and Carrie spent a couple days hunting the crispy critters. At first, it was a bit surprising dealing with wolves that popped and squealed like burning wood, and had a tendency to burp up fire on you, but once they got used to the creatures pack tactics, they quickly got the hang of things, turning a tidy profit on Flammenwulf meat.

    Loth¡¯s kobold minions acted as the flushers, waving big sticks with brightly colored fronds on them to startle the flammenwulf towards the three of them, at which point Travis would gain their attention long enough for Carrie and Will to execute them.

    They managed to get to level 13 in the two days it took for Loth to become fully healed.

    The relics dropped by the Flammenwulf were largely spent filling the keg full of Relic dust.

    Very little of what those creatures dropped even came close to the power of the Relics they¡¯d looted from Travis¡¯s ancestral home.

    Which was still on fire, judging by the smog to the northwest.

    So, into the keg the Relics went.

    Will spent two nights using the steel rasp to file down a single Relic into the keg, removing inch by painstaking inch of the sword¡¯s handguard, until in a moment that he didn¡¯t expect, the magic of the Relic unraveled.

    The relic instantly turned into a powdery, ash-like substance. A flask of Miasma left the Relic, but the ash itself gave off an iridescent blue miasma-like color with faint flashes of blue as it crumbled.

    There was still a little bit in there.

    Frowning, Will reached down under the relic dust and found the metal shavings from when he¡¯d been using the rasp.

    Damnit.

    Will dumped out the ash, cleaned the metal shavings out of the barrel, then went and bought himself a bolt-cutter and brought it back.

    With a single snip, - made somewhat awkward with only one hand ¨C  the next Relic collapsed into dust, filling the bottom of the keg.

    ¡°There we go.¡±

    Will fed the Relics no one wanted to¡­The Keg.

    Once he was done, Will threw a smoke bomb during one of their hunts, using Sourdough as he did so.

    When the smoke cleared, Will found a hard nodule with the same texture as the smoke bombs, lying where the smoke bomb had detonated.

    The remaining 20%.

    As he held it, Will was granted an inherent understanding of how Sourdough worked. He had three options:

    #1: Use the nodule again to receive roughly 22% the effect of a smoke bomb. A little puff of smoke.

    #2: Use Sourdough again as he used the nodule to receive 28% of a smoke bomb¡¯s effect, with no nodule remaining. A slightly bigger puff of smoke.

    #3: Bury the nodule in Relic dust to allow it to grow into a new smoke bomb, finishing in about 29?  days.

    Will buried the nodule in the Relic dust and watched as it began glowing. He held his hand over it and detected faint heat, like what might radiate off someone with a fever.

    ¡°It¡¯s working!¡±

    ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯re going to recreate a one-gold smoke bomb using several hundred gold worth of Relics over the course of a month.¡± Travis said.

    ¡°It¡¯s to restore critical consumables on the highest floors where there are no shops, Travis. You know this.¡± Loth chided.

    ¡°¡­Fine. I know that. It¡¯s just not that exciting.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t have to be,¡± Will said with a shrug, putting the top of the keg on before Loth¡¯s bugs picked it up and stacked it along the rest of their luggage.

    Loth took the Ring of Regeneration off and slipped the Wolf Pack back on, causing their luggage to go from a jog to a sprinting pace.

    She still had patches of scales that weren¡¯t the same texture as the rest of it, but internally she was completely recovered. They hadn¡¯t reached level 15 yet, but they would have to come back through the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor on the way up, so there was no reason to stay until they capped out.

    The four of them followed a bus going to the nearest Key Site, helped with the clear, and declared their intent to go down a Floor.

    Will had a bit of an issue stepping through the Door, but he muscled through it, not interested in toppling off the side of a cliff again.

    They landed in a clearing on the mountainside this time, proof that The Tower enjoyed messing with him, specifically. They cut their way through some harpies, skyhare and kaith to the nearest Stronghold, then said their goodbyes to Carrie.

    Two days later they dropped down to the 1<sup>st</sup> Floor, and a day after that, they were back in the Hunting Grounds.

    After a brief proof-of-life visit with Gertrude where he ensured that she wasn¡¯t spending his hard-earned ivory on gold-embossed habits, Will and the rest of his Party headed to the big city, further away from The Tower, in the temperate ring where the population was much more dense, attracted by the mild weather that allowed crops to grow in abundance.

    They didn¡¯t see Jason on the way out. Apparently he¡¯d been scouted as a crier for a popular printing press in The Ring and had started a career in propaganda.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Good for him¡­Reminds me of Bri¡¯s bullshit story.

    Will hoped to the gods the tale was legitimate and his younger prot¨¦g¨¦ at the orphanage hadn¡¯t been snapped up by predatory lords ever-so-eager to give disposable children valuable classes out of the goodness of their hearts.

    Hopefully his con-artist father had made him wary of promises that were too good to be true.

    Will stretched out on the crates of supplies and watched the world slide by.

    Given Loth¡¯s massive bonuses to speed and carrying capacity for any of her minions, they were able to pack up all their belongings in crates and have bugs carry them. Loth¡¯s newest barrel was far bigger than she was, wide as a man spreading his arms, and nearly as tall. The squat barrel was subdivided by biome, each layer stacked on top of the one beneath it, just like The Tower itself. There was space for new insects up to the fifth floor. Once they got past that, Loth might have to get another barrel.

    Less than an hour into their trek from Ashwood, Will had the brilliant idea to relax on top of the crates as they traveled.

    Sure, the crates were uncomfortable, splintery and jostled around a bit under him as the insects navigated uneven terrain, but with an application of his bedroll and several nails to pin it down, Will was able to make them relatively comfortable.

    Loth immediately outdid him with a silk hammock stretched between the crates, cooled by the breeze as they glided across the scenic landscape.

    Will abandoned his amateurish design for a hammock, and the two of them watched in fascination as the familiar desert landscape ever-so gradually faded into farmland and cows. Cows and the occasional merchant caravan gawking at their self-moving pile of luggage supporting three hammocks.

    Travis was not watching in fascination. His interest seemed to fade the further they got from The Tower.

    A few days later, they lazed their way through the thickest of the farmland, and farms began giving way to a more urban environment.

    It was Will¡¯s first experience with a three-story building.

    ¡°look at that,¡± Will said, tapping Loth¡¯s shoulder and pointing at the massive structure.

    ¡°That is a post office,¡± Travis said, rolling his eyes.

    ¡°A post office¡­¡± Will said, staring.

    ¡°Coool¡­¡± Loth said.

    ¡°You guys wanna see a big building?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Turn left here,¡± Travis said, pointing.

    Their hammocks swerved on the street, weaving around pedestrians and large wagons of goods drawn by enormous draft horses that took equally enormous dumps.

    Travis kept directing them for a half hour, the surrounding buildings gradually growing more and more gilt as they went.

    They came to a halt in front of a massive wrought iron gate barring entry from a mansion that looked honestly¡­a little much.

    I mean, what purpose does this enormous waste of money even serve?

    There were little statues of water-monsters spitting water into pools of water, a garden¡­tittering young women wearing robes playing tag with each other on the grass.

    On the other hand¡­I can see the appeal.

    ¡°Lady and Gentleman, this is the Oilton manor. It previously belonged to my father, Henry Oilton, but since his death, it will most likely pass on to-¡°

    ¡°Travis.¡± A voice called from the other side of the fence. It was a hollow-cheeked man of middle age. He would look like a scarecrow if he weren¡¯t also short.

    ¡°Harold Oilton,¡± Travis said, motioning to the small, but angry-looking man.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Harold asked, his voice clipped.

    ¡°I want to know where I stand with the family now that Father is dead.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡±

    ¡°I do know that. I saw it with my own eyes.¡±

    Harold let out a half-dozen muttered expletives.

    ¡°Come in, Thea and Roger are in town. We have much to talk about.¡±

    Harold unlatched the gate, stepping out of the way. ¡°Your friend and his creature can wait here.¡±

    ¡°No thanks,¡± Will said, brushing past Harold into the courtyard, scanning the beautiful environs, mentally calculating the amount of wealth he would have to have to acquire this sort of luxury.

    The numbers just kept going up, until they lost their meaning entirely.

    Harold sputtered at Will¡¯s brazen entrance but Loth and Travis didn¡¯t give him time to formulate a response.

    ¡°Brother, may I introduce William Oh, and Loth the Luminary.¡± Travis said.

    ¡°Wait¡­that Loth the Luminary?¡± Harold asked, glancing over at Will.

    ¡°That¡¯s Loth,¡± Travis said, pointing at Loth, who performed a genteel nod.

    ¡°I refuse to believe that mindless trap-lizard is a Luminary.¡±

    ¡°Believe as you wish sir, but you may regret it.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°And this kid is¡­William Oh? Never heard of him.¡±

    Will heaved a sigh of relief. Apparently Harold didn¡¯t spend much time drinking in taverns, where making up exaggerated stories about him had become something of a drinking-game.

    ¡°You have no idea how glad I am to hear that,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to Thea and Roger.¡± Travis said, leaving his middle-aged brother behind as he power-walked through the mansion, giving the rest of his party barely enough time to gawk at everything.

    Will gawked as fast and hard as he could before they were swept into a room that looked somehow wetter than any room he¡¯d ever been in before, but wasn¡¯t wet.

    ¡°It¡¯s lacquer,¡± Loth said, seemingly reading his mind as he ran his hand over the shiny wooden furniture.

    ¡°What¡¯s lacker?¡±

    ¡°Sap or bug excretions, mostly,¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Will took his hand off the smooth furniture at ¡®excretions¡¯, recategorizing ¡®lacquer¡¯ as ¡®shiny bug poop that rich people like¡¯.

    ¡°Travis, so good to see you little brother!¡± A burly man with a Climber¡¯s scars stepped around the side of the table dominating the center of the shiny room, wrapping the Master Decoy up in a hug.

    ¡°And who are these?¡± He asked, dropping the bug-eyed Travis to the floor.

    ¡°Loth the Luminary, and William Oh,¡± Will said, pointing at Loth and then himself.

    ¡°The Wiliam Oh?¡± the man presumably known as ¡®Roger¡¯ asked with a twinkle in his eye, revealing himself to be nearly seven feet tall as he stepped forward. He loomed over Will as he engulfed Will¡¯s hand with one of his own ham-hands and proceeded to shake Will¡¯s whole arm vigorously.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Roger. You¡¯ve got a nice firm grip. Strength Build?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my lowest stat actually, so I compensate with Strength Relics.¡±

    ¡°Smart. A lot of people overspecialize and it gets them killed when something unexpected happens.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I find dying unpleasant,¡± Will joked.

    ¡°This guy gets it!¡±

    ¡°Roger, we¡¯re discussing serious business here,¡± A woman just starting to show signs of aging ¨C presumably Thea ¨C  said from the other side of the table. ¡°Two shipments are overdue. Any more and we might go into default.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re definitely going into default,¡± Travis said, gaining the attention of everyone there. ¡°Oilton is gone, and our investments in other areas simply aren¡¯t enough to prevent the family from collapsing.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean gone?¡± Roger asked.

    ¡°Grab a seat.¡± Travis said, taking his own advice and pulling a shiny bug-shit chair away from the wall and sitting down.

    Over the next hour, he told his siblings who ran the family about what he¡¯d seen and done in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor, giving them time to digest their new status as common merchants rather than a Lord¡¯s Family.

    ¡°Which is why I want to ask you for your support. Money and manpower, specifically.¡± Travis concluded.

    ¡°What? You want to loot a sinking ship!?¡± Harold said.

    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s exactly it. It¡¯s only our family and the Wyrd Lord that know Oilton is gone. Let¡¯s loot the ancestral family home before our creditors can and use it to fund our sibling¡¯s Climb. Treat them like seeds for the family¡¯s future prosperity.

    ¡°And yours too, of course.¡± Thea said, thumbing her chin.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Travis said.

    ¡°That is an absolutely batshit insane plan that only a child with a fundamentally flawed view of how society works could conjure.¡± Roger said. ¡°¡­I love it. I could go to the fourth floor and give the more delicate ones a piggy-back ride through the disease-infested waters.¡±

    ¡°I could act as Liaison on the fifth floor,¡± Thea mused. ¡°I always liked it better there, anyway.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not seriously considering such drastic measures, are you?¡± Harold asked, his skeletal jaw quivering with¡­some form of emotion.

    ¡°If he¡¯s telling the truth, drastic measures are upon us. The Oilton family needs to change tack. Hard. If we¡¯re to survive.¡± Thea said.

    ¡°You think that¡­BOY is telling the truth!? He¡¯s been disowned!¡±

    ¡°I believe him. Except for the part where they weren¡¯t responsible for Oilton lighting on fire. My guess is that seeing Mark Wyrd swooping in to take our birthright pissed him off so much he lit the city on fire in protest. Probably a trap set by this one here.¡± Roger said, pointing at Loth.

    ¡°No comment,¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Besides, they¡¯re wearing some of the Relics from Father¡¯s office. He¡¯s definitely dead, and they couldn¡¯t¡¯ve done it. Story lines up.¡±

    Oops. Roger didn¡¯t seem to care they were wearing his dead father¡¯s property though. Tower loot rules, I suppose.

    ¡°So you¡¯ll fund our Climb!?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Roger said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Even with your insane proposal as inspiration, we¡¯re still going to heavily meddle in our sibling¡¯s party composition to make sure they have the best chance of success as they Climb. We want to make sure our money doesn¡¯t go to waste.

    If you want our money too, you¡¯re going to have to provide solid evidence that your Party has what it takes.¡±

    ¡°Oh, crap,¡± Travis groaned.

    ¡°Add me to your Party so I can confirm your stats.¡±

    Will glanced at Travis, who nodded.

    Roger Oilton has joined the Party

    Roger Oilton

    Rustic Brawler Level 27

    81 Strength

    40 Kinesthetics

    68 Resistance

    27 Focus

    54 Acuity

    Charges: 24/27

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Rub some Dirt On it, Tempered body

    Secondary Abilities: Entangle, Improvised Weapons

    Roger pursed his lips, scanning their stats.

    ¡°Oh my¡­you¡¯re all high performers, aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked, his gaze lingering on Will. ¡°From a pure numbers perspective, you¡¯ve got what it takes¡­Especially Mr. Oh. Twelve points per level? Fantastic...¡±

    Travis groaned, burying his head in his hands. As did his older sister.

    ¡°But numbers aren¡¯t everything! I need to see how you perform in a fight!¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s only one way to see how you fight¡­¡±As he spoke, Roger leaned down, his ham-fingers closing around a piece of bug-shit-covered furniture.

    ¡°OUTSIDE!¡± Thea screamed, pointing towards the door.

 Chapter 40: Sparring

    William Oh once fought a giant atop a mountain on its sickly brother¡¯s behalf, to regain his honor.

    He buzzed like a gnat in the giant¡¯s ear, effortlessly evading the Giant¡¯s clutches. The giant¡¯s wrath made his hair catch flame, and his wild swings shattered the mountainside, pelting William Oh with shards of stone that threatened to tear him to pieces, but William Oh tugged himself back together and turned into a lightning bolt, descending from on high to pierce the skull of the giant, smiting him back to the valley below, sending shock waves through the surrounding lands that let all who heard it know that the giant had been defeated.

    As one, the surrounding people flocked to the mountain to get their hands on the Giant¡¯s treasure, but the giants sickly brother and William Oh had already claimed the lion¡¯s share of the Giant¡¯s wealth.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    ¡®It mentions a giant and a brother. Who has William Oh had contact with who is male and has a giant sibling?¡¯

    I believe ¡®flaming¡¯ is a hint. The Oilton family is-

    ¡®Yes¡­Roger Oilton.¡¯

    ¡®William Oh is in The Ring, at or near the Oilton residence¡­send the extraction team.¡¯

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 12

    13+ 25 Strength

    36 + 4 Kinesthetics

    39 + 19 Resistance

    24 + 5 Focus

    37 Acuity

    Charges: 29/29

    Free Points: 7

    Item Abilities: Gravity Charge, +25% Charge/Kick potency, +15% movement speed, Fire Tracers, Acid Bolt, +greater acid Damage. Homefield Advantage (ice). 20% fire resistance.

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand

    Secondary Abilities: Sourdough

    Ability Upgrade Available! (X2)

    Should I dump my free points into Strength? Will thought, staring down the massive brute that had challenged him to a fight to prove his worthiness.

    Will wasn¡¯t buying that crap. He was fairly certain the guy just liked fighting.

    Nah, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference. And I wanna save my stats for when I know what my final Build will be.

    Will didn¡¯t plan on wearing platforms and a goat mask forever, regardless of how awesome it was to be able to fly on command.

    Roger Oilton was slightly better than him in every stat save Strength, which he had twice as much as Will.

    This was including stat bonuses from Relics.

    With no gear on, Will didn¡¯t even stand a chance.

    Let¡¯s see, with his strength, he can probably jump fifteen feet in the air, so¡­

    ¡°You ready?¡± Roger Oilton asked, rubbing the dirt of the courtyard between his hands like chalk. The tittering young women who had been playing tag earlier were now assembled around them, watching in fascination as their big brother was about to lay down some newbie punk.

    The words ¡®level twelve¡¯ and ¡®doomed¡¯ were being bandied about.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why this is a one-on-one, isn¡¯t this supposed to be a test of our Party?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°A Party is only as strong as it¡¯s leader, William Oh,¡± Roger said. ¡°Plus it¡¯ll give the kobold time to prepare his traps.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Loth lied from where she stood in the circle of spectators. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss this.¡±

    Will was absolutely sure her insects were setting up traps even as he spoke.

    ¡°So. Are you ready?¡±

    Will sighed. ¡°Sur-¡°

    Roger launched forward at a speed that defied his sheer bulk.

    Will started running.

    He broke through the circle of onlookers and sprinted straight for the mansion, his speed barely keeping even with Roger¡¯s thanks to his Relics.

    Will grabbed a tiny crack in the paint and hauled himself up to the overhang, kicking off a pane of glass before flipping up and over, onto the roof.

    I just need to get a height advantage, Will thought as he ran along the tiles.

    CRACK!

    Roger landed on the tiles in front of him, forcing Will to skid to a halt.

    Amulet of the Homefield Advantage.

    28/29 Charges remaining.

    The sloped roof turned into ice and Roger¡¯s feet flew out from underneath him.

    The Rustic Brawler¡¯s eyes went wide for a moment before his arm flickered down and stabbed his fingers into the ice, regaining his stability long enough to yank his boots off with his other hand.

    The Rustic Brawler¡¯s gross toenails bit down into the ice and secured his footing, and the chase was back on.

    Will did gain some ground with that, though.

    He sprinted up onto the frozen chimney, nimbly scaling the sheer ice-surface.

    That¡¯s about eight feet above him, Will thought, leaping up and off the chimney, directing his fall towards the Rusting Brawler, boot first.

    Roger grinned, and tensed his legs beneath him, launching himself straight up to meet Will in mid-air, arm cocked for a knock-out punch.

    Gravity Charge

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    27/29 Charges Remaining.

    Will targeted the Phantom Hand floating directly above him.

    Roger¡¯s eyes widened as Will began falling up, drawing him out of the Brawler¡¯s reach.

    Sourdough

    26/29 Charges Remaining.

    Will Snatched the Clay Idol off his waist and smashed it against his knee.

    Because the Miasma outside The Tower was so thin, all he got was an eight-foot-long snake with a malicious awareness to its gaze.

    Good enough.

    ¡°Distract him,¡± Will said, throwing the snake down at Roger.

    ¡°Gah!¡± Roger shouted in surprise as the snake bit down into his shoulder and deliberately wrapped its bulk around his face.

    All I need to do now is-

    A bloom of pain shot through Will¡¯s body as Roger caught a piece of clay midair and threw it through Will¡¯s torso.

    Sourdough

    25/29 Charges Remaining.

    Will¡¯s hand shook as he retrieved the Potion of Greater Healing and downed it while simultaneously moving the Phantom hand, causing him to fall to the side.

    Three more pieces of clay cut the air where he¡¯d just been as Roger threw them, completely blinded by the snake wrapped around his face.

    I thought this was a SPAR!? Will thought sourly, pulling out the Potion of Fury and yanking the cap off with his teeth.

    Might as well win, then.

    Sourdough

    24/29

    Will felt a surge of white-hot strength flood his body as he downed the potion, boosting all of his physical stats by ten and raising the speed of his Charge Ability significantly.

    Will slipped the starter back in his pocket along with the others before reorienting on the Rustic Brawler, who had just hit the roof and was tumbling down the slope, nearly out of control, the intelligent snake deliberately foiling any attempt at gaining a foothold.

    Will swooped back down towards the edge of the roof, and through some unspoken agreement, the Immortal Serpent oriented Roger so that he was falling head-first.

    ¡°Godsdamned snake, You-¡° Roger grunted as his calloused fingers tore massive chunks out of the snake which proceeded to heal in a matter of seconds.

    Will straightened his body like a javelin. The Immortal serpent moved out of the way the instant before he hit the Brawler in the jaw with his feet, just as aforementioned jaw was completely free-floating above the air.

    Will rode Roger¡¯s face all the way down into the marble courtyard, cracking the pristine stone outside the mansion as they slammed into it.

    A moment later, Amulet of the Homefield Advantage caught up and the floor turned to ice, causing many of the spectators to fall to the ground, flailing.

    Loth gave him a thumbs-up among the slipping and sliding onlookers.

    Well, he hasn¡¯t given up yet, Will thought, pulling out his Tomahawk.

    One good shot to the spine, heart or lungs should-

    ¡°I give up!¡± Roger shouted, raising a hand, his face a beaming, bloody mess.

    Will briefly considered not accepting Roger¡¯s surrender. Not when he¡¯d come that close to accidentally killing him. If one of those chunks of clay had hit the wrong spot¡­it could¡¯ve been lights-out.

    Will¡¯s hand tightened around the handle.

    ¡°Well done, Will!¡± Loth interrupted Will¡¯s murderous thoughts, patting him on the back.

    ¡°You¡¯re a slick son of a bitch who doesn¡¯t fight fair and I love it,¡± Roger said, grinning annoyingly through the blood covering his face.

    ¡°You owe me a Potion of Greater Healing,¡± Will growled as he dismissed Homefield Advantage.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Roger said with false concern as he inspected the holes in Will¡¯s shirt and the puckered wound beneath them. ¡°Oh my. Sorry, you surprised me and it kind of slipped out. I¡¯ll give you three.¡±

    Score.

    ¡°Also, you¡¯re gonna wanna take those tiles out of you, relax, take it easy and listen to some soothing music¡­you are doped to the gills right now.¡± Roger said, irritatingly peering into Will¡¯s eyes. ¡°When did that happen?¡±

    ¡°After you put a hole through me.¡±

    ¡°May, can you play him something? He¡¯s on some serious performance enhancing drugs.¡±

    One of the nearby girls nodded and fetched some kind of stupid guitar, strumming relaxing chords beside him that were almost as irritating as they were soothing. Almost.

    Will dimly caught up with the beginning of Roger¡¯s sentence and glanced down, spotting a piece of roof tile embedded in his shoulder.

    When did that get there? During the fall? Will thought, trying to reach up and remove it, but it was in his right shoulder, making it awkward. Some of the surrounding spectators shooed him away from the tile, instead plucking it out themselves.

    Strangely it didn¡¯t hurt one bit, despite going several inches into his shoulder. It barely even bled.

    Will felt like he was thinking through a fog.

    ¡°Raise your leg, Mr. Oh.¡± One of Travis¡¯s young siblings said, a moment before there was a weird scraping sensation as they tugged another roof tile out of his leg.

    Again, it didn¡¯t hurt.

    The only thing that really hurt was watching them pour expensive healing potions over the wounds without Will using Sourdough to potentially get them back in the future.

    He only thought of it moments after they¡¯d already done the deed, his thoughts swimming through syrup.

    The eight-foot Immortal Serpent slithered up beside him, staring at him with those malicious eyes.

    Is there anything more you require? The serpent seemed to ask.

    ¡°Can you get me the Relic fermentation keg?¡± Will asked, fishing the starter nodules out of his pocket.

    The snake glanced down at the nodules then nodded and retrieved the keg from their luggage.

    Will leaned over, popped the top off the keg and poked each of the starters into the iridescent Relic dust, spacing them as evenly as he could.

    He was pleased to note that the smoke bomb had regained roughly a fourth of its size over the week of travel.

    Meanwhile, Roger got a heal from an on-call priest, which restored the state of his jaw and teeth. Then the Brawler took a warm towel and wiped the blood off his face before facing off against Loth.

    He spotted Loth watching him poke his starters into the Relic dust like a farmer with his seeds. Will gave the kobold a thumbs-up and a grin through the haze of the Potion of Fury.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this will be unpleasant for you,¡± Loth said turning back to Roger. ¡°I hope that the brutalizing that you are about to receive does not color your perception of my character.¡±

    ¡°Bahahaha!¡± Roger laughed merrily.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Big Brother, it didn¡¯t set up any traps! We were watching it this entire time.¡± One of the more foolish youths shouted.

    Loth stood with her hands clasped behind her back.

    ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± she said.

    Roger took one step forward and the paper-thin, insect-hollowed marble crumbled under him, allowing his foot to plummet into the inward facing spikes on a hinge, designed to lock his foot in place.

    Roger¡¯s eyes widened a moment before a spider-silk snare whipped out from the surrounding tiles, cleverly concealed in the seams of the marble.

    The snare cinched around his head and wrist, then flung him up high, the punji trap tearing away most of Roger¡¯s foot.

    Will averted his eyes for the rest of the ¡®fight¡¯, but it sounded like a big brawler getting dragged all around the confines of the mansion, the clattering of concealed steel against marble, and lots of bugs boring holes through flesh.

    Long story short: Roger¡¯s heart stopped for two minutes, he racked up quite the debt to Andover for a ¡®spar¡¯¡­And he gained an irrational fear of Loth. Which made no sense, because she was a sweetheart.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Loth said shortly after the spar had been called, leaning over the wide-eyed Brawler as the irritating glow of Andover¡¯s light brought his foot back. ¡°You surprised me, and the traps just¡­slipped out.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s mad.¡± Travis said, nodding, arms crossed. ¡°He made her mad.¡±

    ¡°No shit,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Nobody step on the tiles filled with insects,¡± Loth said, turning to address the onlookers. ¡°Or you will die. I am currently filling most of them back in, but better safe than sorry.¡±

    ¡®Most¡¯ of them? She¡¯s definitely mad.

    Will scanned the grounds, finding a dozen or so marble tiles black with swarming insects from the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor, and nearly fifty young men and women scared to move a single step.

    Roger tested his restored foot, forced a strained laugh and gave Loth a wide berth as he approached Travis and Will, carefully testing the ground as he moved.

    ¡°Well, Travis,¡± Roger said, nervously glancing back at Loth. ¡°I can honestly say that you are way out of your league and if anything, you¡¯re not good enough for them.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± Travis said, head cocked.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve got our support. I think your Party is gonna go¡­¡± He glanced back again, keeping an eye on Loth. ¡°Far. Really, really far.¡±

    They went inside to discuss terms.

    The Oilton family¡¯s ¡®support¡¯ amounted to:

    1: Roger¡¯s guidance through the fourth Floor

    2: Thea¡¯s assistance on the fifth Floor.

    3: Lots and lots of money. A war chest large enough to fund a small army once it became necessary.

    The older Oiltons didn¡¯t have any Climbers around their level that they thought wouldn¡¯t get killed trying to keep up, so they didn¡¯t bother to suggest any blood-related support staff, but they did imply that after the 5<sup>th</sup> Floor, support staff would become much more necessary.

    Thea promised to go up to the 5<sup>th</sup> floor ahead of them and arrange for some assistance of that nature.

    All that was left was for the three of them to actually do the Climb.

    The three of them said their goodbyes and headed to a nearby inn.

    It caused Will physical pain seeing Travis pay an ivory coin for their room in the fancy inn, but Travis pointed out that they could stay in the lush inn for several years before they even made a dent in the war-chest the Oilton family had provided them.

    Still¡­

    Then Will tried the bed and all his reservations vanished as he sank into the down mattress.

    He was so comfortable, so relaxed, they had such a successful negotiation with Travis¡¯s family¡­That it made him highly paranoid.

    Something bad has to happen now. This is too easy, Will thought, eyes popping open.

    He scanned the lush room, filled with weird thick fabrics with bright colors and soft rugs that felt heavenly on his bare toes. It was all foreign to him. The luxury that should¡¯ve comforted him instead filled him with unease.

    Will grabbed a pillow and climbed under the bed, much more comfortable once he was out of line of sight.

 Chapter 41: Blue-fire Eyes

    William Oh is a master of the reverse-ambush. He once slept on a giant spring-trap and it made him breakfast in bed.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    Will¡¯s eyes snapped open to the sound of an explosion.

    In the dim starlight that filtered through the ornate windows, Will saw a steel blade sink through the mattress above directly in front of his face.

    ¡°Traps!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not here!¡±

    ZZZ

    The hiss of drawn blades and flashes of light from Abilities filled the room as Will struggled to catch up with what was going on.

    The bed bucked in place as someone was slammed violently into it.

    I can¡¯t sit this out, Will thought, cursing himself for not sleeping in full gear.

    He peeked out from under the bed and spotted Loth facing off against no less than five men wrapped in black clothes.

    Will grabbed the tomahawk under his pillow and slammed it into the heel of one of the enemies.

    The man let out a bloodcurdling shriek and Loth took the opportunity to send an attack in his direction. The beetle bored a hole through the man¡¯s shoulder before it split into five, targeting everyone who remained.

    One it killed, while the others managed to avoid it.

    One of them seemed to turn into some kind of liquid metal, causing the attack to bounce off, another simply resisted it, while another slapped the bug out of the air with their hand.

    Oh crap.

    They were already looking at where his axe had emerged from his hidey-hole.

    Will pushed his feet up against the frame of the bed and thrust, sliding himself out from under the massive four-poster as quickly as he could.

    The bed exploded into a cloud of down as three attacks eviscerated the mattress.

    One dead, three whole, one wounded, Will thought, sending his Phantom hand toward the wounded one while he danced backwards, trying to prevent them from surrounding him while giving Loth the opportunity to shoot one or more in the back.

    The wounded one fished out a potion, as one does when they¡¯ve been wounded.

    Will stole it out of the man¡¯s grip with the phantom hand as he ducked the liquid metal attacker¡¯s arm-blade.

    Phantom Hand

    25/29 Charges Remaining.

    A burst of pain traveled through Will as the speedy one unleashed a series of thrown weapons, half of which buried themselves in Will¡¯s left leg.

    Ow.

    Crack!

    The wounded one, staring at his now-empty hand, was struck in the head by Travis, dropping him twitching to the floor.

    Jingle Jangle! The decoy¡¯s distinctive tassel-covered whip drew their enemy¡¯s attention against their will, allowing William to slide out of the way of the follow-up Coup de Grace.

    ¡°Oh look, amateur assassins.¡± Travis said, his voice grating, demanding that they punch him.

    The liquid metal one swooped toward Travis, his body turning into a streamlined spike.

    The fast one¡¯s bangle glowed with Charge and the weird, star-shaped bits of metal tugged themselves out of Will¡¯s leg and flew back into his attacker¡¯s hand.

    Will gasped with pain, vision going wonky and skin turning cold as his leg started leaking like a sieve.

    Will¡¯s vision of the fast one was blocked as the bulkiest one stepped in front of him, reaching down with a ham-fist.

    I¡¯m gonna call you Bulk, Will thought, releasing the stolen potion from his Phantom Hand directly into his mouth.

    Sourdough

    24/29 Charges remaining.

    The stolen healing potion must¡¯ve had a little something extra to it, because Will felt like he was flung from a slumped sitting position into a feral, battering-at-your-face-with-an-axe attack before he even knew what was happening.

    ¡°You little-¡° Bulk grunted, his eyes widening at the sudden turnaround.

    Bulk flung Will off his face, the flurry of hits from the tomahawk bouncing off of him¡­except for the last few that nicked Bulk a little.

    ¡°He¡¯s debuffing us!¡± Fasty said, pointing at the axe.

    Will was too busy worrying about whether the dresser had broken his spine to stop Bulk from grabbing his hand and wrenching the Tomahawk out of it.

    Will used the leverage to lunge up and kicked Bulk right in his masked face.

    It didn¡¯t do much, since Will wasn¡¯t wearing shoes.

    Will¡¯s vision went white for an instant as a massive fist snapped his head to the side, the other locked around his wrist.

    Will tried to bite the man¡¯s finger¡¯s off, but just wound up getting punched and kicked around the midsection. He turtled up and tried to shield his face with his truncated arm,  but without the actual hand there wasn¡¯t much he could do to break out of the hold.

    Will thought he¡¯d turned the tables when he managed to deliver a solid kick to Bulk¡¯s crotch, but the man ¨C presumably a Tank Archetype ¨C simply grunted and continued delivering brutal strikes to any portion Will was unable to block.

    Will caught a moment between fists and launched a sling bullet directly into the man¡¯s eye from his Phantom Hand. The eye started smoking merrily as the Greater Sting Ring did its job, but Bulk didn¡¯t even seem to register it, instead slipping his fist past Will¡¯s elbow and knees to deliver a brutal punch to the side of Will¡¯s ribs.

    Creak!

    His ribs didn¡¯t break because if anything, Resourceful Climber was a tough bastard of a Class, but Will was fairly sure the bruise would be impressive.

    I need a way out of here, I need to-

    SHHHHH

    Boom!

    Bulk staggered forward violently as a thunderclap shoved him forward. In the dim light, Will could see an arrowhead emerge from Bulk¡¯s shoulder.

    Boom!

    Boom!

    Bulk released Will as he was knocked around the room by arrows had had no right to cause that much stagger, the second and third arrow lighting him on fire.

    ¡°What happened to Seven?¡± Fast asked, ducking behind some furniture while Will got some distance, sprinting towards his mask, which he¡¯d set on a cabinet rather than wear to sleep, like an idiot.

    ¡°They¡¯re gone!¡± Mercury said peering out the shattered window, mouth momentarily turning back to human to speak.

    Will had never seen anyone get shot in the jaw by exploding arrows before, nor did he want to again.

    Bulk was down, Mercury was trying to hold his jaw together, and Fast was huddled behind some furniture.

    Did the odds switch that fast? Will thought, slapping the goat mask down over his face.

    Loth caught Will¡¯s attention with a wave and pointed to Fast, then the door leading to the main hall.

    Send her there, she seemed to be saying.

    Gravity Charge.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    23/29 Charges Remaining.

    Will targeted The Phantom hand and began falling through the room at a zig-zag, both to avoid arrows and to hopefully avoid any thrown weapons from Mr. retrieve-my-thrown-weapons-bangle.

    A cluster of those metal stars flew past Will as he charged toward Fast, barely able to avoid them by narrowing his profile.

    Fast was forced out from behind the cover of the furniture by Travis, who attacked with his dual-striking shortsword, which was currently switched to offence.

    Fast ducked out of the way of the obligatory arrow from the shattered window, holding out a hand towards Will while holding off Travis with the other.

    Will only put it together Fast¡¯s aim at the last second, metal stars grazing his back as he swerved out of the way.

    Fast lunged towards Travis, who had overcommitted to offense.

    Travis reeled back desperately, parried one attack with his whip while his phantom shortsword parried the one he didn¡¯t see coming from Fast¡¯s hidden weapon in his foot.

    Will barreled forward, and simply took a throwing star to his left arm to get where he wanted to be: pushing Fast towards the door to the main hall.

    Fast caught Will¡¯s attacks, but his wrist wobbled a bit as the Serpent¡¯s axe began wearing away at his strength. He danced backwards as Travis lunged forward with a stab, then swerved out of the way of another arrow from the window.

    Fast surveyed the ruined room and bolted for the main hall.

    SNAP!

    A trap went off as Fast tried to leave the room, a simple rope whipping across the hall and shattering Fast¡¯s kneecaps.

    Will pursued, eager to take advantage of Fast¡¯s injury.

    Fast tumbled, but managed to whip out a healing potion and down it before he even touched the ground, leaping back to his feet without losing a beat.

    Damnit, Will thought, flying into the hall and beginning to chase Fast, who was sprinting past the other rooms at full speed.

    BOOM!

    An arrow shot through the wall and caught Fast in the side, shoving him violently into the wall as it exploded with thunder damage.

    Boom Boom BOOM!

    Three more arrows perforated Fast, and he burst into flames, corpse smouldering.

    ¡°¡­Well, okay then,¡± Will said, aiming to slide his axe back in his belt-loop before he realized he was in his underwear.

    Will ran back to his room, where Mercury was already dead, perforated by Loth¡¯s bugs.

    As he scanned the destruction, Will asked the obvious question.

    ¡°So¡­what was that about?¡± Will asked, plucking the throwing star out of his arm while Loth went out into the hallway.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Travis said, eyeballing the shattered window and the rooftops beyond it.

    They were on the third floor so whoever had supported them had to have been up there.

    ¡°But hey, I know a great place in the Ring to get custom underwear,¡± Travis said, pointing down at Will¡¯s homespun undies. ¡°Soft as a mother¡¯s love, perfect fit, and best of all¡­no lint.¡±

    ¡°Sold,¡± Will said, stepping out from behind the obstructing wall and giving the surroundings a wave and a thumb¡¯s up.

    He didn¡¯t know if the mystery archer would take the opportunity to kill him, but it had to be better than listening to Travis criticize his underwear.

    Part of him would rather die, while the other part knew he should take every advantage where he could get it, even if it was underwear.

    It was just his Party member¡¯s tone that made Will wanna smack ¡®em, and that was probably a side-effect of his Class¡­probably.

    Will saw a distant shape begin moving towards them from the rooftops.

    It was lightly armored, with a familiar bow over its shoulder.

    No¡­

    The figure jumped from the nearest rooftop, up and into the room.

    Yes.

    ¡°William Oh?¡± Alicia Zodiac asked, scanning Will and the rest of the room, gaze lingering on the perforated corpses with a hint of satisfaction.

    The archer had piercing blue eyes that seemed to glow with an internal light, and brilliant blonde hair in a bob-cut that nearly reached her shoulders.

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±

    She scanned him with a critical eye that made Will feel like a bug pinned to the wall.

    ¡°You¡¯ll do. I¡¯m joining your Party.¡± She said.

    Resurrection: 10000 Gold. Will remembered the price the temple of Andover quoted with a wince.

    She stared at him.

    He stared at her.

    ¡°Send me an invite.¡± She said, as one might speak to a child.

    ¡°¡­Why are you joining my Party?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen hopelessly in love with the man who saved me,¡± She said in monotone.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Father said that would work,¡± Alicia mused, staring at the ground, burning a hole in the fancy rug with her blue-flame eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to say it out loud.¡± Travis chimed in.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Alicia said, glancing up as Loth re-entered the room from the hallway.

    ¡°Drink this.¡± Loth said, offering Will a vial.

    Will uncorked it and drank.

    ¡°What did I just drink?¡± Will asked, grimacing at the acrid flavor.

    ¡°The antidote to the poison on the throwing stars,¡± Loth said, glancing up at Alicia¡¯s blue-flame eyes.

    ¡°Ah, Alicia Zodiac.¡± Loth said. Travis gasped, his eyes widening.

    ¡°Kobold.¡±

    ¡°Loth.¡± Loth said, tapping herself.

    ¡°Loth,¡± Alicia repeated quietly, her unnerving gaze lingering on Loth for a moment before returning to Will¡¯s face.

    ¡°Send me an invite.¡± She repeated.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again: Why?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Why? WHY!?¡± Travis demanded. ¡°One does not ask a Zodiac Why? Just do what she tells you!¡±

    Will didn¡¯t budge. Just waited.

    ¡°Because I died, I can no longer be a Lord, drastically diminishing my value to Father. To avoid being pushed into a political marriage, I decided to act as a liaison to William Oh¡¯s Party, seeing as many of our goals align. Including but not limited to the eradication of the Wyrd Family.¡±

    ¡°How do you know we¡¯re opposed to the Wyrd family?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re responsible for the Tangled. In your letter stapled to my coffin, you said, ¡®If yur the Lord who tried to have his Vasals feed me to yur wyrd secret arm-monster, better luck next time. If yur not¡­Were you aware another lord has wyrd arm-monster pets heer? on 2<sup>nd</sup> floor? Fud for thot¡¯

    Loth winced as Alicia spoke the letter from memory, the poor spelling somehow reflected in her speech.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already been marked for death by the Wyrd family, and given his natural inclination to oppose them, Father found it amusing to allow me to assist you in continuing to be a thorn in their side, and I found that to be preferable to being retired from Climbing.¡±

    ¡°Was this the Wyrd Family?¡± Will asked, gesturing to the assassins scattered around the room. Assassins who hadn¡¯t snapped his neck when they¡¯d had the opportunity.

    Kidnappers, perhaps? Will thought. It didn¡¯t fit the ¡®marked for death¡¯ statement made by the archer, though.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Alicia said with a shrug before her blue-flame gaze rose back to his face.

    ¡°Send me an invite.¡±

    Will shrugged and did so.

    Alicia Zodiac has joined the Party!

    Alicia Zodiac

    Devastating Artillery Level 12

    36 +12 Strength

    36 +4 Kinesthetics

    12 +3 Resistance

    24 +19 Focus

    48 +12 Acuity

    Charges: 40/43

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Rain of Arrows*, Penetrating Gaze*.

    Secondary Abilities: Giantslayer

    ¡°Why is your Resistance so low?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Taking hits isn¡¯t my job.¡± Alicia said with a shrug.

    ¡°You literally died,¡± Will pointed out.

    ¡°The Tank was bought off by Mark Wyrd. That never should¡¯ve happened.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­what if you get into a situation where you don¡¯t have a Tank?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°No rational person would Climb without a Tank,¡± Alicia said, Travis nodding enthusiastically along with her.

    ¡°¡­Right, but what if the Tank falls off a cliff, or gets thrown out of reach or¡­someone buys them off¡­as a random, nonspecific example?¡±

    Alicia¡¯s eye twitched, her lips twisting into a frown as she stared at the floor.

    She might be more sheltered than I thought, Will thought.

    ¡°Also, we don¡¯t have a Tank.¡± Will said, drawing that intense gaze back to him.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not rich?¡± Will said. ¡°Or at least I wasn¡¯t until recently. Normal people can¡¯t afford to pay others to get wounded for them.¡±

    Alicia went silent, staring at him.

    ¡°Out of curiosity, what does Penetrating Gaze do?¡± Loth changed the subject.

    ¡°I can see through walls.¡± Alicia said, her blue-fire eyes glowing in the dim light.

    That explains the glow. And how she shot Fast through the wall.

    ¡°All of you look like skeletons surrounded by ghostly flesh,¡± Alicia continued, her gaze wandering back down to the floor.

    Will¡¯s brows rose.

    ¡°More importantly, if you want to learn what these people were up to, I subdued their fire-support over there,¡± she said, pointing off towards the dim city rooftops. ¡°They¡¯re still tied up, but they seem to be trying to escape.¡±

    Will couldn¡¯t see anything through the dark and distance.

    ¡°Can you bring them here?¡± Will asked. ¡°I need to put on some clothes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing clothes!?¡± Alicia asked, her glowing eyes widening.

    ¡°Does it matter to you?¡± Will asked, cocking his head.

    ¡°He¡¯s wearing underwear, if that helps.¡± Loth offered.

    ¡°R-right. Be right back.¡± Alicia said turning away, shoulders tight.

    ¡°Travis, go help her,¡± Will said. ¡°She could die to a stiff breeze.¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± Travis said, jumping through the window after the archer.

    As soon as they were out of earshot, Will turned back to Loth.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I think the benefits outweigh the costs. I believe her father truly sent her to Climb with us in order to break her bad habits, more than he believes we pose any threat to the Wyrd family.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Will nodded along.

    ¡°Seeing how Travis leaps to kowtow to her every whim and you don¡¯t, I believe it¡¯s not simply male instinct, but drilled into him by his social status, which is apparently dwarfed by hers.  There are likely myriad ways to leverage her presence in your Party to our advantage. Association with a powerful family foremost among them.¡±

    ¡°¡­And barring everything else, her damage output is nothing to scoff at. Having her in the party would allow me to spend less Charge on direct damage and focus on my primary role of command and control.¡±

    Will snapped his fingers as a bolt of inspiration shot through him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a way to use her.¡±

    A moment later, Travis and Alicia returned with a squirming kidnapper in black, tied up with arrows through each of their limbs.

    ¡°Hi there,¡± Will said, tugging the kidnapper¡¯s mask off to reveal a plain looking man with short hair and brown eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could tell me why you attacked me in the middle of the night?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Even if I wanted to I wouldn¡¯t, you monster,¡± The man said with a surprising amount of vitriol.

    ¡°So, which church are you with?¡± Will asked, squatting down beside the man.

    The man¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°You see, you¡¯re too mad at me to be a mercenary. Too emotionally invested to be the vassal to some Lord with a grudge against me. It was personal for you, acquired through the transitive property of brainwashing¡­did I use that one right?¡± Will asked Loth, who waggled a hand with a shrug.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re not a mercenary or a Vassal, but you were sent by an organization that can fund half a dozen Climbers to kidnap one person, you must be from an organized religion. The question is, which one?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re not trying to scam me, it can¡¯t be Andover, Lumesh priests don¡¯t pick sides, so that leaves Holdna and Granesh.¡±

    At ¡®Granesh¡¯ the man¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°Okay, so what does the church of Granesh want with me?¡± Will asked, hefting his tomahawk. ¡°I can arrange for you to make it out of this alive.¡±

    ¡°To the Abyss with you,¡± the black-clothed kidnapper spat before his eyes rolled back in his head and he died.

    Will poked the body a couple times. Must have a Death Contract.

    ¡°Huh. That was odd. We should get out of here before the staff starts asking questions.¡±

    ¡°This Inn is very discreet, actually.¡± Travis said. ¡°They don¡¯t ask questions.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Huh.¡± Will shrugged. ¡°Still, we¡¯re on a time-crunch. Where¡¯s the nearest major military arm of Granesh? Where they might¡¯ve launched a kidnapping attempt from?¡±

    ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡± Loth asked with a frown.

    ¡°Infiltrating.¡± Will said with a shrug before turning back to Travis and Alicia. ¡°I¡¯ve got a job for you two.¡±

    Will grabbed a piece of paper and pen from the nearby toppled over table, jotting down his instructions for them while he and Loth figured out what was behind the attack.

    ¡°There, take care of that, and meet us on the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor.¡± Will said, handing Alicia the paper.

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t read this,¡± Alicia said.

    ¡°Because you can¡¯t see the ink?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

 Chapter 42: Infiltrator and Saboteur go for a Walk

    And lo, William Oh was delivered unto the hands of sinners, who crucified him, and on the third day, he rose again, crawling through a river of shit and coming out clean on the other side.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Hey, check this out,¡± Will said, pushing his foot against the surface of the water, which seemed to bend under his foot like he¡¯d stepped on a gelatinous sweet.

    ¡°It seems like your Ability affects surface tension,¡± Loth mused as Will pressed nearly six inches into the water before it broke and surrounded his foot.

    ¡°Does that mean I can walk on water someday?¡± Will asked.

    Loth shrugged.

    Will¡¯s amusement with the newfound ability to wiggle water with his feet didn¡¯t last long once the smell truly engulfed them.

    ¡°It¡¯s times like this I regret not getting the phantom eye,¡± Will said, trying not to gag.

    With the phantom eye he could¡¯ve done all of this with significantly less crawling through shit.

    They¡¯d briefly considered the Confidence Man technique where he simply bluffed his way into the temple, but Will wasn¡¯t exactly the smoothest, and his missing hand was a dead giveaway.

    Will wasn¡¯t that kind of Infiltrator.

    No, he was the kind of Infiltrator that got to wade through the city sewers, then squirm his way through a shit-pipe, then wait while Loth used her insects to carefully remove the toilet above them.

    Will held his arms out while Loth¡¯s insects removed the waxed onesie. Loth did the same, and they tossed the suits into the pipe before Loth¡¯s insects set the toilet back exactly where it had been before.

    The two of them were inside the Temple of Granesh, and clean to boot.

    ¡°Okay, the waxed suits were a good choice,¡± Will whispered as the two of them crept into the main hall.

    ¡°Of course they were,¡± Loth whispered back.

    It was currently the dead of night in the temple of Order. All good priests and priestesses were in bed, dreaming of fire and brimstone¡­or whatever they dreamt of.

    Will paused in the hall as a glint of green caught his eye.

    He glanced to the left, where the public would gather to join the clergy in prayer. There was a green pattern on the ground, presumably from stained glass art lit by the street lights outside.

    ¡°This way,¡± Loth whispered, tugging his sleeve.

    Will turned and followed as Loth stalked down the halls.

    They discovered the barracks, with dozens of priests sleeping off the hard work of spreading the word of Granesh and smiting whoever disagreed with them.

    They crept past it.

    The next room was a solid wooden door warded by some kind of knot of magical energy that glowed as they approached. Will was tempted to try his hand at disabling it, but he didn¡¯t want to try until they explored the rest of the temple.

    No sense triggering an alarm before they got all their options.

    Loth tugged at his shirt and pointed to a door at the far end of the hall, marked ¡®Storage¡¯

    Will nodded and the two of them crept down the hall to the door.

    The door wasn¡¯t warded magically, but it was locked. Loth fed some insects into the lock, which turned a second later.

    They crept in and Loth held out a glowbug to scan their surroundings.

    At the front of the room was normal stuff. Cleaning supplies, brooms, nails, wood, tools, etc.

    The further back the shelves went, the more esoteric things got, until the room was subdivided by a towering shelf with a ¡®Sacrifices¡¯ sign on it.

    Will and Loth glanced at each other and shrugged.

    Might as well grab something valuable while they were risking their hide like this.

    They went past the shelf and saw the other half of the room was dedicated to shelf after shelf of Sacrifices wrapped in preservatives.

    Ooh, they¡¯re organized by floor then monster type, Will thought, heading for the shelf labeled ¡®4<sup>th</sup> floor¡¯.

    Will carefully rifled through the shelf.

    Ooh, swamp witch. Elite creature from the 4<sup>th</sup> floor with powerful magical abilities. Bloodsucker, Mankeran Burrowers¡­

    Will turned and held out the jar of preserved insects to Loth.

    Loth shook his head. ¡°I want to domesticate them, not add them as Sacrifices.¡±

    Fair enough, Will thought with a shrug, turning back to the shelf. Adder, diseased lumberer, dreamcatcher vine, giant leech, not to be confused with the bloodsucker.

    Just based on the Sacrifices it offered, Will could already tell that the 4<sup>th</sup> floor was going to be an inhospitable place.

    ¡­

    Will¡¯s eyes widened.

    Relic worm!

    In the glass jar were hundreds of dead worms snarled into a disgusting mess. They were segmented, pale things with strangely glimmering mouthpieces, as if the worms had metallic mandibles.

    Which on a worm¡­doesn¡¯t make a lot of sense.

    Will set the jar in the crook of his elbow and popped it open, setting the top aside before he plunged his hand into the slimy snarl of worms.

    Mimicking what he¡¯d seen Loth do, Will held the fistful of dead worms up high, offering them to the Tower.

    Do you wish to Sacrifice Relic Worm to Phantom Hand?

    Yes.

    There was a flash of light and the relic worms were gone.

    Phantom Hand has been upgraded. Review the description for changes.

    Phantom Hand

    Passive

    Active: 1 charge.

    Gain the use of an ethereal Phantom Hand. Access a tiny amount of dimensional storage with a Charge. Sacrifice a stored Relic to gain its effect.  Relic effect and Phantom Hand¡¯s abilities scale with Acuity.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Acuity gain from items in Phantom Hand do not apply scaling to their own effect.

    Current effect:

    Ring of Insulation

    +6 focus

    +6 resistance

    +27% resistance to fire.

    Oh gods, it¡¯s every bit as awesome as I thought¡­I think?

    ¡°What was that?¡± Loth whispered, blinking her eyes.

    ¡°Found my relic worms.¡± Will said. ¡°Sacrificed them.¡±

    ¡°Warn me next time, I¡¯m seeing the shelf every time I close my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Will whispered back. ¡°By the way, if something goes from twenty to twenty-seven, what percentage is that?¡±

    ¡°Thirty-five percent.¡±

    Okay, so it was one percent improvement for each point in Acuity, and it¡¯s definitely rounded down¡­damn.

    Will had assumed the scaling would match Stat scaling, boosting the effectiveness of items by 5% per point in Acuity, but The Tower had decreed that wouldn¡¯t be so.

    It was still incredibly powerful with the right item, though, and in theory, if Will got to level 50, that would be an extra 154%, which was nothing to scoff at.

    Will dropped three free points into his Acuity, bringing it up to 40, then checked the Relic currently sacrificed to his Phantom Hand. Vindication followed a moment later:

    Ring of Insulation

    +7 focus

    +7 resistance

    +28% resistance to fire.

    Nice. Four extra stats and eight percent extra resistance. Gotta get back to work, though.

    They kept searching through the floors, paying special attention to the 7<sup>th</sup> Floor shelf, but they didn¡¯t find any Immortal Serpent, which was a bummer, but not unexpected.

    Saints

    One of the boxes on the floor up against the back of the wall was labeled strangely.

    Saints? Will thought to himself, frowning as he scanned the other two boxes on the floor.

    Bishops

    Priests

    Will motioned Loth over, and the kobold picked the lock on the Saint chest for him, and together they pried it open.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Loth whispered. ¡°The corpse fee makes sense now.¡±

    Will dug out a preserved human eyeball with careful writing on the outside of the jar.

    Maribel Johan, Reached the 14<sup>th</sup> Floor and achieved level 62 before retiring. In life, acquired powerful healing and sight-based Abilities.

    Estimated 2 focus, 2 acuity

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s creepy,¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°This is how they grow.¡± Loth whispered.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will grunted.

    ¡°Healing Abilities that can target others are rare bordering on unheard of outside of the churches. Then why do so many priests have healing abilities? Because they Sacrifice a piece of someone who did, which gets their foot in the door. Then when they eventually die, their body is divided up among the new recruits, and the cycle continues. That¡¯s why they¡¯re so desperate to get the bodies of their priests back.¡±

    ¡°Huh. You think they¡¯ll be upset if some of their ¡®saints¡¯ go missing?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Undoubtedly. I assume these powerful ¡®saints¡¯ are earmarked for nepotism.¡±

    Will clicked his tongue in disappointment.

    ¡°Wait,¡± he whispered. ¡°What¡¯s nepotism?¡±

    ¡°Favoritism based on familial relation. High-ranking members in the organization give Saint-quality Sacrifices to their sons and daughters, who go on to become very powerful and secure high ranks inside the organization, which then repeats itself ad nauseam.¡±

    ¡°At least, that¡¯s my best guess for how it plays out,¡± Loth said with a shrug. ¡°Every organization has its dynasties.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking a couple,¡± Will said, grabbing a mummified hand. ¡°I could use a backscratcher. And if it turns out that I was wrong and the Temple of Granesh wasn¡¯t after me, we¡¯ll give them back.¡±

    ¡°And if they are after you already?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Then it can¡¯t get much worse than assassin teams attacking in the middle of the night, can it?¡± Will whispered, slipping the mummified hand into one of his empty belt-holsters, the eyeball into a pouch.

    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll find out. And how are you going to use them?¡±

    ¡°Sell them to Alicia¡¯s dad, probably.¡± Will said with a shrug.

    Loth nodded. ¡°I suppose he¡¯s the only person we have any sort of connection with for whom the benefits might outweigh the costs.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Will whispered, scanning the room. ¡°Now let¡¯s go search that warded room.¡±

    Loth checked their exits and secured the barracks door shut while Will waited for her to finish. Once the kobold saboteur came back, he slashed the phantom hand through the glowing symbols on the door.

    Will let out a sigh when the wards didn¡¯t explode, summon a demon or raise an alarm, instead the magic simply ripped apart like cobwebs as his Phantom Hand tore through them.

    ¡°I love this thing,¡± Will whispered as Loth stepped forward and ¡®picked¡¯ the lock. ¡°Not as much as my left hand, but it¡¯s growing on me.¡±

    A moment later they were past the door, in a well-appointed office that reminded Will of the one he¡¯d seen in the Oilton castle.

    Shiny wooden desk, lots of letters, big, fancy chair.

    No shelves of powerful Relics and Sacrifices, but mostly the same.

    ¡°Watch the door.¡± Loth said, climbing up on the desk and rifling through the letters. She read faster than Will did. Significantly faster.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Loth grunted after skimming a handful of letters.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°They keep referring to this person called ¡®the prophet¡¯, something about the end of the world, and how our ¡®ancient enemy¡¯ is sending monsters in human form to set the stage for the final battle between good and evil. You know. Crazy person stuff.¡±

    Loth cocked her head as she read the next one. ¡°They also mention offhand about nonhumans being unclean and eliminating them being the next phase in reclaiming The Tower, right after finding The Deceivers. With a capital D.¡±

    ¡°Dicks,¡± Will whispered, turning his gaze back to the hall.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Loth whispered, climbing off the desk and peering under it.

    ¡°Ooh.¡± Loth¡¯s voice was muffled under the desk.

    Clunk.

    Will tensed at the sound, scanning the hallway.

    Nothing.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Will whispered, turning back to find a portion of the rug propped up.

    ¡°Secret door,¡± Loth said, emerging from beneath the desk to kick aside the rug and pry open the hatch, revealing a staircase descending further into the bowels of the earth.

    They closed the door to the hall, and the two of them snuck down into the darkness, navigating by the light of the glowbug.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if my nose is still burnt from the sewers, but are you smelling that?¡± Will asked as they descended. It smelled like death.

    ¡°I¡¯m seeing that,¡± Loth said, panning the glowbug over the floor, which seemed to be caked in old blood.

    In the center of the room was a corpse tied to a man-sized X suspended high in the air, seemingly tortured to death. A young man, about Will¡¯s age, height, eye and hair color, with a missing left hand that had healed a long time ago.

    Looked pretty similar too, under all the bruising.

    Will¡¯s hair rose, breathing spiked, stomach churned as he imagined the amount of suffering this¡­boy must¡¯ve gone through because of a simple case of mistaken identity. He could faintly feel every cut and burn, the rough rope against his wrists, the stickiness of his own blood drying between flesh and wood.

    Will¡¯s vision went blurry, doubling as his eyes crossed and he faintly felt like he was looking down at himself from an elevated position¡­imagining himself as the corpse strung from the ceiling, watching this slightly more fortunate echo of himself have a panic attack.

    Will doubled over, the content of his stomach that had been threatening to rebel ever since the sewers finally escaping confinement.

    ¡°I think¡­they might be after me,¡± Will gasped, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty safe bet,¡± Loth said, nodding.

    ¡°Intruders!¡± A shrill voice echoed faintly from the staircase above them. ¡°Wake up! Wake UP!¡±

    Well, that¡¯s not ideal, Will thought, glancing up at the staircase.

    If they had got caught in the hallway, they would be able to make a break for it, but since they were down here un the secret basement, the only way out was to make it up the stairs, through the office, past the barracks, which would no doubt be vomiting priests into the hallway.

    Will had no confidence that he could cut his way through those odds.

    Actually¡­secret basement, huh? Will thought, glancing around until he located the toilet room in his mental map. Then he traced the shit-pipe to the sewer, then the main sewer itself¡­

    ¡°The sewer is right there,¡± Will pointed at the wall. ¡°Break through and we¡¯re out.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have our wading gear.¡± Loth whined.

    ¡°Tough.¡±

    ¡°Easy for you to say, it¡¯s not up to your eyeballs.¡± Loth said, crossing her arms.

    ¡°They broke into the Bishop¡¯s office!¡± A faint voice called. Loth had re-concealed the hidden hatch, but the bishop would surely check it in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

    ¡°¡­Fine, but I ride on your shoulders.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    Loth pointed at the wall and one of her bugs grew massive and armored before it shot through the wall, punching a hole into the sewers.

    Four more in rapid succession and a solid kick made a hole big enough for both of them to climb through, allowing the exotic smells of the sewer to flood the church¡¯s secret torture-room.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Giving them the finger.¡± Will said, posing his dead doppleganger¡¯s hand in a clear middle-finger. ¡°I thought about taking him with us to really creep them out but I wasn¡¯t sure we could get away while carrying him.

    ¡°Ah, you forget,¡± Loth said, and Loths¡¯ insects began to swarm towards the corpse.

    ¡°Nice,¡± Will said, cutting Dead Will¡¯s restraints before patting his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re coming with us, buddy.¡±

    Dead Will gave him a grateful middle finger and a rictus grin.

    Will climbed out the hole in the wall first, landing waist deep in muck, then grabbed Loth and placed her on his shoulders.

    Dead Will followed through, suspended in midair by Loth¡¯s flying insects.

    Will glanced back and saw the bits and pieces of the busted wall floating back in place, re-sealed by Loth¡¯s swarm gluing them back together with their secretions until there was no sign the wall had ever been broken.

    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s gonna mess with their heads,¡± Will said as he waded as fast as he possibly could without splashing poop-water in his mouth.

    ¡°¡­Wait, why can¡¯t you just get your bugs to carry you!?¡± Will demanded.

    ¡°Hiyah!¡± Loth said, kicking her heels against his ribs.

 Chapter 43: Build Tweaking

    William oh once had a staring contest with Holdna. His gaze was so smoldering that the Thousand Eye Goddess was forced to blink.

    The air was quiet in Bishop Gilder¡¯s temple. The acolytes and priests tiptoed around him as he sat in the main hall, contemplating the nature of the war they were waging.

    Order against chaos. Progress against collapse.

    ¡°It seems as though we were visited by Deceivers last night.¡± Bron Gilder mused to whoever was listening. His aide was always listening, and well-trained at agreeing with everything his Bishop had to say.

    ¡°It appears that way, Bishop,¡± The aide, a young man with a scraggly beard said, nodding.

    ¡°Why do you think they took the body of their comrade?¡± Bron mused.

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me, sir?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why not?¡± Bron asked with a faint smile.

    ¡°to gain forbidden power by Sacrificing-¡°

    ¡°Nope, try again.¡±

    ¡°¡­To honor-¡°

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°¡­To strike fear into-¡±

    ¡°Almost. Listen.¡± Bron pointed to where several acolytes were clustered together, pretending to sweep the floors as they gossiped.

    Low-level youngsters never did understand exactly how good Acuity made a higher level¡¯s hearing, and Bron did nothing to convince them otherwise for moments such as these, when he wanted unfiltered gossip.

    ¡°The Deceiver came back to life in the dead of night, when its patron¡¯s profane power is strongest and slipped away like a will-o-wisp in the night!¡±

    His aide frowned.

    ¡°But they¡¯re ignoring the two wax-suits we found in the toilet. There were obviously two people who intruded from the outside, and they were surely the ones who took the corpse. It didn¡¯t just get up and walk away.¡±

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make as good a story, does it?¡± Bron asked. ¡°Oftentimes, once a good story has been born, it doesn¡¯t matter how much evidence to the contrary comes out days or weeks later. The good story will outlive and outspread the truth. Because the truth is boring. Five years from now, the commonly understood ¡®truth¡¯ will be that a corpse came back to life and escaped, and only the most pedantic scholars will bother to check the church records where we will record what actually happened.¡±

    ¡°Misinformation, then? They intended to muddy the waters?¡± his aide asked.

    ¡°A side benefit, to be sure,¡± Bron said, looking up at the stained-glass mural, where Granesh battled Ouroboros in the sky above The Tower, the manifold worlds pictured beneath them.

    The legend went that Orouboros¡¯s coils eventually grew so large and wound so tight that it forced The Tower to grow a Floor simply to contain it, and humanity suffered a major upheaval as more powerful creatures were pushed down into the lower floors.

    One day, full-blooded demons would roam the hunting ground, and the thick miasma would corrupt every living thing, causing deformities, still-birth, and painful diseases.

    Completing The Trial would become impossible, and humanity would just¡­end.

    It had become noticeably harder to complete the Trial since Bron had been a young Acolyte. Nobody else noticed it, but Bron had dug through the register of Acolytes and simply counted those who survived their Trial each year and those who had not.

    The percentage of those who died had been creeping up ever-so gradually for centuries. Since the oldest register he could find.

    And that¡¯s including modern advances in Class knowledge and Trial preparation. He thought. That should¡¯ve brought the casualties down, but they continued to creep slowly up, implying the actual challenge was rising faster than the numbers would convey.

    It might not be this year, or a thousand years hence¡­but it was coming, as slowly and inexorably as Ouroboros wound its way around The Tower.

    The proliferation of half-demon Deceivers, and Unclean half-men was just another sign that the prophesied end was marching towards them.

    High-level Climbers were replaced by shape-shifting demons on the higher floors. They would then breed with hapless humans and deliver their low-miasma-tolerant brood to orphanages before mysteriously disappearing.

    Orphans with high-level parents were the perfect cover for Deceivers, and therefore watched the most closely by the church of Granesh.

    By the church of Granesh¡¯s estimation, either Mary or Thomas Oh had long been replaced by a demon, delivering their spawn to an orphanage before the demon killed the human and disappeared into The Tower, ready to do it again.

    ¡°¡­Sir?¡± the scraggly-bearded young man asked, jolting Bron out of his musing.

    ¡°I believe whoever broke in took the body because they thought it was funny. These actions unintentionally spawned legends. I know of one Deceiver who leaves innumerable legends in his wake.¡±

    ¡°Who would that be?¡± his aide asked.

    ¡°William Oh.¡±

    His aide went quiet.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m not sure if William Oh is still alive and stole his doppleganger as a joke, or if William Oh¡¯s corpse simply had one last legend to spawn.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer to believe we didn¡¯t kill an innocent boy.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we all?¡± Bron said. ¡°Sadly, wishful thinking isn¡¯t what The Church is founded on.¡±

    ***William Oh***

    Leaving The Ring after their ¡®adventure¡¯ seemed prudent.

    Naturally they couldn¡¯t haul a slowly decomposing corpse with them everywhere they went, so they buried Dead Will on a scenic hilltop with a nice view of The Tower, then got the Abyss out of town, because the militant arm of Granesh was out in droves, spilling out of the many temples like wasps from a kicked nest.

    Standing on every corner.

    Watching.

    It made the normal populace nervous, and it made Will and Loth terrified.

    They slipped out of town in the dead of night and travelled off-road back to The Hunting Grounds, watching their backs for any sign of pursuit. They made good time thanks to Loth¡¯s insects carrying them when they tired, but for the most part they just ran.

    After they arrived, Will and Loth cleared a Key Site, and a day later, cleared another to land themselves on the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor.

    From there, they travelled to Skyhold, cutting through Kaith and harpies on their way.

    The extra levels and the outlandishly powerful gear they wore made it a simple task.

    There was a brief Roc sighting, as the mountain-sized raid boss flew with its wings highlighted by the setting sun, but thankfully for everyone involved, it was miles distant, and didn¡¯t come any closer.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Will and Loth met Travis and Alicia in a Skyhold inn. There was some confusion at first until they went to the very most expensive one, which offered creature comforts nearly as luxurious as the one in The Ring, finally finding the rest of their Party.

    ¡°Did you guys get what I asked for?¡± Will asked after greetings had been exchanged.

    ¡°Sure did. When Allen Lanover found out his son could have the opportunity to be in Alicia Zodiac¡¯s Party, he actually paid us to take Reggie¡¯s Contract.¡± Travis said, pulling out an envelope.

    Will opened it up and was immediately assaulted by dense legalese that he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of, but at the bottom was ¡®Reginald¡¯ and a brown spot of long-dried blood.

    ¡°Excellent. Wait. He paid us? With what?¡±

    ¡°A few relics, mostly for Mason, but you might like this one,¡± Travis said, holding out a cloak made of dark material that seemed to eat up the light.

    Cloak of the Fade:

    +3 Kinesthetics

    +3 Acuity

    Lowers the audiovisual effects of attacks and Abilities. Scales with Acuity.

    Raises the potency of Rogue archetype abilities by 25%

    Will compared it to his current torso Relic:

    Gladiator¡¯s Chestpiece

    +10 Strength

    +5 Resistance

    +20% to Charm ability potency while not wearing a shirt. Oils up the muscles nice and shiny.

    Will hissed through his teeth. That¡¯s a huge difference in the raw stats, but the synergy with my build is just better.

    Infiltrator fell under the Rogue Archetype umbrella, and Phantom Hand was definitely an Infiltrator Ability.

    ¡°Let me try it on,¡± Will said, unsnapping his chestpiece and throwing the cloak over his shoulders.

    Once it was on, Will tested his Phantom Hand, and saw that it was moving noticeably faster.

    He checked his imprinted item.

    Ring of Insulation

    +7 focus

    +7 resistance

    +30% resistance to fire.

    Okay, so there is a benefit. I would guess that the stat increase simply got rounded down. The extra 2% fire resistance implies I crossed from a 40% boost to a 50+% bonus. Which is higher than 43%... Which means the Cloak of the Fade actually does power-up the Relic-scaling effect from the Relic Worm.

    1.25% per Acuity rather than a flat 1%. The speed was faster, and presumably the storage volume is also increased by 25%. Can¡¯t test that without a measured container or some wooden cubes.

    All those factors together are very useful.

    But the loss of stats....

    ¡°Well?¡± Travis asked as Will mused.

    ¡°It would push me more in a rogue build direction. It synergizes really well with the Phantom Hand, which is my cornerstone, but¡­

    ¡°The stats?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°The stats!¡± Will whined. ¡°The chestpiece alone accounts for a quarter of my total Strength! I wouldn¡¯t be able to solo things as well at all.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in a Party now.¡± Travis pointed out. ¡°You don¡¯t have to solo things?¡±

    ¡°You just want to steal my clothes again,¡± Will accused.

    ¡°Just because I¡¯m immediately going to snatch up the Gladiator¡¯s Chestpiece if you choose to keep the cloak, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m trying to pressure you.¡±

    ¡°He is.¡± Alicia said.

    Will¡¯s face screwed up in thought for a moment.

    ¡°I need to go outside the city and test something out.¡±

    They travelled out into the ash lands, searching for a flammenwulf. It didn¡¯t take long until one of the snarling monsters caught their scent and closed in.

    Will swapped out the Greater Sting Ring on his real hand for his mutated Ring of Accuracy, tucking the sting ring away in his pocket.

    Ring of accuracy*

    +7 Strength

    4 degrees of correction.

    Manhunter: When a creature is struck by a projectile from the wearer, they are drawn toward the shooter along the path of the projectile. Force scales with Strength.

    His sling bullets made nearly inaudible hissing sounds as they cut through the air, released from the Phantom Hand as it travelled at full speed, far faster than he¡¯d ever been able to physically launch a bullet himself.

    The flammenwulf snarled in pain as it was slammed in the side of the ribs, then its limbs flailed as it was tugged through the air a solid five feet before the Manhunter passive from the Ring of Accuracy let go of it.

    It didn¡¯t take any damage from the tracer of fire hanging in midair that it¡¯d been drawn through, but that was because the wolf was made of flames and charcoal.

    Hmm.

    As the flammenwulf was climbing to his feet, Will released another bullet straight down from above.

    The flammenwulf yelped as it flew up into the air.

    Will released another ten shots, causing the flammenwulf to be yanked roughly thirty feet straight up. The manhunter did not specify that the target was drawn along the ground, rather that they were drawn along the path of the projectile, which meant Will could use this to move monsters whatever direction he wanted them to move.

    To the spectators, it simply looked like the flamenwulf started getting yanked around by an invisible force. Keen-eyed observers probably noticed the bullets shooting out of thin air, but it was difficult at this distance¡­

    Oh! The Cloak of the Fade is making the bullets harder to see and hear. That explains why I¡¯m shooting bullets faster than I ever have before and I can still barely hear them.

    ¡°What the Abyss are you doing?¡± Travis asked, jaw slack as he watched the Flammenwulf get yanked around in midair, as if it were being juggled by a mad giant.

    ¡°Establishing a baseline,¡± Will said.

    Moments later, the flammenwulf crumbled to ash, and Will took a deep breath and said goodbye to the Ring of Insulation.

    Dimensional Storage

    28/29

    Would you like to Sacrifice the Ring of Accuracy* to gain its effect?

    Yes.

    The Ring of Insulation¡¯s effect will be discarded. Do you still wish to Sacrifice the Ring of Accuracy*?

    Yes.

    Will shoved down the shudder as the new item slotted into the Phantom Hand, then he checked it¡¯s effect:

    Ring of accuracy*

    +10 Strength

    6 degrees of correction.

    Manhunter: When a creature is struck by a projectile from the wearer, they are drawn toward the shooter along the path of the projectile. Force scales with Strength.

    Hmm¡­

    Will dropped his last four Free Points into Acuity. He was confident that this was the path he was going to follow.

    Ring of accuracy*

    +11 Strength

    6 degrees of correction.

    Manhunter: When a creature is struck by a projectile from the wearer, they are drawn toward the shooter along the path of the projectile. Force scales with Strength.

    Once the Ring of Accuracy was consumed, Will fished the Greater Sting Ring back out of his pocket and equipped it on his real hand then checked his new stats.

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 12

    13+ 26 Strength

    36 + 7 Kinesthetics

    39 + 14 Resistance

    24 Focus

    44 + 3 Acuity

    Charges: 23/24

    Free Points: 0

    Item Abilities: Gravity Charge, +25% Charge/Kick potency, +15% movement speed, Fire Tracers, Acid Bolt, +greater acid Damage. Homefield Advantage (ice). +25% Rogue Potency, Audiovisual Dampening, Manhunter, 6 degree correction.

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand*

    Secondary Abilities: Sourdough

    Ability Upgrade Available!

    I actually gained a point of Strength by making that switch, at the cost of Focus and Resistance.

    Will had Resistance to spare, but the lower daily charges stung a bit. Still, it was nice that he was basically as melee-effective as he¡¯d been before.

    Now that the ring had been slotted into Phantom Hand, Will needed to try another Flammenwulf.

    They stalked across the ash-covered landscape, and finally found another flammenwulf of similar stature.

    Will shot it with the Phantom Hand

    The monster reacted like it¡¯d been punted by a giant, flying more than eleven feet through the air along the path of the projectile before hitting the ground and rolling in a violent tangle of limbs and spraying ash, it¡¯s midsection hollowed out by acid, due to the Greater Sting Ring¡¯s effect on the tracer.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Travis grunted.

    ¡°Does it take any effort for you to accelerate those sling bullets with Phantom Hand?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Will said, shaking his head.

    ¡°So why not a chakram¡­or a cannonball?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°¡­Mostly because it didn¡¯t fit in Phantom Hand until recently.¡± Will said, his eyes widening as the possibilities began flooding his mind. He had been limiting himself to sling-bullets to save on volume, but his storage was starting to grow large enough to accommodate more options.

    A cannonball going that fast¡­I could totally take Alicia¡¯s role in the Party.

    ¡°Are you trying to take my role in the Party?¡± Alicia whispered, staring at him with those piercing blue eyes.

    ¡°No?¡± Will said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Alicia turned away and shot her bow straight upwards with a flicker of spent Charge.

    In midair, the arrow split into several dozen, then each individual arrow split into three, creating a cloud of Death directly above them.

    Alicia looked back down at Will, expressionless, as the cloud of arrows began to fall.

    Will crossed his arms and met her gaze. This rich girl¡¯s not going to make me flinch.

    So, William Oh and Alicia Zodiac had a staring contest while death descended from above. At least I think it¡¯s a staring contest. I have no idea what this girl is thinking.

    Loth and Travis wisely moved outside the area of the volley of arrows.

    Above, the cloud of arrows seemed to coalesce into a dozen or so tight clusters as they descended.

    Will was pretty sure he didn¡¯t flinch when the arrows rained down around the two of them.

    Alicia didn¡¯t give any hint of emotion as she turned away and walked over to one of the clusters of arrows thrust into the ash.

    She grabbed several of the arrows in the center of the cluster and yanked, pulling a dead Ash-skimmer out of the ground, where it had been hiding from them.

    Will scanned the surroundings and the other dozen clusters of arrows, realizing that each of the stands of arrows was a target.

    Ash-skimmers weren¡¯t particularly dangerous, but that hadn¡¯t been the point. She was demonstrating overwhelming accuracy and firepower.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to take your role,¡± Will said, hands up in surrender.

    ¡°Oh, thank goodness.¡± Alicia said in monotone, heaving a deep breath.

    What is going on with this girl!?

 Chapter 44: Floor 4

    Leeches once stole a few drops of William Oh¡¯s rarified blood. They couldn¡¯t handle its raw power and were transformed into miniature flaming versions of him, which went on to swarm the insects themselves, shooting them out of the sky in droves and giving them a taste of their own medicine.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°This would probably work better with a rapier,¡± Will mused to himself as he buried the blade of the Serpent¡¯s Tomahawk in the salamander. The Boss of the Key Site was fifteen feet long, flaming, and peppered with arrows.

    When he swung his tomahawk, the entire blade turned partially see-through thanks to his new cloak, and the sound of it whistling through the air was muffled, except for the eerie debuffing chord, which sounded even creepier when not obscured by grunts and the hiss of slicing air.

    Still, an invisible rapier would be better because it had a longer reach and a more unpredictable attack pattern at the tip, which would lean into the partial invisibility. Will assumed that beyond 100 Acuity, his attacks would turn completely invisible, but that was still a ways off.

    The Salamander seemed to disagree, thrashing his direction, opening it¡¯s gaping maw to reveal a white-hot furnace inside its mouth, which drove Will to leap backwards.

    Travis took his turn jumping in, hacking at the monster¡¯s legs. When it turned to him, dozens of arrows peppered its side, causing it to flinch, giving him the freedom to escape while opening an opportunity for Will to jump in again.

    Around them were dozens of dead salamanders, slaughtered where they had been lazing around the Key Site, absorbing the Miasma as it was pumped up into the upper floors.

    Alicia Zodiac made things easy, which was a double-edged sword. Easier fights meant more safety for the Party, which Will was totally on board for, but on the other hand, if they got used to easy and wound up biting off more than they could chew¡­

    Will remembered the state of the rest of her Party, frozen into the ice of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Floor. Total wipe save for Mark Wyrd, who was apparently indestructible and had thorn Abilities for days, the freakin¡¯ wyrdo.

    Will still had a grudge against that guy for nearly killing Loth¡­all she did was try to kill him.

    On the other lordling front, Will had tried to have a conversation with Alicia about why her torso, amulet, and pants slots were all filled with Charm-based Relics, but every time he meant to lecture her, those eyes and that flat expression made him beat a hasty retreat.

    But I mean, come on, three slots wasted that could be used to boost her Resistance! Why!?

    ¡°Pulling back!¡± Will said as the Salamander turned back towards him.

    ¡°Five seconds!¡± Travis said, fumbling through his pouch.

    Alicia could¡¯ve killed the Salamander, but Will decided they needed practice on their teamwork.

    And now he was facing down a charging salamander with backup coming five seconds later than he wanted.

    Will sent Phantom Hand out and launched a bullet up into the salamander¡¯s jaw. Manhunter triggered and pulled the steel-melting maw down into the ground.

    The salamander¡¯s flaming tail rose into the air as the giant creature nearly flipped over entirely.

    ¡°Ready!¡± Travis said

    ¡°Tee it up!¡± Loth shouted, motioning to herself.

    Their Master Decoy shook his jangly whip and gave a mocking laugh, causing the Salamander to rear up in indignation, orienting on the source of the laugh and charge it.

    Travis sprinted towards Loth, causing the Salamander chasing him to trigger one of the kobold¡¯s traps.

    A boulder whipped into the side of the fifteen-foot Boss¡¯s head. A moment later it crumpled to the ground, dead.

    You are now a level 15 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 15

    16+ 26 Strength

    45 + 7 Kinesthetics

    48 + 14 Resistance

    30  Focus

    56 + 3 Acuity

    Charges: 29/30

    Free Points: 0

    Item Abilities: Gravity Charge, +25% Charge/Kick potency, +15% movement speed, Fire Tracers, Acid Bolt, +greater acid Damage. Homefield Advantage (ice). +25% Rogue Potency, Audiovisual Dampening, Manhunter, 6 degree correction.

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand*

    Secondary Abilities: Sourdough

    Ability Upgrade Available! (x2)

    Now that you have reached level 15, experience gain up to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor has been nerfed.

    If you wish to continue to accumulate power, you must Climb to the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor.

    Finally, Will thought, exhaling.

    ¡°Everybody level fifteen?¡± he asked.

    Travis, Loth and Alicia nodded.

    Will set aside the prompt to summon the Door to the 4<sup>th</sup> floor and joined the others in looting. Anything that didn¡¯t get put on was set aside for the Sourdough barrel. The extra Potions of greater healing he¡¯d received from Roger meant they could on average consume one a week.

    The more people he had in his party, the more he had to deal with averages, stuff like average food, bandages and pro-fil-ak-ticks per day, which Loth told him would eventually necessitate a ¡®logistics officer¡¯, or ¡®quartermaster¡¯.

    Not quite yet, though, with only four people, but once they found Mason¡¯s Party on the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor and subsumed it into their own, thing would start getting much more complex.

    Will mentally patted himself on the back for his use of ¡®subsumed¡¯ as he looted the dissolving salamanders.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Ooh. Will thought as he pulled a whip made of salamander skin coiled around a glowing core. It was merely warm to the touch, but the core of the whip visible through the straps of hide glowed like hot coals suspended in glass.

    Fire Whip.

    +3 Acuity

    +4 kinesthetics

    Adds a great amount of fire damage to any attacks made with the whip and counts as a ranged weapon for the purposes of Ranged Abilities.

    Neat.

    Will didn¡¯t have any ranged Abilities, so it was a moot point for him, but maybe Alicia would like a melee weapon that could be used with Rain of Arrows.

    ¡°Hey Will,¡± Travis motioned him over to where the boss was dissolving into miasma, leaving behind a crumbling skeleton.

    Travis leaned over and reached into the massive monster¡¯s chest cavity and pulled out a cloak seemingly made of red and black salamander skin.

    Mantle of the Yawning Forge

    +7 Resistance

    -14 Focus

    Creates an Aura of Flame based on the user¡¯s first Primary Ability. Does not harm party members.

    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Will asked.

    Travis shrugged.

    Will took off his Cloak of the Fade, and put the Mantle on over his shoulder.

    He staggered in place as the drain on his Focus dropped his Charge drastically, but straightened a moment later.

    A massive hand made of pure flames appeared around Will, unwrapping itself as though it had been clenched tight around him until just now. Will discovered that he could control it, and it even had a bit of tangible form, although it mostly just burned things when he tried to touch them.

    Will took the mantle off and handed it to Travis, who burst into flames, flickers of Travis-lookalikes floating in every direction, making it very hard to tell exactly where he was standing or even what direction he was moving.

    Decoys.

    Interesting.

    When Loth tried it on, the flame aura took on a less aggressive look, instead of raging fire, it had the calm feeling of a night by the hearth at the orphanage. Will just wanted to stuff himself with bread and nap by the fire, breed freely, coexist with people he normally wouldn¡¯t, and do whatever Loth told him t-

    ¡°You know what, That¡¯s not really a good fit.¡± Will said, tugging the mantle over Loth¡¯s horns.

    ¡°What was it doing?¡± Loth asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡±

    ¡°It drugged everyone with chill-out vibes and the urge to do whatever you tell them to do.¡± Travis said.

    ¡°I fail to see a downside.¡± Loth said, reaching for the mantle. ¡°I could definitely think of some uses for that.¡±

    ¡°I know you could,¡± Will said, keeping the mantle out of her reach.

    ¡°I almost missed the time people underestimated me constantly,¡± Loth said with a huff.

    Will glanced over at Alicia, who was silently looting dead salamanders, face expressionless as usual. Travis met his gaze and nodded towards her.

    Will took a deep breath.

    You¡¯re the Party leader. You can do this. You can talk to a girl. Even a weird one like Alicia.

    ¡°Alicia, do you wanna try this Mantle on?¡±

    Alicia¡¯s burning blue eyes turned over to him.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay, you can have it,¡± she said, her voice barely audible to his enhanced senses.

    ¡°Would you try it on?¡± he clarified. ¡°We¡¯re curious to see whose build it synergizes the best with.

    ¡°¡­what does it look like?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Back and red¡­it kind of looks like the coals in a campfire.¡±

    ¡°¡­have a shirt?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Alicia¡¯s face remained blank.

    ¡°Do you have a shirt I can use under?¡±

    Will realized that Alicia¡¯s current frilled shirt was a Relic, and in order to wear the mantle, she¡¯d have to take it off.

    Will gave her his shirt and turned his back.

    ¡°Is wearing shirts this scratchy some kind of Resistance training?¡± Alicia asked as she switched.

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m just poor,¡± Will said, facing away.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m done.¡±

    Will turned back around and watched as Alicia put on the Mantle of the Yawning forge.

    A cloud of tiny arrows made of fire sprung into existence around her, making her surroundings appear dotted with flames.

    ¡°Can you control the arrows?¡± Will asked. He¡¯d been in control of the hand, but maybe that was only because being in control of Phantom Hand was part and parcel with the Ability.

    ¡°No,¡± Alicia shook her head. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like how much Focus it costs.¡±

    On a hunch, Will took them out hunting, and as soon as a monster got within twenty feet of her, the nearest four arrows in the cloud streaked across the distance and perforated the creature, pinning it to the ground.

    With a bit more experimenting, they discovered that the arrows didn¡¯t even need her to be consciously aware of the creature for them to destroy it.

    In exchange for 14 Focus.

    That might actually be a good deal for Alicia.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Alicia said after taking it off.

    ¡°Why?¡± Will asked. ¡°It raises your Resistance, which you sorely need, and it gives you a passive defense based on your overwhelming attack power, which will go a long way towards keeping you from dying again.¡±

    ¡°Because it replaces my shirt. I need¡­Charm clothes to¡­talk to¡­people.¡±

    Will cocked his head.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­good with people,¡± Alicia said, her voice so quiet that Will almost couldn¡¯t make it out with his superhuman hearing. ¡°Charm Relics make me better at¡­it.¡±

    Will opened his mouth to tell her that was ridiculous, because Charm relics only enhance Charm abilities, of which Alicia has none, so they don¡¯t do anything for her¡­then he closed his mouth. Then he opened it. Then closed it again.

    Obviously I can¡¯t make fun of this or else we all might die, and refuting the way she feels is an exercise in stupidity.

    ¡®You can¡¯t argue someone out of feeling the way they feel. Now stop crying.¡¯

    <ul>

    <li>Gertrude, after spanking Will for making fun of Marissa for being afraid of the boogeyman.</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°I tell you what¡­¡± Will said, his Leader Brain activating. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking to us just fine this afternoon with just the pants and amulet, right?¡±

    Alicia hesitated for a moment, her eyes widening fractionally before she nodded, clutching the amulet hanging around her neck like a protective totem.

    ¡°Well, the 4th Floor is just riddled with biting insects of every shape and size. Do you like getting bit by disease-carrying mosquitos?¡±

    Alicia shook her head.

    ¡°And the nearest Stronghold on the 4<sup>th</sup> floor is going to be miles and miles of hiking through bug infested swamps. If you wear that Mantle, it will shoot all the biting insects before they get the opportunity to bite you.

    ¡°And then once we get to the stronghold with people, you can put your Charm Relic back on. What do you think?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°¡­okay.¡± Alicia said quietly. ¡°Are you mad at me? For being difficult? Your shoulder blades are tensed.¡±

    ¡°Just trying to learn how to be a Party Leader.¡± Will said, deliberately relaxing his shoulders.

    ¡°You¡¯re curling your toes,¡± She whispered.

    ¡°Do you know how to play poker?¡± Will asked, deliberately changing the subject for both of their sakes.

    Alicia shook her head.

    ¡°Well, maybe when we get to the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor Stronghold, we can teach you how to play. Pretty sure you¡¯d clean up. In the meantime, let¡¯s go buy some supplies for the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor and get our Charge topped off.¡±

    ¡­and buy me a new shirt, Will thought, before glancing over at Alicia, who was absentmindedly itching where his roughspun shirt hung on her shoulders.

    Or maybe two shirts.

    They went back to the nearest Stronghold and got rested and resupplied. They bought Will and Alicia new undershirts, spending two days to top off everyone¡¯s Charges before they accepted the Door up to the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor.

    Will stared down the glowing yellow door standing in the middle of the desolate ashlands. It still filled him with unease, but it was a manageable amount.

    He took a deep breath, and marched through.

    The change in temperature alone nearly put Will in shock, but it wasn¡¯t the only change.

    The ashlands were quiet, with the occasional distance roar or explosion from a volcano, but the ash that blanketed the ground seemed to absorb any quieter sounds, leading the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor to have a somewhat peaceful soundscape.

    Not so with the 4<sup>th</sup> floor.

    The sound of life and insects pressed in against Will¡¯s eardrums, each individual hum and whine fighting for his attention as thousands of bloodsucking insects detected his presence at the same time and began swarming closer.

    The temperature was so much cooler that Will thought he might be freezing, but the knee-deep water he was standing in didn¡¯t seem to be frozen. It was just the sudden shift from boiling-hot to body-temperature that threw him off.

    There was water everywhere. Not only was Will standing in the stuff, but it was thick in the air, invading his lungs, condensing and dripping from every branch of the surrounding trees.

    Then Alicia stepped through a Door beside him, and flaming arrows hovering around her began slicing through the air at mind-boggling speeds.

    A moment later, the sounds of insects swarming towards them had somewhat diminished, and Will had hope that they might get through the fourth floor without dying from insect-borne disease.

    Welcome to the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor!

    Miasma Acclimation: 4 days.

    It is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the Miasma acclimation period has elapsed. Side effects of doing so include fever, bulging bloodshot eyes, coughing, pustules, necrosis of the extremities, paraphilia, parasitic twin growths, and Death.

    There is a Stronghold to your North, and a Key Site in need of clearing to your West.

    Again, it is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the Acclimation period has elapsed.

    Will shifted in place to check if Loth and Travis had arrived when he felt a tugging sensation on his shin.

    Will lifted his leg to reveal an inky black worm-like creature attached to his skin, seemingly doing its best to burrow its way into his leg.

    No, wait. Six of them.

    I hate this floor already, Will thought, wielding his tomahawk.

 Chapter 45: Ambush Ethics

    William Oh¡¯s entire party caught their baptismal rotlung on the fourth floor and I swear to you, I saw him carrying all six of them on his back, plus their mounts and gear when he arrived at the Waystation. No joke, directly on his back.

    Kid must have fifteen Strength growth or something.

    <ul>

    <li>Level 18 hunter</li>

    </ul>

    After Will discovered ¡®leeches¡¯, he decided to learn how to walk on water, because that was the only way he was going to willingly step foot in the swamps ever again.

    After a bit of planning, the team broke into two groups.

    The trailblazers were Will and Loth, while Travis and Alicia followed as soon as they created a path that the two of them could follow without becoming waterlogged or being assaulted by bloodsucking insects¡­

    Which were in the air, too, by the way.

    Mostly their ¡®trailblazing¡¯ was testing half-sunken logs for sturdiness, tossing them onto the path they had taken and lashing them together with spidersilk to create tiny bridges between pockets of land where the brush grew up to a man¡¯s eye-level, fighting for space so fiercely that Will got real good at cutting brush with his tomahawk and tossing it into the stagnant water in front of and behind him.

    The first day was the worst, with the most bug-bites per person and general misery:

    Their tent was enhanced by a dome consisting of a massive spiderweb manned by hundreds of spiders.

    Half their food started growing mold because the damned vendor who promised it was 4<sup>th</sup> Floor stable? was lying his ass off, and a large portion of the people he scammed wouldn¡¯t live to kick his teeth in.

    Add it to the list of things to do.

    Alicia didn¡¯t get any bug bites at all, because any biting insect that got within twenty feet was annihilated, and while it was a superb blessing to simply stand next to their archer for extended periods of time and enjoy the lack of awfulness¡­life finds a way to make you leave your comfort zone.

    The second day was better in some ways:

    Loth tamed thousands of dragonflies overnight and deployed them to clear the path ahead of flying insects.

    The leeches still lurked in the waters below, but their Party had gotten pretty good at avoiding stepping in the water.

    Alicia was able to reliably shoot fish out of the water, which Loth¡¯s dragonflies retrieved for lunch and dinner. The first couple attempts were amusing, when her damage boosting Relics caused the fish to explode, drenching her and Travis in leeches, fish guts and muck.

    As a Party Leader, Will knew he probably shouldn¡¯t laugh at the rich kid¡¯s frozen bodies and dumbstruck faces¡­but he couldn¡¯t help it.

    Will learned his lesson, because it took many hours of cajoling by Loth to convince her to try again without the Gloves of Thunder Strike.

    ¡°Hunting food¡¯s not my job,¡± Alicia muttered, staring at the water as if it might leap up and bite her.

    ¡°Alicia, look at me.¡± Loth said, drawing the archer¡¯s attention to her.

    ¡°That stuff you were told about Jobs and Roles is bullshit. While some people might take on the brunt of a specific role, everyone should be able to do everything to a bare minimum level of competency, or your Party is incredibly brittle and likely to die when something unexpected happens¡­and if you can do something to help the Party, then you should. I can hunt, and Will can hunt, but we can¡¯t hunt and clear a trail at the same time.¡±

    They probably could, but Will wasn¡¯t going to argue with Loth¡¯s point.

    ¡°Now we know it was the gloves that caused ¡®the incident¡¯, so let¡¯s try it one more time without, okay?¡±

    Alicia glanced away from Loth, back at the water.

    ¡°¡­okay.¡±

    Alicia nocked an arrow, pulled back and loosed, sending an arrow deep into the water, the feathers barely rising above the surface of the shallow water.

    Half a dozen dragonflies converged on the fletching and grabbed the shaft, lifting the arrow out of the water.

    On the end of the arrow was a fish, already dead and limp as the arrow had severed it¡¯s spine.

    Good shot, and a nice, big fish.

    Alicia glanced at Will, who grinned back.

    Then he realized there was no way she could actually see him smile, so he gave a thumbs-up.

    Alicia¡¯s shoulder¡¯s relaxed.

    ¡°Excellent job, Miss Zodiac, that was the most fantastic shot I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Travis said, ruining everything with his brown-nosing. ¡°Why I think Holdna herself couldn¡¯t compare to-¡°

    ¡°Travis, get over here.¡± Will said, pointing to the tiny patch of roots and grass he was standing on.

    ¡°Umm¡­There¡¯s no bridge yet.¡±

    ¡°Then jump. Or wade.¡± Will said.

    Once Will had Travis away from the other two, he informed the Master Decoy that his constant praise for the easiest tasks was undermining their attempt to train Alicia to be a well-rounded Climber.

    ¡°She can tell that every word out of your mouth is total shit. I imagine she¡¯s heard people like you say things like that her entire life. So all you¡¯re doing is proving to her that she can¡¯t trust you because you¡¯re lying to her face constantly,¡± Will said.

    Tavis paled, eyes swimming as his brain caught up with his behavior.

    ¡°Now if she does something truly exceptional, feel free to gush, but I swear to Granesh, if you act like that after she shoots something ten feet away again, I will fong you, and these shoes are literally built for it.¡±

    Will tilted his mask up so Travis could see his expression.

    ¡°Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What did I ask you to do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to Ms Zodiac, and maintain a professional demeanor.¡±

    ¡°Close enough,¡± Will said, putting the mask back down.

    The next few hours were much more subdued as Travis visibly restrained himself from speaking on multiple occasions while Alicia brought in another eight fish for lunch.

    He obviously couldn¡¯t find anything to say that wasn¡¯t drivel, so he defaulted to silence, which persisted through the rest of the afternoon.

    The second day ended with them camping on a relatively dry spot, watching the stars through the bug net Loth had made for them.

    While they bedded down for the night and Loth trapped their camp, Will stared at the strange dots in the strange black sky, wondering what he contributed to their team.

    I can¡¯t kill things as good as Alicia, Can¡¯t support us as good as Loth, can¡¯t even Tank as good as Travis.

    Travis wasn¡¯t a good ¡®tank¡¯ per se, but he could attract the enemy¡¯s attention at the snap of his fingers, which was half the job.

    All Will could do was¡­go places other people had a hard time going, subsist on weeds and bark, and Will was confident he was consistently not a burden, but what did he offer?

    Will turned on his side and spotted his Sourdough barrel.

    He got up and pulled the lid off the barrel, studying the faintly glowing starters slowly absorbing the Relic dust around them as they fermented new consumables.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    This is something no one else can offer, but to really crank out the consumables, I¡¯ll need a lot more of them, or a much faster turnaround.

    Will pulled the clay Idol out of the pile of Relic dust it was submerged in, revealing that the bit of clay had grown nearly half of its original form back.

    In a couple weeks, I¡¯ll be able to use it again.

    Will sat and thought.

    The skill scales with Focus and seems to decrease the amount of consumable used by 1% for every 10 Focus. The worst scaling I¡¯ve ever heard of, but it does make sense, given that it¡¯s inherently exploitable.

    Will could easily fill the barrel with 1000 gold worth of low-quality Relics from the Hunting Grounds and submerge dozens of used-up greater healing potions for an insane profit.

    But money isn¡¯t what I want. I want Power. How can I upgrade Sourdough to become indispensable as an asset and a leader?

    Will¡¯s head felt foggy and tired trying to pay attention to everything everyone said and did, everything he said and did, but he wanted to be a good leader.

    What did ¡®a good leader¡¯ even look like?

    Will put the half-restored clay Idol back and sat down on the barrel.

    Maybe I can upgrade Sourdough to repair or reinforce non-consumeables. Or drastically improve the speed¡­or the efficiency.

    Even though he tried to distract himself with Build-candy, his mind kept drifting back to Leadership, or his lack thereof.

    Did I make Travis indignant? Is he gonna hold a grudge for me yelling at him? Is that going to cause a problem? Was it worth it?

    Will finally decided that he could deal with occasionally being the bad guy if it allowed Alicia and Travis to work together better.

    Because right now Travis wouldn¡¯t disagree with Alicia to save his life, and Alicia didn¡¯t trust a word that came out of Travis¡¯s mouth, a combination which was less than ideal.

    ¡°What¡¯cha thinking about?¡± Loth asked, appearing out of the darkness, spiders spinning a line of traps in her wake.

    ¡°What a good leader is.¡±

    ¡°¡­A good leader is someone who humbly works to line up every advantage for their team such that they appear to succeed with minimal effort.¡±

    ¡°Not a guy with shining armor defending a stronghold, bravely leading the charge against a horde of slavering monsters?¡±

    ¡°A good leader would¡¯ve culled the monster population in the years leading up to the horde, preventing it entirely.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s boring,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Yes. Yes it is.¡±

    ¡°So your advice is to be as boring as possible?¡± Will asked.

    Loth pinched his side.

    ¡°ow.¡±

    ¡°Think about the future. The consequences of your actions. Think about how to line up every possible advantage for your team, such that they can accomplish the goals you set out for them with the absolute minimum amount of effort.¡±

    ¡°I have been.¡± Will said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m terrible at it, and it¡¯s exhausting.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exhausting because you¡¯ve never thought in this way before. It¡¯s difficult, and you¡¯re learning¡­but you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Loth said. ¡°By any measurement, you¡¯ve been doing quite well for yourself, gaining the Oilton family¡¯s support, and stealing Mason¡¯s Tank out from under him with Alicia¡¯s influence.¡±

    ¡°But they did that, not me.¡±

    ¡°You sold our potential to Roger Oilton, which convinced him to fund us, and you instructed Alicia to meet the Lanover family, fully aware that they would bend over backwards for her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I couldn¡¯t¡¯ve done it without them.¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you think leadership is, exactly?¡± Loth asked, cocking her head. ¡°It does not exist in a vacuum.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Will asked.

    Loth shook her head. ¡°It means that you have to have to use the talents of others to-¡°

    ¡°No, what does ¡®vac-yoom¡¯ mean?¡±

    Loth punched him in the shoulder.

    ¡°Mutiny!¡± Will stage-whispered.

    Loth grinned and opened her mouth to say something, but instead broke into a hacking cough.

    ¡°did you inhale one of your-¡°

    Loth continued coughing, dropping down to her knees and gasping for breath between coughs.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got something in my lungs,¡± She gasped.

    Well that¡¯s not great.

    Day three was a shakeup.

    Loth had acquired some kind of infection in her lungs. No idea what it was, but to be safe, they put the ring of Regeneration on her and paid close attention. She stayed back with Travis, watching their rear and resting, carried by her insects while Alicia came up to scout the front with Will.

    The sheltered Devastating Artillery nearly fell into the leech-infested water multiple times until Will convinced her that it didn¡¯t look weird when she used her full range of motion to jump from dry patch to dry patch.

    They weren¡¯t able to pave a path quite as easily as Loth could, but Alicia¡¯s Penetrating Gaze made picking out threats before they surfaced incredibly simple.

    ¡°Have you considered scouting full-time?¡± Will asked as she landed on a gnarled tree root beside him.

    Alicia shook her head.

    ¡°Food for thought. You could be pretty good at it.¡±

    ¡°Ambush.¡± She whispered.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s five people waiting in ambush ahead of us.¡±

    Will followed her gaze and saw¡­grass.

    ¡°Do they know we know?¡±

    Alicia shrugged.

    ¡°You want me to kill them?¡± she asked, shrugging her bow off her shoulder.

    Will considered.

    If they were truly after Will¡¯s Party, then killing them instantly without a fight was a much better solution than any half-assed plan Will might think of to save his feelings.

    If they were after Will and he told her to wound them, they were still in for a fight. If he told his team to avoid the ambush, they would know their cover had been blown and find a better way to ambush them next time.

    If they were after him.

    If they were just out hunting monsters¡­that would make Will a murderer.

    What would Kyle Fontaine do?

    Will decided to err on the side of believing his team and pursuing the most advantageous choice for them, regardless of morals.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Will whispered, taking off the Cloak of the Fade, and handing it over to Alicia. If she could hit them quietly enough, they wouldn¡¯t see it coming.

    She nodded silently and switched cloaks.

    ¡°Kill ¡®em,¡± Will whispered, donning the Mantle of The Yawning Forge, using the massive flaming hand to motion for the rest of his team to catch up, making the sign for an emergency.

    Alicia aimed straight up and released an arrow with barely a whisper of sound, the Cloak of the Fade dampening its sight and sound. The arrow split into six dozen silent, partially see-through arrows at the top of its arc, the individual arrows forming clusters that gave away the enemy position as they descended.

    Alicia sent three more volleys into the air before the first one was even halfway down.

    Then she held a fifth shot, aiming low through the grass.

    All hell broke loose.

    The first volley of arrows shattered on an invisible dome in the distance, and the shouting started.

    The invisible dome shattered, and the rain of arrows continued on through, clustering in five distinct spots.

    Will was not prepared for a twelve-foot, heavily armored bear with a similarly armored rider to burst out of the grass, absolutely peppered with arrows.

    Alicia released her fifth shot straight ahead, at the rider¡¯s face.

    The rider covered his face with the blade of his axe, but Alicia¡¯s arrow split into dozens again and riddled the man¡¯s shoulders and upper chest.

    He didn¡¯t seem to care.

    ¡°Get behind Travis.¡± Will said, standing in front of Alicia.

    We¡¯re gonna have so many leeches to pluck off when this is over.

    A mass of biting insects swarmed the man¡¯s helmet as Will climbed a nearby gnarled tree, getting himself a slight height advantage.

    A pulse was emitted from the grass behind the rider, and Will watched as the dragonflies began to turn on each other, biting each other¡¯s heads off with their sharp mandibles.

    Crap, it¡¯s coming my-

    White-hot rage flooded Will¡¯s body, and nothing in the world mattered so much as punishing the first thing he laid eyes on.

    In this case, the puny rider on his puny bear. It was only a few dozen times heavier than him.

    Will launched himself off the tree straight towards the man¡¯s face, covering his approach with the flaming hand.

    The rider¡¯s axe cut through the flaming hand, barely missing Will¡¯s face as he tackled the rider, raining strikes down on the stupid man¡¯s stupid head.

    Bear-fucker must¡¯ve gotten a dose of the same thing, because he roared with fury, grabbing Will by the neck and shaking him like a ragdoll before throwing him tumbling through the air to land in the swamp.

    The bear lunged toward Alicia, seemingly following the bigger threat.

    Don¡¯t think so.

    Will sent the Phantom Hand out and shot the bear in the ass with half a dozen sling bullets.

    The bear¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as it was yanked violently back, sending it tumbling through Will¡¯s tracer lines and back into the grass from whence it came.

    Will leapt out of the water, following the creature.

    He found himself in a clearing, where another three humans were hiding.

    One had an arrow in his brain, while another was busily pulling one of Alicia¡¯s arrows out of his compatriot¡¯s heart, seemingly healing the wound as he went.

    Will went for the two Squishies, but Bear-fucker and his girlfriend leapt in Will¡¯s way, hitting him with about half the force of one of Gertrude¡¯s slaps, sending Will tumbling violently backwards twenty feet or so.

    He tried to send his flaming hand forward in his stead as he tumbled backwards, but Arrowheart held up a shaky palm and the massive flaming hand splashed against an invisible barrier.

    Will¡¯s view devolved into grass, sky and murky water, then the cold water of the swamp hit his whole body, jolting him out of his violent stupor.

    Will flung himself out of the water with a gasp, clinging to the side of a tree as he scanned the situation.

    Loth¡¯s bugs had dropped her into the swamp in their rush to kill each other, where she was struggling to swim while coughing. The little kobold wasn¡¯t tall enough to just stand.

    Travis and Alicia were trying to kill each other, but thankfully hadn¡¯t succeeded yet.

    Cannonball!

    Will launched himself off the tree and landed in the waist-deep water beside Alicia and Travis.

    Travis seemed to snap out of it, but Will was forced to scoop up some leech-infested water and fling it directly into Alicia¡¯s mouth before she blinked and started coughing violently.

    Will snapped to get their attention and pointed towards the stand of grass where their enemies were healing.

    Alicia nodded and started shooting while Travis charged.

    Will grabbed Loth and dragged her up onto land.

    ¡°My build is¡± ¨C Loth coughed violently ¨C ¡°Weak to mass debuffs, it seems.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re gone!¡± Travis said, sticking his head out of the stand of grass.

    Willl glanced at Alicia, who nodded, her piercing gaze following something no one else could see.

    ¡°They¡¯re going west, the bear and rider are carrying the rest of their Party away from us.¡±

    She drew her bow and aimed high, releasing three more volleys before clicking her tongue.

    ¡°Their barrier user isn¡¯t going to slip up again.¡±

    ¡®Do you think we should go after-¡° Travis began coughing violently, dropping down to his knees as he tried to hack up a lung.

    ¡°When did it get so cold?¡± Alicia asked, clutching herself, paler than usual.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we should go after them,¡± Will said, attending to their archer¡¯s leeches, then his own.

    When she still felt cold, Will checked her temperature and realized that she had a fever.

    Damn the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor and everything on it. we haven¡¯t even fought a real monster yet and we¡¯ve got one foot in the grave.

    ¡°We can¡¯t be-¡° Loth paused to cough. ¡°Far from the Stronghold.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a break for it, then,¡± Will said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling so great. I¡¯m giving my remaining insects instructions to carry us behind you. Just don¡¯t take off my monocle.¡± Loth said, tapping the lens before she passed out.

    ¡°Alicia, keep your eyes open for any monsters or ambushes. I¡¯ll get us the rest of the way to the Stronghold.

    She nodded, shivering.

    Loth¡¯s flying insects picked the three of them up and began following Will as he leapt forward.

    Will only stopped to loot the dead ambusher before he continued on at full speed, heading North.

 Chapter 46: Three For the Price of One

    William Oh seduced Holdna, the thousand-eyed goddess, and when when Granesh tried to kill him, he lured Granesh into the sky, where he should¡¯ve been at a disadvantage.

    In a surprise upset, he rallied Holdna¡¯s family against Granesh in a battle that raged across the skies for eons. The stars themselves supported William Oh¡¯s steps, clouding his enemy¡¯s vision, overwhelming the God of Order with sheer numbers.

    That is why the stars in the sky wink when Granesh passes by, declaring their support for William Oh.

    <ul>

    <li>Jason Salazar</li>

    </ul>

    ¡®The Abyss does that mean?¡¯

    ¡®¡­His army is growing.¡¯

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s rot-lung,¡± Steve said, listening to Travis¡¯s breathing.

    ¡°It¡¯s known as baptismal rot-lung. Most Climbers get it when they arrive, and if they survive, they don¡¯t get it again.¡±

    ¡°And how likely is survival?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°With me here? Hundred percent,¡± Steve said, his hand glowing with the blessing of Andover over Travis.

    He lifted his head and pointed at where Alicia was shivering on top of the cot.

    ¡°That is a badly infected wound¡­and rot-lung.¡± He said, moving over to the archer and listening to her breathing before he began healing her.

    ¡°Why am I fine?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Because you have freakishly high Resistance.¡± Roger said, the brawler¡¯s arms crossed from where he leaned against the wall, watching the proceedings with interest.

    ¡°What he said,¡± Steve said, pointing at Roger without looking away from where he was healing the infected scrape on Alicia¡¯s leg.

    ¡°Once these three get a few more levels under their belts, they won¡¯t get sick quite as fast, and eventually they¡¯ll be functionally immune to everything on the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor, like you.¡±

    Steve moved on to Loth whose labored breathing eased greatly as he laid his glowing hand on her chest.

    ¡°I expect they¡¯ll be ready to get back out there in about three days.¡±

    ¡°Three days!?¡± Will demanded. ¡°I thought you were magically healing them. With magic.¡±

    ¡°I am, but the sickness in their lungs is still there, and it¡¯s well-known among healers that rot-lung tends to flare back up if you don¡¯t keep on it for a few days. I have to knock it out a handful of times in a row before their body figures out the trick to fighting it off. Three days.¡±

    ¡°Stupid magic having stupid limitations,¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, are you dissatisfied with the free healing?¡± Steve demanded.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting paid: one percent.¡±

    ¡°And where¡¯s my one percent!?¡±

    Will flicked a couple ivory across the room, where Steve snatched them out of the air.

    ¡°If you want a more precise number, talk to Loth, she keeps better track of our cash.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re going to need a quartermaster soon,¡± Roger said.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Will admitted. ¡°Maybe when we have enough spare power to babysit a beancounter.¡±

    ¡°I knew a logistics specialist on the seventh floor that could spend Charges to retroactively change what supplies had been brought with us, just by changing it in her ledger. Beans to bandages, bandages to shaving cream. As long as the cost to acquire it stayed the same.¡± Roger said.

    Will¡¯s brows rose.

    ¡°She could even turn gold bars into food¡­She¡¯s dead, sadly.¡±

    ¡°And¡­what Sacrifices did she use to make her Class?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I¡¯unno.¡± Roger shrugged.

    No help at all, Will thought sourly, turning back to his Party, who were laid out in critical condition, just from the air in the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor.

    What can I do to get us off to a quick start once they¡¯re up and ready to go again?

    ¡°You look like you¡¯re trying to figure out what to do while they¡¯re on the mend,¡± Roger said, clapping Will on the shoulder.

    Will¡¯s paranoia wanted him to shrug off the hand and tell the Brawler he wasn¡¯t interested in his help, so he could go suck an egg.

    But that was silly. Roger was there to guide them through the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor. He¡¯d given them a lot of money, and his little brother was on the team. The odds he didn¡¯t have Will¡¯s best interest at heart were¡­slim.

    ¡°Matter of fact, I don¡¯t know what to do while we wait. Got any suggestions?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go hunting. I¡¯ll introduce you to the local wildlife, we can get some Loot and once the others are vertical, you can share your newfound knowledge with them.¡±

    Roger glanced back at his resting Party. ¡°The 4<sup>th</sup> floor is also where you can get some of the better ranger-class gear, as well as the best poison and disease resisting items until the thirteenth floor.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another disease floor?¡± Will asked, exasperated. He was already tired of this one.

    ¡°So I hear.¡± Roger said.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go hunting with you. But first I gotta check some loot we got off a guy who tried to assassinate us on the way in.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡± Will asked. ¡°Is it normal for a newbie team to get attacked randomly?¡±

    ¡°Its¡­more common than I¡¯d like.¡± Roger said with a shrug. ¡°The environment of the 4<sup>th</sup> floor makes a perfect dumping ground for bodies, and newbs are almost universally afflicted with rot-lung, making them easy pickings. Some veteran Climbers say it¡¯s a waste to just let them die and lose their Relics in the swamp, so they kind of¡­speed the process along.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re in the minority, right?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Officially, yes.¡± Roger said, nodding.

    ¡°Unofficially?¡±

    ¡°Still in the minority, but some Parties will kill other Parties claiming that their victims were noobs hunting. Verifying is difficult, and usually falls to the Party¡¯s reputation.¡±

    ¡°The Tower keeps track of who does what,¡± Roger said, pointing up. ¡°It gives people a practically criminal amount of leeway, but if a certain crime is repeated often and egregiously enough, they¡¯ll be given a bounty that reports to everyone what floor they¡¯re on, at which point they¡¯re basically dead meat. That¡¯s why it¡¯s not total anarchy. Nobody quite knows how many strikes they have left.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit stupid though, since you can hide from The Tower with just a mask.¡± Roger said, motioning to Will¡¯s goat mask.

    Will frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯s egregiously mean?¡±

    ¡°In a really, shockingly bad way,¡± Roger said.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Will grunted acknowledgement and went to inspect the Relics he¡¯d pried off their assailant.

    Just the boots, helmet, amulet and rings, because Will had been on a time-crunch and wasn¡¯t interested in doing a full strip while his Party¡¯s lungs were actively rotting.

    First the helmet, Will thought, inspecting the item. It was a diadem seemingly made of carved ice and moonstone.

    Diadem of Phantom Ice:

    +5 focus

    Ice effects created by the user no longer manifest physically, but ice debuffs remain.

    Triples Ice Debuff duration.

    So that would turn Ice abilities into pure debuffs in exchange for not being able to do damage shooting shards of ice or creating ice walls. It would turn an ice-based Build towards pure debuff, and allow them to work better as a crowd-control role.

    Hmm¡­

    Will rummaged through their luggage until he found Cold Harvest

    Sickle of Cold Harvest

    +2 Focus

    + 3 Strength

    2% life drain

    Applies Hoarfrost debuff to those damaged by the sickle, 5 seconds.

    (Hoarfrost: the victim¡¯s attack and movement are slowed 30% as crystals grow on their joints. The sharp crystals boost bludgeoning damage against the victim but interfere with slashing and fire damage.)

    Soft set, Will thought, putting them together. If he was reading this right, the sickle would no longer create shards of ice that made slashing damage less effective, and the debuff would last fifteen seconds rather than five.

    Fifteen seconds was a huge amount of time in a fight.

    Wait a minute.

    Will pulled another ring out of his dimensional Storage.

    Ring of Curse Concentration.

    +3 Strength

    +4 Resistance

    The duration of debuffs inflicted by the wearer are divided by a certain amount, while their effects are multiplied by a similar amount. Scales with Focus.

    Holy¡­.cow. Three-part soft set.

    Fifteen seconds was frankly more than enough time. If it got whittled back down to ten, or eight, or even 6, if the slow debuff was similarly improved it would be a net win.

    ¡­Actually, if I put the Sickle of Cold Harvest into my Phantom Hand slot, it would be eight seconds of debuff, which would then be tripled, and the 30% slow effect would become somewhere around fifty percent, base.

    ¡­Is it possible to get a slow debuff to 100%? Because that sounds fantastic.

    There were only two problems: Will¡¯s Focus wasn¡¯t the best. It wasn¡¯t bad, but it certainly wasn¡¯t great, so the ring of Curse Concentration¡¯s effect probably wouldn¡¯t be extraordinary.

    And second, he would have to throw away the mutated Ring of Accuracy, never to return again, along with the possibility of ever using the sickle of Cold Harvest, and he¡¯d have to find a different arm-slot item, because tracer fire would probably undo the cold debuff¡­

    Third problem, Will realized. I would have to take off the mask and no longer be able to fly. Which would then invalidate my footwear. And the Sting Ring.

    A complete shift in his Build design, in exchange for applying an insane slow effect and life-drain to every attack he made.

    It was very tempting, but Will decided to hold off until he checked the other items.

    The next item he checked were the boots.

    Swamp Stompers

    +2 Kinesthetics

    +3 resistance

    Increased movement speed on swampy terrain, increased footing in watery, slimy, mucky or muddy terrain. Scales with Resistance.

    +15% Ranger Archetype Passive potency

    Yes, please.

    Next.

    Will checked the amulet.

    Amulet of the frozen Heart

    +4 Focus

    +2 Acuity

    Nuker Archetype Abilities are converted to Ice damage and gain a Hoarfrost Debuff (30% Slow)

    Guess I¡¯ll see if Mason wants that.

    Ring of Mud Hardening

    +3 resistance

    +2 Acuity

    Passive: Mud under the user¡¯s feet is hardened.

    Active: 1 charge

    Hardens several cubic feet of mud into ceramic, as if it had been fired in a kiln. Scale and strength scales with Acuity.

    I can sell that.

    Sure, Will always wanted better footing, but he only had one ring slot, and the ring of Mud Hardening wouldn¡¯t make the cut. It seemed like its active would be very, very good for a potter or a golemancer.

    And the last ring.

    Ring of Consideration

    +3 focus

    Negative effects created by the wearer are resisted by party members.

    Scales with Focus.

    I could probably sell that to Mason too.

    Imagine being able to drop a fireball right on your friend¡¯s heads without them catching on fire. That was the sort of thing a Nuker might like to have.

    How close they¡¯d come to being slaughtered sank in. Alicia killed their Crowd Control before he had the chance to apply a devastating Hoarfrost effect to everyone, which would be resisted by his allies, creating a strong speed imbalance.

    Added to the berserk effect, and the healing¡­

    If he hadn¡¯t told Alicia to take the shot, they would be dead. There was no doubt in Will¡¯s mind.

    Need to get that girl some more scouting experience/relics because she could be one of the greats.

    ¡°Roger, can you join my party so I can punch you real quick?¡± Will asked, taking off his sting ring.

    ¡°Knock yourself out.¡± Roger said, joining the Party.

    Will punched the lumbering Rustic Brawler in the stomach.

    ¡°Three out of ten.¡± The giant opined on the damage.

    Will donned the Ring of Consideration and punched him again, feeling a faint tugging sensation, as though something was pulling his strike.

    ¡°one out of ten.¡± Roger said.

    ¡°Very cool,¡± Will said, pocketing the ring. The umbrella term ¡®negative effects¡¯ seemed to apply to both damaging effects and debuffs. If it was bad, it would help your Party resist it. Maybe he could give it to Mason, or maybe Alicia could use it to safely rain arrows down around them, only bruising her party members rather than skewering them.

    A very good ring for massively damaging, indiscriminate Abilities¡­

    Will sighed.

    Sadly, that will never be me.

    No matter how much experience Will got with the realities of Climbing, and how excellent his Class really was, he¡¯d always be jealous of those who could simply rain fire.

    Maybe I could fill the Phantom hand with explosives and drop them on people?

    ¡­No, it¡¯s just not the same.

    You know, speaking of Mason¡­

    Will rummaged through their luggage again for Reggie¡¯s Contract.

    There was only one Stronghold on the Fourth floor, because absolutely no one wanted to live here.

    So the chances were good that Mason¡¯s Party was in the same mud-covered, mosquito-infested town built on stilts so as not to sink into the swamp.

    ¡°Can I take care of one thing before we go hunting?¡± Will asked, twirling Reggie¡¯s contract in his fingers.

    Roger shrugged.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    In less than half an hour, Will had tracked Mason¡¯s party down to a mid-range inn with only some gaps in the walls for mosquitos to find their way in.

    Then he went for the kill.

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Mason said, his face turning red.

    ¡°You see your dad¡¯s signature at the bottom here?¡± Will said, pointing. ¡°Where it says he¡¯s giving the leaders of Alicia Zodiac¡¯s Party ¨C that¡¯s me ¨C ownership of Reginald Thatcher¡¯s Tank contract.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­umm¡­that¡¯s the paper I signed,¡± Reggie said, his eyes wide.

    ¡°I will believe you¡¯re Alicia Zodiac¡¯s party leader when Lumesh brings the Abyss up out of the ground and Ouroboros swallows The Tower.¡±

    ¡°Join my Party and you¡¯ll know.¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± June, Mason¡¯s scout said.

    June Ferrier has joined the Party

    June Ferrier

    Wilderness Traveler level 16

    32 Strength

    32 Kinesthetics

    48 Resistance

    16 Focus

    32 Acuity

    Charges:10/16

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Trailblazer, Hunter¡¯s Patience

    Secondary Abilities: Fletching

    ¡°Umm¡­wow.¡± June said, eyes wide as she read the roster of Will¡¯s Party.

    ¡°Wow what?¡± Mason asked.

    ¡°Yeah, Alicia Zodiac is in his Party. Their stats are¡­¡± June shook her head. ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°Well, where is she, then?¡± Mason demanded.

    ¡°Laid up with rotlung,¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°Until the rest of our Party gets up and running, Roger Oilton here is going to give us a tour of the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor.¡±

    ¡°Tour¡­That is true.¡± Roger said, a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®our¡¯ party?¡± Mason demanded.

    ¡°Well, since Reggie is joining my Party, I figured you would¡­wanna come with.¡± Will said with an innocent shrug. ¡°Think of it as an opportunity to become friends with Alicia Zodiac. Your dad did.¡±

    Mason¡¯s eye twitched and he glanced at Reggie.

    The large straw-haired Tank gave a guilty shrug.

    ¡°I can feel the Contract nudging me. It¡¯s real. I have to join Will¡¯s Party. And soon.¡±

    Mason gave Will a long, weighing look.

    They both knew that Mason¡¯s life expectancy depended on a Tank, especially at the lower levels. That meant that wherever Reggie went, Mason had to go.

    Steal Reggie, steal Mason. Steal Mason, and June had to follow suit to avoid being stranded alone on the 4<sup>th</sup> floor.

    Three for the price of one.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to create bad blood. If anything, I want you to be happy about this, so I¡¯ve got a signing bonus to sweeten the deal,¡± Will said, putting his hand on the table and releasing Relics from the Phantom Hand beneath his palm as he swiped it across the wood in a simple magic trick.

    He released the ring of Arcane endurance, The Ring of Consideration, the Amulet of the Frozen Heart, and the ring of Haunting Blood.

    Mason picked up the Ring of Arcane Endurance, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

    Ring of Arcane Endurance

    +8 Focus

    +5 Acuity

    Whenever the wearer enters a new combat encounter, they receive a 1-Charge buffer to spend on Abilities.

    ¡°How did you¡­nevermind, not important.¡±

    After a minute of silence, Mason reached across the table and offered his hand.

    ¡°I will accept on the condition that we get to keep these Relics, and when we reach level thirty and Reggie¡¯s contract expires, we renegotiate a more equitable relationship, else we go our separate ways.¡±

    ¡°Deal,¡± Will said, shaking Mason¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Dude, William Oh just stole your whole Party,¡± June said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Mason groaned, sitting back in his seat. ¡°We just recovered from our rot-lung, too. Damnit.¡±

 Chapter 47: Chain of Command

    William Oh was once bitten by the dreaded swamp vampire.

    After three days of agonizing pain¡­the vampire died.

    <ul>

    <li>Kenneth Peterson, level 25 Carpenter.</li>

    </ul>

    Mason Lanover has joined the Party!

    Mason Lanover

    Potent Detonator Level 16

    16 Strength

    32 Kinesthetics

    32 Resistance

    48 Focus

    64 Acuity

    Charges: 48/48

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Conflagration*, Feedback Shielding*

    Secondary Abilities: Phase Shift

    Primary Ability Upgrade Available!

    Reginald Thatcher has joined the Party!

    Reginald Thatcher

    Selfless Bulwark Level 16

    32 Strength

    0 Kinesthetics

    80 Resistance

    16 Focus

    16 Acuity

    Charges: 16/16

    Free Points: 0

    Primary Abilities: Take One for The Team*, Second Wind**,

    Secondary Abilities: Heavily Armored

    By the gods that¡¯s a lot of Resistance¡­by the gods, that¡¯s some low Acuity and Kinesthetics.

    Reggie was by all accounts, weak-willed, blind, deaf, and clumsy, but he could take a punch. Any punch. Any time.

    I thought I had good Resistance, but apparently I am on the low end of what a Tank is capable of.

    Will didn¡¯t know exactly  how best to utilize their abilities, so he decided not to flail about blindly.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, boss?¡± June asked once he got her away from the others.

    ¡°So, my understanding is that you¡¯re the Party leader?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Mason¡¯s the Party leader.¡± June said, a faint smile peeking through the scout¡¯s stoic expression.

    ¡°On paper.¡± Will said.

    June¡¯s eyes narrowed, scanning him up and down. ¡°Fine, I call the shots. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°You good at it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Out of three people? Yeah, I¡¯m the best at it.¡± June said.

    ¡°I want to create a chain of command. I want to put you in charge of Travis and Alicia, in addition to your regular Party. You¡¯ve got experience herding rich kids.¡±

    He glanced off toward Mason meaningfully.

    ¡°How are you going to get them to agree to it?¡± June asked.

    ¡°Alicia isn¡¯t particularly headstrong, just shy and withdrawn, and Travis will blindly go along with anything she does. Get her to agree to follow your lead in front of him, and you¡¯re set.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± June said, chewing her lip. He could see the coins glittering in her gaze. June was similar to Will in that she did not enjoy a particularly wealthy upbringing, and had developed a somewhat mercenary attitude towards money and life in general.

    She understood that rubbing elbows with three rich scions on a regular basis could be quite lucrative in the future, so the offer he was making her was very attractive.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the kicker. You¡¯re going to have to take orders from Loth. Can you do that?¡±

    ¡°The little black one from the Establishing Quest?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s actually really big for a kobold. But yes, that one.¡±

    June seemed to consider a moment before glancing back up at him. ¡°She good?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s some kind of freak of nature. She makes smart humans look stupid and smart kobolds look like animals. Loth is responsible for damn near all of my success.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Alright.¡± June nodded, offering him her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll wrangle the rich kids, and I¡¯ll take orders from you and Loth.¡±

    Will took it.

    ¡°Much obliged. Now let¡¯s go hunt some swamp monsters.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± June said, giving him a mock salute.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    They rejoined the others, and Will explained to Mason and Reggie that their current command structure wouldn¡¯t change, and when the rest of Will¡¯s Party were back on their feet, they would shuffle Alicia and Travis into their squad.

    Roger was nearing the end of his patience when they finally had the group organized, with June leading the group, Will ranging, Mason and Reggie tucked in close together behind the scout.

    Will switched out the Combat Platforms for the Swampstompers, and suddenly he was a lightning bolt. The layered bonuses to his footing and Aspect of the Goat literally allowed him to walk on water and pond scum, and faster than he had any right to do.

    Will delighted in the sheer speed for a while, until he noticed that Reggie was having a great amount of difficulty keeping up with the others, so he gave the Tank the Swampstompers, bringing Reggie up to speed.

    Will¡¯s reasoning was: A Tank that isn¡¯t maneuverable enough to get between his ward and the danger, was a useless Tank.

    Reggie didn¡¯t have any Ranger passives, but his Resistance was enormous, boosting the boot¡¯s effectiveness.

    The change in equipment brought Reggie from the slowest to the second fastest after Will.

    Will put on Reggie¡¯s boots until he could get back to town and grab his combat platforms again.

    Boots of the Sentinel

    +3 Strength

    +3 Resistance

    Wearer is more difficult to move against their will. Scales with Resistance.

    Sure, that would be great for a Tank, but again, if he¡¯s too busy struggling with the mud to get in front of his Party, it¡¯s a moot point.

    ¡°Hold up!¡± Roger said, holding up his hand before pointing into one of the swampy ponds, identical to every other swampy pond they¡¯d ever seen.

    ¡°Clearwater Slime.¡± Roger said, pointing at the water.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will frowned, looking at the pond, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

    ¡°You can identify them by the defined edge of scummy swamp water floating with all sorts of gunk, and then a circle of perfectly clear water.¡± Roger said, motioning with his hand.

    Will¡¯s eyes adjusted now that he knew what he was looking for.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Oh, wow.

    There was a line where the water turned perfectly clear, without any of the floating bits he¡¯d taken for granted. A massive circle, eight feet across.

    ¡°If you jumped into the water right there, it would wrap around you and start digesting your feet.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the best way to fight them?¡± June asked.

    Roger grunted.

    ¡°Typically, I jump in there and beat them to death before my legs are completely gone, but you kids might want to try a different approach. Heat works well on just about everything on the 4<sup>th</sup> floor.¡±

    ¡°Your time to shine.¡± June said to Mason.

    Mason stepped forward and a moment later, the pond erupted with scalding hot water, the slime turned milky white by the heat.

    The creature shuddered and died, and a moment later, began releasing Miasma into the air as it died.

    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Mason said, kissing the Ring of Arcane Endurance.

    ¡°Get a room you two,¡± Reggie said.

    ¡°You-¡°

    ¡°Ey, ring of the carpenter!¡± Roger said, fishing a wooden ring out of the slime¡¯s rapidly decaying corpse. ¡°Gives the ability to dry out wood. These don¡¯t sell for a lot, but they¡¯re real good for the people running Waystation.¡±

    ¡°Moving on,¡± Roger said, hauling himself out of the water and brushing off the leeches fruitlessly trying to attach to him.

    ¡°That there¡¯s a gator. It¡¯s a real animal so you can treat them like trail rations.¡±

    A few minutes later, Roger grabbed a plant out of the ground, revealing roots shaped like a human.

    Will started feeling¡­weird.

    The moment evaporated with an audible *crack*  as Roger callously broke the creature¡¯s neck with a twist of his hands before crushing it between his fingers.

    ¡°Mandrake root is the only creature that does psychic damage on this floor.¡± Roger said, rubbing the pulp all over himself. ¡°Interestingly enough, when you pulp it, the psychic damage remains at just a high enough level to kill any biting insects that get close, but not high enough to actually cause any harm to someone with a Class.¡±

    To demonstrate, Roger held out his arms and waited¡­Will was surprised to notice that insects were now actively avoiding the Rustic Brawler.

    ¡°Note that this only works for natural insects and the very weakest monsters. Bloodsuckers will still make a play for you. Speaking of,¡± Roger pointed.

    ¡°Dear gods!¡± Mason shouted as a dog-sized mosquito streaked through the air towards Mason, flying at full speed now that it¡¯s cover had been blown.

    Reggie stepped forward using his new speed to get in front of Mason and squish the creature on his tower shield, acting like a giant fly-swatter.

    ¡°Bloodsuckers like to creep up on you until they¡¯re too close to stop them.¡± He picked up one of the mangled bloodsucker¡¯s legs and showed how it looked like the same deadwood sticks that littered the swamp.

    ¡°Another thing to be cautious of: The sound from their wings only travels to the sides, not straight ahead. Some weird sound trick, I assume, but if the swamp suddenly goes quiet from a specific direction, you¡¯re probably being charged by a bloodsucker.¡±

    ¡°They also tend to hunt in packs,¡± Roger said, pointing at a bunch of sticks scattered across the swamp.

    ¡°light ¡®em up.¡± June said, drawing her bow.

    Mason nodded and dropped a Conflagration in the center of their densest cluster.

    About six bloodsuckers rose from the chaos, their cover blown.

    One went down with an arrow through its head, another two got slapped out of the air by Reggie¡¯s shield.

    Will shot the remaining three from beneath with the Phantom Hand, causing them to crash violently into the ground one after the other, massive holes bored through their torsos where they¡¯d been drawn through the tracer.

    June, Mason and Reggie paused, glancing between Will, Roger, and the three mysteriously deceased bloodsuckers.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Who did that?¡± June asked, looking more curious than anything else.

    Will raised his hand.

    ¡°Did you spend charge on it?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Phantom Hand?¡± June asked.

    ¡°It lets me steal things, mostly, but it also lets me release them wherever, and at whatever speed I want. Mostly I use it to shoot things with sling bullets from unexpected angles. I can shoot another thirty or so times before I need to spend a charge to reload.¡±

    They were in his Party now, so Will was willing to share the rough outline of what the Phantom Hand was capable of. Definitely wasn¡¯t going to tell them about the Relic slot exploit, though. That was between Will and Loth.

    ¡°Dimensional storage?¡± Mason asked, eyes wide.

    ¡°About a third of a gallon,¡± Will approximated with his hands. ¡°I got a couple healing potions, rings, and about three dozen bullets.

    Will hadn¡¯t had time to get custom ammunition created yet, and his current build didn¡¯t really need it yet either. Maybe when they hit the fifth floor.

    ¡°And Aspect of the Goat?¡± June asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a passive. Better footing, environmental resistance, and I can eat pretty much anything organic.¡±

    June nodded, seemingly considering for a moment before opening up.

    ¡°Hunter¡¯s Patience increases the potency of shots the longer I hold them, and it¡¯s got a surprising amount of knock-on effects with non-shooting actions. Trailblazer is enhanced movement, endurance and senses in the wild, and also allows others who follow behind me to benefit from a fraction of its effects.¡±

    Trailblazer and Aspect of the Goat could be cousins, Will thought.

    ¡°Fletching is fletching?¡± Will asked.

    June nodded. ¡°I¡¯m hoping it will lead to making magical arrows.¡±

    ¡°It can,¡± Roger said, nodding.

    ¡°Take One for the Team lets me mark a Party member, and whenever they get hit, I take the damage instead.¡± Reggie offered, jumping in now that they were introducing their builds to each other.

    ¡°Does that damage bypass your Resistance?¡± will asked.

    ¡°Be pretty awful if it did. No, I get hit with the raw force, not the actual damage, so I might just get scratched by something that would tear Mason in half.¡±

    ¡°Second Wind is an active that gives me stamina back. I¡¯ve upgraded it twice, so now it gives me health and draws aggro as well.¡±

    Will nodded.

    ¡°Heavily Armored makes heavy armor lighter, and currently grants plus two Kinesthetics for each heavy armor Relic I¡¯m wearing,¡±

    Helmet, torso, hands, legs, boots, so¡­+10 with a full setup? Not bad, especially because his natural Kinesthetics growth is pretty shameful.

    ¡°Conflagration makes an explosion, Feedback Shielding gives me shields based on the amount of damage I deal, and Phase Shift lets me change damage types where necessary.¡± Mason said.

    I imagine that was necessary on the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor, Will thought to himself.

    Once they were done introducing their builds and talking strategy, they turned to looting the giant mosquitos. The bloodsuckers didn¡¯t have any good loot. A few gold spawned, along with bags of blood, nonmagical items and a torso relic that looked like a pair of bloodsucker wings that reduced the sound one made when chasing a target, but none of them wanted or needed it.

    Will wasn¡¯t disappointed, because Roger Oilton seemed determined to run them smack dab into the worst the 4<sup>th</sup> floor had to offer.

    ¡°F¡¯ckin¡¯ adders,¡± Roger muttered, tugging the deathly poisonous snake¡¯s fangs out of his bare leg and tossing it off into the swamps.

    ¡°Oh, you see that brown patch over there?¡± he said, pointing. ¡°There¡¯s a fungal bloom. Don¡¯t go over there unless you enjoy getting strapped into a table and having mycelium physically removed from your body. And that¡¯s for Will and Reggie. The rest of you kids probably wouldn¡¯t make it back.¡±

    Roger frowned, thumbing his chin.

    ¡°Am I forgetting something?¡±

    Dozens of mycelium-streaked corpses of various creatures lurched out of the water around them, creating a semi-circle designed to push them towards the Bloom.

    ¡°Right, the ambush.¡± Roger nodded knowingly as the undead began lurching towards them.

    June glanced at Will.

    He nodded to the right flank of the semicircle. It led away from the bloom, towards more dry-ish land than the middle or left flank.

    ¡°Mason, clear a path,¡± June said, pointing. ¡°Reggie, lead the way.¡±

    BOOM!

    The encircling zombies were scattered by the explosion, and Reggie charged through with a deep roar while the rest of them followed.

    Will and June shot enemies as they closed in, while Roger just jogged alongside Mason with a bemused expression, like someone telling new people their favorite story.

    They arrived at the tiny patch of dry land, the fungal zombies slowly chasing them stretched into a more manageable line rather than an encirclement.

    ¡°They¡¯ll try to pull you back towards the bloom, but fortunately, it¡¯s a lot easier to fend them off from this angle.

    ¡°Un fortunately,¡± Roger said, glancing over his shoulder at a nearby gnarled stump. ¡°You drew us into another encounter.¡±

    As if it¡¯d been waiting for his words, the lump of gnarled wood, moss and gunk began to move, creating a twelve-foot tall, vaguely humanoid shape dripping with muck.

    If it were me¡­

    ¡°Mason, clear our backside asap. We¡¯ll keep the Lumberer busy.¡±

    Mason nodded and turned away. Will liked the directions June gave. It was best not to be flanked while fighting, and Mason could burn some of his prodigious Charge to clear behind them, making sure they were only fighting one thing in one direction.

    ¡°Fire to the rear!¡± Mason shouted before going mad on the shambling corpses following them, his explosions coming so fast together that they sounding like a frantic heartbeat that shook the earth itself.

    Zzzzzzz.

    What is that? Will detected a sound underneath the explosions. A strange droning that seemed to ¨C Oh, crap!

    Some of the moss covering the lumberer sloughed off, revealing a wasp¡¯s nest that interlaced through a large portion of the plant-monster¡¯s body.

    The insects poured out of their nests, forming a cloud of angry insects, wondering what had disturbed their home.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a lumbering hive.¡± Roger said, nodding. ¡°Those are tough.¡±

    Gravity Charge

    29/30 Charges remaining

    Will leapt off the ground and sailed through the air toward the lumbering hive.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°Crowd Control!¡± Will shouted an instant before he hit the cloud of wasps surrounding their aggressive home.

    He¡¯d gotten the idea when Roger had pointed out how weak insects were to psychic damage.

    As he felt angry wasps flood his world, Will directed a Charge through the Tomahawk of the Serpent.

    28/30 Charges remaining

    A haunting chord played through the tomahawk, and the insects surrounding him burst into smoking ruins and tumbled to the ground as the greater Sting Ring piggybacked on the 20ft AOE of psychic damage, killing the vast majority of the swarm in one hit.

    Will¡¯s feet hit slimy wood, nearly slipping for a heartbeat before he caught himself

    He stood on top of the lumberer and scanned the battlefield.

    Another group of monsters had joined the fun. They were pale, swamp-dwelling humanoids with brilliant red arm-width tongues that extended up to ten feet out of their emaciated, naked bodies.

    The tip of the tongue seemed to have three rows of shark-like teeth that all faced inward, designed to saw into their victim¡¯s flesh and extract as much blood as possible.

    ¡°Swamp Vamps are smart enough to follow a Party for miles to catch them at their most vulnerable! When a Party accidentally catches two encounters simultaneously, that¡¯s their favorite time to strike!¡±  Roger bellowed above the din, roaring with laughter.

    The lumberer didn¡¯t seem to realize that Will was on top of it, seemingly focused on Reggie, who was preparing to receive a strike on his massive tower shield.

    ¡°leave this to me!¡± Will shouted, pointing at Mason, who was fending off vamps with his stick-arms, pale blue shimmers of shielding protecting him for the moment.

    Will¡¯s first thought was to shoot the lumberer a few dozen times and remove it from combat entirely, but he decided against it.

    It was, as it¡¯s name suggested, rather slow, and Reggie was able to get out from under its strike with plenty of time to spare.

    This gave Will an idea.

    From the back of the lumberer, Will used the Phantom Hand to shoot two swamp vamps , drawing them directly beneath the lumberer¡¯s massive fist.

    Squish!

    If being drawn through Will¡¯s tracer-fire hadn¡¯t killed them, the lumberer¡¯s earth-shaking strike definitely did.

    Will shot another vampire, kicking it up into the air and flinging it straight into the lumberer¡¯s face.

    The vampire, in agonizing pain, clawed the slimy wooden creature as it struggled to right itself.

    BOOM!

    Will¡¯s footing bucked as the lumberer smacked the vampire on itself like someone might slap a (non-monster) mosquito, creating a splotch of blood where the vampire¡¯s engorged tongue exploded

    The lumberer seemed to stare at the squished vampire for a moment as if processing this new turn of events. It turned slightly to the side, away from Reggie and company and towards the thickest knot of the pale human corpses, raising its fists to squish these new annoyances.

    Will gave the vampires a jaunty wave from atop the lumberer¡¯s back.

    In a matter of seconds, the vampires who survived the lumberer¡¯s wrath retreated, slinking back under the water and disappearing into the muck.

    Once the four of them could switch their attention to just the lumberer it was only a matter of time before the hulking monster was destroyed.

    ¡°Nothing gets the blood pumping like a good ambush, eh, kids?¡± Roger asked, hands on his hips in the center of a pile of dead vamps.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got something wrong with your brain,¡± June said what they were all thinking.

    ¡°They cut some mycelium out of it a few years back,¡± Roger said, taking a deep breath. ¡°Gods I love the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor!¡±

 Chapter 48: Grandâ€¦ish Strategy

    ¡°Oh yeah? Well, William Oh invented the chain of command, which he then used to strangle a  supposedly ¡®immortal¡¯ cyclops who could only be wounded by metaphor. Top that.

    <ul>

    <li>Mack Daniels, level 30 Climber</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Roger said, cocking his head to the side for a moment before he turned and dove into the murky water just beside them.

    A moment later, the oversized Rustic Brawler emerged from the water, struggling with an eel larger than a man. It looked¡­pissed.

    ¡°Dragon Eel!¡± Roger shouted over the thrashing of water. Will detected a shift in the creature¡¯s throat an instant before Roger yanked it¡¯s head to the side.

    A torrent of acid erupted from its mouth and sailed off into the distance, landing among the weeds of the swamp, which immediately began to smoke.

    ¡°These things make some of the best leather Relics this side of the seventh floor! Most of your Party are lightweights so it¡¯s worth seeing what this guy drops.¡±

    Crack!

    Roger snapped the monster¡¯s neck and threw it up on the dry path, climbing out of the waist-deep water, idly brushing off leeches.

    Miasma began to flicker and unravel, rising from the corpse of the monster in a way that almost looked like smoke, if the smoke had been alive.

    The corpse¡¯s finely scaled leather mummified before evaporating, leaving nothing but bones in a matter of seconds.

    Inside the dragon eel¡¯s  torso were dark brown, nearly black leather leggings. Only on very close inspection was one able to see the tiny scales of the eel embedded in the leather, lending it extra strength.

    Ranger¡¯s Eelskin Leggings

    +4 Resistance

    +10% movement speed.

    +15% Ranger Archetype Ability Potency

    Will liked the ranger archetype ability potency, but his current leggings gave much stronger stat bonuses.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± June said, raising her hand.

    ¡°How do we find Dragon Eels?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Sometimes you can catch their fins sticking out of the water. They look kind of like a branch leaning sideways out of the water, but there¡¯s always a piece of scum or something obscuring where the fin extends down into the water. They also have a very faint hissing sound when they breathe through their gills. I¡¯ll point it out next time I hear one.¡±

    Roger guided them through the swamp for a solid three days, until Mason hit half Charge, then they followed the shortest possible route back to Way Station.

    It took longer than they¡¯d expected, between the Ring of Arcane Endurance and Mason¡¯s natural regeneration. Most encounters ended with one application of Mason¡¯s conflagration, which was paid for by the Ring of Arcane Endurance.

    Those that didn¡¯t end in a single explosion usually involved Will and June picking off stragglers while Reggie stood there looking tough.

    It was only when everything went wrong at once and needed a hasty correction to prevent death or injury, that Mason unleashed more than a single explosion.

    They quickly learned to hate swamp vampires, as the intelligent worms that animated the corpses of dead adventurers retained a bit of the host corpse¡¯s intelligence, and would arrange simple ambushes that aimed to cut party members off from the group, or drown them in enemies, so they couldn¡¯t protect their weakest members from the sheer numbers.

    Or both at the same time.

    The most egregious example of this was when a tentacle monster plant emerged, splitting a narrow dry path in two, separating Mason and June from Will and Reggie temporarily.

    By the time Will and Reggie got around to the other side again (about five seconds) the Nuker and Scout were already fending off half a dozen swamp Vamps with more emerging from the murky water every moment.

    One of the vamps even managed to land a hit on Mason¡¯s arm before he got off any explosions, which gave Reggie a circle-shaped scrape in the same spot.

    Paying someone else to take the damage for you. Will had mixed feelings about Tanks. They were useful, and they reduced the aggregate amount of damage taken by the party, unless they were abused.

    But the people who signed up for it were buying in to the Climbing game with their body¡­and mind. Decoys like Travis just died, but if a Tank didn¡¯t die, they usually retired with crippling wounds. Often mental ones.

    Resistance didn¡¯t help resist psychic damage.

    When Will and Reggie joined the fight, they scattered the vamps to the wind and turned to kill the tentacle monster that was trying to draw them into a gaping maw in the swamp lined with teeth.

    With the proper application of arrows and explosions, the creature¡¯s tendrils went limp, and they looted it¡¯s corpse.

    One of the vamps dropped a ring with inward facing barbs that granted lifesteal, which went in the emergency pile, since nobody wanted to wear it, but it might prove useful in an emergency.

    Ring of the bloodsucker

    +2 resistance

    +2% lifesteal

    The tentacle plant dropped a bow seemingly made of gnarled vines tightly woven together.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Bow of Entangling Vines

    +3 Acuity

    Projectiles fired from this bow cause vines to erupt from the ground and restrain their target. Scales with Acuity.

    June switched out her current nonmagical bow for the new Relic, since any bonus was better than none, and the effect wasn¡¯t half bad.

    ¡°Draw¡¯s a little high, but that¡¯s good. I¡¯ll get stronger,¡± June mused as she tested the bow.

    They made it back to the Inn at the end of the third day, and Will checked in on the rest of his Party.

    Loth, Alicia and Travis looked about ready to chew their way out of the room that Steve had locked them in, which was good.

    The next morning, the seven of them got together and Will made introductions.

    ¡°Alright, everybody, introductions,¡± Will said, gesturing to each person as he explained how they were going to operate. ¡°I¡¯m William Oh, the Party Leader. This is Loth, She¡¯s my second in command. June Ferrier will be squad leader, Mason is her second, and the rest of you guys are under them.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Kay,¡± Reggie said with a shrug while Travis sputtered.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to put a kobold and a commoner in command of Alicia Zodiac!?¡± he said, his face red with what Will could only assume was second-hand indignant outrage. Alicia Zodiac didn¡¯t really show any response.

    ¡°I like Loth,¡± Alicia said, with her trademark expressionlessness.

    ¡°I mean, if miss Zodiac feels that¡¯s the best choice of action-¡°

    Will met Travis¡¯s gaze, and widened his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Travis hastily course corrected his ass-kissing.

    ¡°I have to say, it¡¯s an honor to meet you, miss Zodiac¡± Mason said, offering his hand to the blonde archer.

    ¡°¡­You have very slender bones. Are you a boy?¡± She asked, her voice barely audible.

    ¡°¡­right.¡± Mason said, withdrawing his hand while June and Reggie chuckled.

    ¡°He¡¯s a boy, I had to change his clothes when-¡° Reggie began.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to go into it!¡± Mason interrupted.

    ¡°He passed out and pissed himself,¡± Reggie whispered.

    ¡°I see.¡± Alicia said, nodding.

    ¡°You say that like there weren¡¯t extenuating circumstances! I was literally crushed under a boulder!¡± Mason cried, rounding on his Tank.

    ¡°Anyway!¡± Will interrupted them before Mason could get any more red in the face. ¡°Introduce yourself and your Abilities and what we can generally expect from you in combat.¡±

    ¡°My name is Mason Lanover, I¡¯m a Nuker, and my Ability, Conflagration, allows me to deal a large amount of damage in a very small amount of time. I¡¯m good at clearing encounters that turned out to be harder than expected, softening up overlarge groups, or ending fights before they drain the resources of the rest of my Party.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to steal my job?¡± Alicia asked quietly, her eyes glowing blue flames.

    Mason backed away from her and stammered.

    ¡°Alicia, you¡¯re just going to have to learn to share the Nuker role. You¡¯re better at detection and long-range ambushes, he¡¯s better at mowing them down during the thick of a fight. There¡¯s a lot of overlap, but it¡¯s not a bad thing.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°¡­Father said if a Party brings on someone with the same role, they¡¯re going to replace you¡­¡± Alicia said, looking at the ground.

    ¡°Has it occurred to you that your father may not always be right?¡± Will asked, going out on a limb so Loth didn¡¯t have to burn any bridges¡­or mix any metaphors.

    Alicia glanced up at him, her glowing blue eyes widening minutely. ¡°¡­no?¡±

    ¡°Two Nukers is better than one. We¡¯ll be able to venture out for a long time before either of you run out of Charge. Now shake Mason¡¯s hand and tell him you look forward to working together.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    Alicia marched toward Mason, who stood stock still. She jutted out a hand, still looking at the ground.

    ¡°¡­forward to working¡­¡± She whispered, her hand trembling.

    ¡°Ah, likewise, Miss Zodiac¡± Mason said.

    ¡°..Licia,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Likewise, Alicia,¡± Mason said, relaxing and giving her hand a firm shake.

    Once they were done, Reggie picked up the introductions, followed by Travis, June, and finally Loth and Will.

    ¡°Now before we head out, Mason should at least put on some clothes.¡± Will said, shaking his head in exaggerated disgust.

    ¡°He¡¯s not wearing clothes!?¡± Alicia demanded, drawing the confused gazes of Mason, Reggie and June.

    Loth pinched him.

    ¡°Ow. Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± Will said, rubbing his arm.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m being razzed,¡± Alicia whispered, staring at the ground, her face red. ¡°¡­Just like Father said would happen¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all together, what¡¯s the plan, boss?¡± June asked, looking at Will.

    Loth tugged on Will¡¯s shirt prompting him to bend his ear closer to her.

    ¡°The way the chain of command works is you give a vague direction of what you want to get done, and June and I decide the specifics.¡± Loth whispered in his ear.

    Will nodded and stood up straight.

    ¡°I want our party to get some practice working together now that Roger isn¡¯t babysitting us. I also want to make it a productive outing for Ranger gear for our three Ranger subclasses,¡± Will said, pointing at himself, Alicia and June, hopefully displaying more authority than he felt.

    This whole thing felt odd.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s massacre dragon eels, vine pits, tangleweed and muck-drowners. They have the best ranger drops. The southwest side of the Way Station has the easiest land to navigate and a low population of swamp vamps, making encounters safer and more predictable. Let¡¯s start there and work our way outwards. I¡¯d also like to get Travis an extra pair of Swamp Stompers because his maneuverability in the swamps simply isn¡¯t high enough to take full advantage of the Boots of outflanking.¡± Loth said, glancing at June, nonverbally passing the torch to her.

    ¡°When did you learn all that?¡± Will whispered to his second in command.

    ¡°Steve¡¯s dossier.¡±

    ¡°I knew there was something I was forgetting,¡± Will muttered, snapping his fingers.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have read his handwriting anyway.¡± Loth whispered back.

    ¡°Alicia, you can see through water?¡± June asked, picking up the planning where Loth left off.

    ¡°I can see through everything.¡± Alicia whispered in an eerie tone, causing Reggie to reflexively put his hands in front of himself.

    ¡°Alicia and I are going to run point, Alicia will point out anything with bones before it gets a chance to ambush us.¡± June said.

    Vampires have bones. Will thought approvingly. With Alicia around those pesky ambushes would be countered every time.

    ¡°We¡¯ll focus on using Alicia¡¯s ability to see through water to grind Dragon Eels until we get some more Swamp Stompers, then we can use our Master Decoy as bait, leading enemies straight into the hammer and anvil that is Mason and Reggie, which should increase our hunting speed greatly.¡±

    ¡°Reggie, grab our pack from the inn. There should be enough supplies in there for a weeklong trip. Alicia, how many arrows do you have?

    Alicia whispered an answer.

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to last a week.¡±

    ¡°My carry weight is pretty good,¡± Will offered.

    June added that to the calculation without missing a beat.

    ¡°Will gets another pack, so we can add a bit of¡­and if I¡­.¡± June began muttering to herself for a few moments before handing out orders that sent everyone scrambling to prepare their gear for a long outing.

    Will tried not to look impatient as the process of preparing the Party to leave took nearly half an hour when it felt like it should¡¯ve been a simple matter of putting a backpack on and heading out.

    He understood logically that more moving parts to a Party meant more things that had to line up for the Party to move. He understood that, but it burned his very soul when Travis had to stop for a bathroom break, and Alicia needed a cobbler to waterproof her boots better to avoid foot-rot, and Reggie had a metal joint in his armor that had begun rusting in the damp air, causing an audible squeaking, which he had to take apart, polish, and then oil.

    But, just like Loth had said, a good leader lines up every possible advantage to make success as easy for their team as possible. Will didn¡¯t want Alicia getting foot-rot, or Reggie¡¯s joints locking up with rust at an inopportune time.

    Oddly enough, Mason was the try-hard that seemed to have everything organized and ready to go at all times. It made sense given the slender young man¡¯s discipline and Climber training that seemed to have been drilled into him from youth, but it didn¡¯t quite fit Will¡¯s Young Master mental image.

    He must¡¯ve been born to young money Climbers who passed on some of their serious attitude.

    Also, he didn¡¯t carry much actual gear, given his stature and role.

    That helped.

    Finally, after what felt like an interminable amount of time, they set out to the southwest, where the patches of dry land were somewhat larger, and interconnected.

    Will must be a good leader, because honestly, it was too easy.

 Chapter 49: Herding Cats

    Pluuk suggested that I keep a diary, to better reflect on how becoming a leader affects me personally and how I can study my own thoughts and behavior to improve faster. Harder than I thought it would be to write with one hand¡­and harder than I thought to be a leader.

    My first impression? Herding cats.

    Roger keeps flirting with Alice, who has no idea that¡¯s what they¡¯re doing, Jason is a hair¡¯s breadth from getting into a fistfight with about half the Party, but especially Trent, who seems to thrive on being an ass. Julie is professional, thank the gods, but the woman¡¯s loyalty is to the highest bidder, and the only reason she hasn¡¯t betrayed us all is because no one¡¯s made an offer.

    Being a leader feels as though I¡¯m crossing a treacherous channel in a ship held together by cobwebs.

    <ul>

    <li>Ancient journal fragment discovered on the 7<sup>th</sup></li>

    </ul>

    ¡°How many fingers am I holding up?¡± Reggie asked, hand behind his back.

    ¡°Two¡± Alicia whispered.

    ¡°Wow, right again!¡± their Tank said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Are you smiling?¡± Alicia whispered.

    ¡°Here, feel it.¡± Reggie said, bending down so their blue-eyed archer could reach his face more easily.

    Alicia tentatively reached up and tapped Reggie¡¯s face with her slender fingers.

    ¡°Wow, I forget¡­people have skin.¡±

    ¡°Well -¡±

    Will cleared his throat.

    ¡°- Of course we do,¡± Reggie said, standing back up straight.

    Will cocked a brow and glanced at Alicia and then back at Reggie.

    ¡®In town.¡¯ Will mouthed.

    Reggie gave a stiff nod and clomped away, his heavy weight causing the marshy land to give way under his feet.

    Shouting from the other side of the camp drew Will¡¯s attention.

    ¡°And I¡¯m saying, maybe if your family wasn¡¯t so complacent, you wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve lost your only Stronghold!¡± Mason said, shoving Travis away from him with his stick-thin arms.

    Naturally Travis ignored it with his far higher Strength.

    ¡°The Lanovers never even had a Lord!¡± Travis shouted, putting his finger directly under Mason¡¯s nose.

    ¡°Get that finger out of my face before I burn it off!¡± Mason shouted.

    ¡°Make me!¡± Travis shouted back.

    ¡°It was implied when I said ¡®Burn it off!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Children!¡± June shouted over the two of them, her voice just shrill enough to cut through their conversation, but not so shrill as to fail to convey her wrath.

    ¡°What is this about?¡± June demanded.

    ¡°The twink is using incense. It smells weird, and it¡¯s probably attracting monsters. ¡± Travis said, thumbing at Mason, who glowered, fire dancing on his fingertips.

    ¡°This all feels familiar,¡± Will mused, standing next to Loth as they watched June handle the issue.

    ¡°Mason is using the bug repellant incense I gave him to carry,¡± June said. ¡°That Loth picked out because it doesn¡¯t attract monsters. It in fact, actively repels a few types that we are not hunting, making the ones that we are hunting more common by relative scarcity.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, now I know that.¡± Travis said, crossing his arms. ¡°I change my complaint to ¡®Mason is hogging the bug repellant¡¯.¡±

    Mason nearly took a swing at Travis before June stepped between them and smacked Travis in the back of the head.

    D¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    ¡°You know, maybe you should start a journal,¡± Loth suggested. The most valuable skill a leader can cultivate is-¡°

    ¡°Introspection,¡± Will finished for her.

    ¡°Exactly. And starting a journal will help facilitate that.¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± Will said, nodding as he watched June gradually de-escalate the situation without their Decoy turning into a charred corpse, an icy chill running down his spine.

    ¡°A record of the mental state of your past self is an excellent way to gauge your current progress as-¡°

    ¡°What¡¯s introspection mean?¡± Will interrupted.

    Loth looked up at him, her jaw slowly dropping.

    ¡°¡­What?¡± Will asked, glancing down at her, the strange familiarity drifting away again.

    ¡°¡­The examination or observation of one¡¯s own mental and emotional processes.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Ah, should¡¯ve guessed that from context.¡± Will replied, eyeing June. ¡°¡­Make sure June¡¯s financial incentives line up with the success of our Party, we can¡¯t afford to have her bought out from under us.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Just¡­a bad feeling. Our Party has many weaknesses, but that¡¯s the only one with a price tag.¡± Will nodded towards where June was wrangling the others into getting prepped for the day of Climbing. ¡°If there was someone with a lot of money and a grudge against us, that would be the first, easiest thing to exploit. I can think of two groups capable of it off the top of my head.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Loth said, rubbing her chin contemplatively. ¡°I¡¯ll address it discretely.¡±

    ¡°Much obliged,¡± Will said.

    A few minutes later, Loth pulled June aside to discuss the Party¡¯s ¡®pay structure¡¯.

    While that happened, a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of Will¡¯s eye caught his attention and he glanced over to see Reggie and Alicia flirting again.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s bigger than my head,¡± Alicia whispered, touching Reggie¡¯s bicep on the other side of the camp.

    ¡°And you can¡¯t see it at all?¡± Reggie asked incredulously.

    ¡°Reggie!¡± Will snapped.

    Things got under way quickly after that as June cracked down on the Party, dragging Reggie away from Alicia by his ear and saddling him with a pack that must¡¯ve weighed more than the entire crew.

    Once they determined an ideal travel weight, Loth took over with her bugs, but they made sure not to bring more than could be carried without her assistance, just in case she was killed or injured beyond the ability to command her insects.

    With just four people, they had handled the swamps of the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor admirably, but with seven, it was a task so easy that it¡¯s sheer ease began causing problems.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    They got practice working together as a team at first, but it quickly turned sour as boredom and a lack of stimulation began to mount.

    Every encounter was quickly detected by Alicia or June, and then dealt with via a swift application of force from either Alicia or Mason.

    Which caused Travis and Reggie to grow bored, and start bickering, which caused June and Loth to waste mental energy babysitting them.

    Until it was basically just Mason and Alicia who were sharp. Even Will couldn¡¯t consider himself sharp, because he was consumed with navigating the murky waters of interpersonal conflict.

    To Will¡¯s eyes, it seemed as though a Party¡¯s efficacy dropped to match the challenge they perceived they were under.

    I need to change their perceived challenge without getting anyone killed or seriously injured. How can I pull that off?

    ¡°Are you William Oh?¡± An unfamiliar voice caught Will¡¯s attention, making him turn to discover a slender messenger wearing swamp stompers, all eel-leather clothes and bearing a satchel of mail. The man was probably at least level 25 with a specialty in rough travel, because he was literally standing on the water, triggering Will¡¯s envy.

    ¡°letter for you.¡± The messenger said, handing Will a letter before leaping away at blazing speed across the swamps, vanishing without a trace.

    Will frowned and opened the letter, scanning its contents.

    Will, Mark Wyrd is in town, and he¡¯s asking if anyone¡¯s seen you or your Party. I¡¯ve muddied the waters in ways that can¡¯t be traced back to me, but he¡¯ll find your trail eventually. He¡¯s got nearly two full Parties worth of swamp-hardened mercenaries with him. One of whom said you guys attacked them on the way in? Attached to the back of the letter is their full Party composition. I recommend avoiding going back to Way Station for the forseeable future. In fact, you should probably just pick a direction and start running. Best of luck! I¡¯ll head on up to the 5<sup>th</sup> Floor. The bathhouses on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor are something else.

    If my quest must end, Let it be there.

    <ul>

    <li>Steve </li>

    </ul>

    P.S. getting this delivered Express by a high-level Messenger was ten Ivory, which nearly bankrupted my personal funding, so if you could have Loth earmark a bit of treasure to pay me back, that would be swell.

    How convenient. Ask for stress to straighten out the party dynamics, and ye shall receive, Will thought sourly, asking for his commanders to gather together.

    ¡°What do you need?¡± Loth asked as she arrived next to him.

    Will handed her the letter while he read the attached list of archetypes that Steve had gleaned.

    Druid, Rider, CC-Healer, Barrier, TrackerX2, Diviner,  Sniper, TankX2, Nuker, and of course, Mark Wyrd, a Thorns-Tank.

    That¡¯s a lot.

    ¡°Oh. Oh my.¡± Loth said as she read the letter.

    ¡°What?¡± June asked.

    ¡°We may have pissed off Mark Wyrd on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor,¡± Will said. ¡°And he may have followed us here to track us down and kill us. We¡¯re going to need to change our approach to stress speed. I¡¯d like to emphasize grinding out some levels and searching for Swamp Stompers for everyone.¡±

    Will glanced up into the sky.

    ¡°How high can your insects fly?¡± He asked, glancing back down at Loth.

    ¡°High enough.¡±

    ***Mark Wyrd***

    ¡°So, they stopped here¡­¡± Mark said, crossing his arms

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± The Tracker said.

    ¡°Then they rose straight into the air,¡± Mark finished.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the Tracker nodded, before clarifying. ¡°There was another person who arrived here before dashing off at high speed. Likely a messenger.¡±

    ¡°So he had an informant in town.¡± Mark surmised.

    ¡°Probably that Healer that cured Milo¡¯s foot-rot.¡± The Tracker said, glancing at their Tank, who shrugged.

    ¡°Should we go kill him?¡± The sniper asked, thumbing the knife on his belt.

    ¡°No, if he¡¯s any good, he¡¯ll be long gone by the time we get back.¡± Mark said, fuming. He turned to his Diviner. ¡°Which way did they go?¡±

    The slender woman closed her eyes, then pointed off and to the right, nearly directly south, through the wettest, least traversable section of swamp.

    ¡°¡­Of course they did. how in the Abyss did a whole party fly?¡±

    ***William Oh***

    Will hummed a jaunty tune as he picked through the pile of bones for Loot, standing on a slowly expanding platform made of driftwood and spidersilk. Even as he worked, flying insects brought sturdy driftwood off the swamp floor and set it down, where spiders began lashing it together with the rest of the platform, with a surprising level of craftsmanship.

    Loth really is the MVP, Will thought as he worked.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t we been doing this the entire time!?¡± Travis demanded leaning over the edge of the platform and peering down to the swamps sliding below in the distance. ¡°This is absolutely an exploit!¡±

    They were a hundred feet high, above nearly every possible monster encounter  moving at roughly the speed of a man sprinting, crossing treacherous terrain without an iota of effort. Even the insects carrying them weren¡¯t particularly taxed, because there were thousands, and they took turns resting in the barrels, subsisting off of scraps of alligator meat.

    ¡°Because, how is anyone who isn¡¯t Alicia supposed to get practice and levels from doing this?¡± Reggie asked.

    ¡°June, lend me your bow. I can take pot shots at stuff.¡± Travis said, turning to the scout.

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you waste arrows on that.¡± June replied.

    ¡°Dragon Eel,¡± Alicia said. Reggie held onto her belt as she leaned over the edge of the platform, her bow bending ominously as she lined up her shot.

    She released, and a moment later, a swarm of Loth¡¯s flying insects arrived to deposit the rapidly decaying Dragon Eel on the pile of dragon Eels decomposing into Loot.

    So far they¡¯d found 2 pairs of pants, an archery wristguard, (pin in that) gloves, a leather jacket, and one pair of boots. All eelskin leather, and many of them with Ranger buffs.

    Nevermind, two pairs of boots, Will thought, retrieving the boots from the monster¡¯s ribcage and tossing the rest of it off the slowly expanding platform to make room for more.

    ¡°Come on, this is the worst. I have to do something. Anything.¡± Travis whined.

    ¡°¡­Anything?¡± Loth asked, turning her attention to Travis.

    ¡°¡­Yesss?¡± Travis said hesitantly.

    ¡°I could arrange something. If Reggie and Mason are willing to assist.¡± Loth said, turning to Reggie.

    ¡°XP?¡± Reggie asked, glancing at Mason. Mason nodded.

    ¡°Loads of it.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re on board.¡±

    Will shook his head, perfectly happy where he was digging through decaying dragon eel guts and not the subject of Loth¡¯s ¡®optimization¡¯.

    As Will predicted, in a matter of minutes, Travis was dangling from a metal chain mere feet above the surface of the swamp.

    The Master Decoy¡¯s shrill shrieks combined with his passive Aggro Draw caused monsters to lunge out of the water to find the source of the screaming and snuff it out, drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

    Speaking of flame¡­

    ¡°This is going to lower my damage a little bit, but I understand the necessity.¡± Mason said, switching the ring of Consideration out on his off-hand. ¡°Even if I¡¯d rather roast him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve marked him for T-O-F-T, so you¡¯d be roasting me,¡± Reggie said, punching Mason¡¯s shoulder before glancing down at Travis. ¡°Hang in there Travis, you¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯ll take any incidental damage!¡±

    ¡°Screw you!¡± Travis shot back moments before a huge mouth emerged from the swamp and clamped down around their Master Decoy.

    Reggie winced as tiny cuts opened up on his face, quickly sealing due to the Ring of Regeneration, but not before tiny wraiths emerged from his wounds and descended to the swamp to harry the swamp creatures flooding in around their engulfed bait, sending them scurrying away in fear.

    ¡°Mmm, looks like the haunting ring will scatter the enemy and make Mason¡¯s explosions less effective for this particular strategy. Take it off.¡± June said. ¡°And Mason, if you wouldn¡¯t mind¡­¡±

    An explosion rocked the swamp below them and the gulper let go of Travis, sinking back into the swamp, steaming in death, allowing their floating platform to continue on it¡¯s merry way, stringing ¡®bait¡¯ through the roughest terrain the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor had to offer.

    June, Alicia and Loth made a few paltry ranged attacks to make sure they were included as part of the ¡®fight¡¯.

    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t want to do this anymore!¡± Travis shouted up at them. ¡°I was just IN something¡¯s mouth! I didn¡¯t even see what it was! PULL ME BACK UP!¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re awesome!¡± Mason said with a grin, giving Travis a thumb¡¯s-up.

    Bloodsuckers swarmed around Travis. Dozens of them landed on their Decoy¡¯s body and attempted to drill into his flesh.

    ¡°Mason.¡± June said after the rest of them had taken shots.

    BOOM! The flaming remains of the bloodsuckers tumbled away from travis, leaving him singed and coughing, but completely unharmed.

    ¡°How was that?¡± Mason asked, glancing up at Reggie.

    ¡°Barely felt anything,¡± Reggie shrugged. ¡°The bloodsuckers pinched a bit, but didn¡¯t break the skin, and the conflagration felt like sitting in front of a warm hearth.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± Mason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t even used a Charge yet.¡±

    ¡°Mason.¡± June said, pointing to where swamp monsters were once again crowding around their Master Decoy.

    ¡°Right.¡± Mason said, crouching down and preparing to drop a Conflagration directly on top of their howling bait.

    ¡°Dragon Eel,¡± Alicia said, spotting another of their Swamp Stomper generators under the water, lining up a shot.

    A moment later, it was decomposing on the platform.

    Will scanned his Party. Every one of them was paying close attention to their role, not bickering or bored, and as a side-effect, they were currently grinding the monsters of the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor at an unbelievable rate.

    Finally. All it took was the threat of death.

    You are now a level 17 Resourceful Climber!

    William Oh

    Resourceful Climber Level 17

    18+ 27 Strength

    51 + 7 Kinesthetics

    54 + 14 Resistance

    34  Focus

    64 + 3 Acuity

    Charges: 30/34

    Free Points: 0

    Item Abilities: Gravity Charge, +25% Charge/Kick potency, +15% movement speed, Fire Tracers, Acid Bolt, +greater acid Damage. Homefield Advantage (ice). +25% Rogue Potency, Audiovisual Dampening, Manhunter, 7 degree correction.

    Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand*

    Secondary Abilities: Sourdough

    Primary Ability Upgrade Available! (x2)

 Chapter 50: Do Your Thing

    William Oh once jumped on a hydra and fought a Lord on its back, riding it until the poor thing tuckered out, then he leashed it¡¯s heads together, attached it to chariot and steered it into battle. No, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m not trying to one-up you! I saw it happen¡­well, I may have run away before that last part.

    <ul>

    <li>Abe Witzman, level 25 Tracker, 5<sup>th</sup> Floor bar.</li>

    </ul>

    Armguard of the Swampstalker equipped.

    +2 Strength.

    15% reduction in noise made traversing swamps.

    10% bonus to potency of Ranger archetype Abilities.

    Adds the paralytic bite of the dragon eel to projectiles fired.

    Not bad. Will thought, taking it off and adding it to the ¡®keep¡¯ pile, jotting down it¡¯s effects in Loth¡¯s ledger and then putting the Armguard of Tracers back on.

    Overall the Swampstalker was better, but it wasn¡¯t a cornerstone of the build like the tracers were, so Will couldn¡¯t switch them out without losing half his damage.

    I¡¯ll put them together with the spare Swampstompers.

    They¡¯d gotten new pants for Alicia, and everyone had assured her she looked fine in them. Reggie had gone so far as to say he liked her face and eyes more than anything, before June pinched him.

    Admittedly they didn¡¯t actually look as good on her, but they were Ranger pants and not Charm pants, so there wasn¡¯t really anything anyone could do about that.

    Will had gotten Travis, June, Alicia and himself some Swamp Stompers which made Will basically able to walk on water¡­.basically. As long as there was a bit of muck, leaves, or algae in it.

    Which covered a lot.

    Now that everyone save Loth had Swamp Stompers, they could return to the ground and travel the old-fashioned way¡­assuming they were no longer being hunted by a peeved lordling.

    This is just a holding action, Will thought. I need to decide what to do about the Wyrd family, who have likely figured out the name and Class of everyone on this barge.

    Run away, of course, but run up the tower or run down the tower?

    Running down would lower the danger in aggregate, but it would stop their growth. Gaining levels was the surest way to earn safety.

    Running up would spike the danger drastically, since they would be caught between an unfamiliar land and the people hunting them-

    Wait. The fifth floor is next.

    From what Will had heard from Steve¡¯s dossier, the danger of the fifth floor was pretty low¡­on average. The floor was a quiet, peaceful plains where you could see for miles in every direction and monsters rarely prowled.

    The only downside was that when they did show up, they were several stories tall. Huge monstrosities that each individually was a raid boss in it¡¯s own right.

    They were somewhat infrequent, and Will and company could easily spot them and steer around.

    The 5<sup>th</sup> floor was a game of weaving between Party-crushing encounters, and it wasn¡¯t that hard for a Party with decent mobility.

    Like ours.

    Not to mention they had contacts on the fifth floor, namely Thea Oilton, who would be waiting in the city with a mercenary army meant to help them grind Kaijuu and crack the 6<sup>th</sup> floor.

    I know the normal rules probably don¡¯t apply to a lordling, but surely he¡¯d think twice before attacking a guy with an army¡­surely?

    As Will was thinking this, a glowing arrow descended from above and slammed into Alicia, driving her into the floor of the floating platform with a surprised squeak.

    The entire platform wobbled violently causing them to all grab hold for dear life, as all that existed below was water and mucky reeds.

    ¡°Agh,¡± Reggie gave a pained grunt and spat up a bit of blood before the glow of Second Wind enveloped him.

    ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡± June said, scanning the horizon.

    ¡°Over there,¡± Alicia said, pointing. Will barely saw a smudge that looked like humans, sprinting after them across the dangerous terrain.

    ¡°We may have cleared a path for our pursuers through overhunting.¡± Loth mused as Alicia pulled the arrow out of her shirt and returned it to sender.

    ¡°Reggie, Pull Travis in and put the haunting ring back on. Loth, make it harder to hit us. Everybody hold on.¡± June said. ¡°Alicia. Can you hit them from that distance?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Use this,¡± June said, handing Alicia an arrow made of what looked like driftwood and dragon eel fang.

    Alicia nodded and her bow bent to a tortured degree before snapping straight again.

    June¡¯s homemade arrow flew up in a massive arc before splitting into dozens and raining back down on the approaching party of¡­gods at least ten people. We are outnumbered and likely outleveled.

    The arrows wobbled in flight like a school of fish swarming towards their prey, spreading out and swooping back in to hit the enemy Party from every angle, following unpredictable patterns.

    ¡°Agh!¡± Reggie cursed as puncture wounds opened up across his body. ¡°Looks like Mark Wyrd is in there, and he¡¯s not being protected from damage.¡±

    Which made sense.

    Will could barely make out the flicker of barriers being penetrated, but it didn¡¯t look like any major harm had come to their pursuers. None of them keeled over in their tracks.

    Is that a bear!?

    That confirmed it: It was the same Party that had tried to attack them the first time. Were they acting on orders from Mark Wyrd the first time or were they just trying to loot some noobs?

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The point was kind of moot, because they¡¯re working with him now.

    The blood wraiths that emerged from Reggie¡¯s wounds disappeared halfway to the enemy Party, their time-limit expired before they could even reach the distant Party.

    Damn.

    Clang!

    Above their heads, Loth¡¯s insects caught one of the sniper¡¯s shots on Reggie¡¯s tower shield.

    ¡°Everyone be prepared for a rough landing!¡± Loth said. ¡°If they get within range, they can berserk my insect and we all go into the swamp.

    Well, that¡¯s less than ideal.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± Travis asked, getting a hand onto the platform from Reggie.

    ¡°We¡¯re being attacked, don¡¯t unhook that harness yet,¡± Will said, motioning to the rope around Travis¡¯s torso.

    ¡°You think we can use him to muck up the path?¡± Will asked, pointing at Travis.

    ¡°¡­Yes. Travis, your job is to flood our path with angry monsters.¡± Loth said, stepping forward and kicking Travis back off the platform.

    Travis screamed all the way back down, ending in a pained grunt as he hit the end of the chain. The platform rose to keep him out of range of most of the monsters while still getting their attention.

    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Mason asked.

    ¡°Keep an eye on them, and warn me when they¡¯re about to enter your maximum range. Their debuffer and nukers likely have similar ranges, so that¡¯s when we¡¯ll abandon the platform.

    ¡°Screen,¡± June said, pointing towards a copse of withered swamp trees in the distance.

    ¡°Right. If we can make it.¡±

    Their luggage began to spread out and move independently of the rest of the platform confusing their enemy¡¯s eyes while obscuring nets formed between them.

    ¡°WHOO! DINNERBELL, DINNERBELL, RING, RING, RING!¡± Travis shouted at the end of his chain, causing all kinds of monsters to rise out of the swamp and converge on his location moments before Loth lifted him out of their path, leaving the monsters angry and swarming, rapidly falling behind them.

    This time they weren¡¯t killing them. Just pissing them off.

    CLANG!

    Will¡¯s ears stabbed with pain as Reggie¡¯s shield caught another arrow inches away from Will¡¯s head.

    ¡°Copse is fifty seconds away.¡± June said.

    ¡°How soon do you think they¡¯ll be inside your range?¡± Loth asked Mason.

    ¡°Minute. Maybe two?¡± Mason said.

    ¡°This¡¯ll be close. Okay, listen up, We¡¯re going to do a magic trick once we leave their sight on the other side of those trees,¡± Loth said, pointing. ¡°We¡¯re going to jump ship and it¡¯ll keep going for several minutes while I prepare a ground to fight these enemies.

    ¡°What about Mark Wyrd?¡± Travis asked. ¡°Last time you left a trap for him, you almost died.

    ¡°Reggie, remove the haunting ring and hold out your arm.¡±

    Reggie did so, and Loth pulled out a dagger and stabbed him.

    Reggie hissed in pain and flinched back.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± He demanded, clutching the rapidly healing wound.

    ¡°To figure out the maximum amount of force you can sustain without breaking your skin. I¡¯m going to leave some traps that will cripple or disable their weaker members. They should hit about this hard.¡±

    Loth stabbed Reggie just a bit more lightly, the tip not quite penetrating his skin.

    ¡°I can take that.¡± Reggie said, nodding, the first stab wound already closing up.

    It was a tense fifty second as they sped towards the treeline, but the cluster of monsters they¡¯d riled up behind them made the difference, slowing down the pursuing Party just long enough for Will¡¯s group to swoop past the copse of trees.

    They all jumped out of the platform as soon as they broke line of sight, landing on the other side of the trees, beside a large pond filled with fallen wood spotted with mushrooms. The platform continued on, its vision-blocking nets continuing to spin as it flew into the distance.

    ¡±Quiet.¡± Loth whispered as her insects boiled out of her barrel, spreading out in force, some of them burrowing into the ground while others laid silk tripwires across the unassuming swampland.

    ¡°Let¡¯s set up an ambush over there,¡± June said, pointing to the other side of the pond, the approach was covered by brush, allowing the rest of the Party to crouch down and sneak to the opposite side of the pond without being spotted.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± Will whispered, feeling a bit useless compared to everyone who had a well-established role and a way to act on it. Will had¡­good traction and a sneaky hand.

    ¡°¡­Do your thing.¡± Loth said, throwing dozens of sharp and blunt metal odds and ends from her pack into the surrounding marsh. They sank into the ground, rapidly expanding outward from Loth to cover the surrounding area in traps designed to catch the enemy team¡¯s Healer, CC, and Nuker.

    It would have to work, and perfectly, otherwise they were going to die here.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll do my thing,¡± Will said, eyeing the pond. It looked deep, save for the decaying logs floating around the edges.

    The water itself had scum and bits of weeds floating on top, which was enough for Aspect of the Goat.

    ***Mark Wyrd***

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Mitsie, their diviner said, grabbing Mark¡¯s shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re not on the platform anymore.¡±

    ¡°They must¡¯ve ducked behind those trees to set up an ambush.¡± Abe, their tracker said, pointing.

    ¡°Mmm, yes¡­it feels like¡­a trap¡­¡± Mitsie¡¯s eyes gradually widened. Mark watched goosebumps rise on her arm. ¡°I¡¯m not going in there.¡± Mitsie said, shaking her head. ¡°If I go in there, I have a very strong feeling that I¡¯ll die.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a combatant anyway,¡± Mark said, plucking her hand off his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t really care if you stay here.¡±

    Heather switched from bear-form to human, eyeing the copse of trees in the distance.

    ¡°Their trap-maker is among the best, yah?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Loth the Luminary is widely considered the most dangerous kobold this side of the tenth floor.¡± Abe replied. ¡°It¡¯s why the price on his skin is so high.¡±

    ¡°So he¡¯s filling the other side of those trees with traps meant to disable our weakest members?¡± Heather posited. ¡°Just strong enough to snap their ankles but not kill, just in case Mark here stumbles on one of them.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Kline, their Nuker asked.

    ¡°So what if I do this?¡± Their druid replied, taking a step forward, her foot shifting to that of a bear¡¯s as she brought it down on the marshy surface of the swamp.

    A wave of earth and water began churning forward, turning the topsoil upside down as it roiled forward only gaining strength as it turned the land upside down before compressing it into a walkable surface.

    ¡°That¡¯ll disable the traps! Follow it, go, go go!¡±

    Mark launched into action following the churning wave of dirt through the copse of trees.

    He glanced over his shoulder to spot Mitsie sprinting the other direction, splashing through the knee-deep water, all pretense of a calm, all-knowing Diviner abandoned.

    As if there is anyone, or anything on the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor that can stop an oversized party of level 30¡¯s, William Oh included. He¡¯s younger than me, and he¡¯s only level seventeen or eighteen at most.

    I¡¯m going to get revenge, Bron.

    The old retainer had been the closest thing to a father-figure that Mark had ever known. His actual father was a force of nature that handed out terse orders and expected others to accomplish them or die trying.

    The other ten mercenaries were right behind him, their faces ranging from bloodlust to grim determination.

    The wave of earth knocked over the copse of trees, causing traps to fire off randomly, flinging spikes in every direction and clearing the path for the rest of his Party to plow through without suffering any damage.

    In the center of the clearing beyond was a pond with rotting logs around the edges, and in the center of the pond was a single figure standing on the water, wearing a stylized mask of a goat.

    William Oh.

    As the churning wave of earth spread around the pond, disabling hundreds of traps, Mark came to a halt and sized up his prey.

    This is the leader of the Party that destroyed Oilton. Tore my Lordship from my hands the instant I had it. I¡¯m going to kill all of them, obviously, but William Oh is going to live just a bit longer. Father wants him alive.

    Never said why, but that wasn¡¯t unusual for Father.

    ¡°Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,¡± the masked figure said, raising his arms as he spoke, the wave from Heather¡¯s Ability lapping past his ankles and the logs surrounding him.

    ¡°Welcome to my ambush.¡±

    All the bluster in the world isn¡¯t going to save you now, Mark thought, tensing his body for a fight.

    It would be a short one, but deeply satisfying.

    Wait. Did that log just move?

    The mushroom-studded logs around Will jerked, like someone that had been kicked awake, revealing themselves to be the necks of a hydra as the dragonoid heads lifted out of the water, their milky white eyes clouded by mycelium.

    The central body rose out of the water, directly underneath William Oh¡¯s feet, lifting him high above them.

    Floor-wide Alert!

    The Raid Boss, Nozur¡¯bal has been engaged on the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor!

    Nozur¡¯bal snuck its way down to the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor as a youngling, growing larger and terrorizing the swamplands for decades before it was infected by a fungal bloom. The hydra has since become a puppet of the fungus, but has only become more dangerous.

    Bounty: 80000 gold, 500000XP, to be shared among the Parties that claim the bounty.

 Chapter 51: Relic Theft

    William Oh¡¯s face is so hard that the craftsmen of Benguli used it to stamp marble blanks, which they meticulously scaled down for their currency.

    <ul>

    <li>Kevin Hammond, level 15 scout</li>

    </ul>

    ¡­Why am I standing on a hydra? Will thought as the ground rose up beneath him in the middle of his power-pose, six massive necks rearing up around him, revealing half-rotten frilled draconic heads that emerged from the swamp, dripping with muck.

    Then things got rough, fast.

    Mark Wyrd launched himself up at Will, shooting through the air by virtue of overwhelming Strength.

    Wonder if he¡¯s got similar stat growth? Will thought, triggering Gravity Charge and targeting his Phantom Hand, causing himself to slide backwards out of the way of a feral punch.

    If there was one thing Will could be confident of, it was that so much of Mark Wyrd¡¯s build was dedicated to optimizing Thorns that it was unlikely he had any spare Abilities dedicated to movement or attack.

    So, despite being twice the level¡­he wasn¡¯t as fast as Will.

    On the other hand, I can¡¯t actually hit him, Will thought, weaving around the six fungus-dotted necks the size of massive tree-trucks while an irrationally angry young man chased Will around them for no reason.

    Maybe I can..

    It took an agonizing fifteen seconds of playing keepaway around the massive necks while all hell broke loose outside their little dance, until Will spotted an opportunity.

    Will dodged out of the way just as one of the hut-sized maws came down at him, leading Mark Wyrd directly into the path of the creature¡¯s attack.

    Either this will work or I¡¯ll get bisected, Will thought, crossing his fingers.

    The entire Hydra jerked as its head slammed down into its back, snatching up Mark Wyrd like a bird with a fish. The lordling was clamped between the hydra¡¯s razor-sharp teeth bigger than Will¡¯s palm.

    With an odd tearing sound, The hydra¡¯s stomach burst open as tooth-marks savaged it¡¯s side, caused by Mark Wyrd¡¯s damage reflection.

    At least it¡¯s not me.

    POOF!

    Will watched in horror as the massive cut along the hydra¡¯s side released an explosion of spores, catching the enemy Nuker in the face.

    The Nuker went stiff and toppled over backwards, his eyes beginning to fill with Mycelium.

    Oh, shit, Will thought, glancing back up at Mark Wyrd, clutched between two rows of teeth.

    ¡°Hey, maybe we should find a better-¡°

    Mark Wyrd gave a vicious elbow strike to the hydra¡¯s jaw, shattering the teeth and bone keeping him in place and dropping back down to the hydra¡¯s back, where he rose to his feet, not looking away from Will.

    Well, that¡¯s terrifying.

    Will was so distracted by the feat that he didn¡¯t react in time as the lordling charged him, landing a good haymaker in Will¡¯s liver.

    Will folded around the strike and slammed into one of the many necks creating the bounds of their arena.

    Ow, my hand! Son of a-

    Will had just enough presence of mind to angle Gravity Charge to slip out of the way of the follow up punch aimed at his face.

    ¡°You can fly?¡± Mark Wyrd demanded, the tiny cuts on his sides closing rapidly.

    I¡¯m starting to get his build. Will thought, shaking the pain out of his hand, where it felt like he¡¯d punched his own liver over and over again until it was bloody.

    If Will was correct, his dance partner had a Thorns Primary Ability, and a Lifesteal Primary Ability, both of which were incredibly rare, but together? Insane¡­ly cool.

    Mark Wyrd took the actual damage, reflected it, then healed based on the amount of damage he reflected, keeping him in fighting shape while the other guy withered away.

    Unlike a traditional Tank, he didn¡¯t have any Taunt or teammate protection abilities, which meant he actually didn¡¯t fill the Tank role, despite having a stat block nearly identical to one.

    Even the punch he landed on me triggered the Thorns, damaging my hand while also bruising my liver, Will thought, shaking the pain out of his bleeding hand.

    His Relics must synergize to drastically boost his Abilities.

    There was no way a class would ever give someone anywhere near 100% Thorns and 100% Lifesteal, not without a full suite of Relics dedicated to boosting them.

    If Will could steal some of them¡­

    Easiest ones?

    Will scanned his opponent¡¯s body until he landed on the circlet around the lordling¡¯s brow with what looked like a drop of blood in the center. The lordling¡¯s rings had spikey motifs, making Will wonder if they faced inward too.

    And of course the amulet was rather hefty, with some kind of skull and bones cast in silver.

    Will didn¡¯t have much more time to think about it as the lordling pursued the advantage, rushing in to close the distance.

    Will flew backwards, keeping pace with the slowpoke.

    ¡°Is this your father¡¯s build?¡± Will asked, running his mouth while he did some thinking. ¡°Because you¡¯re kinda slow, makes me wonder how he¡¯s a Lord.¡±

    ¡°GAH!¡±

    Mark Wyrd pulled a small sphere out of his pocket and threw it at Will.

    Will desperately flew sideways, allowing the object to rip through the air past him.

    BOOM!

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    The sphere exploded against the Hydra¡¯s neck behind Will, causing shrapnel laden with deadly mycelium spores to pepper the side of Will¡¯s body.

    Oh, that¡¯s so much worse.

    Will¡¯s skin went cold as he felt an itching begin to spread outward from a handful of points of pain on his body, but there was no time for horror, as the Lordling was already in range with another punch.

    Damnit. Will turtled up, putting his bad arm in the way as the Phantom Hand swooped in. Will was going to have to take the hit to even the playing field.

    This is gonna hurt.

    Dimensional Storage

    29->26 of 34 Charges remaining.

    The Phantom Hand swooped past, landing on Mark Wyrd¡¯s fists and finding themselves unable to pass through. This was something Will already knew through testing. Whatever Tower-magic created a Climber¡¯s Class also warded off intrusion from the Phantom Hand.

    But he wasn¡¯t trying to store a chunk of his opponent¡¯s heart or unleash acid in their brain, he was trying to snatch two rings and an Amulet, worn externally.

    There was a strange¡­cobwebby feeling as the Relics were plucked off and stored into his Phantom Hand, if he was stretching some ephemeral bonds between the lordling and his relics before they finally snapped.

    Crunch!

    The punch got through his guard and caught him in the ribs again, causing Will to tumble to the side and slam up against a hydra neck, barely avoiding getting snatched up by one of the angry-looking zombified heads.

    Will felt a pain in his right hand, as the damage feedback from Mark punching him was fed back into his own hand, but it was significantly less than before.

    About thirty percent? Before it was somewhere close to 85-100%. Much better.

    Mark seemed to not have noticed that he was a few ounces lighter as he pursued the advantage, charging straight toward Will.

    Will switched the orientation of Gravity Charge, boosting his jump with gravity, flying straight towards his opponent.

    Mark¡¯s eyes widened minutely, but he didn¡¯t bother to block, instead going for a vicious right hook, expecting his Build to do the heavy lifting for his defense.

    Will caught the lordling¡¯s face with his knee, putting his whole body weight and all his falling speed into the strike.

    CRACK!

    Will recoiled as a phantom kneecap broke his nose.

    The lordling staggered backwards, clutching his bloody nose in disbelief as it refused to heal.

    ¡°Wha-¡°

    Will didn¡¯t want to give him time to realize he¡¯d been robbed, so he whipped out his tomahawk and aimed for Mark Wyrd¡¯s chest.

    If Will caught Mark in the heart, Will bet he could drink a potion of Greater Healing in the handful of seconds before he died. The spine might be a bit too much, though.

    Instead of getting stabbed in the heart like a good sport, Mark seamlessly went on the defensive, taking wide a stance and blocking Will¡¯s attack with his forearm, driving a palm into Will¡¯s chest, causing his ribs to creak in protest before he went tumbling backwards.

    The itching from where the mycelium had planted itself in his side was gradually getting worse.

    On the ground, the enemy team¡¯s Nuker was convulsing violently and frothing from the mouth, showing where Will was headed. The group¡¯s healer was attending to him, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do without an operating room.

    Their trackers had already run away, leaving the Sniper, the Tanks, the Barrier caster, and the druid/Bear and her¡­husband/rider?

    It seemed as though Loth or June had ordered the rest of the Party to stay low and hidden, allowing the enemy party to take the brunt of the Raid Boss¡¯s ire. It was a perfect decision, tactically, and Will was 100% on board with it, even though it left their Party Leader out in the cold.

    Just gotta stay alive for the next couple minutes.

    My right side is spotted with mycelium and the worst spot is on my ribs just under my shoulder.

    Idea! This is going to hurt!

    Will used the Phantom Hand to gently shoot the lordling in the exact same spot that he needed to cauterize the wound and burn out the mycelium.

    Mark¡¯s eyes widened as he was kicked violently to the side by the Manhunter effect, the wound drawn through the tracer fire.

    Will gasped in pain as the Lordling¡¯s thorns kicked in, causing his skin to catch fire, burning out the deepest invasion of mycelium.

    Why thank you, sir, Will thought as he released a Potion of Greater Healing from the Phantom Hand, downing it as he stood.

    The skin renewed itself, and a burst of energy flowed through him as he went back on the offens- Oh crap!

    Will dove out of the way as one of the hydra heads slammed down right where he¡¯d been standing.

    A moment later, another hydra head lunged down, and Will assumed it was going for a bite, but then a roiling mass of fetid brown gas emerged from its gaping mouth, slamming down on the creature¡¯s back and spreading every direction.

    Hydra aren¡¯t supposed to have breath attacks! Will thought, barely able to lift himself out of the cloud of fungal spores before they engulfed him.

    Apparently this one did, though.

    Mark Wyrd shot out of the cloud of spores and caught Will¡¯s ankle, climbing up him until the two were face to face.

    ¡°Where are my Relics!?¡± He demanded, locking both hands around Will¡¯s neck and squeezing. It seemed counter-productive to ask someone a question and then strangle them, but Will couldn¡¯t say anything about it.

    Since Will only had the one hand, there was no way he could pry both of Mark¡¯s hands away from his neck, so he didn¡¯t even try.

    Instead, Will reached out and plucked the circlet off Mark¡¯s head and tossed it into the distance.

    The lordling released his neck and tried to catch it, but Will grabbed the lordling¡¯s hand and drew him back in for a headbutt, the ephemeral horns on his mask making the damage much more significant.

    It felt like someone had taken a hammer to Will¡¯s face, but the lordling got an even worse deal, his head snapping back, eyes fluttering as he struggled to retain consciousness.

    Four hissing sounds were followed by four meaty thunks as four arrows buried themselves in Mark Wyrd¡¯s body, one for each shoulder and leg.

    In the distance, Will could see Reggie keeling over in pain as the rest of his Party burst out of the dense shrubs.

    Almost forgot about them.

    They rushed forward, engaging the beleaguered enemy Party and the hydra-fungus abomination. Will decided to let them do their work and focus on his job. The job that he was best at ¨C apparently ¨C was dueling Climbers.

    Will turned his flight away from the side where Mark¡¯s Party could help him, aiming for the pond on the opposite side of the Hydra¡¯s body.

    He rode the lordling¡¯s body into the water, pushing his stupid face under the stupid water.

    Will¡¯s lungs began filling up with water almost immediately, but he was able to cough it out, while Mark was busy drowning, stuck under the surface of ¨C

    BOOM!

    Will was thrown clear of the lordling, nearly impaling himself on some scraggly trees.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Mark Wyrd shouted, pointing at Will as he drew a wiggly-looking knife out from a sheath at his side. Will felt something ominous settle over him.

    Well, that doesn¡¯t sound good, Will thought, pushing himself to his feet, ready to fight off whatever attack the lordling was about to launch.

    Before Will could react, Mark Wyrd drew the knife across his own leg.

    A line of pain drew itself across Will¡¯s leg, matching the cut that the lordling had inflicted on himself. the cut that was already healing. Will was forced to drop to his knees as the muscle refused to support him any longer.

    Right. Secondary Abilities. Damnit.

    Gravity Charge.

    26/34 Charges remaining.

    Will leapt up with his good leg and began falling towards his enemy, winding up for a good strike with his tomahawk.

    The lordling moved the knife to his other hand and sliced his right palm.

    Will¡¯s right hand burst into pain, forcing him to drop the tomahawk.

    ¡°You¡¯re just a pathetic-¡°

    Will used Phantom Hand to shoot his enemy straight on in the chest.

    Mark Wyrd¡¯s eyes widened as he was drawn straight towards Will, who was already approaching at terminal velocity.

    Will slammed horns-first into Mark Wyrd¡¯s face at an unholy speed, delivering a headbutt the gods themselves would be envious of.

    Will¡¯s head jerked back, and he was assaulted by a migraine that threatened to shatter his very soul, but he was able to retain his consciousness thanks to Gravity Charge reinforcing his skull, brain, and spine.

    The same could not be said of the living voodoo doll, who crumpled bonelessly to the ground.

    Will lifted up his mask and spat out some blood on his opponent¡¯s face.

    My teeth feel loose.

    ROOOOAR!

    Oh right, the Hydra, Will thought, his mind a bit foggy from the multiple self-inflicted blows to the head.

    He groggily turned to find his Party battling the hydra. Travis was keeping the thing¡¯s attention while June, Loth, and Alicia whittled it down.

    Mason was hanging back and using his Conflagrations sparingly, only vaporizing parts that had been cut off the raid boss before they rooted or regrew.

    Good on you guys. Will thought, stumbling to the nearest tree and slumping down against it.

    I¡¯m just gonna take a nap. Wake me when you¡¯re done with the raid boss.

    Will¡¯s eyes drifted closed, idly itching at the mycelium growing from his shoulder.

 Chapter 52: build Theorizing

    <em>That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying! You can¡¯t beat him, because William Oh always has another trick up his sleeve. He can change his entire Build at the drop of a hat. Sped out to fight a Sniper? Too bad, he¡¯s a Tank now. Sped out for a Tank? Too bad, he¡¯s a Nuker.</em><ul><li><em>Randy Needum, level 30 cook.</em></li></ul>

    ¡°Not many parties defeat a raid boss. Even less do it while below the floor level cap.¡± Loth¡¯s voice brought Will swimming up out of the depths of sleep.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think <em>any </em>of them have done it while simultaneously fighting off a higher-level Party.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised,¡± Will said, his voice raspy¡­from screaming or dehydration? Both?

    Will blinked thest of the sleep out of his eyes and focused on his situation. He was in a small room, in a Way Station inn. Linen sheets. Soft pillows. Swanky.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We beat the Hydra and brought you back for an operation to remove the mycelium. You were unconscious during most of it.¡±

    <em>Most of it. That exins the sore throat.</em>

    ¡°They have a lot of practice at it here,¡± Loth said with a shrug. ¡°So it was fast and effective. It cost a significant portion of your cut of the boss¡¯s bounty, though, given how extensive it was. It didn¡¯t reach your nervous system though, so you don¡¯t have to worry about being like Roger.¡°Thank the gods,¡± Will sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the money though, I¡¯d much rather be alive, and besides¡­I already got my payday,¡± Will said, releasing Mark Wyrd¡¯s rings and amulet from the Phantom Hand onto the nearby end table.

    ¡°Are those¡­Mark Wyrd¡¯s Relics?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Yeah¡­probably gonna need to find a fence,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Probably. Maybe keep those under wraps until then,¡± Loth suggested.

    Will swept them back into the Phantom Hand with a shrug.

    ¡°We get any Sacrifices?¡± Will asked. Fungal hydra seemed like it might have some applications.

    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s a damn good sacrifice for a Baker. You know how much they like yeast.¡±

    Will winced as he thought of Brianna.

    ¡°ording to the experts, if you open your Ability upgrades while holding a Sacrifice, if it ispatible, it¡¯s upgrade branch will be at the top of the list.¡± Loth said, rummaging through their luggage before handing Will a chunk of mummified flesh.

    Will held the fungal hydra in his hand and checked his upgrades.

    <strong><em>Regrowing fingers.</em></strong>

    <strong>The Phantom Hand gains 5 slots to store the effects of Relics sacrificed to it. Only one can be active at a time, and when the active slot is switched, the previous one will be inactive for 24 hours. If a slot is overwritten, it will be inactive for a week.</strong>

    Will¡¯s brows rose, but he switched to Aspect of the Goat to see what that had avable.

    <strong><em>Fungal Healing.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>User bes immune to fungal infections of all kinds, is immune to fungal poisons, receives extra nutrition from fungus, and may press fungus against wounds to simte a mid-grade healing potion.</em></strong>

    <em>Not bad, but no.</em>

    Will wasn¡¯t going to add anything to Aspect of the Goat until he could transform it into a higher tier Ability, namely Aspect of the Immortal Serpent, or Aspect of the Uru Drake, which would increase the overall power and the number of upgrades he could give the Ability.

    Will¡¯s eye twitched as he realized that he had another Secondary Ability upgrade, which meant they had passed level 20.

    <em>Makes sense,</em> Will thought, checking how the Fungal Hydra interacted with Sourdough.

    <strong><em>Powerful Yeast.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Growth rate of the Relic starter is drastically improved.</em></strong>

    <em>Well, that¡¯s good, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s what I want.</em>

    Sure, it would be nice to recover valuable consumables in a week instead of a month, but Will was going to continue gradually wearing away at the speed problem by raising his stats, and more than anything, he wanted to make Sourdough into something that simply couldn¡¯t be replicated by spending more money.

    Will wanted to alter the way the Ability behaved.

    ¡°How many of these do we have?¡± Will asked, motioning to the chunk of mummified hydra and mycelium.

    ¡°Plenty,¡± Loth said.

    Will held the Fungal Hydra up high.

    <strong><em>Do you wish to Sacrifice Fungal Hydra to Phantom Hand?</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Yes.</em></strong>

    There was a sh of light and the chunk of mummified flesh was gone.

    <strong><em>Phantom Hand has been upgraded. Review the description for changes.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Phantom Hand**</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Passive</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Active: 1 charge.</em></strong>

    <strong>Gain the use of an ethereal Phantom Hand. ess a tiny amount of dimensional storage with a Charge. Sacrifice a stored Relic to apply its effect to one of five slots. Only one slot can be active at a time. Switching to another slot causes the previous one to be inactive for 24 hours, and overwriting a slot causes the slot to be inactive for a week.</strong>

    <strong>Relic effect and Phantom Hand¡¯s abilities scale with Acuity.</strong>

    <strong><em>Potency gains from items in Phantom Hand do not apply scaling to their own effect.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Current effect:</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Slot 1:</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Ring of uracy*</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+12 Strength</em></strong>

    This book is hosted on another tform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    <strong><em>7 degrees of correction.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Manhunter: When a creature is struck by a projectile from the wearer, they are drawn toward the shooter along the path of the projectile. Force scales with Strength.</em></strong>

    Will felt like rubbing his hands together in glee.

    The ability to store more than one item was <em>extremely </em>desireable. Even with the cooldown in ce, it still meant he could add new things and change his build without losing powerful Relics that he still might useter. There was even wiggle-room for experimentation, one-offs, and ¡®trash¡¯ Relics.

    That was incredibly valuable.

    <em>Also, the Ring of uracy giving 12 strength? Shouldn¡¯t it be higher? How high is my Acuity?</em>

    Will checked his stats.

    <strong><em>William Oh</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Resourceful Climber Level 22</em></strong>

    <strong><em>23+ 12 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>66 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>69 Resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>44 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>79 Acuity</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Charges: 44/44</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Free Points: 5</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Item Abilities: Manhunter, 7 degree correction.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand**</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Secondary Abilities: Sourdough</em></strong>

    <strong>Primary Ability Upgrade Avable! (x2)</strong>

    <strong>Secondary Ability Upgrade Avable!</strong>

    <em>Oh right, I¡¯m not wearing any gear, </em>Will thought, assigning his free stats to Acuity.

    Like his previous opponent, Will had forgotten base stats were a thing.

    And also that he was naked.

    Suddenly aware of it, Will tucked his sheets up to his corbone.

    Loth chuckled and shook her head, turning to lock the door, causing Will¡¯s skin to turn cold.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for an opportunity to talk to you alone, actually,¡± Loth said, turning back to him. ¡°The more people we add to the Party, the harder and harder it¡¯s been to find the time.¡±

    Loth came back from the door. ¡°I wanted to tell you¡­that I like you.¡±

    Will¡¯s mind went nk.

    ¡°I have a¡­thing for intelligence.¡± Loth said, sitting beside him on the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not smart,¡± Will blurted. ¡°I¡¯m barely literate.¡±

    ¡°Literacy notwithstanding, you¡¯re the smartest human I¡¯vee across.¡±

    Loth kicked her feet against the bed and huffed, looking at the far wall. ¡°But something tells me you¡¯re not physically attracted to kobolds.¡±

    Will opened his mouth. Then closed it. It didn¡¯t seem like lies or reassuring titudes were what was called for.

    ¡°¡­Not really, no.¡±

    ¡°It would be stranger if you were,¡± Loth said before cocking her head to the side and tapping a ck talon against her chin. ¡°Although paraphilia <em>is</em> a side effect of rapid ascension or descension, so there¡¯s always a glimmer of hope I suppose.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®paraphilia¡¯?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡± Loth said, refusing to define a word the first time since he¡¯d met her.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to let you know that I have a crush on you, and probably will for quite some time. I understand you aren¡¯t interested in a physical rtionship, and I¡¯ve already made my peace with you choosing females of your species. I just¡­saw you almost die, and it made me realize that I needed to tell you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you?¡± Will hazarded, making Lothugh and shake her head.

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say, is that I¡¯d like to continue to be friends and partners.¡± Loth said, offering him a hand.

    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Will said, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake. ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to continue being friends and partners. You¡¯re awesome.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Loth said, releasing his hand with a smirk and standing up, eye level with him as he reclined in bed.

    ¡°The others are flooding the markets with Ivory, looking for Relics and Sacrifices, or just drinking all the top-shelf booze at the inn. Was there anything you¡¯d like me to get for you while you recover?¡±

    Will scrolled through his potential upgrades to Sourdough until he found the one he¡¯d been imagining.

    <strong><em>Erosion Golem</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Reverse Entropy</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Damaged (but not destroyed) permanent Relics can now be targeted with a charge of Sourdough, which will cause them to passively absorb Relic Dust to gradually repair themselves for one month. Speed scales with Focus</em></strong>

    ¡°Erosion golem or Immortal Serpent sacrifices,¡± Will said.

    ¡°I know about your ns for Immortal Serpent, but Erosion golem?¡± Loth asked. ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°It would allow Sourdough to target permanent Relics for repair.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Useful but a bit of a fringe issue. I would like to repair my rope amulet, but it¡¯s likely not worth pivoting your entire Build to make it happen. You¡¯ve got something more interesting in mind for it?¡±

    Will nced around to make sure no one else was listening.

    ¡°Once Sourdough can target permanent Relics, I¡¯m going to look for another upgrade that will allow me to steep those permanent Relics in the dust of others with specific attributes in order to ¡®ferment¡¯ them on those Relics.¡±

    Loth¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°For example, grab a bunch of lifesteal Relics off a young lord, turn them into dust, and then infuse a tomahawk with the ability to drain health. As a random, non-specific example.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll have to wait until level thirty at the soonest, but I can feel it in my bones that this will be worth the upgrade slots.¡±

    ¡°¡­You intend to create a single, <em>oundishly</em> powerful Relic with a wide array of stat boosts and Abilities by sacrificing dozens, or even hundreds of other Relics to a single base that was already powerful, then feeding the resulting artifact to your Phantom Hand, greatly magnifying it¡¯s already mind-boggling potency into a passive boost that no one could hope to surpass or remove.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a good idea, let¡¯s do that instead,¡± Will said.

    ¡°I know you already thought of it.¡± Loth said with half-lidded eyes. ¡°I like it. It¡¯s brutally effective.¡±

    ¡°As brutally effective as causing wasps to erupt from people and eat them?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Perhaps more so.¡± Loth said, considering for a moment. ¡°William, you are already a nightmare for other Climbers to battle, given your ability to disrupt their Builds by snatching Relics off their body. If you manage to develop Sourdough in the manner you described, you will be equally powerful against the monsters of The Tower¡­in short, you will be a Lord.¡±

    ¡°That was always the n.¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°Yes, but now I can <em>see</em> it.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t before!?¡± Will asked, aghast, motioning to his sheet-covered body. The motion caused the scars on his right side to twinge, but at least he got augh.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find either of the Sacrifices you mentioned,¡± Loth said, shaking her head. ¡°You just rest. Magical healing is never one hundred percent efficient, so you need <em>some</em> bed rest and food to recover.¡±

    ¡°Not my first time being bed-ridden, thank you very much,¡± Will said, crossing his arms petntly.

    ¡°Yes, and I wish it would happen less often,¡± Loth said, patting him on the head before retreating through the door.

    <em>Am I the mature one, or is it Loth?</em> Will thought as the silence pressed in around him.

    <em>¡­Probably Loth.</em>

    It only took two days topletely recover. Once Will had eaten and gotten some sleep, he took the final Potion of Greater Healing, which removed the soreness from the web of operation scars on his side.

    Once he could move, he went over to the luggage and dug through the Sourdough barrel full of Relic Dust and pulled out a fully-formed smoke bomb, the y Idol, the potion of Fury, and another Potion of Greater Healing, putting the potions in his Phantom Hand, and the y Idol on his belt.

    Lastly, Will pulled out Cold Harvest, inspecting the sickle.

    <strong><em>Sickle of Cold Harvest</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+2 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+ 3 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>2% life drain</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Applies Hoarfrost debuff to those damaged by the sickle, 5 seconds.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>(Hoarfrost: the victim¡¯s attack and movement are slowed 30% as crystals grow on their joints. The sharp crystals boost bludgeoning damage against the victim but interfere with shing and fire damage.)</em></strong>

    <em>Worth a shot.</em> If Will absorbed it, and it <em>didn¡¯t</em> work the way he was hoping it would, then there was no point in keeping it around forever. There were other ways to create hoarfrost to survive the 3rd Floor.

    <strong><em>Would you like to Sacrifice the Sickle of Cold Harvest to gain its effect?</em></strong>

    <em>Yes.</em>

    <strong><em>The Sickle of Cold Harvest¡¯s effect will destroyed, it¡¯s effect assigned to Slot 2, which is empty. Do you still wish to Sacrifice the Sickle of Cold Harvest?</em></strong>

    <em>Yes.</em>

    Will checked its stats.

    <strong><em>Sickle of Cold Harvest</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+ 6 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>4% life drain</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Applies Hoarfrost debuff to those damaged by William Oh, 10 seconds.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>(Hoarfrost: the victim¡¯s attack and movement are slowed 63% as crystals grow on their joints. The sharp crystals boost bludgeoning damage against the victim but interfere with shing and fire damage.)</em></strong>

    Will switched to slot two, and there was a strange organic <em>pop </em>that resounded through his mind, like a lizard that had shed a tail, and an odd pain that radiated through the Phantom Hand as its index finger ckened in front of Will¡¯s gaze.

    It was odd, but notpletely unexpected.

    <em>Now, to test it out.</em>

    Will was too excited to head outside and test it on a monster, he needed to know if it¡¯d worked <em>right now, </em>so he pulled out his tomahawk and drew a tentative cut across the back of his arm.

    Instantly, it felt like someone had shoved him into a bath of ice-water as his entire body erupted with hoarfrost, radiating outward from his left arm.

    <em>Ow.</em>

    The sheer amount of hoarfrost dwarfed the amount they¡¯d created when they used the Relic to create water, and Will could barely move. He tried to brush the hoarfrost off, but his joints were stiff and weak, causing him to move drastically slower.

    <em>Probably about 63%, if I had to guess,</em> Will thought wryly.

    After ten excruciating seconds, the ice faded away, allowing him to move at full speed again.

    <em>Holy¡­crap. That is awesome.</em>

 Chapter 53: the Enemy of my Enemy is a Distraction

    <em>William Oh singlehandedly started the Crusades.</em><ul><li><em>Jason Szar.</em></li></ul>

    Will and Loth ventured out of their modest inn together on the third day, walking along the boardwalk that was cobbled together out of twisted swamp-wood, winding between the raised buildings of Way Station.

    <em>I wonder where they get the big beams for the stilts,</em> Will thought as he wandered along, enjoying the omnipresent smell of smoke that drove off the biting insects.

    Or at least¡­discouraged them slightly.

    <em>I¡¯m starting to see what Roger sees on this floor. </em>There was a rustic simplicity in the way everyone approached life and each other. There wasn¡¯t enough time, money, or safety, for people to y politics with each other. Everyone minded their own business¡­

    And when your level was high enough, the ambience of the floor shifted from ominous swamp filled with horrors to liberating natural wonder.

    <em>Oh, gods, I hope I didn¡¯t get some Mycelium in the brain, </em>Will thought, their feet <em>thumping</em> along the wet boardwalk.

    Their first stop was to the local cksmith to see if he could get a chakram (whatever that was) and/or a cannonball a little smaller than his fist. Given how fast he was shooting the sling bullets, something even slightly heavier would be absolutely devastating.The cksmith knew what a chakram was, essentially a metal throwing disk with a de all the way around the edge. Most people didn¡¯t use it because there was no safe way to handle and throw it without years of training and/or a chain gauntlet.

    <em>Or¡­a phantom hand that elerates it faster than a sling bullet.</em>

    <em>Wow. Loth has brutally good ideas.</em>

    Will could simply release it at full speed right next to someone¡¯s neck and decapitate them in the blink of an eye.

    <em>Except maybe someone like Reggie. Or Mark Wyrd, for apletely different reason.</em>

    <em>Speaking of¡­</em>Will frowned, his gazending on Mark Wyrd sitting at an outdoor restaurant that served barbeque alligator.

    The lordling red back at them, but didn¡¯t stand up.

    <em>Huh, I guess he¡¯s still alive.</em> To be fair, there wasn¡¯t actually much in the Swamps that posed a threat to the young man.

    ¡°¡­Why is he not trying to kill us right now?¡± Will asked as Mark took a sip of his beer, gaze never leaving the two of them. Not even to blink.

    ¡°We¡¯re in town. Too many witnesses The Tower can draw from.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°So¡­we can¡¯t attack him either?¡± will asked.

    ¡°Not in public, anyway,¡± Loth said.

    <em>That right there is a liability that is going toe back and haunt my team. Even if Mark Wyrd failed to kill us, his father could probably wipe all of us out without too much effort. And he will, as soon as Mark tells him about what we did in Oilton.</em>

    <em>Wait a moment¡­</em>

    A deviously paranoid realization struck Will between the eyes.

    ¡°Do you think he told his father what happened in Oilton?¡± Will asked, his mind racing.

    Loth cocked her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s possible in his desire not to return home empty-handed, he has avoided telling his father the details of the debacle. The Lord probably knows Oilton was destroyed, but not who did it and how.¡±

    ¡°So he¡¯s desperate for a scapegoat because if he goes back empty-handed, it¡¯s the belt for him.¡± Will mused.

    ¡°Or whatever the equivalent for an adult Thorns-tank would be,¡± Loth pointed out.

    <em>Right¡­</em>

    ¡°Loth, I have an idea. It¡¯s either really good, or <em>really</em> bad.¡±

    Will went back to the inn and grabbed some props for his gamble.

    <em>My job as the leader is to line up advantages in my Party¡¯s favor. Throwing a few of our enemies off the scent is a good advantage.</em>

    Will hustled back to the outdoor restaurant and was pleased to discover the young lordling was still sitting there, watching Will as he approached.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got some balls.¡± Mark said as Will slid into the bench seat across from him. Will could pick out a handful of the surviving members of the lordling¡¯s Party tense up as he sat down.

    ¡°I thought we could talk about this situation we find ourselves in like adults ande to an agreement,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Your face¡­you couldn¡¯t possibly be an adult, what are you, fourteen?¡±

    ¡°Not sure,¡± Will said with a shrug. At the orphanage they celebrated the day he was dropped off as his birthday, but it was anyone¡¯s guess how old he had been at the time. Malnutrition can shave years off of someone¡¯s development, and Will had been a <em>skinny </em>child. Hence the Will Special at the inn.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the vition.

    <em>You know, that¡¯s weird, my parents should know my exact birthday and age, shouldn¡¯t they? Shouldn¡¯t they¡­?</em>

    Mark waved his hands in front of Will¡¯s face.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will asked, refocusing on the lordling who wanted him dead.

    ¡°Speak.¡± Mark said.

    ¡°Does the rest of your Party know why you¡¯re hunting me?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°What does it matter to you?¡± Mark asked.

    ¡°Ask them to give us some privacy, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Mark nced at his Party members. ¡°Give us a minute.¡±

    One by one, they stood up and shuffled off to the boardwalk to speak amongst each other and send Will mean looks.

    Once they were far, <em>far</em> out of earshot, Will asked the question that had burning in his mind.

    ¡°How long is your father going to live? A hundred, hundred and sixty years? Maybe longer?¡± Will asked. ¡°Body that high surely means a long life.¡±

    ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Mark asked.

    ¡°Do you like your dad?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer that.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to spend the next hundred and sixty years working for him?¡± Will asked bluntly.

    Will saw that he¡¯d prated Mark¡¯ s mask of indifference as the lordling¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t told anyone about Oilton yet, have you? At least not exactly who did it. You wanted to show up triumphantly with our heads on a pike, having already dispensed punishment. Because if you came back empty-handed, <em>you¡¯d</em> be the one severely punished. No one can physically harm you, so I have to assume he has hostages. Whipping boy? Girlfriend? Both?¡±

    Mark¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°I want you to understand that the real story of a handful of teenage level twelves sabotaging your entire Lordship and turning Oilton into a ball of fire isn¡¯t going to avoid punishment, even if you have our heads on pikes. It¡¯s just not the kind of story that your father wants to hear.

    ¡°He wants to hear that other powerful forces are jealous of his sess and hatching schemes against him, and he would be delighted to know which one to be on guard against.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Other powerful forces <em>are</em> hatching schemes against him.¡± Mark said with a shrug.

    ¡°Why not <em>us</em>?¡± Will asked.

    Mark¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Do you <em>really</em> want to be under his thumb for the next¡­One. Hundred. And. Sixty. <em>Years</em>?

    ¡°I¡¯ve got my own Lordship.¡±

    ¡°Technically.¡± Will interjected.

    ¡°I can surpass him now.¡± Mark said, his desperation to believe the words leaking through. ¡°Start my own independent Stronghold.

    ¡°Is he the sort of person to allow that?¡± Will asked. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but your job in Oilton was just to funnel money back to your father, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been groomed for leadership from birth,¡± Mark hissed quietly, ring at Will.

    ¡°What is leadership?¡± Will asked. ¡°The duty of a leader?¡±

    ¡°To guide lesser men with the strong hand of a father, teaching them their ce to ensure your demesne runs smoothly.¡±

    ¡°hmm¡­¡± Will absorbed that. It was a wildly different leadership philosophy than Loth¡¯s ¡®line up every advantage¡¯.¡± Will was fairly sure Loth¡¯s was better.

    ¡°¡­If you go back and tell your father who is actually responsible for Oilton, he will kill my Party, and punish your hypothetical whipping boy.¡±

    ¡°Imagine, a hundred years from now, you¡¯re still working for Fredrick Wyrd, the chain around your neck growing shorter and shorter the more minute the difference in strength between yourself and your father bes.¡±

    ¡°Or imagine¡­thirty years from now, your father is dead, and you and I are bitter enemies, but Lords in our own right, each holding a ratherrge swath of The Tower¡­I know which one sounds better for both of us.¡±

    ¡°How in the name of all the gods, could me assigning me somewhere else possibly lead to Father being killed?¡± Mark asked sourly.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you asked,¡± Will said, pulling out the bag with the mummified hand from under the restaurant¡¯s rough-hewn table.

    ¡°This is the mummified hand of Saint Jerry of Ingleton,¡± Will said, pulling it out and reading the tag. ¡°One of the Graneshian operatives who attacked you in Oilton had it on their person. They were going to hit level 30 soon, and were saving it to upgrade one of their Primaries.¡±

    ¡°It turns out, the church of Granesh has caught wind of your father¡¯s experiments with Tangled, and has used the moral outrage to justify humbling him a bit. When you beat the church operatives back, theymitted suicide andpleted their mission by detonating the main oil pipeline running through the city. This pack and the hand within is all you managed to save from the fire.¡±

    Mark Wyrd, sat there, tapping his finger on the rough-hewn table, the rest of his bodypletely still and expressionless.

    <em>I really hope my ¡®hypothetical¡¯ hostage was on the money. </em>Mark hadn¡¯t given much response one way or another.

    ¡°Before I agree to this¡­¡± Mark said. ¡°I want to tell you about someone you killed named Bron.¡±

    Over the next few minutes, Mark spun him the tale of Old Bron the retired Climber who had served the Wyrd family for two decades, teaching Mark how to read and write, how to fight, how to survive in The Tower, raising the young man to be a fine Climber in his own right, only to meet his end in a ball of fire at his proudest moment, burnt to death in an oil explosion the instant his ward had be a Lord.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go along with your n to set my father and the church of Granesh against each other, because it truly does fit the narrative he would believe, as well as open the best opportunities for me¡­but I don¡¯t want you to get the impression that I won¡¯t kill you at the earliest opportunity. We are not, and never will be, allies.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough, although pursuing a vendetta against me after ming oilton on someone else would be suspicious.¡± Will said, handing the mummified hand over along with one of the bags the operatives had been carrying. For authenticity.

    ¡°Granted.¡± Mark said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Now allow me to describe the ¡®operatives¡¯ who attacked you in fine detail,¡± Will said before describing the deceased party of Granesh operatives that had attempted to kidnap him in The Ring.

    It was a team that had actually existed, and was <em>actually</em> dead now¡­

    <em>Assuming the church didn¡¯t revive them</em>. <em>They probably did.</em>

    In either case, since they actually existed, that lent credence to the lie. The church would deny any wrongdoing, because of course they would whether they had done it or not. They also wouldn¡¯t have detailed records showing that their operatives had gone after a handful of teenagers and died in the process, and they certainly wouldn¡¯t reveal such a humiliating defeat even if they did.

    It would do more for their reputation if everyone thought that team died prying Frederick Wyrd¡¯s talons off the third Floor.

    They would then ally with the Zodiac Family to wipe out the Wyrd Family.

    But would the Zodiac family side with the church and double cross Will, or side with Will and triple cross the church of Granesh?

    In order to have the coinnd on his side, he needed to simply line up the incentives to make siding with <em>him</em> more desireable.

    Which was a tall order, given the money and influence the church had.

    <em>Still figuring that part out,</em> Will thought, steepling his right-hand fingers together with those of his Phantom hand. The church would definitely have less money and power after a protracted scuffle with the Wyrd family.

    ¡°Excuse me, are you William Oh?¡± their matronly serving wench asked as she stopped by their table.

    ¡°I am.¡± Will said, tensing in case she was an assassin.

    ¡°Alligator skewers, on the house! My son is a huge fan,¡± she said, dropping a te full of BBQ alligator on the table.

    ¡°Oh, fantastic! Bless you, miss!¡± Will said, inhaling the skewer¡¯s aroma with gusto.

    The woman pinched his cheek and moved on before Will stuffed six entire skewers in his mouth.

    ¡°Were you raised by wolves?¡± Mark Wyrd asked.

    Will couldn¡¯t respond, he was too busy trying to get the meat past his windpipe.

 Chapter 54: Akul, Metropolis of the 5th Floor

    <em>The first time a kaiju spotted William Oh, it fainted from sheer terror.</em><ul><li><em>Elijah Hammond, level 25 hunter.</em></li></ul>

    ¡°Ugh, stomach feels a bit off,¡± Will muttered, rubbing his stomach and frowning.

    ¡°Probably because you were poisoned.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°The aftertaste on the meat <em>was</em> odd, but in a good, spicy way¡­and sweet olddies don¡¯t poison people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much exclusively the demographic that poisons people.¡± Loth said. ¡°Males just beat each other to death.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Will grunted. ¡°Well, either I¡¯ll get over it or I¡¯m already dead. No sense worrying about it.¡±

    Will had more important things to do, which included debriefing his Party, seeing what everyone got for their Ability Upgrades, (if anything) and informing them that they would be trying for the fifth floor, since their levels were capped out for the floor. Two levels over the cap, actually, because they¡¯d fought a raid boss, whose rewards weren¡¯t under any kind of restriction.

    June gathered everyone together, and Will took stock of his Party.

    Reggie, the enormous Tank, capable of soaking up damage meant for others.Mason, the Nuker, who had a bnced build, but a narrow frame.

    Alicia, the Artillery, an archer with the ability to see through anything andunch devastating attacks from beyond the range of traditional weapons.

    Travis, the Master Decoy, who could direct the attention of the enemy wherever they wanted it to be.

    June, the Scout with a knack for leading small teams, who could cobble together her own arrows on the fly and set devastating ambushes.

    And Loth, the Saboteur, Will¡¯s second inmand, some kind of Kobold demigod of intellect, who focused on the intersection of traps and insects.

    ¡°Alright, before we make ns to challenge the Key Site, what changes if any, did you guys make to your Builds?¡±

    ¡°I added the fungal Hydra to my Second Wind, It¡¯s now a passive that heals and restores my stamina, but I can still use a Charge to boost it.¡± Reggie said. ¡°Found a better shield with an effect that absorbs a bit of damage, which works to mitigate damage from toft. I¡¯m currently looking for a Sacrifice that can let me protect more than one person at a time. I upgraded Heavily Armored.¡±

    ¡°I found a Sacrifice that expands Hunter¡¯s Patience to apply to pretty much anything I do.¡± June said. ¡°Along with a nice quiver that poisons arrows inside it.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything,¡± Alicia whispered.

    ¡°I upgraded Feedback Shielding to be more potent.¡± Mason said. ¡°I need a piece of Spirit Turtle from the Fifth Floor to give it a permanent passive effect.¡±

    ¡°I made out like a bandit and found an upgrade for Taunt that allows me to target multiple opponents with it, as well as one for Center of Attention that increases it¡¯s effectiveness.¡±

    ¡°I found a sacrifice for Trap Savant that lets my Abilities bypass a small amount of the opponent¡¯s Resistance. I didn¡¯t find any Ripley Sacrifices on offer, so I upgraded Master of the Vivarium with a chimera Sacrifice that will allow me to interbreed and modify my insects.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you already breeding them?¡± Will asked, recalling a long night where Loth exined how she had identified a strain of glowworms that produced more light, and had been breeding them to be even brighter.

    ¡°<em>Inter</em> breeding. Prepare yourself for spider-mosquitoes.¡±

    Will shuddered.

    ¡°Sounds like everyone except Alicia found some good stuff,¡± Will said fishing through their luggage until he retrieved the preserved eyeball.

    ¡°What will this do for Prating Gaze?¡± Will asked, offering Alicia the eyeball, tag first.

    <strong><em>Maribel Johan, Reached the 14th Floor and achieved level 62 before retiring. In life, acquired powerful healing and sight-based Abilities.</em></strong>

    ¡°I can¡¯t read that,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Will muttered, handing her the Sacrifice so she could hold it in her hand to see what The System would say.

    ¡°Vitality Sight.¡± She whispered. ¡°The functionality of Prating Gaze expands to include critical weak points, such as hearts, brains, nerve clusters, major arteries, and so on, as well as revealing whether something is dead, alive, or undead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you would want to be looking at Will¡¯s brain,¡± Travis chimed in.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Alicia nced back at Will with a pleading gaze. ¡°Can I?¡±

    ¡°<em>Should</em> you?¡± Mason asked. ¡°that¡¯s a <em>church¡¯s </em>Sacrifice, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna tell anybody,¡± Reggie said with a shrug.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s dangerous, but¡­¡± Alicia¡¯s voice diminished until none of them could make it out, even with superhuman hearing.

    ¡°But?¡± June prompted her to continue.

    ¡°Once this sacrifice is added to my ss¡­I might get offered a healing secondary. Everyone loves healers.¡±

    <em>I know some healers that might make you rethink that statement.</em> Will mused.

    ¡°Do you want to be a healer or do you want to be loved by all?¡± Will asked. ¡°Because those two aren¡¯t necessarily linked.¡±

    ¡°¡­Both, I guess?¡± Alicia whispered.

    ¡°Alright, go ahead, if you want the option, it¡¯s all yours,¡± Will said, motioning to the preserved eye.

    Alicia nodded, and the eyeball disappeared in a sh of light a momentter.

    She nced back up at them and yelped, scrambling backwards and hyperventting as she nced around frantically.

    ¡°You all look so different.¡± She whispered, slowly rxing, like someone might around a spider that hadn¡¯t moved in an hour.

    ¡°Who is who?¡± Alicia asked, her voice barely audible.

    ¡°I¡¯m Reggie,¡± Reggie said, tapping his chest.

    ¡°You¡¯re five inches taller than everyone else,¡± Mason said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the most obvious out of all of us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Will,¡± Travis said, waving to Alicia.

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    I¡¯m June,¡± June said, ring at Travis.

    Loth didn¡¯t say anything, but she was several feet shorter than any of them with apletely different body shape. <em>She </em>was the most obvious.

    ¡°So that must be Will,¡± Alicia whispered, turning her gaze back to Will.

    ¡°Did you know you¡¯re poisoned?¡± she whispered, ncing at his stomach.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Will said with a dismissive wave as his Party¡¯s collective gaze settled on him.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Despite painting a Tower-sized target on his back for Fate to skewer him, she held back her javelin of Cruel Irony. Will wound up having no worse than an upset stomach, which cleared up by the end of the night.

    The olddy was nowhere to be found, which strengthened the case that it¡¯d been a deliberate poisoning.

    Odd that anyone would want to kill him, though.

    William Oh was beloved by all.

    Except the church of Granesh, and the Wyrd family. It was a pretty short list of people that didn¡¯t like him.

    Most likely? Mark Wyrd paid a local to try and poison him should hee by again.

    It was unlikely the church knew where he was and went with something as tepid as poisoning¡­not after sending an entire Party to kidnap him.

    Least likely? The woman had been jealous that <em>Will</em> was her son¡¯s hero and had punitively poisoned him.

    In any case, Will didn¡¯t want to waste time chasing down someone who had given him free food. Once they were sure that Mark Wyrd¡¯s Party wasn¡¯t hanging around the outskirts of Way Station to ambush them, they headed out to the nearest key Site in need of clearing in exchange for a Door to the next Floor.

    The Key Site was popted by water beetles the size of cows. They had spear-like proboscis and armor thicker than a man¡¯s palm, and from what they observed in the distance, could charge forward across hundreds of feet in the blink of an eye to impale/crush their prey.

    The boss was nearly the size of a house, his proboscis bathing in the stream of miasma flowing up into the Floor above.

    They were all dead in a matter of seconds beneath Alicia¡¯s rain of arrows. Each one struck dead center in a critical nerve cluster that dropped it lifelessly to the ground.

    The men in the Party nced at each other and shrugged.

    <strong><em>Thank you for clearing the Key Site. You may advance to the 5th Floor at your discretion.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+ 2000XP</em></strong>

    The only reason they got the option to advance was because they were Party members. Normally they would have to contribute somewhat to the clear, but The Tower was taking pity on them.

    ¡°You could be a one-person bus,¡± Reggie said, tousling Alicia¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Nooo, those people are rude,¡± Alicia said, wiggling away.

    Reggie kept at it until Alicia poked him in the shoulder and his arm switched off, fixing her hair while Reggie stared at his numb limb.

    ¡°Hah.¡± Mason allowed himself a sardonic brayughter at Reggie¡¯s expense, while Travis was strangely silent.

    June cleared her throat, getting their attention.

    ¡°Are we ready?¡± She asked, ncing to Will and Loth.

    They nodded, and as one, the Party moved up to the fifth Floor.

    Will swallowed the rising panic as he approached that glowing yellow doorway, stepping through before his stupid nerves could catch up with him.

    <strong><em>Wee to the 5th Floor!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Miasma limation: 5 days.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>It is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the Miasma limation period has psed. Side effects of doing so include fever, bulging bloodshot eyes, coughing, pustules, necrosis of the extremities, paraphilia, parasitic twin growths, and Death.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>There is a Stronghold to your East, and a Key Site in need of clearing to your South.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Again, it is not advised to Ascend or Descend before the limation period has psed.</em></strong>

    The Fifth Floor was¡­

    Pretty much the best ce ever.

    The air was sweetened by the smell of wildflowers, carried by a gentle breeze that tempered the warm sun.

    Will did a scan of the entire floor, looking for a kaiju or an ambush from another Party, and finding neither.

    The surroundings were covered in knee-length grass, stretching across rolling hills and low mountains, with streams cutting through the idylldscape.

    <em>Are those¡­farms?</em> Will thought, bbergasted at the idea of farming under constant threat of monster attacks, regardless of how infrequent those monster attacks were.

    Farms covered thend opposite a river in the distance, their irrigation drawing water straight out of the river to create a checker-grid-like pattern that covered the horizon¡­

    <em>Wait¡­Is that¡­</em>

    Will squinted, just barely making out the pale smudge in the distance.

    <em>No¡­way.</em>

    Will couldn¡¯t see the edges of the city. All he could make out was an ivory wall seemed to dominate the horizon, fading into the distance rather than ending.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯re going that way,¡± Will said, pointing.

    Thea said that she¡¯d arrange for a mercenarypany to help them take down some kaiju and get their levels before they moved on.

    They could probably find their other liaison in the bathhouses, which, now that Will had more context from the 3rd Floor, were probably brothels.

    They spotted a road and followed it through the dense farnd, getting smiles and waves from the locals in a bizarre disy of good cheer, as if living in the 5th Floor was some kind of blessing and not a bted death sentence.

    ¡°That guy has parasites,¡± Alicia whispered, pointing at a smiling man waving at them¡­Oddly skinny for a farmer.

    ¡°Go see a healer! You have parasites!¡± Will shouted at the man as they walked down the smooth cobbled road.

    ¡°Thanks, you too!¡± the farmer said, waving back.

    <em>Whatever. Not my problem.</em> Will thought, giving the man a smile and a thumbs-up.

    They realized that the city was more distant than they¡¯d first thought as they stopped for the night on top of a hill overlooking the road that winded into the distance. The distant ivory smudge had gotten a lot more defined, and much bigger, but it was still a long, long way away.

    If they rushed in the morning, and moved at a sprint¡­they could probably make it by¡­early afternoon?

    They bedded down, Loth trapped the hill against any nighttime ambushes, and Reggie took watch.

    It was an uneventful night, but in the morning, while Will was eating trail rations and watching the sunrise, he spotted a lumbering figure in the distance.

    It looked like the silhouette of an octopus riding a goat against the horizon¡­

    <em>On the other side of the city!</em> Will thought, lunging to his feet and staring.

    <em>That¡¯s a kaiju! And I can see it above the city walls, even though it¡¯s on the opposite side!</em>

    How many feet tall did such a creature have to be to be visible this clearly from this distance? Will didn¡¯t know the exact answer, but he knew it was more than enough to crush a small vige underfoot, let alone a Climbing Party.

    That was when a streak of fire descended from the sky and smashed into the side of the towering monster, bursting out the other side in an explosion of light and viscera.

    The malformed creature staggered, then slowly copsed to the side, sinking below the height of the walls as it did.

    But Will felt the shockwave of its fall. Tremors shook his legs a few breathster as a nearly inaudible shudder passed through the earth itself.

    <em>I¡¯ll be damned.</em>

    ¡°That was Baron Akul.¡± Mason said from beside Will, squinting into the distance. ¡°Since there is only a bare handful of kaiju spawns each month, and the baron can detect and destroy them in a matter of seconds, Akul is one of the safest Strongholds in the entire tower. You know, my parents modelled my Build after him?¡±

    ¡°What if he has an off day?¡± Will asked, eyeballing the spot where a city-sized monster had <em>just</em> been. It seemed like the average danger was low, but could wildly spin out of control if things went wrong.

    ¡°There are back-ups, of course.¡± Mason said. ¡°The Kaiju Guard might have a tougher time, but they would keep the city running smoothly. The man <em>does</em> travel from time to time.¡±

    <em>Hmm¡­</em>

    The closer they got to the ivory city in the distance, the more crowded the road became, until they were nearly shoulder to shoulder with other rough-and-tumble types and wagons full of grain.

    The packed road crunched down into a slow-moving line that processed a deceptivelyrge amount of people each second.

    Deceptive, because while the volume of people that Will saw getting into the city was high, the line still took an eternity for their party to reach the front gate.

    ¡°Take off any helmets or masks, and state your names.¡± A tired-looking garrison guard said, a glimmer of blue in his eye as he scanned their Party.

    ¡°Alicia Zodiac,¡± Alicia said, her voice barely rising above a whisper as she took off her headband.

    ¡°Yeah, right, and I¡¯m-¡° The guard swallowed the rest of his retort, seemingly scanning the air in front of him.

    ¡°Deeply sorry to make you wait in line, Miss Zodiac, you and your Party can head on through.¡±

    ¡°Do you need my name?¡± Will asked as he walked past the guard.

    ¡°Nobody cares.¡± The tired man said, waving him past.

    Will shrugged and just enjoyed theck of recognition? <em>I could swear that has a name.</em>

    ¡°What¡¯s it called when nobody knows who you are?¡± Will asked loth as they entered the city.

    ¡°Anonymity.¡± Loth replied.

    Will enjoyed the anonymity.

    ¡°So there¡¯s William Oh, buck naked, wrestling the dragon¡¯s head into the mud so it¡¯s fire breath won¡¯t destroy the princesses evening gown any more than it already has¡­¡±

    Alerted by his own name in the sea of voices, Will nced up to see street performers recreating That Time he Totally Saved A Princess From A Dragon.

    A massive, loincloth-wearing man whose muscles were easily five times the size and definition of Will¡¯s own, was wearing a goat mask and his left hand was painted ck, wrestling two men in a dragon costume while a scantily-d young woman tied to a pole stage-screamed quietly enough that the narrator could be heard over her.

    The young woman was very dark-skinned, causing Will to have an epiphany.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s supposed to be you.¡± Will said, nudging Loth and pointing at the woman.

    ¡°I think that is <em>also</em> supposed to be me,¡± Loth said, pointing at the ck dragon the muscr ¡®Will¡¯ was wrestling.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Will said, straightening. ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡±

 Chapter 55: Bureaucratic Bullshit

    ***Mark Wyrd***

    <strong>¡°Say that again,¡±</strong> Father said, his voice crashing down on Mark and forcing him to his knees.

    Frederick Wyrd wore a vibrant blue silk robe concealing his Torso Relic, as well as arm-length ck leather gloves, concealing his Rings.

    The only thing Mark saw on top of his head was a circlet with a drop of blood-colored gemstone in the center, reminding him of the one he¡¯d lost in the swamps of the 4th floor.

    This one was likely far more powerful.

    The lord of the Wyrd house could be fully armed for battle, and no one would ever know until they exploded in a shower of viscera.

    In his gloved hand, Father was twirling an unfamiliar rod and tapping it on his knee unconsciously. It was an oddly ornate bone rod seemingly cut from a femur, about a foot and a half in length with ornate gold caps with gem iy.

    Mark had never seen in before in his life, and <em>that</em> made him nervous.

    ¡°The destruction of Oilton was perpetrated by a Party that serves the church of Granesh.¡± Mark lied, keeping his face downturned.¡°That¡¯s preposterous. We¡¯ve had an excellent rtionship with them for decades.¡±

    ¡°One of them carried this.¡± Mark said, pulling the Sacrifice out of it¡¯s bag, artfully singed to sell the lie.

    Father frowned, drumming on his knee with the rod before going still.

    ¡°Is that¡­¡±

    ¡°A sacrifice from a Saint of the church. One of their members carried it.¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous. The church gives their members Sacrifices at the time and ce they wish for their members to use them. They do not let them ¡®carry them around¡¯ until they have reached the appropriate level.¡± Father said, tapping his knee with increased fervor.

    ¡°Unless¡­¡± Frederick Wyrd thumbed his chin, expression thoughtful for a moment before he nced back up at Mark. ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°The Tangled had already been dispatched by the operatives by the time we arrived,¡± Mark said, mixing a bit of realism into the story.

    ¡°They ambushed us in the throne room, and dispatched the others before I had the chance to drive them back. When they realized they would lose, they detonated the primary oil line that travelled under the castle.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh. And where are your Relics?¡±

    ¡°One of them was a Rogue archetype with an Ability that allowed them to remove Relics without my knowledge. I nearly died.¡± More lies cloaked in truth.

    ¡°¡­Right. You realize that an Ability that allows one to steal Relics is very rare and it would be unusual that they would send an operative with this Ability on a suicide mission?¡± Father asked, tapping the rod against his knee.

    ¡°I do not specte on the reasons,¡± Mark said, head lowered. ¡°I only tell you what I saw and wait for your decision.¡±

    ¡°Lies and deceit!¡± Father said, his expression murderous, causing Mark to break into a cold sweat.

    He said nothing.

    ¡°The Church of Granesh is always ying these games, thinking they can nudge me off my path and send a tasty treat my direction to appease me. Obviously, they send the rogue to his death before he turned this ability against his superiors, and they sent the Sacrifice with him as a gift to me, to quell my wrath at the loss of such valuablend.¡±

    Mark didn¡¯t sigh as his father¡¯s paranoia filled in the details on its own. That would be a mistake.

    Father descended from his throne and snatched the mummified hand out of Mark¡¯s hand, staring at it as he walked back up the staircase.

    ¡°But they¡¯ve made a grievous mistake. They¡¯ve given me the exact thing I needed to be unstoppable, and I won¡¯t forget to ¡®thank¡¯ them for it.¡±

    ¡°¡­U-Unstoppable?¡± Mark asked, unable to hide the hitch in his voice.

    The Sacrifice disappeared in a sh of light, as his father used an Upgrade slot.

    On what, Mark had no clue, but the malicious glee in his father¡¯s eyes was all he needed to see to feel a wave of dread and pray it wasn¡¯t directed at him.

    ¡°Julius,¡± Father called, getting the attention of one of the many servants standing by to tend to any of their Lord¡¯s needs.

    ¡°Yes, sire?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s rearrange my schedule a bit. Bring the prisoner in.¡±

    The servant bowed deeply, then scurried off at top speed, seemingly gliding across the opulent floor of the castle.

    Mark spent a long, silent minute contemting ¡®unstoppable¡¯, until the prisoner arrived. He was a ratherrge man with brown hair and a t face, his hands tied behind his back.

    Father motioned for Mark to step aside to join the courtiers, and the prisoner took center stage.

    ¡°Name?¡± Father asked.

    ¡°Eat a dick.¡± the rough man spat.

    ¡°So, Mr. Dick, you stand used of trying to steal my property, how do you plead?¡±

    ¡°Asshole.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Father mused, rubbing his chin and drumming his knee with the bone rod.

    ¡°I tell you what, Mr. Dick. Aside from costing me a little extra money, your poorly executed attempt at robbery had basically no effect. As the kids say, ¡®no harm, no foul.¡¯ That¡¯s why I¡¯m willing to give you clemency.¡±

    Frederick Wyrd¡¯s expression turned icy cold.

    ¡°Kneel, and tell me who hired you to steal my property. And you will go free. Alive, and unharmed.¡±

    The rope binding the bandit¡¯s wrists together exploded outward before whipping through the air towards his father, followed by the bandit, wielding a stiffened length of rope like a shiv.

    ¡°Your <em>mother</em> hired m-.¡± With no sign of an attack beingunched, the bandit exploded, showering Mark and the onlookers in viscera.

    Mark muscled down a flinch, but many of the other courtiers were unprepared for the sudden violence, and many took several steps back, desperately wiped blood out of their eyes, hyperventted, wretched, or simply turned to run away.

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    The guards were so agog that they didn¡¯t bother to stop them.

    ¡°¡­AAAHH, by the gods, that works better than I thought it would,¡± Father said, closing his eyes and rxing back into his throne.

    Mark nced back up from the bloody mess and paused in horror.

    His father looked¡­younger.

    Father¡¯s blue eyes snapped back open and he directed his gaze back down at Mark.

    ¡°Yes. Unstoppable. For all your bumbling and half-truths, you¡¯ve done well, Mark. Pick yourself out some new Relics from the vault, and feel free to visit Amanda. I will call you when I have decided your next assignment. Dismissed.¡±

    <em>Damn it, William, how is this a positive oue!?</em>

    Mark frowned.

    <em>I suppose it means that the church will </em>have<em> to intervene, if nothing else.</em>

    Mark was now fullymitted to the gambit of ying the church against his father, which meant he needed to find a way to discretely inform them of his father¡¯s new stolen power.

    <em>Amanda and I are under watch. I need someone to pass the message who will believe, is interested in setting the two factions against each other¡­and isn¡¯t affiliated with me¡­</em>

    Mark¡¯s eye twitched.

    <em>He¡¯s probably still on the Fifth Floor. That one takes some time.</em>

    *** William Oh ***

    ¡°<em>How</em> long?¡± Will asked, hoping he¡¯d misheard her.

    ¡°About two months for your Party to reach the front of the queue.¡± Thea said.

    ¡°Buuh¡­¡± Will was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Only a handful of kaiju spawn each month, and a significant fraction of them spawn close enough to Akul that the baron has to kill them immediately or risk loss of life and property. The spawning locations outside the city for people who wish to grind average about one to three kaiju per month. Massive armies of Climbers and mercenaries gather to fight them.

    ¡°These armies are sorge that they require a certain level of organization in order to prevent serious mishaps due to overcrowding. Hence the queue. I¡¯ve had your Party signed up since I arrived here a month ago, so be grateful, it could¡¯ve been a three month wait.¡±

    ¡°Are there any¡­faster alternatives?¡± Will asked, unable to stop thinking about Brianna being tortured into a Tangled on the seventh floor.

    ¡°Well, you <em>could</em> attempt a Key site. The ones on the fifth floor aren¡¯t particrly difficult, but you would be dropping into the sixth floor at a disadvantage.

    <em>Three levels behind where we need to be.</em>

    ¡°Any way to get a kaiju kill without waiting in line?¡±

    ¡°Well, you could travel a month outside city limits and pray you run into one during the daytime rather than having it appear at night and crush you all while you sleep. Also, since the mercenaries we hire for these sorts of things would need to be hired for the entire two months rather than the day it takes to kill a kaiju, the price would be astronomically higher.¡±

    ¡°Could¡¯ve just said ¡®no¡¯,¡± Will said, frowning as a thought urred to him. ¡°How is it you only need to hire the mercenaries for a day?¡±

    ¡°The mercenaries make their homes at the spawn points, so while there¡¯s no kaiju, they¡¯re not on the job. Several Parties pool their money and pay them a retainer to assist with the kill. When the kaiju shows up in their zone, they keep it busy until the parties who paid for the slot show up and together they kill it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s some bureaucratic bullshit.¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°Well, yes, but when dealing with city-destroying monstrosities, a certain amount of organization is necessary.¡±

    ¡°Can we reserve a ce in several spawn zones?¡± Will asked. ¡°That would at least give us a better chance of-¡°

    ¡°Sadly no. It used to be allowed, but there was an incident where the same group of parties was called up to two ces on the same day, and some people got hurt.¡±

    ¡°Damnit,¡± Will sighed, unclenching his jaw.

    He felt bad about Brianna, he really did, but he couldn¡¯t justify rushing his Party though without getting their levels.

    <em>If getting levels is the only important part¡­</em>

    An idea urred to Will.

    ¡°Can we join a mercenarypany?¡±

    ¡°They have Contracts with six-month terms to prevent that exact thing.¡± Thea said with an amused smile. ¡°Clever idea, you¡¯re just not the first person to think of it.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    ¡°Can I give you some advice?¡± Thea asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Will said. That was the reason why he¡¯d chosen to align himself with the Oilton family: taking advantage the experience of Travis¡¯s higher-level siblings.

    That and the money.

    ¡°You¡¯re in the biggest city in the world. The Ring doesn¡¯t evenpare to the things you can find and do here.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re still flush with cash after that raid boss aren¡¯t you? There¡¯s no way you could¡¯ve spent it all in Way Station. Not even close.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Will admitted.

    ¡°This is the biggest city with the biggest Sacrifice market in the world, due to its height in The Tower. There are agents in Akul who work onmission, whose only job is to find specific Sacrifices and deliver them to their customers for a price.¡±

    Will was interested.

    ¡°Erosion Golem? Immortal Serpent? Axolotl?¡± Will asked, his heart fluttering.

    ¡°There is a saying,¡± The white-robed mage said, holding up a slender finger. ¡°¡¯If you can¡¯t find it in Akul, you¡¯re gonna have to get it yourself.¡¯ The chances are better here than anywhere else in the world, save for staring one of those creatures down in person.¡±

    ¡°Uru drake scale?¡± Will asked out of curiousity.

    ¡°Something like that? You¡¯re probably gonna have to get it yourself.¡±

    That gave Will plenty to think about, and he returned to the inn and shared the news with the rest of the Party, who took it with varying levels of maturity.

    Reggie seemed grateful for the opportunity to take a break from being a professional pincushion. Travis seemed as eager as Will to keep going, scowling and pacing at the news.

    Loth epted it with her typical stoicism, while June simply shrugged and headed off to shop for better gear to prepare for Kaiju hunting, Mason trailing behind her.

    Will wrote down a list of all the Sacrifices that the party needed for the highly specific upgrades to their build, then marched off to find his liaison.

    He wasn¡¯t paying him for nothing.

    Will tracked Steve Hond to one of the cheaper bathhouses in the city.

    ¡®cheap¡¯ was rtive, because the entire thing looked like it belonged in a pce, coated in marble and gold, filled with steam.

    There was a bouncer out front with arge curved sword who looked like he chopped people up for a living.

    <em>Actually he just </em>looks<em> dangerous for a living. There¡¯s some ovep, but it¡¯s different.</em>

    Will tossed the bouncer an ivory coin and the man waved him inside, keeping his gaze fixed on the cobbled road outside.

    ¡°Wee, how may I cleanse you?¡± A woman in a sheer bathrobe asked, before cocking her head curiously at Will¡¯s mask.

    ¡°Do you¡­umm¡­have an appointment?¡± she asked, her voice nearly as soft as Alicia¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Steve Hond.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t use names here, as we are all one within the embrace of water,¡± the hostess said with a graceful dismissive gesture, an ephemeral smile sweeping across her features.

    ¡°Salt and pepper hair, beard, brown eyes, likes to pretend to break his own neck as a party trick.¡±

    ¡°Oh him.¡± The woman¡¯s expression went t, her shoulders sagging before she made a crude ¡®follow me¡¯ gesture. ¡°Right this way.¡±

    She led him through a main lobby where dozens of men and women rxed in pools that lined either side of the main walkway, swimming, talking and drinking. Entirely nude.

    Will kept his eye straight ahead, until he realized that the light from themps was shining through the hostess¡¯s bathrobe.

    Then he just stared at the ground.

    ¡°He¡¯s in there,¡± She said, thumbing toward a door to a ¡®private¡¯ bathing room

    ¡°Much obliged,¡± Will said before kicking the door open.

    ¡°GAH!¡± Steve Hond dove behind a rack of bottles, while the woman in the bubbling pool set in the floor casually gathered up some bubbles in front of herself, significantly less rattled at the sudden intrusion than her client.

    ¡°Is this a bad time?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Good a time as any I suppose, what¡¯s up?¡± Steve asked, wrapping a towel around himself before moving out from behind the wine rack.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got your pay,¡± Will said, tossing Steve his cut.

    Steve peered into the bag, eyes widening at the amount of ten-piece ivory.

    ¡°This is one percent!?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You want more?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Always,¡± the chatan said with a nod.

    ¡°I heard there¡¯s a huge market for Sacrifices on this floor. These are the ones I want you to find,¡± Will said, handing the list to Steve. ¡°Thea Oilton has the war chest, so coordinate any purchases with her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something for you, too,¡± Steve said, picking through the pile of clothes on the floor until he revealed a folded envelope.

    ¡°Whazzat?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Job offers.¡± Steve said, handing it to Will. ¡°As you¡¯ve probably been informed, the 5th Floor is difficult to level up¡­unless you fight other Climbers.¡±

    ¡°These are¡­¡±

    ¡°Investigations, bounties, bodyguard gigs,¡± ¨C Steve lowered his voice ¨C ¡°Kneecapping¡­a few of these are in a legal grey area, if you¡¯re interested in higher pay and morebat.¡± He held his hands up. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what you would be interested in, so I got a little bit of everything.

    <em>Hmm¡­</em>

    Will opened the envelope, revealing a bundle of fliers tightly folded together. He scanned the first.

    <strong><em>Wanted: The Climber who stole the Madross Egg from the Akul Museum.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Reward: 10 Ten-piece Ivory for the return of the egg, 90 ten-pieces for the body of the perpetrator.</em></strong>

    Under the pay was an artist rendition of a fat man with thick, rubbery lips.

    <em>Like I could ever find one person in a city this size¡­actually, Loth¡¯s insects might be able to¡­</em>

    Will put the first flier in his pocket before moving on to the next one.

    The next one wasn¡¯t a flier, so much as it was a note scribbled in Steve¡¯s handwriting.

    <strong><em>Find and give Tony Avita a beating, 1000 gold.</em></strong>

    Will¡¯s brows rose as he continued thumbing through.

 Chapter 56: Ear Collector

    <em>I swear that William Oh kid is hiding something. I¡¯ll get to the bottom of it no matter how long I have to- Yes, I understand that I¡¯ve only just joined, but ¨C yes, I also understand that I have guard duty, but ¨C can¡¯t I at least investigate him in my free time? I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s something about him that just¡­feels weird. No, I don¡¯t have a crush on him!</em>

    -Ria Smith, level 32 City Guard

    ***Reggie***

    "Well, looks like we¡¯ve got nothing going on while the ¡®leaders¡¯ figure out what we¡¯re doing next,¡± Reggie said, suddenly nervous now that he was alone with the blonde-haired vision of beauty.

    <em>Am I standing too close? Too far away? </em>In need of something to do, Reggie awkwardly put his hand on his hip¡­then dropped it, waiting for Alicia to respond.

    ¡°¡­I guess.¡± She whispered.

    ¡°How about lunch?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I <em>am</em> hungry.¡± She mused, pursing her lips in thought.

    <em>She probably only likes fancy foods. I should probably take her somewhere fancy.</em>¡°How about somewhere fancy? My treat.¡±

    Her face twitched into a frown.

    ¡°Something wrong with fancy?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Tiny portion sizes and people always asking me about my father.¡±

    ¡°Say no more,¡± Reggie said, taking her hand and leading her through the bustling streets of Akul. He didn¡¯t really know where he was going, but all he needed to do was find a nice restaurant to take a girl to that wasn¡¯t too fancy, but still fancy enough for it to be a date.

    <em>Assuming this is a date. Is this a date?</em>

    ¡°There¡¯s a restaurant around the corner over there.¡± She said, pointing at a grey stone wall. ¡°Ooh, they serve beef stew and baked potato! And there¡¯s a dance stage! And live music!¡±

    <em>That sounds perfect for a date,</em> Reggie thought

    Alicia took Reggie¡¯s hand and pulled him forward, navigating down the street with that natural grace that he found impossible to replicate as people bounced off his chest like marbles, usually sending him mean looks afterwards.

    ¡°Hey, watch it!¡± The older Climber said, shaking his fist as they turned the corner.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± Reggie called over his shoulder at the man, watching him roll his eyes and go about his business.

    When Reggie turned his gaze back forward, he stumbled in sheer horror.

    <strong><em>5th Floor Fantasies</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Clothing Optional restaurant and topless bar.</em></strong>

    The building had a sign out front with the silhouette of a woman dancing on a pole, that Alicia obviously could not see.

    ¡°Oh wow, their food is <em>really</em> good,¡± Alicia said, taking a deep whiff. ¡°Whoever is cooking in the back there has a ss for it. I mean, look at him go!¡±

    ¡°I mean, maybe we should-¡°

    ¡°C¡¯mon!¡± Alicia said, dragging him forward with a surprising amount of strength before he had a chance to formte a reason why they shouldn¡¯t go in¡­aside from the obvious.

    The entrance spilled raucousughter and music out into the street, and the two of them walked inside, the atmosphere engulfing them.

    ¡°Wow, this ce is so lively,¡± Alicia said as they took a seat at a table, ncing around with wide-eyed wonder.

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± Reggie said, staring at the menu in front of him.

    ¡°What can I get for you two?¡± A cheery young woman asked, approaching from the side.

    ¡°¡­Can I get the beef stew!?¡± Alicia asked, raising her voice above the music with a bit of difficulty. ¡°It smells amazing.¡±

    ¡°And you, handsome?¡± The woman asked, turning toward him.

    ¡°S-same,¡± Reggie said, shielding his line of sight with the menu until the waitress plucked it out of his hand.

    Then he just stared at the table.

    ¡°Your boyfriend is cute.¡± The waitresses said before sauntering off.

    It was Alicia¡¯s turn to blush and stare at the ground.

    ¡°Boyf-¡­is this a <em>date</em>?¡± She asked, ncing back up at him.

    That prompted Reggie to look back up to meet her gaze. With every fiber of his being, he attempted to keep his full focus on her face.

    ¡°I was¡­kind of hoping?¡± he admitted.

    ¡°Oh. Wow.¡± Alicia said, her face turning even brighter red than before, taking a long pause to start speaking again.

    ¡°Well¡­I like the restaurant, at least. The ones my father always took me to were so quiet and intense, and everybody always stared at us the whole time.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­nobody¡¯s staring at you,¡± Reggie admitted. They were all staring at how flexible Candi was.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great?¡± Alicia said with a blinding smile. ¡°This is the best date I¡¯ve ever been on.¡±

    <em>So it is a date?</em> Reggie thought, his stomach assaulted by butterflies.

    ¡°¡­Is it also the <em>only</em> date you¡¯ve ever been on?¡± Reggie hazarded.

    Alicia frowned. ¡°¡­Not telling.¡± She said, barely audible over the music and shouting.

    ¡°Here you go dears!¡± the waitress said, dropping two enormous bowls of hearty stew in front of the two of them.

    ¡°Mm, amazing.¡± Alicia said, her glowing blue eyes rolling in pleasure after taking a bite of the stew.

    Reggie cocked a brow and tried some of his own, eyes widening in surprise as it turned out to be beyond excellent.

    <em>This ce must beundering money because otherwise the food would never be so good.</em>

    ¡°We have toe here again.¡± Alicia said in perhaps the most assertive statement Reggie had ever personally witnessed her make.

    ¡°¡­Sure.¡±

    ¡°Would you two like a dancer once you finish your food?¡± A waitress asked, stopping by to refill their water.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s-¡°

    ¡°That¡¯s an option? Wow! Yes, please!¡± Alicia said, pulling a few ivory out of her purse before ncing at Reggie. ¡°You know what, make it two. One for each of us.¡±

    The waitress gave Reggie and Alicia an appraising nce as she slid most of the money back. ¡°For a couple as pretty as you two it¡¯s our pleasure.¡±

    ¡°Wow, thanks!¡±

    Reggie buried his head in his hands.

    ¡°Just remember: No touching without asking first.¡±

    Alicia nced back at Reggie with an inquisitive frown.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°Why would we touch them?¡±

    Reggie felt his face heat up even further as he shook it, staring straight down at the table.

    ***William Oh***

    ¡°Bahahahahah!¡± June and Alicia wereughing uproariously when Will and Loth arrived at the Party meeting.

    ¡°That was so <em>mean!</em>¡± June shouted. ¡°Reggie¡¯s never even done the ¡®clothes¡¯ prank on you before! Turning it against him¡­that¡¯s like kicking a puppy. You are some kind of evil genius. Remind me not to piss you off. Or even be nearby when somebody else pisses you off.¡±

    ¡°Mean!?¡± Alicia gasped, her bodynguage copsing in on itself as she began to whisper. ¡°I was just ¡®razzing¡¯ him back like you said¡­At least before it turned into a date¡­should¡­should I apologize? Did I hurt his feelings?¡±

    ¡°Nah, he got a date and a good story out of it, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯s happy. Plus he got to see some-¡±

    ¡°Melons!¡± Travis shouted as he burst into the room, bearing a pair of massive melons in his arms. ¡°You can literally get <em>any</em> food you want here! They can grow anything on this Floor! Meat! Soy sauce! Fish! Melons!¡±

    ¡°Bread?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°The freshest bread you could imagine. With any extras you want! Rosemary. Garlic. Cheeeeeeese!¡± Travis said, wiggling his fingers dramatically.

    Will swallowed drool. Several weeks of climbing The Tower eating ration bars, weeds, and the asional alligator gave him a deep-seated need for real food.

    In this case bread. Or pastries. Or rolls. Buns. Soft, squishy bread. Preferably without rocks.

    Will was starting to regret spending all his time figuring out their jobs while the rest of his Party was, by all ounts, enjoying their time shopping, rxing, and in Alicia¡¯s case, hazing Reggie.

    <em>Speaking of,</em> Will thought, watching Reggie enter the room and sit down across the room from Alicia, staring at the floor with a hollow expression.

    <em>Wow. She really did get him good. I need to get the full storyter.</em>

    Once Mason arrived, He and Loth went through the job offers while Travis cut up melons and passed them out.

    ¡°Okay, first up, we have sewer cleanin-¡°

    ¡°PASS!¡± Mason shouted, echoed by everyone else.

    ¡°Loth and I can probably handle that,¡± Will mused, flipping to the next one.

    ¡°Three offers to track down and maim various Climbers. The offers are high, but Steve tells me there¡¯s a chance they could be traps designed to attract free XP to the ¡®target¡¯ of the beating. Can¡¯t exactly go to the authorities if the ¡®victim¡¯ of our illegal kneecapping turns the tables on us¡­should we hire people to attack us? No, that¡¯s silly.¡±

    Will nced around, finding most of the rest of the party staring at him over wedges of melon.

    ¡°We¡¯ll put the kneecapping jobs down as a ¡®maybe¡¯.¡± Will said, making a note on the page.

    ¡°Underground fight tourney. Hundred Ivory just to fight. Ten thousand if you win.¡±

    ¡°Unarmed?¡± Reggie asked, finally waking from his stupor and joining the conversation.

    ¡°¡­With weapons and Abilities.¡± Will said reviewing the job offer.

    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t wanna die,¡± Reggie said, waving it off.

    ¡°Several pieces of art from rich houses have disappeared recently¡­¡±

    Nobody looked interested.

    ¡°Drug smuggling¡­¡± <em>I could probably take that one.</em> Will memorized the details then threw the incriminating note in the fire.

    ¡°Guard and rebuild a damaged bridge in the far east side of the city¡­¡±

    ¡°Picking fruit at the-¡°

    ¡°That one!¡± Travis said, pping his palm down, the other hand shoving melon into his mouth.

    ¡°¡­Carnivorous gardens.¡± Will finished.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Travis sat back down. ¡°Do we have to do this?¡±

    Will wordlessly leaned over and grabbed the Inn¡¯s bill off the nearby countertop and passed it over to the Master Decoy, who paled as he read.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take the bridge.¡± He said.

    Once they were done discussing the pros and cons, June, Mason and Travis took the bridge, Alicia and Reggie took the man-eating garden, While Will and Loth took the sewers.

    Will didn¡¯t mind the smell if it paid well enough.

    Plus it paired nicely with the drug smuggling.

    They paired up and headed out, with Loth and Will stopping by a bakery to get something to eat before they became walking biohazards.

    ¡°Come on in!¡± A young woman¡¯s voice called as the bell above the door announced their presence.

    She stepped out from the back, lifting a massive tray of bread and effortlessly depositing them behind the ss divider.

    ¡°What can I get for you?¡±

    She was about Will¡¯s age, pudgy, with flour-sprinkled blonde hair, brown eyes and freckles over pale skin. But most importantly, she was wearing an apron and offering him bread, which made her perfect.

    ¡°Could I get two of those rolls, six raspberry tarts and a garlic bread?¡± Will said, pointing them all out.

    ¡°Sure!¡± she said with a smile, her hands moving deftly to bag up Will¡¯s order while also turning to Loth.

    ¡°And you Mr¡­¡±

    ¡°Loth,¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Hi, Loth! I¡¯m Anna, what can I get for you?¡±

    ¡°Couple of those tbreads, and cheese. Lots of cheese.¡±

    ¡°Right away!¡± She said, handing Will his bag and swiftly filling Loth¡¯s order.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be two ivory.¡±

    Will sighed and handed the money over.

    <em>I¡¯m starting to feel that letter about the ¡®price of money¡¯.</em>

    ¡°Mister, you look young to be on this Floor, if that¡¯s not too rude to say,¡± she said depositing the money into the till. ¡°You must be very talented.¡±

    ¡°I could say the same about you,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Nah, I got bussed up when I was younger.¡± She said, waving it off ¡°I¡¯ve never even been outside the city since.¡±

    ¡°Bussed up for a bakery job?¡± Will asked. Not even a job in a stronghold that needed a specialized baker, but like...just a normal bakery?

    ¡°No, it was for my dad¡¯s job, but it kind of fell through. I just recently found a job, though, and I am surprised at how much I like baking! It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been doing it all my life.¡± She lowered her voice and leaned over the ss counter, standing on her tippy toes. ¡°And Jean, my boss, is the best.¡±

    ¡°Are you flirting with the customer¡¯s again!?¡± An older woman¡¯s voice barked from the back.

    ¡°¡­NO!¡± Anna said, her shoulders stiffening.

    ¡°Then get back here and help me like I¡¯m paying you for, girl!¡±

    ¡°Come back soon!¡± Anna said, waving as she disappeared into the back.

    ¡°Raspberry tart?¡± Will asked, offering Loth a tart as they walked down the street.

    ¡°Sweet foods don¡¯t taste very good to me.¡± Loth said, gnawing on some cheese-covered tbread.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Will said, shoving the overpriced sweets into his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna go back to that bakery aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°She said to e back soon¡¯.¡± Will said defensively. ¡°It would be rude not to.¡±

    Loth rolled her eyes as they turned off the main street and began winding through ever-narrowing alleys. ¡°You and bakers.¡±

    ¡°As far as having a type, I think ¡®baker girl¡¯ is pretty inoffensive.¡±

    ¡°Common though.¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°like it would be a good thing if I had a type that is <em>harder</em> to find?¡± Will demanded as they approached the three hard-bitten men waiting in the alleyway. ¡°What if I never find love?¡±

    ¡°Cry me a river,¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re with Steve.¡± Will said as they arrived.

    ¡°You seem pretty young.¡± The lead drug runner said.

    ¡°Which is a good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Will asked, spreading his arms. ¡°Who¡¯s gonna stop me?¡±

    The lead thug frowned for a second, then nodded to one of the men beside him, who pulled out a package nearly the size of Will¡¯s head, coated in wax.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in need of a new courier, and Steve said you were good. Deliver this to the Johan mansion in the upper district, directly into the butler¡¯s hands. If you lose it, get caught, or fail to deliver, I¡¯ll add you to my belt,¡± the thug pointed down at the human ears studded to his belt.

    Two of which were fresh.

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Will said, tucking the package under his truncated arm as he and Loth turned away, continuing their conversation about romance.

    The instant he turned the corner, Will stowed the package in the Phantom Hand.

    ¡°Stop there, criminal scum!¡±

    A young woman wearing a breastte and the livery of Baron Akul leapt into the alleyway from her hiding ce, lowering a halberd towards them.

    She was athletic, easily six feet tall with brown hair and a fierce look in her eyes.

    But since she wasn¡¯t wearing an apron, Will had little interest.

    ¡°Who, me?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Who else!? lift up that mask!¡±

    Will raised his mask.

    ¡°You¡¯re so young.¡± She scowled. ¡°It disgusts me that the Ear Collector would turn children to a life of crime. Come clean and the sentence will be light.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Will said, loud enough for the Ear Collector to hear. ¡°We just got lost and that guy threatened to gut us if we didn¡¯t leave! That¡¯s all that happened!¡±

    ¡°Likely story,¡± She said, poking at them with her halberd. ¡°Turn around, let¡¯s join your friends, but first, hands on your heads. Let¡¯s find what you¡¯re smuggling.¡±

    She checked their pockets, her gaze rapidly growing more and more panicked.

    ¡°What, but. What- <em>Where!?¡±</em> She desperately patted both of them down, spilling Will¡¯s uneaten rolls out into the mucky alleyway and checking the bag.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°H-Hands on your heads!¡± She said, flustered. ¡°Maybe you stashed it between here and there.¡±

    Will and Loth marched back around the corner where the Ear Collector and his men were being held at sword-point by half a dozen men in the Duke¡¯s livery.

    ¡°Alright Ria, where¡¯s the drugs?¡± the oldest guard asked, ncing away from the Ear Collector.

    ¡°I already told you, there wasn¡¯t no drugs,¡± The Ear Collector said, hands on his head. ¡°We just scared off those twerps ¡®cause they were in the wrong neighborhood.¡±

    ¡°I umm¡­.can¡¯t find them?¡± Ria, presumably, admitted, her voice wavering.

    ¡°What!?¡± Her superior demanded. We heard the deal go down. Check the sewer grates!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe we trusted a total noob to guard the exit,¡± One of the guards muttered, shaking his head as Ria deted.

    ¡°This is going to put a huge dent in our schedule for the day,¡± Loth mused, hands on her head beside him.

    The next two and a half hours were a tedious exercise in bureaucracy, but it ended with Loth and Will going free.

    The next three hours were spent scouring the sewers long after they lost the natural light, which, while annoying, wasn¡¯t a dealbreaker, given that Loth had managed to breed the glowing trait into many of her faster crawlers, who swarmed through the sewers, cleaning them while the two of them killed the slimes that budded off of the slime kaiju trapped underground that purified sewage and prevented the drinking water from being contaminated.

    <em>Big cities are interesting,</em> Will thought as the two of them climbed out of the manhole, just a block away from the Johan mansion.

    They located the servant¡¯s entrance and handed off the drugs to the butler who slipped them a small bag full of ten-pieces, which was about ten times what the sewer job paid.

    Will had no ethicalints about a rich dandy frying his own brain, so he was happy enough to take the money.

    The butler wrinkled his nose at the sewage smell and insisted they leave as soon as possible, until a shrill scream from one of the maids echoed through the halls.

    ¡°T-The End Tapestry is gone!¡±

    ¡°Nice doing business with you,¡± Will waved and the two of them turned and left the mansion before things gotplicated.

    They were just getting past the gate when one of the upper windows of the mansion shattered, a figure in shiny ck leather diving through with an unnaturally powerful leap, twirling through the air beforending on the street beside them, a massive tapestry over her shoulder.

    ¡°HAHAH! None can catch the Phantom Thief!¡± she said moments before jumping up, nearly fifteen feet into the air,nding gracefully atop the rooftops and sprinting away as the sounds of rm from the upper district¡¯s overzealous guard began to close in around them.

    ¡°Back into the sewer?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°We won¡¯t get back to the inn before midnight otherwise,¡± Loth said, ushering him back into the manhole.

 Chapter 57: One Trick Pony

    <em>William Oh joined an underground fighting tournament, and the people running the show paid him off. </em>

    <em>But they didn¡¯t pay him to lose. They paid him to not win so quick that nobody saw what happened.</em>

    <em>After he was done with the fights, they also paid him not toe back, because the underground tournament had been relocated above ground by his sheer might.</em>

    <em>-Jason Szar</em>

    The bridge they¡¯d been contracted to assist with the repairs was one of three main thoroughfares to transport food into the city from the east side.

    There were three bridges because you never could tell when a kaiju might get a lucky kick in or fall in the wrong direction, and it wouldn¡¯t do to have the whole city begin to starve just because a single bridge was down.

    So they had backups.

    The city itself was nestled between two oversized rivers thatbined together into one enormous river a few miles downstream. Even further beyond¡­

    <em>There¡¯s gotta be an ocean right?</em> Except Will knew there couldn¡¯t be an ocean, because they were in The Tower and there was only one biome per floor.<em>Where does the river evene from then? </em>Common wisdom was that the rivers on the 5th Floor came from the 6th Floor¡­but that was stupid, because the 6th Floor was salt water.

    <em>Do they pump it up from the ground or¡­what?</em> Will thought, frowning.

    ¡°HUP!¡± one of the groundworkers threw Will a massive iron cable. Will caught it, struggling for a moment to secure a grip with his one hand before securing it under his elbow and hauling it up.

    The workers with the ability to avoid or survive a fall had been sent up to the top of the bridge¡¯s new pirs, which were being grown straight out of the riverbed by a team of geomancers.

    Since he didn¡¯t have any specialized skills that allowed him to modify stone or steel cable, Will just settled into the role of porter, climbing up and down the precarious slope of previously secured cables, his Aspect of the Goat making it look easy.

    As it turned out, putting a bridge back together was a multiple-day affair, so Will and Loth were able to help Travis and June with their work.

    <em>Where is Mason, anyway?</em> Will thought sourly.

    ¡°Heads up!¡± Loth called, a faint buzzing sounding along with her voice. Will nced up and saw the rest of the steel cables ¨C all sixteen of them ¨C being hauled by thousands of insects, towards the waiting arms of the craftsmen ready to fuse them into ce.

    <em>Why am I even doing this? </em>Will thought to himself, grunting as he hauled the cable the rest of the way and passed it off.

    ¡°Try not to turn the bridge into a trap, lizard!¡± one of the engineers, a jovial man driving steel cable into stone with his bare hands, said as Loth delivered her portion of the cables.

    Will bristled for a moment, but Loth took it in stride.

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I have been thinking about ways to make the bridges designed to break the ankles of kaiju that step on them while remaining functional bridges the rest of the time.¡± ????¦Â???

    The engineer squinted.

    ¡°Exin.¡±

    ¡°It would be a simple hinge and counterweight punji trap,¡± Loth said, flipping over the engineer¡¯s papers and drawing a quick sketch that looked like it¡¯d been drawn by a professional.

    <em>Which, I suppose she is¡­</em>

    ¡°If you did this¡­it would be more resilient from the top and sides while also allowing the bridge to reset itself into a bridge after the kaiju foot was removed.¡± Loth made notes at the sides of the drawing.

    ¡°Resetting itself, huh,¡± The engineer mused, stroking his chin. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in a kaiju trap.¡±

    Loth scowled at the idea of someone not wanting more traps in their lives.

    ¡°Baron Akul and the Kaiju Squad can handle them in a timely manner. But this resetting gimmick¡­let¡¯s discuss what that would cost.¡±

    Will and the other porters were dismissed while Loth and the head engineer began bandying ideas back and forth.

    Will jogged back down the steel cables swaying in the wind, hopping back down to the ground where June and Travis were watching out for kaiju or human raiders.

    There was no practical benefit for other Climbers to disrupt the bridge, but richer Lords might fund them to do so just to manipte the market or weaken the city as a whole.

    Lordship was a cutthroat world.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Mason at?¡± Will asked as he arrived beside June and Travis, who were drinking cucumber water under a parasol.

    ¡°Oh, he went to do those underground pit fights.¡± June said.

    ¡°WHAT!?¡±

    ¡°I think he said something about proving he doesn¡¯t have a tiny penis?¡± Travis said.

    ¡°He said he wanted to test his Build, get XP and new ideas.¡± June said, rolling her eyes.

    It made <em>some</em> sense. Whereas other sses were a little bit more flexible, Nukers, and Mason specifically had dedicated every Ability to directbat. Outside that, they were likely to feel¡­under-utilized.

    ¡°Does Reggie know about this?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°No, because if Reggie knew he would try to stop Mason.¡± June said. ¡°What with the whole ¡®ten years of indentured servitude¡¯ thing hanging over his head.¡±

    ¡°What are Reggie and Alicia doing?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Making out, probably,¡± June said, to which Travis scowled.

    <em>Aw, damn, that could be a problem,</em> Will thought, studying Travis¡¯s glower.

    Across the city, in the carnivorous gardens, Alicia and Reggie were having a walk in the park. Both figuratively, and literally.

    ¡°Behind you.¡± Alicia whispered, throwing a knife at the base of the branch looming over Reggie. The knife must¡¯ve hit something critical because the branch slumped over without striking at his back.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Reggie said, plucking another of the oddly savory smelling lumpy fruit off the trunk of the tree and depositing it in the basket.

    Reggie was a Plucker and Alicia was a Pruner, keeping an eye on the surroundings and taking care of problems before they arose.

    ¡°How can you see nts trying to attack?¡± Reggie asked. ¡°They don¡¯t have any bones, so I would assume they would be hard to see.¡±

    ¡°Yes, their flesh is pretty faint, but nts have weak spots too¡­at least these moving ones do,¡± Alicia said with a shrug. ¡°And if you see disembodied weak spots moving up behind your friend, that¡¯s pretty obvious.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Reggie said before thinking a moment. ¡°You have a hard time seeing wood? Have you ever walked straight into a wall?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna talk about it,¡± Alicia whispered, her shoulders hunched.

    ¡°If you think <em>that¡¯s </em>bad, I got kicked in the balls <em>at</em> a ball once,¡± Reggie said, aiming to curb her embarrassment with a much juicier story.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s worse¡­¡±

    ¡°Yep, so it was right after we got our sses. I was getting the hang of the toft Ability. That¡¯s what we call Take One For the Team. Just faster to say. Anyway, I was learning it¡¯s limits, how long I could have it up, what kind of damage it would cover, and so on. I joined Mason when he got an invite to a ball hosted by another rich family in the ring.

    ¡°I always hated balls.¡±

    ¡°Not as much as I do,¡± Reggie said with a chuckle. ¡°So the girl whose parents were throwing the party was a real terror, exercising control over who could do what, eat what, dance with who, et cetera. A little tyrant in the making.¡±

    ¡°So over the course of the night she got on Mason¡¯s nerves until Mason told her off in front of everyone, loud and embarrassing. Justid into her. She then proceeded to kick him in the balls.¡±

    ¡°And by extention, you.¡± Alicia said.

    ¡°Yep! I was standing there talking to some girls from out of town when it felt like roots of pure pain had nted themselves in my crotch and began growing up and into my lungs. I toppled over and started crying for no apparent reason, and then the girls I was with startedughing at me.¡±

    ¡°That sounds awful. I know they¡¯re one of a boy¡¯s weak spots, but I¡¯ve never heard it described before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, pretty much my worst experience, but the silver lining is that everything after that has pretty much been a bree¡­wait a moment.¡±

    Reggie frowned, thinking back to the way she¡¯d said ¡®weak spots¡¯.

    ¡°Can you see my junk at <em>all</em><em>times</em>?¡± Reggie asked, covering himself with his hands.

    Alicia averted her eyes and started walking away.

    ¡°Hey, answer me! Hey!¡±

    ¡°Oh look, more fruits to harvest over here.¡± She whispered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject!¡±

    ¡°I can only see nerve clusters and blood vessels, so it¡¯s fine.¡± Alicia finally admitted after he¡¯d pestered her for a while.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Reggie said, rxing. ¡°I guess that¡¯s not-¡°

    ¡°They do take a certain¡­shape, though.¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°So you <em>can!</em>¡± Reggie said, sping his hands in front of himself, nearly dropping the basket of fruits, prompting Alicia to giggle and prance away until she tripped over a tree root and went sprawling face-first into the grass.

    In the center of the city, in an abandoned warehouse that had been remodeled to amodate superhuman brawls, Mason was warming up for his fourth fight.

    <em>Stretch. Stay light. Stay fast. Hit them hard, hit them first. Always hit them first.</em>

    Mason¡¯s Acuity was high enough to perceive any tricks his opponents might try, while Mason¡¯s tactic was brutally simple, and therefore brutally difficult to counter.

    #1 Light them on fire.

    #2 Use Feedback Shielding to ward off their panicked iling.

    Repeat as necessary.

    The first fight had been over before it started. The second fight had been another Nuker, and Mason had been able to eke out a victory byunching his attack a fraction of a second before the other guy.

    The third fight was against some kind of tank/warrior hybrid. That one took a long time to finish, because of the man¡¯s sheer Resistance. He¡¯d walked right through Congration and gotten few good hits on Mason, barely covered by the Feedback Shielding.

    His body was covered in bruises and small cuts where just a bit of damage had gotten through.

    If the warrior¡¯s damage output had been any higher, Mason would¡¯ve been out of the tourney with some serious wounds.

    Now it was time for number four.

    <em>Just two more,</em> Mason thought, stretching his shoulders. His ¡®weapons¡¯ such as they were, were a buckler and saber, giving him the ability to ward off the asional blow. It was a bad habit to rely solely on his shielding feedback to protect himself.

    The sounds of the crowd crested as his opponent stepped down into the steel-lined pit.

    It was a thin, shirtless young man with dusky skin and a cocky grin. he wasn¡¯t wearing a Relic on his head or torso, which Mason found strange for the 5th floor.

    His opponent was wielding a dagger, and as the announcer began to count down to the start, he crouched down deep in an explosive stance.

    <em>Is that a bluff or does he think he¡¯s faster than Congrate?</em>

    Better to allow himself a small error because of the bluff than get shivved.

    Mason crouched down, ready to dodge if his opponent got to him too quickly.

    <strong><em>¡°Both fighters ready? BEGIN!¡±</em></strong>

    Mason dropped a Congrate halfway between the two of them, aiming at making a speed dash disastrous for his opponent. This blocked the view, but it also pushed his opponent back, hopefully neutralizing his spe-

    <strong><em>CRACK.</em></strong>

    A strange popping noise behind him was all the warning he got, prompting Mason to whip around, bringing his buckler up.

    A line of pain bloomed on his elbow and forearm until the buckler caught the dagger and shoved it aside, staring into the eyes of his opponent.

    <strong><em>Congration.</em></strong>

    The air between the two of them exploded, but the Ring of Consideration reduced it from flesh-searing to merely painful.

    Mason counted as one of his own Party Members, after all. This gave him short-range options that he¡¯d never really had ess to before.

    Mason felt a rush of power course over him as the damage to his opponent was converted to shielding, and he knew he¡¯d gotten a hit in.

    <em>Alright, all I gotta do is keep the shield going with more damage and I¡¯ve already won-</em>

    <strong><em>CRACK.</em></strong>

    The sound went off behind him, and Mason whipped around with the saber, with the intention of using its reach to score a hit against the dagger-wielder.

    <strong><em>CLANG!</em></strong>

    His opponent caught the saber with a previously sheathed swordcatcher, twisting the de while simultaneously stepping in to jam his dagger straight into Mason¡¯s exposed armpit, skewering his vital organs.

    Mason tried to drop the saber and move away, but he wasn¡¯t as fast or strong as his opponent, and a simple half step brought the stab up and into his armpit, only for it to be barely absorbed by his shield.

    <em>Creating distance doesn¡¯t seem to work,</em> Mason thought, his skin breaking out into a cold sweat at the near-death experience.

    While his singed opponent was frowning at the resistance from the shield, Mason dropped a Congration behind himself, not bothering to resist the shove of the explosion, instead using it to gain eleration above and beyond anything he¡¯d demonstrated so far, propelling him straight into the man¡¯s chest, bashing away his dagger with the shield and forcing him off-bnce.

    <em>Dodge this.</em>

    <strong><em>Congration.</em></strong>

    A rush of shielding told him he¡¯d made a solid hit.

    <strong><em>CRACK!</em></strong>

    Mason heard the sound behind him again and dropped low, aiming for a leg-sweep.

    Nobody there.

    A burst of pain filled his shoulder as his opponent dove through the fireball between them and drove a stiletto into his unprotected back, piercing through his shielding to bury itself in his shoulder.

    Mason muscled back a cry of pain andshed out with an awkward kick behind himself.

    He must¡¯ve caught the man¡¯s knee because his opponent reeled backwards, giving Mason enough time to stand, twisting to face his opponent.

    The two of them stood there for a moment, panting.

    <em>Why isn¡¯t he pulling his teleporting trick again?</em> Mason thought, edging closer to his saber without looking at it, not wanting to give his intentions away.

    <em>¡­Because I¡¯m concealing the use of his Ability with Congrate!</em>

    Masons¡¯ fireball was so big, bright, and loud, that his opponent was able to continue using it to mask his own Ability, preventing Mason from figuring out how it worked. Basically handing him the element of surprise over and over again.

    His opponent finally nced down at the saber between them, prompting Mason to lunge forward.

    The burnt young man did the same, aiming to stab Mason as he reached for the sword.

    At thest second, Mason lunged upward, putting his other hand and all his weight behind his buckler, colliding directly with his opponent¡¯s weapon.

    There was a faint <em>crack </em>as the opponent¡¯s wrist broke, and the rogue attempted to leap backwards.

    Mason bluffed.

    He danced the seed of a Congration on his fingertip, then shot it at his opponent. The bead of fire shot forward, and his opponent covered his eyes, tensing his legs and leaping backwards with all his might.

    Then it continued shooting far past his opponent, detonating against the far wall, leaving Mason¡¯s field of view clear as the rogue carried on as if he¡¯d been hit by Congration, seemingly unable to cancel his Ability midway.

    A web of lightning caught his opponent and rebounded him up and over Mason,unching him back down before catching directly behind Mason with a distinctive <strong><em>CRACK!</em></strong>

    <em>Some kind of lightning movement ability that seems to redirect and magnify his speed.</em>

    The two of them shared a nce, his seared opponent giving him a sheepish shrug now that Mason had finally caught on.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, I need a healer.¡± His opponent said, raising a dagger with his off-hand, his broken wrist hanging limp by his side.

    ¡°You and me both,¡± Mason said, readying his buckler, propped up by his good hand.

    The two of them charged towards each other, and Mason now saw lightning streaming off his opponent as he ran, fluttering like ribbons on a windy day as he ran. They were gradually getting longer.

    <em>He¡¯s gonna do something he¡¯s been holding off on this entire time, now that his secret¡¯s out, and I¡¯ve got no tricks left. He outyed me.</em>

    <em>Unless¡­</em>

    Mason was much closer to the saber now.

    In the middle of the charge, Mason caught the saber with his foot and flung it forward.

    The rogue flinched and unleashed a st of lightning which singed Mason¡¯s side, but didn¡¯t stop him from lunging forward and smashing the buckler into his opponent¡¯s skull, dropping defense entirely.

    A shock went through Mason¡¯s spine as their weight collided against each other, neither interested in backing down. A momentter, the pressure was gone, and Mason staggered back, inspecting the dagger buried in his stomach.

    <em>Ow.</em>

    His opponent on the other hand, was syed out on the steel arena, unconscious, making Mason the victor despite his wounds being more critical.

    The crowd of Climbers swarmed down from the stands above and caught Mason before he copsed, lifting him up on their shoulders and carrying him and his opponent to the on-site Healers, patting his un-perforated shoulder and shouting words of encouragement.

    <em>I kind of like pit fighting, actually,</em> Mason thought, shaking hands and smiling before leaning back into the bleacher as the Healer on call got to work putting him back together.

    It was a priest of Andover, which should¡¯ve been obvious given the amount of money changing hands.

    <em>Which</em> priest of Andover was a bit surprising.

    ¡°You did good kid.¡± Steve Hond said, bracing a glowing hand on Mason¡¯s shoulder before yanking out the stiletto. ¡°You¡¯re a bit of a one-trick pony, but it¡¯s a good trick.¡±

    Mason¡¯s shoulder erupted into itching as the wound closed.

    ¡°Souvenir?¡± Steve asked, offering Mason the rag he¡¯d used to mop up Mason¡¯s blood.

    ¡°No thanks,¡± Mason said. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°How do you think I afford to live on this Floor?¡± Steve asked, pulling his hand away from Mason¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Try moving your arm and rolling your shoulder. Go through your whole range of motion.¡±

    Mason did so and hissed in pain as a certain angle caused extreme pain.

    ¡°Ah, bone splinters. I¡¯ll deal with it.¡±

    A minuteter, Mason could move his arm through the full range of motion with only a hint of stiffness, and Steve moved on to the dusky lightning-rogue.

    Mason leaned back in his seat and grabbed a bit of food from the hawker, aiming to replenish himself while watching his future opponents for exploitable weaknesses and ideas for how he could improve.

    Mason had gained a lot of insight into his own weaknesses in thatst match, which was exactly why he¡¯d joined the tournament. A Lord wasn¡¯t just proof against monsters, they had to have a Build that didn¡¯t allow other Climbers to question their authority.

    Mason wasn¡¯t there yet, but he was learning.

    <strong><em>¡°And for our next match, Gerald Moss versus our reigning champ, Frank the TANK!¡­who I¡¯m just being told has withdrawn from the tournament by reason of injury and subbed in another fighter. One¡­William Oh?¡±</em></strong>

    <em>Godsdamnit,</em> Mason thought, downing some bread as the arena broke into quiet whispers.

    <strong><em>¡­This is highly unusual¡­but I don¡¯t want to rearrange our brackets, so I¡¯ll allow it!</em></strong>

    <em>Well, look at it this way. It¡¯ll still give me some ideas, and it raises the odds of our Party getting the prize. If we go against each other, I¡¯ll just forfeit and save the effort.</em>

    The massive man wearing a goat mask who jumped down into the arena was <em>not</em> William Oh. he was at least a foot taller and looked like he had a hundred pounds on their Party Leader, at least.

    His skin was wrapped tight around muscles upon muscles that heaved as he growl/breathed. His left hand was concealed by a gaudy brass-colored gauntlet studded with fake gemstones. Everything about him was fake.

    People loved it.

    The crowd went wild as ¡®William Oh¡¯ flexed.

    <em>Well.</em>

    <em>I can get some practice, AND beat someone using William¡¯s name and take his overblown legend down a peg. Sounds like a win-win.</em>

    ¡°HOLD ON!¡± a familiar voice shouted over the crowd.

    <em>Oh, no.</em> Mason thought, sighing and leaning on his palm as he masticated.

    ¡°<em>I¡¯m</em> William OH!¡± The <em>real</em> William Oh said, pushing his way to the edge of the arena, thumbing his chest.

    You could hear a pin drop for a second before the crowd broke into gales ofughter.

    <em>This should be interesting if nothing else.</em> Mason thought.

    <strong><em>¡°What¡¯s this?</em><em>Someone challenging for the name of William Oh!?¡± </em></strong>The announcer shouted, his Ability making his voice cut through the crowd. Mason could hear the delight in his voice. <strong><em>¡°And it seems to be¡­a boy!?¡±</em></strong>

    ¡°I could crush you between my fingers!¡± ¡®William Oh¡¯ bellowed in an outrageously deep voice.

    ¡°I could beat you without <em>lifting</em> a finger!¡± Will shouted back.

    ¡°Ringmaster! Let me teach this boy the error of his ways before I face Gerald! It won¡¯t take a minute!¡± the imposter said, turning to address the announcer standing in his box.

    <strong>¡°This is highly unusual. But I¡¯ll be damned if it¡¯s not entertaining! I approve! Ronny, put the bets up on the board!</strong>

    Mason sensed an opportunity and leapt to his feet, joining the crowd of gamblers cing their bets

    ¡°Five ten-pieces on the boy!¡± Mason shouted over the rush of people betting on the giant, tossing his cash to the overloaded bookies. He nced over and spotted Steve doing the same thing.

    <em>There¡¯s more than one way to make money.</em>

    The atmosphere changed as ethereal horns erupted from the mask moments before Will flew down into the arena.

    True flight was¡­umon. Will hadn¡¯t even told anyone in the Party save Loth <em>exactly</em> how he did it, and Loth was tight-lipped.

    It obviously had something to do with the mask, though.

    ¡°Start the fight ringmaster. I¡¯m eager to stomp this child¡¯s fancy tricks.¡± The imposter said.

    Will waited with his arms behind his back, his tomahawk resting in his belt-loop.

    His opponent clenched a massive war-axe so tightly that the audience could hear the handle creaking.

    <strong>¡°Both fighters ready? BEGIN!¡±</strong>

    The imposter flew backwards and mmed into the back wall, then the side wall, then the ceiling, then the floor, then the floor, then the wall, etc.

    Mason knew how Will was doing <em>that.</em> He was releasing tiny pellets from his Phantom Hand, and the man-hunter mutation on his ring of uracy was yanking his opponent around wildly, mming him into the solid-steel backdrop of the arena.

    <em>I guess he¡¯s not wearing his armguard because he doesn¡¯t want to murder him.</em>

    Mason crossed his arms as the imposter was ground into a pulp.

    <em>¡­How would I deal with that?</em>

    <em>Probably shove myself to the side with a congration and try to nail him before he caught me in a death spin like this guy.</em>

    <em>How could I pull myself out of one if I was already in it?</em>

    The imposter provided him <em>one</em> possible answer as he bellowed with rage and a wave of raw power shoved outward in every direction, his muscles swelling as he dropped to the ground, shrugging off Will¡¯s pull effect.

    <em>Some kind of activated defensive Ability that can break out of holds?</em>

    The metal floor squeaked in protest as the imposter lunged forward, charging with his axe raised.

    The imposter¡¯s skin exploded with ice crystals the instant before he made contact with Will.

    Will sidestepped as his opponent¡¯s stiffened body tumbled past him to m into the wall, shoving hundreds of sharp ice shards directly into his own skin.

    He tried to get up, but he was moving with the speed of a snail.

    Will moved to kick the imposter as he struggled to rise, but the Ringmaster called the fight, leaving the imposter battered on the cold steel floor.

    <em>I¡­actually¡­don¡¯t know how he did</em> that.

    ¡°Now that kid is <em>not</em> a one-trick pony.¡± Steve said from beside him.

    <em>Jingle.</em>

    The priest nudged him with a huge sack of the ten-pieces he¡¯d won.

    ¡°Souvenir?¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 58: Cheaper by The Dozen

    <em>Day six of observing William Oh. The subject has engaged in several minor criminal acts. This establishes a pattern of criminality, but nothing of the magnitude I suspect. I cannot arrest him for an offense that would warrant little more than a fine.</em>

    <em>I dare not write what I suspect him of here, as he has eyes everywhere¡­probably¡­and I¡¯m not sure </em>what<em> I suspect him of¡­but my gut never lies!</em>

    <em>I require more proof.</em>

    <em>He frequents a nearby bakery. I believe he is using it as a front for his criminal organization. There seems to be some sort of code between him and the baker, as she draws a heart on his order to signal that they¡¯re being watched.</em>

    <em>There is a ¡®now hiring¡¯ sign on the outside. The other guards don¡¯t believe my hunch, and are unwilling to investigate, so I¡¯ve got no choice but to change my appearance and go undercover at the bakery.</em>

    <em>If they catch me, and this is myst entry, please deliver this diary to the Captain of the Guard.</em>

    <em>P.S. ¨C also, please rip out the dog-eared pages and burn them before giving this diary journal to the Captain. They are private and that is ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!</em>

    <em>- Ria Smith, Guard Cadet, level 32</em>***William Oh***

    ¡°And that¡¯s your down payment,¡± Will said, sliding thest ivory coin across the table. ¡°It was nice working with you again, Mr. The Tank.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it. Anybody who knocks me around like that on the regr can call me Frank.¡± The mountain of muscle rumbled, ¡°The ¡®Real William Oh¡¯ bit really gets the crowd fired up. Means more money for all of us.¡±

    ¡°And here¡¯s your cut from the pot,¡± Steve said, using a t de to separate the massive pile of ivory coins into three equal sizes before pushing one over to Frank, and another to the Ringmaster.

    ¡°You know, kid,¡± Frank said, pointing a single beefy finger at Will. ¡°There¡¯s a tournament hosted by the Baron every year for those level twenty-five and below. It¡¯s happening next month, and I¡¯m guessing you qualify since you just got to the Fifth Floor?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Will said, nodding.

    ¡°You got some slick moves. I don¡¯t even have to sell that tumble at the end there too hard, and I think if we weren¡¯t in a box I might have a hard time getting my hands on you in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯d do pretty good in your own weight ss. Your damage output isn¡¯t astounding but it¡¯s enough to be a credible threat to most other level twenty-fives, at least. The reason I mention this is because semifinalists get tickets to attend an exclusive auction for the elite, and a bit of spending money to y with while they¡¯re there.¡±

    Will shared a nce with Steve.

    Without stealing other Climber¡¯s Relics mid-fight, there was little chance he could win a tournament, and that ability was something he¡¯d rather not reveal to the public atrge.

    He could always try and fail,<em></em>though.

    ¡°Any kind of penalty for losing?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Other than the small possibility of death and the humiliation of losing? Not really.¡±

    Will¡¯s Resistance was very high for his level, so the odds of outright dying to an overzealous attack before he could be dragged out of the arena and healed were vanishingly slim.

    The risk/reward tipped in his favor.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m interested.¡± Will said. He could approach this with the same attitude Mason had. If he won, great, and if he lost, he would at least know more about how he could improve.

    Plus Mason would probably be interested, he seemed to really enjoy getting the stuffing beat out of him over thest week or so, and more opportunities to get their Party¡¯s foot in the door¡­

    Will frowned, thinking of Thea Oilton, Mason Lanover, and Alicia Zodiac. If it was a high-society auction, then did he actually need to win a tournament at all to get his Party¡¯s foot in the door?

    <em>Probably not. I could just as easily lean on my contacts to get us an in¡­But getting in on my own and earning the extra spending money couldn¡¯t hurt.</em>

    ¡°When was that auction again?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Mason asked as he arrived beside the private booth, scowling at Will chatting with Frank the Tank, The Ringmaster, and Steve the Itinerant Chatan, with a massive pile of money split between them.

    ¡°¡­What does it look like?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It looks like you conspired with Frank the Tank, Steve and the Ringmaster to fix a exhibition matches and walk away with a cool half-mil in gold!¡±

    ¡°Well then it¡¯s exactly what it looks like,¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°But this money is going into our war chest, to buy new Relics and Sacrifices for the Party. I¡¯m not embezzling it. This is an honest grift. What would I even spend this much on if not upgrades to our Builds?¡±

    ¡°Well-¡° Steve was about to offer some ideas, but Will gestured for him to not spoil his argument.

    Mason frowned, his expressionplicated as he stared at the pile of cash.

    ¡°I saw your fight.¡± Will said, changing the subject. ¡°Fourth win in a row. That¡¯s real good. Did you know there¡¯s an official tournament that rewards tickets to an exclusive auction to the semifinalists? Might find something <em>real</em> good there.¡±

    Mason nodded thoughtfully as the others gathered up their money and bid hasty farewells.

    He slid into the now-empty seat across from where Will was shoveling coins into a sack. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just use Alicia to get in? Or Travis¡¯s sister?¡±

    ¡°Probably. But I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡± He met Mason¡¯s gaze. ¡°You and me want to be Lords, yah?¡±

    Mason nodded.

    ¡°The defining feature of a Lord is that they¡¯re <em>really</em> good at fighting other Climbers. And that they¡¯re still alive. I think we could only benefit from getting some experience fighting others in our bracket.¡±

    Will scooped up thest of the cash into the sack and slung it over his shoulder. ¡°I was thinking about registering for it once I drop this off with Thea. Wannae?¡±

    Mason shook his head.

    ¡°Can¡¯t. I¡¯ve got one more fight to go against Frank today.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Mr. The Tank to you,¡± Frank said from the other side of the sleazy restaurant.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got one more fight to go against Mr. The Tank.¡± Mason said with a shrug.

    ¡°Try not to kill him alright?¡± Will asked as he stood.

    ¡°No promises,¡± Frank grunted.

    A momentter, Will left the restaurant, whereupon he spotted a shadow withdraw into the nearby alley overlooking the restaurant.

    <em>Am I being followed?</em>

    Will raised a brow. That was weird, but it wasn¡¯t charging after him right this second, and he needed to get his legally grey cashundered by Ms. Oilton. It wasn¡¯t worth chasing someone across rooftops gods knew where with a giant sack of coins over his shoulder.

    It was worth chasing <em>him,</em> though. He currently represented an easy meal for anyone who might¡¯ve seen through their little y and had some muscle to throw around.

    And that was the first lesson he¡¯d learned:

    Never be an easy meal.

    Will¡¯s paranoia sprung to the forefront of his mind.

    Without wasting any time, he sprinted up the side of the building and began dashing across rooftops straight towards Thea¡¯s office in uptown.

    He faintly heard the sound of a girl cursing as Will left the scene, Aspect of the Goat keeping him sprinting across loose rooftiles without missing a beat.

    There was no pursuit afterwards that Will could detect afterwards. He sent the Phantom Hand out behind him in a tight zigzag pattern to see if it might run into an illusion or an invisible pursuer but it didn¡¯t bump into anything.

    He was pretty sure someone yelled at him for running on the roof tiles, but he passed them by too quickly for them to do anything about it.

    Once he arrived at Thea¡¯s, he waited outside her home for a moment, seeing if there was some kind of dyed arrival.

    After a minute, he shrugged and went inside. If they were good enough to follow him, then Thea would have to do something about it, not Will. She was a veteran of the 8th floor and the patron of their Party.

    Will handed the dirty cash off, much to Thea¡¯s bemusement, before heading towards the city hall, where he could sign up for the tourney¡­

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    <em>But first¡­</em>

    Will¡¯s feet guided him to a tiny bakery situated on a quiet side street with overpriced pastries.

    <strong><em>Ding!</em></strong>

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    Will¡¯s feet came to a halt as the overzealous city guard greeted him cheerfully, her expression turning to stone the instant she made eye contact.

    <em>This girl does not have a good poker face.</em>

    ¡°Hi, what can I get for you?¡± Ria asked, her smile stretched tight across her face as she put her hands on the counter and leaned forward in a way Will was sure she thought was flirty and provocative, but the intensity of her gaze and the tense way she held her shoulders ready for violence just made it¡­intimidating.

    ¡°Is um¡­Anna here?¡± Will asked, approaching the counter cautiously. The wood underneath Ria¡¯s hands creaked in protest.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can get whatever you need.¡± She said through clenched teeth.

    Will nced at the empty doorway leading into the back of the bakery, not seeing any sign of Anna save for some busy-sounding ttering of tools.

    ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯ll have my usual then,¡± Will mused.

    ¡°And what¡¯s your usual?¡± Ria asked hungrily.

    ¡°Six raspberry tarts, two rolls and a loaf of garlic bread.¡±

    ¡°Six, two¡­one¡­¡± Ria mused, writing the numbers down on her wrist.

    ¡°Is that Will!?¡± Anna¡¯s head emerged from the doorway, brightening as she spotted him.

    ¡°Here, Anna, he asked for you specifically,¡± Ria said, dancing around the much shorter girl as she pranced up to the counter.

    ¡°What brings you here!?¡± Anna asked, but Will was busy watching Ria rubbing her chin as she walked away, muttering to herself.

    <em>¡°Combination? No, not every time. Drop site? Locker?¡±</em> Ria muttered under her breath, but Will¡¯s Acuity was exceptional.

    <em>Well, that¡¯s a waste of her time,</em> Will thought, turning his attention back to Anna, who had followed his gaze to the statuesque ¡®undercover¡¯ city guard, and was now frowning.

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna leave me for another baker, are you?¡± she said with a pout, turning her gaze back to him. Will was <em>pretty </em>sure she was kidding, but he still didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. After a moment his brain caught up, and he uttered the only rational response he could think of.

    ¡°Technically I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a baker,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Nonsense, Ria¡¯s a natural. She made an entire shelf of the fluffiest rolls you could imagine on her first try. Jean¡¯s been trying to convince her to quit the guard and work here full time.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that.¡± Will said. ¡°Anyway, just here for my usual, then I was gonna go sign up for the baron¡¯s twenty-five and under tournament.¡±

    Anna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I was hoping I could get beat up and someone would nurse me back to health with raspberry tarts. That¡¯s pretty much my only reason for going.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s dumb!¡±

    Will¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°<em>Everyone</em> knows you nurse men back to health with meat pie.¡± She said with a mischievous grin, letting Will¡¯s heart off the hook.

    ¡°What-¡°

    ¡°-day is the tournament?¡± Ria said, her voice ovepping and overtaking Anna¡¯s as she returned to the counter, her eyes intense.

    ¡°Next month sometime? I¡¯m about to go sign up for it, so I¡¯ll get the exact day then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle with you!¡± Ria said eagerly. ¡°I know city hall like the back of my hand.¡±

    Anna frowned for a moment before her expression grew determined.

    ¡°I¡¯lle too!¡± she said, reaching behind herself and untying her apron. Ria quickly followed suit, diving into the back room.

    ¡°Where do you two think you¡¯re going!?¡± an older woman¡¯s voice cried.

    ¡°Official Guard business!¡± Ria¡¯s voice called.

    ¡°What she said!¡± Anna¡¯s voice followed. ¡°Love you, Jean! Thanks for covering us!¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­what about my order!?¡± Will asked, pointing at the delicious pastries protected by the ss window.

    Anna hustled back into the front, slipped his order in a couple baggies and took the payment before ducking under the bar and sprinting outside the building, leaving Will standing there flummoxed, holding two bags of dense bread.

    ¡°You girls better-¡° An old woman with deep wrinkles, scars across her entire body, and a faded floral apron stormed out of the back, wielding a flour-covered rolling pin with the intent to crack some skulls.

    The old woman¡¯s gazended on Will.

    Will hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, but the sheer weight of being stared down by an old woman made him feel guilty, as her gaze dissected him.

    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± she said with a scowl that was greatly magnified by the lines in her face.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be fifteen ivory for the inconvenience,¡± She said, holding out a gnarled hand.

    The sheer weight of her gaze shut down any argument Will might¡¯ve made, and he fished through his pocket pulling out two ten-pieces.

    ¡°Keep the change,¡± Will said before retreating, the old woman¡¯s gaze burning a hole in the back of his neck.

    Outside the bakery, Ria and Anna met him. Ria took his arm and dragged him away.

    Will nced over his shoulder and spotted the old woman watching them through the window like a gargoyle.

    ¡°I love bathhouses. My favorite is Lillian¡¯s. How about you?¡± Ria asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Will grunted, turning his attention back to the girl towering over him.

    ¡°What¡¯s <em>your</em> favorite bathhouse?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really go to them.¡±

    ¡°Gym?¡±

    ¡°Nah.¡±

    ¡°flophouse?¡±

    ¡°Nah.¡±

    ¡°Underground fight club?¡± Ria asked, cocking her head before muttering under her breath: ¡°do those have lockers?¡±

    ¡°Ringmaster¡¯s.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Favorite bakery?¡± Anna asked from his other side.

    ¡°Jean¡¯s Bakery!¡± She and Will said together.

    ¡°You know Anna, your presence isn¡¯t really required for this.¡± Ria said, scowling at the shorter girl.

    ¡°If I go back now, Jean will hit me. Might as well wait for her to calm down,¡± Anna said,tching onto Will¡¯s other arm.

    <em>What is¡­happening right now?</em>

    Ria was trying to ¡®investigate¡¯ him in the most ham-fisted way that Will could possibly imagine, while Anna had dropped everything to go with him to register for a tournament because¡­why, exactly?

    After a long and stressful trip into the center of the city, he¡¯d registered for the tournament and they¡¯d said their goodbyes, Ria scribbling notes on her arm while Anna just waved cheerfully.

    <em>That was weird, but let¡¯s hope that¡¯s the only trouble I have with girls today,</em> Will thought as he walked past Thea¡¯svish home. He wasn¡¯t really equipped to deal with them on a regr basis and this development was stressing him out, even though his feet guided him to Jean¡¯s bakery nearly every day.

    <strong><em>CRASH!</em></strong>

    Will¡¯s head whipped around, spotting a leather-d figure bursting out of Thea¡¯s second-story window, twirling as shended on the cobbled street, a leather satchel over her shoulder, stuffed with crumpled papers.

    ¡°AHAHAH! None can stop the Phantom Thief!¡±

    <em> I really should¡¯ve knocked on wood, </em>Will thought sourly.

    ¡°Stop her!¡± Thea shouted from the broken window, a torrent of water emerging from her fingers, creating tentacles to wrap around the leather-d figure, only for the target to slip out of it¡¯s hold and leap up to the rooftops.

    ¡°Will! She¡¯s got all our money!¡± Thea shouted, pointing.

    Will paused, frowning. There was no way a satchel that small could possibly hold all the money he¡¯d been saving thest few days. Sacks full of ivory had been deposited with Thea for nearly a week now, and surely they were too bulky to carry in a single-

    ¡°They¡¯re bearer bonds! I don¡¯t have time to- Just get her!¡± Thea shouted, causing Will to bolt into action.

    Because he¡¯d put on his act with Frank the Tank just today, his Man-hunter ring was still unusable, leaving him with just the Sickle of Cold Harvest, which was plenty for his purposes.

    Will sprinted up the side of the wall and dashed after the figure.

    They were leaving foot prints pressed into the tiles as each stride pushed them faster and faster.

    <em>We¡¯ll see about that,</em> Will thought, shooting a bullet into his prey¡¯s back.

    The sprinting figure erupted with ice crystals and began tumbling haphazardly, smashing into the side of a wall before tumbling down into an alleyway.

    Will pursued down into the alley and oriented himself on the human-shaped mass of ice, stooping down beside it.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Will said reaching for the frost-encrusted satchel. ¡°Where¡¯s the-¡°

    The frost coating the outside of the satchel copsed inward, revealing that there was nothing inside the hollow sheet of ice. The rest of the ice-covered figure did the same, scattering into tinkling crystals of pure ice.

    There was no one inside.

    Will heard the sound of a girl¡¯sughter growing distant.

    <em>Okay.</em>

    <strong><em>Gravity Charge</em></strong>

    Will rose above the rooftops and flew in the direction he¡¯d heard theughtering from, spotting an overweight man with rubbery lips and a balding head carrying a satchel.

    Will didn¡¯t bother to stop and demand answers, simply whistling through the air and hitting the man square in the side with both feet.

    The man burst into ice and tumbled away from him. For a fraction of a second, Will thought he might¡¯ve guessed wrong andmitted murder, but a figure d in ck leather squeezed their way out of theyer of ice cocooning the heavyset man, bing unnaturally narrow as they slipped out of a fist-sized hole in the ice.

    <em>Shapeshifter? More importantly, why isn¡¯t Hoarfrost working on her?</em>

    The Phantom Thief tugged the satchel outst, some of the transformation seemingly shared with the objects she carried.

    Then she was back to cackling and sprinting away, and Will was back to chasing her.

    ¡°Gotcha!¡± Will grabbed the girl in a headlock, which she proceeded to slip out of and kick him in the side for good measure. Will could only imagine it was some kind of Ability allowing her to be so elusive.

    He would have tried to cripple her Build by taking her Relics, but he didn¡¯t see any on her hands, neck or head.

    <em>This may require an indirect approach, </em>Will thought, aiming for a tackle. <em>And a bit of pain.</em>

    The girl slipped around the tackle as though she were made of air, causing Will to nearly hit a wall at full speed.

    He rebounded off and sped up into the sky, matching her leap as she hit the rooftops again.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting kind of annoying!¡± she shouted over her shoulder as Will caught up to her again, his speed only growing with time.

    ¡°Drop my money and we don¡¯t have a problem!¡±

    ¡°Make me!¡±

    ¡°dly!¡± Will shouted, pulling out his tomahawk and taking a swing as he caught up.

    At the brandishing of lethal weapons, the thief gave him her undivided attention, slipping around the attack with unnatural grace and twisting herself around his arm like the constrictor snakes on the seventh floor.

    <em>CRACK!</em>

    The thief had oundish strength, overpowering Will¡¯s natural Resistance to break his arm with a swift <em>twist</em>. Will hissed in pain, staggering backwards as the thief flowed away from him, taking his tomahawk with her.

    <em>Oh damnit,</em> Will thought sourly, cradling his broken arm with his stump. <em>That wasn¡¯t part of the n.</em>

    ¡°Thanks for the souvenir!¡± She crowed, waggling his hand-axe at him. ¡°NONE CAN STOP THE PHANTOM THIEF!¡±

    Will didn¡¯t pursue as she sped away. Only having one broken arm avable to him was less than ideal. What would he do if he caught her? Kick her to death? More likely she¡¯d break his leg.

    Besides, there was more in life than winning.

    <em>Not that I didn¡¯t win,</em> Will thought, flying back to Thea¡¯s ce.

    ¡°Did you get her?¡± Thea asked, stepping out on her front porch.

    ¡°No but I hollowed out the satchel while we were fighting.¡± Will said, dropping the contents of the satchel from his Phantom Hand into Thea¡¯s waiting hands. These ¡®bearer bonds¡¯ had exceptionally low volume, which worked out well for him.

    ¡°Oh, thank the gods,¡± Thea sighed, clutching the fancy-looking papers that represented their entire fortune to her chest.

    ¡°Have you considered a bank?¡± Will asked, to which Thea gave him a sour look. ¡°Also you owe me a new weapon.¡±

    ***The Phantom Thief***

    <em>Today¡¯s shmuck put up a good chase,</em> Bee thought, spinning the tomahawk between her fingers like a baton as she arrived at her hideout.

    ¡°But unfortunately for him, none can stop the Phantom Thief!¡± Bee dered to her trophies, scattered across the dpidated warehouse. Priceless tapestries, gems, statues, and paintings collecting dust and rainwater from the leaky roof.

    If her interest had been to preserve or re-sell them, she might have taken pains to prevent their degradation, but she was only after the thrill of acquiring. The powerful rush of imposing her will on the status quo.

    Proving that she had the power to take things away from the powerful, and <em>not</em> the other way around.

    <em>Like¡­</em>

    Bee¡¯s thoughts danced around that particr sinkhole with practiced ease.

    ¡°let¡¯s see what we got,¡± she said, burying the tomahawk in a priceless antique and copsing into an ancient throne to peer into the satchel.

    It was empty.

    Bee closed the satchel.

    Bee opened it again.

    Still empty.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°But¡­ none can stop the Phantom Thief?¡± She asked the empty room full of priceless treasures. There was no response.

    <em>Apparently someone can stop you.</em>

    Bee didn¡¯t like that.

    Bee didn¡¯t like that at all.

    It made her feel small and weak.

    Helpless.

    She nced up and right <em>there</em> was a marble bust of her pursuer staring back at her, with that same self-assured smirk.

    Something about him felt <em>wrong. </em>It reminded her of Bee from before the Phantom Thief.

    She leapt up and wrenched the tomahawk out of the painting and began chopping away at the marble bust of the schmuck.

    <em>Wait,</em> Bee paused mid-hack. <em>I never actually saw his face.</em>

    <em>So how do I know what he looked like?</em>

    The more Bee thought about it, the more her head hurt, until she finally gave up, tossing the axe aside, where it embedded itself in an ancient vase.

    Try as she might though, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it, her mind constantly turning it¡¯s attention back to her pursuer even as she tried to distract herself with counting gems or reading old yellowed manuscripts about the gods of old.

    <em>I need to know more about that goat-face. Something about him makes my hackles rise. </em>

    <em>Besides, none can stop the Phantom Thief¡­for long.</em>

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 59: Akul has Everything

    rk Fiddle twiddled his thumbs, scanning the surroundings for any sign of kaiju or rebel activity from his station, despite being near the center of the city.

    He was currently guarding a ¡®correctional facility¡¯ with a fearsome reputation, known as ¡®The Pit¡¯.

    None of that was true. There were no prisoners, only more guards who lived on-site, wearing prisoner outfits for the sake of the ruse.

    No one wanted to break <em>in</em> to a prison, and the average citizen was happy enough ducking their heads and thanking their lucky stars they hadn¡¯t been sent to The Pit, never really questioning why they didn¡¯t know anyone who¡¯d been housed there.

    What they <em>really </em>had was a kaiju, restrained smack dab in the middle of the city.

    rk had watched the outer fences for two years before they had trusted him enough to take a rotation on the inside, and what he saw horrified him. A team of mages with strong CC Abilities keeping the monster asleep and restrained at all times.

    There was a team of excavators and masons constantly working to make the pit the kaiju was in deeper, strengthening its prison around it.

    That made him feel a little better, but if those crowd control mages ever missed a day¡­

    It answered some questions about how the city was so unblemished by kaiju spawns, typically spawning outside the city and in fewer numbers, making a city a workable concept.The Tower must¡¯ve had a hard limit on the distance kaiju could spawn from each other and how many could be active at a time, allowing Baron Akul to restrain some exceptionally slow or weak kaiju to create a ¡®safe zone¡¯ upon which a city could be built.

    ¡®Exceptionally slow and weak¡¯ was a rtive term, as the beast that slumbered underneath the prison could still cause untold destruction if it were ever roused.

    rk knocked on the wood post beside him.

    It never hurt to be a <em>little </em>superstitious with these things.

    In the distance, rk could make out a wagon training down the road that ran adjacent to the faux prison exterior, causing his heart to skip for joy.

    <em>That must be the monthly kit.</em>

    Since it housed hundreds of guards who had limited contact with the world just beyond the range of the fence, supplies were shipped in onrge wagon trains, from flour and beans to metal utensils, salt, cloth, toilet paper¡­

    Everything the prison needed to keep running.

    <em>Those cans of cinnamon rolls preserved in honey¡­Oh, gods I hope they have some of those. Hopefully I can get some before the ¡®lifers¡¯ snag them all.</em>

    The guards who yed at being prisoners were the ones with higher clearance, and not allowed to leave the facility until their term of service was over, at which point they were under Contract to lie about their time there, epting the stigma of being a ¡®former criminal¡¯ in exchange for a generous stipend paid by the Baron.

    It was a devil¡¯s bargain, but there were always men willing to ept it.

    rk was not one of them. He could freelye and go to his wife and home in the city, and as a result earned amensurately small amount for his work, as well as not being privy to certain ssified secrets.

    Which was fine with rk, who had discovered that knowing more did not always make him feel better. In fact, the opposite was true, as he¡¯d been having nightmares about the earth erupting as the sleeping giant buried under the city woke and unleashed death and destruction.

    <em>Soon as this contract is up, I¡¯m moving out of The Tower. Me and Maggie can try for a baby. Much safer to have a baby outside, and I¡¯m sick of pulling ou-</em>

    The wagon train took a left at the gate, the guards at the outer gate waving them in, prompting rk to stiffen and ready himself at the second gate, putting his game face on.

    The inspector halted the wagon before it came through the second gate, peering inside the lead wagon.

    The inspector peered inside the first wagon, nodded, then waved them through, proceeding to the second and third.

    rk and his partner, Jacob, who was an enormous tool, got on either side of the second gate and opened it for the wagon.

    The man driving the wagon was gaunt, almost skeletal, with sunken cheeks and an amiable grin. Like a happy corpse. He was wearing an oversized straw hat and overalls.

    On the bench beside him was a wicked looking scythe that radiated ominous energy.

    <em>Did the inspector not see that, or what?</em>

    ¡°Excuse me sir, that weapon¡­¡± rk said, pointing it out.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing but a family heirloom,¡± the skeletal man said, reaching up to tip his hat. ¡°but I understand and I¡¯d be happy to leave it here at the gate should you-¡°

    The man did <em>not</em> tip his hat, instead grabbing hold of something hidden under his straw hat and slipping it down over his face.

    A mask of purest Abyss.

    On the other side of town, Will was eating breakfast while he walked, pondering his Build.

    Will only had two of the five fingers of Phantom Hand slotted with any kind of item.

    In the first slot was his ring of uracy, with the mancatcher mutation, which increased his Strength by a drastic amount and allowed him to tug enemies around the battlefield.

    In the second slot was Cold Harvest, which added modest lifesteal and strong frost debuff to every attack.

    Will had already confirmed that the frost debuff applied when used with-

    Will¡¯s eye twitched as his hand dropped to his waist, where The Tomahawk of the Serpent used to rest.

    The weapon¡¯s psychic AOE was an excellent way to piggyback status effects past a monster¡¯s ¨C or person¡¯ ¨C defenses, and he was already missing it dearly.

    <em>It looks like the next job we¡¯re going to take is the Phantom Thief. I want my axe back.</em>

    That was something they would work onter. For right now, it was time to finally visit the legendary marketce of the 5th Floor.

    The marketce sprawled out onto one of the main streets, with trinkets and consumables and less valuable Relics lining the streets.

    There was food, too, with stalls of baked goods and street meats cleverly sandwiched between far more expensive Relic stalls, which made the inted price of their wares sound reasonable byparison.

    Will bought some ¡®french toast¡¯ as they strolled through the market, almost unable to hear each other over the crowds.

    ¡°Rings, got rings for all ¡®types here, I got fire rings, water rings, poison rings. Rings that blow up when you get hit! Rings that hypnotize, pulverize, womanize, you name it, I got it!¡± A hawker shouted right into Will¡¯s ear as they passed by. He gave the stall a nce but the rings weren¡¯t even behind a case, which implied they weren¡¯t valuable enough to steal.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got rings that blow up when you get hit?¡± Will asked, asking between bites of fluffy goodness as he stopped to look.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, try this one on for size, kid,¡± the merchant said, pulling a chunky-looking ring out of the disy for Will to appraise.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    <strong><em>Ring of Explosive Retribution</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>When the user is dealt damage, creates a nine-foot radius explosion around the wearer that deals moderate bludgeoning damage.</em></strong>

    ¡°Does it protect you from the explosion damage?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Obviously, it raises your resistance. Just imagine, a jumper hits you in the back and BAM! Flings that little shit right off of you.¡±

    ¡°But it says damage, so if an attack is stopped stopped by your armor, it won¡¯t count, will it? And if it¡¯s a ranged attack from beyond nine feet, it still triggers the explosion.¡± Will said. ¡°Meaning someone could pelt you with little darts and you would just keep exploding for more damage than the darts themselves, right?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°You know what? Move on, I got real customers to worry about.¡± The merchant said, waving him off.

    Will shrugged and moved on, grabbing another piece of french toast out of his bag and dipping it in his syrup cup as he walked

    ¡°You probably aren¡¯t going to find anything amazing in the street stalls.¡± Loth said. ¡°You¡¯re also going to get fat.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I got another five years before my body gives up on me,¡± Will said, rolling up the delicious fluffy egg-bread and shoving it in his face.

    ¡°If you even live that long.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Loth nodded. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair. Ooh, there it is.¡± She tugged his sleeve and pointed at a store.

    <strong><em>Exotic Sacrifices</em></strong>

    Will nodded, swallowed his meal, rolled up his bag and dipping cup, tossing them in a nearby trash can before heading over to the store, navigating the river of people streaming through the streets.

    Will had seen streets almost this crowded once, during a festival in arger town, but <em>every day?</em> It didn¡¯t even seem possible.

    Finally the two of them arrived in the store.

    ¡°Wee, wee!¡± the man behind the counter said, waving them in.

    Everything on disy was protected behind thick ss that shimmered with some kind of enchantment. Will was curious to see if his Phantom Hand could get through it, but not enough to risk starting a fight with the bouncers.

    ¡®Bouncers¡¯ plural.

    <em>This is more like it,</em> Will thought, approaching the man behind the counter and opening his mouth to speak.

    ¡°You¡¯re William Oh, correct?¡± The merchant said before Will could open his mouth. He had a wild mane of ck hair and broken front teeth, looking far more wild than Will would¡¯ve expected from such a high-security ce.

    ¡°Steve told me about your Party¡¯s needs. Here¡¯s what I have.¡±

    He reached down under the countertop and pulled out a shallow box, with nearly a dozen Sacrifices on disy, each on their own individual silk pillow.

    ¡°May I?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Of course, but if you Sacrifice it, you¡¯ve bought it. And if you don¡¯t have the money, Mo and Edmund here will be more than happy to beat it back out of you.¡±

    Will reached out and touched the solid bar of metal as he read the description.

    <strong><em>Erosion Golem</em></strong>

    <strong><em>A rare enemy on the ninth floor.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Adds abilities rted to entropic destruction, repair and crafting to an aspirants ss.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>1 Resistance 2 Focus 1 Kinesthetics.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Popr with Lords granting powerful Crafting sses to Aspirants, or any item/consumeable focused Build.</em></strong>

    Will confirmed that it <em>was</em> an erosion golem by checking that his first upgrade choice while holding the chunk of solid metal.

    It was.

    ¡°That¡¯s a yes,¡± Will said, taking his hand off it before turning to the other.

    He nced over at the next item. A preserved pale arm, about a foot long. The flesh was opaque, but it seemed as though the flesh might¡¯ve been somewhat transluscent before it had been dried.

    <strong><em>Axolotl</em></strong>

    <strong><em>A rare enemy on the seventh Floor.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Adds powerful regeneration abilities to Aspirant¡¯s ss choices. Favored by mages looking to add survivability without losing focus, or Fighters looking to add Focus without losing durability. or berserkers, or blood Ability users who wish to avoid scar-tissue buildup.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>2 Resistance 2 Focus</em></strong>

    Will checked what it would add to Aspect of the Goat.

    <strong><em>Regeneration: Sacrifice an Axolotl to allow the user to regenerate, Including scar tissue and missing limbs. This healing is natural and not faster than what the body is naturally capable of.</em></strong>

    ¡°I can see why you¡¯d want that,¡± the merchant said, ncing at Will¡¯s stump as he teared up.

    ¡°Yeah. Definitely want this one,¡± Will croaked, restraining himself from immediately adding it to Aspect of the Goat.

    He reluctantly moved on to the next, a chunk of preserved flesh with a scaly green exterior.

    <strong><em>Immortal serpent</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Adds Powerful healing, health and longevity abilities to an Aspirant¡¯s ss choices. May offer meta options for magical Abilities. Favored by those who want their legend tost forever.</em></strong>

    Will frowned and re-read thatst sentence.

    <strong><em>Favored by Climbers who wish to live a long, healthy life, free from crippling injury or disease.</em></strong>

    Will touched it and checked what it would do to Aspect of the Goat. Now that he was actually touching it, he could see more information.

    <strong><em>Qualitative upgrade to Aspect of the Goat detected!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Aspect of the Goat Bes Aspect of the Immortal Serpent.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Abilities of Aspect of the Goat are retained and bundled in with Aspect of the Immortal Serpent.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Qualitative Upgrade increases Upgrade Slots from 1 to 6.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Aspect of the Immortal Serpent: Sacrifice an Immortal Serpent to allow the user to heal morepletely. Scars and damage, both external and internal will fade away over time, and only aplete removal of a limb or organ will prevent this healing.</em></strong>

    <em>Oh, that¡¯s interesting.</em>

    Will didn¡¯t know that Aspect of the Goat only had one slot for upgrades, but he always suspected, ever since he¡¯d seen Aspect of the Gravity Goat listed as a potential upgrade.

    Why would that be an option if he¡¯d sacrificed Gravity Goat originally?

    He figured that the Gravity Goat leather had been in such poor condition that it had given him a degraded version.

    Will decided to ask to make sure.

    ¡°Excuse me, do you know what a qualitative upgrade is?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you must¡¯ve sacrificed a piece of poorly preserved Immortal Serpent leather or something, right?¡± the merchant asked, winking.

    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Will said, frowning.

    ¡°This is a rare phenomenon, but notpletely unheard of,¡± The merchant said. ¡°Sometimes, when someone Sacrifices a poorly preserved Sacrifice during ss creation that doesn¡¯t meet the minimum requirements, The Systempensated by giving you a degraded version of the Abilities you would¡¯ve gotten otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Uhuh,¡± Will nodded.

    ¡°But The Tower is nothing if not fair, if youe across one of the three sacrifices you used during ss generation you can perform a Qualitative Upgrade to bring it up to where it was supposed to be. It uses up one of the upgrades you get every five levels, but it doesn¡¯t use a slot, it upgrades the Ability, and it typically expands the maximum limit of upgrade slots the Ability can take.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t go into that much detail in my school,¡± Will mused.

    ¡°It <em>is </em>a rare urrence. People used to do it more often because a Qualitative Upgrade could often outperform a normal Ability in the long term.¡±

    That perked Will up.

    ¡°But¡­the early survival rate was noticeably lower, and the Aspirants often didn¡¯t survive The Trial.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t even <em>make</em> it to the Trial.¡± Will muttered, shaking his head, imagining moldy bones trapped in their own extradimensional tomb.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. So, is there a way to determine how many upgrades an Ability can have?¡± Will asked. ¡°They didn¡¯t go over that in school either.¡±

    ¡°Understandable, they don¡¯t expectmoners to need the information. There <em>is</em> a way, though. Well, not <em>directly, </em>per se, aside from a Qualitative Upgrade telling you,¡± The merchant said. ¡°But there is a pyramid,¡± He said, turning to the back shelves.

    Will was tempted to grab the chunk of Immortal Serpent and Axolotl and run, but muscled it back.

    A momentter the wild-haired shopkeep turned back with a book and flipped through until he revealed a massive illustrated pyramid of Sacrifice Rarity.

    <strong>S</strong>

    <strong>A</strong>

    <strong>B</strong>

    <strong>C</strong>

    <strong>D</strong>

    ¡°Now, keep in mind,¡± The merchant said, motioning to Will. ¡°This pyramid is a human construct, so there are exceptions, but basically, anything up here in the S category -¡± He held the book up and tapped the pointy top of the pyramid. ¡°-can support between six and nine upgrades to an Ability generated <em>by</em> that Sacrifice, and provide up to five Stat Growth.

    ¡°A Rank supports four to six upgrades, and four stat growth,¡±

    ¡°B supports two to four upgrades, and three stat growth.¡±

    ¡°C Supports up to three upgrades and three stat growth.¡±

    ¡°And D supports one or two upgrades and three or less Stat growth.¡±

    ¡°So, Uru Drake?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Right up at the top,¡± the merchant said, tapping the pyramid again before setting the book down. ¡°Which is why I couldn¡¯t get my hands on any. Apologies.¡±

    ¡°No worries, so I¡¯m guessing¡­Immortal serpent is A rank?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good stuff. Rare and valuable, but not <em>impossible</em> to acquire, same with most of your requests. Would you like to inspect the rest of them?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    The next items were Scavenger Crone, Infuser Demon and Poison Frog Sacrifices that June had requested, alongside samples of Ripley, Ticking Beetle, and Stone Shark for Loth. Travis, Mason and Reggie hadn¡¯t settled on an exact request yet.

    All of the Sacrifices were legitimate and looked well-preserved, so Will gave all of them the okay.

    When Will saw the price tag, his eyes nearly fell out of his head, but this was the reason they¡¯d allied themselves with the Oilton family in the first ce, as well as why he¡¯d been doing so much work performing at the underground fight clubs.

    They could afford it, which was even more startling to him.

    Will spent the next half hour signing papers authorizing the transfer of funds.

    He felt very grown-up.

    ¡°Once payment processes, you cane back into the shop and take possession of your new purchases.¡± The Merchant said as he put the Sacrifices back behind the countertop. ¡°Give it three days.¡±

    Will nodded. Three days seemed like an eternity this close to getting what he needed to get his hand back, but he would do what he had to do.

    Once they stepped back outside, Will tapped Loth¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Can you have your bugs hit those sacrifices with tracking scent? Knowing our luck, the Phantom Thief will try and steal them before we can get them just to spite me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being paranoid, but¡­okay.¡± Loth shrugged.

    A small shape ducked out of sight into an alleyway as Will looked up.

    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m being paranoid.¡±

    ¡°Where to next?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°There.¡± Will said, pointing at a sign.

    <strong><em>Rings & Things for all sses</em></strong>

 Chapter 60: Willliam (Not a necromancer) Oh

    <em>William ohmands an army of the dead! He will sweep across the city of Akul, righting wrongs and saving lives with his merciful unholy horde.</em>

    <em>Women and children will weep with an ecstatic mixture of awe, love, and terror as they are delivered from the jaws of death by the skeletal hands of his thousands of minions!</em>

    <em>He will destroy Akul! And in the process of destroying it¡­save it¡¯s people.</em>

    <em>Then he¡¯ll kinda get bored with the whole necromancer bit and only take it out on special asions, like spring cleaning.</em><ul><li>Jason Szar</li></ul>

    <em>He¡¯s definitely making that up to trick us, right?</em>

    <em>-unknown.</em>

    ¡°Wee to Rings and things!¡± a cheery voice called as Will and Loth entered.

    Will froze mid-step as he spotted the ¡®person¡¯ behind the desk, an enormous insectoid creature that looked something like a mantis, if a mantis had stubby fingers growing off their wrist where their arm folded into a serrated killing machine.

    Nobody else in the shop was running or screaming, so Will rxed and went with the flow.¡°Good afternoon,¡± Will said, approaching the counter. ¡°I¡¯m participating in a tournament in a few days and I¡¯d like to find some new options for my Build?¡±

    ¡°What is your Build, Sir, if you don¡¯t mind my asking?¡± The ne around the creature¡¯s neck glowed and emanated with a sweet young womans¡¯ voice while the creature stared at him unblinkingly.

    ¡°Summoner? Light warrior, heavy warrior, Scout, Tank, Nuker, Necromancer, Buffer, Healer, Logistics, Crafter, Crowd Control?¡±

    ¡°¡­Flexible, actually.¡± Will cocked his head. ¡°Did you say necromancer? I thought those were illegal.¡±

    ¡°Not illegal in and of itself, just difficult to pull the archetype off and prohibited by the government.¡±

    ¡°Prohibited by the government <em>is</em> illegality.¡± Loth said.

    The mantis-creature didn¡¯t move an inch, showing no reaction to Loth¡¯s statement. In fact it hadn¡¯t stirred this entire conversation.

    It¡¯s <em>voice </em>was another thing.

    ¡°Oh my, a kobold! How cute! I could just eat you up! Ah, it¡¯s so nice to meet a fellow world-traveller outside our ancestral homes in these parts. As for illegality, the Xeju believe that if the Tower allows it, it is legal. There is no higher authority.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Will grunted. ¡°So <em>do</em> you have any necromancer Relics?¡±

    ¡°Oh, my, no, that would be Illegal. Wink.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you can¡¯t wink,¡± Will said.

    ¡°That would be a fair assumption. I do not have any necromancer Relics, but I do have a few <em>post</em>-<em>life</em> summoner Relics that might satisfy your needs. Wink.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a necromancer, but I¡¯d still like to look at them,¡± Will said. ¡°¡­Wink.¡±

    He actually wasn¡¯t, but despite the illegality there was no young man that didn¡¯t enjoy the concept of raising the dead to serve them. Being cool, and badass, girls thinking you were fixable, wearing all ck leather and being stick thin¡­

    It actually reminded him of that mask wearing ouw that nearly captured him on the 2nd Floor. learning more about the kinds of relics the man wore might give him insight into how to analyze and disassemble his Build, should he evere across him again.

    Will knocked on the wooden countertop, but he knew he¡¯d already jinxed himself.

    ¡°Right away!¡± the Xeju moved with rming swiftness, going frompletely motionless to flickering into the back, flickering back through the back door, climbing sideways along the doorframe to control her momentum until she stopped in front of Will, setting a collection of items on the countertop in front of him.

    Will picked up the bone ring and inspected it.

    <strong><em>Ring of the Undead Horde</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+5 focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Increases potency of Necromancer Archetype Abilities by 15%</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Reduces Focus cost to maintain Undead minions by 2 each, cannot lower the Focus cost below 1.</em></strong>

    Will frowned. So necromancers needed high Focus, to allow them to keep lots of undead running simultaneously. They also had less avable Charge based on the number of undead you could visually confirm, which the ring of the Undead Horde helped with.

    Will didn¡¯t know <em>how</em><em>much</em> the ring helped, but if he had to guess, it was likely that the Focus drain for maintaining undead was rted to their power, so this ring could allow someone to cut down the maintenance cost on 3 Focus undead to 1, allowing the wearer to triple their number of worthless staggering meat-shield zombies, but, say, a Death Knight might take 40 Focus to keep in y, and a reduction of 2 apiece wasn¡¯t actually that much of a game-changer.

    <em>Interesting glimpses into how the ss might work.</em>

    Will checked the next item, a gnarled wand with a velvet handle that seemed to blur the line between driftwood and bone.

    <strong><em>Wand of the Undead Retainer </em></strong>

    <strong><em>+6 focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Acuity</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+15% potency of necromancer archetype Abilities. </em></strong>

    <strong><em>1 charge: Heal Undead. Repairs undead tissue. Some reassembly required. Does not revive dead undead. </em></strong>

    <strong><em>5 Charge: User may summon one permanent low-power Undead Retainer, to a maximum of 1. </em></strong>

    <strong><em>The Undead Retainer is an intangible spirit with a limited ability to interact with the physical world, performing simple tasks for the wielder. They are sustained by the wand, not reliant on the wielder''s Focus. If the wand is unequipped, the Undead Retainer is dismissed. </em></strong>

    <strong><em>The Undead Retainer can be the target of Abilities requiring a living sacrifice and subject to lifedrain, as though it were alive.</em></strong>

    ¡°Oh, this one is a good choice, young necromancer.¡± The Xeju said as will inspected the weapon.

    ¡°Not a necromancer,¡± Will said, but she continued as if he hadn¡¯t spoken.

    ¡°Many necromancer Archetypes gain life-drain and sacrifice mechanics with their Abilities. Having a disposable undead retainer on-hand to sacrifice in an emergency is quite the powerful benefit, and makes Party members much less nervous about winding up on the chopping block, so to speak. Having it avable to clean house, cook, and set up camp, and the ability to heal one¡¯s minions is also a blessing.¡±

    <em>Hmmm.</em>

    A single low-power undead was basically nothing. Most of its utility was derived from the ability to target it with other Necromancer abilities that might require a living sacrifice, or the Ability to have it stand there and let you cut it¡¯s head off to heal a critical wound.

    Plus the wand could allow you to patch up your other undead, something a necromancer might not want to waste a whole Ability on.

    The wand wasn¡¯t the primary strength of a necromancer, merely filling gaps in their Build.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the vition.

    This did make Will stop and think, though.

    A single low-power undead was basically nothing, but if he fed the wand to his Phantom Hand, and it doubled the power of the ability¡­

    Would Low-powered be Medium-powered, and could the hard limit of one undead be Two? While Will was wearing his Cloak of the Fade, he was raising the power of Phantom Hand by 25%, which pushed it¡¯s multiplier just over 100%, effectively doubling all effects the slotted item had.

    If one medium-powered undead was significantly stronger than a Low-powered one, and if he could raise two instead of one, the power was effectively quadrupled. The potential damage output of the Undead retainer was no longer an afterthought to the utility of having a convenient sacrifice. Instead,bat power could be the primary draw of the Ability.

    <em>Interesting.</em>

    Will put it back down, but couldn¡¯t help lingering on it for a moment.

    Will flinched as the Xeju flickered away, soundlessly darting into the back before returning with a polished steel ring, which it ced beside the wand.

    ¡°You seem interested in the wand,¡± She said. ¡°And I remembered possessing a synergistic item.¡±

    Will picked up the ring and inspected it.

    <strong><em>Ring of the Eidolon</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Acuity</em></strong>n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <strong><em>Abilities that create eidolons are 35% more potent.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Eidolons are more freely able to interact with the physical world, improving their ability to perform tasks and deal physical damage, while retaining their intangible damage resistances. Scales with Acuity.</em></strong>

    ¡°What¡¯s an eidolon?¡± Will asked the obvious question.

    ¡°Any non-physical, spirit-type summon. Ghosts, elementals, avatars¡­that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°So the undead Retainer would qualify?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    <em>Soft-set.</em>

    ¡°Hmm..¡± Will mused for a moment before moving on to the next one, picking up the wavy de with a skull carved into the pommel and fingerbones forming the wristguard.

    <em>I wonder if Necromancers just prefer a certain style?</em> Will thought. <em>Why not a hatchet, or a cleaver, or heavens forbid, a regr, in dagger that doesn¡¯t announce your ss to anyone with eyes?</em>

    <em>But then I suppose¡­how would girls know you desperately needed a hug?</em>

    Done with his internalints, Will inspected the dagger.

    <strong><em>Dagger of eternal Servitude</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>On kill: Consumes corpse to create a permanent bone maksu to serve the wielder. Capable of simple tasks, but preferbat. Bone Maksu are sustained by the dagger. Maximum 3 bone Maksu.</em></strong>

    Will sat and thought about that one for a moment.

    There was the upside of not needing to pay Charge to create the undead.

    There was the downside of needing to kill something to trigger it.

    The bone maksu had a higher startingbat potential than the Undead Retainer, geared forbat rather than making beds and setting up camp, what with them being purely physical, and will remembered the maksu being fast and vicious.

    Still low-power undead, but with a focus on physicalbat rather than utility.

    Will could set up his own camp.

    <em>So if I consumed it with the Phantom hand, they would be much more powerful, and I would be able to make six of them (probably), but it would require me to kill things directly first, and that¡¯s not necessarily going to happen against a single strong opponent.</em>

    <em>So this is good for ranging in areas with lots of small enemies that might need a bit of extra manpower to prevent them from overwhelming you, but against elites, its not as good, because you can¡¯t fuel it as easily, and Elites would just annihte the bone maksu.</em>

    <em>Actually¡­</em>

    ¡°Can the wielder kill <em>anything</em> with this to create a bone maksu?¡± will asked, thinking of Loth¡¯s hundreds of thousands of insects. If Will could squish a handful of them and throw half a dozen overpowered bone maksu in his enemy¡¯s face, that would be phenomenal.

    ¡°Only monsters and other Climbers. The way on-kill effects pay for themselves is by utilizing the miasma inside the body of the target to fund their effect, so typically they don¡¯t work with in animals or un-ssed humans.¡± The Xeju said¡­still motionless.

    ¡°Ah, darn,¡± Will mused for a moment before turning to Loth. ¡°do you think you could-¡°

    ¡°Breed a species of insect solely designed to hold onto arge amount of Miasma, so it can be used as the target of on-kill Relic effects?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°Sounds like a real exploitable Build idea for me, though. I¡¯ll start on it when we get back.¡±

    ¡°Can you hold onto the ring and wand for me, and then bring some on-kill effects, on-charge effects, as well as wands that grant decent Abilities, be they CC, Direct Damage, or utility, as well as Ranger and Rogue boosting Relics?¡± Will asked. ¡°And I¡¯d like to see if you have any interesting Amulets with odd effects.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you <em>are</em> flexible.¡± The Xeju said before flickering into the back with that eerie speed before she began returning with piles of Relics for Will to sort through.

    <strong><em>Legs of the Indomitable.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+15% potency of charge attacks.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>On charge, gain a damage-absorbing shield,sts until the charge ends.</em></strong>

    <em>Interesting. That synergizes well with the mask and boots. Triple soft-set.</em>

    Will would hate to give up his extra movement speed, but the ability to fly <em>and</em> be extra durable while flying? That was hard to pass up.

    Will went through the wands while Loth inspected a dagger with an on-kill healing effect that would synergize well with both the Undead Retainer and her proposed Miasma bugs.

    ¡°In theory,¡± Loth said, ¡°This dagger could be used to turn five Charges through that wand into a moderate heal. It¡¯s a bit clunky and indirect, though, since you would need to pass the dagger to the wounded ally, who would have to at least be conscious enough to use it. You likely couldn¡¯t use it in the heat ofbat, but outside ofbat it could be a handy way to patch up the party without an official Healer or wasting a consumable.¡±

    ¡°Add it to the pile.¡± Will said, reading the wand¡¯s details.

    <strong><em>Wand of methrift.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Acutiy</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>After maximum Charge has been reached, any Charge the wielder would have gotten is added to the wand, up to 20.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>These charges may be spent tounch a powerful me dart at a single enemy</em></strong>

    <em>No. </em>Will thought, moving on. Sure it was modestly handy for a Nuker who might want attack options that saved power for big booms, but it wasn¡¯t synergistic or build-changing, it was just a little safety nket.

    <em>Next.</em>

    <strong><em>Wand of Sparkforce</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+2 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+8% Movement and attack speed</em></strong>

    <strong><em>1 Charge:unch a small lightning bolt at a single target for moderate damage. May paralyze.</em></strong>

    <em>Well, that I like,</em> Will thought. The movement/attack speed was excellent, especially if he fed it to his Hand, and having three stats it boosted was nice too.

    And the chance to paralyze? Also good.

    Will was somewhat neutral on the actual damaging Ability itself. Why shoot a lightning bolt when you canunch a cannonball at someone?

    ¡°Do you have any more Relics that effect both attack and movement speed?¡± Will asked, pointing at the wand.

    ¡°Of course.¡± She ducked aside and returned with a handful of relics, clearing away the ones Will had already looked at.

    ¡°attack <em>and</em> movement speed are often associated with lightning abilities, and they are often weaker than <em>just</em> attack or <em>just</em> movement,¡± She said as Will picked up a pair of gauntlets.

    <strong><em>Stormfists</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+9% movement and attack speed.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Each blow struck has a 12% chance to add a low amount of lightning damage. May paralyze.</em></strong>

    ¡°<em>May</em> paralyze?¡± Will asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have an exact chance?¡±

    ¡°The System does not know exactly what you will be using it on. A fleshy meat sack like you? Chances are good, but against a stone golem? The shell of a mountain-sized spirit turtle? Not happening.¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Will said, trying not to let himself get too excited. These gauntlets were an excellent choice for his Phantom hand, as they boosted all of his physical stats, and granted an excellent boost to movement speed <em>and </em>damage, as well as a solid chance to add extra damage to his attacks¡­<em>and </em>paralyze?

    And if he doubled all those stats?

    ¡°Add these to the pile,¡± Will said, handing them back to the Xeju. Her stubby insectoid picked them up with surprising deftness and added them to a growing pile behind her.

    Will went through the rest of the wands and didn¡¯t find anything that sparked his interest quite like the sparkforce and the undead retainer wands. Mostly they were designed with Nukers in mind, and either plugged into the Nukers damage boosts, or offered cost-saving elemental attacks, or simply a different element in order to cover a weakness.

    None of that was what Will wanted.

    Will turned his attention to the Xeju¡¯s ¡®rogue¡¯ selection and noticed a wand shaped like an ornate skeleton key, albeit far too big to ever fit in a lock, with a leather-wrapped handle and a chisel-like edge that looked designed to do some light stabbing.

    He picked it up and inspected it.

    <strong><em>Wand of the Trespasser</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Acuity</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+20% Potency of Rogue Archetype Abilities.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>30% reduction in audiovisual effects of actions taken to open doors, locks, or when sneaking on something or someone else¡¯s territory.</em></strong>

    <strong>1 Charge: Wand of the trespasser changes size and shape to match any lock. Alternatively, can be a pry-bar.</strong>

    <strong>Stabby Stab: This Wand has mutated to function as a melee weapon in addition to it¡¯s normal functions. Reinforces it¡¯s durability to direct damage.</strong>

    <em>Do I want this, or my Hold out Dagger as my secondary? </em>Will thought, inspecting his current off-hand weapon.

    <strong><em>Holdout Dagger</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+7 Resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>It is more difficult to notice the dagger for those who mean the wielder harm. Inbat, apply a stacking bonus to the wielder¡¯s Strength, Resistance, and Movement Speed based on the number of enemies.</em></strong>

    That would be a noticeable drop of seven Resistance if he switched, but it would be an additional 20% boost to Phantom Hand and whatever he put into it. Plus, nearly <em>everywhere</em> was something¡¯s territory, so the +30% bonus to sneak would work anywhere except Will¡¯s bedroom.

    <em>Well, I still own the Holdout Dagger, I can always switch back if it sucks.</em>

    Will added it to the pile.

    <em>Pile¡¯s getting pretty big.</em>

    ¡°How much for all of that so far?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°One hundred ten-pieces,¡± the Xelu said.

    Will did some mental math.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s add the On-kill bone maksu dagger to the pile,¡± Will said before turning back to the ¡®rogue¡¯ pile.

    <em>And try not to think about the sheer amount of money changing hands.</em>

 Chapter 61: New Loadout

    <em>William Oh literally pulled himself up by his bootstraps.</em><ul><li><em>Jason Szar</em></li></ul>

    <strong><em>Pocket sand</em></strong>

    <strong><em>A small pocket that can be sewn onto any fabric. Will blend in immediately afterwards, concealing it¡¯s presence from outside observers.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>1 Charge: fill the pocket with irritating sand.</em></strong>

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s definitely a rogue item,¡± Will muttered. It didn¡¯t fill a slot, so it didn¡¯t have stat boosts, but it could in theory be useful for a quick escape.

    Will looked at the tag and whistled at the price, but didn¡¯t balk. Not after the cost of everything else.

    <em>What Else?</em> Will thought turning back to the selection the giant bugdy hadid out for him.

    In the ¡®Interesting Amulet¡¯ section was a strange amulet made of interconnected rings of brass, seemingly connected at odd angles, yet connected with a bolt that ran through all of them.When Will¡¯s hand touched it, the inner circles began to spinzily.

    <strong>Gyroscopic Stabilizer</strong>

    <strong>-7 focus</strong>

    <strong>+3 Kinesthetics</strong>

    <strong>Passive: User has more direct control over their inertia, orientation, and to a much lesser extent, gravity.</strong>

    ¡°What does this mean?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Try it on,¡± The Xeju said.

    Will took off the Homefield Advantage and put on the Gyroscopic Stabilizer

    The bugdy reached out with the back of a single massive talon and gave Will a brutal shove.

    Normally that amount of force should¡¯ve sent Will flying, but instead his body seemed to resist being shoved before immediately righting itself.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool,¡± Will mused, trying the ¡®gravity¡¯ portion of the amulet, orienting his desired direction ¡®up¡¯. He got what felt like twenty or thirty pounds lighter, but did not fly, which was a shame.

    <em>Although in the Phantom hand¡­No, 40-60 isn¡¯t enough.</em>

    ¡°Try running up the wall,¡± The bug woman said motionlessly.

    Will ran up the side of the wall, able to seamlessly sprint upwards by controlling his momentum and getting that extra ~20 pounds of force keeping him pushed against the wall instead of just dropping him to the ground.

    <em>So. Very, very good for an acrobatic build. I imagine it could stabilize your attacks as well, making physical strikes hit harder than they might¡¯ve otherwise based on a more stable inertia.</em>

    Will liked it a lot, but he didn¡¯t really <em>need</em> it for anything specific, so he put it back, pulling a pair of Boots out of the Rogue selection.

    <strong><em>Getaway Boots</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>1 Charge: Double movement speed for (Kin) seconds, before suffering -50% movement speed for (180-Kin) seconds.</em></strong>

    <em>I should be able to wear them with no downsides at level 60. Hah.</em>

    If Will didn¡¯t have more powerful boots by level sixty, he would quit Climbing. Still, Will did have pretty strong Kinesthetics, so he¡¯d tolerate the downside much better than most. It wasn¡¯t as much of a boost as the Boots of Outnking, but theysted a lot longer, and the requirement to trigger them wasn¡¯t nearly as finicky.

    Will didn¡¯t really need speed boosts, though. Not when he had the mask and terminal velocity on his side, and with the sixth flooring up, will was hoping to find some boots with ranger boosts that could make him able to <em>actually </em>walk on water.

    Technically Will had been walking on pond-scum and the asional piece of grass.

    While that was impressive, Will wanted to hit unaided water-walking by the time they reached the Ocean floor¡­for obvious reasons.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for ranger boots that boost the effectiveness of Ranger Abilities and footing at the same time,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Speed boost?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Not necessary.¡± Will said, shaking his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I have.¡± She said before flickering into action, opening drawer after drawer behind the countertop until she came back with a pair of familiar boots.

    <strong><em>Electric Eelskin Swamp Stompers*</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+3 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+5 resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Increased movement speed on swampy terrain, increased footing in watery, slimy, mucky or muddy terrain. Scales with Resistance.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+25% Ranger Archetype Ability potency</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Lightning Pulse: </em></strong>

    <strong><em>5 Charges: The wearer releases a pulse of lightning into the ground, which may paralyze enemies touching the ground within (Res/10) Feet</em></strong>

    ¡°A mutated Relic from a mutated eel on the 4th floor. Is this the sort of thing you¡¯re looking for?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Where have these boots been my whole life?¡± Will asked before ncing back up at the insectoid shopkeep. They were an upgrade in every stat over the Swamp Stompers they¡¯d farmed on the previous floor, and they added an Ability as well.

    ¡°Do you have somewhere I could test these?¡±

    Five minutester, Will was bobbing on the surface of a giant tub of crystal clear water.

    Stolen story; please report.

    From what he could see, the water around him was stabilized out over two feet in every direction, bowing slightly down under his feet, but supporting him. As if he were walking on a puddle of congealed syrup.

    ¡°That¡¯s gotta be over a thousand pounds of water you¡¯re stabilizing,¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will nced up at Loth.

    ¡°Do you have a tape measure?¡± She asked the shopkeep, getting one in a matter of seconds as the other patrons of the shop gathered around to watch Will stand on water.

    ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s gonna have an easy time on the Sixth Floor.¡± Someone joked.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see, the radius is¡­twenty eight and three quarters inches¡­¡± Loth¡¯s eyes flickered as she calcted.

    ¡°Seventeen hundred and ny-eight pounds¡­and a bit extra, assuming a perfect hemisphere. No wonder you can stand on water.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s happening with you isn¡¯t exactly the same as buoyancy, but it¡¯s close, so I¡¯ll use buoyancy as a stand-in.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s buoyancy?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the amount of water weight an object disces in the water. If the object¡¯s weight is less than that of the disced water, it floats.¡±

    ¡°So if I disce more than my own weight of water, I float?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re not discing it, you¡¯re stabilizing it,¡± Loth said, pointing at his feet, which had been ever-so gradually sinking, stretching the surface of the water, which bowed underneath him. As if onmand, the surface tension broke, and Will jerked for an instant as he fell straight down into the water, soaking himself up to his knees.

    ¡°Did anyone get a time on that?¡± Loth asked. The surrounding patrons shook their heads.

    ¡°We have a couple more things we need to test,¡± Loth said, a crazed look in her eyes as she pulled out a small hourss.

    Will knew he was doomed.

    Loth ran him through exhaustive testing to make sure the boots were a viable purchase, and as it turned out, Will could only stand in ce for just under a minute without falling through the surface of water, but if he paced in a small circle in the center of the tub, there was no limit.

    Something about the magical synergy between his ss Abilities and the boots refreshed itself every step he took.

    <em>I¡¯ll take it.</em>

    Rarely if ever did he expect to need to stand still on the surface of water for extended periods of time. The point of walking on water was to <em>walk.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Will said, climbing out of the tub and taking the boots off, handing them back to the shopkeep. ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°Well, originally, they were sixty tenpieces.¡± The shopkeep said.

    Will coughed.

    ¡°But your water-walking tests sold every other swamp stomper I have, so let¡¯s call it one ten-piece in gratitude for the free advertising.¡±

    Will sighed in relief.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m thinking aboutmissioning a brand logo with a goat boy walking on water.¡± The Xeju said thoughtfully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to respond to that,¡± Will said, shaking his head. ¡°But I appreciate the discount.¡±

    ¡°My pleasure, William Oh,¡± The xeju said.

    Will froze.

    ¡°Either you¡¯re William Oh, or you¡¯re emting him. We shall see.¡±

    Will nodded and kept going through the rogue items, finding a hood that raised the potency of his rogue abilities. He didn¡¯t want to give up the mask, so he passed.

    <em>I will eventually have to give up the mask when I find something drastically better.</em>

    There was a forestry hat that gave half a dozen passives to navigating the wilderness and boosted his Ranger Abilities, but¡­same issue as the rogue hood. It would boost his water-walking and trim half a week off the time it took for a Sourdough¡¯d item to regenerate, but Will wasn¡¯t willing to give up flight just yet.

    There was a ring that stored notes from everyone who¡¯d worn it before, which popped up where they became relevant, but it didn¡¯t provide much in the way ofbat bonuses.

    <em>OOH! </em>Will thought, his gazending on a single glove made of thick leather that seemed to extend to the elbow.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <strong><em>Glove of the Aetherhawk</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 acuity</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+25% Potency to Ranger Archetype Abilities</em></strong>

    <strong><em>-7 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>The wearer of this falconry glove gains a single ethereal hawk familiar, which can mark targets, distract enemies, and perform rudimentary reconnaissance. Has the ability to shed light, empower projectiles, and a near-human intellect, along with the ability to understand the wearer¡¯snguage.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>The summon cannot be damaged by physical means, but can be dispelled, disrupted or dismissed, and may be resummoned a short timeter.</em></strong>

    ¡°Is the hawk an eidolon?¡± Will asked, pointing at the glove.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡± the Xeju said.

    ¡°¡­Can I test it?¡± Will asked.

    A few minutester the glove was on the ¡®keep¡¯ pile, along with a bow they¡¯d discovered that June would like, and a couple extra gold to cover the scratches the hawk had made on the shopkeep¡¯s counter.

    ¡°All of these, please,¡± Will said, pulling out bearer bonds from his breast pocket and thumbing through them.

    A few minutester, the bonds were authenticated, and Will geared up:

    Will switched out his Greater Sting Ring with the Ring of the Eidolon, then changed his armguard of Tracers with the Glove of the Aetherhawk, then he upgraded his boots.

    He swapped the Holdout Dagger for the Wand of Trespassing, then fed the Wand of the Undead Retainer and Stormfists to his Phantom Hand, passing off the Dagger of Eternal Servitude to Loth to experiment on her insects with.

    Once everything was where it was supposed to be, Will checked his Status.

    <strong><em>William Oh</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Resourceful Climber Level 22</em></strong>

    <strong><em>23+ 29 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>66 +10 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>69 +14 Resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>44 -3 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>84 +15 Acuity</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Charges: 41/41</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Free Points: 0</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Item Abilities: Manhunter, 11 degree correction. 35% eidolon potency, 45% rogue Archetype potency, 50% Ranger archetype potency, Aetherhawk, Lightning Pulse, Wet footing, Homefield Advantage(Ice), Gravity Charge 30% Trespass A/V dampening.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Phantom Hand Slots: -(Ring of uracy*)- (Sickle of Cold Harvest) (Wand of the Undead Retainer) (Stormfists) (-)</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Goat, Phantom Hand**</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Secondary Abilities: Sourdough</em></strong>

    <strong>Primary Ability Upgrade Avable! (x2)</strong>

    <strong>Secondary Ability Upgrade Avable!</strong>

    <em>Wait a second¡­</em>Will thought as he reviewed his stats on the way back to their Inn.

    <em>Why is my strength that high?</em>

    The boost from his regr items was ten Strength from his pants, which left neen attributed to the Ring of uracy in the Phantom Hand slot.

    Will¡¯s current Acuity was 99, which, when multiplied by 1.45, had to be somewhere close to 143% add 1 for the base amount¡­

    2.43 x 7 = 17¡­

    <em>So where did the extra 2 points of strengthe from¡­The ring?</em>

    Will took the ring off and his Strength dropped by 2.

    <em>That means that the Phantom Hand Ability counts as an Eidolon, so the ring is boosting it by 35%¡­</em>

    <em>And that means¡­</em>

    Will put the ring back on and reached out with the Phantom Hand and flicked a pebble on the ground in front of him, focusing on using the ring to make it interact with the physical world.

    The pebble jumped, rocketing off into the distance.

    <em>Holy¡­.crap. I can touch things!</em>

    That¡­was unfair.

    <em>Well, unfair is kind of my specialty.</em>

    And of course, it used up his ring slot, which had an opportunity cost, but Will was more than happy to pay.

    <em>Maybe I could put the hand into a glove and re-attach it to my wrist and it would work just like a regr hand. if the glove was tied to my wrist I could even pull on things like it was a real hand, hang from one hand while climbing, that sort of thing.</em>

    <em>¡­wait.</em>

    <em>Can I pull on myself?</em>

    It didn¡¯t make sense to his gut, because no part of anyone¡¯s body could be used to exert force on themselves, because it was all part of the same closed system, but Phantom Hand wasn¡¯t actually connected to him, so¡­maybe it could?

    Will concentrated on the sensation of physicality the ring granted, and shoved himself from behind.

    Loth spat out a scrap of turkey leg as Will suddenly flew forward, tumbling violently in midair, plowing through the crowd beforending in a tangle of limbs.

    ¡°Will, are you okay!?¡± She demanded, dragging him off of a stunned citizen. ¡°What happened? Where are they!?¡± she scanned the gawking crowd and the rooftops, looking for the mysterious attacker.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± Will said, reaching out and grabbing the Phantom Hand, pulling himself to his feet. ¡°I was testing an Ability. It has a little more zip than I thought it did.¡±

    Loth frowned, watching him rise in an unnatural way, putting his weight on nothing at all.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Ring of the Eidolon interacting with the Phantom Hand, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Maybe?¡±

    Will was always a little impressed/intimidated at how quickly Loth picked things up.

    ¡°We need to run some tests,¡± Loth said before ncing around at the angry passerby Will had knocked over like bowling pins. ¡°But not here.¡±

    <em>2 more weeks until the tournament, and I got everything I wanted. Now all I need to do is wait for the Phantom Thief to take the bait and lead me back to my tomahawk.</em>

 Chapter 62: Would the Real Phantom Thief Please Stand Up?

    Micheal Francis mopped sweat off his brow.

    How had things gone so wrong?

    Five years as a Climber, slowly and carefully working his way up to thend of plenty, a lucky break with an administrative job, then thirty years of diligent service, and he¡¯d finally made it. He was one of the wealthy decision-makers in the city of his lord, Akul.

    He¡¯d lived in a mansion, with <em>maids.</em>

    But now he was dead.

    Because the coffin was <em>gone.</em>

    Baron Akul, like most Lords, was highly paranoid, never telling everyone everything, burying secrets across the city, so many that none saw theplete scope of his machinations.

    The only secrets Micheal knew of was the kaiju hidden under the City Records office and the coffin.

    But the records office wasn¡¯t his responsibility.The Coffin was.

    It was made of solid onyx, iid with thick gold, and was basically too heavy to steal. You would need a dozen high-level warriors with oundish strength, and they certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to disappear with it.

    There was a single footprint in the floor where the thief had shifted their weight wrong, causing them to sink partially into the floor, leaving a crisp footprint embedded in the marble.

    <em>What am I going to do? Sooner orter, the baron will send an agent to check up on me, and then I¡¯m dead.</em>

    <em>Illusionist? No, that¡¯s just asking for the illusionist to ckmail me for the rest of my days, which would likely be short anyway.</em>

    <em>Come clean and alert the duke immediately?</em>

    <em>Less chance of my children dying too, I suppose¡­</em>The thing was, Micheal <em>really</em> didn¡¯t want to lose his status or get sttered by the baron in a fit of rage.

    Micheal sank to his knees.

    <em>Maybe I can make a cast of the footprint and arrest anyone in the city who matches it. I might get lucky eventually.</em> Micheal chuckled.

    Not without anyone with two brain cells to rub together figuring out what he was doing.

    Micheal was staring into the void of his broken dreams when a small foot appeared in front of him.

    ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± Rosa asked. The young maid knelt down to give him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. She was always kind to him.

    ¡°Not really, Rosa.¡± Micheal said, leaning back against the wall and letting his legs flop out in front of him. He wasn¡¯t up to the task of standing right now.

    ¡°I regret to inform you that your tenure here may being to an end. No fault of yours, I assure you. <em>I¡¯m</em> the one on the way out.¡± Micheal said, ncing up at her concerned brown eyes.

    ¡°Would you like a letter of rmendation to some of my colleagues before it loses any value?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a bad person.¡± she said¡­almost a question. Odd thing for his mistress to say.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­normal.¡± Micheal said with a shrug. He always tried to pay his staff fairly and be discrete about his affairs. No bastards, no lives ruined. That sort of thing. ?

    ¡°Was that box really that important?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m probably going to be killed when the Baron finds out,¡± Micheal admitted, beyond bluster at this point.

    ¡°What would you do to get it back?¡± Rosa asked.

    Micheal cocked his head, ncing up at her, his scattered wits sharpening.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Rosa.¡±

    ¡°I never said I was,¡± ¡®Rosa¡¯ said, taking a graceful step backwards, her foot sinking perfectly into the single footprint embedded in the marble flooring.

    ¡°Had to spread my weight out,¡± She said, her feet widening dramatically until they were roughly the size and shape of snowshoes.

    His first instinct was to lunge forward and try to subdue the slight woman¡­But if she was a shapeshifter and could lift the coffin¡­any physical altercation would resolve in her favor.

    Micheal¡¯s decades of well-honed self-preservation instinct kicked in.

    This wasn¡¯t a situation best solved by force. This was a situation best solved by total capittion.

    ¡°What do you want for it?¡± Micheal asked.

    ¡°I want you¡­to throw me a party,¡± She said.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s it?¡± Micheal asked, frowining up at the person who held his life in their hands. A party was¡­kind of a small ask.

    ¡°¡­I have some specific requests,¡± she said with a mischievous grin unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen on Rosa¡¯s face.

    ¡°Before you start, Is Rosa okay?¡± Micheal asked, holding up a hand.

    ¡°Why would you ¨C¡° her expression soured. ¡°Ew¡­¡± her body rippled and shifted into a slender ck-haired girl, even shorter than Rosa.

    ¡°Blech,¡± She wiped herself off as if she¡¯d gotten something icky on her, shuddering from head to toe. ¡°The maid? <em>Really</em>? What a clich¨¦.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­normal.¡± Micheal shrugged.

    ***William Oh***

    Three days after arranging their purchase, the money went through and Will got his hands on the Sacrifices he¡¯d ordered from the shop. It was altogether¡­uneventful.

    ¡°Really?¡± Will asked, ncing around. ¡°No dramatic attack orst-minute reversal?¡± He asked. The room remained silent.

    ¡°Why would you expect that?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Because I beat a phantom thief at stealing. They typically hold grudges for a long time about this sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°What would <em>you</em> know about the behavior of phantom thieves?¡±

    ¡°I stole a kid¡¯s toy in the middle of the night once because he wouldn¡¯t pass the bread.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°This Phantom Thief seems to have the same level of maturity.¡±

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°Uhuh, just take your Upgrade.¡± Loth said, shaking her head.

    <em>One step closer to getting my hand back,</em> Will thought, holding up the chunk of Immortal Serpent.

    <strong><em>Do you wish to Sacrifice Immortal Serpent to Aspect of the Goat?</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Yes.</em></strong>

    There was a sh of light and the chunk of mummified flesh was gone.

    A tingle went down Will¡¯s spine as some <em>oddness</em> flooded his entire body, prompting a shudder.

    <strong><em>Aspect of the Goat has received a Qualitative Upgrade, bing Aspect of the Immortal Serpent. Review the description for changes.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Aspect of the Immortal Serpent: </em></strong>

    <strong><em>A collection of passives that focus on mobility and hardiness. The bearer of this Ability bes more resistant to exposure and altitude. Their digestive systems be able to process food unfit for human consumption, and their hands and feet always find safe purchase on even the most hostile terrain. User will heal morepletely. Scars and damage, both external and internal will fade away over time, and only aplete removal of a limb or organ will prevent this healing. Scales with Resistance.</em></strong>

    Will inspected the Ability. The word ¡®minor¡¯ had been cut from in front of ¡®passives¡¯, and the description of the Immortal Serpent Sacrifice had been shoehorned into the end of the ability.

    <em>Notice, it doesn¡¯t say I heal faster, only morepletely.</em><em>Big difference.</em>

    Will nced around, but there was still no phantom thief popping out of the floorboards to assert dominance.

    ¡°Huh. Maybe I was just being paranoid.¡± Will admitted.

    ¡°You <em>are </em>pretty good at it.¡± Loth said as they left the Sacrifice shop.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good at being <em>prepared,</em>¡± Will corrected her. ¡°Paranoia outside The Tower ismon sense inside.¡±

    ¡°Ehh¡­¡± Loth waggled her scaled hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Will mused as they walked. ¡°The <emws</em> of being a Phantom thief, which is basically the sport of being petty, dictate that she focus her ire on me. That she steals that which I most desire.¡±

    ¡°Obviously <em>this </em>is what I most desire,¡± Will said, motioning to his missing hand. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I like more than having two hands¡­I¡¯m gonna stop for a raspberry tart.¡±

    Will¡¯s feet had stopped in front of Jean¡¯s Bakery.

    ¡°Really?¡± Loth asked, scaly brow raised.

    ¡°Obviously I would give up on <em>one</em> raspberry tart for my hand, if I could.¡±

    ¡°What about baking tarts entirely?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Pff. You can¡¯t <em>do</em> that. That¡¯s like half the food groups right there,¡± Will said as he pushed the door open. ¡°Wait a minute, are you talking about <em>baking</em> tarts or baking <em>tar-¡°</em>

    ¡°Wee!¡± A masculine voice called out as Will entered, causing him to stop in his tracks and re-evaluate the situation.

    Behind the counter was an adonis. A vision of male perfection so immacte that it could¡¯ve only been created by a woman at a drafting board. Perfectly aligned white teeth, lean but not veiny, lithe, strong jaw but not too strong, curly golden hair bordering on red. Stunning green eyes.

    ¡­Knowing smirk.

    <em>Oh, that jerk.</em>

    ¡°Wee to Jean¡¯s bakery, I¡¯m Kyle, what can I get for you?¡± the ¡®man¡¯ said as Will approached.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Anna?¡± Will demanded.

    ¡®Kyle¡¯ gave an apologetic shrug. ¡°Some rich guymissioned a huge catering order, so they¡¯re expanding their production capacity, and that means they¡¯re super-<em>duper</em> busy. It¡¯s just me manning the front counter nowadays. Can I get you anything?¡±

    Will cocked his head and listened. He could hear Anna, Ria, and their boss from the back, calling out instructions and requests to each other as they struggled to meet the catering order that the Phantom Thief had surely instigated.

    ¡°Listen here you little shit,¡± Will growled. ¡°I know exactly who you are. You¡¯re not a baker, you¡¯re not even a man. You¡¯re the Phantom Thief, and you think you can get under my skin by stealing <em>my</em> bakers.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡®Kyle¡¯ asked, leaning an elbow on the disy.

    ¡°Oh sure, maybe you can, but what happens next?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®Kyle¡¯ blinked.

    ¡°Say you use this ridiculous costume¡± ¨C Will gestured to all of ¡®kyle¡¯ ¨C ¡°to make Anna fall in love with you, what happens next?¡±

    ¡°Then I break her heart.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±

    ¡°What if I hang around, try to win her back?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    ¡°Then what? You gonna get married to Anna, raise some kids, pretend to be a man for the rest of your natural life? Just to spite me?¡±

    ¡°Uuuh¡­¡± ¡®Kyle¡¯ began visibly shrinking as Will continued poking holes in his revenge n.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t really think this through, <em>did</em> you?¡± Will asked, righteous anger coursing through him as he got the upper-hand in the conversation. ¡°You¡¯re just a bumbling-¡°

    ¡°Will, it¡¯s a set-up.¡± Loth said, throwing cold water on Will¡¯s temper.

    In the space of a heartbeat, ¡®Kyle¡¯ lost two feet of height and turned into a petite, ck-haired girl a hand¡¯s length shorter than Anna, and began bawling out loud.

    Warned by Loth, Will switched tracks instantly.

    ¡°Oh my, are you okay!?¡± Will said performatively, leaping over the counter to ¡®hug¡¯ the bawling young woman.

    ¡°Will, are you being mean to Bee?¡± Anna asked, the chubby blonde poking her head out of the back of the shop.

    ¡°He-¡° ¡®Bee¡¯ began to speak, but Will cut her off.

    ¡°Just helping her to her feet.¡± He said, lifting ¡®Bee¡¯. ¡°She stubbed her toe <em>real</em> bad.¡± His Phantom hand released a de from its storage before catching it midair and pressing it into the shapeshifter¡¯s spine, out of Anna¡¯s line of sight.

    ¡®Bee¡¯ stiffened at the sharp sensation digging into her back.

    ¡°Ow¡­I think I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m sorry, stubbing my toe just¡­reminds me of my daaaad¡­¡± ¡®Bee¡¯ continued bawling.

    ¡°Oh¡­there, there,¡± Anna said, wrapping an arm around the shorter girl¡¯s shoulders and escorting her away. ¡°Let¡¯s get some sweets in you and take a little break. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay,¡± Bee said between sniffles. She peeked over Anna¡¯s arm and stuck her tongue out as the baker girl escorted her to the back room.

    Beyond them, Will spotted Ria watching from the darkness. The ¡®undercover¡¯ guardswoman motioned to her eyes, then pointed at Will.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m watching you.¡¯</em>

    Will responded with a rude gesture only Ria could see, given the other two were facing the opposite direction.

    <em>Damn my life.</em>

    ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± Will said as Anna and Bee left. Getting him mad and then changing the game would¡¯ve caught him t-footed if he¡¯d been alone. At least this way it¡¯d been a stalemate.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to take this opportunity to remind you that there are <em>other</em> bakeries in Akul,¡± Loth said. ¡°¡­Less contentious ones.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but <em>that</em> would be admitting defeat,¡± Will said, grabbing an order of pastries and leaving payment on the counter.

    ¡°And you say the Phantom Thief is petty,¡± Loth sighed as they exited. ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve got all the right ingredients to be one yourself.¡±

    <em>High stealth, maneuverability, the ability to steal things without people noticing. Pettiness.</em>

    Will chuckled. ¡°I do, don¡¯t I?¡± he paused, tart halfway to his mouth. ¡°I <em>do,</em> don¡¯t I!? put some tracking scent on my palm.¡± Will said, shoving the tart in his mouth and holding out his hand.

    ¡°Bit of a tone shift, but sure,¡± Loth said, bemused at Will¡¯s sudden change in attitude. A momentter a bugnded on his palm before flying off. Even with his heightened senses, Will barely felt it.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°If it were highly noticeable it wouldn¡¯t be any good for tracking you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°People.¡±

    Will poured the bag of tarts into his mouth before spinning on his heel and re-entering the bakery a few minutester, catching Bee just as she came back to the front counter.

    ¡°I just realized why you¡¯re doing this. You¡¯re threatened by me. Somewhere in the back of your head, you think I might be a better thief than you.¡± Will said, leaning close and lowering his voice so the others in the back wouldn¡¯t hear him.

    ¡°So how about this? Pick an object. Wepete to see who can steal it, and the winner is, for all times, the superior Phantom Thief, uncontestably. The loser admits they couldn¡¯t hack it and doesn¡¯t bother the winner ever again.¡±

    ¡°Obviously <em>I¡¯m </em>the superior phantom thief!¡± Bee whispered back.

    ¡°Prove it.¡± Will said.

    Her brown eyes narrowed. ¡°...fine. The party the girls are prepping for, happens tomorrow night. The host owns a gilded coffin. It¡¯ll be on disy in the center of the party. It¡¯s bulky, heavy, and valuable. moving it, let alone stealing it, is a challenge in and of itself.¡±

    ¡°First one to steal it is the real Phantom Thief?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Deal,¡± Bee said.

    ¡°Deal.¡± Will said, reaching over the disy.

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not tall enough.¡± The girl said after trying and failing to reach over the disy ss.

    ¡°You¡¯re a shapeshifter, damnit.¡± Will whispered.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Her limbs lengthened and a momentter, her palm sped his.

    ¡°Deal,¡± Both of them whispered simultaneously, neither of them intending to stick to it, and both of them aware of it.

    ¡°A spur of the moment phantom thiefpetition?¡± Loth said, shaking her head as they left. ¡°Will, I thought better of you.¡±

    ¡°All we have to do is believably <em>fail, </em>withstand a bit of gloating, and she¡¯ll lose interest in us?¡± Will said. ¡°Her bruised ego was the root of the problem, and therefore it¡¯s the solution.¡±

    ¡°A wise, holistic approach. But doomed to failure if you follow her back to herir and steal your tomahawk back while she¡¯s distracted with the coffin heist, like you¡¯re obviously nning.¡± Loth pointed out.

    Will chewed his lip.

    ¡°Oh. Right. Well, I¡¯m not giving up on the tomahawk. That¡¯s <em>my</em> tomahawk. She cannot have¡­<em>my</em> tomahawk.¡±

    Will couldn¡¯t give two shits about a fancy coffin, but his first <em>Relic,</em> acquired at great risk to his own life and marking the beginning of his career as a Climber? That was uneptable.

    ¡°You and her are on same wavelength.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°We are, aren¡¯t we?¡± Will said, thinking as they walked. ¡°Then¡­If it were me, I would¡¯ve picked something I already stole, that way there was no chance of losing.¡±

 Chapter 63: Patience

    Will was alone in his room, twirling the Axolotl arm in his hand. it was a shrivelled limb about the size of his forearm. It appeared to have once been somewhat transparent, but the preserving process had made it into an opaque chunk of flesh with the consistency of a piece of smoky quartz.

    He¡¯d wanted to be alone when he Sacrificed the arm.

    Something about this felt personal. Private. A moment between Will, himself, and no one else.

    Mostly because he wasn¡¯t sure if he would cry or not.

    He held it up, offering it to The Tower.

    <strong><em>Do you wish to Sacrifice Axolotl to Aspect of the Immortal serpent?</em></strong>

    <em>Yes.</em>

    Will¡¯s body shuddered as his Ability was rewritten.

    <strong><em>Aspect of the Immortal Serpent has been upgraded. Review the description for changes.</em></strong><strong><em>Aspect of the Immortal Serpent: </em></strong>

    <strong><em>A collection of passives that focus on mobility and hardiness. The bearer of this Ability bes more resistant to exposure and altitude. Their digestive systems be able to process food unfit for human consumption, and their hands and feet always find safe purchase on even the most hostile terrain. User will heal morepletely. Scars and damage, both external and internal will fade away over time. Not even aplete removal of a limb or organ will prevent this healing, provided the user is not dead. Scales with Resistance.</em></strong>

    Will nced over at his stump.

    It¡­tingled a bit? Maybe?

    Will took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

    <em>Patience. It said it heals at normal speed. It¡¯s not gonna violently burst out of my wrist in an explosion of gore¡­</em>

    Will peered down at his wrist, half-hoping that might be the case.

    When nothing happened, he let out the breath that he¡¯d been holding.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was expecting,¡± Will muttered to himself.

    He leaned back and studied his arm.

    <em>Why did I have the option of ¡®immortal serpent¡¯ anyway?</em> Will thought, thinking back to Loth¡¯s reading of the church¡¯s missives telling of ¡®deceivers in human skin¡¯.

    The rules of the ¡®qualitative upgrade¡¯ as told to him by the merchant said that when someone had low-quality sacrifices, they could upgrade their skills with a better sample from one of the three original sacrifices.

    The System thought he¡¯d Sacrificed a sample of Immortal serpent. It had been his hand.

    The idea that one or both of his parents might¡¯ve gotten busy with a giant snake monster, or simply been one¡­was not too surprising, actually.

    You don¡¯t get to be legendary Climbers without a secret or two.

    <em>Where does that leave me?</em>

    Will had seen all kinds of races since he¡¯d started Climbing, and even more in Akul just walking down the street. So what if he wasn¡¯t entirely human? He was just another face in the crowd.

    Aside from the church of Granesh seeming to have a grudge against him specifically.

    <em>I wonder why Gertrude never caught on¡­</em>

    <em>No, she probably caught on, but didn¡¯t believe in dogmatic child-murder. More likely.</em>

    Thoughts of the wizened crone, her quick hand and sharp tongue made him a bit misty-eyed.

    <em>That¡¯s what gets me? Really?</em>

    ¡°Will?¡± Loth¡¯s voice emanated from his door. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±

    Will leaned over to grab his mask from the nearby shelf with the intention of hiding his tears and recoiled as it shifted under his fingers, bing something altogether¡­scalier.

    Will picked it up and saw the spitting image of an Uru drake looking back at him, the dragonoid¡¯s mouth half-open in a snarl.

    <em>I wonder why it changed to an uru drake instead of an immortal serpent?</em> Will thought.

    The only exnation could conjure was that after upgrading Aspect of the Goat, the Mask of Manifestation registered him as a new wearer and randomly re-rolled its form based on his sacrifices, without assigning more weight to any given Sacrifice.

    <em>Aw, I kinda liked the goat,</em> Will mused as he put the mask over his face.

    <strong><em>Mask of Manifestation:</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+2 Acuity</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Manifests an Ability based on one of the Wearer¡¯s Sacrifices.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Malleable Space: 1 charge</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Stretch orpress the space between two points of the user¡¯s choice. Duration and potency Scales with Acuity and inversely with distance.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Cancble.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Secondary, at will: encodes speech such that only other Mask wearers may understand.</em></strong>

    <em>The Abyss does ¡®stretch orpress space¡¯ mean?</em> Will thought as Loth ducked her head into the room.

    ¡°New mask?¡± She asked with a frown.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Will said, tapping the external features. ¡°Let¡¯s do some Phantom Thieving.¡±

    The party that Bee had challenged them to steal from was happening tomorrow night, but rather than do rational things like case the location and draw up ns, they were going to use tracking insects to follow Bee back to herir and get what they actually wanted:

    <em>My gods-damned Tomahawk!</em>

    Sure it didn¡¯t have any stat boosts, but the psychic attack, the passive debuff and the Contract Ability made it a <em>very </em>valuable weapon, which Will wasn¡¯t willing to give up on.

    Plus selling a dozen rich people their art back seemed like a great way to refill the war chest.

    Will stood and marched out the door, heading downstairs before going out the back of the inn and jumping up on the rooftops, his body fading slightly to match the dim lighting as the Wand of the Trespasser made him ever-so-slightly transparent.

    It wasn¡¯t his territory.

    Loth followed from up high, her insects carrying her up in the darkened sky, high enough that no one could see or hear her among the featureless ck expanse that loomed above the city.

    Will could¡¯ve hitched a ride with Loth, but he was badly in need of practice with his new loadout, so he peered up and gave Loth a salute.

    <em>Huh. I can¡¯t see the stars.</em>

    Will had gotten used to The Tower¡¯s strange shifting stars, but strangely he couldn¡¯t see them above the city.

    That was fine, because it made it harder to spot Loth.

    In front of Will, a single insect began flying, and he followed.

    As he swept across the rooftops like a quiet breeze, the scenery gradually changed around him, from residential neighborhoods for the wealthy guests of the likes of the Oiltons, to merchants buildings, middle ss residential neighborhoods, slums with roofs creaking from years of neglect, dozens of people sandwiched below, praying that it didn¡¯t rain¡­and finally the buildings began to spread out as he hit the industrial area.

    Warehouses, tanners, canners, paper mills, and any other business that either required loads of bulk goods that might choke a narrow city street, or simply produced obnoxious odors.

    The buildings had dozens to hundreds of feet between each of them, causing Will to have to scamper down before leaping over high fences designed to keep level 25 trespassers out.

    Everyone in the city was at least level 20, the only thing that gave Will an edge was his ss was built for just this sort of behavior.

    <em>Damn, it would¡¯ve been easier to just fly over these, though, </em>Will thought sourly as the realization dawned on him that he might never fly again.

    <em>To that I say¡­</em>

    Will jumped up, grabbed his Phantom Hand andunched himself further up the fence, silently surmounting it tond in a puff of dust on the other side.

    <em>Who needs flight?</em>

    He leapt up onto the cannery and muscled past the smell of fish, scampering silently past it, always following the bug that was tracing the marking scent he¡¯d long since scoured away from his own hand.

    When he came to the next gap between buildings, Will froze and ducked down, spotting half a dozen workers loading a wagon full of cans of fish, preparing them for distribution around the city.

    Uwfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    It was always amusing to note that themonborers he saw below were, outside The Tower, functionally demigods. Any Climber who made it to the fifth floor was level 20 at least, and most rational people had at least 2 growth in strength, so these men and women were somewhere around triple the strength of a normal person, and the massive crates of jars they hauled around confirmed that.

    On the other hand, Acuity was often neglected bymon climbers who only had so many points to spend and felt that better Acuity did not save one¡¯s life with the same frequency of say¡­high Resistance and Strength.

    Which was generally true, although, it could be argued that a high acuity stat helped avoid trouble entirely, but if one didn¡¯t have the strength to outrun it¡­it didn¡¯t really matter.

    In any case, odds were many of them had Acuity and focus as dump stats.

    Still, Will didn¡¯t think he could jump down, sneak past, then climb back up without alerting <em>anyone</em>. There was still a good chance that one of them had put a few points into Acuity.

    Will was tempted to pick himself up and throw himself across with the Phantom Hand, but he ruled that out.

    It wasn¡¯t that the Abilitycked the power: It was surprisingly strong, actually, able to rag-doll him fairly well. The problem was ack of fine control. He didn¡¯t have any convenient ces to grab himself and little-to-no practice at it either.

    Meaning that while he <em>could</em> theoretically fling himself over, he would be iling the entire way and there was no guarantee he would hit the spot he wanted rather than going through a window.

    <em>What about the mask?</em> Will thought, ncing at the distant roof.

    <em>Hmmm.</em>

    Will was suddenly tempted to solve the issue of an untested Ability by recing it with <em>another</em> untested ability¡­

    So hepromised.

    Will ignored the insect urging him to go straight though theborers to the next building over and instead took a sharp left turn, finding a side of the building no one could see.

    <strong><em>Malleable Space</em></strong>

    <strong><em>40/41 Charge remaining.</em></strong>

    Will selected the edge of the roof his foot was resting on, and the edge of the other roof.

    His eyes hurt as they told him that <em>somehow</em>, the two points got closer, the world outside distorting around a man-sized tunnel of space.

    From Will¡¯s perspective, the distance between the two had shrunk to only about six feet.

    A little hop, and Will was on the other roof.

    He turned and looked back, seeing the same distortion lingering behind him. When he dismissed the Ability, space seemed to <em>snap</em> back to the way it was supposed to be, the distance between the two returning to it¡¯s previous state with only a slight ripple.

    <em>That is </em>wild.<em></em>Will thought to himself before crouching down and scampering to the next roof over.

    <em>Okay, next Ability.</em>

    Will switched the Phantom Hand slot from the ring of uracy, to the wand, feeling his body suddenly be sluggish as he shed neen Strength.

    <strong><em>Undead Retainer</em></strong>

    <strong><em>40->35 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    There was a wail more felt than heard (but definitely heard) as a pinhole in reality opened up and a spirit was shot out like it¡¯d been under pressure.

    <em>Damnit,</em> Will thought, crouching down low and praying that the nearbyborers didn¡¯te investigate.

    He needn¡¯t have bothered, because they were rational adults that <em>definitely</em> weren¡¯t getting paid to investigate spooky noises happening in someone else¡¯s warehouse.

    <em>The afterlife must be standing room only,</em> Will thought as the st of ectosm formed a semi-solid, resolving into a shape upon hitting reality like raw egg dropped into boiling water.

    The spirit resolved into a well-dressed, aged butler with no legs, who gave a genteel bow.

    ¡°Good evening, young necromancer, how can I-¡°

    ¡°Get down,¡± Will whispered, motioning for the spirit to duck before someone saw him.

    ¡°How can I serve you?¡± the spirit asked, crouching down to join Will. ¡°Are we under attack?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m trespassing.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re a <em>rogue.¡±</em> The spirit said with a tangible disappointment.

    Will cocked his head. ¡°I did not summon you to be <em>judged.</em>¡±

    ¡°Did you summon me to pick <em>pockets</em>?¡± the spirit sassed.

    ¡°No.¡± Will said, peering over the edge of the roof. None of theborers had bothered to investigate the sound.

    ¡°Can you fly?¡± he asked, turning back to the spirit.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Can you pass through solid objects?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a name?¡±

    ¡°I am an amalgam of <em>many</em> retainers, and as such I do not have a name.¡±

    ¡°That exins the elitism,¡± Will scoffed.

    The undead retainer did not deign to respond to that.

    ¡°If you¡¯re dismissed and re-summoned, will it be you again?¡±

    ¡°I experience continuity, in order to better serve my master, yes.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Will peeked back over the wall and connected two points.

    <strong><em>Malleable Space</em></strong>

    <strong><em>35->34 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    ¡°Try and keep up.¡± Will leapt to the next roof, spotting the bug he was supposed to be following.

    <strong><em>Undead Retainer</em></strong>

    <strong><em>34->29 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    Another soul-screamter, and a second butler stood in front of him, eyeballing the approaching butler.

    ¡°Good evening young necromancer, how can I serve you?¡±

    There were some slight differences between the two, but they werergely identical, as if they¡¯d both been squirted into reality from the same slurry of raw butler.

    Which was a fair analogy, Will supposed.

    Will could feel that he¡¯d reached the limit on butlers, and if he tried to summon another, it would fizzle. Which was to be expected because his scaling hadn¡¯t passed triple power yet.

    Still, two intangible butlers were better than one¡­save for their attitude.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, he¡¯s a rogue,¡± the first butler said as he arrived, floating across the gulf between the two buildings.

    ¡°I see. I suppose it¡¯s unlocking doors from the other side, picking pockets and scamming tourists with Ouija boards for us.¡± The new spirit sighed.

    ¡°Those are all really good ideas,¡± Will said, ¡°But first we¡¯re going to do a heist.¡±

    ¡°Gods preserve,¡± the butlers said as one, rolling their eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t roll your eyes!¡± Will whispered. ¡°This girl stole my tomahawk and a bunch of other stuff, so I¡¯m getting it back¡­and maybe ransoming some of it back to it¡¯s previous owners¡­you guys could actually help with thatst part.¡±

    ¡°As you <em>wish</em>, master,¡± Both of them said with the exact same amount of barely-allowable sarcasm.

    ¡°Alright, Names: You¡¯re Stevie, and you¡¯re Billy-bob, if you wanted ssy names like Magnon or Alistair, you should¡¯ve acted ssier,¡± Will whispered, pointing at the two of them. ¡°I will not be saddled with unprofessional jackasses.¡±

    ¡°Touche,¡± the ghosts muttered.

    ¡°Stevie, follow us underground, look for any situation that might require your intervention, like distracting someone who is about to find me or nking my opponent if Ie under direct attack. You¡¯re my safety. I expect critical thinking and decisive action.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Stevie said, sinking into the ground.

    ¡°Billy-bob, I wasted ten charges on you and your dimwit brother, I need you to save me Charges by going over to that roof over there and catching me.

    ¡°I do not have the strength required to-¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re stronger than you think,¡± Will said, pointing at a nearby barrel. ¡°Lift that.¡±

    The spirit gave a long-suffering sigh before bending and putting his arms around the barrel¡­then lifting it into the air with a confused expression.

    ¡°You can put it down now.¡±

    ¡°¡­are you some kind of necromancer/rogue hybrid?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just that good,¡± Will said. ¡°Now get over there.¡±

    Billy-bob nodded and flew silently over to the next roof.

    Once he was in ce, Will considered the best way to make this happen, first putting the Phantom Hand against his back, then under his feet before he finally settled on simply grasping his own hand.

    Phantom Hand was a little bit finicky. Its tangibility wasn¡¯t 100% and had a tendency to fade and flicker, mirroring Will¡¯s concentration. It often started out strong those first couple seconds, but quickly exhausted itself¡­much like Will¡¯s attention span.

    Which was why it made more sense (at the moment) to fling himself with a single concentrated burst of energy rather than pick himself up and float over the gap, because he was more likely to lose focus over time.

    <em>Alright, here we go.</em>

    Will jumped and felt a harsh tug on his arm as Phantom Handunched him up and over the fence.

    Then he was on his way back down, falling rapidly towards the warehouse roof.

    To his credit, Will didn¡¯t scream, but he was iling as he fell.

    <em>Okay, this is a bit too fast. I can use the hand to slow my descent.</em>

    Will caught his own shirt and hauled himself backwards, but it was <em>far</em> too much force and he wound up tumbling backwards, towards the chain-link fence that bordered the two buildings.

    Stevie rose out of the earth beneath him and caught Will before he crashed into the fence, slowing him and directing his fall towards hard-packed earth rather than loud surfaces like chain-link and ss bottles.

    An instantter the spirit faded back into the ground.

    <em>Safety in the literal sense too, I guess.</em> Will thought, climbing to his feet.

    He could probably have one of the butlers fly him around, but he needed to get the hang of maneuvering with the Phantom Hand.

    <em>Maybe a belt or some kind of harness with a handle at my center of gravity?</em>

    It was an option. Although wearing a handle on your body was just <em>inviting</em> people to grab it.

    <em>We¡¯ll revisit the idea tomorrow,</em> Will thought, extending his hand and hauling himself up with Phantom Hand.

    In a matter of minutes, Will arrived at Bee¡¯s hideout, a dpidated warehouse that had seemingly slipped into disrepair. Abandoned.

    <em>The question is, is she home or did she go phantom-thieving for the night?</em>

    Will knew which one he preferred.

    He sent Billy-bob to scout for Bee before utching the window from the inside.

    The spirit butler gave him the signal and he shortened the distance between the roof and the window, silently stepping through.

    As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, William¡¯s eyes went wide at the staggering amount of loot¡­much of it ruined.

    ***Ria¡¯s perspective***

    Since Anna and Jean were throwing Bee a wee party, this was Ria¡¯s perfect opportunity to leave them to their own devices and get the real dirt on William Oh.

    She¡¯d ¡®borrowed¡¯ a Relic from her superiors that allowed her to track a selected target and conceal her presence. Now was the perfect opportunity to catch him in the act.

    <em>What criminal mischief does he have nned?</em> Ria thought as she stalked after him. She thought he had caught her on multiple asions, but he seemed to be having a heated conversation with¡­himself?

    She¡¯d backed off after that, and nearly lost him half a dozen times as he swept from rooftop to rooftop with a silent grace only possible with an uwful ss. Thankfully he seemed to be heading in a straight line, so all she had to do was keep heading forward and eventually she re-acquired him.

    She nearly walked into line-of-sight, but managed to spot him first and reel herself back into an alley before he tuned his head.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    She peeked back out and studied her prey.

    William oh was standing like a phantom on the edge of the roof, looking down at a distant warehouse. With criminal intent.

    In front of her eyes, the window utched and opened itself, causing Ria to blink.

    <em>WHAT!?</em>

    What followed next was even stranger. William Oh¡¯s partially invisible body <em>stretched </em>over the distance to the window, his body lengthening for a fraction of a second, shooting forward and diving through the window in the blink of an eye, invading the unimed space like a dread spirit.

    Ria began creeping forward, intent on finding out what William Oh was so keen on concealing inside that warehouse.

    ¡°Excuse me, miss guardswoman?¡± the voice of an older man called from an alleyway beside her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have time to-¡° Ria froze as she nced into the alleyway, spotting nothing.

    ¡°Why is it so¡­cold?¡± The same voice spoke from behind her, causing Ria to whip around, her heart hammering in her chest, all the hairs on her neck standing on end.

    There was a soft brush of wind against her skin and the sound of footsteps behind her.

    Ria turned.

    Nothing.

    ¡°This one is still warm.¡± The voice whispered directly into her ear. so close she could feel it¡¯s breath. Cold breath.

    Ria choked back a shriek and swung wildly, her arm tearing through the air, but otherwise impacting nothing.

    She nced at the distant Warehouse that William Oh had disappeared into.

    There was a figure in the window¡­a little girl¡­motioning her toe forward. To join her.

    Suddenly the dark buildings looming overhead hid any number of horrors in every deepening shadow. Waiting for her.

    ¡°Nope. Nope, nope, nope.¡± Ria said, shaking her head and turning on her heel.

    ***Willliam Oh¡¯s perspective.***

    ¡°You were being followed,¡± Stevie said, rising up from the floor, his body shifting from a little girl¡¯s back to his standard butler appearance. ¡°I convinced her to leave.¡±

    A momentter the spirit was gone.

    ¡°Really? Wow.¡± Given Will¡¯s prodigious Acuity, he must¡¯ve gottencent, or his pursuer had a Relic that¡¯d helped her to stay hidden. Perhaps somebination of both. Will had a strong suspicion which ¡®her¡¯ Stevie was talking about.

    ¡°Now what are we going to do with this?¡± Will mused, eyeing the massive ck and gold coffin ced conspicuously in the center of the warehouse.

    ¡°I think I can help with that,¡± Loth said, descending from the skylight.

    A momentter, tens of thousands of insects beat their wings in unison, and the immovable stone coffin began to ascend.

    Will spotted his tomahawk buried in a wooden sculpture, and tugged it out, slipping it back into his belt.

    It felt like getting his hand back.

    Well, not quite <em>that </em>good, but good.

    Will itched his stump.

 Chapter 64: Party Crashers

    <em>William Oh wears clothes of such heavenly beauty that only one has ever looked upon them without pain. Like looking directly into the sun, their sheer magnificence will burn into the viewer¡¯s very soul, the sight clinging to their eyes no matter how much they blink.</em>

    <em>It is a sight to behold, that brings tears of gratitude to a man¡¯s eyes, that he has lived in an era where he can witness Perfection.</em><ul><li><em>Jason Szar.</em></li></ul>

    ¡°And <em>I¡¯m </em>saying, there¡¯s gotta be a way to tailor the cor such that it isn¡¯t strangling me,¡± Will croaked, struggling to breathe.

    ¡°Master, the current trend is tight cors emphasizing a slender neck. Do you wish to breathe or do you wish to impress?¡± Stevie said, taking the strip of cloth away from his neck.

    ¡°Breathe, obviously,¡± Will said. ¡°Look, let¡¯s just go the other direction, make the cor way bigger, give it some space for gold embroidery and pop it out.¡± Will motioned with his hand.

    ¡°You want to do¡­the opposite of the current fashion?¡± the undeadbutler asked.

    ¡°How do you think new fashion happens?¡± Will demanded. ¡°It¡¯s Mostly so I can breathe, but if I just loosen the cor I look like I¡¯m half-assing it. Make it <em>big.</em> Make it say ¡®look at me, I did this on purpose.¡¯¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s <em>your</em> image.¡± Billy-bob said with a sigh from where he was tailoring the pants.¡°Did anyone <em>ever</em> aplish anything by not standing out?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Frank Argyle survived as an advisor during the rise and fall of four bloodthirsty Lords who purged previous administrations and killed for perceived slights. During this time, he managed to introduce several reforms that eased the suffering of themon people.¡± Billy-bob said from his stitchwork.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try this.¡± Stevie said, cing an oversized piece of test fabric around Will¡¯s neck and pinning it in ce before standing back.

    It was maybe a half-inch bigger.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand, I want this thing to block my <em>vision, </em>like I¡¯m too important to see people who don¡¯t interest me.¡± Will said. ¡°Like a viin from a Saturday morning melodrama.¡±

    Stevie¡¯s brow raised.

    ¡°As you wish, Master,¡± he said, shaking his head as he stepped away to cut a bigger piece of test fabric.

    ¡°Pants,¡± Billy-bob said, stepping away from his stitchwork and helping Will into his new pants.

    They fit better than any nonmagical clothes he¡¯d ever worn before.

    ¡°Gods-be-damned.¡± Will mused, shifting his weight and lifting his legs. ¡°How are you so good at this?¡±

    ¡°What makes apetent retainer valuable is that he possesses a wide range of skills.¡± Stevie said. ¡°ounting,w, tailoring. We dabble in many things.¡±

    After another hour, the two ghosts had dressed Will to his satisfaction, and he presented himself to the rest of his Party.

    ¡°It¡¯s awful,¡± Travis said.

    ¡°You look like a clown,¡± June said, nodding.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know nothing about fashion¡­but it looks more expensive than anything I¡¯ve ever worn?¡± Reggie said hesitantly, trying to be nice.

    ¡°You should drink some water,¡± Alicia whispered. ¡°You¡¯re a little dehydrated.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the best judge of human fashion,¡± Loth said with a shrug.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty bad, Will,¡± Mason said. ¡°Why not just go with what¡¯s in fashion?¡±

    ¡°Because I hated it and would rather look like an idiot than strangle myself in order to fit in.¡± Will replied with a shrug, popping his cor with his Phantom Hand. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m going to be a walking, talking lure to attract my prey.¡± ?

    ¡°not sure what¡¯ll bite on <em>that,</em> but good¡­good luck,¡± June said, pping him on the shoulder.

    The Phantom thief would take one look at him and realize that he was a distraction¡­which was exactly what he wanted.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Travis said. ¡°What is up with that cor!?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°If anything ever said ¡®I have a big purse and a small dick¡¯, it would be that cor.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± Will said, leaving the rest of his Party bbergasted, save Loth.

    Will scanned the rest of his Party. They were all wearing nice clothes that had been tailored to fit them perfectly, but none of them had been designed from the ground up to be ostentatious, like Will¡¯s outfit.

    None of them were wearing their Relics, either.

    It was a strict Non-Combat dress-code. Many rich people didn¡¯t like stepping on trailing AOE¡¯s of sticky muck, or getting too close to someone and receiving a Slow debuff because they weren¡¯t in the same Party.

    That gradually led to a custom where only the host and the Lord of the city were allowed to wear their Relics to any sufficiently fancy party.

    The Lord was unlikely to attend a party hosted by some random mid-tier administrator throwing ast-second party. In fact, most of the highest-level nobles in the city would probably pass, leaving only the dregs of upper society. Rich, but not influential.

    This meant a low-power scene, with only a single person with a nonbat ss and nonbat Relics as the only one allowed to wear them.

    And <em>THAT </em>meant the party was a hostage situation waiting to happen.

    Bee could walk right in, subdue the host and walk out with the prize without much resistance from anyone.

    <em>I mean, not that she¡¯ll get away with much,</em> Will thought. Not if Loth¡¯s traps had anything to say about it. Mr.<em></em>Francis had been very grateful for the return of his coffin. So much so that he¡¯d been willing to assist with the ¡®heist¡¯.

    Loth had trapped the <em>shit</em> out of the coffin, and anyone who tried to move or open it would get viciously nailed.

    Will was pretty sure Bee would survive. The girl had oundish Strength and Resistance.

    Will frowned. <em>Oundish Strength and Resistance, huh?</em>

    Will put his ring, tomahawk, mask and amulet into the Phantom Hand, just in case. There wasn¡¯t enough space for his torso, legs and boots, but he would have to make due with half his kit.

    That was more than everyone else got.

    Once everyone had taken theirst bathroom break, they all piled into a carriage provided by Michael Francis. The carriage itself was somewhat in with simple gold iys that pleased the eye without being overwhelming.

    The thing that really stuck out like a sore thumb was the fact the carriage was being pulled along by a giant¡¯s disembodied hand.

    Will spent half the trip sticking his head out the window and staring at the mummified kaiju fingers used as private transportation.

    ¡°Where can I get one of those!?¡± Will asked Alicia, pulling his head back into the carriage.

    ¡°You need to know a necromancer and kill a humanoid Kaiju. My father took a hunting trip down to Akul two years ago and got one stuffed as a trophy.¡± Alicia whispered. ¡°It¡¯s on our frontwn going through tai-chi poses.¡±

    ¡°Neat.¡±

    As they approached the city administrator¡¯s mansion, Will quizzed them on their roles for the party.

    Which was simple, because they weren¡¯t expected to do anything except for spread the word that Alicia Zodiac was in Will¡¯s Party, and keep an eye out for the Phantom Thief.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    Will had considered asking Micheal to allow them to bring their relics, but he also thought that would put them in a vulnerable position¡­legally.

    Michael could have them arrested, point out their weapons as evidence they were attempting a robbery, and then, having found his scapegoat, quietly sweep the entire situation under the rug.

    <em>My paranoia rearing it¡¯s head again.</em>

    So it was just Will and Loth sneaking their Relics into the party, and the others were kept blissfully ignorant of the back-and-forth going on behind the scenes.

    Alicia was the most important part. She was social armor, in a sense. It made it a lot harder to arrest Will while she was in his Party.

    She honestly thought they were just going to a fancy party, and she was actually kind of excited to go to a party with friends rather than to ¡®be paraded around and stared at like a prized horse¡¯, which made Will feel a little bad about using her like that. <em>And for what, a pointless game of tag?</em>

    <em>But there¡¯s nothing saying we can¡¯t have a good time,work with some of Thea¡¯s contacts, </em>and<em> engage in petty, maniptive subterfuge at the same time,</em> Will thought.

    The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the same mansion Will and Loth had delivered the coffin to the night before, and the giant mummified hand came to rest, prompting the six of them to pile out, stretching their legs and sighing in relief.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Will said, staring up at the crowd of people filtering through the oversized double doors. ¡°Let¡¯s make an impression.¡±

    He popped his cor.

    Mason looked like he wanted to say something, but just sighed and kept his peace, while Alicia took Reggie¡¯s hand and dragged the Tank toward the stream of people entering the main hall.

    June shrugged and took Mason¡¯s hand, and Travis shrugged and followed.

    Will followed shortly after, climbing up the stairs behind them and giving his invitation to the crier, who announced ¡®Alicia Zodiac, William Oh, andpany.¡¯

    The chatter died to nearly nothing as the words ¡®William Oh¡¯ were uttered, their gazesnding on Alicia Zodiac and Reggie.

    Most gazes flickered away from Will as soon as theynded on him, as if he were painful to look at, none of them even getting a good look at the man wearing the amazing outfit.

    <em>Well¡­damn. Their loss. On the subject, I wonder if a Relic that makes you painful to look at exists. It might be useful.</em> Will thought as he stalked through the party invisibly thanks to his retina-burning outfit, looking for Bee.

    ¡°Did you lose a bet, young man?¡± An older gentleman with sagging jowels asked with a wry smile as Will walked past. He was wearing a subdued outfit with gold embroidery, and had a very bored looking young man with simr features standing beside him.

    ¡°No, I need to catch a shapeshifter, so my best bet is to draw them to me with an oundish wardrobe.¡± Will said, shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­Plus I was hoping to start a new fashion trend and maybe get some attention from thedies as a side-benefit.¡±

    Women were also avoiding looking at him. Will has partly happy to have such excellent social camouge, but it was a bit painful.

    ¡°I know how that goes,¡± the older man said, nodding. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea, but you need to tap into human¡¯s herd instinct in order to pull it off. Get someone with authority to publicly endorse the outfit, and you can lead the crowd by the nose.¡±

    ¡°Wow, there¡¯syers to this, huh.¡± Will mused. He hadn¡¯t considered that aspect of it at all. He kind of just assumed people that started new fashion crazes just showed up in oundish outfits and everyone just followed suit¡­but what the old man was saying made perfect ¨C if a bit depressing ¨C sense.

    ¡°I for one, think it looks fantastic! Reminds me of the block prints of Lord-Quest I read when I was a young boy. Do you readics?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what those are.¡±

    ¡°They are a bit of a wealthy pastime.¡± The older gentleman mused, looking Will up and down. ¡°Your ent is from the Center. Age is very low to have reached the fifth floor. Climbing orphan?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Will murmured as out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a seven-and-a-half foot tall woman with long ck hair, an hourss figure and tight gown towering over the rest of the party, undeniably the center of attention as she waded through the shorter poption.

    ¡°Excuse me, do you know who that is?¡± Will asked, pointing.

    ¡°No idea,¡± The older fellow said his eyes widening fractionally before taking a sip from his cup to hide his reaction. ¡°But If I were twenty years younger, I would climb that woman like a tree.¡±

    ¡°Try five,¡± His son interjected.

    The older man grunted into his cup.

    Will tracked the giantess with his gaze as the party shifted around her.

    <em>Is that Bee, running the same gambit as me? Attract a huge amount of attention to herself as a red herring? Or is it just some random giant woman that decided to attend ast-minute party?</em>

    The chances were low.

    ¡°Ah, forgot to introduce myself. William Oh.¡± Will said, turning back to the older man, offering his hand again.

    The jowled man reluctantly tore his gaze away from the giantess in the white dress and shook Will¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Louis.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Louis, but I have to go interrogate that giantdy.¡±

    ¡°Good luck, young man,¡± Louis said, chuckling.

    Will stopped to lean up against one of the pirs supporting the expansive ceiling above the main hall, keeping his gaze on the suspect.

    Stevie emerged from the pir right next to his ear.

    ¡°No one I¡¯ve eavesdropped on knows who the giantess is. Odds are good she either is the shapeshifter, or has been hired by the shapeshifter as a distraction.¡±

    ¡°Any other suspects?¡±

    ¡°None of them stand out quite as much as the giantess.¡±

    ¡°Which is the point, I suppose,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    <em>Only one way to find out,</em> Will thought, heading for the towering woman.

    The crowd parted for him in much the same way they did for the giantess, but it was more out of a desire to not be seen talking to him rather than awe.

    ¡°Nice body.¡± Will said as he arrived in front of the giantess.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she said in a husky voice, staring down at him from what felt like miles above.

    ¡°What are the odds that there exists an actual seven-foot-tall woman interested in attending this party, Bee?¡±

    The giantess smirked.

    ¡°Not great, admittedly. I noticed you stole the coffin backst night, which means our littlepetition has a chance of being an actual challenge for me.¡±

    ¡°So what are you, a distraction?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I could say the same about you,¡± Bee replied, gesturing to Will¡¯s clothes. ¡°But no, I¡¯m not the distraction. They are.¡± She pointed into the distance.

    Will didn¡¯t fall for it until he heard the voices.

    ¡°Piping hot pastries from Jean¡¯s Bakery!¡± Anna¡¯s voice carried over the party, prompting him to turn and look.

    The chubby blonde was wearing a white shirt, ck pants, flour-dusted apron andically oversized chef hat as she navigated the crowd, effortlessly carrying a tower of pastries nearly as big as she was.

    Ria, the ¡®undercover¡¯ guardswoman was wearing a simr outfit, emerging from the kitchen with an identical tower of pastries, offering them to guests as they passed.

    Will whipped his head around, looking for Bee, but the shapeshifter was already gone, changing her shape and vanishing in the moment the entire party was distracted by baker girls.

    Stevie caught Will¡¯s attention, waving from the ceiling. The ghost-butler pointed down beneath him at a dark-haired man with abover, tucked away in a somewhat concealed nook created by a pir and a small corridor leading to what Will could only assume were servant¡¯s quarters.

    <em>Well, maybe it was just me that was distracted,</em> Will thought, signalling to Stevie that he¡¯d seen before he began marching towards the shapeshifter.

    ¡°What? Nooo¡­¡± Bee groaned as Will arrived directly in front of her. ¡°Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?¡± She demanded.

    ¡°Or something.¡±

    ¡°Wow Will, I didn¡¯t except to see you here! Your outfit is awesome!¡± Anna said, arriving beside him and grabbing two pastries off her tray before passing them to Will. ¡°Here. We got to use some real nice ingredients for today¡¯s party, so I know you¡¯re going to want seconds.¡±

    She lowered her voice and winked. ¡°Kaiju milk. From a giant cow.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Will said, a bit taken aback.

    Anna wiped her hand on her apron and gave him a cheeky smile, cocking her head and putting her hand on her hip.

    ¡°So this weekend, I was thinking-¡°

    ¡°Do not be seduced by cool clothes, you¡¯ve got a job to do.¡± Ria said, holding the massive tower of pastries with one hand and grabbing Anna by the ear with the other, pushing her to go mingle.

    ¡°¡­At least <em>somebody</em> thinks my clothes are cool.¡± Will said, watching them go as he inhaled the pastries. Something was wrong here, but Will couldn¡¯t put his finger on exactly what was bothering him.

    ¡°Are they not?¡± The shapeshifter asked, scanning his clothes.

    ¡°Objectively?¡± Will asked, ncing down at his glittering sleeve. ¡°No. They suck. That was kind of the point.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Bee mused.

    ¡°So, we could call this a draw,¡± Will offered. ¡°I¡¯ve got you locked down, you¡¯ve got me locked down. We could just shake hands and let this go. This really seems like a lot of effort to prove you¡¯re better than me. Or maybe I could just admit you¡¯re the better Phantom Thief. I¡¯d befortable with that.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­If you give me my tomahawk back. I was just getting used to it.¡± Bee said airily.

    ¡°That¡¯s <em>my</em> tomahawk, and you dulled the edge on what, stone!?¡± Will said.

    ¡°Then I think I¡¯ll keep the bet going,¡± Bee said with anguid smile that was unsettling on a middle-aged man. ¡°You may have locked me down, but you haven¡¯t locked <em>all</em> of me down.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Will asked with a frown.

    <strong>¡°ATTENTION, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THIS IS A ROBBERY. ANY ATTEMPT TO LEAVE THE PREMISES WILL BE MET WITH SWIFT VIOLENCE. YOU ARE UNARMED, UNEQUIPPED. DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF INTO THINKING THAT YOU CAN RESIST. WE DON¡¯T WANT TO KILL, BUT WE WILL NOT HESITATE TO SET EXAMPLES.¡±</strong>

    They both nced back towards the main hall, where shouting was beginning to rise from the entrance before Will looked over at Bee, who gave him a confused shrug. ¡°That ain¡¯t me.¡±

    <strong>¡°AB GRA KUL BALNASH BAGU-¡±</strong>

    Will¡¯s eyes widened with recognition of the familiar gibberish, and he pulled his mask out of his Phantom hand and pped it down over his face.

    <strong>¡°-them in the west hall, away from the coffin. Don¡¯t forget the servant¡¯s quarters and kitchens. Arms, Round up their jewelry. I want them face-to-face with your arsenal so they don¡¯t get any ideas. Boar, escort our safecracker.</strong>

    Will nced around the pir they were ensconced behind and spotted three masks that haunted some of his worst nightmares.

    A red humanoid face with fangs that curved outwards.

    A stylized boar

    And a pitch-ck void.

    <em>Crap. CRAP. CRAP!</em>

    They were the mercs who¡¯d tried to kidnap him on the 2nd floor. They worked for the Wyrd family, which was situated on the 7th floor, so they were likely to be level 35 at <em>least.</em>

    Running away from them? Maybe at triple speed it was possible.

    Catching a single one by surprise with a trap? Possible.

    One-against three fight? No chance.

    <em>Actually I didn¡¯t win that race, either. I got saved by the surrounding Climbers at thest second..</em>

    ..<em>Then again, I </em>am<em> thirteen levels higher than thest time I met them.</em>

    The mercenaries stood at the center of a swarm of masked minions, all five feet tall, same height, same build, wearing identical featureless white masks to conceal their faces as they began spreading through the main hall, rounding up the guests.

    <em>Well this went sideways fast. Do I even have a chance, or should I focus on escaping and alerting the guard?</em>

    <strong><em>¡°EEK!¡± </em></strong>Anna shrieked, hanging on to her tower of pastries for dear life as the faceless minions shoved her toward the west, into a growing cluster of guests which included the rest of his Party.

    Will¡¯s eyes narrowed as the fear was washed away by something colder.

    <em>I guess I should¡¯ve taken the risk and had everyonee armed. Well, no sense regretting it now. At least I brought </em>some<em> kit.</em>

    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Bee said, her gaze lingering on Anna as the baker disappeared into the crowd.

    ¡°Speak,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Whoever takes the most out wins the bet,¡± Bee said, offering her hand.

    ¡°¡­Deal.¡±

 Chapter 65: Psychic Chain Lightning

    Bee¡¯s fingers turned spiderlike and shetched onto the pir they hid behind and scampered up, turning a vibrant shade of red to match the ceiling.

    Will hastily equipped his ring, tomahawk and amulet, while considering the situation he found himself in.

    <em>I switched away from the ring of uracyst night, so the only items I have ess to are the wand, the sickle and the lightning fists.</em>

    <em>Stormfists are better for directbat, but as soon as I switch to them I¡¯ll lose ess to Stevie and Billy-bob. I need to squeeze as much use out of them as I can before I switch which item is slotted in the Phantom Hand.</em>

    His Relics equipped, Will followed suit and climbed the pir in a heartbeat,

    <em>I need more weapons than just the tomahawk. Something I can throw with Phantom Hand.</em>

    Will checked his Charge.

    <strong><em>34 Charges remaining.</em></strong><em>Where¡¯s a good ce to get weapons? The bad guys have them, but if I were strong enough to take them away from them, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue in the first ce.</em>

    <em>¡­Kitchen.</em>

    ¡°Billy-bob. Stevie.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± the spirits asked, emerging from the pir beside him.

    ¡°I want you to scout out how tough those faceless minions are. Billy-bob, you lure one away from the rest and try and take him out with a sucker-punch to the back of the head. I¡¯m going to the kitchen to get some supplies.¡±

    ¡°Yes Master.¡±

    ¡°And Stevie, make a distraction to draw attention away from the kitchen, then make a nuisance of yourself. Lock doors behind bad guys, hide their tools, move furniture around. Go nuts.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The spirits said, sinking back into the stone.

    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Bee whispered, hanging upside down above him.

    ¡°Ghost butlers.¡±

    ¡°Oooh, I¡¯d love to have one.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve got an attitude,¡± Will muttered, eyeballing the kitchen entrance, which hadn¡¯t been taken by the invaders yet, since they were still rounding people up near the front of the mansion.

    Will peered around the corner and waited.

    <strong><em>CRASH!</em></strong>

    One of the chandeliers near the entrance copsed, magical glowing crystals shattering on impact with the marble floor, causing everyone to stare at it for a fraction of a second.

    Which was all he needed to make it to the kitchen.

    <strong><em>Malleable Space.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>33 charges Remaining.</em></strong>

    Will jumped off the pir and through the door to the kitchen, the two spaces so close they might as well have been kissing.

    Will dismissed the effect instantly and began sprinting for the kitchen, screeching to a halt at the sight of the bakery¡¯s scarred and withered proprietor wielding a cleaver.

    ¡°Ack!¡± Willl ducked under a swing from the cleaver and pulled his mask up. ¡°It¡¯s me, It¡¯s me!¡± Will said, pointing to his face.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°William, huh?¡± The withered baker said, expression hardening. ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡±

    ¡°The party is under attack by some mercenaries from the Wyrd famil-¡°

    The antler handle of the cleaver cracked under Jean¡¯s grip.

    ¡°How many of them?¡± she asked, her voice icy.

    ¡°Like, a <em>lot.</em>¡± Will said, leaping past the ind in the middle of the kitchen to grab the chef¡¯s knives on the far wall, along with another cleaver.

    Will briefly thought of having Stevie transport weapons to the hostages, but that¡­didn¡¯t seem like it would end well. Having a non-relic weapon was better than having <em>no</em> weapon, but it wouldn¡¯t bridge the gap, that was for sure.

    ¡°They¡¯re after me,¡± Jean said, her face paling, the cleaver in her hand trembling as she began shivering.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Will nced up at the old woman. ¡°It sounded like they¡¯re after the coffin that¡¯s the centerpiece of the main hall. You weren¡¯t even mentioned. But if it makes you feel any better, me and Bee are gonna take care of them,¡± Will said as he used dimensional storage on the knives.

    <strong><em>32 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    <em>Gotta leave some room for their rings and things.</em>

    The only way he would have a chance against the mercs is if he could steal their Relics. If it worked for Mark Wyrd, it could work for these guys.

    ¡°No!¡± Jean said, grabbing Will¡¯s shoulder with bone-crushing force as he tried to leave.

    ¡°Ow.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t let my girls fight them.¡± Jean said, her eyes wild as she spun Will around to face her.

    ¡°Bee and Ria aren¡¯t actually-¡°

    ¡°You <em>CAN¡¯T </em>let<em></em>them<em>!</em>¡±

    ¡°Why-¡°

    Will¡¯s question died on the vine as one of the masked minions entered the kitchen, creeping towards them with empty hands, like one might approach a wild animal.

    ¡°Alright, you two. Weapons down and make your way to the-¡°

    The slender minion rocked forward for a moment as Billy-bob sucker punched him in the back of the head with everything he had. The minion straightened up and nced behind him curiously.

    ¡°Master, they¡¯re rather tough,¡± The butler said.

    ¡°Noted.¡±

    Will switched the slotted Relic effect from the Wand of the Undead Retainer to Stormfists, and Billy-bob vanished.

    Every physical stat went up by 7. The entire world slowed down, and the burden of air resistance seemed to evaporate.

    Will leapt over the ind, watching the enemy nce back towards him and freeze for that crucial fraction of a second as he brought the Tomahawk of the Serpent down on his neck.

    <em>THUNK!</em>

    <em>Thunk?</em>

    Will¡¯s eyes widened as he took in the fact that he¡¯d buried the tomahawk all of perhaps a hair¡¯s breadth into the minion¡¯s neck.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    <em>Oh, crap. Forget rather tough, that¡¯s ridiculous.</em>

    Will kicked away a fraction of a second before the minion¡¯s hand closed down around the space where his wrist had been.

    Will scanned the minion¡¯s body for a Relic that could ount for his near-immunity to damage. Even as Will did so, the paper-cut sealed itself, healing nearly instantly.

    <em>Where¡¯s your gimmick?</em>

    While the small figure was wearing full-body leather concealing all their skin, they didn¡¯t have any tell-tale lumps around any of their fingers, no nes, no weapons, no boots, and no ambient aura from the presence of a Relic.

    <em>These guys are naked!? That can¡¯t be right. They have to be wearing some sort of kit.</em>

    Will kicked back and mbered over the ind, barely keeping out of reach of the minion who followed him with imcable determination.

    Pots and pans scattered everywhere, making an unholy racket as the minion jumped over the ind after him, and the two yed a quick game of keep-away.

    Will was winning, obviously, as he was faster, and the pots and pans conspired to slip under his opponent while Will had no such problem.

    Will was able to get three more hits in as his opponent slipped across the floor, draining his stats by 9% for the next few seconds.

    <em>That should be enough to make a difference.</em>

    Will wound up for the coup-de-grace and hit the minion in the back of the neck with the de of the tomahawk. It should¡¯ve severed his opponent¡¯s spine, but Will got no more than a paper-cut.

    Will danced back out of range of a retaliatory strike, but he wasn¡¯t expecting another minion to burst out of the back of the one he was fighting, grabbing hold of his arms with unnatural strength.

    ¡°AIIII!¡± a young man¡¯s face, covered in scars, screamed at him with inhuman fury as arms began drawing him in, more and more handstching on to his body, rendering him immobile with inhuman strength.

    <em>I¡¯m about to die.</em> Will thought, strangely calm under the sheer terror.

    Unstoppable hands sped around his neck¡­

    And were severed by a cleaver, held by the withered crone.

    ¡°The real one isn¡¯t even here, Will!¡± Jean shouted, kicking the Tangled away from him as it turned to face her, sending it hallway through the far wall.

    Will was torn from the creature¡¯s grasp, furrows of missing skin on his arms and legs where it had gotten hold of him.

    ¡°The main body is somewhere you can¡¯t get to it, wearing damage-sharing Relics. You can¡¯t kill them.¡± The old woman nced at her cleaver ruined beyond repair by the creature¡¯s stone-like body, and tossed it aside.

    ¡°How do you <em>know </em>that? Did you help make these things or something?¡± Will gasped, tearing the disembodied hands away from his neck and flinging them aside.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Jean said, shaking her head. ¡°Theres a passage that leads to the second story dining room, we can escape from there.¡± She said, heading off to a side door. ¡°The others will be here in seconds.¡±

    True, the Tangled that she¡¯d kicked into the corner was getting back to its feet and Will heard footsteps pounding towards them from the main hall.

    His mind surged.

    <em>Tangled. Damage-sharing Tangled. Tortured humans that are inherently incredibly resistant to physical damage, further diluting it by their original wearing a Relic that shares damage between all of them?</em>

    ¡°Nah, I think I¡¯ll just beat them now,¡± Will said with a shrug, eyeballing the hall leading to the charging horde of Tangled before ncing back at the old woman. ¡°If I keep the Wyrd mercenaries from noticing your girls, you promise to tell me how you know this?¡±

    Jean opened her mouth, but there was no more time to speak, as the Tangled leaped at him, its body reforming into a human¡¯s for better mobility.

    <strong><em>Malleable Space</em></strong>

    <strong><em>31 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    Will leapt up and kicked off the ceiling.

    The hallway was a good eight feet tall, and the Tangled were five feet tall.

    He connected the air above to the far wall on the other side, shrinking the space of the hall above their heads.

    In the blink of an eye, Will had bolted over their heads,nding in the center of the main hall, where more of the masked minions were milling around, their attention snapping to him with unnatural synchronicity.

    <em>There¡¯s a big word.</em>

    ¡°FOOLS!¡± Will said, climbing up onto a decorative nter in the center of the room, leaning into the effect of his gaudy clothing and the snarling dragon mask that no one had associated with William oh yet.

    He drew on the experience gained in his recent part-time job of fixing exhibition matches and took a pose, pointing haughtily down at those below. ¡°You dare to fight the Dragon of Akul!?¡±

    Will motioned for them to approach.

    It had exactly the effect he was hoping for.

    Two Tangled leapt at him, but they were slow and he wasn¡¯t falling for the growing-extra-arms trick again. He leapt over them, kicking off their shoulders, pulling his feet out of range of their extra arms and heading towards a bigger group of them, skidding to a halt at thest second and juking to the left, heading towards the clump herding people into the west wing.

    He caught sight of Void as the masked mercenary nced up at Will, chased by over a dozen leather-d Tangled.

    <strong>¡°Spread out you idiots, he¡¯s-¡°</strong>

    Will ducked under a flying sword from Arms, skidded to a halt and sprinted back, straight into the dozens of faceless masks approaching from every angle.

    Will raised his axe and sent a Charge through the Tomahawk, unleashing a haunting chord that created a 20ft AOE of Psychic damage.

    <strong><em>30 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    If there was anything Will was certain of, it was that the mental stats of Tangled were extraordinarily low.

    Their master wouldn¡¯t want them to be strong willed.

    The Stormfist effect triggered on the attack, and every single Tangled in the room began to convulse as their mind and body received a sudden shock.

    Even the ones outside the radius.

    They weren¡¯t dead though, and Will aimed to correct that as he began pumping psychic damage through his captive audience, chained together by damage-sharing.

    <strong><em>29 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>28 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>27 charges remaini-</em></strong>

    <em>OH SHI-</em>

    Boar charged Will, who wanted none of the wall of muscle approaching him.

    One of the psychic waves hit Boar, getting a lucky hit and sending crackles of lightning through his body.

    If anything, Boar went <em>faster.</em>

    Will slipped out of the way of the massive man¡¯s charge with his speed, and immediately found a massive sword shing towards his face.

    Will ducked and perceived another de approaching out of the corner of his eye.

    <em>I see where this is going,</em> Will thought, springing out of the way the only direction that was avable, straight into the waiting de aiming to skewer him.

    <em>Malleable space? No. I can¡¯t keep spending Charge.</em>

    Will shoved himself with Phantom Hand and jerked sideways in midair, causing Arm¡¯s attack to miss.

    His enemies weren¡¯t using Charge yet. If he sted through all his Charge just to stay alive, that was the end.

    He needed to kill the Tangled before they recovered and added themselves to the mix. That would make him well and truly screwed.

    <em>Wait a second. COULD THAT WORK?</em>

    Will sprung backward, sprinting up the side of one of the main pirs, tiny cracks in the paint bing entire footholds as he ran, gaining distance before throwing his tomahawk toward the center of the pile of twitching minions.

    Boar dodged the spinning war axe, which was caught by Phantom Hand, which began spinning, creating a constant drone, applying the axe¡¯s debuff to everything nearby.

    That alone was valuable, but Will wanted something more.

    <em>Here goes nothing.</em> Will thought as he sent his Charges through the Phantom Hand.

    <strong><em>26 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    In front of his eyes, the axe erupted with the haunting chord, inflicting psychic damage as Will¡¯s Charges passed through the Phantom Hand.

    <strong><em>25 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>24 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>You are now a level 23 Resourceful Climber!</em></strong>

    <em>Nice! Take that you-</em>

    Arm¡¯s hand mped down on the Tomahawk of the Serpent, and Will felt his connection to the Relic sever. An instantter, it tore itself out of the Phantom Hand¡¯s grip and began floating behind Arms, just one faceless weapon in an arsenal of them.

    <em>Hey! You¡¯re not allowed to steal MY relic!</em>

    An instantter, Will felt a bony fist grasp his heart, yanking him away from the pir he was sheltering on.

    The wind was driven out of his body as he impacted the unforgiving marble, spotting Void with a sickly purple aura around his hand, his arm aiming right at Will¡¯s chest.

    <strong>¡°Goodbye whoever you ar-¡°</strong>

    Phantom Hand impacted against Void¡¯s hand just as the fingers around Will¡¯s heart began to tighten. An instantter, the hand was gone and Will could breathe, scrambling to get upright before the next attack came.

    Arm¡¯s finger twitched and Will¡¯s own axe began to approach, spinning at a speed that Will never could¡¯ve managed, and that speed gave the single chord more depth, a pulsing rhythm, that seemed to add notes and a beat¡­as if he were listening to uncanny death-music.

    Rather than attack Will directly and give him the opportunity to take it back, the Tomahawk of the Serpent began to circle around him, and Will could feel his strength slipping away from him as the 3-second debuffs began stacking.

    <em>Not good. They¡¯re gonna kill me with my own axe. That¡¯s embarrassing.</em>

    Before Will could even consider his response, Boar slipped through the encircling axe, bull-rushing Will.

    Will dodged, but not quite fast enough, his ankle suddenly engulfed by iron.

    The mansion around him went topsy turvy, spinning wildly as Will was whipped towards the ground by his ankle.

    <strong><em>Malleable Space</em></strong>

    <strong><em>23 charges remaining</em></strong>

    Desperately, Will pushed away the ground¡­and it worked, causing the floor itself to bend out of the way as he was swung downward, reaching the limit of Boar¡¯s arm and swinging down underneath the warrior instead.

    Will twisted his spine, released a chef¡¯s knife from Phantom Hand and mmed it into Boar¡¯s inner thigh with everything he had.

    <strong>¡°AGH! DAMMIT!¡± </strong>Boar growled, releasing Will and clutching his leg.

    Will knew a healing potion wasing and he wanted to steal it, but Arms and Void pushed him back, taking all his focus and liberal use of Phantom Hand to avoid outright dying.

    By the time he¡¯d gotten some space to breathe, Boar had already yanked the knife out of his femoral artery and downed a potion, a red aura gathering around him.

    <em>Oh, that¡¯s not good,</em> Will thought, ducking behind a pir to give himself an instant to breathe and think of a solution.

    A heartbeatter, Boar emerged through the pir with so much force that the stone parted like water.

 Chapter 66: Boar Hunting

    Hushed whispering and muffled weeping filled the side room they¡¯d been corralled into. The hapless waitresses curled in on themselves fearfully. Well, the blond one did. The other looked actually¡­eager?

    She was taking off her apron, tying up her hair, and rolling her sleeves¡­like one might do before taking out the trash¡­or picking a fight.

    Reggie and June each dealt with barely contained nervous energy, while Alicia stared at the wall, her eyes flickering as she no doubt watched what happened in the main room.

    Their kobold was nowhere to be seen.

    <em>I need to do something. I¡¯m the only one who can¡­</em> Mason thought, the fire crackling on the tips of his fingers, hand hidden behind his back.

    As far asbat effectiveness, nearly all of them were screwed without their relics, but since Mason¡¯s primary Abilities were direct damage and shielding, he had all the ingredients he needed toy a beatdown regardless of his kit. His fire might be a small fraction weaker than it normally was, but that was about it.

    He watched one of the faceless minions surrounding them walk just a <em>bit</em> too close to another two of them, creating a three-person cluster.

    <em>Here we go¡­</em>

    Mason felt a hand mp down over his wrist, and he nearly incinerated it before he realized it belonged to a hostage.Mason didn¡¯t mentally assign himself to that category.

    The man was older, with fine clothes, darker skin and drooping jowels.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Mason hissed quietly in frustration and nced back up at the minions, where they had drifted apart again.

    ¡°Why are you stopping me?¡±

    ¡°Because you were about to screw things up.¡± The old man said with a shrug.

    ¡°I <em>have</em> to do something,¡± Mason whispered. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can!¡±

    ¡°You act too soon. A Nuker waits until he <em>knows</em> beyond a shadow of a doubt that his actions will strike a critical blow<em>,</em> not muck things up. Even if that means watching your friends suffer. How many of them are there? Three dozen? And they¡¯re not even themanders. You want to expose your queen to take three pawns?¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s happening,¡± Alicia said, her gaze flicking up to the ceiling of the next room over, then down and to the left.

    She nced back up at the ceiling and frowned, before turning and staring at the guests, several of whom were arguing with each other with gradually increased fervor.

    ¡°Yeah, well if it wasn¡¯t for <em>YOU, </em>we never would¡¯ve been here!¡± A brown-haired woman in an evening gown shrieked, backing away from her husband as her voice rose above the growing mor.

    ¡°<em>ME!? </em>You¡¯re the one who wanted to go to this damned party, I just <em>paid</em> for it!¡± the husband said, following after her with a thunderous expression.

    It was strange. Four women were backing away from four men, arguing about simr things as the woman¡¯s back hit the edge of the imaginary line their captors had defined for them, all at the exact same time¡­An uncanny synchronicity.

    <em>Alicia¡¯s right. Something is happening.</em>

    The minions approached and restrained the women, wrapping their arms around them, pinning them to the side.

    ¡°Calm down or-¡°

    The four women slipped effortlessly out of the masked men¡¯s grasp and spun around, their hands morphing into des as theytched on and began sawing away with what Mason could only describe as feral rage. ??

    The other minions watching them ran to their aid, but their ¡®husbands¡¯ charged forward, hands morphing into something ck, shiny and pebbled, like the shell of a beetle.

    The mask-wearing minions were sted back, but they didn¡¯t seem to be receiving any damage.

    ¡°I got these ones!¡± the eight guests spoke as one. ¡°Go!¡±

    ¡°Will¡¯s about to die. Nevermind.¡± Alicia whispered, her gaze flickering around the main hall on the other side of the wall. ¡°No. Yes.¡±

    Mason and Reggie shared a nce before Reggie used T.O.F.T. on him, and Mason began sprinting down the hall, June running beside him, kicking off her heels as she ran.

    Mason nced to his left with astonishment as the taller, more athletic baker girl tore the tters off her steel tower of baked goods, leaving behind the pole, turning it into a metal cudgel as she ran beside them.

    Jun took a pin out of her bun, allowing her brown hair to cascade down over her shoulders for the first time since he¡¯d met her. The brass pin began to glow as she imbued it with magic using her secondary Ability.

    ¡°I¡¯m only gonna get one shot before I have to run,¡± she said as they sprinted. ¡°I¡¯ll shoot first, then you rain hell.¡±

    Mason nodded, screeching to a halt as they arrived in the main hall.

    All the masked minions were facing away from them, clumped together¡­Mason nearly reflexively threw a Congration out before he noticed they were all paralyzed.

    Motion caught his eye, and Mason spotted Will scampering up one of the pirs supporting the massive main hall before he tossed his tomahawk down at the Boar-masked colossus chasing him.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The boar dodged the weapon and much to Mason¡¯s surprise, the tomahawk halted in midair, smack-dab in the middle of the cluster of paralyzed minions.

    In single a heartbeat, three waves of lightningced sound burst out from the tomahawk, and as one, the masked minions toppled to the floor, wisps of smoke emerging from beneath the mask.

    The red demon-faced mask grabbed Will¡¯s axe out of the air, and wrestled control of it away from whatever Effect Will was using.

    Will fell off the pir, clutching his chest as he impacted the marble before scrambling to his feet an instantter.

    As Will¡¯s axe began to circle him, June tapped Mason¡¯s shoulder and pointed at the one with an arsenal of weapons floating behind him like a cape.

    She cocked back her arm, and the glow of the hairpin began to gradually increase as she waited for the perfect moment.

    Mason¡¯s heart leapt into his throat as the boar-face caught Will by the ankle and swung him at the ground, only for the ground itself to bend away, refusing to receive him. Will swung down between the boar-mask¡¯s legs and jabbed a previously unseen de into the man¡¯s leg, an undoubtedly lethal attack, were it not for healing potions.

    Will was assaulted by dozens of des from the demon mask, as well as a couple more attempts by the void-mask to stop his heart or summon ghosts from the floor to grab his legs. Try as they might, they couldn¡¯t quite pin him down.

    ¡°That is one slippery son of a bitch.¡± The jowel-faced old man mused with admiration as he arrived behind them.

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± The athletic baker girl said sourly.

    Will scrambled across the floor, juking left and right with unnatural speed, sometimes shifting direction in midair to throw off the floating swords assaulting him, forced to back away from the boar-mask, who seemed to grow even angrier and more muscr as he drank his healing potion.

    <em>A potion of Fury, or does he have a damage-based boost to his stats?</em> Mason thought as Boar charged after Will, plowing right through the pir he was hiding behind, the demon-masked Climber bending his knees to follow after him and provide support.

    ¡°Now.¡± June hissed, her arm quivering with the strain of holding her shot so long.

    Hunter¡¯s Patience triggered, and the brass hairpin flew forward with startling speed and uracy, shearing through the air in an instant.

    One of the floating weapons raised itself to block the shot, and partially diverted it, exploding into Relic dust as it was destroyed in the process.

    Instead of instantly severing demon-mask¡¯s spine, the pin went through his windpipe.

    June didn¡¯t hang around to see if her attacknded, already sprinting the other direction.

    Meanwhile, the baker girl was charging the pincushioned devil-mask as he clutched his neck, wielding her heavy steel serving tower.

    The void-masked enemy whipped around towards them, his handing up, brimming with that ominous, lethal energy.

    <em>That¡¯s my cue, </em>Mason thought, bringing his own hand up to match.

    ***William Oh***

    Will¡¯s bones creaked in protest as Boar broadsided him with a fist the size of his head. His lungs were paralyzed by the blow, and the force sent him flying backwards, the mansion cartwheeling around him. Will sted through a wall, rolling to a halt in some kind of sitting room with dozens of old-timey paintings lining the walls.

    Will climbed to his feet, struggling to breathe as he looked back at the Will-shaped hole in the wall, spotting a faded painting of a young man leading the charge of thousands of soldiers against the enemy forces, pointing the way with his trusty, familiar axe.

    <em>Ezykial the Serpent leads the-</em>

    The painting dissolved into scraps as Boar exploded through it.

    Will raised his arm, but it didn¡¯t seem to want to move, as the muscles of his right side had been crushed by one strike. He nced down and spotted a bruised mass. Definitely broken.

    <em>If not now, when?</em> Will thought, releasing a potent cocktail of Potion of Fury and a Potion of greater Healing from his Phantom Hand into his mouth, using Sourdough to save a portion to regrow.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <strong><em>23->21 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    His body would pay for itter, but the immediate situation was much more concerning to him.

    <em>Really wish I¡¯d taken the y Idol with me.</em> It didn¡¯t have a permanent home in his Phantom Hand, like the tiny potions did.

    <strong>¡°GRAHH!¡±</strong> Boar saw his arm straightening out and charged.

    That made Will angry. The whole situation made Will angry. It was pointlessbat with no benefit to his team in sight. He had failed as a leader when he¡¯d gotten his party tangled up in his own business. He¡¯d failed when he didn¡¯t ensure they had the tools they needed to get the job done.

    But most of all, what made Will angry¡­ were the drugs flooding his body.

    <strong>+10 Strength</strong>

    <strong>+10 Resistance</strong>

    <strong>+10 Kinesthetics</strong>

    Luckily there was a convenient target charging menacingly towards him.

    Even with the boost to his strength, Will knew he had nowhere near the same sheer force as Boar, so he resolved to make this a dance.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you get the mask, boy!?¡±Boar demanded swinging the meaty fists at him, which Will flowed around. ¡°They aren¡¯t exactlymon.¡±

    ¡°I think you know.¡±<strong><em></em></strong>Will said back as he danced around the swings, unleashing a chef¡¯s knife from his Phantom Hand behind his back and whipping it forward, scoring a shallow cut on Boar¡¯s forearm.

    ¡°Dragon of Akul, my ass. You¡¯re William Oh!¡± Boar said, his red aura growing as he swung faster and faster.

    <em>I think his stats grow the more pissed off he is. A very Boar-like trait.</em><em>But what does he pay for it? </em>Nothing was totally free.

    Boar¡¯s skin was nearly as resistant as the Tangled, shrugging off damage from Will¡¯s nonmagical weapon without much effort.

    <em>At least he¡¯s not healing too,</em> Will thought, weaving around a flurry of blows as he studied the wound on Boar¡¯s forearm.

    Will didn¡¯t have the Serpents axe on him to try a psychic attack against the physical-aligned adventurer, and even if he did, he had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn¡¯t work. Boar was a product of Climbing, rather than someone¡¯s weaponized science experiment.

    ¡°Hold still!¡± Boar shouted, kicking a nearby chair up and at Will.

    Boar was expecting him to dodge it, but as long as the chair was made of in wood¡­

    Will smashed his hand down through the wood, parting the missile around himself, keeping his footing, which allowed him to sidestep as Boar crouched down, his back growing spines.

    An instantter, the warrior flickered forward, barely brushing against Will, but sending him staggering backwards.

    As Will staggered, he threw his knife at Boar, who leaned out of the way.

    Phantom Hand caught the knife and attempted to stab the warrior in the back.

    ¡°Saw that trick already,¡± Boar said, twisting around with unexpected grace and catching the knife by the de, twisting it into a useless coil of steel.

    ¡°You gotta be one dumb sonofabitch, to try and take on all three of us!¡± Boar said as he drove Will into a corner.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Loth¡¯s voice sounded from the center of the room, halting Boar mid-strike.

    The ck kobold scanned the room with clinical deliberation before returning her gaze to Boar.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the other two.¡±

    The three of them peered at the hole in the wall leading back to the main hall, hearing the ring of steel, shouts and explosions from the main hall. Boar¡¯s Party was obviously busy.

    He was alone, and outnumbered.

    ¡°Ah, crap,¡± Boar muttered, red aura fading as his legs bunched beneath him.

    <em>Yes, run for one of the exits. There¡¯s no way Loth hasn¡¯t trapped-</em>

    Boar leapt straight up, sting through the ornate ceiling tond on the second floor and immediately begin running.

    A decisive retreat in an unexpected direction, showing how much experience Boar had. One look at a kobold and he knew any easy way out was a trap, and had acted on that knowledge.

    ¡°Shame. I didn¡¯t trap the second floor nearly as much,¡± Loth pouted before ncing back down at Will. ¡°Shall we go Boar hunting?¡±

 Chapter 67: Boar Hunting (pt. 2)

    <em>In the battle between Lumesh and William Oh, a ck keystone of the Tower was broken, and horrible secrets and nightmarish entities from the in-between gained the opportunity to escape their confinement. </em><ul><li><em>Jason Szar</em></li></ul>

    Travis whistled, flushing the toilet before washing his hands as he appreciated the mansion¡¯s running water.

    It wasn¡¯t like their current amodations didn¡¯t have running water, but he¡¯d found his appreciation for all its types blooming ever since he¡¯d begun his Climb. The 4th floor especially was awful, with standing water as far as the eye could see, but no way to get clean.

    <em>The question is, how would we easily get water pressure while out in the middle of nowhere? </em>The simplest form of achieving water pressure was arge tank on the roof that gravity-fed water back into the house, camp, whatever. The problem was filling it, whether it be from a Climber summoning it or a Relic, or some kind of pump tapping into a natural stream.

    There <em>was </em>a pump he¡¯d heard of that could send a small amount of water against gravity while losing a muchrger amount as it operated. Oiltons liked their pumps.

    Typically you wouldn¡¯t want a leaky pump, but if it was inside a stream anyway, who cared about the efficiency?

    <em>Some kind of copsable camp water tower and a pump that you set in a nearby stream to fill it overnight for a shower?</em>

    Even if it was copsable, it would be damned heavy¡­

    <em>Probably easier to just have a relic that produces water, and heat up water in a pan.</em><em>Blech.</em>

    Travis dried off his hands and considered that the youngdy he¡¯d invited to join him upstairs hadn¡¯t showed. Not that he¡¯d really expected her to.

    <em>Ah well. One day that¡¯ll work,</em> Travis thought with a wry smile, opening the door and stepping out into the hall. The fact that he would have no idea how to handle the situation if a girl <em>did</em> take him up on his offer to slip away didn¡¯t really factor-

    <strong><em>BOOM!</em></strong>

    An explosion in a distant room shook the whole second floor and sent Travis reeling backwards.

    The door to a room at the end of the hall exploded outward in shreds of wood as a massive man wearing a boar mask plowed through and began sprinting down the hall, straight towards Travis.

    The ceiling and walls began to strip away as strings buried under the wallpaper began to whip inward under tension, flinging razor sharp des smeared with foreign substances directly into Boar¡¯s sides.

    Boar grew wiry spines from his skin as he ran that managed to shrug <em>most </em>of the damage off, his bloodshot gazending on Travis.

    The Boar¡¯s foot shifted mid-stride. It was a miniscule difference, but Travis knew what it meant.

    Travis lunged back, triggering Mirage, causing two copies of himself to lunge different directions, out into the hall, running away. The Boar juked straight into the bathroom, ignoring the mirages and focusing on the one furthest away from himself, which also happened to be the real Travis.

    <em>Damnit.</em>

    ¡°There¡¯s an exit that isn¡¯t trapped. Where is it!?¡± Boar said, grabbing the much smaller Travis by the throat, the tusks of his mask nearly putting out Travis¡¯s eye.

    ¡°The exits are trapped!?¡± Travis choked out. ¡°What are you <em>talking</em> about!?¡±

    <em>And who the hell are you!?</em> Travis hadn¡¯t seen any people on the guest roster that would¡¯ve had a Boar mask and full kit. Matter of fact, he was fairly sure he was the only one of them who actually <em>had</em> read the guest list.

    Travis had no idea what exactly was going on, but from context it was obvious¡­Will had done something stupid while Travis was in the bathroom.

    ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to get you to tell me what¡¯s trapped and what isn¡¯t.¡± The lumbering mass of muscle and scar tissue said, lifting Travis off the ground with a single arm and winding up.

    ¡°Wai-¡°

    The air was driven from his lungs as Travis was sent straight through the tile of the restroom and into the next room over, tumbling to the ground amongst cleaning supplies. ?

    <strong><em>Mirage</em></strong>

    <strong><em>21-20 Charge remaining</em></strong>

    Upon hitting the floor, Travis folded the air such that he seemed to split into two wavering illusions while his real body charged straight forward.

    This time it worked, as Boar lunged for the one going towards the door, while his real body dropped to the ground and slid beneath the warrior, leaping back into the shattered bathroom and sprinting for the main hall.

    <strong>¡°You must be one dumb sonofabitch!¡±</strong> Travis shouted over his shoulder, triggering Taunt.

    <strong><em>20-19 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    Once he hit the main hall, he spotted Will and Loth, exiting from the shattered doorway the oversized warrior had originally burst from.

    At least he <em>thought </em>it was Will. It was the same shy outfit, but the new mask really brought it together, making the rhinestones look like abstract scales.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Travis would never admit it looked even a little bit cool, though.

    Over his shoulder, he saw a sh of the warrior ncing towards the oversized window, obviously considering jumping out of the mansion and resetting the circumstances of the battle that was in the palm of Loth¡¯s hand.

    But Taunt yed hell with people¡¯s critical thinking skills.

    With an angry growl, Boar twisted on the ball of his foot and began chasing Travis.

    <em>This really helps narrow down what kind of secondaries I should get. I¡¯m perfectly good at getting into trouble, but my escape game could use some work.</em> That was where 99% of Decoys got killed, after all.

    Mirage was good for opening opportunities to escape, but Travis needed some actual speed and possibly stealth Abilities in order to break contact as well.

    <em>Food for thought.</em>

    Loth wordlessly gestured for Travis to lead Boar towards the staircase, and Will scampered up the hallway¡¯s wallpaper, until he was sprinting nearly upside down, just out of sight of the boar as the warrior burst into the hallway, furiously chasing Travis.

    <em>Gods I hope I don¡¯t get caught in whatever trap this is.</em> Travis thought, putting his head down and sprinting.

    Travis had no doubt there would <em>be</em> a trap.

    The image of his uncle¡¯s shredded foot came to mind.

    Travis turned the corner and hit the stairs at outrageous speed, marvelling that he didn¡¯t roll an ankle at the sudden change in direction.

    <em>Click.</em>

    <em>Click?</em>

    <em>Oh god.</em>

    The wallpaper shredded as thick strings of spiderwebs whipped inward and cocooned Travis in the blink of an eye.

    It didn¡¯t do anything to stop his momentum, though, and Travis continued flying down the stairs, his neck absorbing most of the force of his speed as he came to a sudden, brutal halt.

    If his Resistance hadn¡¯t been in the mid-sixties, Travis probably would¡¯ve broken his neck.

    Already he could feel Loth¡¯s insects crawling against his skin, cutting a line in the webbing along his midsection. The sensation made his hair stand on end.

    ¡°Told¡¯ya you¡¯d tell me where the traps were,¡± Boar said, slightly out of breath as he picked Travis up.

    ¡°<em>Buuut¡­</em>not quite done yet.¡± Boar cocked his arm as if to throw Travis the rest of the way down the stairs, when the bugs finished their work and the cocoon exploded off him like It¡¯d ben springloaded, wrapping around Boar and attaching to the nearby staircase, looking for all the world like an egg-sac, or the recent kill of a spider.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Travis scrambled away from the restrained warrior who was covered in a thickyer of webbing that strained as he slowly moved his arm forward, the staircase flooding with a crimson aura that rolled off him like fog.

    ¡°GAAAAH!¡± Boar¡¯s face turned red as he struggled to escape, and Travis could see the thick ropelike strands begin to snap or pull bits of wood off the bannisters.

    He was gonna get loose. It was a matter of when, not if.

    Suddenly the warrior¡¯s scream took on a more urgent, pained quality as Loth stepped around the corner into view, a sickly glow around her hand pointed at Boar.

    Travis¡¯s eyes widened as a bulge began forming in the webbing, and an instantter, a bloody wasp the size of a child burst out of Boar¡¯s stomach.

    Travis might¡¯ve shrieked a bit. He wasn¡¯t sure, but he <em>did</em> know he was backing away from the monster as quickly as possible, only realizing what he was doing when his back rammed into the wall.

    The giant wasp immediately turned and began biting Boar¡¯s face with its razor-sharp mandibles, struggling to pierce the mask.

    The red aura seemed to crystalize around Boar as he ripped the rest of the way out of the webbing, swinging a brutal fist at the wasp crawling over him.

    The wasp simply lifted off him, dodging the strike before returning to continue biting.

    On the other hand, Will dropped off the ceiling, riding a chef¡¯s knife, plunging it deep into Boar¡¯s back.

    The rest of the fight was a bloody affair of Will, Loth and the terrifying wasp harrying the increasingly slowing Boar until the massive warrior raised his hand.

    ¡°Urrender-¡° He gasped, his voice choked with blood.

    A momentter, a second wasp emerged from the warrior¡¯s back, copsing the mountain of muscle to the floor before the two wasps chewed off the man¡¯s head.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything,¡± Loth said, ncing up at Will.

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Will said, walking up to Boar¡¯s disembodied head and kicking the mask off.

    <strong><em>Floor-wide Alert!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Aaron Kultz has been spotted on Floor 5.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Aaron ¡®Boar¡¯ Kultz is wanted dead for a staggering number criminal acts, primarily including Murder, Assault, Extortion and Human Trafficking.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Bounty: 3000 gold, 20000XP, to be shared among the party that ims the bounty.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Floor-wide Alert!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>The Party of William Oh has imed the bounty!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Many thanks to our Climbers for enforcing the rule of Law.</em></strong>

    ¡°He surrendered!¡± Travis said.

    Will¡¯s snarling pearlescent dragon mask turned towards him, devoid of any human emotion.

    ¡°He was a <em>very</em> bad man and leaving him alive would present a risk to my Party. We don¡¯t have the means to restrain him, and I learned a valuable lesson about loose ends from the first Party I ever worked with. Remind me to tell you about it sometime. Besides¡­he works for the Wyrd family.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Travis¡¯s shock went out the door, his blood turning cold. ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have removed the mask,¡± Loth noted.

    ¡°True. Damn.¡± Will mused.

    <strong><em>¡°WILLIAM OH! COME DOWN HERE!¡±</em></strong>

    ***William Oh***

    Will was nowhere near as calm as he¡¯d like to convey, but the mask helped, and he didn¡¯t have time to let cold-blooded murder really sink in, because the voice from downstairs sounded urgent.

    Especially when it said:

    <strong>¡°IF YOU DON¡¯T GET DOWN HERE, I¡¯LL START EXECUTING YOUR PARTY MEMBERS.¡±</strong>

    Will nced at Loth and motioned for her to go back the other way.

    Loth nodded and grabbed Travis¡¯s hand, pulling their Decoy up and away from the conflict.

    The enemy hadn¡¯t seen either of them yet at all, so why expose them now?

    Will strode carefully the rest of the way down the massive staircase, the main halling into view as he did.

    It was full of other guests restraining the rest of his Party and a few other guests.

    <em>Wait. No.</em> Will looked closer. The guests restraining the others had nk, expressionless stares, pale skin.

    They were dead.

    Will shed back to Void¡¯s Ability to kill and revive in the same swing, when he¡¯d surrounded Will with Kaith zombies.

    <em>Damn.</em> Will¡¯s stomach twisted with guilt.

    Reggie didn¡¯t look so good, June was nowhere to be seen, Mason was curled up around a sword sticking through him, Ria was strung up, and Alicia was sitting next to Reggie.

    Seemingly she hadn¡¯t done any fighting, so the enemy hadn¡¯tbeled her as a ¡®party member¡¯. Still she was under close watch from a couple extra zombies, her fame causing them to give her special attention.

    Anna was still alive. That was good.

    Will wasn¡¯t sure where Bee was, or even if she was still alive. The shapeshifter could be any one of these zombies¡­or none of them.

    The void-mask¡¯s teammate was resting against a nearby pir, his neck had a puckered scar bisecting it, and a mat of clotting crimson blood down the front of his shirt. Though he looked weak, his eyes were sharp, watching the hostages, his weapons floating around him, syed and trembling with agitation.

    Will¡¯s axe included.

    Void looked singed, bruises forming up his arms.

    ¡°Here I am.¡± Will said, hand raised as he stepped off thest step, into the main hall, his heartbeat nearly blocking out the sounds of suffering.

    ¡°Was it worth pushing me this hard?¡± Void asked, motioning to the surrounding undead Climbers with his oversized scythe.

    Will thought about it for a moment.

    ¡°I guess it depends on whether or not you nned on leaving witnesses. Personally I don¡¯t think you wanted the Baron to find out what the Wyrd family is doing in his city. Easiest way to stop that from happening is to simply round up and kill everyone. People will cooperate if they think they¡¯re just being robbed, but not if they think they¡¯re going to die.¡±

    Voidughed.

    ¡°That¡¯s some cold-blooded logic. But you¡¯re not wrong. I <em>was</em> going to kill all of you.¡±

    <em>Herees the offer.</em> Will thought.

    ¡°Buut¡­You. Your Party is worth quite a bit more than you were on the second Floor. If you surrender, I will leave you and your Party alive, instead delivering you to the seventh Floor where you will be Vassals of my Lord.¡±

    The shoe was on the other foot, now. If Will didn¡¯t surrender, Void would start killing Hostages. If he <em>did,</em> there would be nothing to stop him from killing everyone, as originally intended.

    Will needed to gauge the authenticity of Void¡¯s Offer. If Void didn¡¯t have a reliable way to restrain Will¡¯s entire Party, there was no way he would keep all of them alive for the journey to the seventh Floor, and if that was the case, he would simply kill all of them once Will surrendered.

    ¡°Do you have a way of keeping all of us under control?¡± Will asked.

    Arms grunted, and Will¡¯s tomahawk flew out tond in Void¡¯s hand.

    ¡°This should work.¡± Void said, brandishing Will¡¯s axe.

    <em>It would work. It certainly could keep us under control until we get to the seventh floor. Everyone would be alive, but working for a monster I swore to kill. Unless I could find a way to escape¡­</em>

    <em>The chances of my Party surviving are higher if I negotiate, than if I simply chose dying right here and now. I just need to buy time for June, Loth and Travis to blindside these two.</em>

    <em>Just keep him talking.</em>

    Will opened his mouth to agree, when a slender, balding man approached from where he¡¯d been crouched beside the onyx coffin.

    The balding man mopped sweat away from his forehead as he approached, his voice quiet and trembling.

    ¡°Excuse me, V-void?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Void asked, not looking away from Will.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­but I just can¡¯t do it without the missing tools.¡±

    <em>Good job, Stevie.</em>

    The butler must¡¯ve misced the safecracker¡¯s tools in the few moments of time he spent sabotaging the enemy.

    Void held up a finger.

    ¡°Excuse me for one moment, please.¡±

    He turned toward the safecracker, raising his cursed scythe.

    The safecracker yelped and stumbled backwards, hitting the coffin before dropping to the floor and scrambling away an instant before Void brought the butt of his weapon down on the lid of the coffin.

    <strong><em>BOOM!</em></strong>

    A shockwave of sickly blue miasma radiated outward from the strike, and the stone of the coffin lid cracked in two.

    ¡°Can you work with <em>that?</em>¡± Void asked.

    ¡°Y-yessir,¡± the sweat-gleaming safecracker nodded vigorously and began prying half the lid away with a crowbar.

    ¡°Apologies. Where were we?¡±

    ¡°You were threatening to kill my Party if I didn¡¯t surrender.¡± Will prompted. ¡°Also the coffin is trapped,¡± he said, pointing.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Void nced over just as the lid came off, and an explosion of light made the entire room white for an instant.

    Dozens of des emerged from the floor and ceiling, perforating the poor safecracker in an instant while Void recoiled from the blinding light.

    Will reached out with Phantom Hand and snagged one of Void¡¯s rings. The connection between Void and the relic was hard to sever, clinging harder than he¡¯d expected, but Will pushed through the resistance and tucked the Relic in his Dimensional Storage, severing its connection to Void.

    <strong>20 Charges remaining.</strong>

    <em>Next the amulet. I-</em>

    Will¡¯s thoughts went white as an undead fist caught him in the side of the head, sending him sprawling.

    In a heartbeat, Will was boxed in by no less than half a dozen zombies, as Void swept forward with unnatural speed, malignant scythe carving a slice out of the marble behind him.

    Will tried to jump out of the way, but the zombies were faster and stronger than the Tangled had been.

    Overwhelmingly so.

    One caught his ankle and dragged him back down to earth, wrapping its limbs around him, intending to allow itself to be bisected along with him as Void brought the scythe up for a full body swing with every fiber of his being.

    <strong><em>Malleable Space</em></strong>

    <strong><em>19 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    The scythe swung right past Will¡¯s stomach as he artificially created distance between the two of them.

    Will¡¯s vision was covered in stars as the zombiestched onto him and began beating his head with their unnatural strength. His eyes went blurry with tears and concussion as he struggled to fight his way out, but all of the zombies had at least one hand locked around one of Will¡¯s limbs.

    Above him, the blurry figure of Void raised his scythe high in the air.

    ¡°Death before very? Not a bad choice, William Oh,¡± Void said, his thin arms tensing to deliver the killing blow.

    Desperately, Will shot a knife out of Phantom Hand at Void¡¯s neck, pushing the hand to the greatest speed that he could.

    Will didn¡¯t see exactly what happened through his fuzzy eyesight, but he heard Travis¡¯s especially annoying whistle, and it caused Void¡¯s gaze to flicker aside, just as some kind of spirit warded off Will¡¯s attack, sending the knife flying harmlessly away.

    <em>That¡¯s it,</em> Will thought, watching the scythee down. <em>I¡¯m done.</em>

    <strong><em>ZZZZZ</em></strong>

    At thest second, Void¡¯s hand was perforated by one of Loth¡¯s bullet-wasps an instant before he brought his weapon down on Will, sending the necromancer¡¯s scythe ttering to the ground inches away from Will¡¯s ear.

    <em>¡­What?</em>

    ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Void said, staring at his maimed hand while Will struggled to pull himself back up.

    <strong>¡°Cease, in the name of Baron Akul!¡±</strong>

    The battle came to a screeching halt as a young man floated through the main entrance, wearing gaudy silk robes and a full kit of Relics that oozed power.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Void grunted as he nced over his shoulder, spotting the Baron.

    The zombies around the room copsed like puppets with their strings cut, and as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, Void sat down, plucked the cape off a dead dandy and began wrapping it tight around his wounded hand.

    Arms looked simrly nonchnt, grunting and reaching into his pocket to retrieve a stick of gum, his weapons ttering to the ground.

    ¡°Luis,¡± The Baron said after floating over and peering into the coffin, prompting the jowel-faced old man to approach at a jog and kneel.

    ¡°Yes, father?¡± the <em>white-haired</em> man asked.

    <em>Father!?</em>

    ¡°Who is responsible for this?¡± the baron asked, his voice deceptively even.

    Luis pointed at Will, whose heart stopped beating for a moment.

    ¡°William Oh-¡±

    <em>Aw crap.</em>

    ¡°Nearly died protecting us from these mercenaries who were trying to steal the coffin.¡± Luis then pointed at Arms and Void.

    <em>¡­That could¡¯ve gone a lot worse.</em>

    ¡°Arrest them.¡± The Baron instructed, his gaze locked on whatever was inside the coffin as guardsmen began rounding up the mercenaries and guests alike. Will assumed they were going to be debriefed rather than blindly presume innocence.

    ¡°Well, kids...¡± Void said, his gaze lingering on Will¡¯s Party as two high-level warriors in full kit dragged him to his feet. ¡°To be continued, I suppose.¡±

 Chapter 68: Advice From The Baron

    <strong><em>Floor-wide Alert!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Arnold Ames has been spotted on Floor 5.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Arnold ¡®Arms¡¯ Ames is wanted dead for a staggering number criminal acts, primarily including Murder, Extortion, War Crimes, and Human Trafficking.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Bounty: 3000 gold, 20000XP, to be shared among the party that ims the bounty.</em></strong>

    <em>I guess they got the mask off him,</em> Will thought, leaning against the wall of his prison cell.

    It was a very nice prison cell, with afy bed, private restroom, miniature library and a plush recliner to read from¡­but the door locked from the outside, which was really the only criteria that mattered to Will.

    He tensed for a moment, waiting for the follow up that revealed that someone had imed the bounty, but¡­nothing.

    <em>I guess they¡¯re interrogating them.</em> Will thought. It made sense they would want to pry what information they could out of their unwee guests.

    <em>I¡¯ll bet their prison cells aren¡¯t as nice as this one.</em> Even though Will was in a cell, there were different types of prison cell.This one said: ¡°I¡¯ll get to you as soon as I can, thank you for your patience.¡±

    Will was fairly sure the other two were in a cell on the other end of the spectrum that said: ¡°You¡¯ll never see the sun again.¡±

    About an hourter, another message flooded the consciousness of every person on the 5th Floor.

    <strong><em>Vincent Duncan has been spotted on Floor 5.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Vincent ¡®Void¡¯ Duncan is wanted dead for a staggering number criminal acts, primarily including Mass Murder, Crimes Against Nature, Human Trafficking, and Tax Evasion.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Bounty: 4500 gold, 60000XP, to be shared among the party that ims the bounty.</em></strong>

    <em>This is probably going to take a while,</em> Will thought, picking up a book and starting to read. Loth had told him he should read more.

    About two hourster, There was a knock at the door before a pair of high-level warriors dressed in the duke¡¯s colors politely escorted Will down an ominous series of halls that culminated in an equally ominous wooden double door, which swung open to reveal the baron, sitting behind an oversized wooden desk.

    The size and shininess of the desk harkened back to the one he¡¯d seen in the Oilton castle. Something designed to make the person sitting behind it more important.

    Maybe that was a good thing, because the Baron didn¡¯t look much older than twenty, so gravitas was difficult toe by. Either his Body was oundishly high, or he¡¯d found some other way to halt the aging process.

    <em>I wonder if that¡¯s a Lord thing or just this one.</em>

    ¡°Wee, take a seat.¡± Baron Akul said, motioning to the chair in front of him.

    Will sat. Doing anything else didn¡¯t really fit the vibe.

    ¡°William Oh, is it?¡± The Baron asked.

    ¡°Yessir.¡± Will said.

    ¡°You¡¯re rather famous for a nobody.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±

    Baron Akul¡¯s brown eyes narrowed, and Will felt like a real big fish had noticed a waterbug on the surface of the water. Will was the bug.

    ¡°Did you want to be a Lord, William Oh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t all kids want to be Lords?¡± Will deflected.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a lie parents feed their children to give them something to die for.¡± Baron Akul said, raising a hand. Will¡¯s skin went cold. That hand could produce bolts of fire that could kill kaiju instantly. ?

    ¡°But you¡­¡± the Baron lowered his hand, pointing at Will. ¡°You¡¯re well on your way to bing one.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you?¡± Will hazarded.

    ¡°You¡¯ve assembled a talented Party. Secured sponsorship from two influential families. Funded a war chest that you could use to seed a Stronghold. All of these things are necessary steps.¡±

    Will didn¡¯t respond, hoping maybe the Baron would tell him what the next step was.

    ¡°In the interest of transparency, so you can understand my thought process¡­allow me to exin the situation you¡¯re in.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡± Will said.

    ¡°You, an orphan ostensibly born to Mary and Thomas Oh, two of the greatest Climbers of the modern era¡­have appeared in my city shortly after the church of Granesh began circting word that you are a demonic changeling.¡±

    Will broke into a cold sweat.

    ¡°My investigators have interviewed anyone who has so much as heard you speak, and based on your adventures, they tell me that you likely have the scout/Infiltrator archetypes, and have possession of a dimensional storage, and not only can you use it to steal other Climber¡¯s Relics, you can treat the dimensional storage as an extra Slot.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not unarmed even now, are you?¡± Baron Akul asked.

    ¡°I could do a bit.¡± Will admitted.

    ¡°I figured.¡± The Baron sped his fingers together and gave Will a long, silent stare, seemingly weighing Will¡¯s fate.

    ¡°My options are threefold.¡± The baron suddenly said. ¡°First: I could kill you or deliver you to the Church. It would be a bit of a waste. Second: I could force you to be a Vassal. I would gain the service of a powerful rogue archetype.¡±

    Neither of those sounded very good.

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    ¡°Third¡­I could send you on your way with my blessing.¡±

    ¡°Thatst one sounds good to me.¡± Will hazarded speaking out of turn. The Baron didn¡¯t acknowledge him.

    ¡°¡­The Tower needs more Lords. We¡¯ve been whittling away at each other for decades, and there¡¯s only a handful of us left now.¡± The Baron nced off to the side thoughtfully.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got <em>most</em> of what it takes to be be a Lord, but the most important thing, I haven¡¯t got a clue.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The most important trait to be a Lord¡­is an Ability synergy so wildly unfair that normal Climbers, who specialize in fighting monsters, don¡¯t dare cross us. In short, Lords are uncannily good at killing other Climbers.¡±

    ¡°You, boy, are not the best monster yer. What Rogue archetype is? On the other hand, I¡¯ve heard reports from Micheal¡¯s ill-fated party and your ¡®fixed¡¯ underground matches. You have very strong mobility and an invisible attack that you use to take control of a fight regardless of how it started. That is Lord material.¡±

    The Baron finally wound down his pontificating about Will¡¯s Build and invited him to join the conversation.

    ¡°Were you going to join the ¡®under 25¡¯ tournament to secure opportunities for your Party?¡±

    ¡°Yessir.¡± Will said.

    ¡°I imagine you were going to conceal your Dimensional storage Ability and aim to hit the semifinals.¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Will admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to reveal-¡°

    Baron Akul broke intoughter.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± The Baron said, wheezing as he wiped tears out of his eyes. ¡°I remember ying things close to the vest like you, many years ago. Let me tell you something I¡¯ve learned.¡±

    Free advice from one of the Tower¡¯s most powerfulbatants? Will was all for it.

    ¡°If you be a Lord, <em>everyone</em> who matters is going to know how your Ability works, whether you like it or not. There are even families who figured out what 99% of <em>my</em> Build is and have given their children the same starting point.¡±

    Will thought about Mason for a moment, then nodded.

    ¡°I have a grandson.¡± The Baron said, giving Will whish with the topic change.

    ¡°Luis¡¯s son?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°One of them. Luis tells me the boy is in need of humbling before he gets himself killed. He will be joining the under 25 tournament.¡±

    ¡°You want me to¡­beat up your grandson?¡± Will asked, frowning.

    ¡°Did you not have an experience that taught you to keep your secrets close?¡± The Baron asked.

    Will shed back to the two days spent starving in that empty space¡­and the betrayal that led up to it.

    ¡°¡­You want me to traumatize your grandson.¡± Beating up was aponent of that, but there was nuance.

    The baron held his thumb and forefinger slightly apart.

    ¡°Just a bit. Those who know no fear are not long for this world. You¡¯d be saving his life.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s what I want you to do:¡± The Baron said. ¡°I want you to join the tournament. I want you to use every Ability at your disposal to crush your opposition, including my grandson if you get the opportunity. I want to see what you can do when you¡¯re holding nothing back. If you win, I will give you my support.¡±

    ¡°¡­What does your support look like?¡±

    ¡°Protection. Money. Equipment. Sacrifices. Kaiju hunting without a line at one of my controlled spawn sites.¡± The Baron said, leaning back in his seat. ¡°And help reaching the sixth Floor.¡±

    ¡°And if I don¡¯t win?¡±

    ¡°Well, then your Ability synergy wasn¡¯t unfair enough to be a Lord in the first ce. I will make you my vassal. Unless the church of Granesh makes me a <em>really</em> good offer.¡±

    The cold sweat was back.

    ¡°What do you get out of me bing a Lord?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Ideally? A new ally, a new revenue stream from trade. A new friend when the rest of my family is dead and gone again. And of course, if you make your Stronghold in the higher Floors, that eases my troubles here.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Will asked, frowning.

    The Baron paused a moment, like someone who had realized he¡¯d overshared. He gazed at Will for a moment.

    ¡°Do not repeat this to anyone until you are a Lord.¡± The Baron said, his tone conveying all the threat Will needed to hear.

    ¡°Yessir.¡±

    ¡°The spawn rates of monsters in every Floor have¡­weather patterns. Some years it¡¯s worse, some years it¡¯s better. Most people know that.¡±

    He nced sideways at Will.

    ¡°There used to be no less than eight Lords in the Floors above me. There are now five. Every time one of the other three died or disappeared, there was a corresponding uptick in the spawn rate and strength of the kaiju on my Floor. I believe no one else has noticed because it¡¯s damn near impossible to track the exact spawn rate on other floors, but here, it¡¯s impossible not to. My ountant who was tracking our ie from kaiju farming brought it to my attention.¡±

    ¡°So¡­why not make more Lords? You could certainly afford to do so.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Zodiac and I tried that. We gave some promising, well-educated young men and women all the tools they would need to be Lords in their own right. One by one, they all failed. Some never had the right counter-Climber build to make it, others were assassinated by rival Lords jealous of losing influence, Others simply died fighting monsters, and still more had the power offered to them corrupt their minds until they were ves to their cruel desires.

    ¡°And these promising¡­well-educated young men and women who died or went mad were all the children of friends and family?¡± Will asked.

    The Baron¡¯s expression soured. ¡°That yed a factor in the blowback, yes. Since then, Zodiac and I have shifted to identifying potential Lords who are most of the way there already and¡­giving them a little boost past theirst hurdle. Less effort for a better result.¡±

    ¡°And you think I¡¯m a ¡®potential Lord¡¯?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Potentially. What do you think the tournament was created for?¡±

    Will¡¯s mind connected the dots.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Now, I believe this was yours?¡± the Baron asked, reaching under his desk and cing a familiar tomahawk on the desk.

    It was all Will could do not to lunge forward and snatch it up.

    ¡°Yessir.¡±

    The Baron motioned to it, and Will took his axe and slipped it into its familiar loop in his belt.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good weapon. Where did you find it?¡±

    ¡°In the hands of a Maksu chieftain on the 1st Floor.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Hmm. Take good care of it.¡± The Baron stood and shook Will¡¯s hand. ¡°William, this has been a nice diversion, but both of us have things we need to do. Enjoy the tournament.¡±

    Will bit back a sarcastic ¡®how am I supposed to enjoy it when I¡¯ll die or be enved if I lose?¡¯ and simply shook The Baron¡¯s hand.

    Will¡¯s mind was crowded as the guardsmen escorted him back to the entrance of the massive pce that doubled as the seat of government.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The information revealed to him had a lot of subtext:

    Fewer Lords meant individual Floors became more dangerous, which in turn made it harder to pass through them and be a Lord, which in turn meant fewer Lords, which meant harder Floors¡­

    If one took it to it¡¯s logical extreme¡­what happened when there were no more Lords left?

    Had this been happening a while? How many Lords existed fifty years ago? A hundred? A thousand?

    Will was starting to understand why the Baron told him to keep it to himself.

    And the church of Granesh¡­The Baron had put next to no weight on their usation of him being half-snake. Almost an afterthought. Did the man not care what they thought, or did he simply think they were wrong? ¡­Or did he not care if Will was a demon in disguise?

    From Will¡¯s perspective, their ims had a grain of truth.

    Sure, it was 99% bullshit, and they would never get along because of it, but Will was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t pure human at this point. That part they got right.

    <em>They¡¯re gonna be at the tournament,</em> Will thought to himself.

    They were going to be one of many churches providing healing and, like The Baron, keeping their eyes open for potential new Lords they could ingratiate themselves with¡­or perhaps to watch for enemies of the church who had escaped them before.

    The Baron was right. Sooner orter everyone who mattered would know exactly how his Ability worked. The Baron, and likely other Lords, knew nearly precisely what his Phantom Hand could do already.

    He needed to impress the Baron, but in so doing, he would draw the eyes of the church and alert them to what he was capable of, giving them a clearer picture of his Abilities.

    <em>Then let¡¯s make lemonade,</em> Will thought as he walked, nked by Warriors in their 30¡¯s.

    <em>Let¡¯s do what he asked, and crush our opponents so hard they don¡¯t even know what happened. The way a Lord does it.</em>

    If he gave a strong enough performance, the church would think twice about wasting their operatives on him.

    Will arrived at the entrance to the pce, where the rest of his Party waited for him. The guards gave a nod and turned on their heel to attend to other business, leaving Will free to do as he wished¡­for the most part.

    Will nced over at Mason, who seemed fine. ¡°How¡¯s the wound?¡±

    ¡°The healers tell me I almost died from septic shock, but on the bright side, I have a really cool scar now.¡± Mason said, patting his stomach.

    ¡°Boar¡¯s bounty pushed me up to level twenty-three,¡± Travis said.

    The rest of the party nodded.

    ¡°What do you want to do now?¡± Loth asked, looking up at Will.

    ¡°Now¡­we¡¯re going to do everything in our power to dominate the tournament...but first, some raspberry tarts.¡± Will mused.

    Loth rolled her eyes.

    <em>I need to know what Jean¡¯s connection to the Wyrd family is.</em>

 Chapter 69: A Missed Opportunity

    <em>William Oh is The Tower¡¯s greatest detective. He holds everything he has perceived in mind simultaneously, matching facts together unconsciously at an unbelievable speed to puzzle together the past, present and future.</em>

    <em>No secret, no hidden motivation or buried desire can remain concealed from him. </em>

    <em>The most famous examples are when he used this potent gift to unravel mysteries, topple dictators, or the uncover the nature of The Tower itself.</em>

    <em>Usually it¡¯s just used on tarts, though.</em><ul><li>Jason Szar</li></ul>

    ***Stephan Akul***

    ¡°Its technology surpasses anything I¡¯ve ever seen, My lord. At first nce it appears to be based on my own research, but I do not know how¡­half of it works. Asking me to fix it¡­I could take it apart and learn a thousand thousand things, but I could not fix it in this lifetime.¡±

    Stephan Akul eyed the mummified corpse dressed in decayed silks and loose-fitting gold Relics, like an emperor buried with his wealth from days long forgotten.

    His tinkerer was a man with powerful abilities specialized in repair and invention. He had made things that the Baron couldn¡¯t even understand, that drew power from the omnipresent Miasma that flooded every Floor.

    The new wave of the future, Allen called it. A power source that will revolutionize¡­everything.And yet¡­a stone coffin gave him trouble.

    Stephan reeled in his anger. An outburst solved nothing, and Allen was already plenty afraid of him. the man did not need more motivation. He simply¡­couldn¡¯t do what Stephan needed him to do.

    And giving Allen a glimpse into how badly this affected him would be unwise.

    ¡°Why is he still asleep?¡± Stephan asked. When he¡¯d shoved Pi in there, the creature had been thrashing and screaming. Now he appeared deathly still. ¡°Is he dead?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s still asleep. Due to the manner in which it was broken, parts of the coffin are still operating.¡± Allen responded, standing up and going over to the broken side of the coffin, where the lid was missing.

    ¡°You see these nodes here? They match spots on the broken portion of the lid that we removed. That implies there are other nodes under the lid that are still operational.¡±

    ¡°Does it still do what I need it to do?¡± Stephan asked.

    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know what you need it to do?¡± Allen said with a shrug.

    Stephan pulled a knife out of its sheath and leaned down into the coffin, the hairs on his arm standing on end at the nearly imperceptible hum of power that filled the ancient device.

    He grabbed Pi¡¯s hand and gave him a tiny cut on his palm.

    The wound stayed.

    ¡°It¡¯s little more than a paperweight now,¡± Stephan said with a scowl before ncing at Allen.

    ¡°Take it apart. Learn a thousand thousand things, and maybe you can create something that can replicate the coffin¡¯s primary function.

    ¡°What is its primary function?¡± Allen asked.

    Stephan nced over at his tinkerer.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to blind you with expectations. It¡¯s very possible that what <em>I</em> think the coffin¡¯s primary function is, and what the <em>coffin</em> thinks its primary function is, are two different things.¡±

    Allen gave a groan of frustration before he realized he was standing beside The Baron. The tinker froze, straightened up and bowed. ¡°I will uncover it¡¯s secrets, my lord.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will,¡± He said, pping Allen on the shoulder and turning to leave.

    ¡°¡­My lord?¡± The tinker asked.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Stephan asked, turning back.

    ¡°What do you want done with the upant?¡±

    ¡°Have the Relics he wears delivered to the Vault, and the man himself delivered to his own cell. A high security one. We¡¯ll need him at hand if you ever replicate the coffin¡¯s functions.¡± ?

    Allen bowed, and that was the end of it. Stephen turned away from his Tinker and rounded the corner.

    <em>I guess this is wasted space now,</em> Stephan thought, removing the Obsessive Lover¡¯s Ring on his right hand and cing it in his pocket before switching to a shield enhancer that synergized with his build.

    Immediately, powerful living shielding appeared around him and began to fold in on itself, wrapping him in ayer of protection that would be the envy of any other Climber.

    It wasn¡¯t as good as perfect immortality, though. But what was?

    ***William Oh***

    ¡°Even if I lived forever, I don¡¯t think anything would be as good as this,¡± Will said before unhinging his jaw and engulfing an entire meat pie at once.

    ¡°Are you even tasting it?¡± Ria asked, arms crossed.

    ¡°MURF,¡± Will said around the food as he began chewing.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you like them so much!¡± Anna said, sping her hands together. ¡°After¡­all that¡­I wanted to say ¡®thank you¡¯, and my mom always said nothing shows appreciation to a boy like meat pie.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what she was talking about.¡± Jean said, scarred arms crossed.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Anna asked, ncing over her shoulder at the old woman watching Will eat with a permanent scowl.

    ¡°Yeah, what <em>do</em> you mean?¡± Ria asked, looking at Jean.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it either, but the pies are awesome,¡± Bee said, joining Will in devouring the ky self-contained pies.

    ¡°Those are for customers!¡± Ria said, pulling the small Tangled away from her meal. Bee struggled mightily for a minute before giving up like a waterlogged cat.

    <em>Shouldn¡¯t Bee be stronger than Ria?</em>

    As far as Will knew, Tangled had something like 4-5 Strength growth, which made them <em>extremely</em> strong in meleebat, the ability to split into multiple bodies further enhanced this advantage.

    <em>Not to mention how hard it is to pin down the shapeshifter. Is she just y-acting?</em>

    While Ria¡¯s back was turned, Anna snuck a pie and took a bite, giving Will a guilty shrug.

    He returned a thumb¡¯s-up.

    The old woman saw everything, but didn¡¯t bother to tell either of them off.

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve showed him your ¡®appreciation¡¯, now get in the back and start prepping. We open in an hour.¡± The scarred old woman said, shooing the three of them into the back.

    The three rambunctious girls eventually filed away into the back of the shop with varying levels of sass.

    ¡°You called them ¡®my girls.¡¯ Are they <em>all</em> Tangled?¡± Will asked as soon as he heard the ttering of work begin. <em>Even Anna?</em>

    Jean watched him with her arms crossed, her scar-covered face screwing up at his words.

    ¡°You¡¯re too sharp¡­When we arrived on the fifth Floor, none of them were strong enough to remember what had been done to them, and one by one they splintered off, all of them reacting differently to the hell they¡¯d been put through. Ria¡¯s sense of justice was inmed beyond rationality. Wants to save the whole world from the forces of evil, but doesn¡¯t understand why. Bee holds a deep-seated hatred she doesn¡¯t know where to direct¡­and Anna just wants to forget everything and be a young girl in love. I don¡¯t know if it was a curse or a Contract they¡¯d been under, or if just the pain was too great to remember.¡±

    Will processed that.

    ¡°Did you see a girl named Brianna?¡± He asked, guts twisting.

    ¡°¡­She died,¡± Jean said. ¡°She kept escaping and no one knew how, so they finally decided to ¨C¡° Jean¡¯s voice hitched ¡°¨C put her down. Like a rabid dog. Or a failed experiment.¡±

    Will¡¯s fist clenched as he put together the timeline. They would¡¯ve had a criminally short time to see Brianna on the seventh Floor then make their way down to the fifth Floor before Will arrived. Short enough that they might¡¯ve gotten limation Sickness.

    Everyone knew the symptoms were highly variable.

    And Tangled had weak Focuspared to themon Climber, so their minds would be the first things to buckle under swiftly changing miasmatic pressure.

    <em>Actually it would make sense to deliberately send Tangled up faster specifically for that reason, pre-baking their mental copse. Brianna might¡¯ve arrived at the 7th Floor within days instead of weeks, like I thought.</em>

    That opened the time frame significantly, matching with what Jean said, and what he knew.

    Will swallowed the impotent rage and regret. There was plenty of time to do something about thatter. There was onest question that Will had.

    ¡°Did you actually escape, or were you nted here by the Wyrd family, set to explode some day and tear Akul apart?¡±

    ¡°Hah. That keeps me up at night.¡± Jean admitted. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we were. But how would <em>I</em> know!?¡± She pointed at her head. ¡°I¡¯m just the one that remembers <em>everything</em>! And yet¡­no idea how much of it might be imnted, and how much is real. My Focus is garbage, so a good Charm user could have me barking like a dog.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you to keep their attention away from my girls. They¡¯ve got controlling Tangled down to rote. If they <em>know</em> what those three are, they will send a Handler after them, and they will be weapons again.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Can you do us a favor?¡± Jean asked. ¡°I know I¡¯m asking a lot, bu-¡°

    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Will interrupted. ¡°I believe that <em>all</em> baker girls are cute and should be protected.¡±

    Jean gave a surprisingly youthful chortle, her wrinkles fading momentarily before returning as she sobered up, her mouth set in a thin line.

    <em>Huh.</em>

    <em>limation sickness hit you too, huh?</em> Will thought. That was one of the things that¡¯d been bugging him. Tangled were a rtively recent invention, so there was no way an old woman could be one¡­unless she had convinced herself she <em>was</em> one through a healthy dose of limation sickness pressing against a mind with weak Focus under heavy stress.

    The way Will saw it, in order to retain her memories, Jean had distanced herself from them¡­assuming an identity she believed would be tough as nails and capable of handling the stress. An old woman, with a lifetime of experience to dull the sting of traumatic memories.

    A humorless crone with an iron will. She¡¯d yed the part long enough to believe it, without realizing.

    ¡°What do you need?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°If you could continue to¡­make a spectacle of yourself, that would attract attention away from us.¡± Jean said. ¡°The Wyrd family does <em>not</em> like you.¡±

    ¡°Matter of fact, I was already nning on making a spectacle of myself at the 25 and under tournament,¡± Will said. ¡°No sweat.¡±

    ¡°And you need to stoping around here.¡± Jean said, her expression severe. ¡°Drawing attention to yourself is pointless if-¡°

    ¡°I lead them right to you.¡± Will finished, guts twisting.

    Will¡¯s heart sank, and his breathing sped up at the prospect of cutting himself off from them. before he could sink any deeper, he took control of himself and sucked in a huge lungful of air before letting it go.

    <em>I wasn¡¯t going to spend the rest of my life in Akul flirting with Anna anyway. I need to keep Climbing. I can visit sometime in the future, after I¡¯ve killed the Wyrds, or this whole debacle has blown over and I¡¯m strong enough to impose my will as Law.</em>

    ¡°Alright,¡± Will said, despite <em>not</em> feeling all right about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jean said with a glimmer of sadness peeking through her stoic fa?ade.

    ¡°I know,¡± Will said, biting back the anger. She wasn¡¯t the appropriate target for it. ¡°Tell Anna¡­tell her something that doesn¡¯t make me seem like an asshole.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jean said with a nod.

    Will reached out and shook Jean¡¯s gnarled, calloused hands. Then, before she could react, he brought the veiny, liver-spotted, age-gnarled hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand, causing Jean¡¯s eyes to go round with shock.

    Decades faded away for a few heartbeats, revealing the face underneath the self-imposed disguise before she recovered and yanked her hand out of his with all the strength of a level 30 Tangled.

    <em>Hmm</em>¡­ Will tapped his fingers together. A sensation¡­something was tickling the back of his mind. There was more to this, but he wasn¡¯t sure what it was yet.

    Jean had told him <em>most</em> of the truth¡­but something was off.

    <em>I figure it out eventually.</em> Will¡¯s mind was like a dog worrying at a bone. It loved chewing on these sorts of things, and would continue to do so whether he wanted to or not.

    ¡°S-Save that nonsense for na?ve little girls who don¡¯t know better, y-you c-cad,¡± Jean stammered, backing away from him, her age returning in an instant as she drew the old woman persona back around herself.

    ¡°Will do.¡± Will tipped his imaginary hat. ¡°Then, until this ugly business blows over, best of luck to all four of you youngdies.¡±

    ¡°Too sharp,¡± Jean muttered, arms crossed and shaking her head as she watched him leave.

    Once Will was outside of the bakery, he shook the bad feelings out.

    As much as he hated to admit it, there were more important things right now to turn his mind towards than Baker Girls In Trouble.

    Namely, winning the tournament and not getting turned into a puppet or gutted by the Church of Granesh.

    He¡¯d considered running away in the dead of night, disappearing from the city and trying his luck at catching a bus up to the sixth floor¡­but the risk was nearly identical to that of participating in the tournament, while the reward was tepid at best.

    Will needed to devote all his energy to developing strategies for the tournament.

    But the back of his mind would continue chewing that bone.

 Chapter 70: Round One

    The day of the tournament marched towards them, but Will didn¡¯t sit idle. Motivated by the fact that his life was on the line, he channeled all his energy into three things:

    #1: Power. Will bribed/coerced a few solo Climbers into giving up their spot in an uing Kaiju hunt. It was impressive standing at the knee of such monolithic beasts, but looking back on it, the fights were kind of boring. The mercenaries had developed a nearly wless method of subduing them, strapping them to the ground with high-power restraining abilities and thick ropes, giving everyone present an opportunity to take an attack on the creature before it was executed.

    By doing this, Will was able to cross the boundary into Level 24.

    #2: Information. He needed to know his opponent¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. This wasn¡¯t some half-hearted attempt to fight in the tournament, test his strength for the fun of it and let the chips fall where they may.

    His life and freedom were on the line and there was no excuse.

    His first opponent was a chivalrous young man with brown hair and eyes, a little shorter than most with a Pdin Archetype and a deep-seated need to right the wrongs of the world.

    Apparently he had a very tragic backstory. The kind one might expect of the hero of a romance novel, who was destined to unite warring kingdoms¡­ording to Loth.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Will didn¡¯t really read romance novels, and merely noted that he wouldn¡¯t expect something he considered ¡®cheating¡¯ and mobility was not his strong suit.

    #3: Equipment. Will still had an empty finger in his Phantom Hand, and the idea of leaving it clear for a potential future was kind of meaningless if he didn¡¯t win, so he bought a buckler that enhanced blocking and counter-attacks.He could always overwrite it if he found something truly epic to rece it with.

    In the meantime, it was advantageous to have another strength-boosting Relic effect he could swap to aside from the mutated Ring of uracy, since Will¡¯s Strength was pretty damn bad.

    <strong><em>Buckler of Rebounding</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+5 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>15% reduction in force experienced when blocking</em></strong>

    <strong><em>25% increase in the damage of attacks made within .5 seconds of blocking.</em></strong>

    Once he sacrificed it to the Phantom Hand, Will checked his Build. It had beplex.

    <strong><em>William Oh</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Resourceful Climber Level 24</em></strong>

    <strong><em>25+ 10 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>72 +10 Kinesthetics</em></strong>

    <strong><em>75 +14 Resistance</em></strong>

    <strong><em>48 +14 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>92 +18 Acuity</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Charges: 62/62</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Free Points: 0</em></strong>

    Item Abilities: Summon Undead retainer, Heal undead, 35% eidolon potency, 45% rogue Archetype potency, 50% Ranger archetype potency, Aetherhawk, Lightning Pulse, Wet footing, Homefield Advantage(Ice), Malleable Space 30% Trespass A/V dampening.

    <strong><em>Phantom Hand Slots: (Ring of uracy*) (Sickle of Cold Harvest) -(Wand of the Undead Retainer)- (Stormfists) (Buckler of Rebounding)</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Primary Abilities: Aspect of the Immortal Serpent*, Phantom Hand**</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Secondary Abilities: Sourdough*</em></strong>

    <em>Wand of the undead retainer is giving me 17 Focus!? </em>Will thought as he inspected his Build. He had gone from a -3 bonus due to the falconer¡¯s glove penalty, up to +14., which was a more than double-daily swing.

    Will sat down and did some math, multiplying his total Acuity, which was 110, by his bonus to Phantom Hand specifically. Since it was an Eidolon <em>and</em> a rogue archetype ability, itbined the bonuses from the ring and his rogue gear (not multiplied), for an 80% boost to its power.

    Which meant instead of 1% increase in his slotted Relic¡¯s potency per point of Acuity, he received 1.8%.

    <em>Sooo¡­</em> Will scratched down the problem with one of the pencils that had mysteriously made it¡¯s way into his room. He¡¯d found himself doing a lot more math and writing than he¡¯d thought he would when he started Climbing. Who knew a Party leader had to do math and write letters!?

    110X1.8 equals¡­198.

    <em>So, any item that goes into the Phantom hand and is slotted, will provide very nearly triple it¡¯s expected effect. That is wild.</em>

    The interesting thing was that the three point Acuity bonus he got from the Wand of the Undead retainer did not benefit from the boosting effect that the other affixes of the wand received.

    It <em>should</em> have raised the acuity bonus from +3 up to +8, which would have been enough for it to raise to +9¡­

    <em>Oh, I see.</em>

    <em>Acuity scaling does not stack with itself.</em>

    It seemed as though the System applied the bonus to Acuity he got from the item and added it to his total when calcting the slotted Relic¡¯s other powers, but in exchange, excluded Acuity bonuses from benefiting from <em>any</em> boosts.

    Which made sense as a simple way to prevent breaking The System by stacking Acuity on top of Acuity until it went supercritical.

    <em>Could that even happen? With an item that either grants 100 acuity, or 100% bonus to rogue abilities? Actually, what would happen if I put a 25% Rogue Archetype boosting item in the Phantom Hand, and it tripled it to 75%? Wouldn¡¯t it then apply it¡¯s own effect to itself, and raise its own bonus even higher? And higher?...yeah, I don¡¯t think that would work either.</em>

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the vition.

    The System and magic as a whole had an energy source, which was Miasma. Anything that required an energy source couldn¡¯t go infinite. If Wills stats were allowed to go infinite based on selfpounding stats like that, something would fizzle out and break long before infinite stats were achieved.

    In this case, the thing that fizzled out would probably be Will.

    <em>Still a bummer. But not too big of a problem. Just means boosting Acuity manually will be my go-to priority to advance my Build. Same as before.</em>

    Looking at his stats made Will consider.

    <em>After this is over, I should look into getting an item with a strong Ranger archetype boost of 25% or greater, and swap it out with whichever Relic effect I deem to be the least useful. A boost of 75% to Aspect of the Immortal Serpent and Sourdough would be a fine option to be able to switch to, since it dictates so many of my abilities. Could cut the time required to repair or rece items with Sourdough nearly in half, as well as improving my ability to walk on water, survive hostile environments and heal missing limbs.</em>

    Thinking of it, Will itched his stump. In the weeks since he¡¯d acquired the Axolotl Sacrifice, his missing hand had begun to¡­<em>bud, I suppose?</em>

    Currently, it was just a sore, itchy nub of bone that had begun growing out of his truncated wrist, stretching the scar tissue above it. The scar tissue itself was rapidly fading from the pale white of rapidly-healed wound to something more in line with actual skin.

    It was only half an inch of growth, but if Will wasn¡¯t embroiled an avnche of life-or-death bullshit, he would have been ecstatic.

    The timeline didn¡¯t really matter as long as he got his gods-damned hand back.

    Of course, faster was better.

    He¡¯d wanted to wear the Ring of Regeneration, but Loth <em>and</em> Steve had told him it might weaken or malform the bone for it to grow back that quickly, something about the new bones needing to ¡®experience range of motion¡¯ as they healed rather than regenerating all at once as a fused together lump of bone. Plus, if they needed to make corrections to the hand as it grew, it would be easier if it was growing slowly.

    Apparently the hand and wrist had tons of tiny little bones and tendon attachment points, and even one the slightest bit out of ce could cripple the hand and cause untold pain for years.

    And if he had to choose, Will would rather have a good, working hand, than a decoration.

    <em>Still irritating, though.</em>

    In the meantime, Will was keeping the regrowth concealed under a gauntlet strapped to his wrist. When it was fully grown, he could simply say that he¡¯d paid a healer an exorbitant sum to rece the limb, and no one would suspect he could grow them back.

    <em>I mean, not that it matters one way or another. Being able to grow back limbs is functionally the same as being able to afford the healing. It¡¯s not really that special to anyone other than me.</em>

    Still, Will would rather keep it a secret.

    The fact that The Tower refused to relinquish his old hand¡­that information could be used to deduce the fact that his hand had been used as a Sacrifice before he even had a ss¡­and <em>that</em> could lead to another avnche of bullshit above and beyond the one he currently faced.

    When the day of the tournament rolled around, Will was as prepared as he could possibly make himself, and his first opponent was as <em>unprepared</em> as Will could possibly make him.

    For some reason, the young warrior¡¯s inn had been haunted thest three days¡­strange sounds at night, things turning up missing. The usual.

    Will practically vibrated with nervous energy as he waited for the announcer to call them forward.

    He was so freaked out he actually missed the call until June tapped him in the shoulder.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re up.¡± She said, poking him.

    ¡°Right.¡± Will took a deep breath and walked out into the arena, feeling as though he were a puppet on strings.

    The sudden brightness of noon blinded him and the roar of the crowd deafened him, rendering his whole world a chaotic wash of light and sound.

    In a moment, his senses adapted, and he found himself at the steps leading up to a square raised tform. He started climbing them, ending up facing a young man a little older than himself. Maybe eighteen?

    <strong><em>This next fight features two neers to the twenty-five and under tournament!</em></strong> The announcer¡¯s voice cut through the ocean of cheering.

    <strong><em>In the West corner, we have Hiro Tomaki, the level 25 Blessed Warrior from the frigid outer reaches!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>In the East corner, we have William Oh, the level 24 Resourceful Climber from the central desert!</em></strong>

    The crowd¡¯s volume dropped to hushed whispers.

    <strong><em>The rules are thus: If you give up, fall unconscious, touch the ground outside the ring, or die, you lose! There is no restriction on Weapons, Relics or Abilities. The healers generously provided by the Churches of Granesh, Andover, Melisk, and Holdna will do their best to heal and resuscitate any wounded or killed climbers, but be aware that the risk of death or dismemberment is still a very real possibility. If you feel as though you cannot win and will sustain grievous harm, please concede the match.¡±</em></strong>

    While the announcer spoke, Will sized up his opponent. The young man was wearing cheap gear that looked a little threadbare, and despite the dark circles under his eyes, he had a determined fire in them.

    Whereas Will wore expensive Relics from head to toe, hiding his appearance beneath a pearlescent snarling Uru Drake mask.

    ¡°I look forward to testing our mettle against each other.¡± Hiro said with a nod. ¡°But be assured I will not go easy on you, because I cannot lose here! My friends are counting on me!¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Will replied¡­<em>am I the bad guy here?</em>

    Will preferred to think he was the one who was serious about winning.

    <strong>¡°Fighters, begin!¡±</strong>

    ¡°I invoke the blessings of Granesh, god of Order!¡± Hiro said, raising his sword to the sky while Will looked on in bemused silence.

    ¡°Helm of knowledge!¡± A glittering nasal helm appeared on Hiro¡¯s head, with arge bar of steel covering the bridge of his nose, but leaving his eyes exposed. ¡°Grants me the wisdom of the ancients!¡±

    <em>Let¡¯s see where this goes, </em>Will thought, crossing his arms.

    ¡°Sword of Truth!¡± the guy¡¯s sword transformed into a glittering, fantastical version of his original sword. ¡°Its light exposes the unnatural!¡±

    ¡°Shield of Purity! Defends against the sinful!

    ¡°Boots of the Zephyr! Grants me the swiftness of the wind!¡±

    <em>I wonder if his Primary Ability is something like ¡®divine armament,¡¯ and each extra item beyond the first is a result of an Ability Upgrade?</em>

    Hiro must¡¯ve finished applying his buffs, because he crouched down and lunged forward, the wings on his boots pping to give him that bit of extra eleration, his extended sword glowing with holy light that honestly hurt Will¡¯s eyes to look at.

    <em>Is that indicative of something or is it just really bright? </em>Will thought, squinting.

    ¡°Take this! Holy Smi-¡°

    ¡°Pocket sand.¡± Will said, pulling his hand out from where he¡¯d dipped it into the magical pocket he¡¯d stitched onto the front of his shirt and flinging it into the charging warrior¡¯s eyes.

    Simultaneously, Will grabbed Hiro¡¯s lead foot with the Phantom Hand, tripping him and turning the headlong charge into a dive.

    <strong><em>Homefield advantage</em></strong>

    <strong>61/62 charges remaining.</strong>

    The arena snapped to pristine ice in the blink of an eye, and the blinded, iling Pdin Archetype flew past Will and slid off the edge of the tform.

    <strong>¡°And¡­the winner is¡­William Oh¡­by ring out, using abination of throwing sand into his opponent¡¯s eyes and turning the floor into ice. Let¡¯s umm¡­give him a hand¡­I guess?¡±</strong>

    The surrounding crowed muttered to each other, an ominous sound that spread across the arena like a disease¡­but Will didn¡¯t bother concerning himself with it.

    Again, he would die or be enved if he lost a single match, so being a good sport or giving people a show wasn¡¯t high on his list of priorities.

    <strong>¡°The Baron has weighed in and dered that yes, sand counts as a weapon, and would like to remind contestants that if Relics of legendary power that can produce sts of fire or inflict psychic puppeteering are allowed, what¡¯s a little sand? Nonmagical goggles are cheap and plentiful, folks.¡±</strong>

    Will nced up and searched the stands, finding an oversized booth where the Baron Akul sat in the center, grinning from ear to ear.

    <em>Hmm. Is that a good thing or a bad thing that the Baron basically gave me a pass to use whatever weapons I want?</em> Real battle didn¡¯t have rules, so they must¡¯ve been trying to get as close to a ¡®real¡¯ battle as possible for this tournament.

    Will gave the Baron a bow and stepped off the stage, walking past Hiro, who appeared to be trembling with rage, but didn¡¯t act on it.

    ¡°Stevie. Billy-bob.¡± Will said as he stepped inside the fighter¡¯s waiting area.

    ¡°Yes sir?¡± the spirit butlers asked, peeling out of the wall.

    ¡°Whoever my next opponent is, go to their house and make sure they don¡¯t get any sleep tonight, and if they¡¯re unwise enough to take any of their kit off before bed, make sure a critical piece is misced.¡±

    The undead butlers shared a nearly identical sour face at the underhanded actions, but they¡¯d already expressed their distaste for ¡®rogue¡¯ work, and Will had already exined the severity of the situation they were in. They disappeared into the wall.

    Having intelligent minions capable of independent action and critical thinking was a game changer.

    ¡°You realize that¡¯s the only person who will fall for the ¡®sand in the eyes¡¯ trick?¡± Loth asked.

    He nced down at her. ¡°I¡¯m counting on it.¡±

    He only had to win five more rounds. He had plenty more tricks.

 Chapter 71: A race is run in an alley before the first step is taken

    Bron Gilder, the level 50 Bishop of the church of Granesh clicked his tongue as Hiro Tomaki walked out of the arena into the contestant¡¯s area, his body stiff and trembling with shame as he struggled to blink the sand out of his eyes without damaging them.

    ¡°Send someone with a skin full of water to tend the boy¡¯s eyes. I¡¯d rather not Granesh lose a Pdin Archetype over this. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to him that Climbers are a different beast altogether.¡±

    ¡°Yes, bishop.¡± His aide said before turning around and rying the instructions to one of their healers on standby, swiftly returning.

    ¡°And make sure our priests are attending every match of Mr. Oh from this point on. If he is severely wounded in the course of the tournament, that would present a rtively simple way to remove this particr Deceiver from this world.¡±

    ¡°¡­What if he wins?¡± his aide asked, to which Bron turned to face him, raising a brow.

    ¡°Nevermind. Right away,¡± his aide began sprinting down into the bowels of the arena to haggle with the other churches while Bron watched the next few matches of the day.

    <em>If he wins the tournament¡­then he¡¯s a much bigger problem than I gave him credit for.</em>

    Youth who won the tournament often went on to be Lords, with the help of the Baron. It was the unspoken reward for victory. If William Oh won the tournament, he would be under the wing of the Baron, essentially bing untouchable on the 5th Floor.

    <em>I guess at the very least we¡¯ll find out if the loss of our operatives was because of his powerful Party members, or if this Deceiver actually has the potential to be a Lord.</em>Throwing sand in someone¡¯s eyes and pushing them out of the ring was infuriatingly uninformative, which Bron supposed was the point.

    Maybe William oh was very weak and using the sand trick to bypass what would¡¯ve been a difficult fight.

    Or maybe he was overwhelmingly strong and didn¡¯t want to reveal it quite yet.

    Maybe there was an extra ingredient in the sand/icebo that needed to remain hidden¡­

    <em>I suppose we¡¯ll see in due time.</em>

    As Bron was considering, the matches continued.

    The next match was between a rotund Climber with a sickly green appearance, while the other was a tall, muscr woman with vibrant blonde hair tied into a simple ponytail and reinforced with a headband.

    The rotund climber bore a wicked looking hooked de seemingly meant for cutting branches or gutting enormous fish, wearing greens and browns, with swamp-stompers and ranger Relics.

    The tall woman bore a massive quiver with a single javelin resting inside, slung over her shoulder in a way that couldn¡¯t possibly be easy to draw.

    She moved like a person who had a tremendous amount of Strength and Kinesthetics, the way her toes seemed to grip the floor to keep her from flying away. Amon trait for archers.

    The announcer went over the rules again as the two contestants stared each other down.

    <strong><em>¡°Fighters, Begin!¡±</em></strong>

    In the blink of an eye, the woman¡¯s hand whipped up and then down again, producing a javelin as if by magic. The six-foot missile cut through the air where the rotund man¡¯s heart had been. ??

    The squat fellow dropped even lower, the javelin passing above his head as his palms hit the ground.

    Without missing a beat, the woman drew another javelin, which had magically replenished itself in the quiver. An Ability or a Relic? Bron had no clue just yet.

    The next javelin whistled through the air, aiming to skewer the man as he crouched in ce.

    Before it evennded, the javelineer had another one in hand, cocked back and waiting to be thrown wherever the man might dodge to.

    He didn¡¯t dodge.

    A tree trunk apparated out of thin air as the arena turned into a swamp, interposing itself between the two of them. an instantter there was a loud wooden <em>CRACK</em> as the javelin buried itself in the wood, nearly splitting the stump in two.

    <em>Interesting.</em>

    The spectators could see the man dive down into the surrounding water, his body ttening as he passed through the standing water without so much as a ripple.

    The javelineer, however, her view was blocked by the stump and the low grasses that had appeared in the arena.

    Seemingly acknowledging that she needed a better view, the javelineer jumped up onto a twisted tree, bncing in its swaying branches without any visible sign of strain. It was only seven feet or so tall, but it gave her the view she needed to locate her prey and resume her assault.

    The man, knowing this, burst out of the water, having travelled a tremendous distance underwater without revealing his position, he was effectively nking her.

    The man seemed to dete as an oversized tongue shot out at his opponent, aiming at her throwing arm.

    The Javelineer interposed her off-hand, and an instantter she was drawn at neck-breaking speed towards her opponent, plucking her from the tree like a frog might pluck a dragonfly off a de of grass.

    <em>So he got a wends Gulper as one of his Sacrifices and really leaned into the gimmick,</em> Bron thought. He¡¯d seen Builds like that before.

    On one hand, animal and environment-based builds were excellent at medium to low levels, since they had a cohesive build that leveraged the synergy that nature had perfected over uncountable generations.

    On the other hand¡­

    The javelineer met the frog-man¡¯s hooked de with one of her javelins. She was at an awkward angle, flying through the air so she didn¡¯t have ground to brace herself against¡­

    And yet¡­

    <strong><em>CLANG!</em></strong>

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The frog-man staggered backwards as his hooked de was nearly torn out of his hand by the javelineer¡¯s sheer Strength.

    Despite having all the advantages of natural synergy, animal Builds did not have the unnaturally concentrated singr intent of purpose that made for an unstoppable PVP Build.

    As her legs skidded to a halt in the thick mud, the frog man let go of the javelineer¡¯s arm with his tongue, aiming to dive back under the water, but he jerked in ce, drawn back up as the muscr woman¡¯s off-hand mped down around his slimy tongue and reeled him back in.

    Bron thought he saw the frog man say something before he was mercilessly riddled with javelins.

    <em>¡®Oh crap¡¯, perhaps?</em>

    The fight was called the very next instant as priests of Andover leapt into the ring and drew out the half-dozen spears perforating the man¡¯s body, bringing him back before his soul could cross to the other side.

    It was a close thing.

    <strong><em>¡°And the winner is Karryn by pincushioning! Short fight, but longer than thest one, and entertaining nheless. Let¡¯s hear it for Karryn and her brave vict- er¡­opponent!¡±</em></strong>

    <em>William will go against her in the third round, should she continue on.</em>

    ¡°Bishop,¡± his aide panted as he arrived.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°The priestesses of Holdna have already imed responsibility William Oh¡¯s matches and refuse to let us heal him!¡±

    <em>So they already know. That damned goddess and her damned fascination with snakes.</em>

    How the good-aligned thousand-eyed goddess of prophecy and hunting wound up marrying the evil embodiment of Chaos incarnate, they would never know.

    It was a difference in opinion.

    The scripture of Granesh stated that only through stability and strong, just systems of government, could humanity build the strength of arms needed to conquer the tower.

    Holdna believed that the answery in a roll of the dice. A change in the status quo so drastic that it broke the stranglehold The Tower had on humanity, and so the thousand-eye goddess aligned herself with Ouroboros, the embodiment of the endless, ever-expanding nature of The Tower.

    Bron was old enough to have shed a bit of the blind zealotry of youth. He saw the reasons behind both sides, and felt that the two deities hindered each other, causing both their ns to be fruitless.

    If progress was to be made, one would have to go.

    Bron had made the rational decision to support Granesh, because it did not require chaos as a catalyst. Chaos meant heroism and nobility in the face of adversity, but it also meant death and destruction as a staging ground for that heroism and nobility.

    Bron would rather have order. A system that did not rely on heroes, but rather a unity of purpose.

    And for that reason he would do everything in his power to tear down the Church of Holdna.

    They could not both exist and save humanity.

    As the Bishop considered the future, William Oh considered dinner.

    Unable to purchase baked goods from his favorite shop, Will was forced to go to an actual restaurant and flirt with <em>their</em> waitresses. It didn¡¯t go as well as he¡¯d hoped.

    Sadly, Will was much worse at it than he thought, although it could be because the waitresses were at least ten years older than him. In any case he got a pained smile and a polite request for his order.

    So it went that Will was downheartedly considering his vorless meat pie andck of baker girls, when Hiro Tomaki slid into the booth across from him.

    Will¡¯s paranoia exploded and he drew a knife out of his phantom hand and aimed it at the Blessed Warrior¡¯s femoral artery, all hidden beneath the table.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Did you cheat?¡± He asked.

    Will considered it a moment.

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Hiro seemed to consider in silence for a moment, his hand clenching and unclenching, but no sign that he would try to attack.

    Will¡¯s knife hovered close to Hiro¡¯s crotch, held in ce by the Phantom Hand.

    ¡°How?¡± Hiro finally asked.

    ¡°I had someone keep you awake the night before.¡± Will said.

    The pdin¡¯s eyes widened.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°I had no idea. And in the arena?¡±

    Will shook his head. ¡°All legal in the ring.¡±

    ¡°I felt something trip me.¡±

    ¡°You sure did. That was an Ability of mine and therefore not cheating¡­You seem less mad than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m furious.¡±

    Will prepared to stab Hiro in the groin and gut.

    ¡°¡­but mostly furious at myself. All my life the nuns who raised me warned me about tricksters and schemers, but they also protected me from them. I guess I just assumed they were more of an abstract concept.¡± Hiro said, running his fingers through his hair before resting on his palm and giving the table the thousand yard stare.

    ¡°¡­Until you ran face-first into a Rogue Archetype.¡± Will guessed.

    ¡°Precisely.¡± Hiro said.

    ¡°Can I share with you some of the fil-ah-so-fi that¡¯s been brewing in my mind thest few months?¡± Will asked. Ever since Loth had told him he should work on his own, he¡¯d been doing his best.

    ¡°By all means.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve realized that all battles have an end, but none have a start.¡±

    The pdin¡¯s brows rose.

    ¡°When the announcer told us to start fighting, was that the start of our battle?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°¡­It was when you sent someone to keep me awake the night before.¡± The pdin said, nodding in understanding.

    ¡°Or was it when I bought the pocket sand knowing I would use it on <em>someone?</em>¡± Will asked. ¡°Or was it when you practiced your Abilities knowing <em>you</em> would use it on someone? All of it yed a part in our battle, a winding series of decisions that can be traced back to the very beginning whose oue is murky at best until they are pitted against each other.¡±

    ¡°If you view each conflict as an isted event where two standalone individuals are pitted against each other, and ignore the battle they¡¯ve waged before the fight even took ce, then you¡¯ve doomed yourself.¡±

    ¡°The race is run in the mind before the first step is taken,¡± the pdin mused.

    ¡°Who said that?¡± Will asked, cocking his head.

    ¡°It was a saying one of the nuns liked to admonish me with. I feel as though I understand it better now. Thank you. May I ask one more question?¡±

    ¡°Shoot.¡±

    ¡°Why cheat?¡±

    ¡°Because I will die if I don¡¯t win.¡± Will simplified.

    ¡°¡­Or is it because you fear the shame of defeat more than death itself?¡± Hiro asked, pointing at with a smug expression.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s because I will <em>literally</em> die.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Oh. Uh¡­care to borate?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I made a high-stakes bet with the Baron.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Hiro shrugged before standing. ¡°Well, William Oh, I must return to my Party. You¡¯ve given me a lot to think about. I will consider this exchange an important step in the resolution of our <em>next</em> battle.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re alright, Hiro,¡± Will said, shaking his hand.

    ¡°And you¡¯re rather cute under that mask.¡± Hiro winked.

    Will¡¯s concentration broke and the Phantom Hand dropped the knife, which thudded on the dense rug. Hiro¡¯s gazended on the dagger rolling out from under the restaurant¡¯s table.

    ¡°Were you going to <em>stab</em> me?¡± Hiro asked, eyes round.

    ¡°I mean¡­only if you attacked. Or got too agitated, or reached for something under the table, or the rest of your party arrived to hem me in.¡± Will admitted sheepishly.

    ¡°¡­Right. Well, this has been eye-opening for me. Best of luck in the tournament.¡± Hiro then stiffly turned and strode away.

    <em>Well, that was weird, </em>Will thought, picking up the dagger and storing it.

    <strong><em>61/62 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    <em>I thought those types were sworn to celibacy or something.</em>

    Once Will finished his meal he started back towards the Inn, where he intended to get a full night¡¯s sleep before he had to take on his next opponent, who would be exhausted by the time their match came around.

    Unfortunately¡­his opponent seemed to have the same idea, as an ever-growing group of thugs herded Will off the main roads and into some dimly lit back-alleys.

    ¡°William Oh, good to see you.¡± A man with a shaved head said, emerging from among the group of de-wielding thugs that crowded around him.

    ¡°I am your next opponent. Regards.¡± he said with a mocking bow. ¡°The Duke apuds your outside-the-box thinking and will not penalize you for acting outside the bounds of the arena, but he also likes a fair fight, and has given me simr permission to pursue¡­unconventional victory.¡±

    The surrounding thugs chuckled ominously.

    <em>Damnit. </em>Will thought, tensing. <em>I need to hoist myself up onto the roofs and make this into a chase. That¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll be able to-</em>

    ¡°Excuse me,ing through! CLEAR A PATH!¡± A young woman¡¯s voice shouted above theughter, silencing them and parting the befuddled crowd.

    It was two young women, one in a Holdna priestess uniform, while the other wore ck and white formalwear, both <em>totally</em> out of ce in a grimy alley bristling with weapons and human excrement.

    Then Formalwear raised a cone-shaped Relic to her mouth and her voice took on a familiar power beyond her frame.

    <strong><em>¡°In the West corner of the alley, we have William Oh, the level 24 Resourceful Climber from the central desert!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>In the East corner, we have Josh Cothran, the level 25 Cursemage from the Northern Ring!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>As this battle is outside the arena between two dirty, dirty cheaters, the following rules have been modified: Ring-outs are no longer a factor, and outsidebatants are fair game!¡±</em></strong>

    <strong>Fighters, Begin!¡±</strong>

 Chapter 72: Round 2

    <em>Theres no such thing as a ¡®fair fight¡¯ with William Oh. Merely being his opponent has already put you at a disadvantage. What did you expect? A fight where either side has an equal chance of losing? William Oh doesn¡¯t lose.</em><ul><li><em>level 15 Climber in a second Floor Inn.</em></li></ul>

    ¡°Alright, where are the drugs?¡± Ria demanded, grabbing the Ear Collector¡¯s hands and twisting them up behind him. ¡°I know there¡¯s a surge around the tournament. People like to get high and watch the fights.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. People <em>like</em> to do that, why are you being a killjoy?¡± The Ear Collector asked, struggling to move and finding himself overpowered. ¡°Listen rookie, you¡¯ve only been a guardswoman for like, two months, and they only let you in ¡®cause you got that retard strength. Maybe keep your head down, lift heavy things for your superiors for a couple years and learn a bit more about how Akul works before you try to singlehandedly stop all crime everywhere.¡±

    ¡°If I want your <em>opinion,</em> I¡¯ll ask for it, what I want right now is to know where you keep your stash.¡± Ria said.

    ¡°Why, you wanna get lit? Ow, ow, ow.¡±

    Ear Collector winced as his bones creaked in Ria¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Oh, sure, let me just abandon my reputation and the business I¡¯ve been cultivating for <em>thirty</em><em>years</em> because a pretty girl in a uniform asked. Let me tell you honey, that ain¡¯t the right uniform. But I hear 5th Floor Fantasies is hirin- OW OW OW!¡±

    ¡°Wait wait!¡± The Ear Collector shouted, prompting Ria to ease up the pressure.

    ¡°You gonna talk?¡±¡°Obviously not. No, do you hear that?¡±

    ¡°Hear what?¡± Ria asked, but a momentter the wind over the alleyway carried the sound of steel nging against steel and screams of pain, followed by a series of distant explosions.

    A momentter, William Oh jumped over the alley, pursued by nearly a dozen armed men.

    The <em>slightly</em> cool, and <em>slightly</em> heroic young man nced down at them as he passed. Ria would never admit it to anyone, though.

    ¡°Ah crap,¡± Ear Collector muttered.

    ¡°What, why?¡± Ria asked.

    ¡°INCOMING!¡± Will¡¯s voice came an instant before he looped back around towards them, sprinting into the alley from the main street, thugs hot on his trail. ¡°Two freebies!¡± Will held up a leather-d hand with two fingers extended.

    Ear Collector shook his head.

    ¡°Three!¡± Will held up another finger.

    ¡°DEAL!¡± Ear Collector shouted back.

    ¡°Hey! Are you guys crime-ing? Hey!¡± Ria demanded, suspecting she¡¯d just witnessed an illicit deal go down¡­but no context for what it might¡¯ve been.

    ¡°Gonna wanna leggo ¡®fore they get here, sweetheart.¡± Ear Collector said.

    Ria¡¯s eyes widened as she spotted the ten or so men charging after Will, their eyes crazed, practically foaming at the mouth with the desire to kill.

    ¡°WILL, WHAT DID YOU DO!?¡± she demanded, shoving the Ear Collector aside and grabbing her halberd.

    ***William Oh, 30 seconds before***

    <strong>¡°Fighters, BEGIN!</strong>¡±The announcer cried, making a chopping motion.

    Will immediately tensed his legs to leap upward and turn this fight into a chase.

    A pulse of energy washed over him and his body froze in ce.

    <em>Eh?</em>

    The nearest thug wound up a beheading strike as Will struggled to move, while another aimed to gut him.

    He wasn¡¯t frozen so much as he was slowed to a ridiculous degree, moving at a snail¡¯s pace regardless of how hard he struggled to move. It was as if the air itself had turned to pitch.

    Phantom Hand was slowed as well, but since the Ability was already blindingly fast, it moved at a brisk jog.

    Which¡­wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough to save him.

    <em>Move MOVE!</em>

    Stevie emerged from the wall beside the beheader and grabbed his arm, sucker-punching him in the side of the head, while Billy-bob yanked the other one¡¯s feet out from under him, causing the thug to crack his jaw open on the cobblestones.

    Together the two spirit butlers grabbed Will¡¯s cially slow body under the arms and prepared to throw him high into the sky.

    <em>¡­I still got those smoke bombs, yeah?</em>

    The instant before he wasunched upward, Will released a present from his Dimensional Storage, preserving it¡¯s Starter with Sourdough.

    Now that he knew he could direct Charges and certain Abilities through his Phantom Hand, there was no reason not to. Will tried to do something he¡¯d never tried before: Using Sourdough to retain the starter of the new item <em>as</em> he released it from Phantom Hand¡¯s dimensional Storage.

    <strong><em>Sourdough</em></strong>

    <strong><em>61->60 charges remaining.</em></strong>

    The alleyway erupted into smoke and screaming as the smoke bomb blinded them to his escape.

    Only temporarily, though.

    ¡°Godsdamnit how- Where did he go!?¡°

    Will was ever-so-slowly pushing himself to his feet on the nted shingles as a trickle of men began streaming out of the smoke. The ones that had either seen where he went or simply jumped upward to get out of the smoke.

    The first one out got a faceful of Aetherhawk, summoned by his glove. The thug tumbled back, throwing others behind him back into the smoke as Magnus did his best to w and peck his face off, sending his victim shrieking back to the ground.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <em>What a cutie.</em>

    Will saw the announcer and Priestess erupt from the smoke,nding on the roof with grace and power that far exceeded that of a typical level 25.

    The priestess sped her hands together and waited patiently for either of them to suffer lethal damage, but the Announcer was fired up.

    <strong><em>¡°And William Oh counters the powerful slow effect with pre-summoned minions, retreating to the roof above the alley for a strategic advantage!¡±</em></strong>

    ¡°He¡¯s on the roof! Get up there!¡± his opponent¡¯s voice called out.

    As the slow debuff waned, Will gave the announcer a hard look before pulling his mask out and pping it down over his face.

    She had the decency to shrug and look a bit sheepish.

    <strong><em>Sourdough</em></strong>

    <strong>60->57 Charges remaining.</strong>

    The three fireball beads he¡¯d purchased from the consumable store in Coalton sailed down into the alley, exploding with vibrant shes of orange that lit up the thick smoke from the inside, catching any of the attackers who hadn¡¯t immediately jumped for the roof.

    About half of them were dissuaded from continuing pursuit, but there were still twenty or so remaining.

    <em>Best purchase in recent memory. Aside from Jason, I suppose.</em>

    The slow effect was fully gone by the time they located him and began chasing.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    <em>He must be using something like the Ring of Curse Concentration to trade duration for potency.</em>

    Five seconds of 95% speed reduction was more dangerous in practice than 100 seconds at 5%, since it allowed for a coup de grace.

    Will didn¡¯t have any way to prevent getting hit by the slow whammy again, nor did he have a good answer to it. Now that Stevie and Billy-bob had revealed their presence, they would only be able to help minimally if he were slowed that much again.

    <em>Need space and maybe I can find a better spot to fight them,</em> Will thought, lowering his head and breaking into a sprint across the roof tiles.

    <em>Come to think of it, I run across roofs more than the average Climber, don¡¯t I?</em> Will thought.

    <strong>¡°And William Oh seeks to take advantage of the ringless arena and his superior maneuverability to buy some time!¡± </strong>The announcer shouted, running along beside him, effortlessly keeping up with his full-speed dash.

    Will felt the familiar pulse of energy and his body locked up halfway over the spine of a roof, causing his foot to catch and sending him tumbling headlong down the other side, unable to move his arms fast enough to catch his fall.

    <em>Wonder if this is how Hiro felt?</em> Will wondered as he approached the edge of the roof, the alleyway spinning closer and closer¡­

    Will caught himself by the belt with the Phantom hand, preventing himself from tumbling off the edge, only to nce up and spot half a dozen thugs cresting the roof behind him, eyes inmed from the smoke bomb.

    <strong><em>Homefield Advantage</em></strong>

    <strong><em>56 Charge remaining.</em></strong>

    <em>¡°AAAA-EEEEEE!¡±</em>

    Their war-cries devolved into shrieks of terror as their headlong sprint down the slope of the roof turned into terminal velocity plummets towards the unforgiving stone three stories below.

    One of the iling mercenaries got a lucky il as he went by, carving a deep gouge into Will¡¯s side. It bled pretty good, drawing a line of blood across his shirt, but it didn¡¯t cut through his ribs, so it wasn¡¯t inherently lethal.

    Another tried for his neck and Will yanked himself to the side at the Phantom Hand¡¯s subdued pace, only getting a shallow graze across his neck and nicking his mask where it guarded his jaw.

    The merc ¡®tsked¡¯ an instant before he disappeared off the side of the roof into the alleyway below.

    A momentter, the slow effect was gone and Will scrambled to his feet, lunging to the next rooftop over while the dozen or so remaining thugs went around his ice slick, aiming to surround him.

    <em>That felt about a second less than the one before. Four seconds instead of five.</em>

    Was the Ability built to have diminishing returns in exchange for a stronger initial effect on the ¨C generally correct ¨C assumption it wouldn¡¯t need a second application?

    <em>He might be bluffing. Always assume it¡¯llst the full five seconds. Or more. </em>A relic coulde into y as a trump card.

    A few of them had gotten ahead of him, and Will pointed at the one covering thergest gap with his thick leather glove. An ethereal hawk dropped out of the sky, ws extended towards the man¡¯s face.

    To his credit, the Merc saw iting and reacted with superhuman speed, blocking the attack with the t of his de, catching Magnus¡¯s semi-physical ws an instant before theynded.

    An instantter he unleashed an Ability, a massive ming purple hand erupting from his wrist and crushing Will¡¯s hawk.

    The two summons vied over which one was more potent, with Will¡¯s bird giving a pained screech¡­until Stevie emerged from the floor, grabbed the merc¡¯s ankles and yanked them out from under him.

    A tried-and-true maneuver.

    Will leapt past the merc, busting through the encirclement and putting all his enemies solidly behind him, while his bird escaped the Ability and flew up into the sun, masking his next attack.

    A heartbeatter, Will jumped over an alley, spotting Ria shaking down the Ear Collector in the small hours after the bakery closed¡­as was her current tradition.

    Will ran a brief cost-benefit analysis. And decided that it was worth the risk. The Wyrd familiy was unlikely to be watching this bout, and if they were¡­they would only see it for what it was¡­

    Scraping off pursuit on a hapless guardswoman.

    Will juked left hard as soon as he passed over to the next roof, pping an Ability out of the hand of a mercenary before he shoulder checked him out of the way, fire spreading across his neck and torso as the wounds tore slightly.

    Will jumped down into the crowded streets, weaving through the locals, who did an admirable job of moving out of the way, given that everyone was at least level 20.

    He reached the alleyway where Ear Collector was doubled over with his arm twisted behind his back.

    ¡°Two freebies!¡± Will offered to perform two smugglings for free in exchange for the Ear Collector¡¯s help with the current situation.

    Will could see the Ear Collector process that in an instant, his slight smirk and head-shake giving away that he knew Will didn¡¯t have a strong spot to negotiate from at the current moment, but they didn¡¯t have all the time in the world to haggle.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± Ear Collector said as Will sprinted towards him.

    ¡°Gonna wanna leggo ¡®fore they get here, sweetheart.¡± Ear Collector said.

    Ria¡¯s eyes widened as they focused on the mob behind Will.

    ¡°WILL, WHAT DID YOU DO!?¡± she demanded, shoving the Ear Collector aside and grabbing her halberd.

    <strong><em>¡°And William Oh has recruited outside help in the form of local crime kingpin, the Ear collector, and the new recruit Guardswoman, Ria! Let¡¯s see how they do!¡±</em></strong> The announcer said from her perch above the alley.

    ¡°Use bludgeoning.¡± Will said, finally drawing his tomahawk as he felt the blood from his wounds crawl down his side, wet and sticky.

    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Ear Collector said, bashing his fists together, an Ability passing through the loop of ears around his neck, causing them to glow with power.

    ¡°What is going on!?¡± Ria demanded.

    This was going to be a very risky move, but it could swing the entire fight.

    <strong><em>Switching Slotted relic from Wand of the Undead Retainer to Sickle of Cold Harvest.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+5 Focus</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+ 8 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>5% life drain</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Applies Hoarfrost debuff to those damaged by the user, 14 seconds.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>(Hoarfrost: the victim¡¯s attack and movement are slowed up to 87% as crystals grow on their joints. The sharp crystals boost bludgeoning damage against the victim but interfere with shing and fire damage.)</em></strong>

    Will¡¯s hair raised on his neck at the visceral <em>popping</em> sensation of switching from one finger on his Phantom Hand to another, causing the third finger to cken and radiate a dim phantom pain as he switched to the second.

    ¡°AAAH!¡± the mercs screamed as they charged, eyes red. <em>They must be affected by some kind of berserk buff, because normally they wouldn¡¯t carelessly charge a guardsman after losing two thirds of their number.</em>

    Using the move he¡¯d learned from the battle with the Wyrd mercs, Will threw his tomahawk up above the heads of the charging enemies, catching it with Phantom Hand and triggering its psychic AOE.

    <strong><em>49 Charge remaining.</em></strong>

    Will¡¯s maximum capacity of Charge had dropped from 62 to 50 after switching Relics.

    The vast majority of the charging mercs were suddenly sheathed in hoarfrost that slowed their movements to nearly nothing, causing them to begin tumbling, unable to move fast enough to sustain their momentum.

    Will felt a flood of healing suffuse his body, the wounds on his torso and neck sealing in an instant into crude scars that looked welded shut. A decent amount of the damage was still there, but they were a lot better and wouldn¡¯t get any worse, either.

    Ear Collector stepped forward and smashed one of the tumbling mercs with a fist, another with an elbow, delivering devastating damage due to the interaction between Hoarfrost and bludgeoning damage.

    The cursemage turned the corner and lifted his hand.

    Will ducked behind Ria.

    ¡°Hey what are you-¡°

    Ria froze in ce.

    One of the few mercenaries who escaped the AOE charged forward, swinging a handaxe down at Will.

    Will maneuvered his shield into the way, the axe making a dull <em>thunk </em>sound as it refused to dig into her shoulder any further than a papercut might.

    The merc gasped in pain as the Phantom Hand drove Will¡¯s tomahawk into his back. An instantter he was sheathed heat-to-toe in hoarfrost, and Will¡¯s gloved fist shattered his jaw.

    Literally.

    Thankfully the man¡¯s skin held everything together so a healer could piece the bone back together, and Will enjoyed the sensation of ache from his wounds fading away as Lifesteal caught up.

    ¡°-DOING!?¡± Ria shouted, shoving Will away from her.

    ¡°OOOF!¡±

    The wind was driven out of Will¡¯s lungs as he impacted the wall with enough force to send cracks through the stonework.

    <em>And there goes the wound again,</em> Will thought as the one on his torso red with pain.

    <em>That was only two seconds. Is she stronger at resisting it than me or is my opponent weakening, or did he just pull the ability so it wasn¡¯t wasted on her?</em>

    <em></em>Will¡¯s body froze, followed by Ria and Ear Collector.

    <em>Crap.</em>

    1¡­

    Ear Collector shouted, one of the ears on his grisly ne crumbling into ash as he shrugged off the debuff, whipping out a hooked knife that was obviously meant to remove ears from unwilling victims as he charged the Cursemage.

    The cursemage formed a little red ball and shot it outside the alley, sticking it on one of the curious onlookers.

    2¡­

    Ear Collector¡¯s feet shifted and he charged the hapless spectator, who squawked and began sprinting away, frantically trying to rid himself of the sticky Ability, Ear collector bellowing like a madman as he chased.

    Ria unfroze and charged forward, wielding her halberd.

    ¡°Stop right-¡°

    3¡­

    Will tensed up, getting ready to move.

    The cursemage spun another orb of red magic, shooting Ear Collector in the back with it.

    Ria swerved and charged after Ear collector, who in turn chased the hapless civilian, who was running like he¡¯d never run before.

    4¡­

    The slow didn¡¯t let up.

    The cursemage whipped up a hand and Will felt the slow effect lock into ce. He nced up at Will¡¯s floating axe, slowly returning to him. Will could see him measuring the AOE and speed, determining if he could beat it back to Will.

    He could.

    His enemy pulled out a de with his left hand and rushed for Will¡¯s chest, his right hand still held up, locking the slow effect in ce by bleeding Charge.

    5¡­

    Will waited until thest second. The range on this Ability was fairly short.

    <strong><em>49->44 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    Will sent five Charges through his expensive boots.

    <strong><em>Lightning Pulse. </em></strong>

    A web of lightning spread out from Will¡¯s feet,tching onto the sprinting cursemage and causing his muscles to tighten up.

    His opponent dove forward, his rigidly held, poorly aimed dagger sliding off Will¡¯s sternum.

    The slow effect expired as the cursemage¡¯s paralyzed hand pointed towards the ground, the curse-sustaining ability losing connection with him.

    Willunched himself forward, catching his opponent¡¯s face with an elbow an instant before his tomahawk swept down at wind-rending speed and caught Josh in the side, shattering his ribcage and burying the de in his organs, the sheer force the Phantom Hand delivered lifting him up and mming him into the stone wall.

    Will caught the axe as his Phantom Hand delivered it back to him, raising it to finish his enemy off.

    In the blink of an eye, his opponent was covered by a priestess holding a hand to the cursemage¡¯s wound, glowing with divine light.

    Will pulled the axe an instant before it struck the priestess in the back. He didn¡¯t need trouble with <em>another </em>church.

    <strong>¡°The priestess of Holdna has called the match, and the winner is William Oh by lethal maiming! A fric match, and certainly more enjoyable than his first showing.¡± </strong>The announcer said. Who she was performing for, Will had no idea.

    There was some scattered apuse from the street outside.

    ¡°How do you have-¡° The cursemage rasped, coughing out a lungful of blood as his torso sewed itself back together under the priestess¡¯s hand. ¡°So many Abilities?¡±

    ¡°Money.¡± Will replied with a shrug.

 Chapter 73: Round Three

    There was <em>one</em> upside to fighting two matches in one day:

    Will didn¡¯t have to do anything but rest the next day. He vaguely suspected a setup, but when they marched him and the debuffer out onto the stage, Will¡¯s opponent forfeited without a fuss.

    Sure, people weren¡¯t happy about two let-down matches in a row, but again¡­he wasn¡¯t there to entertain people. Plus, breezing through his matches without revealing his limits to the otherpetitors was ideal. Even if they did give him looks.

    The day off gave him plenty of time and energy to study his potential opponents.

    Will¡¯s Round Three opponent was going toe down to the javelindy or the wiry shirtless dude without an ounce of fat on him wearing the oversized ne Relic.

    <strong><em>¡°In the West corner, we have Chronos Lunn, the level 25 Metallic Sage from the West Ring!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>In the East corner, we have Karryn Amos, the level 25 Javelineer from the South Ring!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Fighters, BEGIN!¡±</em></strong>

    When the fight started, the wiry guy instantly took on a metallic sheen, rushing forward.Three javelins flew out and bounced off the wiry monk¡¯s metallic forearms before he reached his target, aiming for a punch with his whole body weight behind it.

    The javelineer choked up on a javelin, epting the punch while stabbing down with the steel tip. The arena cracked under the Metallic Sage¡¯s feet as he blocked the stab with one hand while punching with the other, tucking his arm around his head like a shield.

    Karryn staggered back, looking none the worse for wear after the punch, aside from a bruise on her ribs.

    Her arm flickered and another three javelins filled the air between the two of them, aiming for the Metalllic Sage¡¯s midsection.

    The metallic monk shrugged off the attacks and bulled forward again. The javelineer choked up on the tip of her weapon again, but instead of trading blow for blow she gracefully slid backwards, whipping the haft of the javelin up towards his ear while his fist missed her ribs by over a foot¡­

    Then the Metallic Sage slid forward another couple feet, as if an invisible giant had nudged him forward, his fist hitting the same spot while Karryn¡¯s wrist caught the side of his head rather than the haft of her weapon.

    <em>That¡¯s a Mobility Ability. I wonder how it works,</em> Will wondered as the Javelineer staggered back again, her eyes narrowed.

    Chronos pursued the advantage, using his Mobility Ability freely now that it¡¯d been revealed, mixing in unnatural slides, hups and elerations that seemed toe from nowhere.

    <em>I wonder if that¡¯s what it¡¯s like to fight me,</em> Will thought. It could be good practice for him to fight someone equally mobile.

    Interestingly enough, the javelineer abandoned offense and put her full effort into her mobility, moving just as fast as the metallic sage, albeit without the unnatural changes in momentum.

    The Sage finally caught up and unleashed a devastating kick on the javelineer¡¯s thigh, causing her to drop to her knees.

    He followed up with a kick aimed at her head, but she rolled out of the way and managed to get back to her feet before the metallic sage recovered.

    She continued to lead him around the arena, but her mobility suffered a bit, and before long, the sage caught her with another kick to the thigh, sending the javelineer back to the ground.

    Will winced as the sage followed up with the exact same kick to the head as before.

    <em>He¡¯s kind of predictable, isn¡¯t he? </em>Karryn had noticed it before Will, and the javelineer fully intended to take advantage of the monk¡¯scency.

    Instead of rolling out of the way again, she lunged up, caught the leg under her arm and punched him in the knee with every ounce of muscle she could bring to bear.

    Which was a lot.

    The sage¡¯s leg popped backwards with a <strong><em>snap</em></strong>the entire arena could hear. <em>Yeah, metallic skin don¡¯t help with that.</em>

    The Metallic Sage screamed, sliding backwards, his body wobbling left and right, up and down as though it was a bobber suspended in water, now entirely supported by his Ability.

    He could fly, or close to it, but missing a leg would definitely make things harder.

    Chronosnded on his good leg and stayed bnced despite the sudden trauma, his face revealing the depth of pain he was feeling.

    The javelineer grunted with pain as she used her javelin like a cane, forcing her battered legs to take her weight.

    She had bruised ribs and wobbly legs while her opponent could still fly.

    <em>Doesn¡¯t he win?</em> Will wondered.

    Apparently not.

    Without the use of both legs, the monk was no longer able to produce a blow with enough force to endanger the blonde woman. He tried hit and run tactics, but Will could see the way his flight Ability wasn¡¯t providing the same rotation power that nting his feet could manage, so she warded off the blows with a single arm, able to continue throwing her javelin, wearing him down every time he withdrew.

    A couple minutes into this fast-paced fight, the Metallic Sage¡¯s shiny body began to dull, then it began glowing a dim pink. Finally, he raised his hand and surrendered, his body dripping hissing blood from multiple minor perforations.

    <strong>¡°And Karryn Amos wins by surrender! That was an entertaining match folks! And now Chronos is requesting a bucket of water!¡±</strong>

    The Metallic Sage dumped the water bucket over himself, sighing in relief as a cloud of steam exploded out from him.

    The two of them got healed and went back into thepetitors waiting area, chatting amiably.

    ¡°<em>You¡¯re</em> my next round?¡± She asked, her attention turning to Will as they passed by, eyes scraping down his smaller body. She was a head taller than him and easily a hundred pounds heavier.

    ¡°I¡¯m yourst.¡± Will replied.

    The javelineer gave a scoff as she continued walking.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <em>Now toe up with a way not to get perforated. Her body stats are really high. Strength, Resistance and Kinesthetics all seem high. Acuity is probably decent so she can see her targets. That means her weakness is probably simr to a Tangled¡­albeit probably not that extreme.</em>

    <em>Not to mention she would ount for it in her Build.</em>

    Will <em>still </em>didn¡¯t know what her Primary Abilities were, since she¡¯d brute forced both of her matches.

    If he came in close she would beat him to death.

    If he stayed at a distance she would pincushion him.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    She didn¡¯t have a bunch of tricks, like Will¡­because she didn¡¯t need them.

    <em>Rough guess, her Strength is somewhere around 100, not counting Relics. That¡¯s what a hypothetical 4 strength growth would get her by level 25, anyway.</em>

    By Will¡¯s reckoning, she¡¯d won all of her matches without leaning on her Relics, so even if he stole them mid-fight, it would only lower her effectiveness by a slim margin.

    <em>On the other hand, there¡¯s a very good chance that her Relics are there to make her Ability go from being a powerful attack to being aplete blowout. An ace in the hole when raw muscle and speed can¡¯t cut it.</em>

    <em>To summarize, I have to figure out a way to beat the level of performance I¡¯ve seen so far </em>and <em>steal her Relics.</em>

    If he¡¯d seen her Abilities, he might not have to go all out, but since she¡¯d kept them hidden, Will was forced to go to extremes¡­Without killing her, anyway.

    <em>Can Healing abilities piece heads back together?</em>

    Will had bounced between a couple different ideas.

    First idea was to tug her off the arena with the Manhunter ring.

    If it seeded, then great, he could quickly and nonlethally end the fight.

    But, what if, during her fall off the arena, she triggered her heretofore unused Ability and cut him in half before hitting the dirt?

    Will would lose. And probably die.

    Second idea. What if he stalled and removed her Relics before knocking her off the ring?

    Stall how? Will wasn¡¯t confident he could face up to that barrage of steel. He could see it, maybe even dodge it for a while, but not forever. Will¡¯s resistance was unusually high, but he suspected that would simply prevent him from exploding.

    Third idea:

    Use the phantom hand to release a cannonball the size of her head, travelling at hundreds of miles an hour¡­right at the back of her skull.

    Would it work?

    Even if her Resistance was 125, that was simply six times the structural integrity of a normal skull. Will was fairly sure a cannonball at those speeds could plow through six skulls without losing much velocity.

    At the very least it would brain her.

    The downside...Will wasn¡¯t in a rush to start killing people whose only crime had been to get in the ring with him.

    <em>Even if they did give me a mean look.</em>

    <em>¡­I should talk to the priests.</em>

    They were lingering around the fighter¡¯s waiting area, making sure nobody sprained a muscle or had an untreated ulcer before their match.

    The Granesh priests universally pointedly ignored him, which Will found amusing, because it gave away how much attention they were paying to him. They were probably drooling at the mouth to dere him an unfortunate casualty.

    The clergy of Melisk included a single louse-ridden beggar dispensing healing with wild eyes.

    The clergy of Andover had gold-lined robes and business cards. They weren¡¯t allowed to charge the contestants for healing: That¡¯d already been paid for, but they <em>did</em> treat this as an opportunity to advertise their services.

    The clergy of Holdna had arger number of priestesses. Their uniform¡­wasn¡¯t much of one, mostly whatever the priest foundfortable, but they all wore a stylized symbol of an eye surrounded by a circle.

    Of those present, they seemed the least likely to shiv him or sell him a ve.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Will said, approaching the white-haired priestess, whose wrinkled face broke into a genuine smile when Will approached.

    ¡°Holdna sees you, young man. How can I help? Do you have an injury or concern?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell any other contestant what I¡¯m about to say, can you?¡±

    ¡°The healers attending the tournament are paid well for their discretion. I will not divulge it to anyone.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, um, if I were to say¡­¡± Will lowered his voice. ¡°...explode the other person¡¯s head, could you bring them back if you got to them fast enough?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The priestess said. ¡°In theory, there is very short second or two where the soul would not have moved on yet wherein such a thing would be possible, but it is beyond the power of any mortal presently alive to rpose a <em>head</em> within that time span.¡±

    ¡°Oh, damn,¡± Will muttered, going back to the drawing board.

    ¡°Holdna does not wish for you to fight at anything less than your best.¡± She mused. ¡°Listen, there is a healing Ability that can be cast in advance that could preserve your opponent¡¯s soul and body long enough to bring them back from an injury of that nature. I can cast it, but I have one condition.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the condition?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°You must swear to Holdna that you do not have the means or intent to use the passive healing buff against its bearer.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s an easy one.</em>

    ¡°I swear to Holdna that I don¡¯t have the means or intent to use the passive healing buff against it¡¯s bearer.¡± Will said. It made sense. Could swing the match if he had an ability that could twist buffs into debuffs or raise his stats based on how powerful the enemy¡¯s buffs were or something of that nature.

    As soon as he finished speaking, it felt as through the whole world had grown eyes and was watching him. Like he was being watched from every possible direction.

    ¡°Holdna sees you.¡± The priestess said, and Will believed her. ¡°I will apply the protection to your opponent. Fight with everything you have. The goddess expects nothing less than victory from you.¡±

    ¡°Me, specifically?¡± Will asked, cocking his head.

    The old woman didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°Holdna encourages <em>all</em> Climbers to seek victory over The Tower for the benefit of all.¡±

    ¡°Does she now?¡± Will asked eyes narrowed at the priestess¡¯s serene smile as she fed him a half-truth.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    It seemed like there was more to this little slip of the tongue, but Will wouldn¡¯t get anywhere by pestering the old woman. He could already tell she was going to deny or misdirect any follow-up questions.

    With that, Will¡¯s concerns about going overboard and killing his opponent were put to rest.

    <em>What if it¡¯s not enough?</em>

    Will¡¯s current strength was 26. With the ring of uracy, it was 46. With a potion of Fury, he would have 56. That put him solidly at about¡­half of his opponent¡¯s expected Strength. Simr Resistance and better Kinesthetics.

    <em>Her focus has to be terrible. Sadly mind-effecting Relics are few and far between.</em>

    Will nced down at his serpent¡¯s axe.

    <em>Could my backup n be to turtle up behind a shield and wait while the psychic damage whittles her down?</em>

    In Will¡¯s imagination, blocking his own view and putting Karryn on a clock would prompt her to use her Ability and the chances were good it would put a hole through his n, his shield, and his body.

    <em>I still have two smoke bombs left, the bottle of lightning, the y idol, the crawling tar¡­.</em>

    <em>What if¡­</em>

    In Will¡¯s imagination, the cannonball bounced off the back of the javelineer¡¯s head due to a shielding Relic or toughness above and beyond his expectations. She then begins filling the air with javelins.

    <em>Ooh¡­I should get a shielding relic in the hand, not just a shield. Noted.</em>

    Once she begins throwing, Will dodges, fills the arena with smoke.

    When the smoke clears¡­giant snake.

    <em>How big is it on the 5th floor, anyway? </em>The snake¡¯s power was scaled down based on the ambient Miasma avable when its body was created. Outside The Tower it was five feet long. Inside¡­?

    <em>Giant snake acts as damage sponge while I steal her Relics.</em>

    <em>Once relics are stolen, me and giant snake try to deal lethal damage or shove her off the ring. Whichever is easier.</em>

    <em>If snake is defeated while relics are being stolen?</em>

    <em>Potion of Fury plus Aetherhawk to the face and paralysis from boots?</em>

    <em>Actually, let¡¯s go back and add aetherhawk to the face to the n from the beginning. There¡¯s no reason I shouldn¡¯t put it to use splitting her attention, given that I have permanent ess to it.</em>

    <em>So the n¡¯s order of operations is¡­Cannonball to the back of the head, aetherhawk to face, smoke grenade, snake summon, steal relics, shove/stab/psychic AOE as the situation calls for.</em>

    <em>Which Relic should I use in the Phantom Hand?</em>

    A huge portion of Karryn¡¯s intimidation was how fast she could move and throw those damned javelins. He might as well keep the Hoarfrost effect ready to go.

    If he could drop her speed by 87%, that would make things <em>much</em> easier.

    Of course, Will couldn¡¯t guarantee it would work. Not without knowing if her Relics were offensive or defensive. There was a chance she wore Relics that protected against status effects so she didn¡¯t have to worry about stuff like that and just keep pincushioning people.

    <em>If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll switch to the Ring of uracy and lean on the Strength boost.</em>

    It was hard to go wrong with more Strength.

    <em> ¡­I need to go buy a potion of Fury.</em>

    His previous one was still baking in the keg full of Relic dust in his room, absorbing thetent magic.

    <em>¡­and a cannonball.</em>

    Will left the arena and spent the rest of the night acquiring the appropriate supplies.

    By the time his match rolled around, Will was a nervous wreck. The Baron had sent a pretty clear ¡®stop cheating¡¯ message with his second opponent, so Will had decided to stop before he wound up getting shot through the eye by a javelin while eating breakfast.

    Not being able to <em>do</em> anything other than prepare made him nervous, though. <em>Or¡­not nervous. Frustrated?</em>

    Once the time came around, Will strode out into the arena, his expression hidden by the mask. His body though, that was trembling like crazy.

    Will wasn¡¯t sure what it was. He hadn¡¯t been nervous against his other opponents. He wasn¡¯t even really nervous <em>now.</em> It was the same trembling one might have after drawing a bowstring back to their cheek.

    Anxious anticipation of a sudden, swift flight that ended in violence.

    Honestly, Will would feel <em>better </em>once the announcer said ¡®begin!¡¯ and he could actually <em>do</em> something.

    ¡°I look forward to seeing what kind of petty tricks you¡¯ve got up your sleeve.¡± The javelineer said, pointing the haft of her weapon at him. ¡°Wait. Are you <em>shaking</em>? Scared you finally have to actually fight-¡±

    <strong>¡°Fighters, BEGIN!¡±</strong>

    Will tensed, ready to go down his list of tactics one at a time, elerating the Phantom Hand to nearly it¡¯s max speed directly behind his opponent.

    <em>First, shoot the cannonball-</em>

    Karryn¡¯s head exploded into a fine pink mist.

    Panicking, Will grabbed the cannonball out of midair before it hit him. Like a magic trick, no one actually saw it before it disappeared again.

    <strong><em>Dimensional Storage</em></strong>

    <strong><em>49 Charge remaining.</em></strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    The arena was silent as Karryn¡¯s headless body froze, suspended in midair by the power of the protective Ability as the entire cohort of Holdna priestesses rushed to reassemble her face.

    The silence stretched out second by agonizing second as the thousands of spectators struggled to process what they¡¯d just seen.

    <strong>¡°And the Winner is¡­William Oh.¡±</strong> The announcer finally found her voice.

    Will turned and left.

 Chapter 74: Teaching Caution

    <em>It¡¯s said that Lumesh finally found William Oh one of those nights of searching for his missing jaw. He possessed one of William¡¯s servants, a ck dragon, prince among his kind, aiming for revenge against William Oh.</em>

    <em>The god of Death leveraged his power to dominate the will of the dragon, which resisted with its ancient raw will. Through the conflict, the lines began to blur, the two fused to be something¡­more.</em>

    <em>That¡¯s why Loth the Luminary is often associated with the God of the Underworld.</em>

    <em>Because going up against William Oh¡¯s second inmand is the </em>second<em> quickest way to find yourself meeting Lumesh.</em><ul><li>Jason Szar</li></ul>

    ¡°That, my friends¡­is Lord material right there.¡± Baron Akul said to his guests as the youngling walked off the stage. It was a difference of night and day. Lord don¡¯t have dramatic, entertaining matches where either side might lose. They crush their enemies, and oftentimes do so in a way that the enemy never even saw iting.

    ¡°You sure I can¡¯t have him as a Vassal?¡± Rotwitch asked. ¡°I need servants with high Resistance.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t <em>get</em> any new Vassals until you learn to keep your hands off of them.¡± Bakton said, his scarred arms crossed and scowling.

    The other Lords nodded in agreement.

    ¡°You guys suck.¡± Rotwitch pouted, her metal chair rapidly tarnishing beneath her.¡°Remember, gentlemendy,¡± Akul said, ncing at Rotwitch. ¡°We¡¯ve all agreed that he is not to be made a Vassal if he wins the tournament. If he does lose the tournament, you have all agreed to abide by the rules of the auction. If you wish to operate in my city, you must keep your word.¡±

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, I am already eager to bid on him, but I was told the boy could steal Relics. So far, I¡¯ve seen none of that.¡± Ghoul said, frowning.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t had to use it yet.¡± Marksman said with a shrug, his eyes glowing as he studied the young man. Akul was sure he had some means to peek into another person¡¯s Status.

    ¡°Next up is my grandson,¡± Akul said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°I¡¯m hoping he can make Wiliam Oh demonstrate more of his Abilities and create a better showcase for bidding¡­if William loses, of course. I asked the boy to make a show of it.¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡± Bakton asked.

    ¡°Both of them,¡± Akul said with a shrug.

    ***William Oh***

    ¡°Damn, dude, what was that?¡± June asked, her jaw hanging ck as she peered behind him at the arena, which was crawling with priests of Holdna.

    Will removed the cannonball from his Dimensional storage and tossed it to her. It was a solid iron sphere about the size of two fists clenched together.

    It weighed around twenty pounds, and it had been moving at about¡­five hundred miles per hour. Give or take. Will was surprised it was that fast, but it was just his superhuman Acuity and Kinesthetics ying tricks on him, making him think it was closer to one hundred and still within the realm of something that could be <em>seen</em>.

    The speed had been steadily going up along with his ability to <em>perceive</em> its speed, so that was understandable.

    <em>That wasn¡¯t even the fastest it could go. I slowed it down just a bit so I could catch it again.</em>

    Will had honestly been expecting his opponent to have enough Resistance that their skull resisted the strike enough that the force carried through the rest of their body, sending them tumbling and brain-damaged, but alive.

    Apparently not.

    Will sat a moment and simply took in the difference between himself at level four, when he desperately fought the Kaith to survive, and his current level of ability.

    Even though he wasn¡¯t a traditional Warrior archetype, Will had realized that he could probably tear through the monsters of the first three floors like tissue paper. That was how far he¡¯de.

    It was just hard to see your progress when everything else around you got stronger too.

    Will took the cannonball back from June and stared at it, turning the sphere in his hand.

    <em>Could I take out a kaiju with one of these?</em>

    Of course, if he lost his Rogue Ability boosting equipment, he would lose about 40% of the Phantom Hand¡¯s current speed and storage capacity. Nearly half. But still¡­

    <em>20lb cannonball at 300 miles an hour ain¡¯t that bad either, but Karryn might¡¯ve survived if I didn¡¯t have the Rogue</em>-<em>boosting gear.</em>

    There was a ratherrge dent in the solid iron sphere that hadn¡¯t been there before, so she might¡¯ve resisted a slower speed.

    The sheer force shattering her Resistance was the result of focusing his Build on exploiting the Phantom Hand.

    Will <em>still </em>couldn¡¯t spread death and destruction en masse quite like a Nuker, but one-on-one? Will¡¯s enemy was <em>doomed.</em>

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    <em>Eventually my opponents will treat solid steel like soap bubbles, and I will be limited not by the force I can deliver, but the avability of materials that can pierce their Resistance. We¡¯ll see what happens when we get there.</em>

    Will put the cannonball back in his Dimensional Storage and walked through the waiting area, looking for Loth.

    The otherpetitors parted around him, maintaining their distance and staring at him.

    <em>Is there something on my face?</em> Will wondered, wiping off his mask anding away with a bit of Javelineer.

    <em>Ah.</em>

    Will ignored the hushed whispered and the distancing until he arrived at Loth.

    ¡°Thank you for doing this,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Happy to help,¡± Loth said. ¡°As long as I get that Auction ticket from you. I¡¯ve been studying the Itinerary and there are some <em>fantastic</em> Sacrifices and Relics there that our Party would benefit from.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    <strong>¡°In our next match, we have the grandson of Baron Akul, Nephir Akul, level 25 Potent Detonator, darling of our city and the favorite to win. He has dominated every match thus far with the overwhelming firepower that we havee to associate with the name ¡®Akul¡¯!</strong>

    The crowd cheered while Nephir waved. Lots of high pitches squeals filled the air as he sent a white-toothed grin towards the stands.

    <strong>And his opponent, The level 23 Hive-wielding Saboteur, Loth the Luminary, a member of, and second-inmand in the Party of William Oh. So far she has won all of her matches with hardly any visible effort as her opponents invariably stumble into her devious traps!¡±</strong>

    <em>Never said I¡¯d traumatize the guy personally¡­or all at once.</em>

    Will went up to the stands to get a better view, looking down at Loth and the dark-skinned young man facing each other.

    <strong>¡°Fighters, BEGIN!¡±</strong>

    Nephir rose off the surface of the arena floor as visible shields began to wrap around him like the petals of a rose.

    Most of Loth¡¯s traps triggered on body-weight, so having someone fly above them was likely irritating. If she was bothered, she didn¡¯t show it, sping her wed hands behind her back as she waited patiently.

    ¡°Kobold! I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to withdraw!¡± Nephir said, a ball of fire growing on his fingertips, quickly expanding until it wasrger than he was.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must decline at the moment.¡± Loth said with a slight shake of her head.

    ¡°Very well, if you meet your end here, then it was meant to be!¡± Nephir shouted, throwing the vision-obscuring ball of fire.

    In the moment when the ball of fire was between the two of them, A hole in the arena floor opened up beneath Loth, dropping her out of harm¡¯s way.

    An instantter, wrist-thick bands of spider silkshed out, securing themselves around Nephir¡¯s ankles and whipped him down to the arena floor, which opened up like the mouth of a giant before snapping shut again to engulf him in total darkness.

    Loth climbed back up out of the singed earth, waiting patiently on the corner of the arena as stato explosions rocked the underground, causing bursts of me to jet up out of the spaces between the tiles.

    The entire arena bulged upward violently as Nephir seemed to try to st his way out of the trap and regain altitude, but the floor seemed to be held together by potent webbing and some kind of Earth Ability that Loth¡¯s insects were using, strengthening the stone against the sts.

    <em>Ah, that¡¯s what the Stone Shark sacrifice was for.</em> Giving her insects direct control over stone made her traps much faster and more cohesive.

    This went on for about fifteen seconds, until the waves of insects worked their way through his shields and the screaming started.

    Once this happened, Loth held out a hand, glowing with power, and the screaming turned into shrieking, doubling in panic and volume.

    The spectators couldn¡¯t see it, but Will knew what was happening. She¡¯d hit her opponent with a curse that made a powerful insect chew its way out of him from the inside.

    The sound of the Baron¡¯s grandson screaming echoed through the arena for several minutes, the only sign the young man was still alive, before his voice began to fade as Nephir presumably lost brain function.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The priests of Andover tensed, ready to call the match.

    Loth raised her hand.

    ¡°I concede,¡± she said before walking off the arena floor as the shredded body of Nephir Akul was returned to the surface by a tide of insects, his body giving thosest, just-prior-to-death gasps as the priests of Andover swarmed over him, bringing him back from the brink of death.

    <strong>¡°And Nephir Akul wins¡­through surrender? Moving on to fight¡­oh. oh, crap.¡± </strong>The announcer said, flipping through her notes before ncing off to someone beside her, forgetting to turn off her megaphone. <strong>¡°Are there any <em>other</em> Party members of William Oh in the tournament? Really? Damn¡­¡±</strong>

    The announcer realized her faux pas and quickly turned the magical voice-amplifying Relic off.

    Now, Will had no idea if Baron Akul actually wanted Will to traumatize his grandson to ¡®teach him caution¡¯ or if he just wanted Will to not win so quickly so he could demonstrate more of his Abilities for the Lords waiting to buy him from the Baron¡­

    <em>Possibly both.</em>

    Those potent shields could present a problem to Will¡¯s ability to secure a win, and if Nephir had full Charge, he could probably rain fire down on Will until he was forced to surrender or die.

    So Will had asked Loth to put the fear of death into him and drain all his Charges before their match.

    That way Will still <em>did</em> personally engage with the Baron¡¯s grandson and traumatize him, fulfilling his request to the letter, without risking a loss.

    ***Baron Akul***

    ¡°I think your grandson is in some deep shit,¡± Bakton said, chuckling.

    ¡°¡­How much for the Kobold?¡± Ghoul asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s already in William Oh¡¯s Party, so he has dibs if he wins.¡± Rotwitch said. ¡°But if he loses¡­how much for the set? I¡¯ve got some mutated Rings of Arcane Endurance from the thirteenth Floor that you would <em>not</em> believe.¡±

    Stephan declined toment, still deciding how to feel about his grandson¡¯s maiming. It appeared William Oh was crippling him prior to their match in order to secure a total victory and do as Stephan had requested.

    He¡¯d <em>requested</em> it, so it was difficult to justify anger, but he just hadn¡¯t expected Will to actually <em>do </em>it. Not that one-sidedly anyway.

    <em>Is everyone in William Oh¡¯s Party a Lord in the making, or is it just those two?</em>

    As it turned out, it was just those two, as June Perrier lost her next match, while Mason Lanover won with the Baron¡¯s Build, but only barely, through a close fight.

    Alicia Zodiac won her match handily by flicking pebbles at her opponent which seemed to only hit critical areas that numbed their bodies and made them copse. She <em>could¡¯ve</em> been on the path to bing a Lord like Marksman if she hadn¡¯t died already.

    Reginald Thatcher, the Party¡¯s Tank hadn¡¯t joined the matches, given that his Build was ill-suited for fighting Climbers.

    <em>We shall see how Nephir handles this loss,</em> Stephan decided.<em> It will be an excellent test of his character.</em>

    Either way things went, the Baron intended to profit from it.

    A servant approached from the side, leaning down to whisper in Stephan¡¯s ear.

    ¡°<em>My lord, Fredrick Wyrd has entered the city.¡±</em>

    Stephan¡¯s blood ran cold.

    The alleged engineer behind the ughter of Oilton. Obviously a trial-run for taking the city of Akul.

    <em>He wouldn¡¯t dare start something with five other Lords present¡­Probably.</em>

    ¡°¡­Invite him to the join the festivities.¡± Stephan said. There wasn¡¯t much else to do beside keep him where he could see him. No one but a Lord had any hope at restricting his movements, and any fight they started inside city limits would level a huge portion of it.

    <em>We¡¯ll have to operate on the assumption that he knows the coffin is broken.</em>

    In all likelihood, Frederick was going to try to kill him.

    It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.

    Stephan was used to it by now.

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 Chapter 75: Nothing Personal

    <em>I saw William Oh get mad once. It was just a bit scary.</em><ul><li><em>Tracy Manon, level 35 Announcer</em></li></ul>

    ¡°Frederick, Wee to Akul.¡± Stephan said, offering a hand to Frederick Wyrd. The Thorns-build could probably kill him with a handshake, but Wyrd didn¡¯t know that.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought it was childish to name a Stronghold after yourself.¡± Frederick said, ncing down at Stephan¡¯s hand, but not shaking it.

    ¡°I see you¡¯ve found your own fountain of youth.¡± Stephan said, ignoring the slight. It was expected. He hadn¡¯t failed to notice the gilded rod of bone that Frederick refused to let go of, either.

    ¡°Indeed. You¡¯re going to have to try harder if you want to oust me, old man.¡±

    ¡°Your seat is right here,¡± Stephan said, pointing at his own seat. ¡°The seat of honor for a distinguished guest.¡±

    ¡°How gracious.¡± Frederick muttered, staring at the seat with obvious paranoia before finally sitting down.¡°And Mark, I haven¡¯t seen you in ages!¡± Stephan said, giving Wyrd¡¯s son a great big hug.

    ¡°It¡¯s only been half a year,¡± Mark said, trying to extricate himself from Stephan¡¯s grasp.

    ¡°How¡¯s Amanda?¡± Stephan asked, trying to maintain a straight face. ¡°How¡¯s my daughter?¡±

    Frederick scoffed, and <em>that</em> got under Stephan¡¯s skin, but he muscled it down, focusing his attention on his future son-inw, who was significantly more tolerable.

    ¡°She¡¯s well, sir, I saw her less than a month ago.¡± Mark said.

    ¡°They would be on honeymoon right now if Mark hadn¡¯t botched the emancipation of Oilton.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Stephan said. He was sure ¡®emancipation¡¯ was code for ¡®conquering¡¯. He was also sure his hated enemy would never let his daughter escape, not even at the expense of his own son¡¯s happiness. In fact, he was counting on it.

    The divide between Mark Wyrd and his father was a hair thin crack that a patient artisan could fill with water and let the changing seasons drive the two apart.

    Frederick¡¯s view of his son as ¡®his¡¯ property, would not allow him to see that crack until it was toote.

    ¡°Enough of your chatter. Let¡¯s see this farce you call a tournament,¡± Frederick said, his feet tapping impatiently, ncing up at the other Lords as they filed into the viewing box. ??N??¨§?

    Stephan guided Mark to his seat and sat beside him.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find todays matches exciting. There have been many outstanding Climbers among this year¡¯s contenders.¡±

    ¡°This year¡¯s cattle, you mean.¡± Frederick said, turning his gaze away from the empty arena and towards Stephan. ¡°¡­Or do you not bid on them?¡±

    ¡°The one who wins the bid may make the first <em>offer.</em>¡± Stephan rified. ¡°And the winner is assisted in seeking Lordship.¡±

    Frederick scoffed again.

    In a matter of minutes, the tournament was underway again, the fights more frenzied as thepetitors struggled to reach the quarterfinal bracket, where the prizes began.

    <strong><em></em></strong>Finally, the match Stephan had been waiting for arrived.

    <strong>¡°In our next match, we have the grandson of Baron Akul, Nephir Akul, level 25 Potent Detonator, darling of our city. He has¡­won every match thus far!</strong>

    The crowd cheered, and Nephir waved, but it just didn¡¯t have the same energy as before. The cocky grin didn¡¯t manifest quite as brilliantly, and the squeals of young girls weren¡¯t quite so forting.

    Stephan smiled and rested his chin on his fist. <em>Better he learn humility here than at the hands of someone like Wyrd.</em>

    <strong>And his opponent, The level 24 Resourceful Climber, William Oh! leader of the Party of William Oh. So far he has won all of his matches without doing anything entertaining! Let¡¯s see if his streak of boring continues!¡±</strong>

    At the mention of ¡®William Oh,¡¯ Frederick Wyrd¡¯s knuckles went white around the rod he carried, eyes narrowing.

    ¡°Slippery fish.¡± Wyrd whispered, just loud enough for Stephan¡¯s immense Acuity to pick it up.

    Stephan saved that information forter dissection and turned toward Mark Wyrd.

    ¡°You see, Resourceful Climber is a Rogue Archetype with an enormous amount of tricks-¡°

    ¡°I know.¡± Mark Wyrd interrupted, his lips downturned into a scowl.

    Stephan frowned and nced between Frederick Wyrd and his son.

    Both of them too focused on the match to notice the unusual reaction they each had to ¡®William Oh¡¯.

    <em>¡­Interesting.</em>

    <strong>***Will***</strong>

    ¡°So you¡¯re the William Oh I¡¯ve heard so much about!¡± Nephir Akul said, pointing at Will, levitating above him a bit to add gravitas.

    <em>I wonder how he¡¯s doing that. His shields, perhaps? Maybe they¡¯re carrying him around like my hand does. Interesting application. I¡¯m sure Mason is taking notes, given that they have the same starting point.</em>

    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to prove that the rumors about y-you are unfounded!¡± Nephir nearly choked on his words. He was looking a little anemic, having been healed from a near-corpse only a day ago.

    Even magical healing drains the body¡¯s resources. Nephir was basically suffering the effects of being forced to clean the entire orphanage in a single day. He was young and could probably shake it off, but it couldn¡¯t be good for his performance this fine morning.

    Additionally, the Nuker only had one day¡¯s worth of Charge built up since Loth had tapped him out the day before.

    In short, he was in the worst condition that Will could arrange without ¡®cheating¡¯.

    ¡°I want you to know¡­I don¡¯t actually enjoy doing this.¡± Will said.

    The Baron¡¯s grandson cocked his head.

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    <strong>¡°Fighters, BEGIN!¡±</strong>

    A glow of fire began to glow between Nephir¡¯s fingers.

    Will pped it out of his hand, causing a st of fire to shoot off to the side, dissipating before it reached the audience.

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    Phantom Hand released the cannonball into Nephir¡¯s chest at a small fraction of it¡¯s max speed.

    <em>Gotta figure out what the kid¡¯s shields can do so it¡¯s not over before it begins. </em>Plus, even if he¡¯d been asked to rough him up a bit, an idental death by chunking would probably not ingratiate himself to Baron Akul.

    The Nuker didn¡¯t move as the cannonball hit him, one of the petals of the rose of shield clustered around him crumbling fading away as the cannonball came to a dead stop.

    <em>Oh, so it¡¯s like that,</em> Will thought, retrieving the lump of iron.

    <strong><em>46 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    Nephir reached down and whipped a throwing knife out of a sheath on his waist.

    Will put the Phantom Hand at the end of his wrist action, knocking it aside and causing the throwing knife to go tumbling wildly off-course¡­before turning towards him, it¡¯s trajectory corrected by a Relic of some kind.

    Will took a step forward and the knife whipped past him, trying in vain to turn ande after him again before it ran out of energy and ttered to the ground.

    Nephir tried to st him again, and Will pped it aside again.

    ¡°<strong><em>Something seems to be interfering with Nephir¡¯s hands, but he hasn¡¯t dropped out of the fight yet, and everyone is asking themselves one question: Is William Oh going to finally </em>do something <em>or</em><em>what</em>?¡±</strong>

    Will nced over his shoulder at the announcer, who seemed to be disappointed with hisck of ir.

    <em>Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t actually moved in any of the matches in the arena yet, have I?</em>

    ¡°GAH!¡±

    Nephir reached forward, a diffuse wave of Charge flowing past Phantom Hand before resolving into a glowing bead of fire above and behind Will.

    Phantom hand, being able to travel at seven hundred miles an hour, whipped up and pped it upwards before it even started moving towards him.

    When Will nced back down, a shield-infused chakram was spinning through the air, most of the way to him, the pale blue of the shield seemingly crystalized around the weapon.

    <em>Oh, interesting. He can use the shields as an alternate form of attack and defense when he runs out of regr Charge.</em>

    Stevie emerged from the floor of the arena and grabbed the chakram by its inner ring in passing, whipping it back at Nephil before disappearing again.

    The Chakram was stopped by the shields, where the shield petal unfolded from the chakram and re-attached itself to Nephir, unspent.

    <em>Oh, that¡¯s interesting,</em> Will thought.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Nephir growled.

    A me appeared in both hands, and Will directed the Phantom Hand to p them out of Nephir¡¯s hands.

    The shield flower seemed to tilt forward, the petals stretching out and covering Nephir¡¯s hands inyer afteryer of protection.

    Phantom Hand was rebuffed by theyers of shielding, something Will didn¡¯t even know was possible.

    Will¡¯s eyes widened, preparing to dodge, but then something strange happened.

    Rather than the congrations shooting forward and exploding on him, they stayed in one ce and the shield petals wrapped around the Congrations in Nephir¡¯s hand and crystalized into pale blue crescent des with white hot cores of pure fire in their center, radiating destruction.

    They began to spin of their own ord, controlled by Nephir.

    <em>Really interesting.</em> In Will¡¯s imagination, Mason was furiously writing down new ideas for how to leverage his shields offensively once they matured.

    ¡°Mental constructs are rare indeed, but I can do that too.¡° Nephir said, the white-shot des of force beginning to bob and spin around him, vibrating the air with their speed.

    <strong>¡°What¡¯s this? Nephir has pulled out his ultimate technique, the Waning Moon! He¡¯s used this technique to literally butcher a kaiju! Nothing can resist it¡¯s power! William Oh will <em>have </em>to do something now!¡±</strong>

    ¡°Prepare yourself for-¡±

    <em>A cannonball moving at seven hundred miles an hour.</em>

    Will shot his cannonball into Nephir¡¯s chest. Again, the cannonball came to aplete stop, but this time, a dozen or so shield petals crumbled away to nothing, thinning out Nephir¡¯s protection drastically.

    Before his opponent could blink, Will grabbed the cannonball and did it again.

    <strong><em>46-44 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>¡°I think I saw something. Was that a cannonball? No, I¡¯m pretty sure it </em>was<em>.¡±</em></strong>

    With a single gesture from their owner, the two spinning crescent des spun down towards Will, humming in the air as they seemed to form a full moon as they spun faster than the eye could see.

    <em>I¡¯m fairly certain that Reggie and Billy-bob aren¡¯t going to catch those.</em>

    For the first time in the entire tournament, William Oh was forced to do something.

    Will switched from the Wand of the Undead Retainer to the Stormfists, the finger housing the wand giving off a painful popping sensation before darkening, as if he¡¯d popped the knuckle and it had suffered necrosis in seconds.

    The world seemed to slow down around him as his movement and attack speed were both boosted by about 26%, in addition to the eight points to every physical stat.

    Will slipped out of the way of the approaching des, the arena itself cupping his heels as he elerated at zing speeds.

    <strong><em>¡°And someone has made William Oh move! Freakin¡¯ finally!¡±</em></strong>

    Will drew his axe and tossed it up into the air at Nephir, while his hand unleashed another cannonball.

    Thest of Nephir¡¯s shield expired the instant before the axe reached him, and the wide-eyed Nuker dodged, mostly through sheer luck, as his shields no longer supported him, dropping him out of the air and causing the tomahawk to spin over his head.

    Will heard the humming buzz of Nephir¡¯s shield-des approaching behind him and dropped to the ground, rolling toward them to avoid their homing.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <strong>¡°And Nephir tries for a-¡°</strong>

    <em>I wonder if he¡¯s using the ring of uracy to help guide these things without his full attention.</em>

    That seemed like what it might¡¯ve been for, since Nephir didn¡¯t exactly specialize in ranged weapons. Wasting a whole Relic slot for a chakram and some throwing knives made no sense, but using it to make his best technique do a bit of it¡¯s own work without conscious effort was definitely worth it.

    The des dipped toward him and missed him by a fraction of an inch, burying themselves deep into the arena, disappearing into the white-hot wounds they carved into the stone.

    Will was pretty sure they wereing back.

    Will caught his axe with Phantom Hand and triggered the AOE thrice in rapid session.

    <strong><em>44-41 Charges Remaining.</em></strong>

    The three psychic pulses were essentially ignored by Nephir, given that the Nuker had a strong Focus, but the Stormfists triggered on the second strike, causing a bolt of lightning to shoot down from the Serpent¡¯s Tomahawk and catch Nephir directly in the back.

    <strong>¡°And William Oh responds with a feint and st of lightning from his axe!¡±</strong>

    Normally, Stormfists only added a ¡®low¡¯ amount of lightning damage, but this was nearly tripled by the Phantom Hand, making it much more potent. Enough to be considered an attack in it¡¯s own right.

    ¡°GAH!¡± Nephir shouted as his lungs began to contract against his will, the lightning knocking him forward with physical force.

    Will skipped to the side as his mental timer went off.

    An instantter, the white-hot crescents shot out of the arena floor, crossing past each other right where he had been standing.

    The crescent moons spun up and up¡­bisecting the Serpent¡¯s Tomahawk where it was held by Phantom Hand.

    <strong>¡°And Nephir responds by disarming William Oh, targeting his axe in the fraction of a second Will spent dodging the Waning Moon.¡±</strong>

    Will stared as his <em>favorite</em> Relic, the first he¡¯d ever gotten, that he¡¯d <em>risked</em> his <em>LIFE</em> to acquire, that represented his journey as a Climber¡­copsed into a pile of Relic Dust and sprinkled down over the battle-torn arena.

    While Will was processing his grief, Nephir took the opportunity to shake off the paralysis and climb to his feet.

    ¡°I knew if you expected me to only attack you, I would get an opportunity to disarm you.¡± Nephir said, pushing himself to his feet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how much of your Build I just destroyed,¡± he said, adopting a cocky fighting stance.

    Will looked at him.

    <strong>¡°¡­Uh oh.¡±</strong>

    ¡°Congrattions, you¡¯ve outyed me!¡± Will said, cocking his head as he smiled/snarled at his opponent. ¡°Here¡¯s your prize!¡±

    Will charged forward, watching the crescent des gather in front of Nephir to block his approach.

    Phantom Hand grabbed Nephir by the hair and yanked the Nuker with neck-breaking force directly into his own summoned des.

    Nephir moved the des away from himself, but not before suffering burns on his arms, throwing off his reaction time from the pain.

    Now that the des were cleared, Phantom hand elerated Nephir even further forward, causing the Nuker to reluctantly skid forward across the arena at a small fraction of the Hand¡¯s max speed.

    Bringing his face to Will¡¯s clenched fist at about eighty miles an hour.

    As Nephir screamed forward, All Will had to do was lean into the punch, feeling a satisfying <em>crack</em>ing from his opponent¡¯s face.

    The Nuker went tumbling upside-down past him, his momentum carrying towards a ring-out.

    Phantom Hand caught Nephir by his belt and saved him from a ring out before mming him back down into the stone of the arena.

    Phantom Hand proceeded to steal Nephir¡¯s Relics.

    They were incredibly difficult to steal, writhing against Dimensional Storage like living things as he tried to sever their connection and store them without their owner¡¯s permission.

    <em>Is it based on the victim¡¯s Focus¡­Or all mental stats</em>?

    Still, writhe as they might, Will¡¯s Rogue Archetype Abilities were heavily boosted, and his Acuity, which the Ability scaled with, was exceptional. He overwhelmed the squirming connection between Nephir and his Relics, securing both rings, amulet, and headband.

    The zing crescent moons above them exploded into pretty shards of miasma as the shields were no longer able to contain the Congration.

    ¡°Wai-¡° Nephir coughed before Will got on top and started punching.

    Roughly every third punch in the dizzying volley of punches included an extra bit of lightning to his opponent¡¯s face, keeping him nice and still.

    It wasn¡¯t until the male priests of Holdna forcibly dragged him away from Nephir that Will realized the fight was over.

    Nephir wasn¡¯t breathing, his body scorched, the scent of ozone and cooked blood lingering in the air.

    The priests of Holdna mmed a fist filled with divine radiance on Nephir¡¯s chest, and the charred corpse drew in a gasp of breath.

    Up above in the Baron¡¯s observation box, beyond Will¡¯s hearing, Frederick Wyrd turned towards the Baron.

    ¡°How much for that one?¡±

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 Chapter 76: Hypothetical Countermeasures

    <em>One may be excused for believing that William Oh can see the future: He can¡¯t. He has an outstanding capacity to recognize patterns, which, to the untrained eye may SEEM like he is predicting the future.</em>

    <em>He has however, on asion, been documented telling the future what to </em>do<em>, which is totally different.</em><ul><li>Jason Szar</li></ul>

    ¡°May I?¡± The Artificer Archetype asked, his bushy white brows cocked as he nced up at Will.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Will gestured to the jar of Relic Dust.

    To Will¡¯s surprise, the old man dipped his pinky in the jar then put it in his mouth, his face bing contemtive.

    ¡°Psychic¡­.debuff¡­contract¡­and a bit of dirt,¡± He said, smacking his lips together and spitting.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Will said, shrugging.

    ¡°Oh, no, for an unnned Relic Loss, this dust is about as clean as you could possibly get it, which is good, drives cost down. I¡¯ve had to filter out blood and saltwater and soil before so¡­¡±

    ¡°You want the good news or the bad news first?¡± He asked, ncing up at Will.¡°Bad.¡±

    ¡°The bad news is that your weapon is going to be very difficult to recreate. Large amounts of time and money difficult. To the point where you may decide that it doesn¡¯t suit your ns going forward. If you¡¯re nning on going above the tenth floor, there¡¯s a better chance of finding something better than this, and faster than it¡¯d be done. Assuming you don¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d have to get an artisan to create a nk relic that matches your previous one perfectly, which is a tall order and would require you to be on hand for it¡¯s creation since you don¡¯t have a charcoal imprint. After that I¡¯ve got to apply your Relic dust there to it.

    ¡°While he¡¯s doing that¡¯ I¡¯ll be carefully sifting the dirt out of your Relic Dust.¡±

    ¡°Once we¡¯ve got the nk, it¡¯s going to absorb one to three of the dust¡¯s affixes. Now we might get lucky and get all three but it¡¯s more likely we only get two, and even <em>more </em>likely I only get one.¡±

    ¡°<em>Then,</em> if only one or two affixesnd, I¡¯ve got to go buy up some Relic dust from relics which only had <em>one</em> affix of the appropriate type. Which <em>isn¡¯t cheap.</em> Then I¡¯ve got to bake the affixes in one at a time in a time-consuming ritual.

    And after all that¡¯s said and done, you <em>might</em> get a weapon kinda-sorta like the one you lost.¡± The Artificier said, handing Will back the jar of dust.

    ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡±

    ¡°The good news is that <em>that</em> particrbination of affixes is rare and valuable, so the value of the relic, once It¡¯s done being re-created, would be worth the effort.¡±

    <em>Hmm¡­</em>

    ¡°I could also buy the dust off you for a good price,¡± the Artificier said with a shrug before ncing down at Will¡¯s missing hand. ¡°But you seem like the type to stick to something even if it¡¯s hard.¡±

    ¡°That is the case,¡± Will said with a smile, d to know that it <em>was</em> possible.

    <em>I¡¯d rather do it myself, though.</em>

    Now that he knew what was needed, he was confident he could use a modified Sourdough to imprint the tomahawk¡¯s affixes on something else.

    <em>Just gotta hit level 30 first,</em> Will thought.

    <em>And spend a few hours scrolling through potential upgrades.</em>

    There were as many potential upgrades as there were monsters, which was to say¡­an infinite amount. But Will could narrow it down a bit by checking potential suspects first.

    Just from what he¡¯d heard, the process of recreating the axe wouldn¡¯t be too dissimr from how Will imagined Sourdough functioned.

    Will thanked the aged artificer for his time and took his jar of iridescent dust for a walk.

    <em>The only artificer in the city.</em>

    At least, the only one who wasn¡¯t under some kind of contract with a Lord or a major crime syndicate.

    <em>2 more fights.</em>

    Will had been through four rounds and was now in the semifinal. Once this was done, he would have a free pass up to the 6th Floor.

    <em>You know¡­assuming baron Akul keeps his word.</em>

    There was nothing protecting Will from a double-cross aside from the Baron¡¯s regard for his own reputation. That might be enough by itself. Will had spotted several other interesting looking figures in the box today with the Baron.

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    He couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying over the roar of the crowd, but he could <em>see</em> pretty damned well.

    Mark Wyrd sitting next to the baron, and someone who looked suspiciously like Mark was sitting in the big seat that was normally reserved for the Baron.

    <em>¡®How much for that one?</em>¡¯ the man¡¯s mouth had seemed to say.

    If the Wyrd patriarch knew exactly what Will had done in Oilton, he would probably be a bit more pissed, but even if he didn¡¯t know Will was responsible for <em>that</em> debacle, he <em>already</em> knew that Will had slipped his mercs once before, and now he saw him carving his way through the ranks of a tournament meant select potential Lords.

    <em>The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.</em>

    No¡­there might even be more going on here than just Will.

    The mercs were in town. The Wyrds were in town¡­the Tangled were in town.

    There was already <em>one</em> Tangled in the city that Will had personally witnessed. <em>Five, actually,</em> Will corrected, thinking of the Baker Girls. What was the chance that in a city this big, in only a matter of days, he had run into every single one? there must be a high density of them to allow that to happen¡­

    <em>Right?</em>

    That brought Will back to Oilton. The dead city they¡¯d discovered on the Third Floor.

    It had been flooded by a single Tangled that had self-replicated.

    If there were even only a dozen or so, it would a major problem for the city guard, given how strong they were. The ss was pure melee aggression with serious disdain for personal safety given their regeneration and self-replication.

    <em>Still, is that enough to take the whole city? People on this floor cluster around level 20-25. Third floor it was 10-15, much easier to subdue.</em>

    If the Wyrd Patriarch was nning on taking out Akul, there had to be some kind of unknown factor that would disrupt the city¡¯s functions drastically enough that the Tangled could begin to grow and spread through the city, establishing a foothold before the citizenry could stop them.

    <em>A kaiju attack might do it.</em>

    But¡­Will¡¯s experience with stealing someone¡¯s slot on a kaiju hunt revealed to him that there were hundreds of mercenaries on this floor with expertise in subduing the monsters.

    It seemed improbable that Frederick Wyrd could take out the Baron, the Kaiju Force, <em>and</em> the mercenaries who made their living killing kaiju.

    <em>But if he did¡­then we would have a problem.</em>

    In Will¡¯s imagination, mindless Tangled spread rapidly through the streets, attacking anything that they possibly could, while kaiju loomed above the city, crushing homes and businesses as they tore through the flimsy human constructions.

    It was so vivid, Will might¡¯ve mistaken it for a memory.

    <em>What would have to happen for that to take ce?</em>

    <em>The Baron would have to die, of course.</em>

    <em>The kaiju force would have to be taken out simultaneously. By¡­Tangled?</em><em>Or more mercs like Void and Arms?</em>

    <em>And finally there would have to be more Tangled and Kaiju than the mercs could handle at once. They¡¯re specialized in subduing one at a time, in pre-arranged ways, with pre-arranged battlefields and tools. They would have a hard time doing it in the middle of the city while being assaulted by Tangled.</em>

    <em>They might not even make it into the city in time. They live and work quite a ways outside of it.</em>

    Still, just one kaiju might be able to be handled by the city guard and citizens. For that to be a solid tactic, there would have to be more than one at once. Several, even.

    So in will¡¯s imaginary scenario, Frederick Wyrd would kill the Baron and unleash multiple Kaiju on the city as well as dozens of Tangled that he¡¯d smuggled in over time.

    There was just one major issue with Will¡¯s hypothetical n to destroy Akul.

    <em>Where in the Abyss would he get multiple Kaiju from?</em> It wasn¡¯t like they grew on trees. they spawned incredibly slowly, and didn¡¯t spawn inside city limits at <em>all.</em>

    <em>¡­Why is that?</em> there was nothing special about the man-defined walls of the city that prevented the tower from doing its worst.

    Will tried slotting that puzzle piece together, trying magical Abilities, good fortune, low-miasma, divine favor, but none of them fit perfectly with what he knew already to exin why there were no kaiju spawns inside city limits.

    Will thought back to his conversation with the Baron. The revtion that the number of Lords and their Strongholds on the floors above them had an effect on spawn rates was eye-opening.

    <em>Didn¡¯t he say something about kaiju farming?</em>

    That got will thinking.

    <em>Spawn rates¡­farming¡­.OHHHH¡­.there¡¯s kaiju under the city.</em>

    The baron was using a technique whereby a farmer pruned one branch to make the fruit that grew on the others more plump and juicy.

    If Kaiju couldn¡¯t spawn within a certain distance of each other¡­then the Baron could¡¯ve restrained them under the city to prevent spawning inside the city for decades, which would be vital to creating such arge settlement¡­this had the added benefit of causing that extra unused miasma to divert to spawn kaiju outside the city at a higher rate, where they were caught and harvested.

    Will didn¡¯t know all the facts, and it was nothing more than a guess, but <em>that</em> fit everything he <em>did</em> know perfectly.

    <em>Well, how can I exploit this?</em><em>What could I do that would bring the Wyrd¡¯s hypothetical n for mass murder crashing to the ground?</em>

    After a few minutes of thinking, Will hit on the vague memory of nearly dying because of the berserk debuffs they¡¯d been hit by when they first arrived on the Fourth Floor, causing them to fight each other.

    Loth had been particrly hard hit by it as all her bugs had sumbedpletely, killing each other in a matter of seconds and devastating their numbers before she got them back under control.

    Then he thought of the cursemage who¡¯d been able to direct Ear Collector to attack other people and leave Will hanging¡­

    As a n began toe together, Will found himself wondering about the timing.

    <em>When is it gonna happen? Tonight? Tomorrow? A week from now?</em>

    Will would¡¯ve guessed today, when the Wyrd Patriarch could¡¯ve caught all the Lords in one ce with their metaphorical pants down.

    <em>Why not today? Maybe he ns on making some of them an offer? Maybe they were armed?</em>

    Will didn¡¯t know enough to even guess about who might be betraying who, but if not today¡­

    <em>The only other time that the visiting Lords will all be in one ce at one time will be¡­the auction, when the rarest Relics and sacrifices in the city will all be in the same ce.</em>

    Will thought back to the missing item from the Oilton Patriarch¡¯s office.

    Wyrd wasn¡¯t above a little petty robbery, but it had to be <em>really</em> good.

    And if it was <em>really</em> good, chances were it would be at that auction.

    <em>Or maybe it¡¯s just my paranoia making all this up.</em>

    <em>¡­Nah. There¡¯s been way too many Tangled in the city for it to be just paranoia.</em>

    Something was about to happen, and Will was sure it wouldn¡¯t be good.

    Once Will got back to the inn, he took Loth and Travis to the side. Neither of them were currently in the tournament, they had more ability to move freely, and they had the skillsets that he believed could ruin the Wyrd¡¯s ns for the city.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    <em>Akul is going to turn out differently than Oilton. I¡¯m going to make sure of it.</em>

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like the two of you to do.¡±

    Loth cocked her head as Will began to exin what he wanted, while Travis¡¯s jaw slowly went ck.

 Chapter 77: New Blood

    Will¡¯s eyes narrowed as he took in the slightly built girl in front of him.

    ¡°What better way to settle who¡¯s the better Phantom thief once and for all than a tournament?¡± Bee said, gesturing to their surroundings where thousands of fans of violence were screaming bloody murder, hoping they would tear each other apart in the arena.

    ¡°I could think of a couple ways,¡± Will said over the din before cocking his head. ¡°How did you beat Mason anyway?¡±

    ¡°After he hit me with an explosion I copsed to the ground and started crying, then when he tried to console me I punched him so hard his ribs copsed!¡± She made a tiny fist.

    ¡°That¡¯ll teach him to be nice to girls,¡± Will said, rolling his eyes.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± she made a ¡®take that¡¯ gesture, shaking her fist.

    ¡°You being here is very inconvenient for me,¡± Will mused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! We¡¯re gonna settle this!¡±

    <em>I mean, I already took out more mercs than she did sooo¡­.I thought we had? Like Jean said, she¡¯s just mad and doesn¡¯t know why.</em><em>Now, how can I ring-out Bee without revealing her ss to the litany of Lords watching the match?</em> Will thought, ncing up at Frederick Wyrd, who was watching Will¡¯s matches with animalistic hunger.

    His mind quickly zed through the options, reviewing and discarding them at a rapid pace.

    The absolute best way to prevent the Wyrd family from learning about Bee, and by extention, Ria, Anna, and June, was to simply forfeit here.

    There were a couple problems with this: She would advance through the tournament, and the <em>next </em>guy might draw more tricks out of her that could only be attributed to a Tangled.

    More importantly to Will¡¯s immediate circumstances, he would immediately be enved, which was less than ideal.

    <em>Best just go with the original n.</em>

    Thankfully her ss had some key exploitable weaknesses that didn¡¯t out her as a Tangled immediately. These were weaknesses that Will needed to perform a test-run on if his suspicions about the attack on the city were correct.

    <em>For that, I suppose I should thank her for the opportunity.</em>

    <strong>¡°Fighters, <em>Begin!¡±</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Sourdough</em></strong>

    <strong><em>47->46 Charge remaining</em></strong>

    ¡°Hey look at this!¡± Will said, pulling a cursed ball of brilliant blue yarn out of the container meant to keep the curse from unravelling. Every fiber of his being wanted to keep the amazing yarn for himself, seal himself away with it and y with it forever, but he separated himself from his desires and instead dangled it in front of Bee.

    ¡°OOOH!¡± Bee gasped, her eyes going round.

    ¡°Go get it!¡±

    Will tossed the yarn off the arena floor, watching as she broke into a sprint and dove for the yarn, catching it and curling around it before they both hit the ground.

    Will¡¯s heart broke for an instant as someone else got hold of <em>HIS </em>yarn, and his foot made a half step toward Bee with the intention of wrestling it away from her, before he was able to master himself.

    <strong>¡°And the winner is William Oh by ring-out. Because <em>of</em><em>course</em> he won without a fight.¡±</strong>

    ¡°DANGIT!¡± Bee shouted as the cursed yarn rapidly lost its whammy. ¡°I <em>do</em> love this yarn, though.¡±

    By design, Tangled were incredibly weak to mental maniption, So Will figured that if there were going to be an outbreak, that would be the solution.

    <em>No, maybe even the city¡¯s salvation.</em>

    <strong><em>¡°And that¡¯s the end of the semifinals! The healers have determined that the finalists are in good condition to fight again! There will be a short recess, and then we will crown the winner of this years 25 and under tournament!</em></strong>

    Will went back inside, where the otherpetitors had formed a loose circle around Alicia Zodiac, drown in by her stunning looks and piercing eyes.

    The metallic monk nced over his shoulder, spotting Willing.

    ¡°Shit,¡± he muttered, whispering to the others, who shied away as Will approached, creating a break in the encirclement, revealing Alicia with a polite smile drawn over her face.

    ¡°How¡¯d you lose?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure.¡± Alicia. ¡°All my shots were blocked, and it switched Abilities faster than I could follow, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Looking for insider information?¡± Carrie asked with a sly look as she arrived beside him.

    The frizzy-haired Eldritch Fashionista they¡¯d met on the second floor and discovered Oilton with had arrived on the Fifth Floor, and was doing quite well for herself in the tournament.

    ¡°That was a great fight, Ms. Zodiac,¡± the Eldritch Fashionista said, turning her attention to Alicia and giving her a gentle handshake.

    ¡°Good to see you again, Carrie. And Summer, it looks like you¡¯ve grown quite a bit.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Oh, she has,¡± Carrie said, petting the ck blob as it emerged above her shoulder.

    Will could see the parasitic being disappearing beneath Carrie¡¯s cor, the thickness suggesting that the little blob of iridescent ck had increased in size five-fold¡­at least.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°I spent an extra month on the second floor just feeding Summer Relics to grow her size before I went back to the Third and pushed on to the Fourth.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you survived.¡± Will said.

    ¡°You and me both!¡± Carrie said with a crooked grin. ¡°Thankfully, Summer can¡¯t get lung-rot and she helped get me and my Party to Way Station in one piece.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure if you¡¯d been using your bow you would¡¯ve beat me,¡± Carrie said, turning her attention back to Alicia, pointing down to her armlet that was inscribed with a shield made of blustery wind.

    ¡°Summer was able to bend your shots using the Wind Shield, but anything stronger would¡¯ve gone right through.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m experimenting with the effects of new Abilities.¡± Alicia said by way of exnation. ¡°There¡¯s something to be said for handicapping yourself to verify the efficacy of your backup ns, rather than leave them untested.¡±

    <em>Well done, thinking about worst-case scenarios.</em>

    ¡°Well said,¡± Carrie said, before ncing back at Will, who was studying her Relics.

    ¡°You like?¡± She asked, grabbing her amulet which was an intricate bone carving that appeared to be partially singed. ¡°This one allows Summer to shoot little fireballs for free. Got it on the third floor.¡± Summer connected to the amulet and sputtered with me.

    ¡°This one¡¯s from the fourth Floor, and it allows Summer to drain blood to regenerate both of us.¡± She pointed at a blood-red ring. Summer connected to it and formed a needle-like siphoning appendage.

    Summer made a few demonstrative jabs at the air,shing out like a scorpion¡¯s tail.

    ¡°Second floor, movement speed,¡± She pointed at her shoes. Summer went down to her and bound to the Relic. A momentter, oil-slick iridescent ck spider-leg appendages emerged from Carrie¡¯s feet, causing her to slide back and forth without moving her legs.

    ¡°Focus boost,¡± She tapped her headband. ¡°Teamwork boost,¡± She said, tapping her other ring, a simple gold band. ¡°We technically count as two people in a party, so we get bonuses from that.¡±

    ¡°And of course, an archetype boosting torso piece,¡± She said, popping the cor on her ostentatious vest.

    <em>Some kind of tamer/warlock hybrid? </em>Will thought to himself.

    The way her Build changed drastically depending on her Relics reminded Will of himself.

    <em>Which means¡­I should be on the lookout for surprises.</em>

    ¡°William Oh, Carrie Envar, go to your corners.¡± An official said, arriving beside the two of them.

    ¡°Good luck, Will, I hope I give you a better fight than the others,¡± She said, offering him a hand.

    Will nced down at her hand, then back up at her. ¡°I¡¯ll shake your hand afterwards. Nothing against you, just-¡°

    ¡°No, I get it,¡± she said with a shrug, withdrawing her hand and wiggling all six of her fingers before Summer withdrew back into her sleeve.

    Will went to his side of the arena and waited behind the door for the official to motion for him to enter. A minuteter, the official motioned for him to enter the arena.

    <strong><em>This is it, Ladies and Gentlemen, it¡¯s been an interesting tournament, to say the least, and I for one am excited to see what our contestants have in store for us today, at the end of this week of no-holds barred action!¡±</em></strong>

    Having done this five times now, the sudden light of noon and the roar of the crowd didn¡¯t disorient him like it had before, allowing him to calmly climb the stairs onto therge stone arena, freshly repaired after it¡¯d been torn up the day before.

    Opposite him was Carrie, the Eldritch Fashionista¡­wearing an entirely different set of Relics.

    Will chuckled, his expectations for ¡®trickery¡¯ already fulfilled, and he hadn¡¯t seen the half of it yet. In many ways, her ss performed simrly to his own.

    <em>I suppose that exins why she was so carefree about telling me what her relics did.</em>

    ¡°That was my Alicia outfit.¡± She said, seemingly reading his thoughts as she motioned to herself and did a little twirl, showcasing her new torso, glove and shoe slots. Presumably under the gloves were new rings as well. The amulet was tucked under her new robe so it could be anything.

    Headband was the same, though.

    ¡°This is my William Oh outfit. You like it?¡± She asked sweetly.

    Carrie was wearing an oversized robe with ostentatious beading andrge sleeves, and a wide neck that seemed to not make contact with her skin, creating a shadowed area inside.

    The bottom of the robe hid her boots in a pool of shadow that seemed darker than it should¡¯ve been.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t,¡± Will said, shaking his head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <strong><em>In the west corner, we have Carrie Envar, level 22 Eldritch Fashionista. Over the course of the tournament, she has shown a flexible style that adapts to her opponent and seizes on their weaknesses. None of her battles have been effortless, but they have all been solid wins, by adjusting her Build on the fly.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>In the east corner, we have William Oh, the level 24 Resourceful Climber. Over the course of the tournament, he has secured one underwhelming victory after another through the use of clever tactics and speed, but lurking below those tricks is an overwhelming firepower that rarely sees the light of day!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Karryn Amos and our very own Nephir Akul pulled out some of the ¡®Real William Oh¡¯ from where it was hiding. Let¡¯s see if Carrie Envar can take it one step further and make William Oh go all out and show us a real fight!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>This battle will determine this year¡¯s champion of the 25 and under tournament and all the privileges that go with it! Fighters, BEGIN!¡±</em></strong>

    The instant the Announcer spoke, Will dodged to the side, unleashing a cannonball towards the back of Carrie¡¯s head.

    Summer interposed itself and caught the ball of iron, seemingly shrugging off the outrageous force without visible effort.

    Will just let the ball drop, abandoning the strategy entirely. There was no visual indicator to tell him whether or not he was making any progress against her defenses, like Nephir Akul¡¯s shields, so it was best to assume she could block more shots than he could deliver.

    As he was dodging to the side, an extension of Summer whipped out from Carrie¡¯s oversized sleeve and cracked through the air where he¡¯d just been standing.

    <em>Okay, that¡¯s a lot more than five times bigger than it was before!</em> Will thought, scrambling to the side and leaping over a sweeping strike from the amorphous ck tar-creature, keeping his speed up with nudges from Phantom hand.

    While Will was frantically dodging, Carrie was pulling out a jagged de whose handle seemed to be carved from bone into an image of suffering faces. That did not look good to Will.

    Stevie seemed to agree as he leapt out of the floor of the arena and yanked the de out of her hand.

    An instantter, the spirit butler exploded into¡­whatever spirit butlers were made of as a ck tendril whipped through his form at incredible speeds. Will was sure that he was one of the few Climbers in the arena who could even perceive it.

    Billy-bob kicked the de the rest of the way out of the arena before ducking under-

    A thin line of the arena exploded outward as a razor-thin tendril of Summer went <em>through</em> the earth to tag Billy-bob out.

    <em>I hope getting rid of that knife was worth it,</em> Will thought, unleashing the Aetherhawk from his glove and instructing it to go high and wait for an opportunity to assist.

    The way Carrie¡¯s expression soured as the ominous dended outside the ring, Will could only assume it had been worth it.

    <em>But those whips are still a pain in the ass.</em>

    <em>I need to steal some Relics and cripple her Build.</em>

    Her rings were hidden under her gloves, each finger bearing the lump of a ¡®ring¡¯. Which one was the magical Relic and which were decoys was anyone¡¯s guess.

    Her amulet was covered, shoes hidden by the hem of the robe.

    Only her headband was prominently disyed.

    Will was fairly sure that was a trap.

    <em>I shouldn¡¯t think of this as a one-on-one fight,</em> Will thought as he watched Carrie draw her spare weapon, the deadly tendrils hidden inside her ostentatious robe.

    <em>This is a two-on-one fight. </em>

    <em>It was three on two, but I lost the butlers to remove a key part of her offence, but lost the number advantage.</em>

    Magnus the Aetherhawk was kind of smart, but he wasn¡¯t as quick-thinking as the butlers, so will counted him as more of a tool or distraction than a teammate.

    Will cocked his head.

    <em>Well, this IS thest fight. why not? Let¡¯s run through the n I made for Karryn, step by step.</em>

    <strong><em>Sourdough.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>46->45 Charges.</em></strong>

    Will grabbed the y Idol off his waist and shattered it against his knee. An instantter, all he could see was snake.

 Chapter 78: â€˜Fencingâ€™

    A forty-foot long snake coalesced out of the miasma in the air, its serpentine loops pooling around him and nearly blocking Will¡¯s sight of his opponent.

    The snake¡¯s head reared high above Will and oriented on his opponent with an unnatural intelligence.

    <em>Shove her off the tform or deal lethal damage to her. Either works for me.</em> Will thought, pointing.

    The snake nodded, it¡¯s eyes shing cyan to iridescent green as it began moving toward Carrie.

    Carrie froze in ce, her eyes locked on the oversized snake.

    Will directed the Aetherhawk to attack while he switched from the Wand of Undead Retainer to the Buckler of Rebounding, the hairs on his neck standing up as the finger on the Phantom Hand popped and went ck.

    <strong><em>Buckler of Rebounding</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+14 Strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+11 Kinesthetics</em></strong><strong><em>43% reduction in force experienced when blocking</em></strong>

    <strong><em>73% increase in the damage of attacks made within 1 second of blocking.</em></strong>

    Will drew his new sword, purchased specifically to synergize with the buckler. It was a long rapier able to riposte quickly, which was all he really needed.

    It wasn¡¯t a fantastic Relic, it wasn¡¯t even good. It was simply the first one he could find in one day that suited his needs.

    <strong><em>Rapier of strength</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Extra durability</em></strong>

    <strong><em>+4 Strength</em></strong>

    With those changes, Will¡¯s Strength was now 53, and his Kinesthetics was 93. While his strength wasn¡¯t fantastic, it was now on the low end of what a warrior could be expected to have, and his Kinesthetics fantastic. Enough to act on the things he perceived.

    While blocking, 43% of the force would be negated, raising his <em>effective</em> Strength during a block or parry to 92.

    While attacking immediately after a block, (parries counted, Will had tested it) Will¡¯s effective Strength was 91.

    <em></em>He was now a fencer Archetype.

    Or the closest thing to it.

    The snake lunged forward, mouth open to devour the paralyzed Carrie whole.

    Summer snapped out and carved away half of the Immortal Serpent¡¯s face while Will sprinted to the side aiming to nk Carrie, and the aetherhawk dove down.

    As the Immortal serpent reeled back in pain, Will lunged forward.

    As expected, Summer snapped towards him, whipping a deceptively thin tendril of ck towards him with enough force to bisect him.

    <em>Here goes nothing,</em> Will thought, gritting his teeth as he interposed the de between himself and the strike.

    <strong><em>CLANG!</em></strong>

    The extra-durable rapier creaked in protest, and Will¡¯s feet threatened to slip backwards before the arena itself rose up to cup his heels.

    But he blocked it.

    Summer seemed a little surprised, reeling back from the strike as Will lunged forward, propelled by the stone beneath him. He wasn¡¯t close enough to attack Carrie directly, but he was close enough to attack Summer before it could withdraw back into her sleeve.

    The sword glowed faintly with the boost from the Buckler of Rebounding as he whipped it down into Summer¡¯s flesh.

    The ck goo was incredibly resilient, the attack barely prating the skin, but Summer¡¯s form seemed to destabilize for an instant, shuddering and turning almost thorny before whipping back into Carrie¡¯s voluminous sleeve.

    Carrie winced, shaking off the Immortal serpent¡¯s mental attack just in time to reach upward with one hand and smack Magnus out of the air, her off hand drawing her back-up weapon, a shortsword.

    Will pursued the advantage and pressed forward another step, narrowing the distance between them¡­as well as the amount of time he had to react to Summer.

    Will twisted wildly, his feet flickering underneath him as he diverted a strike from Summer with his de and knocked aside Carrie¡¯s hasty stab with his truncated wrist, the Buckler of Rebounding absorbing a huge portion of the force for him.

    Carrie broke into a grin as Will scooped up the cannonball with his phantom hand and flung it at her back while going for a pommel strike to the temple.

    Summer caught the iron ball while Carrie sinuously leaned out of the way.

    Sensing his intent, the arena floor rose up and locked Will¡¯s left foot in ce, giving him the leverage to whip out with his right foot before either of them had recovered their stance.

    <strong><em>Homefield Advantage</em></strong>

    <strong><em>44 Charges remaining.</em></strong>

    The ring turned into a smooth sheet of ice at the exact moment that Will¡¯s foot impacted Carrie¡¯s load-bearing ankle.

    Rather than topple, Carrie leaned into the strike, her foot flying out from under her in a move that would certainly result in her falling head-first.

    Multiple tendrils from Summer emerged from her cor, pierced deep into the ice, and turned the tumble into a cartwheel, the ck tendrils supporting her through it as she delivered three upside-down kicks and a stab. Will blocked two kicks, the third ncing off his jaw and corbone, causing him to stagger backwards.

    He twisted his leg out of the way of the stab, the de passing ufortably close to his inner thigh before he managed to stagger out of the way of the follow up sh that would¡¯ve gelded him.

    <em>Ow.</em>

    Thankfully, Will¡¯s Resistance outweighed Carrie¡¯s Strength by a wide margin, so even a full-on kick to the face wasn¡¯t <em>too</em> bad.

    <em>Summer is using her whole body and Carrie is upside down. this is the perfect time to sneak a shot in.</em>

    Will had loaded the majority of his Phantom Hand¡¯s volume with his cannonball, so he didn¡¯t have much in the way of things to fling at her, just some potions of Greater Healing and Fury, and a few more tricks that didn¡¯t lend themselves well to being used as projectiles.

    <em>She¡¯s vulnerable right NOW, how can I-</em>

    The Immortal Serpent answered the question for him, it¡¯s face already healed as it lunged forward, engulfing Carrie in its mouth, tearing her off the icy surface of the arena, it¡¯s massive fangs crunching down into her armor as it carried her high into the air.

    It lifted its head high, tensing to take another victorious bite ¨C

    The snake head exploded as no less than a dozen ck tendrils emerged in every direction, slicing the scaly head into bloody chunks that rapidly returned to Miasma as the snake died.

    <em>Not so immortal then, I guess,</em> Will thought, sprinting forward to meet Carrie where she was going tond.

    Carrie gave a guttural scream as she swung her de down on Will, using the momentum of her fall to add power.

    Underneath her torn robe, Will caught a brief glimpse of Summer busily filling in massive puncture wounds that the Immortal Serpent had left on Carrie with that first bite.

    Summer was much bigger than Will remembered.

    Will blocked with the rapier and kicked Carrie in the stomach, his foot glowing from the Buckler of Rebounding.

    Pain shot through his foot as Summer must¡¯ve formed an imprable te under Carrie¡¯s robes.

    She still tumbled violently backwards, but Will might¡¯ve gotten the worse part of that deal, wincing as he set his foot back down. It felt like he¡¯d kicked a b of granite without any Stats.

    Carrie caught herself on the edge of the arena, her body bloodied, ostentatious clothes torn, breathing ragged.

    ¡°You could always give up?¡± Will said with a hopeful shrug.

    She grinned a wolfish smile, her teeth stained with blood.

    <em>Ah crap.</em> Will thought. <em>I forgot she was into fighting.</em>

    ¡°I live for this shit,¡± Carrie said, Summer emerging from her ankles and creating a gust of wind to send her flying forward, her feet not even touching the floor as she ran on bursts of solidified air.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Will caught her by the back of her robe with the Phantom Hand and tugged her backwards, aiming to disrupt her assault with the unexpected force.

    It¡­<em>half</em> worked.

    The other half was a disaster.

    Almost as if they¡¯d been waiting for it, ck spines erupted from the back of Carrie¡¯s neck, perforating Phantom Hand.

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    Will gave a choked cry as phantom pain flooded his left hand, while Carrie¡¯s eyes widened as her own robe yanked her backwards with neck-breaking force.

    The spines grew barbs, locking Will¡¯s Phantom Hand in ce as Summer began to feed, engulfing the eidolon like a relic-eating predator. Which is exactly what she was.

    <em>Damnit, this was why I didn¡¯t touch her directly! </em>

    Will didn¡¯t have time to cuss himself out.

    He rushed forward. If he sat around and waited while Summer disarmed him, he was done.

    Carrie seemed to read his desperation, turning defensive, dancing backwards and blocking every attack as he tried to stab a win out of her, all the while her Relic parasite was EATING his hand.

    Will wasn¡¯t a trained swordsman, and when he wasn¡¯t blocking first, his attacks were¡­kind of garbage. Will saw the realization brighten Carrie¡¯s eyes at the same time, a cocky grin blooming on her face.

    With thest of Phantom Hand¡¯s waning strength, Will yanked her to the side, putting her off bnce and ramming directly into her torso, her de sliding off his ribs while the shock of de on bone transferred through his wrist as his de speared through her body.

    Carrie¡¯s eyes widened as Will used his attachment to the ground and his rapier through her body to lever her off the edge of the arena.

    <em>If I ride her off the edge andnd on her, then I win,</em> Will thought, shoving with every fiber of his being.

    Otherwise she could just use Summer to fly again.

    Will called down the Aetherhawk, instructing it to make sure she hit the ground first, in case she tried to spin them in midair.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡± Will growled, Carrie¡¯s eyes widening as she was driven off the edge.

    <strong><em>¡°WILLIAM OH, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!¡±</em></strong>

    Gertrude¡¯s voice emerged from a ck mouth right next to his ear, and Will¡¯s whole body froze reflexively.

    Will nced over and spotted Gertrude, the nun with her fists on her hips and giving him her patented scowl.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t doing anything,¡± Will said, backing away and hiding Marissa¡¯s toys behind his back.

    Gertrude took a step forward, looming over him in a way that she hadn¡¯t done since <strong>-</strong>

    <strong><em>The way she always had.</em></strong>

    ¡°You made your sister cry again, And for what? Because of a silly doll!?¡±

    ¡°She started it!¡± Will whined, his voice high and reedy.

    <em>That¡¯s not an excuse. </em>Some dim part of him knew what wasing.

    ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse!¡± Gertrude said, her behavior mirroring his expectations exactly as she waggled a gnarled finger at him.

    <em>You should know when to share.</em>

    ¡°You¡¯re the older one! You should know when to share, and when fighting over a stupid piece of wood is beneath you!¡±

    Again, Gertrude¡¯s voice echoed his expectations precisely.

    <em>Something is off,</em> Will thought to himself as he looked up at the giant nun towering over him<strong>, but his childish mind was too inexperienced to-</strong>

    Will shook his head and drove that thought away. He¡¯d never¡­<em>EVER</em> thought of <em>himself</em> as childish. Even when ¨C <em>ESPECIALLY ¨C </em>when he <em>WAS</em> being childish.

    <em>Gertrude is¡­making me think wrong?</em>

    ¡°Give me that!¡± Gertrude said, reaching for the toy in his hand.

    Will¡¯s hackles rose and he held the toy protectively behind him, but Gertrude¡¯s grip was like steel, yanking on the toy, yanking it up and over his head until he was practically dangling from it.

    Will tried to get a good grip, but his left hand kept slipping off, seemingly unable to find any kind of purchase on the handle of his <strong>Toy.</strong>

    In an instant his <strong>Toy</strong> was yanked out of his hands, and Will plopped to the ground, tears threatening toe bursting out as the feeling of betrayal nearly overwhelmed him.

    ¡°I hate you!¡± Will shouted, pouting. ¡°Granesh hates you!¡±

    ¡°Not as much as he hates disobedient little brats who take his name in vain.¡± Gertrude said with a withering stare. ¡°Now, go to your time-out corner and really <em>think </em>about what you¡¯ve done.

    Oddly enough, the time-out corner was on the other end of the <strong><em>-Room-</em></strong><em>, </em>down a set of stairs onto a dirt patch that seemed to surround them in every direction.

    <em>Odd. Why are we on a tform?</em>

    The spector of death seemed to haunt that ground, causing Will¡¯s <strong>childish fears</strong> to bloom.

    ¡°But if I go there, I¡¯ll die.¡± Will said, turning back to Gertrude.

    ¡°You impossible child, nothing is going to happen to you in the time-out corner. Do I have to put you there myself!?¡±

    <em>Gertrude is lying.</em>

    <em>Gertrude is trying to kill me.</em>

    Gertrude shook a finger under his nose as she assaulted him with her familiar haranguing.

    Will bit the finger.

    Gertrude let out an inhuman shriek, her body dissolving like a wavering mirage, revealing a ck tendril in his mouth, and beyond that, Carrie, still holding her hand over the rapier buried in her stomach, with three ck tendrils emerging from her robe¡¯s cor.

    Each of them was shaped like a mouth, singing a haunting melody.

    The ck tendril yanked itself out from between his teeth and rejoined the group of false mouths, adding another voice to the chorus.

    Each of the mouths had veins of pale blue running down from them towards the amulet hidden under her shirt.

    <em>Ah. She has a psychic attack. Damn.</em>

    Will¡¯s Focus was neither good nor bad, but aside from his Strength, it was his <em>weakest</em> Attribute.

    A momentter, Will¡¯s thoughts were sted away as the chorus of Summers assaulted him with four ideas simultaneously.

    <strong>Hideous wounds all over my body.</strong>

    <strong>A swarm of insects digging under my skin.</strong>

    <strong>No one will ever love me.</strong>

    <strong>My body is crumbling with age.</strong>

    The four thoughts wove together seamlessly, not giving his mind a moment to rest as they battered at his Focus. Each time he felt as though he could get a grasp on the foreign thought and banish it, another one took its ce, keeping his mind forever off bnce.

    Will gasped with pain as he felt his vitality fleeing his body under the non-stop assault.

    <strong><em>So tired.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>It¡¯s not worth it.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Someone else needs to save me.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>My existence is meaningless.</em></strong>

    Will copsed to his knees, the arena turning from ice to stone as he was battered down by an incessant torrent of thoughts and feeling designed to render him to nothing.

    <strong><em>I can¡¯t do this.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>I¡¯m too weak.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Too sick and feeble</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Too young and inexperienced.</em></strong>

    Will gasped, eyes wide and staring at the floor inches away from his nose as ast-ditch bolt of inspiration shot through him.

    The physic assault was right! He <em>was </em>too young and inexperienced. Focus was a multiplier. What did Jean do when she realized she was too mentally weak to withstand the memories of what had happened in the Wyrd Stronghold?

    She pretended to be someone stronger. She pretended SO HARD that she became that person.

    Seemingly from nowhere, a name surfaced above the constant thoughts being forced into his mind.

    He remembered the painting in the mansion moments before Boar had torn through it, depicting a heavily armored man leading a charge with his familiar tomahawk.

    <em>Ezykial the Serpent.</em>

    <em>Ezykial the serpent had to have been a great warrior to wind up the subject of a painting. He would be able to withstand a weak psychic attack like this, and handle Carrie like an unruly child.</em> Will wasn¡¯t sure why. Perhaps it was that familiar tomahawk in the painting¡¯s hand, but it felt as though a puzzle piece had clicked into ce for him.

    Will¡¯s eyes fluttered closed as he reached <em>deep </em>inside for strength, imagining himself as an ancient warrior of myth and legend. So vividly he could <em>feel </em>it.

    When they opened again, it was Ezykial the Serpent viewing the world.

    <strong><em>Everythinges to ruin in the end.</em></strong>¨C <em>Don¡¯t care.</em>

    <strong><em>My family at the orphanage will suffer.</em></strong><em>¨C what orphanage?</em>

    <strong><em>My teeth are falling out. ¨C </em></strong><em>It¡¯s about time.</em>

    <strong><em>Parasites are eating their way out of me. ¨C </em></strong><em>I¡¯ve had worse.</em>

    Ezykial the Serpent levered himself to his feet, brushing off the annoying thoughts and raising his hand to summon his trusty axe.

    It¡­didn¡¯te. What came instead was a semi-invisible hand missing a finger and a bit of the palm.

    <em>Huh.</em>

    Ezykial tried summoning a giant snake.

    Didn¡¯t work. What happened instead is a bunch of stuff fell out of the hand and ttered onto the ground, including what looked like several healing potions, and the floor underneath him seemed to wobble, bouncing him up and down ever-so slightly.

    <em>Weird.</em>

    Standing in front of him was a heavily wounded sorceress girl with an odd wiggly leech-looking thing emerging from her clothes.

    She was obviously the one responsible for his current predicament.

    <em>Some kind of mind-wipe? Ability randomizer? Not sure how I got here.</em>

    Ezykial nced around, noting the arena and the screaming audience.

    <em>Ah, so it¡¯s an arena fight. I guess that means I should take it easy on her.</em>

    Ezykial took a deep stance and began to slide across the arena, his footwork even crisper and more sinuous than it usually was due to the arena bobbing underneath him.

    The wounded child¡¯s eyes widened as he approached with deceptive speed.

    ¡°How did you-¡°

    The ck tendrils stopped singing and instead moved to pierce him, but they hit nothing but air, unable to trace his erratic pattern across the arena floor.

    Ezykial shoulder-checked the child sorceress, causing her to cry out in pain as the weapon in her stomach was jostled.

    He normally wore heavy armor to allow his snake rushes to do more damage, but the little girl was already in a lot of trouble with the sword in her guts, so it was probably for the best.

    He wound around her body, his ankle protesting as he used her as a shield against her own tendrils, never staying in one ce for any length of time. The tendrils seemed to use her as a point of reference.

    He could take advantage of that.

    Ezykial caught her clumsy attack, losing an eye as he realized a bit toote his left hand was nowhere to be seen, allowing the strike to nce off his right hand and gouge through his face.

    <em>I¡¯m missing a hand? I also seem to be incredibly <strong>weak</strong>. Odd. Was I summoned into someone else¡¯s body with an Ability? Did we retake the Second floor? Or¡­did I die?</em>

    Ezykial¡¯s memories were hazy and fragmented.

    <em>Oh well, I can figure it outter.</em> There were more immediate concerns. Like the person trying to harm him.

    Ezykial ignored the wounded eye and tapped the ground with his foot, experimenting with these new Abilities¡­feeling it wobble beneath him.

    <em>If the stone under my feet can deform, then why not use it offensively?</em>

    Ezykial entered her space and mmed his foot down beside the child¡¯s and he felt his Ability reverberate through the stone before a ripple of stone jutted up around his feet and shoved her foot upwards, causing her to stagger backwards, off bnce.

    Ezykial dodged the lightning-fast tendrils by jumping up above the attack and curling into a ball before opening up like a spring,nding a heavy strike with both feet in the center of her chest.

    She tumbled out of the arena with wide eyes, her odd parasiticpanion emerging from her ankles and arresting her fall with gusts of air, beginning the process of bringing her back up.

    <em>This might be difficult, </em>Ezykial thought, eyes narrowing.

    Then a slightly transparent hawk swooped down, hitting the child¡¯s upper body with bone-crushing force, knocking her upper body down an extra two feet, forcing her shoulder des to touch the ground.

    <em>¡­Was that mine?</em>

    <strong><em>¡°And there you have it! after an intense battle, William Oh has won the match through ring-out, defeating Carrie Envar to secure the title of ¡®champion¡¯!</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Gods, I thought we were going to get another boring match, but far from it! I haven¡¯t seen a performance like that in a long time!¡±</em></strong>

    <em>William Oh? That character from children¡¯s tales? Did I enter the tournament under a pseudonym? Wait¡­no¡­that¡¯s¡­me.</em>

    Will shuddered as ¡®Ezykial¡¯ faded away, dissolving into nothing in Will¡¯s mind like a half-remembered dream.

    <em>Did I manipte the ground with my feet? And that footwork¡­I don¡¯t know how to do that.</em>

    His hand went up to his gored left eye, flinching as it red with pain.

    ¡°GODSDAMNIT!¡±

    It would heal¡­Will had made sure of that. But still. Fully a third of his vision was just missing. It was worth cussing about.

    <strong>¡°And now, would all the semifinalists and finalists assemble in the arena for their prizes?¡±</strong>

    Will spotted Carrie approaching with a smile, her robe hanging open around her waist, where a hasty healer had left a thin white scar upon pulling out Will¡¯s de.

    ¡°That was a good fight! How did you do that!? All of a sudden it was like you knew what you were doing!¡±

    Will shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯unno.¡±

    ¡°Your foot¡¯s broken,¡± The priestess of Holdna said, bathing it in cool healing light before addressing his eye.

    Suddenly the nk vision of his left eye returned, although it waspletely blurry, and will could only make out light and dark and a bit of color.

    ¡°I can stop the bleeding and stitch it together, but I¡¯m not powerful enough topletely restore your vision yet. Our more powerful members expended most of their Charge reassembling Karryn¡¯s head. If you visit the Church of Holdna, our bishop can arrange something moreprehensive for your eye. Free of charge, of course.¡± She said with a guilty look.

    ¡°Thanks for that. I¡¯ll be sure to visit,¡± Will said, relieved that his eye wouldn¡¯t be a blotch of light and dark for long.

    What concerned him <em>more</em> was Phantom Hand, which was radiating constant pain. It was missing the Buckler of Rebounding finger, which had seemingly been gnawed away to a stub of phantom bone. It was only the Hydra upgrade that gave him confidence the Ability¡¯s finger might grow back.

    Will could tell the buckler¡¯s effect was gone, though, even if he got the finger back he¡¯d have to fill it with something else.

    <em>Ah well, I wasn¡¯t that attached to ¡®fencing¡¯ anyway. Carrie figured It out in a matter of seconds.</em>

    He sent Carrie one of Gertrude¡¯s patented ¡®looks¡¯ before he spoke: ¡°My Ability is damaged. Know anything about that?¡±

    She at least had the decency to look embarrassed. ¡°I wanted to win.¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 79: Prison Blues

    ¡°So what are you in for?¡± Void asked, leaning up against the wall and staring at the prisoner in the cell across from him. The emaciated prisoner had disheveled brown hair and a wild look in his blue eyes. He was relatively tall, maybe a hair over six foot, with the frame of a man who¡¯d eaten well in his youth, only for his luck to turn sour.That was a good thing, because after this debacle was over, they¡¯d either be dead or their no-longer-functional team would be broken up and the two of them would most likely receive a promotion and a new command, where they would never have to see each other again, which worked fine for both of them.

    That was about the best Void could hope for under the circumstances.

    The emaciated fellow in the opposite cell grunted and turned away, continuing to draw his mad scratches across the wall.

    Thankfully his neighbor had managed to pry a loose peg out of the bedframe and used it to scratch a detailed spiral on the wall. Thankful because if the madman had been forced to get any more creative with his art supplies, it would¡¯ve been shit on the wall rather than scratches.

    ¡°Depends.¡±

    ¡°Depends on what?¡±

    ¡°Whether or not I¡¯m imagining you.¡± the man said, going back to the outside of the spiral and adding a landscape on the outside, stick trees and animals and figures that fell deeper and deeper into the spiral, forming a loop that was so tight that the details compressed into nothing as they approached the center.

    Something about it gave Void a bad feeling.

    ¡°Why would you be imagining me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trapped in a lightless box for¡­¡± The man paused, glancing around them. ¡°A long time.¡± He turned around and looked at Void. ¡°And I have a great imagination. I¡¯ve been seeing and talking to things for days¡­or decades¡­or thousands of years. Not sure.¡±

    After he spoke, the man glanced over to the side, cocking his head as though he was listening to someone speak. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll ask.¡±

    ¡°What Floor are we on? What Stronghold?¡± He asked, turning back to Void.

    ¡°Fifth Floor. The city of Akul.¡±

    The emaciated fellow chuckled at that.

    ¡°, huh? I guess decades. Assuming you¡¯re real.¡±

    ¡°Yes, assuming that,¡± Void said with a chuckle. ¡°You still didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±

    ¡°Well, you ever get volun-told for a job by your boss and it goes sideways in the most colossal way?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much my life,¡± Void said, fluffing the pillow of his prison cell.

    ¡°Well, my boss says ¨C¡° He adopted a high pitched, mocking voice ¡°¡®go into The Tower, grab some Sacrifices on an easy floor for Testing.¡¯ Next thing you know, it¡¯s The Cataclysm. The Great Churning, The Big Suck. Upheaval. Whatever folks call it nowadays.¡±

    Void cocked his head.

    Upheaval rang a bell. It sounded like the stuff the church of Granesh preached about. Void hadn¡¯t attended a sermon since he could sit on his momma¡¯s knee.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Void asked, his curiousity piqued.

    ¡°I¡¯unno.¡± The man said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve always like Reese, though. You can call me Reese.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Reese, how old are you?¡± Void asked, working on a hunch. With the right build, a person could get pretty old, and Reese was definitely sounding age-cracked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Reese said, glancing around the room. ¡°I think I¡¯m dead and in hell, and my ¡®previous life¡¯ is just a hallucination I made up to grant myself a little comfort as infinite suffering wears away my mind.¡±

    ¡°You think this is hell?¡± Void asked.

    ¡°What else would you call a place that subjects you to your worst nightmares over and over again, each iteration slightly worse than the last, until you¡¯re close to breaking forever, then a thin ray of hope wipes away all the pain and you spend a lifetime or two as a farmer falling in love, raising kids¡­ long enough to forget, and then BAM, back to the suck for you, and you remember EVERYTHING, and you know it¡¯s all gonna happen again, and again, and again¡­¡±

    The emaciated man lowered himself to the floor, shuddering as he drew his knees up to his chest.

    ¡°And again, and again¡­¡± He whispered between shuddered breaths.

    Void¡¯s eyebrows rose.

    Sometimes with enough age, the mind just¡­stopped working, no matter how healthy the body was. Nothing an Ability or his stats could do about it. The brain was still working exactly as intended. The mind however¡­

    Void left his neighbor to his blubbering and turned his attention to the guard marching into their block, a young man with black hair, crooked teeth and a familiar gait.

    Void thought with a sigh as he stood, watching as the Tangled reached into its pocket and removed a bloodstained key.

    It wouldn¡¯t be long now. The Tangled had infiltrated nearly every facet of the city¡¯s beaurocracy, and Baron Akul was already sniffing around for the rot that had permeated it.

    Soon, soon, the Baron would catch on.

    Which was why they were letting him out. They would be moving onto the next phase. The final phase.

    Rather than turn towards Void and open his cell, the Tangled opened the cracked Climber¡¯s door, the enchantments keeping Reese¡¯s Abilities suppressed flickering off as the lock clicked open.

    ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve got an appointment with my Lord.¡± The Tangled said, hauling Reese out of his cell before he began unbuttoning his shirt.

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Reese backed away from the guard as he disrobed, his gaze searching for an exit.

    The Tangled looked somewhat nauseous for a moment before a copy began climbing out of his chest, depositing itself onto the floor.

    The new Tangled gasped before his body began to shift, bones lengthening.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    A moment later, an exact copy of Reese huddled in the corner of the cell, while the Tangled put his shirt back on and grabbed Reese by the elbow, guiding him away.

    ¡°Hey, what about me!?¡± Void demanded.

    The Tangled looked over at him with passive disinterest.

    ¡°Your time has not yet come.¡± He nodded toward the Reese Lookalike. ¡°My copy will give you the signal. Until then do not reveal that the target has been taken.¡±

    Void waved him off and slumped back down onto his cot.

    On the other side of the city, Will and his Party were making the final preparations for the auction.

    With a golden ticket and a rather large allowance from the Baron to spend on the items, Will¡¯s entire Party was dressed in their finest apparel and ready to score some once-in-a-lifetime- Sacrifices and Relics.

    Will had learned his lesson about attending parties without warning his Party about potential sudden outbreaks of violence.

    He¡¯d warned them of his suspicions and was smuggling in his relics, weapons, and those of everyone in his party whose armaments he could fit in his dimensional storage.

    It was really only his, Travis¡¯s and Masons.

    Mason didn¡¯t have much in the way of weapons, save for a wand he¡¯d gotten to boost his damage output, Travis¡¯s weapons were all small, and Will¡¯s was remarkably thin.

    Rings and amulets barely took up any space at all, so everyone¡¯s jewelry was in the Phantom Hand.

    Reggie, Alicia and Loth¡¯s equipment were under the building, along with all the bulky Relics, like pants, torsos, helms and shoes, burrowed by Loth¡¯s insects in advance of the date of the auction.

    If nothing wound up happening and they attended a simple auction, then Will would be just as happy to walk away without issue.

    But if what his paranoia was telling him was about to happen¡­happened¡­

    Then William Oh was going to show up in full Kit and make some changes to The Plan.

    They arrived at the auction just as the unnatural sun was beginning to sink lower on the horizon, making the shadows of the surrounding buildings cut through the streets, creating an almost striped look on the cobblestones.

    Will thought as their Party was ushered inside, getting one last look of the rapidly reddening ball of eye-searing light. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He hadn¡¯t been to the church of Holdna for the follow-up for his damaged eye like he¡¯d promised. He¡¯d been too busy making plans, calling in favors and paying off his debts with the local criminal element.

    Squaring everything away for this one opportunity.

    Will closed his right eye and checked his vision again. Even without a healing from a more powerful priest, his left eye had rapidly improved in a single week.

    Before his left eye could only make out light and dark, but after a week it was able to discern color and rough shapes as the damage sorted itself out, the cloudiness of the pupil gradually clearing.

    Will itched his stump, where a stubby lump was sticking out, vaguely able to wiggle as the wrist reformed its muscle connections. The gauntlet strapped around it prevented him from itching it directly, which was maddening.

    They stood outside the massive white stone building, pillars that must¡¯ve weighed more than entire villages looming dozens of feet above their heads. Men and women of high society flowed in from the street, their collars popped out like the Dragon of Akul.

    Loth caught his attention, and brought his gaze back down to her.

    ¡°What do you want to happen?¡± Loth asked.

    The best number one a man could ask for.

    ¡°I want to get Mason and Travis some good Sacrifices. I want a new Relic for close combat for myself. Something exceptional that expands my options. And if a war breaks out among the Lords, I want us to smash and grab.¡±

    Loth nodded and turned to June.

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle bidding. I want you to position us somewhere far enough from the VIP boxes to get a wall of meat between ourselves and the Lords. Doesn¡¯t matter to me if it¡¯s not a ¡®prestigious¡¯ location. Once we¡¯re there, I¡¯ll trust you to handle the unexpected.¡±

    ¡°Done,¡± June nodded.

    Once they were inside, they found themselves looking out over an amphitheater with round tables lining each staggered tier of elevation.

    Up at the very top was a box with a rug with the Baron¡¯s colors slapped across it.

    ¡°Why¡¯s there a rug on the Baron¡¯s private box?¡± Will whispered to Loth as June herded them toward a front corner of the room, near the bottom of the tiers. Right where it would be easy to escape if something went wrong.

    ¡°It¡¯s a tapestry,¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Wazzat?¡± Will whispered back.

    ¡°a¡­wall-rug.¡± Loth said with a shrug.

    ¡°Alicia, you sit here, June said, pointing at the seat on the table that pointed her facing backwards, towards the rest of the amphitheater, and specifically the VIP box.

    ¡°IF the VIP box starts looking tense, kick me under the table - gently.¡± June hastily clarified.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alicia whispered.

    ¡°Reggie, have toft up on Loth and Mason.¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Reggie said with a nod.

    ¡°Mason, Travis, I want you two to sit next to Loth and watch for things that catch your interest and signal Loth if you¡¯re interested in bidding.¡±

    Mason and Travis nodded.

    ¡°Mason, I want you to be prepared to blast a hole through that wall over there on my signal,¡± She said, leading Mason¡¯s gaze with her eyes.

    Mason nodded.

    Loth whispered in June¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Your gear is under that rearing lion on the carpet,¡± She continued without missing a beat.

    ¡°Travis, if shit goes down, I¡¯ll signal you to-¡°

    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± A dignified voice halted their scheming. Will frowned, glancing up at a waiter, holding a napkin-wrapped arm across his stomach and making a graceful bow.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will grunted.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid sir is not in his assigned seat.¡±

    Will frowned, glancing at Loth, then back up to the well-dressed servant.

    ¡°There¡¯s no assigned seating. We checked.¡± Will said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no assigned seating for , that is true. But as the winner of the tournament, your presence has been requested in the VIP box.¡± He pointed at the exact center of where Will expected the chaos to erupt from.

    Will blew out a breath. He couldn¡¯t exactly say no, though.

    ¡°Right away,¡± Will said, standing. ¡°Just give me a moment to give my second-in-command bidding instructions,¡± Will motioned to Loth.

    ¡°The kobold?¡± The servant said in surprise, eyebrow cocked for an instant before he masked his reaction behind a fa?ade of professionalism. ¡°¡­Of course.¡±

    Will bent down and whispered in Loth¡¯s ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m giving everyone their Relics now. Check under your seats when the time comes.¡±

    Loth nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to keep my eyes open for it.¡±

    Will released the Relics along with a tiny amount of sticky adhesive, securing them to the underside of their chairs along with Mason¡¯s wand. Once his Dimensional storage was empty of everything save his and Travis¡¯s weapon, Will turned and followed the servant back up to the VIP box, which was seperated from the rest of the auction house by an exclusive hallway guarded by several armored warriors.

    One of the intimidating walls of muscle was familiar.

    ¡°Hey Frank.¡± Will said to Frank the Tank, who nodded from his guard post as Will walked by.

    ¡°Good job, kid.¡± Frank said, offering Will a fist as he walked by.

    Will hit the meaty fist with his own as he walked by, the interaction causing the other guard and servant to frown.

    The servant shook off his confusion and guided Will down the private hall to the only door, a private booth with a single oversized table, where half a dozen unique-looking men and women turned to study the intrusion.

    ¡°Esteemed Lords of The Tower, May I present William Oh,¡± the servant said, bowing his head before backing out of the room, the wall-rugs parting behind him to seal Will inside.

    Will scanned the room, alighting on a few people he knew: The Baron, his son and grandson, who looked a little pale, and Mark Wyrd.

    And beside Mark Wyrd, someone who looked like an older brother, with more severe features and an unkind expression.

    Will couldn¡¯t look at him too long or risk his neutral expression slipping.

    Frederick gave a hungry look as Will¡¯s gaze slid past him, landing on the gilded cloth worn by the bishop of Granesh in attendance.

    The bishop gave Will a piercing gaze.

    About half the people in the room wanted him dead. The other half didn¡¯t care.

    The other Lords in the room appeared to be a regular swordsman, a marksman with eyes much like Alicias, a woman with dark hair and light skin whose chair seemed to be rotting away underneath her.

    And a ghoulish looking undead with a bit of fragrant incense hanging around his neck to cover the smell of decay.

    Will never thought he¡¯d meet of these people, let alone all of them at once.

    ¡°Come on in, sit next to me,¡± Rotwitch said, motioning for him to sit in one of the empty seats beside her. ¡°I¡¯ve got a good feeling I¡¯ll be seeing you again on the thirteenth Floor.¡±

    Out of the Rotwitch¡¯s line of sight, the man with the glowing eyes shook his head at Will.

    ¡°Nonsense, the boy has an assigned seat with some people his own age.¡± Baron Akul said, sliding out a seat between Nephir Akul and Mark Wyrd, motioning for Will to sit.

 Chapter 80: Kicking Things Off

    every

    ¡°ow.¡± june whispered as alicia kicked her shin. ¡°already? will left.¡±

    ¡°you told me to kick you when things look tense.¡± she whispered, her glowing blue eyes locked on the shadowed booth above them. ¡°they look tense.¡±

    ¡°¡­tell me when they start killing each other.¡± june said, going back to her preparations for a ¡®successful¡¯ auction.

    up above them, will was navigating the murky social scene, shaking each of the lord¡¯s hands ¨C except rotwitch ¨C before making his way to his seat.

    ¡°so¡­¡± will said, glancing to his left and right as he sat. mark wyrd gave him a studiously neutral expression, while nephir paled and glanced away.

    ¡°my name¡¯s william oh, honor to meet you.¡± will said, shaking mark¡¯s hand. naturally their coverup of oilton meant they¡¯d never officially ¡®met¡¯.

    ¡°likewise. you have a remarkable talent for single combat, mr. oh,¡± mark said giving will a short, painful squeeze before letting go.

    ¡°thank you!¡± will beamed the way he thought a simple orphan would at the direct complement.

    ¡°we¡¯ve already met,¡± nephir said, trying to avoid eye contact as will wiggled his hand under the nuker¡¯s nose. nephir finally relented and shook his hand to make the encounter end quicker. the nuker wasn¡¯t a person, per se, it was just hard to be civil to someone who¡¯d humiliated you that badly, that recently.

    mark had distance from the event and a fa?ade to maintain, so he was better at it.

    will sat down between the two of them, the gazes of the lords in the room raking across his body like hot irons.

    after a few minutes of strained conversation between the three young climbers, the lights in the auction house dimmed as a servant swept by and turned them off, signaling the beginning of the auction.

    will thought, smiling a bit as he glanced around watching the audience below shift and begin whispering to each other.

    will glanced down at the stage, an orb of light forming above and beaming straight down on the stage, just as a familiar young woman stepped up onto the stage.

    will thought sourly, half-tempted to give a petty booing.

    ¡°is this the announcer you have?¡± will muttered to himself, nebulously addressing the city without thinking too hard about who was listening.

    ¡°it¡¯s a big city, but it¡¯s not big,¡± baron akul whispered back across his son, leaning forward to see will. ¡°you try paying for a person to make it safely to this floor with nothing but voice enhancements.¡±

    ¡°no offence meant¡­sir,¡± will hastily retracted his statement.

    ¡°none taken,¡± the baron said with a grin before disappearing behind his aging son. luis was silently chuckling to himself and shaking his head.

    ¡°in this auction, over the next three hours you will bear witness to a selection of some of the most powerful relics and sacrifices to grace the fifth floor.¡±

    ¡°the attendants will now be handing out the final itinerary for tonight¡¯s auction.¡±

    a servant slipped a piece of paper in front of each of them with professional haste.

    will¡¯s brows rose as he skimmed down the list, gaze lingering on ¡®uru drake scale¡¯ before moving on.

    ¡°i don¡¯t really know what half of these things are,¡± will said, motioning to the dimensional oyster, and reinforcing awl.

    ¡°the dimensional oyster is a monster whose sacrifices are nearly as valuable as the uru drake. while it¡¯s sacrifice doesn¡¯t often grant dimensional powers directly, it has a tendency to empower them, apply a powerful defensive boost or even a growth-like effect to an ability.¡± mark offered.

    ¡°you see these?¡± nephir said, leaning over and pointing to about a chunk of about a dozen items on will¡¯s list simply marked ¡®pearl one through fourteen¡¯.

    ¡°yeah?¡±

    ¡°sometimes when climbers defeat a dimensional oyster, it¡¯ll have pearls inside it. these aren¡¯t normal pearls. they¡¯re typically the effects of climbers who have been eaten by the monster. rather than spit them out, the dimensional oyster forms a sheath of nacre around these irritating objects. this sheath of nacre protects the oyster from the irritating sharp edges of things like blades, buckles or jewelry.¡±

    ¡°so like¡­giant, sword-shaped pearls?¡±

    ¡°not exactly, because these pearls actually reduce the size of the object inside, growing smaller and more spherical with each layer until the offending object simply vanishes.¡± nephir said.

    beside them, mark made a ¡®poof¡¯ gesture without looking away from the stage.

    ¡°the pearls for sale today are the size of those a noblewoman might wear around her neck, indicating either the item inside the pearl is small, or they¡¯ve been encased in dimensional nacre for years. if you crack open a tiny pearl and it had a relic in it bathing in dimensional energies for years, the chances are good it has picked up an extra affix related to dimensional abilities, making it extremely valuable.¡± nephir continued.

    ¡°so the pearls are¡­.gambling.¡± will said.

    ¡°more or less. who doesn¡¯t like a mystery box?¡± mark said with a shrug.

    ¡°it may be gambling, but it¡¯s one of the few things that isn¡¯t rigged.¡± nephir said.

    mark grunted acknowledgement. ¡°but as soon as someone finds a way to do it...¡± he shook his head.

    the cynicism on display from these young men only a handful of years older than will warmed his paranoid heart.

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    will relaxed in his seat and took the long view on the sacrifice: nice to have, but not critical. today¡¯s primary mission was to improve mason and travis¡¯s build in preparation for the 6th floor and beyond.

    ¡°now that our attendants have handed out the itinerary and you¡¯ve had a chance to review it, we¡¯ll begin with item number one! a mutated set of bracers of shielding!¡±

    the announcer motioned to the side and stepped aside as an attendant rolled a glass case on wheels out, revealing a simple set of bracers that had a bronze glow to them under the spotlight.

    she began reading the details.

    interesting, but it wasn¡¯t vital to any of his party member¡¯s build.

    will settled back in his chair and let the auction unfold, waiting for the items that loth decided to bid on.

    eventually the attendants rolled an ornate staff forward, and loth jumped into the bidding.

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    bidding rose to a fever pitch as loth was rapidly, almost punitively, outbid by several rich families.

    loth didn¡¯t let her emotions get the better of her and simply stopped raising her bid as soon as they hit the limit of what she was willing to spend on a single relic for their nuker.

    after that, will was interested to see that loth shifted her strategy and began bidding more freely on most of the items that came on the stage. each time, a table with more money than sense bid the item above what it was worth, and loth would stop bidding before she won.

    will knew what she was doing: she was depleting everyone else¡¯s budget ¨C if they even had one ¨C and masking which items she really wanted versus which ones she was bidding up solely to gouge her competitor¡¯s pockets.

    will was fairly sure he wouldn¡¯t have handled it as well.

    through this masking technique, loth was able to acquire three pearls for next to nothing, when no one else had the appetite to jump in on a gamble after flexing their wealth on multiple occasions before.

    she also bought a sacrifice for travis for cheap: the wings of the iber fly that buzzed in the ear of its victims, causing them to go mad and attack things they shouldn¡¯t, getting them killed and allowing the iber to lay its eggs in the carrion.

    there was a torso relic similar to the cloak of misty escape that improved stealth and added the option of adding a fog cloud effect to every active ability use, for the slippery rogue types.

    will was perfectly happy with the cloak of the fade, but it was a bit painful watching such a nice item pass by.

    will thought to himself, keeping an eye on frederick wyrd as the man idly tapped his gilded bone scepter against his knee.

    from what will knew about mark¡¯s build¡­

    that was what made sense to will about the lord¡¯s drumming on his knee.

    without knowing more about what that bone scepter did, will wasn¡¯t able to make a good guess.

    it looked¡­holier than the wicked knife that mark had cut himself with. relics focused on thorns and blood-for-blood type effects had an evil look to go with it.

    this thing wouldn¡¯t look out of place in the hands of a healer. the bone wasn¡¯t carved into wicked scenes of horror, instead it was minimally altered, with the gold serving to protect the bone and enhance its natural beauty.

    will still didn¡¯t feel like he fully grasped the gimmick.

    even if it was stored damage, it would only hit once, and if the other guy resisted, he could just¡­run away.

    the biggest weakness of the thorns build was that it required the opponent to participate in the fight. if he just ran away, few thorns builds had the damage output to kill them before they could escape.

    gotta

    mark¡¯s fingers nudged will¡¯s, and will kept his eyes on the stage as he felt a piece of paper slip under his fingers.

    making sure no one else was looking, will glanced at the note.

    ¡­

    will disappeared the note into his phantom hand.

    it was an infinite loop.

    frederick wyrd chose a target, triggered his voodoo ability, tapped his knee, then the tiny amount of damage hit his opponent. that damage was revisited on frederick by the rod, which then was visited back on his opponent again. and again. and again¡­ all the while, his lifesteal healing was boosted by the rod¡¯s healing bonus, above 100%.

    so frederick wyrd walked away perfectly fine and the other person¡­kept taking damage until they couldn¡¯t technically take any damage anymore¡­

    his lifesteal could be 50% or below, and he would still win the exchange as long as his resistance was higher than his opponent.

    it was only the thorns effect that truly needed to be 100% or higher.

    if it was below 100%, each successive damage exchange would be weaker than the one before it, rather than stronger and stronger in an escalating damage explosion.

    that would be the most effective way to neuter the lord¡¯s build.

    will glanced at frederick¡¯s headband, which had a drop of blood in amber in the center.

    the wyrd patriarch¡¯s amulet was tucked beneath his shirt, and his fingers were covered by thick gloves.

    beside will, mark wyrd tapped his left middle finger, seemingly bored at the litany or rare objects marching past them. will hoped he was giving will a hint and not just bored.

    a familiar scale the size of two palms was rolled out into the spotlight, and the bidding he¡¯d assumed had been frenzied before was suddenly a bloodbath, accelerating beyond anything he¡¯d seen.

    when the final bid rolled in, will hadn¡¯t realized that much money even the winning table took their leave then and there to go settle accounts and get their hands on the uru drake scale as quickly as possible.

    strangely, the wyrd patriarch didn¡¯t seem too interested in it.

    all of the lord¡¯s bidding patterns were strange, as they seemed to put high value on things that had no particular direct use to them. outliers, really. they didn¡¯t seem to want anything for themselves, as they already had highly polished builds that didn¡¯t have a single place to improve.

    will only realized what they were bidding on when an otherwise normal steel-skin potion went for five-thousand ten-pieces, to ghoul.

    steel-skin potions weren¡¯t¡­terribly expensive, so why would they be at an auction for the rare and unusual? and why so much¡­

    will¡¯s eyes widened.

    that one item had just been a too out-of-place and on-the-nose, and allowed will¡¯s mind to pierce the veil.

    will quickly scanned the auction itinerary and found carrie near the bottom, a pair of fashionable long-boots with a charm effect whose power level didn¡¯t belong in the auction.

    ¡°so ummm¡­are you guys actually bidding on ¡± will couldn¡¯t help but whisper past nephir. he¡¯d seen the priests for sale in the temple of andover, but this was¡­

    ¡°hah. sort of. not exactly.¡± the baron¡¯s aging son said, reaching past nephir to tousle will¡¯s hair.

    ¡°you¡¯re quick, though, william.¡± baron akul said. ¡°my friends here are bidding to the others from approaching them with an offer of vassalage. we can¡¯t talent to go one way or another, but if they only receive offer and other lords give them the cold shoulder¡­¡±

    ¡°they¡¯re nudged in the direction of the winner¡­¡±

    ¡°this city produces more talent than i could ever use,¡± akul said, ¡°so we decided to develop a non-violent way to recruit, and all agreed to it. easier and more plentiful than fighting over scraps.¡±

    will nodded, humming to himself.

    ¡°¡­can bid on someone?¡± will asked, scanning for some sign that loth was on the list but not finding any. nor any sign of alicia or mason.

    as will scrolled further down the list, he found a small cuirass of modest power that looked like it could only fit a child¡­or bee.

    ¡°knock yourself out,¡± the baron said, leaning back in his seat.

    during the entire exchange, frederick wyrd ignored them, his attention was on the itinerary, the drumming against his knee accelerating.

    will¡¯s heart began to beat hard enough for him to feel it in his temples.

    ¡°and now, ladies and gentlemen, a rare drop from the sixteenth floor. a complete dimensional oyster, preserved magically and divided into a dozen high-quality sacrifices. a perfect sacrifice for dimensional abilities, growth and crafting abilities!

    when the dozen or so dimensional oyster sacrifices were rolled out onto the stage, frederick wyrd gave a tiny inhale, his limbs tensed to the most minute degree as he drummed on his knee.

    will slipped the ring of eidolons out of the phantom hand and had it on his finger in the blink of an eye before interposing the hand between the rod and the lord¡¯s knee in the exact instant everyone felt a wave of charge travel through frederick¡¯s body.

 Chapter 81: Dance with the Rotwitch

    will¡¯s stats were very good¡­for a level twenty-four.his acuity was particularly excellent, so he was able to perceive about half the things that happened in the next fraction of a second.

    taking advantage of the heartbeat will had bought, the baron encased his son and grandson in living shield and shot them through the wall, the two younger akuls disappearing in the blink of an eye.

    an explosion and a screeching noise, as though someone had run their fingernails down the fabric of space, sounded to will¡¯s left-rear, but his head couldn¡¯t turn that fast.

    baron akul gave will a sheepish shrug before frederick wyrd¡¯s jaw flexed and the baron exploded.

    rotwitch lunged forward, aiming to touch the wyrd patriarch.

    while she was still frozen in midair, the marksman motioned as though he were drawing a bow, then released, sending an arrow of pure energy past frederick wyrd¡¯s face.

    will thought he¡¯d missed until a blast of air battered at him as the air formed a tunnel in the wake of his shot, nearly drawing will into its influence like so much of the furniture that sailed through the roof of the building and into the distance.

    frederick wyrd resisted the pull and turned to face the other lords, dancing out of the way of the rotwitch, his gaze landing on marksman.

    marksman slapped a hand to his chest and blinked out of existence, a necklace with a dull broken gem in the center clattering to the ground in his place.

    will reached out with phantom hand and attempted to use dimensional storage on the rod.

    it went about as well as he could expect. the resistance to stealing a relic had always been a test of their relative power, and as his opponents had grown stronger it had become harder and harder to easily steal relics. especially if he had some way to prevent the theft.

    trying to sever the connection between frederick wyrd and the keystone of his build was like cutting braided steel with a pair of rusty bronze shears.

    frederick¡¯s gaze turned toward will until a sickly bolt of green energy spattered against the patriarch¡¯s back.

    ghoul exploded, leaving behind a translucent copy of himself, holding his hand out to unleash the attack.

    the lord¡¯s spirit form glanced down at his non-corporeal body and gave wyrd a hate-filled scowl as his scattered bits began crawling back towards him, reassembling his form from the ankle up.

    ¡°hold. still!¡± rotwitch growled, trying to touch frederick, the air around her becoming toxic and catching in will¡¯s throat.

    will thought, glancing at tables below them.

    ¡°no you don¡¯t,¡± wyrd said, his hand clamping down around will¡¯s left wrist. ¡°you¡¯re not wriggling out of this one again-¡°

    ¡°ah hah!¡± rotwitch swung at wyrd, forcing him to let go of will and push the two of them apart in order to avoid either of them dying.

    ¡°use your little explosion trick on me, freddy, i you!¡± rotwitch said, chasing the thorns build around their little box, which would¡¯ve been comical if the observation box wasn¡¯t beginning to sag from the corrosive fumes rolling off of rotwitch.

    the swordsman lord and the marksman lord was gone, ghoul was reconstituting, akul was¡­everywhere, luis and nephir were gone, leaving¡­

    a hand clamped down around will¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡° sorry about this,¡± mark wyrd said, bringing his fist down, prompting will to slide out of the way of a blow aimed at knocking him out.

    ¡°no, i get it.¡± will said with a shrug as he outmaneuvered the slower thorns build. in public they had their roles to play. mark didn¡¯t like will, sure, but he also didn¡¯t want to obey his father. the deciding factor was that he didn¡¯t want to turn frederick wyrd against him before it was time, which took precedence, leading to him attacking will on his father¡¯s orders.

    ¡°boy!¡± frederick wyrd said, pointing at will.

    ¡°behave yourself, or i¡¯ll remove your legs until you learn your place. i prefer my property undamaged.¡±

    will had no doubt that the man had the power to do it.

    his eyes narrowed as he glanced at rotwitch and back to frederick. sear?h the n?velfire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    why freddy using his explosive ability on rotwitch?

    rotwitch corroded anything she came into contact with.

    if the system made a connection between the two of them in the form of that damage loop, then her corrosive influence could infect freddy and possibly kill him.

    and freddy wasn¡¯t sure he would win that exchange.

    ¡°you know what?¡± will said, dodging another attack by mark before drawing his replacement sword out of the phantom hand and pointing it at frederick. ¡°i don¡¯t like your , freddy.¡±

    the wyrd patriarch¡¯s jaw tensed.

    ¡°very well,¡± frederick wyrd said, activating his voodoo ability to connect him and will, stooping to tap his own feet with the rod.

    will dropped the sword and ripped off his gauntlet, jabbing the rotwitch in the side with his regrowing nub of a wrist.

    ¡°eek!¡± rotwitch squeaked at the sudden fleshy contact while wyrd swung his rod down towards his foot, frowning at will¡¯s sudden change.

    his eyes widened.

    will thought, his regrowing wrist beginning to sizzle as his phantom hand raced the rod of the pacifist healer.

    the phantom hand flicked frederick wyrd¡¯s left middle finger with bone-breaking force an instant before he managed to hit himself with the rod.

    the damage loop triggered, damaging will in the closest place to frederick wyrd¡¯s left middle finger.

    his stump of a wrist.

    his stump of a wrist¡­currently afflicted with the rotwitch¡¯s curse, which was pressed into her side.

    ¡°aaah!¡±

    frederick wyrd¡¯s left middle finger half melted, half exploded as the infectious curse spread to his finger and prevented his lifesteal from healing it, allowing the looped damage to accumulate.

    the wyrd patriarch¡¯s side also began to smoulder where will had touched the rotwitch, implying his rod had decided the tiny amount of damage that had been done to her from will¡¯s wrist exploding was frederick¡¯s fault.

    will stalked forward through the sudden silence, approaching the wide-eyed lord.

    ¡°you thought i won that tournament through ¡± will demanded. ¡°i fight even without rules! i¡¯m going to find you on the seventh floor, ¡­hunt you down and-urk!¡°

    a band of spidersilk snapped around his waist and catapulted him backwards, yanking him violently over the bannister and out above the auction-house seating.

    will hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and shards of wooden furniture.

    ¡°he was about to kill you,¡± loth said apologetically.

    ¡°no he¡­¡± will thought about frederick¡¯s trembling fingers disappearing into his pocket, doing gods-knew-what. he¡¯d been too mad to be paying attention. too wrapped up in getting revenge for the suffering of brianna and all the grief the lord had caused will and others¡­ ¡°¡­.yeah, he was about to kill me.¡±

    ¡°his voodoo ability has to have a range limit.¡± mason said, peering up at the collapsing vip box. ¡°let the lords handle the rest of the fight.¡±

    ¡°alright you guys, go, go, go!¡± june said, motioning reggie and travis, each of them loaded with rare and valuable auction items, to sprint through the hole in the wall mason had ¡®engineered¡¯.

    ¡°awesome,¡± will chuckled. ¡°¡­can one of you cut off my arm?¡±

    he raised his left arm, which was sizzling and decaying at a rapid pace. in a matter of minutes the corruption would reach his torso, and that would be a problem.

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    ¡°i¡¯ve been working on something,¡± mason said, stepping forward.

    ¡°no, no,¡± will stopped him. ¡°it can infect abilities. use something disposal.¡±

    loth motioned to a rare and valuable sword reggie was currently pilfering for them.

    her insects stole the sword and brought it to her.

    ¡°i can see how far it¡¯s spread, let me,¡± alicia whispered, taking the scimitar out of loth¡¯s hand and bringing it down on will¡¯s upper arm with all her might¡­which was significant.

    despite the searing pain, it actually felt than when the rotwitch¡¯s curse had been tearing through it. less¡­ and more¡­unspeakable pain. a marked improvement.

    alicia hissed and stumbled back, dropping the scimitar and bleeding from her eyes.

    ¡°alicia are you-¡° loth began.

    ¡°i¡¯m fine,¡± she whispered, raising a hand and looking back at loth with bloodshot eyes, red tears streaming down her cheeks.

    ¡°they aren¡¯t infected, so they¡¯ll heal. rotwitch¡¯s curse is pleasant to look at though.¡±

    ¡°let¡¯s you three!¡± june said, tossing will a healing potion.

    will uncorked it with his teeth and slammed it back, rolling away from his chunk of arm melting through the floor before he stood. it wouldn¡¯t do to re-introduce rotwitch¡¯s curse to his flesh.

    will thought sourly before shrugging it off. that brought a smile to his face.

    will thought, glancing back up at the vip box before he joined the stream of panicked civilians fleeing through the hole in the wall.

    will had bought baron akul a heartbeat of time to act as he saw fit. the man surely had powerful abilities that could¡¯ve secured his life or put wyrd at a disadvantage.

    ¡°remind me never to have children.¡± will said as they ran.

    loth sent him a sideways glance and shrugged.

    the six of them came to a screeching halt in the middle of the street. normally this would¡¯ve caused a problem with the press of people around them, but in this instance came to a screeching halt.

    in the distance, a building crumbled as a kaiju emerged from beneath it, groggily climbing to it¡¯s feet.

    it was a lizard-like thing with too many legs, and a sharp tongue that looked as though it could extend outward, spearing or slashing as needed.

    rumbling continued as another building collapsed, revealing a kaiju. then another, and another.

    the screams of panic turned to screams of pain as dozens of men and women on the street began to writhe, limbs bursting out of their bodies as they became tangled, immediately attacking anything and anyone near them.

    ¡°travis,¡± june said, holding out her arms.

    travis dumped his loot in june¡¯s hands before putting his fingers in his mouth and unleashing an ear-piercing whistle, garnering the attention of everything on the street.

    ¡°hey all you tangled sons-a-bitches!¡± travis shouted, his ability permeating his voice.

    the one thing the kaiju and the tangled shared was a low resistance to mental attacks. they immediately began chasing him, as if tugged along on strings.

    ¡°follow me!¡± travis shouted and immediately began sprinting toward the first of loth¡¯s traps.

    ¡°this way,¡± loth said, taking the lead now that june¡¯s hands were full, breaking their path away from travis and the steam of tangled following him.

    but the tangled weren¡¯t just those they¡¯d seen on the street. they were practically spilling out of apartment buildings, shops, boiling out of the sewers in a flood of angry, nigh-indestructible meat.

    they took a quick duck into a side-alley, the sound of buildings being stepped on turning into a constant background noise.

    dozens of tangled poured in the end of the alley before they reached it, and still more came in from the road behind him.

    ¡°we¡¯re going up!¡± loth said, and a moment later, the five of them were buoyed up by her insects, floating toward the roof of the building.

    will smacked a leaping tangled out of the air with phantom hand moments before it could grab hold of june. the creature tumbled backwards before its fingers dug into the building¡¯s stone wall, joining the other grotesque limb-monsters chasing them.

    they reached the roof of the building, able to see where a nearby kaiju was beginning to lay waste to the surroundings. this one was tall and slimy-skinned, with emaciated limbs that seemed to cut through buildings like butter.

    and it was only two buildings away.

    ¡°yes. here is good.¡± loth said as she scanned the rooftop. ¡°hold them off, mason.¡±

    mason rolled up his sleeves and the explosions began to echo across the roof, hot and heavy.

    the kaiju¡¯s attention turned towards the staccato blasts, and it began lumbering towards them, it¡¯s claws sinking into the building across the street.

    the creature was so huge that it leaned over the entire street to peer at them, the building underneath it crumbling under its weight.

    loth¡¯s trap went off.

    silk ropes whipped out of the crumbling building and slammed into the kaiju at high speeds, depositing a crimson powder across the creature¡¯s chest that seemed to sink into its skin instantly.

    in the back of his mind, will felt a faint, insidious urge to abandon everything he was doing and attack the offending monster. naturally this was outweighed by his understanding that that was a idea.

    not so with the surrounding tangled, who immediately began to swarm towards the kaiju, streaming past them by the hundreds.

    the gigantic monster reared back as tangled began to swarm up it, ripping and tearing to the best of their abilities.

    ¡°the handlers?¡± will asked. if they couldn¡¯t deal with the charm-based classes directing the tangled, then this little distraction would be countered in a matter of minutes. maybe less.

    ¡°i¡¯ll spot them,¡± alica said, unslinging her bow and scanning the surroundings.

    june handed her a glowing arrow, which she nocked without looking.

    ¡°¡­there.¡±

    alicia snapped her bow up, drew back to her cheek and released in one fluid motion. the arrow flew out and pierced the stone wall of a nearby apartment building.

    a moment later, the tangled began ripping into the kaiju with renewed energy, that little voice in their head telling them to stop going quiet.

    as they tore into the panicking kaiju, they began bleeding themselves as tiny bite marks appeared all over their bodies.

    it seemed as though through some unknown process, wyrd had buffed the kaiju with a fraction of his thorns, to make it significantly harder for the defenders of the city to get control of them.

    but since the tangled were the ones doing the damage¡­this actually worked just fine for will.

    the crazed tangled only attacked as they were wounded, lashing out violently at the nearest thing¡­the kaiju and each other.

    across the city, will saw the lizard-like kaiju get slapped with the tangled bait, followed by the other two kaiju.

    a moment later, all four kaiju were crawling with tangled.

    ¡°there¡¯s another handler.¡± alicia said, shooting high in the air, her arrow arcing across half the city before coming down on its hapless victim.

    ¡°i¡¯m proud of you,¡± will said, patting loth¡¯s head.

    ¡°it was idea,¡± loth said, peering up at him.

    ¡°ah, but the execution¡­¡± will clicked his tongue. ¡°i couldn¡¯t¡¯ve.¡±

    across the city, frederick wyrd blinked into existence atop the highest tower in the city, burning an incredibly expensive consumable to escape from the rotwitch.

    in a matter of hours, the city would be deserted, crushed between his tangled and stephan¡¯s hubris, every living soul within its walls dead or fled, leaving this prime territory his for the taking¡­

    in front of his eyes, the tangled swarmed the kaiju like ants, whittling away at their flesh. killing themselves in the process.

    ¡°what are you doing!?¡± frederick bellowed at his handlers placed throughout the city. this was explicitly what he want to happen.

    then he spotted a blue streak of an arrow fly from the top of a distant building and bury itself inside a far-flung location. a familiar location. where they¡¯d hidden one of the handler/tangled pairs.

    a deep fury began to well up inside him. that arrow belonged to alicia zodiac. alicia zodiac belonged to william oh.

    william oh had read his plan and ruined it.

    ¡°my lord,¡± one of his men appeared beside him, shoving a greater healing potion under his nose, but frederick barely noticed it.

    ¡°please, take the anti-curse before it takes root,¡± the man said.

    that got his attention.

    frederick glanced down and began knocking back priceless medicines one after the other to flush his system and make sure no lingering effects stuck with him.

    his fist clenched tight as he considered going down there and putting william oh out of frederick¡¯s misery, but¡­

    he glanced down at his missing finger.

    part of his kit was missing. his build was cracked. he needed to retreat.

    bakton and marksman had the speed to take advantage of catching him out in the open without his whole kit. if they were hanging around¡­

    frederick¡¯s eye twitched at the indignity of a whelp who wasn¡¯t even halfway to his first class evolution forcing him to retreat.

    frederick thought, straightening and taking a deep breath.

    ¡°send word to gather up our acquisitions, we¡¯re leaving.¡± he said, swallowing the rage.

    experimenting with tangled required rare ingredients in bulk. small improvements were being made every year, and frederick was excited to see what could be done with dimensional oyster. everything else at the auction was just icing on the cake.

    ¡°umm¡­¡± the servant wrung his hands together nervously, drawing frederick¡¯s attention to him.

    frederick cocked a brow.

    ¡°it seems the auction items were stolen the moment the fighting broke out? several of our operatives in the vault room and behind the stage were killed or wounded by¡­traps.¡±

    the building cracked beneath him as he drove his fist into the worked stone.

    back at the auction house, mark wyrd¡¯s back was to the wall, his hands up in surrender.

    the rotwitch¡¯s hand hovered a hair¡¯s breadth from making contact with his neck.

    ¡°you little shit,¡± she said, her beautiful features twisted in anger. ¡°give me one good reason not to end you right here.¡±

    mark couldn¡¯t think of one. not a good one anyway.

    ¡°he¡¯s stephan¡¯s son-in-law.¡± ghoul said, approaching from behind the rotwitch, his hand extended, but not quite going so far as to touch her.

    ¡°so? this little punk kill a lord. stephan, specifically.¡±

    ¡°if his son dies, frederick doesn¡¯t have any reason left to keep stephan¡¯s daughter alive. stephan knew that,¡± ghoul said gently. ¡°he wouldn¡¯t want you to kill mark.¡±

    the rotwitch growled and pulled her hand back. ¡°fine.¡±

    the emaciated undead watched rotwitch stalk away, her posture radiating anger and frustration.

    once she was out of earshot, he turned back to mark and spoke.

    ¡°stephan wanted me to give you something. it was supposed to be after the auction, but i feel as though would be a better time.¡±

    ghoul produced a wicked-looking dagger and offered it to mark.

    ¡°he bade me to ask you to protect amanda with it.¡±

    mark reached down and wrapped his fingers around the wound leather handle.

    ¡°he said you¡¯d know what to do with it.¡± ghoul said.

    ¡°i certainly do,¡± mark said.

    ¡°get outta here before your father wonders why it took you so long.¡± ghoul said, pointing over his shoulder.

    mark nodded and left, jumping from roof to roof to navigate the chaos.

    the kaiju were dying not one building from where they had emerged, taking the tangled with them, making the rest easy work for the city guard. the city itself was largely unharmed.

    he found his father at the backup rally point outside the city, sitting in the center of a bustling camp, peeling his gloves off and removing the false rings from his maimed hand.

    void and arms stood beside frederick wyrd, guarding the patriarch during this vulnerable moment.

    mark glanced at void.

    void studiously looked away.

    he glanced at arms.

    arms did the same.

    ¡°son,¡± frederick said ominously, having missed the exchange, focused as he was on his hand. he began winding into one of his infamous punishment speeches as mark approached. ¡°i don¡¯t suppose you know how william oh knew which-¡°

    mark wyrd lunged forward and buried the dagger of sublime retribution deep in his father¡¯s lungs.

    his father¡¯s eyes widened an instant before he exploded into viscera.

    the weakness of the rod of the pacifist healer was that¡­against another thorns user, the damage reflected back to the user in each cycle would always be far higher than 100%. nearly impossible to outpace. especially not against the dagger and missing a vital piece of kit.

    ¡°baron akul says ¡®hi¡¯.¡± mark said as the entire camp stopped to stare at the pile of blood that used to be their lord.

    ¡°oh no, my lord has been slain. what a godsdamned tragedy.¡± void said in monotone.

 Chapter 82: Bakers United

    There was an inflection point. Will saw it.A point where panic and desperation on the streets turned to determination and effort. The point where the city of Akul realized they were going to win.

    As the mercenary companies and kaiju corps cleaned out the last remaining Tangled and attempted to get the kaiju back under control, citizens of Akul stopped running and started pitching in, their eyes clear and stoic.

    They were all Climbers, after all.

    These four kaiju had been chosen specifically because they were (relatively) easy to subdue, and the people were taking full advantage of it. The question now was whether the kaiju would survive the night after being brutally savaged by the Tangled.

    In any case, it was a logistics problem for the city, not something Will needed to involve himself in.

    They needed to start hiding their loot. More than one person must¡¯ve seen them hauling loot out of the auction house, and it seemed like in the process of saving the city, Will had also preserved law and order.

    Which meant that, through their own heroic efforts, they had ensured the heist would come back to haunt them.

    Will considered for a day, before deciding that yes, they had overstayed their welcome on the Fifth Floor and should be moving on.

    There were certain supplies they needed to go up to the next Floor. Namely an inflatable raft, food, a water de..de¡­

    ¡°De-what?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Desalinator.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°That sounds made up.¡±

    ¡°All words are made up.¡± Loth replied.

    Will thought with a shrug as another thought loomed over him.

    They were Tangled, even if only one of them knew it. The city was probably going to be pretty paranoid about people with that Class for quite some time.

    There were Classes that could tell what other people¡¯s Classes were. The clerk who verified Will¡¯s identity back when he¡¯d completed his Establishing Quest was a prime example.

    Will¡¯s paranoid mind immediately assumed that the city would invest heavily in I.D. verification over the next few years, which was not ideal for the safety and freedom of the Baker Girls.

    Jean might, but she saw the whole picture¡­or most of it.

    Will¡¯s feet turned towards Jean¡¯s Bakery.

    ¡°You want us to finish preparations?¡± Loth asked, following his gaze toward the opposite side of the city before giving a smirk and shaking her head.

    ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t mind.¡± Will murmured.

    ¡°Go check on your bakers.¡± She said, waving a scaled hand.

    Alicia frowned, glancing between Will and Loth before she leaned down to the kobold¡¯s ear, whispering so low that even Will¡¯s enhanced senses couldn¡¯t pick it up.

    Will decided it was none of his business and turned towards the west, following the main thoroughfare.

    ¡°Oh, I never thought of it that way.¡± He heard Alicia¡¯s whisper which was quickly buried by the sound of the busy streets.

    The bustling street had a harder edge than it¡¯d had the day before. Everyone moved with a purpose, every conversation was focused on survival.

    Strangely enough, he spotted the Ear Collector donating some of his opiates to surgeons keeping the injured calm and stable until healers could reach them.

    Will wound his way down to Jean¡¯s Bakery and stepped inside.

    The doorbell announced his presence, but he didn¡¯t pay any attention to it.

    The sheer of the bakery was alarming, to say the least.

    The wooden countertop was shattered, with splinters covering the floor. there was a hole punched through the wall, revealing parts of the back. The solid iron oven was dented. Splatters of blood dotted the walls and floor.

    The floor was covered in glass and splinters, with cracks and divots in the floor where something or some had hit the ground¡­hard.

    ¡°Oh, hi Will!¡± Anna said cheerfully as she emerged from the back of the shop, bearing a broom and dustpan.

    ¡°Are you¡­okay?¡± Will asked, peering past her where Jean was carefully bending the oven back into shape. Bee and Ria were nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Oh, sure! Nobody¡¯s hurt or anything. We all just got a little there for a few minutes. You know how girls are sometimes!¡±

    Even with Will¡¯s staggering lack of experience with girls, that still sounded forced.

    ¡°What happened¡­exactly?¡± Will asked.

    Well, you know, the four of us were prepping for the morning rush and all of a sudden we all just got like girls do sometimes¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Will nodded.

    She heaved a sigh and leaned on her broom. ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t even remember what we were angry about. Anyway, it was over in a flash, and we all said we were sorry, Jean grew back her ear and Ria and Bee went out to help with the emergency outside.¡±

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    She cocked her head.

    ¡°Although I think Bee might be looting instead of helping.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a decent guess. Can I talk to Jean?¡±

    ¡°Sure, lemme just clear the glass.¡± Anna said, swiftly clearing a glass-free path to enter the back room with her broom before taking the work outside the counter.

    ¡°I thought you agreed to stay away from us.¡± Jean said, wiping soot off her hands.

    Sounds like you got caught up in the signal to go crazy and attack everyone.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be indiscriminate. They had it worse than I did, though. I kept them inside, and they didn¡¯t like it.¡±

    Jean flicked her fresh ear, which looked out of place on her weathered face.

    ¡°Have you considered what happens next?¡± Will asked. ¡°Frederick Wyrd failed to take the city, which is good, but they¡¯re not going to forget about Tangle-¡°

    ¡°Frederick Wyrd is dead.¡± Jean interrupted him.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    ¡°Yep, he died just a few hours ago. I could feel the last little bits of my Vassal relationship with him unravel suddenly.¡±

    Mere minutes after Will had last seen him, the Wyrd patriarch was already dead.

    Will opened his mouth to ask how he¡¯d died, before realizing that Jean likely wouldn¡¯t have any better idea than he did. She¡¯d been in the bakery wrangling crazed Tangled who didn¡¯t even know they were Tangled.

    ¡°Still. Are you and your girls going to be safe going forward? There¡¯s gonna be a little¡­discontent directed towards them. To put it mildly.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be safe if they think they got them all.¡± Jean said, turning away from Will and putting her hands back on the iron stove, popping out a dent with her fist.

    ¡°They¡¯re not gonna think that.¡± Will said. ¡°People are going to want to be absolutely this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°I ¡± Jean said with a sigh.

    ¡°You could leave the tower. You wouldn¡¯t have any struggles outside of it.¡± They¡¯d practically be demigods, given their outrageous physical stats.

    ¡°That¡¯s part of the problem, isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°The girls, they think they¡¯re just a stronger and tougher than normal. It hasn¡¯t sunk in that they¡¯re comparing themselves to level twenty-five and above Climbers. They don¡¯t feel like monsters.¡±

    ¡°And if you leave The Tower, they will.¡±

    Jean nodded, her expression severe as she pulled the bend out of the oven¡¯s opening.

    ¡°¡­Why can¡¯t you tell them?¡±

    ¡°Because they don¡¯t . You saw Anna. I have seen someone so strongly in denial.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to be a Lord on the tenth Floor.¡± Will said.

    ¡°What happened to making it to the top?¡± Jean asked, glancing up at him.

    ¡°A waystation.¡± Will said. ¡°Anyway, as I go higher, I¡¯m going to need durable cooks, guardswomen and phantom thieves if I make it that far. Imagine how normal your girls will feel among level 50¡¯s.¡±

    Jean chuckled before her expression sobered, and she shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t make their decisions for them.¡±

    ¡°¡­I think you might be able to.¡± Will said.

    Jean¡¯s brows furrowed.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Will reached out and took her left hand, sliding his thumb up her ring finger, stopping when it came across a lump that was just a little too hard. The Ring of Total Freedom, still hiding itself.

    The only viable reason she could¡¯ve escaped the 7th Floor.

    ¡°I think¡­the other girls are just emotions that one person couldn¡¯t process all at once without going mad¡­Brianna.¡±

    Jean laughed, her face crumpling as tears began to well up in her eyes.

    ¡°You know Jean is my middle name? After my grandmother.¡±

    ¡°I thought it might be something like that. She was strong?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Jean nodded. ¡°A force of nature. I thought if anyone could¡­If anyone could survive it¡¯d be her.¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re going to need to come back together at some point,¡± Will said.

    ¡°I¡¯d really rather not.¡± She said, looking up at him.

    ¡°I know, but your ¡®girls¡¯ are weighed down by the pain that you pushed onto them. That pain is frozen in time.¡± Will said. ¡°They won¡¯t get over it until do, and you won¡¯t get better until you reunite your memories with how you feel about them.¡±

    Wiping her eyes and drawing a shuddering breath, she nodded.

    ¡°Anna, can you come in here?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Anna?¡±

    The two of them frowned, sharing a glance before they looked up.

    Outside in the shopfront, Anna stood stock still, staring at a crimson light beaming from the finger of a slender man.

    Beside him was the Graneshian Bishop.

    The two locked eyes.

    In the blink of an eye, a beam of red light caught Jean in the eyes, causing her body to go still.

    ¡°Oh, Come ¡± Will said. ¡°We were making

    ¡°You keep dangerous company, Deceiver.¡± The Bishop said, approaching the back. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You they¡¯re not mydoingright? You people seem to think I¡¯m responsible for a lot of shit that I had nothing to do with.¡± Will asked, backing up. They didn¡¯t haul all their flour in through the front every day.

    Will¡¯s intention was to draw the bishop forward, distancing him from his backup and putting Jean closer to him, so that she had to cover less distance.

    The Bishop didn¡¯t take the bait, simply standing behind the bar and watching Will back away.

    ¡°I know. I know you aren¡¯t even inherently evil. Just an obstacle to the greater good. I don¡¯t want you to die thinking I hate you unreasonably or that I¡¯m blinded by dogma.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that makes me feel much better.¡±

    Will heard clattering come from behind him as church operatives entered from the back door, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the narrow hall, three deep.

    ¡°I watched every match in the arena.¡± The bishop said, raising his voice. ¡°This team was hand-picked to neutralize every tactic you possess. Now, do you want to do this here and now, or would you be amenable to answering some questions at the church first?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean you¡¯ll live longer if you cooperat-¡°

    ¡°No, what does ¡®a-men-ibble¡¯, mean?¡± Will asked, moving his Phantom Hand far outside the bounds of the shop. They couldn¡¯t stop a distance shot.

    ¡°Take him down.¡±

    Will ducked and released the cannonball at maximum speed from far outside the shopfront, causing it to blast through the stone walls, filling the entire shop with shrapnel and catching the Charm class in the chest, killing him instantly.

    Or at least, it should¡¯ve.

    The Charmer flickered a bit, reappearing on the other side of the room, clutching a hand over a piece of shrapnel lodged in his stomach.

    Judging by how Jean and Anna were starting to recover, the Ability keeping them quiet had been broken.

    The bishop nearly bowled over at the sudden explosive pressure wave behind him.

    Will wondered, even as he tried to prevent himself from getting tagged from behind as well.

    He was¡­mostly successful.

    He rolled out of the way of a strike, but there wasn¡¯t enough room in the tiny bakery to fully dodge, and he wound up sporting a thin cut along his back that burned like the Abyss.

    Will thought as he ducked behind Jean, choosing to block the follow-up with something a bit sturdier.

    The sword of his attacker was held in place by Jean¡¯s shoulder, allowing Will to reach around and steal the guy¡¯s side weapon.

    Shouting and clanging began to ring from outside as Will dove over a table, scattering bowls and pans as he went.

    Jean drew a swift breath, like someone who¡¯d been startled awake. She scanned the surroundings, taking in the half dozen operatives watching her cautiously, weighing this new addition to the equation.

    ¡°Girls, can you come in here, please?¡± Jean asked, her voice wrought iron as she tugged the sword out of her shoulder. The wound sealed itself instantly.

    Will thought, ducking his head.

    There was a cry of pain in the distance as Ria bulled her way through the surrounding Granesh operatives, squishing them against or the wall in her rush to enter.

    ¡°What is it, Jean!? I got this weird feeling I should come back and-¡°

    ¡°I¡¯m baaaack!¡± Bee cried, entering through the gaping hole in the front with a gilded box full of jewelry over her shoulder.

    ¡°Oh my gosh, is everyone okay!?¡± Anna asked, seemingly dismayed at the surrounding carnage as she shook off the Charm.

    Suddenly, the Bishop was the one surrounded. Will could see it on his face.

    Jean dropped the sword and held out her hands.

    Ria seemed to listen to something, her gaze distant for an instant before she nodded, striding past the scatted operatives and taking Jean¡¯s hand.

    A moment later, Ria vanished, leaving behind her clothes and weapons.

    Jean stood a little straighter, bearing righteous indignation.

    ¡°Sto-¡° Bee kicked the bishop across the room before she and Anna sprinted up to Jean, taking her hands in their own.

    Bee and Anna vanished a moment later, their effects dropping to the ground.

    The righteous indignation on Jean¡¯s face turned to fury. A moment later, she began to split, a flood of over a dozen angry young women stalking towards the people who had attacked her bakery, each one as strong as three of their opponents.

    The following battle was brutal and swift. Will spent most of his time hiding under the table.

    When the screaming stopped, he peeked his head out to spot Brianna sitting in the wreckage of her escapist fantasy, tears streaming down her face.

    Will leapt up and grabbed the largest towel he could find, shaking the debris out of it and draping it over her shoulders.

    ¡°Feel any better?¡±

    ¡°Much, much worse.¡± Brianna shuddered, drawing the towel over her bare shoulders.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Will resolved not to speak again ever.

    ¡°But¡­myself.¡± Brianna said. ¡°So that¡¯s better. In a way.¡±

    ¡°We¡­I will come with you.¡± Brianna said, her voice catching as she stood. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need more time away from myself to heal. It hurts a lot to be right now.¡±

    She stood in the center of the room and extended her hand. In a matter of seconds, Bee, Ria, and Anna budded off her, forming in place, holding Brianna¡¯s hand as they resolved into fully functioning bodies.

    Will thought at Brianna¡¯s skin began to wrinkle and liver spot.

    The four girls shared silent glances full of meaning, each now fully aware of who and what they were. Brianna had accepted it, so now they all knew why they hurt.

    It was the not knowing that had locked the four of them in the same caricatures of themselves. Now they could heal, and one day, Brianna would be able to be herself more than a few seconds at a time.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± A voice came from the ruined shopfront, causing Will¡¯s head to snap up in case there were still church operatives lingering.

    What Will saw was objectively

    Lord Bakton and Lord Ghoul, each capable of killing both of them with relative ease, carefully picked their way through the ruined shop as they approached, trying to avoid the larger blood splatters and disembodied limbs.

    Will wondered, his unspoken question answered nearly instantaneously.

    ¡°William Oh, we¡¯d like to talk to you about the auction. And other things.¡±

 Chapter 83: The Tournamentâ€™s Real Prize

    They took him to a private room in the palace and Will was once again surrounded by people he was fairly sure could end him in the blink of an eye. Ghoul, Bakton, and Luis, who had been waiting for the three of them.Luis gestured for them to sit, and Will did so, heart hammering in his chest.

    ¡°So about the auction -¡± Will said before Luis held up his hand.

    ¡°We arrested several vassals of Frederick Wyrd that had been subdued by the auction vault¡¯s defenses. Obviously Frederick was the one who stole the auction¡¯s goods.¡± Luis said.

    Ghoul and Bakton nodded along with amused expressions.

    ¡°We don¡¯t care about the trinkets so much as we care about the prosperity of this neutral ground,¡± Ghoul clarified. ¡°The advantage it provides us in terms of produce and manpower is not to be understated. And you preserved that.¡±

    ¡°In any case, Frederick was the perpetrator, and sadly, he died before he could reveal where he hid the stolen goods, so they may be lost to the sands of time forever.¡± Luis said, leaning back in his ornate chair.

    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Will said. People had his party leaving with some of the loot hoisted over their shoulders, but if the Lord of the city said something loud enough, it would the truth.

    That was a relief. It was nice to see those kinds of things working out in his favor, but Will wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to believe they would.

    ¡°So why am I actually here? Will asked.

    ¡°Baron Akul was the spearhead in the movement to lift up promising young Climbers. We wish to preserve his city, and the traditions he began. They are both the right thing to do, and profitable for us, so it is an easy decision to make,¡± Ghoul said.

    ¡°To that end¡­Has anyone ever taught you how to fight?¡± Bakton asked.

    ¡°I fought all the time back in the orphanage.¡± Will said with a frown.

    ¡°No, I mean training, from an instructor. On to fight.¡±

    Will didn¡¯t say anything, thinking back. Nothing came to mind.

    ¡°Let me guess.¡± Bakton said, leaning forward in his chair. ¡°Every fight you¡¯ve ever been in since you became a Climber has been a white-knuckled ride on a wild horse that could throw you any second, constantly bouncing from desperate gambit to desperate gambit that always seem to work out because of your high natural talent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­fairly accurate.¡± Will said. Not fight, but a lot of them.

    ¡°In honor of Stephan, I¡¯ll give you lesson. We¡¯ll see what you can do with it.¡± Bakton said.

    Will thought.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to give you a lesson on Ability use,¡± Ghoul said.

    Will glanced over at Luis, wondering what he was going to offer.

    ¡°I already let you keep you the contents of the auction¡­but I can throw in a boat,¡± The new Baron of Akul said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Much appreciated,¡± Will said with a nod.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started.¡± Bakton said, the swordsman rising to his feet.

    ¡°¡­Now?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m only in town another day before I¡¯m going back up to my Floor.¡± Bakton said. ¡°So yes. Now.¡±

    Will hastily stood and followed the swordsman while he walked. The man was lithe, with defined muscles that seemed to anchor into his skeleton under constant tension like a taught bowstring.

    Will thought, poking his own normal stomach. Sure it was flat, but it didn¡¯t .

    Will followed Bakton out to a courtyard lined with weapons racks, a circle of sand in the center.

    ¡°We¡¯ve only got time for one lesson, but it¡¯s going to make a big difference.¡± Bakton said ¡°In order to throw a spotlight on your biggest weaknesses, we¡¯re going to need to establish some ground rules to avoid you compensating with Abilities as you¡¯ve become accustomed to. Wear this.¡±

    He tossed a metal collar to Will while putting on one of his own.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a cursed Relic.¡± Bakton said.

    Will blinked, holding the Relic away from himself.

    ¡°Just put it on, I haven¡¯t got all day.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Sets our stats the same and messes with your perception of time.¡±

    Will put the collar on, stiffening a bit as the cold metal touched his skin.

    ¡°Piiiick aaa weaaapooon.¡± Bakton said, pointing.

    ¡°Yoouu sooound weeeird. IIII sooound Weeird!¡± Will gasped. He felt normal, but when he tried to speak or move, it felt like he was moving through honey¡­.albeit less sweet.

    Will¡¯s senses adjusted, making Bakton sound a bit more normal as he chose a tomahawk.

    ¡°Interesting choice.¡± Bakton said, taking a tomahawk off the wall as well.

    ¡°I thought you were a swordsman.¡± Will asked.

    ¡°At level? Doesn¡¯t make a difference.¡±

    ¡°Come here and spar with me. The one rule is that you are to use your Abilities. I will not use mine or my left arm. Our weapons are the same, our stats identical, so the only variable is skill. Do you understand?¡±

    Will nodded.

    ¡°Then come.¡±

    What followed next was both humiliating and enlightening.

    With how slow they moved relative to their perception of time, Will was able to catch every single subtle move the Lord made. Every time Will made a mistake and it was punished was made glaringly obvious by the time dilation.

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    Every move was calculated to put Will at a disadvantage, buy time, or go for the kill. Not a single action was wasted, and as he was sent reeling to the ground over and over again, Will had plenty of time to analyze what happened before he crashed into the dirt.

    The first thing Will learned was to widen his stance and catch his balance as quickly as possible between each exchange, or else Bakton would punish him.

    After Will no longer complacently stayed over-extended, Bakton started adding in strikes to deliberately catch Will off-guard or spin him around, causing him to trip over his own feet and topple onto the ground in slow motion.

    Will¡¯s footwork gradually improved, perhaps unconsciously matching Bakton¡¯s.

    When Will no longer fell for overextensions and footwork puzzles as often, Bakton disarmed him repeatedly.

    When Will began retaining his weapon better, Bakton threw in arm locks and leg swipes interspersed between the chops that have severed his spine or perforated his lungs.

    When Will started copying some of the more aggressive attacks that Bakton deployed, the swordsman went on to demonstrate the perfect response to them before going back on the offensive.

    Will felt like he was fighting against a mirror of himself that was guiding him through a foggy landscape¡­that was beginning to clear a bit.

    At the end of the ¡®lesson¡¯, Will was a shaky mess, his body trembling from exertion. His legs especially felt like they would give out on him.

    ¡°You did well,¡± The taciturn Lord said, taking off the steel collar and cancelling the effect on both of them. ¡°Not a savant, but a quick study. I hope you¡¯ve learned something that can be useful for you.¡±

    ¡°I think I have,¡± Will said, nodding. He felt like he was beginning to grasp the interplay of combat one move further ahead than he had when they¡¯d started.

    Against Bakton, all that ¡®one move ahead¡¯ really let him know was when he¡¯d made a mistake and it was about to be punished, and possibly how. But that was more than he saw when they¡¯d started.

    And it would likely be more useful against someone who wasn¡¯t Bakton.

    ¡°Keep practicing. I gave you a seed, but if you don¡¯t water it, it¡¯ll wither before it can grow big enough to sustain itself.¡± Bakton said before leaving.

    ¡°And if you make it to the ninth floor¡­¡± He called over his shoulder. ¡°let¡¯s spar again. I like a quick study.¡±

    ¡°I think he likes you,¡± Ghoul said, watching Bakton leave. ¡°He¡¯s never offered a second lesson before.¡±

    ¡°You think I want to go through this again?¡± Will motioned to his bruised form.

    ¡°You just improved your battle sense by leaps and bounds in a single lesson. I¡¯m absolutely sure you want to go through it again.¡±

    Will shrugged sheepishly. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Now for my lessons.¡± Ghoul said, rolling up his sleeves.

    ¡°Lessons, plural?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Yes. I want my lessons to make Baktons look plebian by comparison.¡± Ghoul said, his emaciated skull giving him a death¡¯s head grin.

    From context, plebian was¡­bad?

    ¡°Have you ever heard of a ¡®memory key¡¯?¡± Ghoul asked.

    Will shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t.¡± Ghoul said, preening a bit. ¡°Because I invented it.¡±

    Will¡¯s brows rose.

    ¡°And if you teach anyone else about it without my permission, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Ghoul said, with the tone of someone speaking absolute truth. ¡°If this technique spreads far and wide, a counter will be developed and it will lose all it¡¯s value. So don¡¯t.¡±

    Will nodded.

    ¡°We can sit down for this part,¡± Ghoul said, and they both collapsed into the sand.

    ¡°A memory key is memories, ranging from a handful to hundreds, strung together end to end.¡±

    Will cocked his head, not quite understanding.

    ¡°Crystalize a memory in your mind. As accurately as you can, remember everything, from the feel of the sun on your skin, to the smell, feeling, emotions you were going through.¡±

    Will tried, picturing Muse on a typical orphanage morning, placing her buns on the rack to cool.

    ¡°I can tell from your expression that it¡¯s a pleasant memory. Now do you have it crystalized?¡±

    ¡°I think so?¡±

    ¡°Now crystalize a deeply unpleasant memory.¡±

    Will focused on the time he¡¯d gotten a nail through his foot, remembering the pain and panic as it had slowly pulled out of his skin, scraping against bone on the way.

    ¡°Now connect the two first one, then the next.¡±

    Will did so.

    ¡°Now add a pleasant memory to the chain.¡±

    ¡°Now an unpleasant memory.¡±

    ¡°And how are these useful to me?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Mental manipulation is a brittle thing,¡± Ghoul said. ¡°And one of the few true threats a Lord has to face.¡±

    ¡°Picture a memory key as¡­saw teeth, or switching between hot and cold on a piece of glass. Whenever you suspect metal manipulation, run the memory key through your mind, as quickly as you can. The fluctuation between the memories will erode or crack forms of manipulation, giving you the opportunity to break through the rest of the way on your own.¡±

    ¡°It can also serve as an identification code for your true self. Should you ever be launched from your body or be confused about who you are. Which may happen more than you expect.¡±

    ¡°Practice crystalizing those memories and switching between them until you can do it perfectly, and . Once you¡¯ve got them down, add more ¡®teeth¡¯ to your key. More is better, as long as you make sure to crystalize them perfectly. Tepid, half-remembered memories do no good.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Will nodded, before cocking his head. ¡°How big is memory key?¡±

    ¡°For obvious reasons, I¡¯m not going to give you an exact answer, but¡­big.¡±

    Will nodded.

    ¡°Alright, keep practicing the memory key, and remember not to speak of it to anyone.¡± Ghoul gave him a warning finger-waggle that reminded him of Gertrude.

    ¡°For the next and final lesson, I¡¯ll help you refine something you were experimenting with in the tournament final. You¡¯ll actually have to stand for this.¡±

    Will painfully climbed to his feet.

    ¡°You were making ripples in the floor to throw your opponent off-balance.¡± Ghoul made a ¡®stomping¡¯ motion.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not sure how I did that.¡±

    ¡°How does your Ability work?¡±

    ¡°It helps with traction, mostly.¡±

    ¡°Does it stiffen water?¡±

    Will nodded. ¡°It also extends surfaces to provide a better grip.¡±

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    Will walked up the side of the courtyard wall, thin shelves of wall extending outward to support his feet.

    He really hadn¡¯t measured how far they extended outward, but they supported his whole foot, and they had for a while.

    Will stepped a little further out, the wall jutting out an extra foot to support him.

    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re already having ideas and experimenting. Good. Can you walk on air?¡±

    Will tried, but Aspect of the Immortal Serpent wasn¡¯t having it.

    ¡°Nope, seems like it has to have substance.¡± Will mused.

    In response, Ghoul blew a breath of rancid undead air in his face, with all the strength of a Lord, sending Will reeling backwards.

    ¡°Did that have substance?¡± Ghoul asked.

    ¡°Point taken.¡± Will coughed.

    ¡°Does it have to be earth? Because all air has tiny amounts of dust in it. Dust is just tiny particles of stone¡­.among other things. Focus on that.¡±

    Will tried walking on the dirt in the air.

    Will felt the slightest resistance before it evaporated.

    ¡°I felt something, but it shattered pretty much immediately.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll likely have to gain several levels, get an Ability upgrade, and maybe some specialized equipment, but I want you to be aware of it as a possibility.¡± Ghoul said.

    Will was already thinking about putting something to boost Aspect in his Phantom Hand. the amount of boost should eventually be enough to enable him to walk on air.

    Still, regaining the ability to fly on command would be¡­very nice.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s stopping you from making stilts out of the floor and walking two feet off the ground?¡± Ghoul said after thinking for a moment.

    Will opened his mouth to reply, before pausing to think about it.

    He¡¯d never thought of it because he¡¯d never had any to need it, but he could tell Lord Ghoul was getting somewhere with this question.

    Will tentatively raised his foot before lowering it, taking one step forward.

    The ground twitched upward, as if reading his intent, before lying back down.

    ¡°Try again, focus on rising above the rest of it. imagine the ground is lava and you have to stay above it. The wall supports you because you don¡¯t want to fall. Use that sense of consequence.¡±

    A little children¡¯s rhyme started going through Will¡¯s head.

    The ground twitched harder under his feet before lying back down, as if sensing that Will wasn¡¯t in danger.

    Will didn¡¯t feel like he was in danger when he climbed walls. Danger wasn¡¯t a requirement, it was that sense of consequence that allowed him to get a feel for how the Ability worked.

    In a matter of minutes, Will was walking across the floor, each step met by a two-foot pillar of solid sand.

    ¡°Okay, now raise up a pillar and drop it ¡± Ghoul said.

    Will raised his foot, the floor drawing up with it, before stomping it back down.

    Ripples traveled outward through the solid surface of the floor, pushing several feet out in every direction.

    ¡°A fast study, like Bakton said,¡± Ghoul said, nodding.

    ¡°Now¡­¡± Ghoul said. ¡°Can you make the ripples stronger in one direction? Can you make spikes come out of the ground?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be able to do that? My ability doesn¡¯t-¡°

    ¡°Does it say anything about making the ground ripple like water?¡±

    ¡°¡­No it does not.¡± Will admitted.

    ¡°Get to it.¡±

 Chapter 84: Spoils of War

    ¡°This¡­this is more than we¡¯ll ever need.¡± Travis said, his gaze crossing the pile of loot in the center of Bee¡¯s abandoned warehouse. Rare sacrifices, weapons, and jewelry was piled up in the center of the room with casual disdain for their value. Of course none of it was weak enough to be damaged by the rough treatment, but it still felt weird.¡°More than we¡¯ll ever need? No. Not even close. More than we can use? Definitely.¡± Thea Oilton said. Their Decoy¡¯s socialite older sister crossed her arms over her chest, chewing her lip as she studied the pile.

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°After one reaches a certain amount of wealth they simply cannot utilize the money directly. A man only has one mouth to feed, two slots for rings, etc.¡± She gestured to a case full of rings haphazardly laying on its side. ¡°Obviously even if your whole party were to don those rings, there would still be half remaining. And that¡¯s not including the ones you already have on, which would need to find new homes.¡±

    ¡°I understand the concept behind it being more than we can use, but why is it not more than we need?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Because Strongholds burn through money, personnel and Relics like lamp oil.¡± Thea said. ¡°You¡¯ve got enough wealth here to hire the people you¡¯ll need to start one. You¡¯ve even got specialty Sacrifices that you could use to give some Aspirants custom classes for your Stronghold¡¯s benefit.¡±

    Thea must¡¯ve seen the disgust on Will¡¯s face.

    ¡°Despite what you might think, providing Aspirants with custom classes is an excellent deal for all parties involved, provided the Lord isn¡¯t a monster like Frederick. Typically these people provide so much value to the Stronghold that a Lord is incentivized to treat them very well. The Wyrd Stronghold is the exception to the rule.¡±

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    Will wasn¡¯t fooling himself into thinking they had the same starting point he did.

    With that in mind, the idea wasn¡¯t as awful as he¡¯d thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Will mused. ¡°Long way to go until I hit the tenth Floor and become a Lord anyway.¡±

    ¡°And set up a Stronghold.¡± Thea added.

    ¡°Is¡­that a requirement?¡± Will asked.

    Thea blinked at him. ¡°Did they not teach you to become a Lord?¡±

    ¡°¡­what, at my bargain bin orphanage? No they did not.¡±

    ¡°Okay. To become a Lord, you have to meet these requirements.¡± She said, ticking her fingers.

    ¡°You have to be ¡®in control¡¯ of a large settlement, a Stronghold, not claimed by another Lord, that is capable of housing several hundred people. You then have to have at least a dozen Climbers swear to be your Vassals. After that, The Tower takes over, and you become a Lord. ?¨¢?????

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Will asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem that hard.¡±

    Then his brain caught up with his mouth.

    If older Lords targeted your settlement to promote their own children up to Lords, like Frederick Wyrd had done in Oilton, then holding on to a settlement could be¡­difficult. Not to mention ¨C

    ¡°Climbing and creating a settlement are two completely different skillsets. As is defending it from monsters, and fending off other Climbers who might be interested in profiting off all your hard work. More than a few Lords got their start as claim-jumpers. Most of them aren¡¯t around anymore because that mentality isn¡¯t good for long-term sustainability, but it illustrates how many potential Lords failed at the finish line because of human greed.¡±

    ¡°I get it,¡± Will said, nodding.

    He and Thea glanced back to his Party, who were digging through the pile, inspecting items and putting them in piles to be discarded or investigated more thoroughly.

    Reggie was sitting off to the side, working with a clamp, mallet and a very long-handled chisel, carefully popping open the dimensional pearls.

    Reggie had volunteered to do it, despite having ham-hands, because he was the least likely person to lose a finger or die if a pearl turned out to encase a greatsword pointed directly towards his heart when it regained its full size.

    Thankfully there hadn¡¯t been any accidents yet.

    With a semi-sonic pop of displaced air, a roll of toilet paper coated in waterproof oilcloth appeared in the clamp as the dimensional effect of the pearl cracked.

    Reggie let out a sigh of relief and glanced up, seeing Will watching him. The blonde Tank gave him a grin and threw the roll at him.

    Will held it up and allowed The Tower to decipher the item¡¯s magical qualities, if it had any.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Will mused, tossing it back. Sure, it wasn¡¯t a powerful weapon or ring, but it was handy. Like the endless back of salt. Something Will regretted missing out on every now and then.

    ¡°Oooh,¡± Alicia whispered, pulling a necklace out of the pile. It was an eye suspended within a gold and glass spherical cage.

    An actual eye, seemingly cut from some malevolent humanoid that spun around in the gold cage, looking at each of them with the deliberation of someone or something marking its prey.

    ¡°Witch¡¯s Eye.¡± Alicia whispered, hesitating for a moment as she touched her safety blanket, the Amulet of Heart¡¯s Desire resting on her chest. A moment later, the Artillery took a deep breath and took off her old amulet before putting on the new one.

    Upon settling over Alicia¡¯s neck, the Witch¡¯s Eye began glowing flame-blue like Alicia¡¯s eyes, it¡¯s gaze following hers, giving the casual observer the unsettling impression that Alicia had acquired a third eye.

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    Will thought. The addition of the Saint sacrifice meant that she might manifest healing secondary Abilities when she hit level 30, and her sight Ability had been expanded to see vulnerabilities in any living thing.

    She was changing from an artillery specialist to something a bit more¡­targeted. Probably in an effort to differentiate herself from Mason.

    Will thought, turning back to the pile. The amulet of the Homefield Advantage was great, but it was entirely it¡¯s own thing. It didn¡¯t have any stat bonuses, nor did it directly boost or synergize with any of his gear or Abilities, save for the Aspect footing bonus.

    And his pants raised strength and speed, but not much more than that.

    He found room next to Loth, who was sorting through different Relics, musing to herself as she discarded one after another.

    ¡°What¡¯s that one you go there?¡± Will asked, pointing at the ornate cuirass she had set down beside her in her ¡®keep¡¯ pile.

    ¡°Cuirass of the Cruel Tyrant,¡± She said, inspecting a ring. ¡°It allows me to shift damage from myself to my minions. I¡¯m going to experiment with whether or not damage redirected by it counts as coming from ¡®me¡¯ or ¡®my opponent¡¯, which will dictate what kinds of Relics will synergize. My current torso piece has no synergy with my Build at all and is simply for protection.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any minions tough enough to make that worthwhile?¡± Will asked. It seemed like a bug simply couldn¡¯t absorb much damage without dying, and the rest of the damage would overflow back on the kobold saboteur.

    ¡°Initial experiments are promising.¡± She said, holding out her hand. A black beetle with a mottled pebbly black exoskeleton that seemed to blend in with Loth¡¯s own fire-damaged scales emerged from her sleeve, waggling long antennae at him before skuttling back into her clothes.

    ¡°What about the Miasma bug?¡± Will asked.

    A few weeks ago, they¡¯d bought a knife that summoned maksu skeleton undead ¡®on kill¡¯, binding them to the wielder¡¯s control.

    Of course ¡®on kill¡¯ only included anything with enough Miasma build-up in its system to qualify as a monster or a Climber. Something with enough magic in it to fuel the effect. Loth was attempting to breed a species of insects that contained enough miasma to trigger ¡®on kill¡¯ effects while still being docile, because those could be wildly valuable to her Build.

    ¡°Less successful. When the Miasma begins to collect in their system they tend to become unruly and slip out of my control. I¡¯m experimenting with a way for them to contain Miasma without it interacting with their bodies, but¡­it¡¯s only been a month, Will.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Will said, sitting down beside his second-in-command.

    Starting his search with pants, Will pulled out a slick pair of black pants with a white stripe down each leg out of the pile.

    ¡°Found something for you,¡± Will said, tossing it to Travis, who inspected it critically for a moment before groaning.

    ¡°Damnit,¡± Travis sighed, shoving the pants into his ¡®keep¡¯ pile. ¡°But only because it¡¯s technically better than what I¡¯ve got right now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve still got the boots of outflanking,¡± Will said. ¡°Those pants could trigger it on command, instead of once every half-hour.¡±

    ¡°It occurred to me,¡± Travis said. ¡°But is it worth being ¡®the fart guy¡¯ for the rest of my Climbing career?¡±

    Will shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll use it, but only in emergencies,¡± Travis said, pointing his finger at Will.

    ¡°What is he talking about?¡± Alicia asked, looking up from her new glowing blue amulet, the eye resting on her collarbone following her gaze.

    ¡°Travis¡¯s new pants make him fart,¡± June said without looking up.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Alicia nodded, returning to her sorting.

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­whatever,¡± Travis ignored the heckling, realizing that fighting it would simply make them tease him even more mercilessly.

    Will dropped it and went back to sorting through pants. He went through half a dozen before he found one that made him pause.

    Without any shame, Will whipped his pants off in front of his whole Party before putting the new pants on. They had less Strength boost than his previous pants, but the Ranger Archetype boost was extremely tempting, and the thirty-five percent faster and beyond the user¡¯s control? Will had to see what that was about.

    Once the pants were on, Will moved away from the others and raised his foot, recalling his practice with Ghoul, who some might call the undisputed master of making Abilities perform outside their specifications.

    Will lifted a foot, urging the floor to raise with it.

    Then he nearly toppled over as the floor continued to raise under his foot, higher and faster than he¡¯d ever made it go, and without Will¡¯s permission, nearly catapulting him into the pile of treasure.

    ¡°ACK!¡± Will took his foot off the pillar of stone and regained his footing as it begrudgingly sank pack into the earth, much slower than it usually did. Typically when he took his foot off, it went back down, nearly instantly.

    With these pants? Not so much.

    Will tried again, lifting his foot, but taking it away before he reached the full height.

    The pillar of stone kept rising rapidly for a couple heartbeats, as if it still thought he was there, before it eventually reversed direction and sank back into the ground.

    The pants gave his Aspect ground manipulation a¡­slide-y feeling.

    Will raised his foot as quickly as he could then grunted with exertion as he pushed back down. Not with the intention of creating ripples, but the intention to jump off the rapidly ascending pillar, adding its momentum to his own.

    ¡°WHOO!¡± Will shouted as he soared into the air a moment before his head struck the ceiling of the warehouse and he tumbled back down to the stone several stories below.

    When Will pulled his head back up, spitting out blood and the dirt of the warehouse floor, he couldn¡¯t stop chuckling evilly. His Party ignored him, for the most part.

    Will had more applications to test.

    He tried some of the other techniques he¡¯d begun inventing under the supervision of Ghoul.

    Will dragged his foot along the floor, a lump of ground following beneath it. He whipped his foot forward, got it going fast and then set his foot down on the lump.

    The swell of earth continued going forward, dragging Will¡¯s foot along with it, and forcing him to do the splits before it seized his foot and violently dragged him forward for half a body length.

    ¡°AGH! OW! HAHAHAH!¡± despite the pain of having his legs wrenched apart and knees battered on unforgiving stone, Will was enormously pleased with the pants.

    Next, Will didn¡¯t set his foot down on the lump, instead letting it travel forward, causing Loth to wobble in place, rising up and down like a buoy.

    Loth gave him a look.

    Properly chastised, Will took his experimenting further from the group.

    After several minutes, Will figured out that the ripples moved faster, and significantly further while wearing the pants.

    Aspect of the Goat¡¯s original abilities scaled with Resistance, and they were a Ranger Archetype ability, so it made sense that this pair of pants boosted it¡¯s power drastically, but the way the effect persisted a little bit longer opened up many new options.

    Will thought, lifting his foot up then shoving it back down with a grunt.

    He hadn¡¯t figured out how to make an earth spike before Ghoul had to leave, but he had managed to make one side of the ripple crest higher than the other, about the height of someone¡¯s ankle, enough to trip them or maybe make them stumble, but nothing super impressive.

    With the pants on¡­the semicircle of ground that shot away from his foot rose up to knee-height, shooting out nearly twenty feet before it vanished back into the ground.

    That was a upgrade. It wasn¡¯t going to kill anything by itself, but it could disrupt his opponent¡¯s footing, maybe even break a leg, and any Ability that didn¡¯t cost any Charge should be polished.

    Maybe one day he could get it to make spikes from the earth¡­for free.

    In the common parlance¡­a cantrip. Like the way Mason could summon fire to his fingertips to light fires or intimidate people by triggering Conflagrate.

    ¡°Okay. The pants are in,¡± Will mused to himself, attempting to glide across the floor and tumbling to the ground.

    Will could tell there had to be a way to use the moving lumps as a movement technique, but he wasn¡¯t sure how¡­

    ¡°Try riding the wave with one foot and then the other, like skating.¡± Thea suggested from where she¡¯d been watching his experiments with the new functionality of Aspect of the Immortal Serpent.

    ¡°Bold of you to assume I know what ¡®skating¡¯ is.¡± Will said, glancing up at her.

 Chapter 85: Spoils of War Pt. 2

    ¡°Punth me in the fathe.¡± Reggie said around the mouthguard.¡°I believe you.¡± Will said, holding his hands up. ¡°Just because it says it reduces damage to your nervous system doesn¡¯t mean there won¡¯t be any. I¡¯m not gonna give you brain damage to test it.¡±

    ¡°Aw heck, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Bee said, stepping forward and winding up a tiny fist.

    ¡°Wait, Bee-¡°

    There was a small explosive sound as the shapeshifter¡¯s fist hit the Tank¡¯s jaw at superhuman speeds, sending the oversized young man bouncing away like a child¡¯s soccer ball. Will winced in sympathy as Reggie finally hit the ground, limbs tangled and dirty.

    A moment later, Reggie coughed and groaned, putting his arms and legs under him before staggering to his feet.

    ¡°WHOOO!¡± Reggie exclaimed, while Loth sighed and shook her head.

    ¡°Your jaw, skull, brain and spine are unharmed.¡± Alicia whispered, holding up Reggie¡¯s arm like the victor of a particularly nasty street fight. ¡°The rest of you¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t get my hips in it, lemme try agai-¡° Bee began.

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Jean said, dragging her repressed anger away by the ear.

    ¡®Jean¡¯ was complicated. They had originally met her on the third floor under the name ¡®Brianna¡¯, where she had been the victim of a plot to engineer living weapons. The abuse she had suffered at the hands of her captors had led her to use her Ability to split to break her emotions off into manageable chunks, which led to the creation of Bee, Ria, Anna, and Jean.

    Bee had gotten a little less outburst-y now that she knew she was mad about, but she was still a bit of a wild card.

    Ria had gotten quieter and less brash, seemingly still in the process of absorbing the root of her burning desire for justice, and the fact that she would never have it. Even now she sat in the corner of the warehouse, sharpening her halberd and staring into space.

    Anna was active, the chubby blonde cheerfully cooking and baking for the group, putting on a fa?ade and keeping herself busy so she didn¡¯t have an opportunity to think about things too deeply.

    Each of them were working through feelings that had been cut out of Brianna by her tougher, older alter ego Jean, feelings that would cripple a normal person¡¯s mind.

    And they were now a part of William Oh¡¯s Party.

    From Will¡¯s understanding, their stats were identical:

    The Tangled, the brainchild of a mad Lord obsessed with power, was designed to be the perfect footsoldier.

    Strong, hardy, and cheap.

    Strong, because she had 5 Strength growth, which was outrageous.

    Hardy, because her Resistance was equal to a Tanks, and any damage she sustain was healed in a matter of heartbeats.

    All at the expense of Focus and Acuity.

    Any Focus in her status was purchased with Free Points as she had no natural growth for the stat. From what Will had heard of her time spent on the seventh Floor, she¡¯d been directed to only put seven points into Focus to achieve daily charges, and all the rest went into Resistance. The last three points into Focus had been after she escaped, determined to ward off the Handler¡¯s control. ?¦Á??B¨ºS?

    Finally, Tangled were cheap because they could copy themselves infinitely, and each copy gained the benefits of the original body¡¯s Relic slots, making them insanely inexpensive to deploy en masse relative to a typical army.

    Will knew they shared Relic effects because Jean had been wearing the ring of Total Freedom, but Bee had been impossible to grapple or restrain when Will fought her, above and beyond what her shapeshifting could account for.

    And all of them had more resistance to mental effects than their base stats would account for, allowing them to avoid the worst of the Handlers signal for Tangled to begin attacking the city. Again, because of the Ring of Freedom.

    And from what Will had seen in Oilton, each of them could split an extra copy of themselves up to three times a day. And those copies could do the same.

    There were many caveats to this, but worst case scenario, Jean could spread across the land like wildfire, exterminating all life in The Tower, if she really put her mind to it.

    Thankfully she did not.

    But she could.

    Will did not bring this up in casual conversation. Especially not where Bee might hear him.

    Tangled were cataclysms in the making. They were nearly as powerful as a Lord, save for their built-in weakness to mental attacks.

    They were strong, tough, easy to transport and deploy in large numbers, and¡­

    Will thought, eyes widening.

    Will¡¯s entire experience Climbing flashed in front of his eyes.

    Will glanced over at Loth, whose insects could construct fortifications and traps in a matter of minutes. If they could produce those, surely they could make houses as well. Enough to make a ¡®settlement¡¯, anyway. Get a few hundred tangled copies ¡®living¡¯ there¡­could he fool The Tower?

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    Even if that were the case, he still needed a dozen people willing to make him their Lord.

    Will glanced around his Party. Mason and Loth had their own plans for the future, and likely wouldn¡¯t be interested. Alicia might, given that she couldn¡¯t become a Lord. June might become his vassal if she smelled a big paycheck.

    Reggie just wanted to wait out his Contract and be done with it¡­although his attitude towards climbing had relaxed somewhat. Still, it couldn¡¯t be fun being the surrogate risk-taker of the group.

    Steve their Healer liaison, might swear fealty.

    Travis¡­Travis probably wouldn¡¯t be interested in being the vassal of someone he perceived as being lower-born than himself.

    Still, in a vacuum, if Will could convince Alicia to become his Vassal, Travis might follow suit.

    Jean had been Frederick Wyrd¡¯s Vassal, giving him an extra measure of control over her until his death. She couldn¡¯t be a Lord in her own right anymore, but would she be interested in subordinating herself to anyone ever again? Unlikely.

    Will glanced back at the pile of expensive loot.

    Thea was right. He needed bribes and expensive Relics to lubricate the attitudes of other Climbers toward throwing their lot in with an untested boy as a Lord.

    It wasn¡¯t like he could just get so famous that people would pop up out of the woodwork eager to¡­

    Will was an urban legend, winner of the yearly tournament and savior of the city.

    They were building a statue of him on the islet in the center of the city.

    ¡°Jean.¡± Loth said, holding out an amulet. It seemed to be made of burnished steel depicting some kind of spiked collar. ¡°This one¡¯s for you.¡±

    Jean took the amulet and studied it.

    ¡°Amulet of the potent beastmaster?¡± Jean mused.

    Will thought, brows raising as Jean listed off the item¡¯s effects.

    That extra ten percent didn¡¯t do anything for Loth. An insect that was ten percent stronger didn¡¯t make any noticeable difference, but Jean¡¯s clones, whose Strength was 160?

    An extra 16 points of strength, fifteen of Resistance.

    That was substantial.

    It also raised Focus, protecting Jean and the others from mind control.

    Assuming Jean¡¯s girls counted as ¡®minions¡¯.

    Jean draped the Relic over her neck.

    ¡°So how do we know if-¡° Jean began.

    They glanced over at where Ria had accidentally driven the whetstone too hard against the edge of her halberd, causing the blade to crack and tear.

    Ria calmly set the broken Halberd down and stepped away from it.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go lay down for a minute.¡± The athletic brunette murmured, walking away stiffly.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go talk to her,¡± Jean said, following after Ria.

    ¡°Hey guys, I accidentally broke your mixing bowl?¡± Anna said, her head popping out from the makeshift kitchen she¡¯d been operating from.

    ¡°It works.¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°We need to get her more mage gear, specifically Summoner and Tamer Archetypes.¡± Loth mused, watching Jean go. ¡°To balance out and synergize with her Build. Can I see the ring box?¡±

    Mason wordlessly handed over a little jewelry box filled to the brim with rings of every shape and size before returning his attention to the Dimensional Oyster Sacrifice in his hand.

    ¡°If the girls count as ¡®minions¡¯, wouldn¡¯t the Cuirass of the Cruel Tyrant make Jean essentially unkillable?¡± Will asked, pointing at the ornate cuirass in Loth¡¯s pile. Jean herself and each of her offshoots was an incredibly hardy physical specimen, only outclassed by Reggie with the application of Class-specific Abilities meant to absorb and redirect damage.

    ¡°Yes, but I saw it first,¡± Loth said with a toothy grin.

    She glanced at where the Tangled had disappeared. ¡°Also, do you think it¡¯s wise to make her unkillable?¡±

    Will thought. Not that he planned on killing her¡­but who knew what the future held?

    Will turned his attention to where Mason was contemplating the Dimensional Oyster.

    ¡°What¡¯s the hold up?¡± Will asked. A bit insensitive, but Mason had been staring at his collection of Rings and Sacrifices for a half hour and Will was getting impatient.

    ¡°This is the single most critical decision I will ever make regarding my build:¡± he said. ¡°How I integrate my shields into my style. I felt like my mind was opened when I saw Nephir combine Conflagrate with Feedback Shielding. I always thought of them as two separate abilities. Attack and defense, each handling their own role and not intruding on each other. But that was rigid thinking.¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°The dimensional oyster won¡¯t allow me to control my shields.¡± Mason said. ¡°It won¡¯t add any flexibility to my Build. It doesn¡¯t merge the two into a unique style. All it does is make the shields have nacre buildup.¡±

    ¡°Nephir¡¯s Relics didn¡¯t help?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°This one makes Nuker Abilities linger until they deal all their damage to an opponent, and this one makes shields selectively permeable,¡± Mason said, holding up two rings. ¡°The ability to shape his shields was from a Sacrifice, which we simply do not have here.¡±

    ¡°That is a problem¡­but who says you have to copy Nephir? I beat his ass.¡±

    Mason shrugged. ¡°You did, but his Build isn¡¯t finished yet.¡±

    ¡°Neither is mine,¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°Neither is yours.¡±

    ¡°I only have two upgrade slots left for Feedback shielding. After this it will be one. If I don¡¯t find a way to integrate my two primary Abilities, Lordship will be out of reach.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then don¡¯t Sacrifice the dimensional oyster.

    ¡°But it¡¯s such a powerful effect!¡± Mason protested.

    ¡°Okay, then, Sacrifice it.¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°But I could be locking myself out of an amazing Build like Nephir¡¯s!¡± Mason said, his voice growing more plaintive.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure what you want me to say here.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°What¡¯s the dimensional oyster do for you?¡±

    Mason rattled off the changes Feedback Shielding would go through if he were to feed it the dimensional oyster.

    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Will asked, frowning.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure.¡± Mason said.

    ¡°Is¡­¡¯permeated tissues¡¯ a good thing?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Probably?¡± Mason said, shrugging. ¡°Ability upgrades are rarely harmful, and those that are, are usually explicit about it.¡±

    Will scratched his head, contemplating.

    ¡°Well Mason, the way I see it, every person who became a Lord did so because they were the first one to master a specific Build. They didn¡¯t they were going to become a Lord. Once they become rich and powerful, people start developing countermeasures to their Build, and they spend their entire career as Lords barely keeping ahead of those countermeasures. The window to follow Baron Akul just isn¡¯t open anymore because people know how to dismantle copycats with less raw power.¡±

    ¡°If you wanna be a Lord, you¡¯ve gotta do something scary: strike out on an unexplored path with no guarantees.¡± Will said, looking their Nuker in the eye.

    Mason took a deep breath and nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Copying Baron Akul is a losing game. Let¡¯s see what does.¡±

    In a flash of light, the dimensional oyster sacrifice was gone.

    ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡± Mason said, standing. ¡°I need to go exploit this.¡±

    Mason turned towards their Tank and waved, catching Reggie¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Reggie, I need you to punch me!¡±

    Loth cleared her throat, drawing Mason¡¯s gaze to herself. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°If you truly wish to your new Ability Upgrade, then you will need a higher rate of shield-breaking than two young men punching each other a few dozen times. There is no room for wasted time and effort.¡±

    She rested a black-scaled hand on her barrel, which began to ooze biting insects like morning dew.

    ¡°You will need to break your shield tens, or even hundreds of thousands of times. Building up nacre takes but I think we can accelerate the process.¡±

    ¡°Ummm.¡± Mason Gulped audibly.

    ¡°Do you want to try?¡± She asked, eyes locked on the Nuker¡¯s.

    ¡°¡­I want to be the best. So yes. I want to try.¡± Mason said, swallowing his discomfort at the idea of being swarmed by biting insects.

    ¡°Wear these rings.¡± She said, handing Mason some Thorns rings. ¡°Reggie, we¡¯ll need your assistance.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Reggie said, trotting over and spitting out his new ¡®helmet.¡¯ A white mouthguard one might see in a sport where lost teeth were a common occurrence.

    As Loth proceeded to set up a near-infinite shield-breaking loop with Mason, Will turned his attention to where Alicia sat. She pulled a conical hat out of the pile, wide-rimmed, midnight blue with gold embroidery.

    ¡°Oooh,¡± she said, putting it on her head. A moment later she turned to Will, her expression excited.

    ¡°Do you still have the Ring of Curse Concentration?¡± She whispered.

    Will nodded, handing it over to her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± she whispered, slipping the Relic onto her finger. Will thought he saw her blue-flame eyes flicker just a bit as it settled around her finger.

    She tapped the glowing blue eye nestled against her chest, staring through Will.

    ¡°I need to test this soft-set on something we don¡¯t mind dying.¡± Alicia whispered.

    Will¡¯s brows rose.

 Chapter 86: 6th Floor

    When all was said and done, Will had picked out three more Relics to add to his Build.

    +8 Acuity

    +8 Resistance

    It was a pitted and worn shortsword that didn¡¯t have any special Affixes, but it had strong stat boosts for both of his most important stats, so Will kept it.

    This one was interesting because when he¡¯d had Reggie punch it, he could feel a large portion of the strike going down into the floor through Aspect of the Immortal Serpent. Somehow it was synergizing with that Ability to deflect more damage than it should¡¯ve, so Will kept it, despite already having an offhand weapon.

    He could rotate the Wand of the Trespasser out when he decided to engage in direct combat.

    And lastly, the Assassin¡¯s Amulet. The single best boost to his attack power that he¡¯d found. Well, Reggie found it popping open one of the pearls, but still.

    Will wanted to sacrifice it to the Phantom Hand, but there were a few things stopping him from doing it right away:

    #1: The empty finger was still regrowing.

    #2 He was more in the market for a powerful defensive item like the Turtle Shield.

    #3 It filled a very similar role that the Sparkfists did, increasing damage and speed.

    Finally, Will was considering what sort of item he wanted to use as a seed for upgrading if he finally figured out how to use Sourdough to bake extra affixes into Relics. ?¦ÁN¨®????¨º?

    The Assassin¡¯s Amulet was good, and if he made it better, it would become priceless. So, Will decided to keep it as just an external amulet for now, storing it in his Dimensional Storage so he could either don or Sacrifice it at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Will flipped through the list of Kit everyone had added to their Build from the heist.

    He had to actually write down what everyone had changed in shorthand in order to keep track of it all. Their Builds were starting to mature and branch out in interesting directions, and things were starting to get complex, managing a group of eight people and three emotional outbursts.

    Will hadn¡¯t personally witnessed all of the item¡¯s effects, writing down a brief description from each of his Party members for the things he hadn¡¯t seen in action or didn¡¯t have obvious effects.

    The ¡®weird coin¡¯ was a gold coin that had been affected by the dimensional oyster¡¯s nacre and could only land on its edge no matter how it was flipped. Will just liked it, imagining himself using it to win a bet or a do a party trick.

    After they finished sorting through the last of the treasure, Will left it in the hands of Thea Oilton, with instructions to fence the hot items through The Ear Collector while the rest went towards hiring support crew interested in following William Oh up The Tower.

    For Will¡¯s Party, it was finally time to move on.

    In the distance, a kaiju curled around the beam of Miasma being pumped up to the sixth Floor, absorbing as much of it as possible.

    The creature was vaguely humanoid, its flesh seemingly flaking away as if it couldn¡¯t quite contain the powerful blue energy burning through it.

    ¡°Alright, everybody gets a shot off, then Alicia can test out her new Build.¡± Jean said. Since they were all on the same party, they would all be offered Doors to the next floor, but nothing was ever certain. It was best to make sure everyone got a hit in.

    They snuck up close enough for Reggie to throw a rock at the thing¡¯s ankle.

    Once it bounced off, everyone else assaulted it with their best ranged attack.

    The Bakers threw their own rocks, hissing through the air with outrageous energy while June shot a magic arrow and Mason hit the creature with a conflagrate.

    Loth tossed off a bullet wasp, and Will released a sling bullet from his hand, burying it deep in the monster¡¯s ankle.

    The kaiju boss reared up, blearily blinking its eyes, scanning the horizon before looking down at the antlike beings nipping away at its ankles.

    It gave a furious bellow and grabbed a nearby hilltop, a house-sized boulder coming away under its grip.

    ¡°Anytime, Alicia,¡± June said, watching the boulder raise above their heads.

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    The wide brimmed hat Alicia wore shaded her face, making her Blue-flame eyes glow all the more brilliantly in contrast. For an instant, that glow was magnified a hundredfold as a flash of light from her eyes lit her face and the underside of her hat brighter than the sun.

    The giant gave them a confused look, the boulder slipping out of its hands and falling twenty feet away from where they stood.

    The giant¡¯s nose and eyes began to weep blood shortly before it slumped over and died, with that confused expression lingering on its face.

    ¡­

    ¡°¡­What just happened?¡± Reggie asked.

    ¡°I gave it a brain aneurysm.¡± Alicia whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he didn¡¯t even feel it. There aren¡¯t any pain receptors there.¡±

    ¡°So you just¡­make things die?¡± Mason asked.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a sight-based curse of the Evil Eye,¡± Alicia whispered, tapping her eyeball amulet, ¡°Plus two curse-boosting items,¡± She tapped her hat and ring.

    ¡°And because you can see their weak spots¡­¡± Will filled in the blanks by himself.

    ¡°Yes, typically you can only curse a whole person, but my eyes allow me to scale it down to just their cerebral arteries, which makes the effect much more concentrated. Add in the Witch¡¯s Hat and the Ring of Curse Concentration¡­they go to sleep and never wake up.¡± She whispered.

    ¡°That¡­sounds cool¡­¡± Travis said, visibly pale.

    Will mused to himself.

    ¡°Be very selective about what you use that on,¡± Will said.

    ¡°If you used it on Mark Wyrd, likely be the one to fall asleep and never wake up.¡± Loth said, picking up his train of thought.

    ¡°And magic Archetypes might be able to resist or counter.¡± Will added, nodding.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, there are plenty of nonlethal places to cause organ failure, like eyes, kneecaps, colons, genitals.¡± As she said that, Alicia glanced at Reggie and gave him a shy smile, her face eerily lit by her glowing eyes.

    Will could tell that Reggie to flinch, but a career of taking damage for other people made him more difficult to rattle.

    Loth gestured at June.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a badass Ability, and we¡¯ll likely see some good use out of it. In the meantime, let¡¯s get ready for the next Floor. Check the giant for Loot, and everybody get your floaties on.¡± June said, leading the way by taking her floatation belt out of her backpack and beginning to inflate it.

    Sure they were all superhumanly strong, but they were also wearing full kit, and strength only helped swimming to a certain extent. Reggie in his full plate, didn¡¯t stand a chance, no matter how strong he was.

    So they wore floaties.

    Everyone except for Will. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Once they were sure the giant didn¡¯t have any loot, and everyone¡¯s floaties were inflated, June turned to Will. ¡°You¡¯ve got the raft?¡± She asked.

    Despite knowing it was in his backpack, Will knelt down and confirmed that it was there, making absolutely sure it hadn¡¯t snuck out in the last few minutes before answering her question.

    Naturally they couldn¡¯t carry a whole boat through the Door, but people had been shipping wood through the doors, along with Druid Archetypes for generations.

    There were boats on the 6th Floor already. Even a floating city called The Flotilla, with druid-maintained forests on the top of the ships specifically to support ship-production.

    They just needed a simple inflatable raft to carry them long enough to catch the attention of the locals, or make their own boat.

    Once all of them were outfitted with floaties, with Reggie¡¯s making him almost too wide to fit through the Door, the eleven of them braced themselves and walked through their Doors as one.

    Will was proud to note that he only felt the slightest tremor of anxiety as he stepped through to the next Floor.

    The ground underneath him gained the slightly gelatinous, wobbly feel that water got when it interacted with Aspect of the Immortal Serpent.

    And it held him up. Will scanned the horizon, marveling at the endlessly shifting hills made entirely of water.

    The sun was directly overhead, and Will was gently swaying up and down as the ocean rolled under his feet, making ripples around the large hemisphere of water locked in place under his feet by Aspect.

    In every direction, more water.

    Loth was riding her barrel, supported by thousands of flying insects. Despite knowing they could carry it, she had still wrapped an inflated floatie snug around the oversized barrel.

    Just to be safe.

    Everyone else¡­ they got a bit wet.

    Will pulled the raft out and began blowing it up, Reggie grabbing on for dear life as his buoyancy was barely enough to support him.

    ¡°In retrospect,¡± Will said between breaths. ¡°We should¡¯ve¡­ Just taken his armor off¡­and made it float¡­separately.¡±

    Even if they were attacked, he wouldn¡¯t be of any use in that armor.

    Will chalked it up to a lack of experience on their part.

    In a matter of minutes, everyone was safely inside the raft, sopping wet and shivering.

    ¡°Everyone hold on.¡± Loth murmured, moments before the inflatable raft began to rise above the water.

    Jean¡¯s group squawked with various levels of alarm, but the rest of them who¡¯d experienced Loth¡¯s makeshift flying raft on the 4th floor simply held on silently as they rose into the air, carried by thousands of insects, each capable of carrying five pounds due to her Ring of the Caravan Leader.

    ¡°I¡¯ve taken us above the water¡¯s surface for safety,¡± Loth said, peering out into the distance. ¡°¡­And to get a better view.¡±

    They floated high above the water¡¯s surface, allowing their sight to stretch for miles in every direction. Bee on the other hand, was looking straight down.

    ¡°What is ?¡± Bee asked, pointed down at the water.

    ¡°What?¡± Will looked down at the water, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

    Alicia looked over the side, her eyes widening. She grabbed Will¡¯s hand and motioned with his finger an outline on the water that stretched a thousand feet from end to end.

    Will was just looking too

    There was a dark shadow under the water that lazily glided through the ocean, without a care in the world.

    Will thought.

    The sheer mass put even the kaiju of the Fifth Floor to shame.

    ¡°Is everything big on this floor too?¡± Will mused to himself.

    ¡°No. According to Steve¡¯s dossier, the monsters of the Sixth Floor run the gamut from palm-sized to city-sized. We just got lucky, spotting one of these.¡± Loth said, peering over the edge for herself.

    ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®gamut¡¯? Will asked.

    ¡°The complete range or scope of something,¡± Loth said, returning to where she was scanning the horizon for signs of The Flotilla.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hit that brown smudge over there,¡± Will said, pointing to the west. It was in the right direction, and looked like a patch of flotsam. Maybe it was the floating remains of the shipwrecks the Flotilla must have every now and then. They could use the scrap to patch together a vessel so they didn¡¯t have to rely on Loth 100% of the time.

    In any case, it was

    Loth nodded, and a moment later, everyone swayed a bit as the raft began to speed up, reaching a brisk jog as it slid across the featureless expanse.

    The ¡®brown smudge¡¯ expanded further and further as they approached, becoming more and more apparent that it wasn¡¯t just the wreckage of a single ship.

    When they got close enough for Jean to see it, Will could tell it was huge. It stretched across the horizon nearly two palms wide and still far out of reach

    As they approached, the sun went down, burying their quarry in darkness.

    Only Will with his outlandish Acuity could make out the tiny smoldering fires glittering in the distance, each one gradually winking out as it ran out of fuel.

    Whatever had happened to destroy those ships, it was recent.

    Will thought to himself, Switching his Phantom Hand to the Wand of the Undead Retainer.

    Will shook off the hair-raising as the current finger disconnected and focused on summoning his minions.

    The two butlers appeared beside him.

    ¡°What do you need, sir?¡± Stevie asked for both of them.

    ¡°Ahead of us is a large patch of fresh wreckage. Go down there and scout it out for us. If there are survivors, use your discretion. We¡¯ll arrive in person in the morning. Have a report by then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Billy-bob said, bowing.

    ¡°Hold a moment,¡± Will said, triggering the Ability a third time.

    As expected, Phantom Hand¡¯s multiplier had crossed from 298% to above 300% when he¡¯d hit level 25, allowing him to summon three ghost butlers, each of whom were three times stronger than they should¡¯ve been.

    Three medium power undead rather than a single low-power one barely strong enough to arrange silverware. A Remarkable boost in potency of over nine times, if one was looking at flat numbers, but in the real world, they could do things that a single spirit couldn¡¯t do no matter how much time it had.

    ¡°Your name is Noob.¡± Will said as the butler was solidifying after being squirted out of the raw butler slurry on the Other Side.

    ¡°Oh, gods,¡± Noob said, sinking to his knees as the other two butlers watched him with sympathy. He looked a little different than Billy-Bob and Stevie, who had been squirted out of the same slurry of butler souls.

    Its contents must¡¯ve changed a bit in the last month.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got an issue with your name, ask your seniors about it. They¡¯ll also fill you in on what I want done. Now get to work.¡± Moments later the three of them turned into ectoplasmic mist and sank through the bottom of the raft and began streaming through the air towards their assignment.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ mean to them.¡± Anna pointed out.

    ¡°When we first met, they made it fairly clear that they consider working for me beneath them.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°I intend to disabuse them of that notion.¡±

    ¡°Excellent use of ¡®disabuse¡¯.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 87: Thatâ€™s How You Get Crabs

    In the dark half hour before the sun rose, all but a few the distant clouds caught the pre-dawn light, illuminating their tiny raft. Most of the Party was still asleep, and Will had nothing to do but think, practicing his Memory Key and cleaning his equipment while checking his new level 25 Status, waiting for Billy-bob, Stevie, and Noob, to arrive and give them their appraisal of the situation.Aside from their attitude, the ghosts did good work. It was difficult to overstate how valuable an intelligent force that acted on your behalf with initiative and critical thinking was.

    Will was 2.3 times stronger than a human without The System, while the average Climber at level 25 could expect to be at about 3.5.

    Still, growing his Dimensional Storage and the ability to launch increasingly larger payloads at increasingly higher speeds was an excellent way to cultivate an answer to every problem. An answer named ¡®overwhelming force¡¯, which seemed to be a Lord¡¯s stock and trade.

    Will had a Primary Ability Upgrade available, and he had taken several Dimensional Oyster Sacrifices with him for this exact reason.Will took out one of the Sacrifices he¡¯d been saving for himself, holding it in his hand to determine what the upgrade to Phantom Hand would be. ?§¡¦­O?????¦¥?

    Will had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn¡¯t something like a flat 1% per Acuity, which would allow infinite storage at 100 Acuity. But it would definitely be a strong effect, since his Acuity was outlandishly good.

    With a flash of light, Will sacrificed the Dimensional Oyster, adding it¡¯s effect to Phantom hand.

    Will was developing an idea for how to test it when the sun broke above the glittering horizon, revealing the patch of flotsam beneath them, and heralding the return of the ghost butlers.

    The other members of the Party were getting up and ready to start the day as the trio returned.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Will asked as Stevie floated up through the bottom of the floating raft.

    ¡°The remains of a major battle. No survivors, not even any bodies. They were either eaten or rescued already. No valuables aside from partially burnt floating wood. Anything worth anything either sank or was picked clean already. There¡¯s a few monsters beginning to make homes in the wreckage, but nothing particularly entrenched.¡± Stevie said.

    ¡°June, take the team and get some practice against the environment, I¡¯ll work on making us a boat so we¡¯re not relying on the insects.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not gonna be trapped is it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°You insult me!¡± Loth said, placing an offended hand on her chest. ¡°Of it¡¯ll be trapped!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± June said, making her voice heard after Loth gave the order. ¡°Will, you¡¯re going to take point. Mason, Reggie, and Alicia are going to stay on overwatch, while Jean¡¯s crew and I are going to follow close behind Will.¡±

    June pointed at Reggie. ¡°Toft on me and Will.¡±

    Reggie nodded.

    ¡°Keep a rope ready for us if we have to run. And don¡¯t distract Alicia.¡±

    Reggie nodded.

    June pointed at Alicia. ¡°Keep an eye out for ambushes from below.¡±

    Alicia nodded.

    June grabbed a rope from her bag and tied one end around Reggie, using their Tank as a temporary anchor point before throwing the rest over the side. She glanced down at the enormous patch of floating debris nearly a hundred feet below them, taking a deep breath before she began climbing down the rope.

    Will jumped off the side of the floating raft, whistling past June before slowing his descent with Phantom Hand, landing softly on a bobbing piece of wood, his influence extending outward to solidify a large patch of water around it.

    ¡°Showoff,¡± June scoffed as she arrived beside him, her Trailblazer Ability seemingly creating a path of denser wreckage behind her for the others to follow.

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    ¡°Alicia says to be careful for the things clinging to the underside of the logs!¡± Mason shouted down at them.

    Bee and Ria slid off the rope, testing their footing and glancing around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s clean out this patch,¡± June said, motioning at the patch Loth was directing her swarm to begin picking through for useable timber. It made sense to clean it of any monster infestation before it got up to Loth.

    It wasn¡¯t thirty seconds after Alicia¡¯s warning that one of the monsters made its presence known.

    As one of the logs was being lifted into the air, a pale spider-like creature launched itself straight towards Bee¡¯s face.

    The little shapeshifter squawked, flailing her hands, intercepting the crab and smacking it away through brute force, sending it spinning through the air to back into the water, landing between two pieces of flotsam.

    Will frowned as a faint noise began to travel through the stadium-sized patch of wreckage.

    By the sheer number of popping noises, there had to be a lot of them.

    The rolling ocean turned into ice, creating a solid surface between them and the swarm of monsters in a fraction of a second.

    Only three of the crabs got out of the water before it turned into ice, skittering towards June and Ria.

    Ria let out a breath and talons began to pop through her shoes, burying themselves into the chaotic mixture of ice and wood. She grunted with effort, taking a swing at the flying pale white crab, phantasmal claws extending from her hand and turning the attacking monster into chunks.

    June pranced backwards, Trailblazer smoothing out the pad of ice as she drew an arrow and pinned the crab to the surface.

    Bee shuddered, making ¡®yuck¡¯ faces as she brushed herself off.

    Will motioned to June, then towards the east.

    She seemed to understand what he was saying.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to come up around the edges, let¡¯s go east so they all come up around the west side.¡±

    Will nodded and began moving, his circle of frozen ground moving with him, interrupting any crabs trying to climb up the east side while behind them, the pad of ice rapidly faded away.

    This time it was about a dozen crabs that climbed up around the edge of the ice, three for each of them.

    Will thought, shooting a sling bullet out of the Phantom Hand, while one of June¡¯s arrows knocked another off the edge of the circle. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Will and June each got off another shot while Ria and Bee moved to block them with their bodies.

    Bee and Ria both took out two in short order as they leapt upon them.

    Two crabs stayed with their meatshields, and two leapt past to attack Will and June directly.

    Will understood that Reggie was up there guaranteeing his survival, so he had to find the fine line between getting practice against these creatures to see what they were capable of and just annihilating them with Phantom Hand, learning nothing.

    Will drew the Shortsword of Perserverance, blocking the crab¡¯s flight with the blade.

    The pitted blade of the shortsword wobbled under the creature¡¯s assault, it¡¯s chitin absorbing the force without difficulty.

    Will got his first good look at it.

    It was spider-like, about the size of a dog, with pale white chitin, weird moving mouth-parts, and pincers that reminded him of those bolt-cutters that Leon had in the back of his shop. The same kind he¡¯d used to cut swords in half and render Relics down into powder¡­

    Will slid the sword out of the creature¡¯s grasp an instant before it got the opportunity to lock its pincer around the blade and

    He shoved the creature back and sent it tumbling with a kick.

    Will quickly scanned the battle and noted dozens more crabs climbing up the sides of his iceberg.

    That made his decision for him.

    Will shot his opponent with the Phantom Hand, obliterating it, before whipping the Phantom Hand back around and annihilating a swath of the creatures before they could make themselves a problem.

    Once their numbers became manageable again, Will switched back to experimenting with the creature, engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

    They were stronger than he was, their legs and pincers possessed of far greater power than he had in him. The only weakness was their light weight, which allowed him to kick them aside.

    When he snagged a piece of wood out of the ice and bashed it against the creature¡¯s shell, it grabbed the wood with its pincer and sliced through the wood as if it were made of soft cheese.

    Will felt scuttling through the ground beside his ankle and lifted his foot an instant before a pincer swept through the empty space.

    Will fell into a crab-killing rhythm.

    Crabs were pouring up to them from all around the circle of ice. Will glanced up and spotted Mason watching intently with the Staff of the Warmage, waiting for the perfect moment to drop a massive fireball directly on their heads.

    ¡°Clump up!¡± Will said, motioning for them to step in closer.

    June followed his gaze up and nodded, putting her back to his as Bee and Ria stepped in. in a matter of seconds, the entire patch of ice was covered in crabs closing in around them from every direction.

    An instant later, a Conflagrate erupted above them, the flash of heat immolating any crabs above the water in a heartbeat, the damage passing harmlessly over them due to the Ring of Consideration. Probably one of the best acquisitions they¡¯d ever gotten for Mason.

    The Staff of the Warmage added Acuity scaling to the size of Mason¡¯s Abilities, allowing a single casting to cover the entire iceberg and beyond, boiling the edge of the water where the monsters were climbing from as well as frying the ones on land.

    The air itself split as Mason¡¯s new belt added a sonic damage after-effect to his Abilities, shredding the charred corpses of the crabs.

    along with the half-melted iceberg they were standing on.

    Bee and Ria shouted in alarm as the support beneath their feet collapsed and they fell into the endless ocean, slipping into the crab¡¯s home turf.

    June managed to react in time and scamper onto a piece of driftwood with her high Kinesthetics.

    ¡°Use , Mason! What did you think Phase Shift was !?¡± She shouted up at their Nuker, pointing at her head with a ¡®think¡¯ gesture while Will lunged for Ria.

    Mason shouted from above.

    The water bent ominously under his feet as he tried to pull her out of the water, threatening to dunk him if he put any more weight on it.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I have water-¡° Ria was ripped out of Will¡¯s hand and disappeared under the surface of the water. An instant later, crabs were boiling under the surface of the water, right where she¡¯d been.

    Will retreated back towards June before they could get a pincer on him, aiding her retreat towards the rope hanging from above. If necessary, Will was prepared to fling her up to the raft.

    Bee and Ria were¡­somewhat disposable, since Jean could make more, but June and Will didn¡¯t have backup bodies, and they probably couldn¡¯t keep the crabs at bay by themselves.

    Once they got far enough from where Ria and Bee fell through the water, Will re-upped the Homefield Advantage, creating a new patch of ice and debris to stand on.

    Will thought as crabs began boiling up the edge of the platform again.

    An instant later, a strange humanoid with a fish-tail launched itself up onto the ice, scattering the crabs. She bore a wounded human in her arms who-

    Bee shrank back to her normal size, the fish-tail disappearing even as she slashed around her with the phantom claws generated by the Gloves of ferocity.

    They¡¯d chosen them for Jean to wear so that her offshoots had a weapon no matter what.

    Ria caught her footing, struggling through shivers as she tore apart the crabs around her, her half-shredded body mending itself in heartbeats.

    A pincer caught Ria¡¯s ankle and she screamed in pain, but the wood-shearing strength of the pincer wasn¡¯t enough to break her bone.

    She ripped off the creature¡¯s arm before shredding its torso. A feat that will he couldn¡¯t replicate.

    The Tangled girls seemed to enter a state of feral bliss over the next couple minutes, savagely destroying the things that hurt them until there were none left.

    Bee and Ria were the two with the biggest share of negative emotions, so they were the most eager to join combat.

    The crabs eventually slowed¡­then stopped, leaving Bee and Ria panting wildly as they scanned for more enemies.

    ¡°We¡¯re okay,¡± Will said, approaching them. ¡°We¡¯re done for now.¡±

    The two girls spotted him and seemed to come to, gathering themselves. Ria blushed and covered her partially shredded clothes with her hands.

    Will scanned the surroundings to make sure he was right and the fight was over.

    Will thought as he spotted Ria tying her shirt¡¯s shoulder-strap back together, over the spot where she¡¯d been missing a large chunk of shoulder.

    Over the next half hour, they guarded the area as gigantic pieces of wood were plucked from the water, shaped and plastered together by specially bred insects that could create a resin stronger than the wood itself, and waterproof, making it excellent for patching together their makeshift ship.

    Alicia watched out for kaiju-sized threats that might approach from below while Will and June poked through the edges of the flotsam, taking care of any crabs that hadn¡¯t joined the initial swarm.

    One at a time they weren¡¯t that much of a problem.

    Bee went with Will, Ria with June, each acting as muscle for the Party¡¯s two scouts.

    The bones of their new ship were just starting to take shape in the sky when June called out, catching Will¡¯s attention. ¡°Hey, Alicia!¡±

    Will glanced up, spotting June waving at the raft high above them, her gaze fixed on the sky.

    ¡°That cloud is moving against the wind!¡± She shouted, pointing at the sky above and behind their floating raft that bore the rest of the Party.

    Will followed her gaze and spotted a cloud that subtly stood out, the sun reflecting through it just a bit differently than the surrounding clouds. Not enough to stand out unless you had high Acuity and were looking for it.

    ¡°Aw, shit,¡± Will muttered.

    Alicia turned around and directed her gaze for the first time since they¡¯d arrived.

    He couldn¡¯t hear what she said, but it looked like ¡®oh, crap.¡¯

    Gaping maws with rows of serrated teeth emerged from the cloud, seemingly realizing their cover was blown.

 Chapter 88: Selachimorpha Cloud Formation

    ¡°Travis.¡±

    Travis¡¯s eyes snapped open, the light of early morning peeking over the edge of the raft edge beside his head. ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Loth said, from where she loomed above him. ¡°The rest of the Party forgot you existed when they went exploring this morning. Do you have some kind of mnemonic camouflage Ability upgrade? And do you perhaps use it to avoid taking watch at night?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡± Travis said, sitting up and cancelling the effect.

    ¡°You use it to dodge enemy engagement, not chores you find unpleasant.¡± Loth tutted at him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even know you had it if you didn¡¯t abuse it. One of these days, we¡¯re going to leave you behind somewhere you want to get left behind.¡±

    ¡°Okay, ¡± Travis said with a yawn and a stretch. ¡°My Build is perfect for getting left behind, so-¡°

    ¡°Your build is perfect for gaining, surviving, redirecting, and losing enemy attention. Nothing else. If we leave you behind in a cavern filled with poisonous gas, you have the same chance of survival as everyone else. Less, even.¡±

    Loth cocked her head, glancing between him and the flotsam below, where Will was presumably out scouting the dangerous wreckage.

    ¡°How are you so normal?¡± She mused.

    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to Will.¡± Travis said reflexively before biting his tongue. Typically Travis would disparage William Oh at length, but the attitude towards him among the rest of the Party was something approaching¡­Worship.

    And it wasn¡¯t hard to see why. Their Party leader seemed to consistently luck into riches and support beyond measure, and as long as that wealth and support continued to trickle down to Travis¡­Best not stick his foot in his mouth. ????????????????

    ¡°In most cases normal is good.¡± Loth said, her gaze returning to Travis. ¡°It¡¯s abnormality that demands explanation.¡±

    ¡°So you agree that he¡¯s a freak.¡± Travis said, shoving the covers aside and rolling to his feet.

    ¡°Yes. The kind that conquers The Tower.¡± Loth stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Are you foolish enough to expect a normal person to succeed where all others have failed?¡±

    ¡°¡­Fair.¡± Travis said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He was still pissed that only Will got to fight Frederick Wyrd shortly before the opportunity to avenge Oilton was snatched away forever by an ambitious assassin, but his rational mind knew Travis wouldn¡¯t have survived it if he¡¯d been the one facing his father¡¯s killer.

    Travis thought, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he studied the skeleton of a ship hovering in midair, supported by thousands of tiny flying insects, while tight chains of worms held together by spidersilk were carried back and forth, painting resin across exposed wood that had been shaped by highly disciplined termites.

    ¡°Hey, Alicia!¡± Travis heard June¡¯s distant voice and glanced over at where Alicia was leaning over the side of the raft, scanning the ocean below.

    ¡°That cloud is moving against the wind!¡± Came June¡¯s muffled voice from beyond the edge of the raft, and Alicia craned her neck, turning to look up and behind.

    Travis followed her gaze, and wished he hadn¡¯t.

    The cloud looming above them exploded with flying sharks¡­

    It was still a few hundred feet distant, but the cloud formation was¡­so big. Mason spotted a¡­coral-like solid formation generating the cloud cover that was being ripped away by explosions and flying sharks.

    Mason lifted his staff and immediately dumped at least fifty Charge into Conflagration, as the cloud formation immediately became riddled with explosions that caused dead sharks and broken Cloud Coral to rain out of the sky.

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    And more were coming.

    Alicia rushed over to her bow and yanked it out of her pack while Reggie paled and made religious symbols across his chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m landing us!¡± Loth shouted a moment before the floating raft lurched under them, descending at an angle, down and away from the fake cloud.

    The sharks approaching them filled the sky and the shimmering sunlight reflecting off their silvery backs made a strangely hypnotic pattern¡­

    PAIN!

    ¡°OW!¡± Travis shouted as Loth clawed his leg.

    ¡°Partner with Mason!¡± she shouted, pointing at their Nuker as she hustled past, pulling Reggie out of the same stupor and instructing him to hold on tight.

    Travis nodded and moved over to Mason, who was scowling as the sharks began to spread out from their home, making it harder and harder to catch a decent amount of them in a single explosion.

    ¡°On my decoy.¡± Travis said before putting the mouth harp hanging around his neck between his teeth.

    Two mirror images split off from Mason. Each of them had the ability to draw enemy aggro independently, ever since they had been upgraded with the Iber fly Sacrifice.

    But only if they were being looked at.

    That was where the Luring noise came in.

    As he plucked it and ran Charge through, Travis directed his first mirage to sprint out into the open air.

    The decoy was made of light, so gravity didn¡¯t exactly have a hold on it, and the sharks weren¡¯t smart enough to know a person shouldn¡¯t be able to sprint at full speed across air.

    The mouth harp gave an annoying and the shark¡¯s attention was directed toward the mirage. The illusion¡¯s aggro effect did the rest.

    In a matter of seconds, hundreds of massive sharks diverted their course and swarmed around the image of Travis sprinting away from the boat at full speed.

    An instant later, Mason dropped a Conflagrate on the decoy and dropped all the sharks into the ocean, where they belonged, erasing a sizeable chunk of the approaching horde in a single strike.

    A moment later, a rain of arrows devastated another swath of the beady-eyed monsters.

    Then the sharks were on them.

    Loth slammed her foot down onto the floor of the raft, and poles that Travis didn¡¯t even know about snapped up, with spidersilk rope held taut between them, creating a physical barrier between their soft, squishy bodies and the swarm of razor-toothed sharks.

    The raft began to shake and spin violently, being sent into a spin as sharks weighing more than their entire team battered up against the cage, gnawing against every part of the raft they could get their mouths on.

    ¡°Where do you want the next one!?¡± Travis said, holding onto the edge of the raft for dear life as they spun.

    ¡°Fifty feet that way!¡± Mason said, pointing.

    Travis¡¯s decoy sprinted through the spidersilk net, and with another Charge through the mouth harp, it became the center of attention.

    For a brief second, nothing was attacking the raft, and they stabilized, the sharks creating a swirling cone around his mirage, rather than their raft.

    ¡°Hold o-¡° Loth¡¯s words were cut off as they impacted the ocean.

    The floor of the raft tried to jam his shins up through his lungs, and it nearly succeeded.

    ¡­

    ¡°Can you do this!?¡± Travis heard Loth as he opened his eyes. Judging by the size of the ripples spreading around them, he¡¯d only lost a second or so.

    ¡°I don¡¯t to. But I think I ¡± Jean said, nodding.

    Travis coughed, withdrawing his knee from his rib and looking around. Mason was dangling from Loth¡¯s safety cage, the energy of the landing trampolining him halfway through the spidersilk strung tight enough to cut flesh.

    Mason should¡¯ve been gravely wounded, but after dropping so many blasts on the sharks, his shield was humming with energy. Will could drop one of his cannonballs on him and he¡¯d shrug it off.

    Travis stood and grabbed Mason¡¯s ankle, dragging the dazed Nuker back inside the spidersilk cage.

    Reggie was helping Alicia back to her feet on the other side of the raft when the spidersilk cage sprung open around them, creating an opening directly above them, where the sky sharks swarmed.

    The cage bloomed like a flower, the poles spreading out to create a much wider surface for them to stand on, extending twenty feet or so beyond the edge of the raft.

    Jean¡¯s age faded away as copy after copy split from her, sprinting away to take positions on the web-based platform.

    is Travis hadn¡¯t seen it himself, and when others informed him of the situation, it had seemed outlandish, but here it was in front of him.

    The last remaining monsters swam through the air towards them, jaws gaping, eager to take the unguarded meat-prize for themselves.

    Through sheer safety in numbers, the core group at the center of the raft was spared the worst of the assault. The two dozen Jeans lining the outer edge of the platform were attacked first by the opportunistic creatures looking to score an easy meal.

    They weren¡¯t easy meals.

    One by one, their Tangled companion tore the creatures apart with her bare hands, tearing jaws away from mouths, slicing apart faces and stomachs with magically enlarged claws, leaving behind nothing but rapidly dissolving carnage.

    ¡°It¡¯s clearing up,¡± Mason said, tapping his arm and pointing at the sky above. The concentration of sharks in the sky had become noticeably thinner, and they seemed less eager to rush to their deaths. ¡°We¡¯re on the other side of it, now. Set me up with three more decoys and the rest will be a snap for Alicia to mop up.¡±

    Travis nodded, and over the next thirty seconds, they made three more decoys before exploding them, each group of sharks noticeably smaller than the last.

    Meanwhile, Alicia did a quick-switch into her archer kit, setting aside her curse-boosting ring, hat and amulet.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you use the rain of arrows with the Evil Eye?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°Need an upgrade for it.¡± Alicia whispered, shaking her head. ¡°but once I do¡­¡±

    Alicia shot straight above them, her arrow sailing high above the sharks before splitting into three dozen, each arrow taking aim at a specific shark that was more difficult to lure into a trap than it¡¯s cousins.

    Each of them took an arrow to the brain, sending them tumbling down to the water below.

    The last of the sharks were returning to the cloud coral, their stomachs gorged on the flesh of their kin. What little they could get before it dissolved into Miasma.

    Travis thought to himself, scanning the surrounding water, littered with the rapidly sinking, dissolving bloody remains of hundreds, if not thousands of sharks the size of a wagon.

    In the distance, he spotted Will sprinting across the surface of the water towards them, following the trail of bloody shark chunks that they¡¯d left behind in left in their wild escape from the swarm.

    ¡°Will! Get out of there, you idiot!¡± Loth said, waving at Will to move aside.

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    A fish-mouth the size of an amphitheater emerged from the water, gulping up the massive trail of dead sharks, catching Will in the process.

    An instant later, the mouth and their Party Leader were gone.

    Loth sighed, hands on her hips.

    ¡°He¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± She glanced over at the bones of the ship she¡¯d been building, tapping a black claw against her chin. ¡°We¡¯re gonna need a bigger boat, though.¡±

    ¡°I hate this Floor, I hate this Floor, I hate this Floor¡­¡± Reggie muttered to himself, rocking in place.

 Chapter 89: Gone Fishing

    was

    ¡°Will! Get out of there, you idiot!¡± Loth¡¯s voice crossed the rolling waves, reaching him just as Will was about halfway to them.

    Will took only a fraction of a second to understand what she meant, glancing down at the chunks of skyfish littering the bloody waters.

    A shadow swept over him, covering the light of the sun, and an instant later, the water around him began flowing backwards.

    Then the sun was completely gone.

    Will tumbled backwards for a moment before miasmatic fish-corpses began to crush down around him. Will had never been to the ocean or fishing, but he¡¯d seen fishes a couple times. Mostly stuffed, and there were a couple people eating it when they¡¯d visited The Ring.

    They looked¡­weird. Like a tube with little water-wings at the back that propelled them forward. These particular fishes that were being crushed in around him had much bigger teeth than the ones he¡¯s seen mounted above rich people¡¯s fireplaces.

    Will hissed in pain as one of the dead fish¡¯s jaws, complete with massive daggerlike teeth, smashed up against him, lacerating his neck and side. Will tried to shove it off of him, but lacked the strength to move the serrated teeth away from his body.

    The darkness was complete, and all Will could tell was that there was some kind of flesh pressing in around him from every direction.

    Will¡¯s ears popped as the pressure inside the creature began to spike, ice cold water covering his face as whatever had swallowed him forced all the air out of its mouth before diving.

    Will summoned his Phantom Hand to himself.

    He unleashed the cannonball straight up.

    The water Will was entombed in flooded with more coppery blood, strangely no warmer than the ice-cold water around them.

    Will caught the cannonball before it got too far away from him, then brought the Phantom Hand back through the man-sized hole in the creature¡¯s stomach. ?§¡¦­??§§?

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    The Phantom Hand, once it had followed the cannonball through the wound, was having difficulty going back through the wound as it closed. Phantom Hand was averse to going through a creature due to it¡¯s magical nature. He couldn¡¯t phase it through a creature when it was fully intangible, and tangibility didn¡¯t make it any easier.

    Will grit his teeth and started climbing, reaching up and pulling himself into the wound, catching more flesh and pushing with his feet.

    Bloody flesh, soft organs, and sharp, fractured bone scraped against him as he pulled himself out of the leviathan¡¯s body.

    Will felt as though he¡¯d travelled a quarter mile through the thing¡¯s chest cavity, his lungs burning with the need to breathe, but it must¡¯ve only been fifty feet when he finally burst out into the open ocean.

    For anyone else, it might¡¯ve been too dark, and too bloody, but Will¡¯s Acuity made it fairly simple to determine which way was up, as the faintest blood-tinted light filtered down from above.

    Will pulled himself up with the Phantom Hand and burst out of the water, hitting the surface with a desperate gasp for air, his feet wobbling in place for a moment as Aspect of the Immortal Serpent seemed to consider whether or not it was willing to support him when he was so sodden and salty.

    So clearly at one with the ocean.

    When he was sure he wouldn¡¯t fall back in, Will glanced up and spotted the others in their raft, nearly a quarter mile distant.

    In the thirty seconds or so it¡¯d taken him to comprehend what had happened and enact his escape, the creature had traveled far.

    It looked like it swam lazily under the ocean, but that was just a matter of scale.

    Will was now on the side of the raft, out in open ocean while the raft was closer to the flotsam, where June, Bee and Ria were waiting for pickup, unable to actually walk on open ocean.

    Will started jogging back, giving himself a boost with Phantom Hand.

    By the time he arrived, everyone else was already on-board, and Will was shivering, a crust of red-tinted salt forming on his skin as he climbed over the inflated rib into the raft.

    One of the ribs was popped, causing the raft to tilt wildly as he clambered on, but they still had enough buoyancy to keep them all up.

    There was a sharp pain as Loth plucked an ivory triangular tooth out of his shoulder. ¡°Souvenir?¡± She asked.

    Will waved her off and collapsed back onto the surface of the raft, his arms and legs turning leaden as he yanked out one of their clean wool blankets, balling up underneath it beside Bee and Ria to regain heat.

    Will was so cold he could feel the sun itself giving him its warmth. Normally it was difficult to feel beneath the chill wind, but now it felt like a warm hug from the sky.

    The warmth went away, prompting Will to open his brined eyes to see who or what dared steal heat from him.

    ¡°So¡­you get wet.¡± Travis quipped smugly, standing in Will¡¯s warming sunlight.

    Travis gave a squawk as Phantom Hand yanked him off the side of the raft and into the water.

    Will wasn¡¯t proud of his response, but he was in no mood to play the responsible Party Leader while shivering and miserable.

    Minutes later, Travis was balled up beneath wool covers beside them while the rest of the Party made themselves busy.

    ¡°H-How i-is the w-water ¡± Travis demanded, his skin pale, lips blue.

    ¡°Salinity lowers the freezing temperature of water.¡± Loth said from where she was studying insect larva with a jeweler¡¯s lens, brought to her for inspection by a line of ants, seemingly sorting them based on some criteria that Will didn¡¯t understand. ¡°It is possible for ocean water to be than freezing, but typically that¡¯s only in arctic biomes. This is not an arctic biome, so the water was likely closer to ten degrees.¡±

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    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®salinity¡¯?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Salt content dissolved in a body of water.¡±

    ¡°I figured.¡± Will mused, scraping more salt off himself.

    ¡°Ten degrees below freezing,¡± Travis said.

    ¡°I¡¯m using Celsius.¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Wha?¡± Travis groaned, frowning.

    ¡°It¡¯s resurfacing.¡± Alicia whispered.

    Will and the others wrapped their blankets tighter around themselves, putting their heads back in the wind and huddling by the edge of the raft to peer down at the water below.

    Will was eager to get a look at the thing that had swallowed him. He knew it was big, but he wanted to know exactly how big.

    For bragging rights.

    Below them, a massive form rose to the surface, silver scales the size of houses glittering in the sun.

    Then it just¡­stayed there, waves rolling over it like an oblong sandbar.

    ¡°Is it¡­dead?¡± Jean asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s dead,¡± Alicia whispered, nodding. ¡°Heart¡¯s not beating.¡±

    Will nodded and got back out of the wind.

    Apparently larger monsters take longer to decay into miasma, because it wasn¡¯t until half an hour later that the ribs of the giant fish even started to become visible as the flesh turned to miasma.

    ¡°Hey, the ribs are starting to show,¡± Mason said from where he was watching the water.

    Loth perked up at that.

    ¡°Ribs?¡± She mused, looking at her halfway completed ship¡¯s ribs, woefully inadequate compared to the sheer scope of the decomposing monster below them.

    The black kobold then leaned over the edge and peered down at the kaiju-eater whose ribs were slowly revealing themselves through the cloud of miasma that was tainting the air around it.

    She extended a single ebony claw and pointed at the leviathan beneath them.

    ¡°Bring me that skeleton,¡± she said, causing her insect to swarm forward, erupting like a cloud from her oversized barrel.

    ¡°And whatever loot is in it.¡± Will added.

    The next week was uneventful. Loth¡¯s bugs weren¡¯t able to lift the leviathan at first, but after a day or so, most of the flesh was gone, and they were able to lift the skeleton out of the water.

    In the meantime, Loth used the cloud of miasma rolling off the decomposing giant to advance her miasmatic insect breeding, the miasma causing horrific mutations at a much higher rate. The vast majority were monstrous or stillborn, but Loth was working with hundreds of thousands of samples.

    Alicia spent the time on high alert. Mason had dropped the majority of his Charges in the initial encounter to blunt the shark attack, so the onus was on her to detect problems before they became problems. Jean was also tapped out, and Loth¡¯s charge wasn¡¯t much better, so it was imperative to avoid another ambush, as they simply couldn¡¯t bring the same amount of force to bear a second time.

    The Bakers went diving for loot. Their shapeshifting, water-breathing, and disposability made them particularly well-suited for it, but even with all those advantages, they only managed to find a small fraction of the loot drops that thousands of monsters should have had, most of it trapped in a floating ribcage by sheer luck.

    The rest sank to the bottom of the sea, so deep that even the Bakers, with all their physical advantages couldn¡¯t find the bottom.

    The loot was¡­disappointing for the most part. After the heist, Will had come to expect about fifteen stat points and a helpful mutation from most of his gear, but this stuff all hovered around the 6-8 point range.

    But it wasn¡¯t a problem. They could still use the Relics, even if they were now substandard. Will added the loot to his Sourdough barrel, breaking the items down and gradually filling it with Relic Dust.

    Everybody else found a way to keep themselves busy while Loth made their new ship, and Will passed the two days by working on ways to track the progress of his various Abilities. Specifically, he wanted to know more about Sourdough and the Phantom Hand¡¯s exact specifications.

    Will thought, itching the doubtlessly infected wound on his shoulder. It wasn¡¯t a critical wound, but not being injured and fighting off an infection might save wounds later, so Will felt it was justified to nip it in the bud.

    Will drained a Greater Health Potion, repairing the lacerations across his torso before inspecting the remaining liquid with one of Loth¡¯s measuring calipers.

    Will scribbled on some of Loth¡¯s smudged up math paper.

    .175%

    Will could expect these to be done by day 24 rather than day 30.

    Once Will had figured out Sourdough, he turned his attention to the Dimensional Storage upgrade from the Dimensional Oyster Sacrifice.

    Will borrowed Loth¡¯s calipers again and fished out pieces of wood to make several objects whose volume Will knew

    Will thought as Loth watched him handle the calipers, as if afraid he would drop it into the ocean.

    Through a long process of trial and error, Will learned that any object that he put in his Dimensional Storage was shrunk to about 22% of it¡¯s original size. Will figured this out by calculating his maximum normal storage, which was 226.8 cubic inches (with Relic boosts)

    He cut one flotsam pole into two identical poles exactly 226.8 inches in volume (with Loth¡¯s help), then emptied everything out of his dimensional storage.

    He put the first piece of wood in, filling his dimensional storage entirely.

    Then Will tried to put the second pole in.

    It didn¡¯t work.

    He shaved off a tiny bit from the second pole and tried again, repeating the process over and over until the second pole went in. Then Will took both poles out and measured them against each other.

    The second pole was missing 22% of it¡¯s height when measured against the first, indicating that the first pole was taking up exactly that much space when he tried to put the second in.

    So, objects were shrunk down to 22% of their original size, but they still took up space, meaning the size of the item he could put in Dimensional Storage shrank as he put more things in.

    This would mean he would have to be more thoughtful and go from large to small when packing the Phantom hand with gear, but it could also hold quite a bit more in total.

    With the 22% result already known, Loth and Will were able to reverse-engineer the formula to determine how much shrinking occurred.

    They came up with this:

    1/(Acuity*(Relic boosts)/50)

    1/(126*1.8/50) = 0.2204

    They confirmed this by taking off his Relics and the math held true when he had 26 less Acuity, and zero Relic boosts to his Ranger potency, resulting in the objects in his Phantom hand¡¯s Dimensional Storage shrinking down to exactly 50% of their original size.

    By the end of the first two days, Will had learned a lot about something Loth called ¡®algebra¡¯, Mason¡¯s Charges were partially recovered, and the entire party was beginning to come down with the ¡®raft crazies¡¯, a condition where you are forced to live within ten feet of others for extended periods of time, partially wet and buffeted by chilly salt-spray winds.

    By the end of the week, they were universally relieved to move into the ¡®boat-house¡¯, the wood, bone, scale, and resin monstrosity that Loth had fashioned, using the leviathan¡¯s rib bones for structural integrity, wood and resin for floatation and enormous scales for surfaces, paneling, and defense.

    The construction was about half the size of the leviathan itself, which meant it was big enough for each of them to have their own room. It did not matter to them that Loth had most likely trapped every square inch of the construction as long as they got a solid wall between themselves and the elements, and each other, for a few hours a day.

 Chapter 90: Ocean Life

    Heron Stiles, level 30 Sailor

    Will yawned and tossed the blanket off, slipping out of his Relics and back into his clothes before putting his Relics back on over them

    It was weird sleeping with falconer¡¯s gloves and a dragon mask on, but you got used to it. You didn¡¯t sleep in your Relics.

    Or at least, didn¡¯t ever since the church of Granesh had tried to kill him in the middle of the night while they bunked at what should¡¯ve been a reputable inn.

    Will glanced down at the Swampstompers that hadn¡¯t left his feet since last month.

    Will took his shoes off and regretted it instantly.

    The socks he¡¯d been wearing the entire time had holes eaten through the heel and toe, and the

    Will hastily tossed the shoes and socks in one of the Sourdough Barrels in the Relic room, where they stuffed all the Relics they plucked out of the ocean that were waiting for sorting and destruction. Some of the smaller, more valuable Relics, they saved to trade once they found The Flotilla, while the rest got broken down to bake their consumeables in.

    Will thought, using Sourdough on his socks and burying them.

    They weren¡¯t Relics, but maybe the Ability would restore them as if they were plain consumables. And even if it didn¡¯t, covering them in magical powder would likely kill anything living on them making that horrible smell.

    Or the magic might mutate it into a lethal stench.

    Will was willing to take that chance.

    He ambled over to the washroom, which was connected to the desalination room.

    During the day, polished metallic scales caught sunlight and reflected it onto a metal pan, which boiled saltwater. Above, the condensate was collected into a tank. It wasn¡¯t fully automatic, it required someone to add new seawater and clean the salt crust out of the pan every now and then.

    Anna had stepped into her role as the support, single-handedly running every aspect of the ship¡¯s domestic affairs. Despite being technically working for them, Will was intrigued to note how the attitude towards Anna had shifted from slightly awkward to deferential. Nobody wanted to risk having her stop making water, washing clothes and baking bread for them. ????¦Â¨¨?

    The bread still ran out, though. They were a bit too excited and had bread every night to celebrate another day of being alive on the 6th Floor. Their one bag of flour was empty after the first week. That was when they started taking rationing more seriously.

    Every morning Anna split into four, each copy bustling around the massive ship, keeping everything running smoothly, performing more work than any one person could hope to accomplish, justifying her inclusion as Support staff.

    They didn¡¯t bring a big enough pan to desalinate enough water for everyone to take full shower and baths, but they did get enough to drink and take quick sponge-baths.

    Loth was hoping to find a bit of another ship¡¯s desalination room with a bigger boiler, but she wasn¡¯t particularly expectant, since that part of the ship was more likely to sink due to the heavy iron.

    Will sat down and glanced up at the tank beside the desalinator. It was a makeshift wooden barrel about an arms-length from side to side, and half as tall as a man. Full up to his kneecaps.

    Will grabbed one of their ladles and scooped out his daily ration of water, drinking his fill before pouring about half of the rest in a shallow bucket and aggressively scrubbing his feet with soap. The soap they¡¯d brought was still holding steady, and likely would for another month.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Jean groaned as she entered the room, taking a ration ladle off the wall and filling it before moving behind the women¡¯s divider. ¡°This is why you don¡¯t sleep in your Relics!¡± she shouted over it.

    ¡°Says the girl who¡¯s never been attacked in her sleep,¡± Will muttered, continuing to vigorously scrub his feet.

    ¡°I heard that,¡± June said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± Reggie said as he entered, grabbing another ladle off the wall and measuring out his daily water, drinking about half before pouring the rest in a bucket and beginning his routine, soaping himself up. ¡°My uncle¡¯s feet smell way worse.¡±

    ¡°Your uncle literally has a disease.¡± June called over the divider.

    The rest of the party filed in while they were washing up, and Anna #2 made herself busy bustling between the two areas, cleaning up after them, bussing tubs, scrubbers and and soap without any particular awkwardness at seeing the male members without their clothes.

    Will thought.

    Anna #2 ran the bath and water desalinator because she was the first offshoot, created first thing in the morning while Anna #1 and the rest of the girls took their bath, then spending the rest of her day refilling their water supply.

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    By the time Will got out, his feet smelled like¡­nothing in particular, which was about as good as it was going to get.

    Will used the last little bit in his ladle to rinse himself off before heading off to breakfast.

    Anna #3 was in charge of breakfast.

    ¡­it was fish. Because of course it was.

    ¡°The mushrooms are spreading well and the sprouts are thriving in the substrate. In about a week, we¡¯ll get our first crop.¡± Loth said as they each peeled bone-filled fish-meat off scaly skin with their knives.

    Will thought to himself, working his knife. Thankfully the room dedicated to growing mushrooms and breeding insects was kept far, away from their main living quarters, for their sanity.

    Reggie had invented the most practical way of eating fish by running his blade along the outside of the meat to separate the whole skin at once before quickly slicing it into bite-size chunks of flaky meat, then spearing each individual piece with his knife, treating the fish skin itself like the plate they didn¡¯t have.

    The rest of them gradually began to copy him.

    This left the problem of bones, but it was still leagues ahead of messily trying to gnaw meat away from greasy skin with their hands and teeth.

    Fish didn¡¯t smell too bad when it was fresh, but get the oil on your hands, and you¡¯d be carrying around a gradually worsening stink until you got the opportunity to wash up the next morning.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, you cook fish good,¡± Mason said as Anna moved past him, popping some breakfast in his mouth. ¡°But I would fight to the death for some toast and butter.¡±

    ¡°Pepper.¡± June added.

    ¡°Peanut butter honey pancakes,¡± Reggie grunted.

    ¡°Cider.¡± Travis mused.

    ¡°The booze or spiced apple juice?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Take your pick.¡± Travis shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get right on that,¡± Anna #3 said with an eyeroll as she rounded up their fish skin plates, adding them to the bin to be thrown overboard.

    ¡°I think our party needs either a Grower or a Logistician that can shuffle supplies.¡± Will said.

    ¡°That one that Roger was talking about?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Mason grunted, the slender Nuker glancing between the two of them.

    Will described Roger¡¯s story about a quartermaster who could spend Charges to shift the quantities of bulk supplies in their ledger by shifting the numbers around, as long as the values were roughly identical. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In theory, they could take a pound or two of flour with them and the quartermaster could add more by adding a zero to the flour and subtracting one pound from Relic dust. Add a Charge while doing it and the supplies would simply¡­shift.

    They were practically swimming in Relic dust. Over the last few weeks, they¡¯d gotten the knack for judging when and how to fish a miasmatic corpse out of the water, just before it spit out its loot.

    And there was always opportunity to learn, because the floor didn¡¯t ever seem to run out of monsters aiming to kill them.

    Fighting for their lives was a daily occurrence, and they could only afford to sleep because Jean and the butlers were watching their backs at night.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I heard about that lady.¡± Travis said, nodding. ¡°Incredibly valuable Builds like those get lost to the sands of time every day.¡± He shrugged and continued picking at his fish.

    ¡°¡­We could send Thea a letter asking her to look into it,¡± Will suggested.

    If they bought the recipe from whoever had funded the logistician¡¯s Class originally, - if they were still alive ¨C Will could theoretically fund his own, but he¡¯d also have to pay to give the person powerful relics to guarantee they survived their Trial, then hire mercenaries to guard them all the way up to the fifth floor.

    All told, that would take a large chunk of their war chest, and about six months to wait for the next crop of Aspirants.

    And then of course, it would be someone gullible enough to accept a job offer from an unknown like Will.

    All told, it was unlikely to work, risky, prohibitively expensive, and slow¡­but every day Will spent eating nothing but fish weakened his resolve. Someone who could magic fresh-caught fish and relics into sugar and flour was nothing short of miraculous.

    ¡°I¡¯ll draft a letter.¡± Loth said, nodding.

    After breakfast, they went out to their separate jobs.

    Will and Alicia: lookouts. Alicia could see anything with a physical body that might be sneaking up on them, no matter how many layers of camouflage it had.

    Will on the other hand, could see further and kept his gaze fixed on the horizon looking for any sign of The Flotilla.

    Reggie and Jean were on manual labor, Mason and Loth did logistics, Travis worked up in the sails, while June steered.

    Anna and the butlers kept everything running smooth while Bee and Ria killed things that needed to be killed. Anything that came at them in manageable numbers, the Tangled girls swept away like so much chaff.

    Thankfully, no leviathans were brave enough to attack Shimmer.

    The massive vessel was named such because of the way the hypnotic scales of the sky sharks decorated the sides.

    According to Steve¡¯s primer on the Floor, The Flotilla stayed at the same latitude in order to maintain its climate for the floating gardens, so all they needed to do was match that latitude and then maintain it until they came across the boat-city.

    The Tower had said the Stronghold was west, so once Loth confirmed they were on the right latitude, they continued going West, adjusting their heading as needed to stay on course.

    The signs were promising:

    They found more shipwrecks, scouring each one for supplies as they sailed past signs of human activity, like floating glass bouys, garbage, the occasional dot of sail in the distance.

    They didn¡¯t bother trying to chase anyone down to say hi.

    First, Shimmer wasn¡¯t built for speed, as lovely as she was. The ship was big enough to accommodate a crew a hundred times it¡¯s current size, with a barge-like, chunky look to her.

    And second, chasing people down on the open ocean wasn¡¯t the¡­friendliest gesture.

    They made decent time, but that was only in comparison to the floating city they tracked.

    Two weeks later, Will was up in the crow¡¯s nest, considering finally buckling under the monotony and tasting the honey created by Loth¡¯s ¡®Carrion Honeybees¡¯.

    ¡®meat honey¡¯ sounded¡­unpleasant, even though the others swore it was almost palatable.

    Will thought sourly as he scanned the horizon.

    The first sight of the floating city made him think he was hallucinating or seeing a low-hanging cloud formation on the horizon.

    As the smudge of white resolved into individual sails clustered tight together, Will¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°I see it!¡± He shouted.

    ¡°See what!?¡± June shouted up at him.

    ¡°The Flotilla!¡± Will replied as Alicia squinted beside him, not quite able to make out the city herself.

    ¡°How¡¯s our heading?¡± June asked.

    ¡°Two degrees, port!¡± Will replied.

    ¡°Roger!¡± June made the adjustment on the steering wheel, gradually turning Shimmer¡¯s nose slightly portside.

    Over the next two hours, the city became visible in the distance, even from the deck.

    When the sun went down, The Flotilla turned into a beacon of light on the horizon as lanterns kept the night-life going aboard the floating city.

    The next morning they¡¯d closed the distance drastically, and a sloop detached from the several mile cluster of boats, heading their way over the course of the morning.

    The sloop pulled up alongside their port side, their deck about fifteen feet lower than Shimmer¡¯s.

    Will¡¯s party clustered around the edge and peered down as experienced sailors delicately secured themselves to the side of their ship.

    ¡°Permission to come aboard!¡± A sunburnt man shouted from below them, wielding a massive rope in his weathered hands.

    Will noticed everyone was looking at him. Despite the ship running like a well-oiled machine without his input, he was still the Party leader.

    ¡°Granted!¡± Will shouted back down.

    A moment later, the oversize rope was flung up onto the deck of the Shimmer, and they watched as three sailors climbed up the side.

    Will¡¯s bare toes clenched down on the deck as the heavyset men climbed to the top, each of them armed and armored with nearly a full complement of Relics. The grizzled veteran frowned when he saw Will¡¯s party, rubbing his back as he scanned the rest of the deck.

    ¡°Interesting ¡®ship¡¯, lads. Never seen anything like it. Makes my skin crawl.¡± The man muscled back a shudder.

    ¡°But I ain¡¯t one to judge. Since you didn¡¯t give the signals as you approached, we figured you were newcomers. My name¡¯s Heron, and we¡¯re the welcome party today.¡± He produced a waterproofed scroll lined with cork wood and offered it to Will.

    ¡°On that scroll is the law of The Flotilla. Study it before you dock, then return it. Ignorance is not a defense, and the lightest punishment on the Flotilla is banishment.¡±

    Will nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to do so.¡±

    Heron nodded, gazing back at Will for a long moment. ¡°Welcome to The Flotilla.¡±

 Chapter 92: Cracked Immortal

    A wet cough erupted from Will as he limped along the pier, followed by a sharp pain through his chest that froze him in place until he remembered how to breathe.

    Will gingerly poked his ribs, trying not to aggravate the shallow cuts covering the majority of his body. They had just finished scabbing up.

    With that in mind, Will ran his tongue along a couple teeth that were wiggling a bit more than they should, spitting the coppery blood welling up into his sleeve.

    Rule #1: don¡¯t bleed into the ocean.

    ¡°You gonna live?¡± A reedy voice asked, prompting Will to glance up, Phantom Hand poised to take the man¡¯s head off with a cannonball. A bar brawl is one thing, but following him into the dark of night¡­

    Will relaxed when he recognized the emaciated, homeless fellow from before, rather than a Party leader with a grudge.

    The men at The Bridge had actually all seemed in pretty good spirits when Will had left, lots of drinks and back-slaps and un-requested shots of liquor dumped over his wounds to ¡®sanitize¡¯ them.

    Aside from that, and the horrible pain he was currently in, it really had been a great time. The single lesson he¡¯d received from Bakton had opened his eyes to a flow that he hadn¡¯t been able to perceive before and prepared him to deal with the vast majority of Climbers without too much trouble.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll live.¡±

    Will wobbled in place for a moment before using Phantom Hand as a cane, pressing back against his hand to stabilize himself.

    ¡°Here, let me,¡± the emaciate man said, putting Will¡¯s truncated arm over his shoulder and tottering forward in lockstep.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Will said as they resumed walking through the pre-dawn light. ¡°¡­What do you want?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The man scoffed. ¡°Me? Want something? I¡¯m just a humble- all right, fine. I do want something.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that? Drinking money?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no to that, but I¡¯m after something a little¡­harder to acquire.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    The grey-eyed man glanced over at him, searching Will¡¯s expression for a moment before pointing up. ¡°On a certain Floor above us, is an object I really want.¡±

    ¡°And what do you expect from me?¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the guy.¡±

    Will raised a brow.

    ¡°You know¡­ The once-in-a-thousand-years legend. The one with the best shot of making it to the top. Did they not teach you this in school?

    The emaciated man frowned and mumbled to himself. ¡°I thought they taught that in school? They taught my kids that. Was that a different coil? Shit, is Jacob dead? No, I just saw him the other day¡­ is a day one revolution of the sun, or one winter, or one coil? No, it¡¯s probably not a coil, that seems like a lot¡­¡± £Ò§Ñ£Î??¨¨????

    Will frowned as the emaciated man began muttering, staring straight down with a vacant look in his eyes.

    ¡°¡­Who do you think I am?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Ummm¡­¡±

    Will waited for a solid ten seconds before giving him the answer.

    ¡°William¡­.¡±

    ¡®William¡­ The emaciated man repeated after him.

    Oh.¡± Will finished.

    ¡°Right. Yes. I heard your larger-than-life legends and I knew you were destined for great things.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of me before.¡± Will said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of you before.¡± The emaciated man admitted.

    Will thought. This man didn¡¯t know Will, but he had known enough to know about the overblown legends.

    Typically he might¡¯ve fallen in the category of con men who simply praise every newcomer they meet as the ¡®chosen one¡¯ until they can take what they want and cut loose.

    But he wasn¡¯t slick enough to be a con-artist. If anything, he seemed like a dog that had been beaten too many times. Hunched over and self-blaming.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Reese. Probably. Maybe.¡±

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    ¡°And how did you wind up here?¡±

    ¡°Well, I got swept up with Mark Wyrd¡¯s Party as they left Akul, and they cut me loose here a couple years ago.¡±

    ¡°A couple years ago?¡± will asked.

    ¡°Decades?¡± Reese said with a shrug. ¡°I dunno, I just remember getting shanghaied by them on the Ocean Floor, meeting a girl, starting a family here and being an exotic fisherman and my granddaughter took over the family business when-ah, shit, different coil. It was days. I¡¯ve only been here like a couple days. I think.¡±

    Will asked the obvious question.

    ¡°What is a coil?¡±

    ¡°You know¡­when all human civilization gets wiped out and The Tower adds a floor and everyone starts over from scratch. You know. A Coil. Happens like every year. Don¡¯t they teach that in school? I guess school gets destroyed too¡­¡±

    Reese got a vacant expression on his face.

    Will thought back to Baron Akul¡¯s ominous observations on the gradually worsening situation in the Tower as Lords died faster than they could be replaced.

    ¡°¡­How old are you?¡±

    Reese gave a small squeak and shrugged.

    Will saw the morning light beginning to touch the tops of the surrounding ships, and he knew he was going to get an earful from Loth.

    ¡°I have a thousand questions for you, but right now, I only want the answer to two things:¡± Will said. ¡°Number one: Tell me exactly what the item you want is. Number two: tell me exactly what you are going to pay for it.¡±

    Reese took a deep breath.

    ¡°Okay. I want access to a System Administrator panel that will allow me to revoke my protections and finally shuffle off this mortal coil. I think we made some in the high-tech coil.¡±

    ¡°And how I will pay for it: I have personally witnessed more Floors than anyone alive. I¡¯ve studied the pattern. I¡¯m betting that above the tenth Floor, information is limited about hazards and points of interest and such. I can help with that.¡±

    Will decided to test him. First he¡¯d ask about this floor and a few of the ones that came before to figure out what it looked like when Reese was telling the truth, then move on to the higher floors.

    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the major hazard on this floor?¡± Will asked, expecting something along the lines of ¡®leviathan¡¯ or ¡®skyshark¡¯

    ¡°Secret society of fish people.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°What?¡± Reese asked with a frown.

    ¡°There are no fish people on this floor.¡± It was entirely environmental hazards like storms, and mindless monsters that tried to eat anything they could get their mouths around. At least according to Steve.

    ¡°Shhhh¡­.¡± Reese put a crusty finger to his lips, glancing around suspiciously before lowering his voice. ¡°That¡¯s what the fish people want you to think. I only found out about them when I got blown off course while fishing yesterday and sailed into the wrong port under the cover of darkness. I saw the some of the local powers making deals with them. Horrifying deals.¡±

    ¡°You sure it was yesterday?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°¡­no.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay, you can come with me for now.¡± Will said. There was something about the matter-of-fact way that Reese spoke that made Will stop and take notice. He wasn¡¯t exaggerating, he was spilling what he perceived to be the absolute truth in the disjointed, stream-of-consciousness manner a person would if they were musing to themselves.

    There was no sign of deception.

    And that made Will¡¯s hackles stand on end. Either this man was telling the truth, haphazardly spilling secrets that could shake The Tower to its core¡­or he was so Cracked that he needed adult supervision.

    Will almost toppled over as Reese let go of his arm and turned to grovel in front of him.

    ¡°Oh, thank you! You won¡¯t regret this, Mr. Gandr!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Oh.¡±

    ¡°s¡¯wat I said.¡± Reese said, getting back under Will¡¯s arm and helping him stagger towards the warehouse dock, where Shimmer was tied up.

    In a matter of minutes, Will was back on the ship, being hosed down on the deck while the Bakers attended to his wounds.

    Sadly, he couldn¡¯t enjoy the proximity to multiple Anna¡¯s doting on him simultaneously because he was also getting chewed out by Loth at the same time.

    ¡°I expected to make trouble while he was out, not you!¡± Loth said, hands on her hips.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Travis grunted, glancing up from where he was eating blueberry ice. A specialty of the druids on the more central barges. Tasty and prevented heatstroke and scurvy.

    Not that they had to worry about heatstroke this time of year.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t make trouble,¡± Will said, wincing as Anna # 2 scrubbed his cuts with soap and boiled water. ¡°I got jumped by half the bar because my name got out.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Loth¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill them.¡±

    Loth clenched her jaw and glanced aside.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡±

    Loth heaved a sigh.

    ¡°Foo.¡±

    ¡°If anything I saved us a ton of trouble by getting all the Party Leader fights out of the way at the same time. I¡¯m very solidly in the pecking order now. Near the top, too. They even said they were gonna have to change laws because of me. How cool is that?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have won. The fights are to first blood, aren¡¯t they? You¡¯re a mess.¡± Loth gestured at him.

    ¡°You look you went through a meatgrinder,¡± Anna#3 said, following behind her clone with salve to seal the wounds.

    ¡°I challenged the entire bar to a fight. If there are no neutral observers, then no one can objectively say who got cut when and by what. They only realized this after I¡¯d already took out a few of them, took my first hit and kept fighting. It was technically a draw, but it was a 50-on-1 draw, so¡­they were impressed.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then what about him?¡± Loth asked, pointing at Reese, who was coiling some ropes, peering down at them with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Experienced sailor and fisherman.¡± Will lied. ¡°I figured we could use someone who actually knows the Floor.¡± Will tapped on Loth¡¯s hand with Phantom Hand, indicating they would talk about it more later.

    ¡°I been fishing longer than you¡¯ve been alive.¡± Reese said. ¡°Jason, can you help me seal the ends of these ropes? Whoever did it didn¡¯t know what they were doing.¡±

    Mason glanced around, realizing Reese was looking at him. ¡°My name¡¯s Mason.¡±

    ¡°Right. Right¡­ would you mind helping me with a bit of sizzle?¡± he wiggled his fingers.

    Loth glanced back at Will, a single scaly eyebrow cocked.

    He knew the ruse was already shredded by Loth, so he¡¯d have to clue her in, but the others could just assume he was a weird old man with poor memory for names and faces.

    ¡°Incidentally, I want to discuss our plans for the next outing.¡± Will said, standing and donning a fresh shirt once Anna #3 finished sealing the last wound.

    Anna and Loth clicked their tongues.

    ¡°Loth, if you would.¡± Will motioned towards their offices.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Together the two of them entered Loth¡¯s office, pried open a hatch in the floor and then entered a pitch back crawlspace, sneaking their way to the back of the ship before they spoke.

    ¡°Why does he know Mason¡¯s Ability and his name?¡± Loth whispered. ¡°Did you tell him?¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No. I honestly don¡¯t know.¡± Will whispered. ¡°I¡¯m waffling between him being Cracked, and him being some kind of immortal. Some of the things he says¡­¡±

    ¡°What if it¡¯s both?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Could be. He¡¯s offered to give us critical insider information on each floor in exchange for taking him up with us until he finds a way to kill himself.¡±

    ¡°How do we know he¡¯s not just lying?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°Well, we could just kill him. If he dies¡­ then it¡¯s the former. Just doesn¡¯t feel right, though. Reese mentioned something about a secret society of fish people pulling the strings of The Flotilla from the shadows. Sounds pretty crazy, but if it checks out¡­¡±

    ¡°Verify that, and he stays.¡± Loth surmised.

    ¡°For this floor anyway,¡± Will whispered back.

    ¡°You know¡­we haven¡¯t gone out for a nighttime walk together since the Church of Granesh.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Loth the Luminary. Are you asking me out on a date?¡± Will whispered in mock shock.

    ¡°If by ¡®date¡¯, you mean ¡®reconnaissance mission¡¯, then yes.¡±

 Chapter 93: A night for romance

    There were a couple places they had in mind to check for dark secrets: Abandoned docks, like Reese had suggested And the church of Granesh, because they had such a fine time breaking in the last time they went for a walk, and if there was a secret demi-human plot against The Flotilla, the church of Granesh would be the ones who would be most interested in finding out.

    Aside from¡­everyone else who liked a juicy conspiracy.

    ¡°Not a lot to go on,¡± Will mused as they walked down the floating piers that linked the ships of The Flotilla together a bit like a honeycomb.

    The night air was beginning to creep through the crowded together ships as the sun went down, adding an omnipresent cold draft to the smell of seawater and faint rot.

    Will and Loth could see just fine, though. The handful of ship lamps that spilled light into the city ¡®streets¡¯ were more than enough for Will and Loth to navigate by.

    ¡°Still, a fine way to spend an evening,¡± Loth said with a shrug.

    To be fair, Will like being sneaky and flitting from shadow to shadow when the mood struck, so he really didn¡¯t have much reason to refute Loth¡¯s statement.

    So far in the night, they¡¯d checked a dilapidated dock that no one used because it was treacherously unsafe. That had been a wash, with Loth almost falling into the ocean after a board that had held Will up collapsing beneath the kobold¡¯s weight.

    Their next stop was a pleasure vessel that seemed to facilitate a bit of smuggling on the side.

    They spent nearly half an hour watching level 30 sailors with bodies scarred from years of navigating treacherous seas, and fancy hats to denote their respective pecking order, running bushels of green seaweed back and forth.

    Will and Loth were surprised to discover that the drug-running operation wasn¡¯t even illegal, it was simply a mix of habit, peak demand hours and cool night-time temperatures preventing spoilage that saw teams of sailors hauling packages of meldweed into the floating brothel by the bushel.

    ¡°What¡¯s meldweed do anyway?¡± Will asked as they left.

    ¡°If chewed recreationally, It temporarily depresses parts of the brain responsible for individuality and sense of self, making it difficult to determine where you end and your partner begins.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°¡­Why would you want to do that?¡± Will asked frowning.

    ¡°Sometimes something you say reminds me how young you are,¡± Loth said. looking up at him with mock pity.

    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s a sex thing,¡± Will said, nodding more confidently than he felt.

    ¡°Anyway, if refined, it can be used offensively to make some rather interesting poisons. Ever since I learned of it, I¡¯ve entertained the idea of lacing a cocktail of it and a few other things on blackmail letters to make the reader unable to think critically as the substance absorbs through their fingers while they read.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s monstrous.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Can we get some?¡± Loth asked looking up at him with pleading eyes.

    ¡°Sure, on the condition that you don¡¯t use it on any Party members without their knowledge or permission. We can swing by and grab some after we¡¯re done looking around.¡± §²????£Î??????S

    ¡°Nice.¡± Loth clenched her fists. ¡°My first mind-effecting poison.¡±

    She rubbed her chin. ¡°I wonder if I can breed my wasps to replicate the compound? Anyway, meldweed might be illegal outside the tower, but it¡¯s on the list of approved substances here.¡±

    As if to emphasize her point, Will spotted a guardsman, to all appearances another sailor, with only the Flotilla¡¯s oversized ¡®guardsman¡¯ hat to denote his station, waving at the crew carrying massive baskets of seaweed into the oversized cruise ship.

    Together, Will and Loth crept off into the night, looking for any other sign of fish-people secretly undermining the flotilla.

    Their third stop of the night was when Loth tugged at his sleeve and motioned to an oversized ship on the edge of the water, with gentle swaves lapping up against it¡¯s side.

    ¡°Something¡¯s telling me that is a trap,¡± Loth whispered as the two of them hunkered down.

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    She cocked her head, seemingly considering.

    ¡°It¡¯s too far away from other light sources, the rear of the ship is unlit, unguarded, facing a clear swath of ocean with poor visibility, the panelling on the rear is oddly shaped, with an oversized rim around it.¡±

    Now that she pointed it out, Will could imagine a small vessel easily rowing up to the back of the oversized ship, without anyone spotting it.

    There weren¡¯t very many places for them to sit and watch, eventually they found a section of dock that hung a bit higher above the water, and Loth created a sling to suspend the two of them from it.

    As the evening gave way to night, lamp after lamp gradually went out as the city went to sleep.

    ¡°There.¡± Loth said, pointing.

    Even with Will¡¯s Acuity as high as it was, it was difficult to make out.

    The ripples of water that reflected the barest hint of starlight were being masked by something in the vague shape of a small boat gradually drifting towards the back of the ship that Loth had marked as suspicious.

    Will nodded silently, replacing Amulet of the Homefield Advantage with the Dimensional Assassin¡¯s Amulet.

    Between it and the Wand of the Trespasser, Will¡¯s audiovisual effects were dampened by 55% while he tried to hide.

    In broad daylight, that would make him somewhat transparent, but in the nighttime, he basically became a ghost.

    Will didn¡¯t assume that meant he¡¯d be completely unseen. The dampening effect really only leveled the playing field, given that nearly everyone had at least Acuity.

    His best bet would be to employ the age-old stealth technique of approaching from a direction they wouldn¡¯t think to look.

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    Loth pointed off to the left as the boat approached and Will nodded, slipping out of the sling Loth had made for them and dropping to the water without even a splash to announce his presence as the water solidified underneath him.

    Will kept low and scuttled to the left until he saw an opportunity. A swell of water, maybe two feet tall concealed him as he darted away from the dock and crawled silently across the rolling waves on his hand and feet until he was right behind the incoming ship.

    Close enough to hear their quiet breathing.

    From what Will could see, there were at least three of them, cloaks concealing their features.

    The one in the front peered up at the ship they headed towards, watching a tiny slight flickering rhythmically, like a candle with someone waving their hand in front of it.

    From Loth¡¯s perspective, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see the person signaling to the boat, but Will could see them. And by default, they could see crawling along the water, out in the open.

    If not now, then

    Will swiftly crawled forward and clung to the back of the boat, using it to hide himself from the watcher above while making himself as small as possible.

    One of the passengers must¡¯ve felt his weight shift the boat, because their hooded face glanced over the edge, scanning the surrounding water.

    Will didn¡¯t move a muscle.

    They didn¡¯t raise the alarm, merely leaning back into their seat with a grunt of displaced air from an obese body.

    A minute later, Will risked peeking around the side of the boat to see where they were going.

    Ahead of them, the back of the ship began to open.

    Loth¡¯s suspicions were proven correct as faint light spilled into the surrounding water, forcing Will to pull his head back and narrow his eyes against the glare.

    It was the faintest candlelight, but now that his eyes were accustomed to the dark of night, it glared like the sun.

    The rear of the ship opened like an inverted drawbridge, revealing that the guts of the ship had been hollowed out, leaving only a fa?ade of a functional ship. The secret smuggler¡¯s dock was held aloft by hidden pontoons, because it lacked a bottom.

    Will took a silent, deep breath as they approached the entrance, where sailors were pacing the sides of the dock, flickering lamps lighting the interior.

    Will would surely be spotted.

    Will took a deep breath and climbed down into the water, clinging to the bottom of the boat.

    He held his breath until the boat came to a complete stop, then another minute, his Resistance allowing him to hold his breath far longer than he ever had before he became a Climber.

    He heard some conversation muffled by a yard of water, followed by the boat shifting as the occupants began unloading it.

    Once everything went still, Will dove down deep until he hit the bottom of the fake ship, then swam towards a pool of darkness in the corner of the hidden dock.

    Will rose quietly, allowing his breath out silently once he was above the waterline, before taking another quiet lungful of air.

    While he recovered from holding his breath for an extended period, he studied his surroundings. He was in the corner of the hollowed out ship, submerged in the water beneath a raised platform that held crate and equipment for taller vessels that might dock inside the massive fake ship.

    Diagonally from him was the little boat that had just docked. It was standing silent and empty, but the wooden platform just beside it was bustling with activity as a young man and woman embraced while two fat, sweaty, harried-looking older men in fancy garb hustled to move an enormous amount of luggage.

    ¡°At last we can be together, Harold,¡± The woman said breathily, taking a moment to regain her composure after the enthusiasm they¡¯d just shown. ¡°We can escape our families and The Tower, and live happily forever after on the Seventh Floor, where they¡¯ll never find us!¡±

    ¡°I would gladly eke out a life in the jungles of the seventh Floor, eating berries and wearing leaves if it was with you!¡± ¡®Harold¡¯ replied.

    ¡°Oh, Harold!¡±

    Will wondered.

    Will waited as patiently as he could, but as the couple talked, the details of their conversation revealed a saccharine-sweet story of forbidden love that Will suspected had been concocted by their parents to make them think running away together was their own rebellious idea.

    Eventually, Will reached a tipping point.

    ¡°Oh come ON!¡± Will shouted, grasping the surface of the water and pulling himself up and out of it, causing everyone¡¯s attention to snap to him.

    ¡°Why on earth would your parents forbid you from seeing each other, then every summer, go to adjacent hunting lodges at the with easily climbable fences? Same winter dorms, spring camps? Riding lessons? Hawking? They¡¯ve been shoving you together longer than you can remember! Right now, your families are just waiting for you to get tired of living without creature comforts and come crawling back to their money. Am I right!?¡±

    Will glanced at the two sweaty fat men, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. Or maybe that was just their default look.

    ¡°This has been a tremendous waste of time,¡± Will grumbled into the stunned silence, wringing out his clothes as he stomped across the water towards the doorway leading to the outside.

    A false panel on the inside of the ship ripped aside as Loth cut her way out of it, no less than fifteen feet away from the happy couple.

    ¡°¡­Congratulations, to both of you.¡± Loth said, hastily bowing at the stunned onlookers before hustling to catch up with Will.

    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Will asked as they walked back outside into the cold night air. Upon it hitting his recently soaked clothes, a bone-deep chill caught up with him.

    ¡°I would say the floating church of Granesh, but I think you need a change of clothes, first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll dry,¡± Will said, waving it off.

    Loth shrugged, making a relaxed gesture that seemed to say ¡®if you say so.¡¯

    ¡°Three places, three misses.¡± Will mused. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that the fishpeople, if they are real, would be so easy to uncover that we could find them on the first night, only visiting three places, but still, it feels strange we didn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary. I mean, aside from a poorly conceived elopement.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the only way to verify Reese¡¯s story.¡±

    Will¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°You trapped his room didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Nooo¡­.¡± Loth glanced up at him. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t trigger it yet.¡±

    ¡°I really rather wouldn¡¯t murder a man who¡¯s lost his mind to check if he¡¯s actually seen the rise and fall of entire civilizations.

    ¡°Think about it this way, if he¡¯s actually lost his mind, aren¡¯t we putting him out of his misery?¡± Loth asked.

    Will drew his hand down his face and groaned before shaking a finger at her. ¡°Quick and painless.¡±

    ¡°Quick and painless,¡± Loth said with a nod. ¡°So¡­we¡¯ve got some time to kill before your clothes are dry¡­¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yes, we can go buy some meldweed.¡±

    Loth silently pumped her fist in celebration as they walked back across the floating piers,

    Together the two of them headed to the Last Chance Inn, which had a carving of a busty mermaid hanging above the entrance.

    Unlike most other places in the Flotilla, the Last Chance Inn came alive at night. Noise and light engulfed them as they entered the brothel.

    Will waited against a pole in the main room while Loth went to the front desk to negotiate with the proprieter, a madame wearing a rather low-hanging dress and outrageous hat.

    Will watched as the conversation seemed to turn heated, extending far beyond the duration he¡¯d expected it to go.

    A few minutes later, Loth returned, looking miffed.

    ¡°They won¡¯t sell meldweed in bulk to non-vendors. Only recreational amounts.¡± She presented a tiny baggy of the dried seaweed.¡± What am I supposed to do with this? I need a bushel at to make it strong enough to incapacitate on skin contact.¡±

    ¡°Did you tell them they¡¯re unlikely to get their usual transporters in for a while because of the chaos on the Fifth Floor?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but the way she spoke it was like she didn¡¯t care.¡±

    Will glanced over at the madame who was speaking to a prospective client.

    The woman idly scratched under her hat as she spoke to the client, giving a tittering laugh at something the man had said.

    ¡°Maybe they care.¡± Will mused.

    The rules on the Sixth Floor were more¡­loosy-goosy than not. The madame should be aware that they had more meldweed than the brothel could possibly use in a year, and their transporters were likely going to be days or even weeks delayed, causing a huge portion of their stock to rot. It was a plant, after all.

    And here was someone willing to pay a good price to take several bushels of the stuff off her hands, saving her a large net loss.

    Regardless of if it was against the rules or not, she should definitely be interested in finding a way to get some off her hands.

    The only explanation that made sense to Will was that they didn¡¯t care about getting the bushels of perishable product moved out of their ship was because they never intended to sell it anyway.

    Loth was following Will¡¯s unspoken thoughts. He could see her eyes light up with understanding as she scanned the building, mentally calculating how much meldweed was actually being used by patrons against the huge amounts they¡¯d seen loaded into the ship earlier in the day.

    They could be meldweed for sustenance and it still wouldn¡¯t use it all up.

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯re refining it themselves?¡± Loth asked.

    ¡°No idea, but this has got me intrigued enough to take a deeper look. Hopefully it¡¯s better than the elopement,¡± Will said, heading for the door.

    ¡°I thought it was nice,¡± Loth said as she caught up.

    ¡°A damn waste of a infiltration, is what it was!¡± Will said, shaking his fist while Loth chuckled beside him.

 Chapter 94: Getting Crabs at The Brothel

    Strangely enough, The Last Chance Inn was much harder to sneak into than the smuggler¡¯s dock, for a variety of reasons.

    The entire boat was well lit, there were tons of carousing witnesses, and nearly as many high-level bouncers with strong PVP skills patrolling every floor of the ship, looking for people not following the program.

    After surveying it thoroughly, they did manage to find corner of the vessel, near the waterline, that was shaded and protected from view. It wasn¡¯t an entrance, but that didn¡¯t matter much to Loth.

    ¡°I bet you never thought those riding chaps would come in handy,¡± Loth said from his shoulders.

    ¡°Why is it that every time we go out, you end up riding me?¡± Will asked as he crept along the waves. The water was bowing under his feet, nearly dropping them both into the ocean.

    ¡°Because you can walk on water, and I¡¯m cold-blooded. If I fall into that water, I will pass out.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°In a few hours, anyway,¡± Loth said, her tail waggling against his back.

    Will stopped and looked up at her. ¡°You don¡¯t feel cold-blooded to me.¡±

    ¡°Are you accusing me of pretending to succumb to hypothermia on the Second Floor as some kind of !?¡± Loth whispered.

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m definitely thinking it .¡±

    ¡°Too late, you¡¯ve already passed the test.¡± Loth said.

    Will rolled his eyes and returned to his business, the two of them falling silent as they approached the unguarded corner of the Last Chance Inn.

    Loth extended a black talon, lazily drawing a circle on the ship¡¯s wooden beams as a stream of insects crawled from her sleeve and deposited themselves along the circle she traced.

    The insects began chewing their way through the wood with startling speed. In a matter of seconds, the thick wooden side of the ship had a perfect hole drilled into the side.

    Loth clambered off him and through the hole, followed shortly by Will.

    One of the taboos of The Flotilla was entering a vessel without asking permission. Entering someone else¡¯s ship without hailing them was considered a hostile act and would result in being attacked on sight. ?????¦­¦ÏB¦¥?

    It was also a great way to lose the goodwill he¡¯d acquired in his brawl the previous night, so neither of them was particularly interested in getting caught.

    Will thought to himself, touching his mask to confirm its presence, his gaze scanning the pitch-black room they¡¯d found themselves in, the glimmers of light from between the floorboards of the rooms above the only source of light.

    All he could make out with his superhuman vision was ripples and orbs on the floor, and he smelled¡­less rotting seaweed than he would¡¯ve expected.

    ¡°Let me.¡± Loth whispered, reaching into a pocket and scattering some glowbugs.

    Her experiments with controlling insects with Miasma in them had led to several improvements in her basic lineup of insects.

    Glowbugs were the best example, as she had bred a variety that kept their luminescence into maturity, allowing them to fly, and their brightness had been improved from a dying candle to a brilliant lamplight.

    The glowbugs woke up from their slumber midair and flew up to the ceiling, where they became stationary lighting.

    Will¡¯s brows furrowed as he took in the sight before them. The entire room was filled with meldweed placed on drying racks that increased the surface area as much as physically possible, but that didn¡¯t feel right.

    The drying racks and floor were covered in meldweed and more was dumped haphazardly up against the drying racks where they couldn¡¯t find any space to put any more. As if someone had had a methodical plan, and begun it before it was taken over by thoughtless, disinterested laborers.

    Will got a strange feeling nagging at him as he scanned the room.

    Will glanced up and saw where several vents had been nailed shut, implying that the owners want the seaweed to dry out. The room been for drying meldweed, but now it was for something else.

    Will thought, inhaling. If anything, Will faintly smelled the musky smell of animal dung.

    ¡°It¡¯s a nursery,¡± Loth whispered, drawing Will¡¯s attention to her.

    She had knelt down and carefully peeled aside a bit of meldweed, revealing thousands of pinkie-sized eggs, as well as pale little crabs about half the size of Will¡¯s palm, who scuttled deeper into the mat of meldweed, seeking to avoid the light.

    ¡°Are they¡­eating the crabs?¡± Will mused.

    Loth¡¯s claws pierced the mat of green seaweed and came back up with a larger specimen, about the size of Will¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Shh¡­¡± Loth whispered to the crab struggling in her grasp, and Will could feel Charge moving through Loth¡¯s body. As his Acuity and Focus became higher, it became easier to feel if someone was using an Ability.

    ¡°You can control crabs?¡± Will asked as the crab relaxed in her hand before she began studying it.

    ¡°They¡¯re crustaceans, which is close enough to insects for The Tower,¡± Loth murmured, turning the tamed crab over in her hand and studying its belly.

    The crab¡¯s belly opened, revealing a serrated beak-like mouth and dozens of pink tendrils attached to a mucus-covered pink wrinkly nodule.

    ¡°¡­Is that normal?¡± Will asked.

    Loth gave him a ¡®look¡¯.

    ¡°Hey. I¡¯ve never seen a crab before this Floor.¡± Will said, raising his hands defensively.

    ¡°This is its mouth,¡± She said, pointing at a little set of mandibles near the creature¡¯s eyes at the front. I don¡¯t know this is,¡± She said, pointing at the belly-mouth. ¡°But I don¡¯t think they¡¯re raising them for food.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to-¡° Loth cut off as the door creaked open.

    The two of them silently ducked behind a drying rack, making themselves as small as possible

    ¡°This¡­isn¡¯t Madeline¡¯s¡­room is it?¡± a voice asked, his words slurred from drugs.

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    ¡°Sure it is, she¡¯s right in there, can¡¯t you see her?¡±

    Will peeked around the corner and spotted a patron of the brothel kneeling in front of a particularly big clump of Meldweed. The man¡¯s eyes were unfocused, as he chewed meldweed.

    ¡°I¡­think so?¡± he said before frowning as the heap of meldweed began to shift, revealing the legs of a crab about twice the size of the one in Loth¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Look closer,¡± The bouncer said, grabbing the man by the back of the neck and shoving his head towards the heap of seaweed.

    The pale crab swiftly clambered up onto the man¡¯s head and settled down onto it like a man might settle into a comfy chair, wiggling its butt to find the perfect spot.

    A wet carried through the still air to Will¡¯s ear, making his stomach turn.

    ¡°Oh. Oh!¡± the patron said, pulling his head back up, still bearing the crab on the crown of his head, a trickle of blood flowing down the side of his head. He looked around the room with the wonder of a newborn.

    ¡°Welcome to the world, brother,¡± the bouncer said, clasping the man¡¯s hand and bringing him back up to his feet.

    Will couldn¡¯t help but notice the bouncer¡¯s ostentatious hat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you covered up.¡± The bouncer said, producing a hat from a rack near the door, placing it over the crab attached to the man¡¯s skull.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡± the man asked with the tone of a child.

    ¡°Think about it a moment.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­oh,¡± Will witnessed the wide-eyed curiosity fade from the man¡¯s face as he took the hat and clamped it down over the passenger atop his head, wiping the blood away from his temple.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you to see Mother.¡±

    ¡°..okay.¡±

    The two of them left the room, leaving Will and Loth alone with thousands of parasitic crabs that could latch onto a man¡¯s skull and control his body.

    Will¡¯s scalp itched with phantom pain.

    Instinctively, Will ran through his memory key, causing his thoughts and feelings to rapidly shift as he ran a hand over his scalp.

    A shiver went down his spine.

    They¡¯d found the conspiracy they¡¯d been looking for. Not fishmen, exactly, but close.

    ¡°I think we should-¡° Will glanced down at Loth, who was inspecting the crab in her hand with a contemplative frown.

    In an instant, he saw the plan bubbling away under the surface.

    ¡°No.¡± Will said.

    ¡°I have no idea what you mean,¡± Loth said innocently, the headcrab crawling across her palm.

    Two day later, Will was chewing his own supply of dried seaweed, heart hammering in his chest. It wasn¡¯t meldweed, but it looked and smelled like it. Loth had put some chemical in his eyes that made them dilate, making everything too bright and irritating, and given him something to drink that made him sweat profusely.

    His clothes were sticky and unwashed.

    Evey bit of him looked the part of a meldweed addict.

    He was putting every fiber of his being into acting like the glaze-eyed addicts around him, slumping against a pillar in the brothel and just going with the flow, despite his nerves.

    He didn¡¯t feel like going so far as partaking in the place¡¯s¡­more exotic entertainment to sell the illusion of William Oh being a carousing meldweed addict, so instead he hit the gambling tables, where it was primarily games of chance, dice and cards against other Climbers, wagering various Relics in lieu of currency, which held little value on the sixth Floor.

    Not being drug-addled, Will was able to gamble or cheat fairly well against the others, but that wasn¡¯t the purpose of the assignment. After he had built up a decent pot, Will began systematically losing it to demonstrate his rapidly dwindling grasp on his senses.

    Hats were in vogue, recently, and the number of un-hatted people in and around the Last Chance Inn were dwindling.

    Will meanwhile, had cut his hair close to the scalp in an attempt to make it stand out as particularly juicy and easy to access.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the offer to come.

    ¡°William Oh, in the flesh.¡± The madame said, sitting beside him, pressing her hip against his own.

    ¡°Who is¡­¡± Will slurred his words, pausing as if he were trying to remember who he was. ¡°Right. That¡¯s me.¡±

    Loth¡¯s hypothesis was that Meldweed¡¯s effects eased initial rejection, so they picked their victims from those who were having trouble remembering who or what they were.

    ¡°I¡¯m sad that none of my girls have had the opportunity to entertain the great William Oh. Is there no one here to your taste?¡± she asked, pressing her chest up against him, tipping her crab-concealing hat uncomfortably close to his face.

    Heart hammering in his chest, Will didn¡¯t have to fake his nervous reply.

    ¡°Well¡­I¡¯ve never¡­you know.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my, I didn¡¯t think¡­¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°Tell you what. We have hostess named Madeline who is experienced with guiding young men. She is the embodiment of patience, kindness and discretion. A saintess who would be more than happy to take the time to teach. You. Everything.¡±

    She whispered the last few words directly into Will¡¯s ear, the crab under her hat inches away, causing him to shudder in disgust.

    Apparently she didn¡¯t read it that way, because she pulled away, a wide smile on her face. ¡°Now how does that sound?¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­I guess it sounds pretty good,¡± Will said, his hair standing on end, heart hammering in his chest before reaching into his pockets. ¡°How much¡­¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± She said with a smile, laying a hand gently on his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with payment just yet. A young up-and comer like yourself is more than good for it. Just enjoy. Milo will show you the way.¡±

    She pointed at the same oversized bouncer that he¡¯d witnessed shoving a man¡¯s head into a pile of seaweed two days ago. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Will thought, trying and failing to hide the adrenaline causing his hands to tremble.

    ¡°Right this way, sir,¡± Milo said, his oversized hat nearly brushing against the establishment¡¯s ceiling.

    Milo led him down into the bowels of the pleasure ship, past several doors with intriguing noises, down a staircase, and in front of a single door in the center of the hall.

    It opened to reveal the nursery, and Will stumbled in, hamming up his inebriation.

    Will thought.

    ¡°¡°This¡­isn¡¯t Madeline¡¯s¡­room is it?¡± he asked,

    ¡°Sure it is, she¡¯s right in there, can¡¯t you see her?¡± Milo said, gently ushering him into the room and pointing at the large pile of seaweed by the entrance.

    ¡°I¡­think so?¡± Will said as he was guided to his knees beside the pile of seaweed. It began to shift as whatever was living under there began to stir.

    ¡°Look closer,¡± The bouncer said, grabbing Will by the back of the neck and shoving his head towards the heap of seaweed.

    In a flash of white, a crab that had been tamed by Loth clambered up onto Will¡¯s head, sending shivers across his entire body and causing every fiber of his being to want to immediately start swatting at it.

    A wet carried through the still air as it bit down on a little blood-filled pod it had carried up to his scalp, unseen by its brethren.

    Will thought, shuddering involuntarily as a bit of blood trickled down the side of his head.

    ¡°Oh. Oh!¡± Will said, pulling his head back up, studying the room with faux wonder.

    ¡°Welcome to the world, brother,¡± the bouncer said, clasping Will¡¯s hand and bringing him back up to his feet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you covered up.¡± Milo said, producing a hat from a rack near the door, placing it over the crab resting on Will¡¯s head.

    Will thought.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡± Will asked, sticking to the script.

    ¡°Think about it a moment.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­oh,¡± Will unslurred his words and affected more control over his body, simulating the crab fully integrating with his brain.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you to see Mother.¡± Milo said, clapping Will on the shoulder.

    ¡°¡­okay.¡±

    Will thought, following Milo deeper into the ship.

    He could feel it up there¡­existing. Menacingly.

    Will followed Milo through the halls until he came to a door, knocking politely.

    ¡°New arrival, Mother.¡± Milo called at the door.

    ¡°Send them in.¡± a voice called from the other side.

    Will entered what appeared to be an office with an aged woman sitting behind the desk and a bushel of meldweed in the corner.

    Will frowned.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing a hat.

    ¡°Come in, come in,¡± She said, her whole body exuding motherly love as she motioned for him to approach, Milo closing the door behind him.

    ¡°Come in, youngling, have a seat.¡± She said, indicating the seat in front of her desk. ¡°Everything must be so new to you. first bonding. What an exciting time in our lives.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m flooded with questions.¡± Will said, a bit motion out of the corner of his eye attracting his attention.

    In the bushel of meldweed was a massive crab, larger than a man, squatting down over the leaves, depositing strings of eggs held together by sticky mucus.

    ¡°How embarrassing. Please, don¡¯t stare at me too much.¡± The woman in front of him said, drawing Will¡¯s attention back to her. She was blushing a bit.

    Will thought.

    ¡°So, youngling, do you have any questions about your new life and purpose?¡± she asked, leaning forward eagerly.

    ¡°What my purpose?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Whatever you want to do. Most stay here and help out their mother, but many have gone on their own adventures. Captain Enora Moss is a great example of the adventurous type who really gets out there and makes a name for himself. Billy Tanton is a good example of the homebody type. He opened his own carpentry business of the Fifth Floor, you know? Quite successful.¡±

    She seems genuinely happy for her children¡¯s successes, like a mother would be.

    ¡°Am I William Oh, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, You¡¯re William Oh. You¡¯ll have his intelligence, memories, thoughts and feelings, which means you¡¯ve probably got his adventurous streak. Over time, the separation between you and your host will dwindle, and maybe one day you¡¯ll be like me! One soul in two bodies.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Will said, thinking.

    ¡°I love to help guide younglings through their first few days.¡± She said, grinning eagerly. ¡°Any more questions?¡±

    ¡°Just one:¡± Will said, taking the crab and hat off his head and placing them on his lap. ¡°How much are you willing to pay to keep this a secret?¡±

 Chapter 95: Any Boat in a Storm

    The headcrab matron¡¯s body stiffened as all the joy and excitement drained from her expression. Both from the human and the crab laying eggs in the corner of the room.

    Her hand shifted slightly on the desk.

    ¡°Before you do anything rash,¡± Will said, raising his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve got my entire Party waiting outside the brothel for me to return unharmed and without a passenger. They have instructions to raise a shitstorm if anything other than that happens.¡±

    ¡°William Oh¡­¡± She said, seemingly tasting his name. ¡°It seems like your legend wasn¡¯t as overblown as I¡¯d thought. What do you want?¡± she asked, seemingly relaxing.

    ¡°Both of you stand where I can see you,¡± Will said, motioning for the crab to join the human at the desk. Once they were both in front of him, Will spoke. ¡°I want Two things. First, I want your support. I want privileged status in The Flotilla. I know you¡¯re on the city council, so I want you to endorse me should the need arise. Take my side in legal disputes, funnel lucrative contracts towards those who align themselves with me. That sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°Easy enough,¡± She agreed readily. ¡°You do understand that once I endorse you, it is in your best interest to ensure we aren¡¯t discovered, lest my favor become a lead weight around your neck?¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Will said, nodding. ¡°The second thing I want is for you to not target certain people.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°In the coming months and years, there will be a flow of people following me up to my Stronghold. Naturally they¡¯ll stop in The Flotilla to wait out the acclimation period before their bus moves on. I want you to leave people allied with me alone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Will said, spreading his palms as if to say ¡®easy, right?¡¯

    ¡°This seems less like blackmail and more like a proper business arrangement.¡± The matron said, both the crab and her puppet assuming contemplative poses as they digested Will¡¯s requests.

    ¡°All this intrigue, the blackmail¡­was just to get my foot in the door.¡± Will said with a shrug. ¡°To be taken seriously.¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve preferred a letter.¡± She groused.

    ¡°A letter doesn¡¯t have the same flair as a dramatic infiltration, and Loth says my penmanship is atrocious.¡± Will said with a shrug.

    She studied him for a moment, head cocked, studying him with inhuman focus, and Will felt the Charge running through her Body as she activated an Ability, causing Will to tense.

    ¡°You have six Party members surrounding the Last Chance Inn. Loth the saboteur, June the scout, Reggie the tank, Mason the nuker, Alicia the artillery, and Brianna the Tangled. Brianna has middling Focus at best, and like us, is one soul in multiple bodies. Her offshoots are currently acting as bodyguards for each of your other Party members. I dominate your Tangled footsoldiers and turn them against your core group, bringing them to me. Only Loth and Mason have enough Focus to resist my control at close range.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not going to do that.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± she asked, seeming to gain interest as Will spoke, leaning forward eagerly.

    ¡°Because if you¡¯re reading our minds, you should know that Alicia can stop your heart from where she¡¯s watching our conversation, Loth doesn¡¯t have any Tangled offshoot beside her, and even if she did, they wouldn¡¯t win. She get away and bring the Flotilla down on your head.¡±

    She twitched at that thought, seemingly trying to determine if Will was mind-bluffing.

    ¡°Face it. The risk of exposing your entire operation or dying if one thing goes wrong is higher than just working with me.¡± Will said.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re not wrong. Let¡¯s talk terms.¡± The crab matriarch said, clasping her hands together. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    What followed next was an exercise in weaponized boredom, as the specifics of an alliance between crab and Will had so many rules, caviats, and if-thens, that Will found himself thinking he might¡¯ve actually preferred a fight to the death.

    The gist of it was the same, though: Anyone allied with Will was off-limits. Will would protect the crab-people¡¯s secrecy and freedoms, as long as they didn¡¯t use that promise to put him in a compromising position, and in return, they would become a voting bloc that supported him politically.

    Milo popped his head in, seemingly wondering what was taking so long, eyes widening when he saw Will without his hat, head crabless.

    The matron made a swift gesture at him and Milo ducked his head back out of the room, nodding.

    She reached under her desk and brought out an inkwell that radiated the energy of a Relic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it official,¡± she said, beginning to carefully ink a Contract.

    Will held up his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s bring in Mason. We need someone you can¡¯t control proofreading the paper.¡±

    Will was definitely not bringing in Loth, as she was one of their last lines of defense, should things go sour, and having a Nuker start a fight on board the matriarch¡¯s ship was a great way to not have a ship anymore.

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    A few minutes later, Mason entered, pulling up a seat beside Will and scanning through the document as it was written.

    After a few more hours, Will stumbled out of the brothel with Mason at midnight, more exhausted than he thought he¡¯d be, the stress of riding the razor¡¯s edge of the situation devolving into a life-or-death fight fading away and taking all of his energy with it.

    Will spat out the seaweed he¡¯d forgotten he¡¯d been chewing, running his hand over his scalp. The sweat that had been beading up on his brow had dried into a crust, similar to sea spray.

    Nothing changed even as he followed Ghoul¡¯s mind control resistance technique. His thoughts and feeling fluctuated violently, and nothing changed, suggesting he wasn¡¯t under the matriarch¡¯s control¡­Probably.

    ¡°That was fun,¡± Mason said with an optimistic shrug as they met up with the rest of the party. ¡°Who should we blackmail next?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a couple of rich runaways eloping on the other side of town¡­¡± Loth began.

    ¡°No, that would just be rude,¡± Will said, shaking his head.

    ¡°When is blackmail ever ¡± Travis asked from where he was sitting half a dozen feet away from them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak, you¡¯re supposed to remain unnoticed.¡± June said.

    Travis blew a raspberry before returning to his shaved blueberry ice.

    ¡°I like to think our blackmail was plenty polite.¡± Will said, musing. ¡°but they don¡¯t strike me as the ¡®hidden danger¡¯ that Reese was talking about.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Well, first of all, they¡¯re not fish.¡±

    Travis groaned.

    ¡°Second and more importantly, they¡¯re only a hazard to inebriates who can¡¯t get their life on track. They¡¯re not violently expansionist, merely opportunistic, and it¡¯s in their best interest for there to be a alrge population of inebriates for them to use as hosts.¡±

    ¡°And what is necessary for inebriates to exist in large numbers?¡± Will asked.

    Alicia and Mason frowned, while June nodded, seemingly following along.

    ¡°A big enough city with enough stability to allow them to exist while contributing nothing.¡± Loth answered for the entire Party¡¯s benefit.

    ¡°Exactly. The crabs The Flotilla being big and healthy enough to hide in. They¡¯re a live-and-let-live type parasite. Even the people with crabs attached to their heads seem to be doing better than they were before.¡±

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­we should kill Reese.¡± Loth finished.

    Will gave Loth a noogie, grinding his knuckle into the squirming genius¡¯s skull.

    ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s keep looking for signs of Reese¡¯s fish-people. We only checked three places, and blackmailing the crabs was just a target of opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Well, then where do you think-¡°

    The eight of them flinched in place as a flash of light pierced the dark, followed by an explosion so close on its heels that the two were nearly indistinguishable. Will was glad to know that his shriek was entirely drowned out by the explosion.

    ¡°What was that!?¡± Will demanded.

    ¡°Lightning.¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Lightning can come from the ¡± Will demanded. He¡¯d only ever heard of it being shot from people¡¯s fingertips.

    Will looked up and saw roiling clouds backlight by the light of the moon, sweeping over them. The flags on the ships above them were snapped tight by the wind. They were only afforded a bit of protection by being in the center of a forest of ships.

    Under his feet, Will could feel the wooden walkway begin to lift and sway as the normally calm ocean beneath them began to swell ominously high.

    ¡°BACK TO THE SHIMMER!¡± Will shouted, his voice melding with Loth¡¯s as the eight of them began sprinting toward their dock, Will leading the pack.

    He leapt onto a pier at a sprint and nearly went down as the pier began sliding under him. It was unmoored from the ship beside it, simply floating free on its pontoons in between the two vessels.

    Will helped the others not lose their balance as they jumped over, falling behind to make sure nobody fell off the free-floating pier on pontoons.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called a Scramble!¡± Loth said, raising her voice above the sudden winds assaulting the sails above them. ¡°When a nasty storm shows up it makes the waves get high, so the boats unmoor to prevent-¡°

    A wave lifted a smaller ship, shifted it, then dropped it down on a larger one, crushing a large portion of the larger ship¡¯s side.

    ¡°That!¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Scramble!¡±

    ¡°Scramble!¡±

    Now that she mentioned it, Will heard the word ¡®Scramble¡¯ rising above the wind, echoing with a thousand voices.

    Will ran.

    The Flotilla was a big place though, and even minutes later, they were only a small way through The Flotilla. The waves were becoming gargantuan, and boats were starting to get few and far between as they drifted away from each other to give each other the space they needed to ride out the storm safely.

    ¡°Can you fly us home?¡± Will asked Loth.

    ¡°Not in this wind!¡±

    Her bugs could carry a ridiculous amount, but they weren¡¯t the strongest fliers, and the winds were outrageous.

    Around them, they saw hundreds of civilians climbing onto nearby ships from their boardwalks, in order to not be stranded on the pier.

    Their own length of unmoored pier was at least fifty feet away from any vessel and had no less than two dozen individuals on it, including Will¡¯s Party.

    A mountainous wave grabbed the pier and lifted it high into the air, tilting it nearly ninety degrees as it slipped off the top of the swell.

    Everyone on board was at least level 25 though, and they clung to the boards with fingers stronger than the wood it was composed of.

    Will thought, his breath nearly knocked out of him as the wave let go of their footing and gravity slammed them back down to the ground.

    ¡°Over here!¡± A voice shouted from an oversized vessel, bobbing wildly, shining a light down at their pier as it sailed past. ¡°JUMP!¡±

    ¡°Go!¡± Will said, pointing.

    He stayed behind on the pier and used his Phantom Hand to give his Party members and others the boost they needed to make the jump to the nearby ship.

    Finally, Will was alone on the pier as the ship began drifting out of reach.

    ¡°What are you doing boy!? Grow a pair and jump while you still can!¡± The voice called.

    ¡°Grow a pair, who the Abyss does he think I am¡­¡± Will muttered to himself, standing and rolling his shoulders before running across the gulf between himself and the oversized ship, sprinting up the side of a wave before catching on and climbing up the netting on the side, hoisting himself up the side.

    The first thing Will noticed was how finely sanded the wood of the ship¡¯s railing felt under his hand. They¡¯d been docked about a week now, and he¡¯d rarely experienced wood this pleasant on the skin.

    The next thing was the ostentatious gilding that covered the showy figurehead..

    The showy figurehead depicting Granesh wrestling a snake. Will¡¯s gaze travelled back along the floating Church of Granesh, eyes narrowing as he took in the place he¡¯d only intended to break into on the way out of the Flotilla.

    Will thought sourly as the priesthood of Granesh clustered around him, checking his body for injuries.

    ¡°If you could do that the whole time, why didn¡¯t you help the others make it across the gap?¡± An aged priest asked, poking Will in the ribs, his nose wrinkling as if he smelled something bad.

    ¡°Just because you can¡¯t see something, doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t exist. Have some faith, priest.¡± Will said, brushing the man¡¯s hand aside and turning away before the man could get a good look at his face.

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± The priest said, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in closer, obviously trying to see through the darkness to make out the detail¡¯s of Will¡¯s face.

    Will thought, his hand nearing his weapon.

    ¡°SKYSHARKS!¡± a voice shouted, and as one, all the ship¡¯s lights were pointed upward, revealing the triangle-toothed maws emerging from the cloud coral above.

 Chapter 96: Gerrymandering

    The night disappeared into a blur of teeth gnashing out of the darkness. This time they were attacked by skysharks, Will was aboard a ship filled with hundreds of other Climbers, so he was able to pace himself and let others take their places on the ship¡¯s railing, stabbing anything that got too close.

    While the task of defending the ship was spread out, it was also a much larger attack than the one they¡¯d experienced before, stretching out for hours rather than a few adrenaline-filled moments.

    Even those who made their homes on the 6th Floor were stunned at the skyshark¡¯s sheer numbers.

    By the time morning rolled around and the sharks retreated back to their floating cloud coral, Will and the other Climbers were exhausted, having been fighting mechanically the entire night.

    The dawn light and the relief of victory drained all the energy out of them, leaving every Climber a puddle of a man, incapable of moving from where they lay slumped over the ship¡¯s railing¡­or thinking too hard about anything in particular.

    Which was exactly what the Granesh clergy wanted.

    Will heard the sound of expensive boots on expensive wood, and mustered the energy to turn his head to look:

    A half dozen men wearing the ostentatious robes of high-ranking Granesh priests marched from the bowels of the ship, fresh-faced and bright-eyed with zealotry. Close behind them was a double row of Climbers that stretched beyond Will¡¯s sight into the bowel of the ship, each of them wearing pristine Relics, unmarred by blood or battle.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Will muttered, taking in the near-defenseless state of himself and others. The church of Granesh wanted to kill him as bad as the skysharks. Maybe more. The fight against The Tower was over, but he wasn¡¯t out of danger.

    An image of a young man crucified in the basement of the church crossed Will¡¯s mind.

    Will thought, his gaze flickering from the line of Granesh believers to a serrated tooth that was embedded into the wood of the deck beside him, where they¡¯d pried a skyshark¡¯s mouth off of it not an hour ago.

    Will rolled over, facing away from the marching troops, not having to struggle too hard to feign exhaustion. He pried the triangular tooth out of the wood and used it to score up the end of his truncated arm and cutting over his eyebrow, desperately stifling his whimpers as his body flooded with pain.

    this, Will thought sourly, aware that he¡¯d probably added more time to the recovery of his left hand. Not a lot, but some.

    He needed to be able to sell the idea that the lost limb was recent, and the blood currently dribbling down his brow and over his nose would at least mar his features.

    The footsteps grew closer, and Will wiped the blood out of his eyes, making sure to smear it across his face.

    Will thought as the footsteps grew closer and closer.

    The footsteps stopped behind him. Will wasn¡¯t sure if it was his whimpers of pain or him hiding his face, but all the same, he felt an expensive boot poke him in the back.

    ¡°Climber, turn around.¡±

    Will turned around, and a grizzled priest of Granesh squatted in front of him, peering down at him. His gaze landed on Will¡¯s face before drifting down to his arm.

    ¡°Looks fresh,¡± the priest grunted, rising back to his feet.

    ¡°Can you bring it back?¡± Will asked, adding a note of hopefulness to his voice, trying to sell the bluff.

    It was a mistake, as the priest paused and gave Will a second glance that seemed to stretch on for three more heartbeats than it should¡¯ve. More attention than Will wanted.

    ¡°¡­No. That level of healing is currently reserved for the mortally wounded. Petition at the church after The Flotilla reforms. Joshua will seal the wound.¡± The priest said, turning away. Once he was past a junior member of their order broke away from the stream of zealots, kneeling beside Will and putting a hand on him, his nose wrinkling up as he did so.

    ¡°Did you step in something?¡± The Junior member asked as his hands glowed, causing the wounds on Will¡¯s truncated arm to seal.

    Was it some kind of divine thing? Granesh saying ¡®hey, look over here!¡¯ or was Will just permeated by the rotting fish smell onboard Shimmer?

    ¡°Fish guts,¡± Will spoke as the junior priest stood. ¡°Plenty of them flying around last night, priest. For most of us, anyway.¡± Will said, eyeing the man¡¯s pristine cloak.

    ¡°R-Right,¡± Joshua said guiltily, nodding.

    ¡°Before you go,¡± Will asked the young priest. Young was relative, as he appeared to only be ten years older than Will, while the grizzled priest in the front of the line looked like he and the ocean were old rivals. ¡°Can you tell me who that is?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Saint Jairus, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve got to¡­¡± Joshua trotted across the deck to rejoin his place in line, which had been left open for him.

    The title of Saint, according to what Will understood, was granted by the church to members at least level 50, or higher.

    Which meant Will had to get off the ship. Maybe he could beat a Saint, maybe he couldn¡¯t, but either way, he¡¯d rather not engage him in such a disadvantageous setting. It wasn¡¯t Will¡¯s boat, and it wasn¡¯t Will¡¯s people that surrounded him.

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    Will scanned the boat and spotted Alicia and Mason, looking wrung out, leaning against railings. Bee, Jean, and Ria looked fresh enough, as fighting all night was a quick warm-up for them.

    Anna was still on Shimmer. Hopefully it hadn¡¯t sunk.

    Reggie was splayed out on the ground, staring at the sky, while June was slowly climbing up the mast, carrying her bow, aiming to get a good view.

    Will mused.

    ¡°Climbers!¡± The old man¡¯s voice rose above the others while Will was trying to find Loth.

    Will¡¯s gaze was drawn back to the speaker, who had arrived at a podium built into the fore of the ship.

    ¡°By the grace of Granesh, we have survived!¡± Saint Jairus said, raising a fist.

    There was a weak, half-hearted cheer from the Climbers strewn about the deck, reinforced by a more forceful one from the hundred or so fresh-faced priests and devoted Climbers.

    ¡°Granesh is the champion of unity, of solidarity, and so now it is time for to show our solidarity by reaching out and lending aid to those who share our convictions. We must put our best foot forward and demonstrate that the church of Granesh is¡­¡±

    The saint¡¯s impassioned speech faded into the background as Will¡¯s gaze landed on a young man handing out pieces of paper to the other priests, who then turned to their Climber Parties, speaking softly.

    Will¡¯s Acuity allowed him to read a snippet of paper where it was visible past a man¡¯s elbow.

    It appeared to be a list of ships.

    Will¡¯s eyebrows rose as a snippet of the saint¡¯s speech sunk in.

    That didn¡¯t feel like the whole story. It wasn¡¯t like you could predict when a Scramble would happen, and typically the event wasn¡¯t accompanied by a monster attack making it significantly more lethal than it might otherwise have been.

    Not to mention, that would be the same for any other major organization in The Flotilla. They would all try to help their allies first, others second. It was just how the world worked. That alone wouldn¡¯t out-compete the other religions and organizations among The Flotilla.

    Will thought.

    It odd how little damage there was to the boat and the priests aboard it, and how many of their militant members they¡¯d managed to retain during the Scramble.

    But the double row of Climbers standing at attention while Sain Jairus spoke indicated they had little to no people out and about the minutes before the Scramble hit.

    Will mused.

    ¡°Granesh also espouses Purity,¡± Saint Jairus said, making Will¡¯s bones turn cold as his attention snapped back to the podium.

    ¡°And before we extend our generosity to others, we first have to ensure our own purity,¡± He said, gesturing off to the side, where Loth was hauled up to the stage by an oversized warrior, her hands bound behind her.

    She looked¡­displeased.

    Realizing there was no time to screw around, Will pushed himself to his feet with a little help from Stevie, and began limping towards the Podium, hand raised as he began walking down the center of the ship, flanked by two rows of Zealots as he approached the podium.

    ¡°Purity means many things, but a core tenet is to excise disease wherever is it discovered. This kobold was discovered lurking about our ship, no doubt aiming to¡­¡±

    The saint¡¯s gaze landed on Will as he got closer, hand still raised.

    ¡°What?¡± He asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s my kobold,¡± Will said, pointing at Loth.

    ¡°You brought this abomination in a church of Granesh?¡± Saint Jairus asked.

    ¡°Yessir,¡± Will said, nodding. ¡°It¡¯s a part of my toolkit you see. I¡¯m a scout, and oftentimes I¡¯ve got to hunt or trap on other floors. It doesn¡¯t have a thought between its ears, but I can put it to work on a spot and it¡¯ll have that spot trapped in a reasonable amount of time.¡±

    ¡°And you expect me to believe that.¡± Saint Jairus said.

    ¡°Master!¡± Loth said, her head adopting the twitchy glances of a typical kobold, tongue hanging slack. Somehow she made her eyes begin to drift apart. ¡°I is stuck.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are, Pluuk,¡± Will said patronizingly. ¡°Master fix.¡±

    ¡°We do not tolerate demi-humans onboard this vessel.¡± Saint Jairus declared, staring Will down.

    ¡°I know that, sir, but it was brought aboard during the confusion of the Scramble, and you wouldn¡¯t destroy a hammer you stubbed your toe on, you¡¯d give the man who left it lying around a sound cussing.¡± Will motioned to his missing left hand. ¡°And I¡¯m gonna need it¡¯s assistance more than ever.¡±

    By this point, Mason and Alicia had perked up and were watching with interest, slowly and carefully standing, readying themselves for a fight.

    Not that there would be a fight, given the sheer quantity of Climbers that surrounded them.

    Bee and Ria watched with barely contained rage. Jean looked icy cold. Together they could become a group of about a hundred high-Strength fighters, given that their Charge was still untapped.

    Was it enough? Maybe.

    Will could make out the sound of June enchanting an arrow above them.

    Will wasn¡¯t sure who noticed it, or whether it was subconscious, but the tension on board the ship seemed to rachet up with every heartbeat as Saint Jairus looked down at him from the podium.

    ¡°Five lashes for every trap your creature set while it was unsupervised.¡± Jairus said, his sun-weathered face wrinkling as he narrowed his eyes. The tension seemed to recede as a compromise was offered.

    ¡°Deal.¡± Will agreed before the terms got any worse. ¡°Pluuk, did you set any traps?¡±

    ¡°No Master, not do unless you say, even though Pluuk want to!¡± Loth said, shaking her head. The moment they let go of her, Loth sprinted up to Will and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shirt.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be the judge of that. In the meantime, keep your animal on a tight leash, scout.¡± Saint Jairus said.

    ¡°Yessir.¡± Will said, patting Loth¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°I mean that literally. Joshua, get this man a collar and leash.¡±

    It was in that moment that Will knew he was going to sink the floating Church of Granesh. He wasn¡¯t sure when or how, but he knew he was going to do it.

    ¡°In other circumstances¡­¡± Loth whispered as Will knelt down and put the collar around her neck, Loth holding it in place so he could close the latch with one hand, then attaching the leash.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you start,¡± Will said, waggling a finger in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m already mad at you for wandering off, Pluuk.¡±

    ¡°You realize they¡¯re going to ¡®find¡¯ a trap, regardless, right?¡± Loth whispered.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that when we get there,¡± Will muttered, guiding Loth further away from the zealots that wanted her dead. They were all still on the same ship but a little physical distance could work wonders¡­as well as keeping her out of the public eye.

    While they retreated, Saint Jairus continued his speech, the assembled Parties of believers organizing into tightly regimented rescue groups that set out on small ¡®missionary¡¯ boats, with the intention of rounding up survivors and reinforcing Graneshian ships.

    ¡°Gerrymandering.¡± Loth breathed quietly as they watched as the missionary boats sailed away in every direction.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Will asked. ¡°Gerry-whatering?¡±

    Loth defined the term, and Will had to admit it fit what they were seeing.

    ¡°With a normal city, it¡¯s a rather convoluted task to redistribute voting power to your advantage. But in this case, since every Scramble brings about a complete re-design of The Flotilla, it¡¯s a rather simple matter. Just sink the boats that don¡¯t agree with you.¡± Loth mused.

    ¡°What if they were the ones who caused it?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°It would make sense, but the druids who mediate the weather are more strongly associated with Holdna, and if they noticed Graneshians manipulating the weather, they would make a stink about it and Granesh would lose believers.¡±

    ¡°So¡­third-party?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Loth reached under her shirt and produced a leviathan scale with a couple words carved into it, seemingly by a claw. ¡°Found this before I was caught.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t read this.¡± Will said. It didn¡¯t look like any language he knew.

    ¡°It translates to Midnight, Skysharks.¡± Loth whispered.

    Will¡¯s brows rose as the details filled in on their own.

    Will thought, studying the one piece of evidence in his hand.

    ¡°We need to get back to Shimmer,¡± Will mused. They needed to get off this ship filled with enemies, and if they wanted to counter the Church of Granesh¡¯s bid to control the entire Flotilla, they needed to create an equally large voting bloc.

    Luckily Will had already thrown his lot in with one.

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    Shimmer could house thousands if they converted it¡­

    ¡°If we can even find Shimmer.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Anna can figure out how to sail a ship.¡± Their cook was the only person who had still been aboard when the Scramble hit.

    Loth looked up at him, a single scaly brow cocked.

    ¡°Baking and sailing are close enough, right?¡± Will asked. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 97: Strategy Meeting

    Anna gaped as the stormclouds rolled over them far faster than she¡¯d thought possible, the wind whipping and clawing at the furled sails like a feral thing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, cut the lines!¡± Reese shouted, the emaciated sailor¡¯s bare feet were thumping across the deck as he wielded a machete with reckless abandon, trying to sever the lines mooring them to the dock, but finding that Loth¡¯s ropes were not made to be easily cut.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we have to-¡° Anna asked, pointing at the furled sail.

    ¡°What!? NO! you¡¯d snap the mast like a twig! We just need to shove away from this dock and turn into the wind!¡±

    He pointed towards the interior of The Flotilla.

    ¡°We¡¯re on the edge of The Flotilla and the wind is pushing us into them! Right now our huge bulk is acting like a sail and jamming us into them! We have to minimize our profile and let the wind go past us and push them away from us faster than we¡¯re being pushed into them! Now help me cut these ropes!¡±

    Anna¡¯s knees went wobbly as she realized that there wasn¡¯t anyone there to take the responsibility off of her shoulders. She being in charge of the food and washing, it was simple, it served a valuable purpose, and it wouldn¡¯t sink the ship if she made a mistake.

    But now Bee and Ria were gone, and Jean with them, all of the versions of her that bore a hard edge were away, as well as the rest of the party. Anna could tell through Hivemind that they weren¡¯t going to make it back before the storm scattered them¡­It was all down to her.

    40->0 Charge Remaining.

    Anna had become somewhat accustomed to splitting and then reabsorbing copies in order to perform an outsized amount of work before her clones got hungry. This was no different.

    In a few heartbeats, no less than forty copies of Anna emerged from her, each of them accompanied by a visceral sound as their bones detached from hers.

    It was gross, but at the same time, it felt strangely¡­ sending a shiver of release and disgust down her spine as each copy emerged from her skin like a cancerous twin, ecstatic to finally be

    Each copy had a connection to Anna, an intangible string that connected their minds to hers, just like hers was connected to Jean¡¯s through the Hivemind Ability.

    It all traced back to Jean, like the spokes of a wheel, and they all instinctively knew that if Jean was lost, they all would be.

    Anna leapt into action, each of them frantically searching for something to cut Loth¡¯s spidersilk mooring ropes as thick as a man¡¯s wrist, until one of the more enterprising copies thought to use the enhanced claws from the gauntlet whose effects Jean passed down to them.

    Anna was not a fighter, and it took her a moment to discover the best use of her claws, frantically sawing through the stubborn ropes keeping them attached to the now-wildly rocking dock which was beginning to slam into the side of the ship as the waves grew larger and larger in the staggering winds.

    Thankfully leviathan scales were stronger than wood.

    ¡°OKAY! NOW-¡± Reese shouted, turning away from his rope and waving for an instant before he paused, frowning. ¡°Were there always three dozen of you?¡±

    ¡°What now!?¡± Anna demanded.

    ¡°Poles!¡± Rees said, leaning down and picking up a massive wooden pole some forty feet long that¡¯d been stowed alongside the railing. Reese deftly hooked an ankle on a nearby bit of rigging, keeping his feet even as the ship tilted precipitously, causing most of Anna to lose their balance and nearly fall overboard.

    When the waves dropped them back down, slamming them to the ground like a toddler throwing a fit, Reese took his pole and stood on the starboard prow, facing away from the wind.

    ¡°Grab the others and help me get our bow turned!¡± He said as he lowered the pole down between them and the dock that was currently being crushed to splinters between Shimmer and the floating warehouse.

    The next wave that tossed them would throw something substantially bigger than a dock at them, and Anna had no idea where the limits of Loth¡¯s shipbuilding talent were.

    Anna thought, rushing to grab the other half-dozen or so poles stowed across the deck.

    ¡°Over here!¡± Reese said, motioning them to him. ¡°Bow first!¡±

    Reese hauled back on his pole, but didn¡¯t seem to accomplish anything other than bending it a bit. The man weighed less than she did, and he certainly wasn¡¯t as strong.

    ¡°Take mine!¡± the emaciated sailor said, shifting out of the way as six of her took the pole out of his hand and began hauling back on it, shoving the nose of the ship a few inches away from the dock and the warehouse they were crushing into.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    That gave the other teams of Anna the opportunity to shove their poles down between Shimmer and the obstruction the wind was slamming them against.

    In a matter of seconds, the prow of the ship began to slide into the wind.

    ¡°WHOOOO!¡± Reese whooped, his bare feet thumping across the deck at a sprint as he went for the steering wheel, hauling the rudder to the side and turning into the wind as the team of Annas pulled their poles out of the water and set them against the side of the floating warehouse, shoving it away from them, and pushing their nose further into the wind.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s working!¡± Anna shouted as the rest of The Flotilla began drifting away, gradually creating more and more space between them and the others.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s working!¡± Reese shouted. ¡°WAVE!¡±

    The ship nearly flipped over as an enormous wave caught the prow and lifted it straight up, leaving all of Anna clinging for dear life to anything they could get their hands on for a breathless instant before the swell picked the rest of the ship up and shoved them hundreds of feet in the air in a matter of seconds.

    Reese¡¯s shrill cackles were the only thing she could hear over the roar of wind and water.

    Anna thought as the wave disappeared from beneath them, dropping them another several hundred feet, vanishing as quickly as it had arrived.

    Another six waves later, and Anna had long since lost her lunch.

    ¡°It¡¯s easing up!¡± Reese said, grinning at her from where he kept the rudder stable. ¡°See? That wasn¡¯t so bad, was it?¡±

    A pair of massive jaws manifested out of the dark and clamped around Reese, dragging him screaming into the sky.

    ***Saint Jairus***

    ¡°That right there is William Oh,¡± Jairus said, peering down from his commanding view atop the quarterdeck, where the one-armed boy, his pet kobold and the other members of his Party were conferring.

    ¡°Wha?¡± Joshua gave him a slack-jawed look. ¡°Him?¡±

    ¡°Yes, him. Don¡¯t point and lower your voice. He¡¯s Acuity focused. His whole Party is here, too, which is why I didn¡¯t press the issue earlier. A fight would surely have casualties. Casualties that would make it much more difficult to enact our current mission. The boy is at a disadvantage here, but according to reports, he thrives on disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°So¡­we just apprehend a Deciever? A seed of chaos in human skin?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Jairus muttered. ¡°We must simply ensure the disadvantage is systematic and insurmountable.¡±

    ¡°So, make sure the lashing leaves some permanent damage?¡± Joshua asked.

    Jairus looked over at his assistant, reeling in the urge to raise his voice.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t believe that would work out in our favor. It would create premature conflict between his Party and the church. Until the final piece is in place, let¡¯s keep things at a low simmer. There were no traps found aboard the ship. Let¡¯s maintain an air of geniality. We the better men, after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡­see?¡± Joshua said in a tone that implied he did see.

    ¡°William Oh¡¯s entire Party is here. The vessel they sailed in on is unguarded. Finding it and sinking it is easily bundled with the duties our missionaries have already assumed.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Without his vessel, William Oh will be forced on the back foot, drifting from ship to ship, working odd jobs and going where the wind takes him rather than charting his own course.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­Saint?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Joshua winced as he spoke, reluctant to make his superior seem stupid.

    ¡°According to the report, William Oh left the Fifth Floor three weeks ago, and arrived here one week ago with his Leviathan ship. Everyone knows no one made it for him, implying that someone in his Party has the Ability to make entire ships within two weeks. If we sink their ship, won¡¯t they simply make another?¡±

    ¡°Which is why the second order of business is splitting up his Party.¡± Jairus said, looking down at the one-armed Deceiver. ¡°The Deceiver¡¯s best tactic is surrounding himself with powerful allies. We must find a counter for it.¡±

    ¡°Do you¡­have any idea how we¡¯ll split them up?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jairus said with a shrug as he counted the people standing around talking to Will. ¡°But I will. The longer we have them aboard, the more cracks they¡¯ll show us.¡±

    Meanwhile, Will and the four mentioned were at the fore, sitting in a semicircle, shielded from the sun by the sails as the ship cut through the water, the noise of the ocean spray creating a natural screen for their conversation. Loth sat beside him at the end of her leash, pretending to be simple-minded as she played with bugs.

    Travis was off chatting with the other sailors, making his presence as thin as possible. Will barely remembered he was part of the Party, so why should Saint Jairus?

    ¡°So we¡¯ve got a couple advantages here,¡± Will said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Mason asked.

    ¡°Brianna joined my Party immediately before we left to the next Floor,¡± Will said, ticking off a finger. ¡°So they don¡¯t know who she is, what she can do, and her relationship to us. As far as they know, she¡¯s just three random Climbers that got caught up with the rest of us during the Scramble.¡± Will scanned the deck. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of others who match that description, so she fits right in, and it¡¯s why we¡¯re not including her in this discussion. They also forgot about Travis, and they are incapable of viewing Loth as a proper threat.¡±

    ¡°A dogmatic blind spot,¡± Loth said, still playing with bugs.

    If they had known how dangerous Loth was, there was no way they would have restrained her with warrior, rather than extensive magical bindings.

    Loth was arguably the most inherently dangerous person on their team, followed closely by Alicia, then Will, Brianna, Mason, and so on¡­

    ¡°So the first thing we want to do is get back to our ship,¡± Will said. ¡°They¡¯re going to give me a lashing just to show who¡¯s boss, but afterwards we can arrange passage on one of those missionary boats and try and track down Shimmer-¡°

    Will cut off as a priest of Granesh approached in his golden embroidered robe. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯m pleased to report that no malfeasance was detected on the part of your kobold. Provided it remains supervised throughout your stay onboard The Floating Church of Granesh, there will be no punishment.¡±

    The Priest gave them a polite bow and turned on his heel, heading out of earshot.

    ¡°Aw, crap,¡± Will muttered.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t not getting lashes a thing?¡± Reggie asked.

    ¡°in this case, no.¡± Loth said without looking up.

    ¡°If they thought I was a nobody, they would push a lashing just to flex on the other Scrambled Climbers on board. Enforce discipline.¡± Will said. ¡°The only reason they , is because they know who I am.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re wary of what you can do.¡± Loth finished.

    ¡°So since they know who I and they¡¯re not interested in picking a fight just yet, what are they going to go after?¡± Will mused for a moment before snapping his fingers. ¡°Shimmer! Because as far as they know, my entire Party is right here, and it¡¯s unprotected. If they can remove our base of operations, we¡¯ll be in a weaker position and that will make us easier pickings, individually.¡±

    Will glanced up at June, who was idly sharpening arrowheads as she listened.

    ¡°How good are you at faking taking a bribe?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°How much you paying me to take it?¡± June asked.

    ¡°Perfect attitude, love it,¡± Will said. When June¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, Will clarified. ¡°A lot. I¡¯m offering a lot, plus a personal audience with Lord Zodiac.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Alicia whispered, frowning.

    ¡°Sorry, but we really need on the same team.¡± Will said. ¡°We also need to coordinate with Travis and the Tangled girls without anyone noticing.¡±

    ¡°My bugs can deliver the messages.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°Okay, here¡¯s what I want to happen¡­¡± Will said, voice lowered, making sure his mouth was concealed behind the mast.

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    Once he had outlined the plan, it was Loth¡¯s responsibility to figure out how to implement it.

    Will stood and stretched his legs, waving up at Saint Jairus on the quarterdeck, seemingly saying ¡®thanks for not whipping me!¡¯

    The Saint gave a nod and a gesture with his hand.

 Chapter 98: Float On

    Anna lay sprawled against the rigging, leaning up against the piles of thick ropes. Just getting her bearings

    She¡¯d been terrified the first few moments as sharks had swirled down from the sky, seeking to snatch them up and tear them into chunks with their razor-sharp teeth. The way that Reese had been lifted into the darkness with barely a scream had shocked her to her core.

    But then¡­

    Then a few of her copies got bit.

    And she had to say, it was like getting bit by that little dog her mother¡¯s friend had in the tailor shop across the street.

    A little pinch.

    Despite their size, these monsters had all the strength and penetrating power of an inbred dog roughly the size of a soccer ball and just as kickable.

    Despite being fifteen to twenty feet on average, a little bop on the top of their heads while they were trying to gnaw on her would mush their brain or snap their spine, invariably rendering them a shivering corpse.

    Anna sighed.

    She didn¡¯t to be a living weapon, but that seemed to be all her Class was capable of.

    Anna admonished herself. She was the Queen of manpower. She could bake the bread, wash the clothes, mop the deck, make the beds, clean the halls, wash the dishes, all that and more in less than an hour. Honestly she had a lot of free time.

    Being able to beat giant sharks to death with her bare hands was just kind of a bonus. It brought a nostalgic smile to her face, remembering Mom killing rats that her father was too softhearted to dispose of.

    sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She thought, scanning the deck where over a hundred copies of herself filled the ship, making themselves busy mopping the blood, stashing the Relics and and polishing the scuff marks away. Over the night, she and her copies had each been able to split two more times, allowing them to finally send the sharks packing after over eight hours of fighting.

    Thankfully the ship was extraordinarily sturdy. If anything had been broken, Anna wasn¡¯t sure she would be able to fix it.

    Anna thought to herself, realizing that knowing carpentry and tanning and any number of other trades would expand her value to W-

    Anna took a deep breath and shoved the thought aside. She was a monster posing as a bubbly young girl. A bleeding chunk of someone¡¯s hopes and dreams for the future isolated into a monstrous container.

    It was best for everyone if she kept her feelings to herself and did her job. The feelings weren¡¯t real: The job was.

    The more pressing concern was rejoining with The Flotilla.

    She didn¡¯t know how to sail. She didn¡¯t know where they had ended up. She didn¡¯t even know what latitude was.

    Just as Anna was considering what to do, a grunting noise attracted the attention of all Anna¡¯s aboard, who snapped their heads towards the sound.

    A moment later, a bony hand reached up and grabbed the railing, followed by another, struggling to pull Reese¡¯s head up to the deck.

    By then two of her had already made it to him and lifted him the rest of the way up, carrying him over to some shade.

    ¡°Reese, are you okay?¡±

    The emaciated man¡¯s clothes were shredded, and he seemed to have some sun damage, but other than that, he looked completely unharmed.

    ¡°Reese? I always liked that N-Oh right!¡± He seemed to snap to attention, gazing straight into her eyes. ¡°Emily, I have been floating for ¡±

    ¡°Hours.¡± Anna corrected. ¡°And my name¡¯s Anna.¡±

    ¡°Hours. Anna.¡± Reese muttered, his lips quivering as he seemed to repeat the words to himself over and over again.

    ¡°Reese, you know how to sail, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± He grunted, levering himself to his feet and scanning the horizon. ¡°I do, don¡¯t I? Hah. Wait until the folks back home hear about this.¡±

    ¡°Can you get us back to The Flotilla?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°Sure, which direction is it?¡± Reese asked.

    ¡°I was¡­hoping you could tell me?¡± Anna said with a shrug. ¡°Although¡­Jean is that way.¡± She mused, pointing. ¡°That might lead us to them?¡±

    ¡°Oh. OH! Okay, let me see what I can do.¡±

    Reese clambered down into the ship and emerged a few minutes later with one of Loth¡¯s notebooks and a strange triangle thing that she¡¯d seen Loth pointing at the sky.

    Anna thought, the thought prodding her into movement.

    ¡°Umm¡­can you show me how to use that?¡±

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Sure. We should probably see what they want first, though,¡± Reese said, pointing at the longboat filled with Climbers that was rowing it¡¯s way towards them.

    Meanwhile, on the Floating Church of Granesh, Will was equal amounts tense and bored.

    ¡°Bacon Bits Added to the roster!¡± the spotter called down.

    Tense because he expected to get a bag thrown over his head any second, waking up strapped to a crucifix.

    Bored because rebuilding The Flotilla was a week-long ordeal. Three days to find all the ship, four days to fit them back together into an actual ¡®city¡¯.

    ¡°Elmo¡¯s Funnel Added to the roster!¡±

    Warehouses wanted to go on the outside, where they could attach to the docks, bars and brothels wanted to cluster together, city hall wanted to have the best access to businesses, restaurants preferred to be far away from bathhouses, but both of them wanted to be near the distillers.

    Will even learned that there were aqueducts, of a fashion. Most of the stationary ships that had been converted to buildings for public use had pipes aboard that they could use to connect to distiller ships and each other to pipe water in and shit out.

    Naturally they had to have some sort of decision about where to put waste, because if everyone just tossed it overboard, the ocean would teem with life and monsters directly under The Flotilla, and their water would be tainted.

    They figured out the prevailing current and piped it downstream.

    ¡°Mike¡¯s Meats added to the roster!¡± the spotter called.

    ¡°Admiring the plumbing?¡± Jairus¡¯s voice called from behind Will, prompting him to straighten.

    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± Will said, turning away from the stub of steel tubing in the deck. It wasn¡¯t set up because the church hadn¡¯t found it¡¯s place in the Flotilla yet, but Will found the idea of inter-ship pluming on rocking oceans fascinating.

    ¡°How do they not break when the ships move?¡±

    ¡°A clever bit of joinery that turns a pipe into a ball and socket joint without spilling.¡± The saint said, his eyes lingering on the pipe, probably wondering if Will was planning on sabotaging it.

    The short answer was that Will didn¡¯t know if he was or not. Will left the sabotaging to Loth. She was the expert.

    The thing that really tore Will up was the casualties he was pursuing with his current strategy.

    Him and the church would never be friends. Ever since he¡¯d discovered an innocent boy tortured to death in one of their basements, he knew that finding a peaceful solution wasn¡¯t an option.

    The logical option was to kill them all. Wipe the board clean so they never troubled him again.

    The problem was the execution of that solution.

    Will knew the best thing to do would be for Bee and Ria to kill and replace a portion of their menial crewmembers, using her shapeshifting Abilities to pretend to be them.

    When things got heats, the crew would turn against the saint in dramatic fashion.

    ¡­Except Bee and Ria weren¡¯t heartless killers, and neither was Will. Asking them to do something he wasn¡¯t sure he could do¡­

    So instead the Tangled girls had discretely replaced a few nonbelievers that Loth had snuck out on a stolen boat.

    Will thought. In the grand scheme of things, it didn¡¯t matter the manner in which they died, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask Brianna to do it way.

    The girl already had enough weighing on her shoulders. She would be much better served protecting her Party from an irrationally hostile force of zealots rather than stabbing sleeping men and women in their bunks.

    Will turned his attention back to the conversation with the saint. Only a fraction of a second had passed since he¡¯d mentioned the ball and socket plumbing.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m not planning on staying on this Floor forever, I¡¯ve got to consider what my ship¡¯s life is going to look like after we move on.¡± Will explained to the zealot standing beside him. ¡°It¡¯s not fast, but it¡¯s , so it¡¯s probably got value as a stationary part of The Flotilla once we¡¯re gone. I figured some plumbing would be just the thing.¡±

    ¡°Plumbing is expensive, but you¡¯re not wrong. I suppose you could lease it while you¡¯re away.¡±

    ¡°Would that work?¡± Will asked, frowning. He assumed he¡¯d have to sell it outright.

    ¡°Eh.¡± The saint said with a shrug. ¡°We try our hand at civilization out here. If the debt is registered at city hall, and your vessel remains in The Flotilla, you¡¯ve got a¡­decent shot at collecting. Provided it doesn¡¯t sink. Otherwise, money that leaves a man¡¯s line of sight has a funny way of making itself scarce.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put all your hopes in your ship making it, though,¡± Saint Jairus said sympathetically. ¡°Empty vessels caught during a Scramble will often drift aw-¡°

    ¡°Shimmer added to the roster!¡± The spotter in the the crow¡¯s nest bellowed down at them, where another man with a ledger jotted down the ship¡¯s specifications.

    If Saint Jairus was upset, he didn¡¯t show it. The grizzled sailor simply had the raised brow of a craftsman approaching a particularly stubborn bit of work.

    Will had been counting the number of boats that had gone out against the number that had come back.

    One was missing. Will would bet that it was the missionary boat sent to sink Shimmer.

    ¡°Last Chance Inn added to the roster!¡±

    It also occurred to Will that he could¡¯ve had Bee replace all of them with offshoots of herself, fled on that stolen boat and simply gone up a floor before the confusion of the Scramble cleared. They¡¯d passed the acclimation period already.

    Will thought wryly.

    That was just kicking the problem down the line, though. Who was to say that Jairus couldn¡¯t set up a trap for Will while he was on the Seventh Floor and beyond that negated any advantage he might gain from extra levels?

    Best excise the mold before it had a chance to spread.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re eager to get back to your ship, Mr. Oh.¡± Jairus said.

    Will stiffened a bit before nodding. It was public knowledge that William Oh owned Shimmer, and he and the saint were apparently past the point in their relationship where they played coy about who Will was.

    Will lowered his voice.

    ¡°So is this the part where we¡­¡± went unsaid. It seemed uncouth to speak about it directly, even though that¡¯s exactly what they were both thinking.

    Will was considering whether to try to put a cannonball through the saint himself, or the row of sailors beyond him, crippling his manpower at the beginning of the fight.

    ¡°Have some patience,¡± Jairus interrupted Will¡¯s thoughts with a cold smile. ¡°These things take time.¡±

    Will thought with narrowed eyes as the weathered saint didn¡¯t give a hint of his thoughts away.

    Shimmer approached over the course of the afternoon, eventually growing close enough to see Anna standing at the prow, waving to them with an excited bounce.

    Tied to the railing with Loth¡¯s rope were no less than half a dozen Climbers with bruised faces.

    Will wondered to himself. It would have been easier to pretend they had simply missed each other. Less of a splash, since Will could easily imagine holding six allies of the Church of Granesh prisoner adding fuel to the conflict.

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    But again, Brianna was not a cold-blooded killer, so Will had to deal with the politics, messy as it was.

    Will thought, watching Anna wave.

    Will waved back.

    Anna gestured to the tied-up bodies in front of her, as if to say ¡®look what I caught!¡¯

    Will gave her a thumb¡¯s-up.

 Chapter 99: Dictum of Sweet Dreams

    Aboard Shimmer, Will was staring at the setting sun, eyes narrowed for a moment before he glanced away, diverting his gaze to the sails bobbing all around them, dyed orange by the sunset.

    Lamps were starting to come out as the sailors around them began to work through the night to coordinate the reconstruction of the Flotilla.

    Despite the sheer chaos, it was moving faster than Will thought possible, owing to superhuman effort and years of practice.

    Will was pleased to note his political backer was still alive, slightly less pleased to note that the composition of The Flotilla had shifted drastically.

    Here and there he was able to pick out the absence of a ship he¡¯d seen earlier, and invariably, it was either a neutral ship or one that allied with a different deity.

    Meanwhile, ships that bore the symbol of Granesh across their sides clustered tighter together, becoming more and more prevalent as The Flotilla was stitched together.

    Will thought, picking them out as he scanned the surroundings.

    According to the headcrab matriarch, each ship captain got votes loosely based on the number of people aboard their vessel, and as soon as the Flotilla was put back together, the church of Granesh would likely have a supermajority.

    Which meant, once the reconstruction was complete, the church would make the rules, and complaining to them about them sending people to sink his ship would be pointless, since they would excuse themselves.

    With this in mind, Will hopped overboard and jogged over to the Floating Church of Holdna.

    Sailors called out to him and waved or shook their heads ruefully as he jogged past.

    Will thought, waving back.

    Will stood at the base of the Floating Church of Holdna, which was a damn sorrier sight than The Church of Granesh. It was made from cheaper supplies, the worksmanship was solid, but lacked the sanding, varnish and gold inlay that gave the church of Granesh such a luxurious feel.

    ¡°Permission to come aboard!¡± Will called up.

    ¡°What the-OH!¡± A priestess said, glancing over the side and spotting Will bobbing up and down on the waves beside their vessel.

    ¡°Granted!¡±

    Will climbed the side of the ship and found himself face-to-face with the same gnarled old woman that had overseen his matches on the Fifth Floor. She had the slender strength of a person who never slows down in old age, wearing warm sailing clothes.

    ¡°Holdna sees you, young man.¡± The white-haired priestess said, hands folded inside her cloak. ¡°How can I help? Do you have an injury or concern?¡±

    ¡°Are you following me?¡± Will asked with a frown.

    ¡°I go where Holdna dictates. I dare not presume her intent.¡± She dodged the question.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I never got your name.¡± Will said.

    ¡°Saint Charnesa.¡±

    Well, Saint Charnesa, were you aware that the floating Church of Granesh is going to take control of The Flotilla?¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­yes.¡± Charnesa said.

    Will cocked his head.

    ¡°And did you have¡­any thoughts about that?¡±

    ¡°The Church of Granesh, in their desire to achieve purity and stability will always push just a too far and foment chaos and revolution. They are their own worst enemies, in many ways. I take their current overreach as a sign that something or some will soon tear it all down.¡±

    ¡°Can that someone¡­be us?¡± Will asked, motioning between the saint and himself.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Charnesa said with a shrug.

    ¡°I was hoping to have your backing in the event that Saint Jairus tries to get me killed somehow through legalese. I hope it doesn¡¯t bother you, but I already talked with the Last Chance Inn, and they -¡±

    ¡°You have our support. We will join our voices with the headcrabs.¡± Saint Charnesa said, nodding.

    ¡°Buhh¡­¡± Will hadn¡¯t revealed detail. And the blas¨¦ attitude towards them¡­

    ¡°Our goddess is the bride of Chaos.¡± The saint said with an amused smile. ¡°You¡¯ll find us an easygoing lot.¡±

    ¡°Well, in that case, I need help ¡®rescuing¡¯ the sailors aboard a few ships that are about to ¡®mysteriously sink¡¯.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d be happy to help.¡±

    Loth then proceeded to sink a handful of Graneshian vessels, generously offering to house them aboard Shimmer until they regained their own housing.

    Some eight-hundred Graneshians were displaced in a matter of hours, roughly the same population as Ashwood, Will¡¯s home outside the tower.

    Naturally there was a great deal of panic, suspicion and finger-pointing, but Loth was too clever to get caught, and Will had spent the entire night standing in a beam of lamplight aboard Shimmer. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Being conspicuously innocent.

    Shimmer went from being an overly spacious ship that was haunted by a sense of emptiness, to a bustling village unto itself, with no less than ten absolutely livid captains who had lost their ships, and therefore, their authority and voting privileges in The Flotilla.

    It was a calculated gamble, bringing together ten crews of the same faith. On one hand it converted ten church votes into ten for Will. On the other hand, they could easily ally themselves against Will and try to take control of the ship.

    They would have to do so through open mutiny, though, as none of them were the kind of captain that could beat Will in a duel. Their ships had been selected for that reason.

    To nip any thought of mutiny in the bud, Will had Anna split, instructing her to take care of their guests until they departed.

    She had already revealed her Ability to the other followers of Granesh that they had released, so there was no point being sneaky about it anymore.

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    Having her be everywhere at once, keeping an eye on everything at once, helping every single one of their displaced residents settle in would make things go smoother, and it would also send a strong message about who was in control of Shimmer.

    He wouldn¡¯t assign Brianna something as amoral as cold-blooded murder, but a soft show of force? Will was perfectly fine with asking her to do that.

    Once Will was sure everything was going according to plan, he ducked into his room, pulled out the bed with its decoy, and crawled into the secret hatch underneath, curled up into a ball against the rough wood before finally allowing himself to fall sleep.

    ¡­

    It felt like less than a second later, Will opened his eyes to the glare of a light shone directly into his pupils.

    ¡°Tell me about your dreams.¡± A voice spoke, and Will recognized it as Bron, the bishop that had followed him up to the Fifth Floor after Will had¡­sort of robbed his church in The Ring during their visit to Travis¡¯s family.

    Will narrowed his eyes, looking past the lamplight blasting him in the face and spotted Bron, cleaning a knife with alcohol and a bloody rag.

    Will thought, glancing from side to side, his stomach sinking as he realized he was restrained.

    His arms and legs were bound to an unnervingly familiar crucifix.

    Immediately, Will summoned the Phantom Hand, unleashing a cannonball through the space the bishop occupied.

    Phantom Hand seemed to react sluggishly, oozing towards Bron and dropping the cannonball on the ground, not even doing the bare minimum of dropping on his toes.

    ¡°Not going to answer?¡± Bron asked, raising the knife.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really dream that much,¡± Will said, testing the restraints. There was a fuzzy lack of realism that Will attributed to drugs.

    They would have to sink it before they could pry him out of it.

    A line of fire was drawn across his chest as Bron dragged the knife across his skin, eliciting a cry of pain.

    ¡°Do you have a strange empathy for certain corpses?¡±

    ¡°Do certain animals seem to like you more than they should?¡±

    The pain from the torture didn¡¯t seem to match the pain he would expect from being cut on.

    Will hastily ran through his Memory Key, picturing each crystalized memory as accurately and quickly as he could, ignoring the horrifying image of being tortured that his eyes were showing him, and instead reliving the emotions the memories brought.

    Will¡¯s mental state rapidly changed between hot and cold, and suddenly knife-wielding Bron in front of him seemed to smear, as though Will were looking at everything through an expensive window that someone had smeared a greasy hand across.

    Alerted to the fact that none of what he saw was real, Will began to thrash, physically and mentally, repeating the Memory Key over and over, shattering the illusion further.

    An instant later Will opened his eyes, limbs flailing as something pried open the hatch above him, seemingly alerted to his presence by his noisy thrashing.

    In a heartbeat, Will was staring up at a humanoid figure whose identity was conceal by a thick veil of living darkness. All he could make out was their grey eyes as their saber poised to skewer him.

    ***Saint Jairus***

    Saint Jairus stood on the quarterdeck, picking out the Deceiver¡¯s ship among the myriad sails dotting the dark horizon. After the exchange of prisoners, threats and shouting earlier in the day, he felt invigorated.

    Nothing like a little conflict to get the old body thrumming along. The inherent chaos and lawlessness of this Floor appealed to him. Presented a challenge.

    Jairus glanced up at the night sky. It was three hours to dawn. Only a handful of sailors remained awake.

    ¡°The unfaithful will find their dreams to be prisons.¡±

    A silent wave of power rippled outward from The Floating Church of Granesh, infusing the surrounding land with divine authority.

    As it spread outward, it became harder and harder to detect, until by the time it reached Shimmer, even the highest-Focus member of their Party would fail to detect it.

    Healers were expected to specialize in healing, buffs, and debuffs. Not because it was necessary, but for PR. Sometime long ago, a priest of Granesh had decided that Healers should dedicate every spare Ability to support in order to make them indispensable to whatever Party they happened to be with, able to command a high price for their services without putting them on the frontlines.

    This had been wildly successful at securing the wealth and legacy of the Church, copied by every other Church to this day, but it wasn¡¯t without its downsides.

    Young men wanted to blow things up with their mind, they wanted to crush stone with their bare hands, wield swords the size of skyscrapers and bisect dragons.

    Not wish people luck.

    This led to youthful rebellion where many priests neglected or sabotaged their own buffing Abilities.

    But Jairus had always taken his mother¡¯s advice to heart.

    And it was.

    So Jairus had leaned into buffs and debuffs Picking Ability upgrades that focused on them exclusively, eventually realizing he had as much sway over a battle as a Nuker, if not When his Class Evolution came at the end of the Tenth Floor, he was offered Voice of Granesh.

    And he took it, evolving his Primary, Set the Stage to Dictum of the Divine.

    Set the Stage was a wide-ranging Ability that covered tens of miles, subtly boosting allies while debuffing enemies, making any battle go smoothly, even at tremendous range.

    Dictum of the Divine categorized its targets differently. Rather than friend and foe, it now separated by believers versus non-believers, and allowed Jairus to dictate the nature of the buff or debuff.

    It was also significantly stronger, holding a cost to match its power. Dictum of the Divine was what he had used to ensure the faithful had made it through the dual assault of the Scramble and the monsters the Kullin had lured to attack the Flotilla.

    ¡°The faithful will be bolstered by the might and unflappable will of Granesh.¡±

    Jairus thought, watching Shimmer in the distance. Somehow, a single maid had subdued a Party of half a dozen Climbers.

    According to the hostages they¡¯d exchanged to allow Will to leave, there had been over a hundred of the same girl, each of them freakishly strong and durable, wearing makeshift canvas wrappings.

    By all accounts, it sounded like one of Frederick Wyrd¡¯s experiments that had terrorized the lower levels for a few months before the Lord¡¯s death.

    It didn¡¯t take a genius to surmise that Frederick Wyrd¡¯s living weapons must¡¯ve had terrible Focus to allow them to be easily controlled.

    Unfortunately, Jairus didn¡¯t have anybody on board with a Charm class to take advantage of that fact, so it was a bit of a moot point.

    Jairus did a little math in his head and estimated the girl¡¯s Focus.

    The maid waving from the deck of Shimmer was not wearing Relics that Jairus could see¡­So she wasn¡¯t the original.

    The question was¡­where was the original Tangled? Was she hiding below-decks on Shimmer, or¡­was she a bit closer to home?

    Deceivers, and this one in particular, were known to be slippery.

    ¡°Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Saint?¡±

    ¡°Without raising suspicion, compile a list of the strangers onboard wearing heavy Focus-boosting Relics.¡± Jairus¡¯s brow twitched as an idea occurred to him. ¡°And a list of those not wearing any at all.¡±

    In theory it should be a short list.

    ¡°Yessir.¡±

    ¡°And tell the Boarders to come speak to me. I¡¯ve got a job for them.¡±

    ¡°Yessir.¡±

    For a moment, Jairus looked back out at the ocean, where the lights of The Flotilla were beginning to cluster on the horizon as they painstakingly re-ordered themselves, working through the night to create the center of the city: City Hall, the Distillery, and the permanent residences and businesses that clustered around them.

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    The two constants in a civilized world: Taxes and Plumbing.

    Jairus turned back to his work.

    ¡°The faithful will be cloaked and guided by the dark of night.¡± Jairus spoke as the Boarders assembled in front of him, Darkness swirling up and covering everything but their eyes.

 Chapter 100: Night Moves

    The blade glimmered in the lamplight as it was thrust down towards Will¡¯s chest.

    Will¡¯s spine cried out in pain as he contorted inside his hidey-hole, barely shifting his body far enough to allow the blade to go past him.

    The saber¡¯s blade turned towards him and he knew the attacker was going to drag it across his chest as he withdrew for another stab to start the fight off with Will wounded.

    Will knocked the blade aside with Phantom Hand and stomped on the side of the compartment, sending a ripple through the side of the wall and into the man¡¯s feet, forcing him off balance.

    The shadow-swaddled Climber pulsed with Charge an instant before he disappeared, sucked into the handle of his own saber.

    Will¡¯s eyes widened and he wrenched the emergency latch underneath him, falling straight down into the floor below as the saber exploded with motion, hundreds of saber blades filling Will¡¯s sleeping nook.

    The floor of Reggie¡¯s bedroom rushed up and slammed into Will¡¯s back, but Will¡¯s Resistance prevented him from getting the wind knocked out of him.

    ¡°Reggie, wake up!¡± Will hissed, scrambling to his feet and lunging over to the Tank¡¯s bed before shaking him. The oversized young man¡¯ brows were furrowed, and he muttered, his body twitching as he lived through his own personal nightmare.

    His eyes stayed closed.

    Will slapped him.

    Will thought, backing up towards the door as the mass of swirling shadows dropped into Reggie¡¯s room with him with a metallic before reforming into a humanoid shape.

    If Ghoul hadn¡¯t taught him the Memory Key, Will was fairly sure he would still be asleep, but Mason and Loth had higher Focus, so they be able to shrug off the mind control.

    Will thought as he sprinted to the door, his opponent hot on his tail.

    Will was tempted to put a cannonball through his pursuer, but Will knew Alicia¡¯s room was across that wall from Reggie¡¯s, and her Resistance wasn¡¯t high enough for Will to feel confident about filling her room with shrapnel.

    The sound of the footsteps behind him changed and sped up as they hit the straightaway of the officer¡¯s quarters hallway.

    Will stomped the ground and rolled to the side, tucking himself into the corner.

    The ripple in the floor tripped his rapidly gaining pursuer, who tumbled past him, razor-sharp limbs flashing past his face.

    The shadow-cloaked Climber seemed to had animalistic steel legs jutting from their feet, causing them to run at increased speed.

    Will jumped up and sent a cannonball at his pursuer as he sprinted the opposite direction, heading for Mason¡¯s room.

    Shimmer shuddered under Will¡¯s feet as a cannonball carried the attacker through the hull and out into The Flotilla, depositing him in the ship next door.

    Will thought, glancing over his shoulder.

    Will wrenched open the door to Mason¡¯s room and leapt up on their Nuker¡¯s bed, slapping him until his eyes opened.

    ¡°wha- wha- WHAT!?¡± Mason demanded as his eyes flickered open before shoving Will off of him. Mason sat up in bed, blinking blearily as he struggled to process what was happening.

    ¡°Attack!¡± Will said, shoving Mason¡¯s kit towards him.

    Another reason Will preferred to sleep in full kit.

    Sure it was uncomfortable, but times like this made up for it.

    Mason¡¯s eyes widened for an instant before he flung the covers off and began dressing at lightning speeds, slipping into his boots and snatching his staff off it¡¯s rack.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s stuck in some kind of dream-lock,¡± Will said, peering out the hallway.

    Will ran through his memory key again, paying close attention to his surroundings for any incongruity that might arise.

    It was best to never become complacent when it came to mind control.

    ¡°There¡¯s an unknown number of attackers on board. Could be just the one, but I doubt it.¡±

    Will turned his gaze left, towards Loth¡¯s bedroom, spotting the door hanging partially off its hinges, spilling flickering lamplight mixed with shadow into the hall.

    In the other direction, June and Alicia¡¯s rooms seemed to be open as well.

    Making a split decision, Will turned right and sprinted towards June and Alicia¡¯s rooms.

    There was no chance that Loth hadn¡¯t trapped her room to kill anyone who entered without permission.

    If he went left, he would come across Loth cheerfully dressing beside a mangled corpse.

    If he went right, he might be able to stop their scout and special weapons expert from being murdered in their sleep.

    Will made it to Alicia¡¯s room first, where his ghost butler was struggling against a shadow-cloaked Climber, trying to scratch the man¡¯s eyes out as his sword flailed through Stevie¡¯s incorporeal form.

    Will thought as he pulled his sword out of Phantom Hand and brought it down on the man¡¯s skull.

    Rather than drop to the ground, the flailing Climber whipped around and nearly cut off Will¡¯s nose an instant after Will¡¯s sword off his skull.

    Will mused. He wasn¡¯t strong for a Climber, but he two and a half times stronger than a normal man should¡¯ve been, bringing a steel sword down on an unprotected skull.

    Even if the man¡¯s skull were ten times stronger than a normal one, it still should¡¯ve penetrated enough to stop him cold.

    The cannonball should¡¯ve gone his enemy earlier, but Will had just assumed the Climber was reinforcing his body with steel somehow.

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    This was some kind of defensive buff, because Will wasn¡¯t seeing any armor peeking through the swirling shadows.

    Will twisted his foot to the side and pulled the man¡¯s wild flailing forward, shifting the ground under him to knock his feet out from under him in an emulation of the takedown that Lord Bakton had done to him so many times.

    There was a yelp of surprise, and Will took advantage of the momentary distraction to wind up a strong slice up and into the man¡¯s trachea.

    Will thought with satisfaction as the sword lodged itself a half-inch into the man¡¯s throat before his target leapt back, clapping a hand over his bleeding throat.

    ¡°Deciever-¡° He croaked, pointing his blade at Will. ¡°You-¡°

    The wall separating June and Alicia¡¯s rooms exploded as another shadow-cloaked human was launched through the wall, bringing the smell of burning flesh with him.

    On the other side of the wall, Mason stood beside June¡¯s bed, where a hole in her chest was spurting blood. Even with that lethal wound, the scout¡¯s eyes were still closed.

    Will shot a Greater healing potion out of Phantom Hand towards Mason as he drove the point of the Shortsword of Perseverance down into the stunned and smoking Climber¡¯s back before he could rise.

    The blade penetrated a fraction of an inch before it came to a complete stop, the pitted blade bending ominously as it refused to go any further.

    The wounded Climber lunged to his feet swinging wildly with his saber, forcing Will to hastily block.

    The shortsword jerked in his hand, slamming up against him as it spread the force over a larger area before Will was catapulted sideways, smashing through Alicia¡¯s door and back out into the hall.

    The burned Climber followed Will through the door, trying not to give him a moment to breathe.

    Behind him, Will could see the other one raise his saber over Alicia¡¯s sleeping form. Noob and Billy-bob, Will¡¯s other summons from the Wand of the Undead Retainer, tried their best to claw the man¡¯s eyes out and drag him backwards.

    The Climber shrugged off their attempts and raised his saber just as the partially cooked climber dominated Will¡¯s view.

    If he destroyed the mast, that wouldn¡¯t be nearly as bad as losing Alicia.

    Will drew a line between his two opponents and unleashed another cannonball directly into the man¡¯s chest. Thanks to the Dimensional Oyster¡¯s upgrade he could carry around three of them, plus minor things like his sword and a handful of consumeables.

    The cannonball picked up his opponent and carried him into the one looming over Alicia, sending them both through the wall and sailing out into the night, bouncing off the mast.

    Will glanced to the side and saw Loth sprinting down the hall towards them before he shoved off the wall and sprinted back into Alicia¡¯s room, glancing down to ensure she was unharmed.

    The noble scion was unharmed and still sound asleep.

    Will glanced to the side and saw Mason sprinting his direction, Stevie forcing the Greater Healing potion down June¡¯s throat while the other two dragged Reggie¡¯s unconscious body down the hall towards them.

    ¡°Protect them!¡± Will shouted at the ghost butlers as Loth came around the corner.

    ¡°Mason, go with Will, I¡¯ll defend them!¡± Loth said.

    Will thought as he leapt through the hole in the wall.

    On the main deck below, it was chaos.

    Anna¡¯s copies were fending off at least a dozen Climbers cloaked in shadow. They were fighting with nearly equal strength, but Anna wasn¡¯t much of a fighter and her opponents were getting the upper hand more often than not, dropping multiple copies of the Baker to the ground.

    Surrounding them were were dozens of gawkers on deck, most of them crew from the ships they¡¯d sunk earlier that night.

    Among the gawkers were dozens more shadow-cloaked figures, gawking along with the rest of the Climbers, at least until Anna engaged them.

    A bolt of realization shot through Will.

    ¡°Wait!¡± he shouted, tackling Anna before she could attack one of the stunned shadow-cloaked onlookers.

    ¡°What?¡± Anna asked. ¡°But he¡¯s-¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s not all of them!¡± Will shouted. Whoever had created the shadow-covering was applying it to some of the people they¡¯d taken under their wing, intending to use them as camouflage. If Will¡¯s crew attacked the people they were hosting without provocation that would be frowned upon.

    It was an attack on them their reputation.

    An explosion rocked Shimmer to the side as Mason unleashed a blast on a swath of shadow-cloaked figures.

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    Will reeled Mason in with Phantom Hand to stop another blast before he lunged over and grabbed his staff, wrenching his attention back to Will. ¡°Only the ones who attack us!¡± he said, gesturing to the onlookers. ¡°They¡¯re civilian camouflage!¡±

    Mason¡¯s gaze flickered across the deck, taking in the shadowed figures mixed in with the unaffected ones, all watching Will¡¯s party in horror. Mason¡¯s eyes widened in sudden realization.

    As Will was speaking, a shadowed Climber slipped out from behind another shadowed onlooker and thrust a saber towards him.

    Will didn¡¯t know if it was one of the attackers, or if it was one of the graneshian civilians they¡¯d brought on board defending themselves from William Oh¡¯s mad rampage.

    Since Will couldn¡¯t tell which his attacker was, Will went easy on him, stomping the floor out from under his foot and hitting him in the face with a cannonball¡­gently.

    Will retrieved the cannonball and flung it at one of the shadows hacking at a downed Anna, knocking the climber overboard.

    Will took a deep breath.

    ¡°Listen up!¡± Will shouted at the top of his lungs.

    ¡°There are intruders on board! They have made some of you look like them! If you are not one of them, go back to your room and wait! If you one of them, stay and be disposed of!¡±

    The non-shadowed Climbers side-eyed the shadowed Climbers among them suspiciously, but in the end, they acquiesced, filing downstairs, leaving the deck empty save for the swath of burnt Climbers Mason had hit with Conflagration.

    ¡°Get them some help,¡± Will said to Anna. He didn¡¯t know which of them might be the attackers, but he knew that doing anything less than everything he could to prevent losing people under his protection would blow up in his face.

    The baker nodded, her many injured copies dragging themselves to their feet, their wounds fading away in seconds as they began rounding up the wounded and searching for potions and healers. There were a few among those aboard the ship.

    ¡°The attackers used the noncombatants as camouflage to escape.¡± Mason muttered, his hand clasped over his stomach.

    True, they had either joined the other shadowed civilians when they filed downstairs, or they had abandoned ship as soon as their camouflage dissipated.

    ¡°What¡¯ve you go there?¡± Will asked, pointing at Mason.

    ¡°Just a light stabbing.¡± Mason said. ¡°It¡¯s barely bleeding. Stings like a bitch, though. Not worth a healing potion.¡±

    Light Will thought, brow cocked. He was unsure if anything that could penetrate Mason¡¯s shields could be considered

    ¡°Show me.¡± Will said, peering down.

    ¡°See?¡± Mason asked, lifting his hand.

    Indeed, he wasn¡¯t bleeding very much at The wound had the narrow shape of a stab, but the wound only had maybe a teaspoon of blood soaked into the skin and fabric around it. Will wasn¡¯t sure, but in the lamplight, the wound seemed to glimmer with a faint shine.

    is Will thought.

    ¡°Make sure it¡¯s not cursed or poisoned as soon as you can,¡± Will muttered before turning back the way they¡¯d come.

    ¡°Loth!¡± Will shouted, waving up at the Kobold through the hole in the quarterdeck above them.

    ¡°What!?¡± Loth asked, poking her head out.

    ¡°Where are the other two!?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°As soon as they spotted Anna, I figured they might identify her Class and ordered Jean to abandon ship!¡± Loth replied. ¡°Travis on the other hand¡­¡± the hive-wielding saboteur gave a shrug.

    ***Travis Oilton***

    Travis put away the last of his food and headed for his cabin for the night. It was a shared cabin, since there wasn¡¯t enough space to give refugees their own room.

    Travis didn¡¯t¡¯ mind it as much as he had when he first set out Climbing. You take what you can get, and sometimes a blanket is so bunk-beds seemed kingly by comparison.

    There should be at least half a dozen young men sleeping in their bunks by the time he arrived.

    Which was why he was taken aback when he arrived to an empty cabin.

    Empty, save one person, a grey-bearded man whose hide had been tanned for decades by salt, wind and sun.

    Sain Jairus.

    ¡°Good evening, Travis Oilton.¡± The saint said, his hands folded in his lap.

    ¡°I¡¯m not-¡°

    ¡°Before you make a fool of yourself:¡± the Saint said, raising a hand. ¡°My Focus is one hundred and eighty. Your little ¡®forget me¡¯ trick isn¡¯t going to work on me. Everyone else on board, maybe, but not me.¡±

    Above them, the sound of shouting began to rise as battle was joined on the deck. It sounded like their Tangled were fighting the crew of the floating church.

    Saint Jairus glanced up without any hint of surprise, then back down at Travis.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you a question.¡±

    ¡°Is it how fast I can run?¡± Travis asked, backing towards the door. ¡°Because I can run pretty fast.¡±

    Saint Jairus shook his head without coming any closer.

    ¡°Did you ever get your revenge against the Wyrd family for destroying yours?¡±

    Travis halted in place.

 Chapter 101: Scripted Defeat

    Will¡¯s eye twitched.

    It had been over six hours of shouting back and forth from the moment the sun rose, a circular argument between Saint Jairus¡¯s attack dogs and everyone else with any sense.

    The Graneshians had lost their majority by the slimmest margin when Will had sunk ten of their believer¡¯s ships and taken their votes for himself. They had wanted to declare him an Enemy of the Flotilla and petition the Tower for a bounty.

    Will¡¯s faction vehemently opposed that, while the moderates agreed that it was a bit extreme, given that the attacks on other Climbers was unintentional. They advocated for a more mild punishment: Temporary Exile.

    The Floating Church of Granesh pointed out that Will had deliberately left his Tangled party member on board their ship with the explicit intention of attacking them, using that as a reason it should be permanent and carry a more severe penalty, such as confiscating Shimmer.

    Will¡¯s faction pointed out that the original had indeed left their ship, and the church had attacked Bee and Ria first, the fact that they split into nearly two hundred bodies in preparation for the conflict was irrelevant, as they were defending themselves.

    They shot back with the extensive list of casualties they took trying to attack the Tangled.

    Will¡¯s faction pointed to the half a dozen ¡®boarders¡¯ that had been captured trying to steal Shimmer and been returned to the church the morning of that day.

    On and on it went, in circular reasoning that chewed on its own tail like a mangy dog.

    And all the while, Will and Saint Jairus stared at each other across the meeting room of Town Hall. The steel-haired priest looked amused, much to Will¡¯s irritation.

    Will didn¡¯t particularly care about whether or not he was exiled. His Party had already proven they weren¡¯t reliant on The Flotilla when they rolled in on a Leviathan-bone ship.

    But if he looked at it another way: If Will wasn¡¯t allowed in The Flotilla and the Saint they would always have a place to retreat and repair that Will couldn¡¯t follow unless he wanted to get attacked by other Flotilla members.

    Will thought.

    If he got pushed outside the flotilla¡­

    Will pictured Shimmer under constant attack by hordes of fishmen, attacking at irregular intervals to prevent any of his Party from getting any sleep before the Floating Church of Granesh swooped in to finish the job.

    Typically that wouldn¡¯t worry Will, since Brianna could fend off large scale physical assaults over a long period of time, but now that Jairus knew about Brianna, he would go out of his way to acquire some Charm-based Climbers to deal with the Tangled, And Will wouldn¡¯t know if or when he¡¯d done that if he didn¡¯t have any eyes and ears in The Flotilla.

    All in all, it was a thing to get exiled, indirectly harming him in myriad ways.

    Will thought back to Loth¡¯s mantra of leadership: ¡®

    Will thought to himself. Now, the saint was accompanied by several bodyguards at all times, indicating he had been bluffing earlier when he strutted around Will without any form of protection on his ship.

    And Will had bought it, assuming the saint, with Saint-levels, was a strong combatant.

    They¡¯d taken some time to ask around after last night and discovered that the saint¡¯s specialty was mega large-scale buffs, fighting.

    This implied very strongly that Jairus had instigated the attack on them last night, buffing his crew to the point that they could fight toe-to-toe with Will¡¯s Party. Unfortunately, since their features had been cloaked in shadow, not a single one had been identified.

    This gave Will no leverage to accuse Jairus of attacking him.

    In the end, the meeting was adjourned without declaring any particular punishment for Will.

    On one hand, the six boarders they had subdued trying to steal Shimmer had launched a shitstorm, and on the other, they had proven a preceding incident that the church had instigated, allowing most of the accusations to slide off Will in the name of self-defense.

    Will thought as he and Mason left City Hall.

    They would reconvene tomorrow to decide on a punishment, but Will didn¡¯t expect there to a tomorrow for certain individuals.

    ¡°What did you get?¡± Will asked, receiving the Dimensional Assassin¡¯s Amulet from Loth before she put on her usual one.

    ¡°There¡¯s another Scramble coming soon, possibly as early as tonight.¡± Loth said. ¡°The saint¡¯s ledger shows ¡®proof¡¯ that the fish-people can only summon one storm per month, and they have dropped their guard against being hit twice in a row. This is the perfect opportunity for the fish-people to buck the trend and lure another storm on top of The Flotilla, while they are struggling to recover.¡±

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    ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°I read through the Saint¡¯s journal and surmised the timing of previous Church-instigated Scrambles, then jotted down a note on the Saint¡¯s waterproof stationary, attaching one of the many rocks on a string to sink it to the bottom.¡±

    ¡°So there a bottom.¡±

    ¡°It would seem so,¡± Loth said. ¡°Anyway, I requested that the fish-people wait an extra month before the next Scramble.¡±

    ¡°Implying that the Flotilla is weak and needs time to recover,¡± Will mused.

    ¡°Practically guaranteeing that a sound strategist will see an opportunity to attack immediately.¡± Loth said.

    ¡°And if the fish people don¡¯t take advantage?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°They will, but if they don¡¯t I¡¯ll simply sink the Floating Church of Granesh and be done with it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®and be done with it,¡± Will muttered. ¡°Sink that one ship and they¡¯ll commandeer another ship from one of the faithful and call the Floating Church of Granesh. We need to kill them.¡±

    ¡°Killing a religious figure is the surest way to galvanize their followers,¡± Loth pointed out.

    ¡°Not if it happens in hyperbole,¡± Will mused. He didn¡¯t need to just kill him. He needed to his legend. The only way to destroy a legend was with another.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of violence.¡± Loth said. ¡°Please, do tell.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Brianna?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°A little shaken after killing several of Jairus¡¯s followers last night. And experiencing death through a few of her copies.¡±

    Will winced at a pang of guilt for putting her in that position. She would eventually be forced to come to terms with killing, but for now, she needed time to rest and recover, so he would try to include her in their defense in the least violent way possible.

    ¡°let¡¯s put Bee on a mission to spread the rumor that Jairus is summoning the Scrambles, and another one will hit soon. Ria can guard the boat, and Anna can keep our guests happy. Let¡¯s have the others guard Jean.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Loth nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±

    A thought occurred to Will as he glanced up at the afternoon sun. Saint Jairus probably expacted him to respond as soon as the sun went down. Why not immediately? Because everyone was still awake. Because it was bright outside. because he would fail.

    Will pondered, flashing back to his curse-induced nightmare where he had taken the place of the poor boy that had been tortured to death in the Ring. A stark reminder of what would happen to him if he slipped up.

    my

    ¡°How confident are you that the fish-people will attack soon?¡± Will asked. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Supremely.¡± Loth replied.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Will said with a chuckle as adrenaline filled his body.

    His duty as Party Leader was to make things as easy as possibly for his Team, and if that meant doing something monumentally stupid, then so be it.

    ¡°I wanna do something stupid, but if I¡¯m gonna pull it off, I need to ask Jean for a big favor. Where is she?¡± Will asked.

    Loth nodded toward Shimmer in the distance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, go go! if this is gonna work it has to be fast!¡± Will said, picking up Loth and sprinting across the waves to Shimmer, bypassing the winding boardwalk strung between vessels.

    ***Travis Oilton***

    Travis thought, rattling the chains around his wrist. They were enchanted to drain his strength while being stronger than steel, and like Loth had warned, his Build was strictly designed to manage enemy attention. Nothing more.

    Manacles didn¡¯t exactly have an attention span.

    The door opened, revealing Saint Jairus, mopping a bit of sweat from his forehead with a towel before tossing it aside.

    ¡°Sorry about the wait, it¡¯s been a busy morning,¡± Jairus said, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of Travis. ¡°Did you need anything? Have they been taking out your chamber pot? Sponge bath?¡±

    Jairus wrinkled his nose.

    ¡°Please say ¡®sponge bath¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Travis said. ¡°Are you going to start torturing me, or what?¡±

    ¡°Torture? Pfft.¡± Jairus waved him off. ¡°The manacles are only there because you¡¯ll run off otherwise. My only interest is in making an arrangement between you and the church of Granesh.¡±

    ¡°Not interested.¡± Travis said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this happen before. William Oh keeps winning for some damn reason and the people who get in his way wind up dead or disgraced. I know enough to know a gravy train when I see one. You¡¯re gonna on your ass in a matter of days, if not minutes.¡±

    Jairus seemed to think about it a moment, nodding. ¡°He beat me. He just may. Among all the Deceivers I¡¯ve met, he¡¯s an exceptional one. But that¡¯s why this arrangement is between you and the not you and myself.¡±

    Travis frowned.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I have the Ability to grant a boost to a Climber¡¯s stat growth.¡±

    Travis¡¯s brows rose. ¡°Is it retroactive?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°¡­How much are we talking?¡± Travis asked. William Oh had insane stat growth that implied he had used at three A-rank Sacrifices in his Build, something that Travis couldn¡¯t measure up to. Even plus one growth to one stat would be twenty-six points at his current level.

    A remarkable amount.

    The rest of the Party had been gradually exceeding him for a while now, and the quiet voice in Travis¡¯s brain told him that he would either get left behind or die when he finally couldn¡¯t keep up. Even one point of stat growth could remedy that¡­

    ¡°Two points of stat growth of your choice.¡±

    ¡°Interesting proposition, but no thanks.¡± Travis said with a shrug, glancing up and spotting a nearly invisible William Oh creeping through the door, the hinge¡¯s telltale squeak muffled by an Ability as he slipped inside.

    ¡°What do you think is going to happen when you make it to Frederick Wyrd¡¯s Stronghold?¡± Jairus said, facing away from the door and unaware of the Infiltrator stalking towards him. ¡°He¡¯s not going to tear it down. William Oh will make a deal with the new owners, and the legacy of the one who destroyed is going to live and grow while your name will be a forgotten side-note in history. With the support of the Church you could-ACK!

    Jairus stiffened at the feel of Charge circulating an instant before Will flickered across the room and drove a Shortsword directly into Jairus¡¯s skull.

    All Abyss broke loose, and Travis covered his vitals as his tiny little prison cell turned into a tornado filled with cannonballs, broken limbs and knives.

    Bodyguards seemed to manifest out of thin air, emerging from the furniture to shove Will away from the Saint while the others healed him before a single heartbeat had passed.

    It was a brutal, short fight. Will managed to get one of the bodyguards with a cannonball that rendered the warrior into a fine paste and punched a hole in the wall, but the other three ganged up and beat Will within an inch of his life in the seconds that followed, ignoring the wounds they received in return.

    A moment later, the recovered Jairus strode up to him, kneeling down and healing the unconscious Will¡¯s fatal wounds while leaving the debilitating ones alone.

    Jairus knelt down to where Will¡¯s one hand was pinned to the floor by his bloodied bodyguards, plucking the gaudy Ring of the Eidolon off of Will¡¯s finger and Inspecting it.

    ¡°You nearly had me there for a second.¡± Jairus murmured before glancing up at his minions. ¡°Take him to the holding cell we¡¯ve arranged. Strip him, fit him with a restraining collar and mute his Abilities. He specializes in a Dimensional Storage Ability, he surely has some clever backup plan inside it.¡±

    Jairus glanced up at Travis, all the warmth and reasonableness that had been present while he was negotiating with Travis was gone, vanished in an instant.

    ¡°¡­Is that two-point buff to my stat growth still on the table?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°Damn. Should¡¯ve sold out earlier.¡± Travis muttered, leaning back against the wall. A moment later, Jairus and his bodyguards swept out of the room, leaving Travis alone.

    Travis noted that one of his manacles was anchored into the wall right next to the gaping hole cut by the cannonball.

    With a firm tug, the chain popped out of the splintered wall.

 Chapter 102: Interrogation

    Will¡¯s left eye fluttered open.

    His right eye was swollen shut, throbbing with the beat of his heart.

    He was splayed out, Kit missing, hanging midair, every limb strapped to an unyielding steel X at least a couple inches thick, designed to contain a climber¡¯s superhuman strength.

    Will tried to move Phantom Hand and found it completely unresponsive. Not unexpected, but it still brought a cold sweat to his brow.

    Will thought.

    His worst fear would be-

    Will cut off that line of thought for a couple reasons: first because it was pointless to think about and second because he didn¡¯t know if they had a mind-reader on-site. No sense giving them his worst fears right out the gate.

    Will¡¯s eye focused on the saint as the grizzled veteran stepped away, his poking finger still extended.

    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Jairus said with a smile.

    ¡°Good to be-,¡± Will said before a hacking cough interrupted him. A little blood must¡¯ve gotten into his lungs while he was passed out.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡± Saint Jairus asked, pulling a chair in front of the Will Chandelier and taking a seat.

    ¡°What, no knives and brands?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Other leaders in the church of Granesh jump straight to torture. I prefer to establish a dialogue first.¡± Jairus said, folding his hands. ¡°I have a great deal of experience with interrogations in general and have found that it always works out to my advantage to have a long conversation before I bring out the knives and Truth Debuffs.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Will asked, his mind lingering on the ¡®truth debuffs¡¯, finger itching.

    ¡°Because if I ask you the same questions before and after a Truth Debuff, it reveals to me what think is important enough to lie about.¡±

    ¡°Oh, interesting. Should you be telling me that?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯ll let you wiggle a little bit, I¡¯m sure, but not to a great extent. The things you feel are important won¡¯t change. Meanwhile, I believe that establishing myself as the wellspring from which Truth flows is more important.¡±

    Every word I say you can take at face value. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not making any grandiose threats. My threats will be simple, actionable ones that will be enacted the instant they leave my mouth.¡± Saint Jairus leaned back in his chair.

    ¡°Shall we get started?¡±

    Will shrugged, best as he could.

    ¡°What are the names of your Primary Abiliies?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. Silence would seem like the best option in these circumstances,¡± Jairus said, nodding. ¡°Allow me to make you an offer, then. If you answer my questions, then not only will we avoid torture for quiet some time, I will also go out of my way to allow your Party to move on to the next Floor.¡±

    Will considered.

    Time was good. Buying as much of it as possible should be his priority, and if he simply stopped answering questions, they would skip the step where he could lie to them entirely, possibly spelling his doom. It was 100% in Will¡¯s best interest to go along with this. But how not to seem desperate?

    ¡°My whole party?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Including my Tangled and my Kobold?¡± Will asked. ¡°I know how you people are.¡±

    ¡°Your Tangled killed no less than fifteen sailors.¡±

    ¡°Who attacked her first.¡± Will said. ¡°She¡¯s a sweetheart if you¡¯re not trying to kill her or use her as a living weapon. Something I¡¯ve been trying not to abuse.¡±

    ¡°The kobold isn¡¯t in your Party.¡±

    ¡°It totally is,¡± Will replied.

    ¡°Interesting. Yes, I suppose a Deceiver would have affinity for the scaled subhumans.¡±

    Will cocked his head to the side.

    ¡°How about this?¡± Will asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to die here, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡± Jairus said with a shrug. ¡°Barring special circumstances we will execute you at the end of our interrogation.¡±

    Will chuckled. ¡°You really are committed to telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°A man¡¯s word is powerful, as long as it remains unbroken.¡± Jairus said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you all the answers you want, if you give all the answers want. Then when we¡¯re done, you can kill me as planned. No sensitive information leaked.¡±

    ¡°What makes you suggest that?¡± Jairus asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know what a Deceiver is.¡± Will said. ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone taught it to me growing up.¡±

    Jairus seemed to consider for a moment.

    ¡°You are aware of the conflict between Granesh, god of order, and Ouroboros?¡±

    ¡°Vaguely.¡±

    ¡°During their first battle, the blood of Ouroboros rained down on The Tower, proliferating every scaled monster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Well, a few of the more powerful types, Immortal Serpents among them, carry on the ancient battle against order that is imprinted in their very blood. They use shapeshifting to replace human Climbers and send their half-breed children to sow chaos.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that my parents¡­¡±

    ¡°One of them was replaced during their Climb, conceived you, and then delivered you to an orphanage, like a seed of chaos waiting to sprout.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Will mused. His life pretty chaotic. He¡¯d guessed most of this already, but it was nice to hear it straight from the priesthood themselves.

    ¡°My turn. What are your Sacrifices?¡± Jairus asked.

    ¡°Gravity goat, Uru drake, and my left hand.¡±

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    ¡°¡­¡± Jairus paused, glancing over at Will¡¯s missing left hand. ¡°You realize that confirms that you aren¡¯t fully human?¡±

    ¡°I had an inkling,¡± Will admitted

    ¡°Your turn,¡± Jairus said.

    ¡°Why do I have a strange empathy for certain corpses?¡± Will asked, praying that he wasn¡¯t giving away more information than he was asking for.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Every now and then I¡¯ll come across the body of a dead person and I¡¯ll see myself as them. Have conversations with them, even. This happened a lot more in the first few Floors.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your affinity for other Deceivers. Your progenitor scattered thousands of spawn outside the tower, and they leave a psychic imprint upon their death that you unconsciously absorb, drawing you into the last few moments of their life. The reason it¡¯s stopped in the upper floors is there¡¯s significantlyless Deceivers who¡¯ve made it this far.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Will cocked his head. ¡°Does that mean could get psychic Abilities?¡± Will asked, thinking back to the Tomahawk of the Serpent.

    Jairus shook his head and waggled a finger. ¡°My turn.¡±

    Will groaned, but nodded.

    ¡°Do you know where your parents are now?¡± Jairus asked.

    ¡°No, last I heard they were making their way back down, from the upper floors, but that can take years. I haven¡¯t seen them since I was ten.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jairus scratched down a note.

    ¡°My turn. Do you know which of my parents is the serpent?¡±

    ¡°Typically it¡¯s the male.¡±

    Will thought, pursing his lips in thought.

    Jairus opened his mouth to speak when an urgent knock on the cell¡¯s door interrupted him.

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± the saint¡¯s assistant ducked his head into the room. ¡°There¡¯s a messenger here for you.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Jairus asked, motioning for him to send the man in.

    Joshua cleared his throat nervously. ¡°He was very insistent that it was for your ears only.¡±

    Jairus groaned and pushed himself to his feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment. Sorry to stop just when we were getting somewhere.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think of some questions while you¡¯re out,¡± Will said with a shrug.

    ¡°Keep an eye on him,¡± Jairus said to his bodyguard, who nodded and fixed his gaze on Will, intent on not giving him any wiggle room.

    A moment later, the Saint swept out of the room, leaving Will alone with a powerful Warrior in full kit. Easy peasy.

    Will tugged on his bonds experimentally, satisfied when they threatened to slip off of him as if they¡¯d been made of greased seaweed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± The warrior threatened, tensing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t what? Test my bindings? You haven¡¯t held many people captive before have you?¡± Will asked, testing Phantom Hand.

    It was sluggish, but starting to recover from the numbness already.

    Will¡¯s ¡®big favor¡¯ to ask of Jean was to borrow the Ring of Total Freedom. It was the last lifeline that allowed her to avoid being captured and used as a living weapon, so naturally she was reluctant to part with it.

    Will had to do some pretty impressive groveling, and make the four girls several dubious promises he was unsure he could actually follow through on before they gave it up.

    All he had to do after that was put the ring on, allow it to hide itself, then put the Ring of The Eidolon on over it, acting as camouflage.

    Naturally, only the first ring would be active, and the second would be inert.

    So the Ring of Total Freedom was able to pass unnoticed when they took the Ring of the Eidolon, the people searching him assuming they¡¯d cleared that part of his kit.

    Unnoticed by the guard, Will swished the Phantom Hand around the room until he felt that he¡¯d shaken out most of its sluggishness. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He switched from the Wand of the Undead Retainer to the Sickle of Cold Harvest, causing a shiver to run down his spine as the Phantom Hand¡¯s finger and turned black.

    ¡°NNG!¡±

    The guard let out a muffled grunt of pain as a steel dart emerged from Phantom Hand at point blank, perforating his neck and instantly sheathing his entire body with oversized ice crystals due to Cold Harvest¡¯s effects.

    Will slipped out of his bindings and sprinted up to the bodyguard, feeling Cold Harvest¡¯s lifesteal effect causing the bruises and lacerations crippling him to begin fading away.

    Will reached the guard¡¯s sword before his hoarfrost-slowed hand could reach it, whipping the blade out and killing the man with a well-placed thrust to the eye.

    Will lowered the body quietly to the floor and put his ear to the door to see if anyone had heard. In the distance, he could make out Saint Jainus¡¯s receding footsteps.

    Saint Jainus was old, and specialized in Focus. That meant Will could hear him before he could hear Will.

    Will cracked the door open and peeked out, seeing nobody.

    He crept out and followed the saint¡¯s footsteps until they came to an end.

    ¡°I¡¯ll return to my duties,¡± Joshua said, his voice preceding him as he approached one of the doors in the hall.

    Surging with adrenaline, Will sprinted forward and leapt up, directly over the doorway his voice was coming from, clinging to the wall and ceiling.

    The door opened underneath him and Joshua walked out, not bothering to look directly above him.

    The assistant walked away, disappearing down the Officer¡¯s hall.

    ¡°What¡¯s this message then?¡± Will heard Jairus¡¯s voice ask.

    ¡°Not just yet,¡± the messenger¡¯s voice said, before Will felt a Charge move through the air in the room across from them, and suddenly the sound went dead.

    Will scanned his surroundings and spotted that the door opposite him was open, revealing a room with books inside.

    Will used Phantom hand to steal a piece of paper out of one of the bibles. The extra thin stuff.

    He pried a long splinter of wood off the wall about the size of his palm, and jammed it through the ultra-thin paper before feeding the splinter through the gap in the door.

    When the splinter was about halfway through the gap, the extra-thin paper began to vibrate with the faintest sound that his outlandish Acuity could barely pick up.

    Will frowned.

    ¡°So the Prophet thinks he¡¯s going to escape us?¡± Jairus asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m just the messenger, but it would certainly appear that way.¡± The other voice spoke.

    ¡°What¡¯s this about five silver?¡± Jairus asked.

    Will¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°Again, I¡¯m the messenger, and we were instructed to deliver the message before the prophecy could be completely interpreted. It was deemed important that it reach your ears immediately, given its potential time-sensitive nature.¡±

    Will thought, letting himself down from the ceiling and creeping away from the door before sprinting back down the hall on the balls of his feet.

    If anything he could sniff it out. It had been steeping in the scent of rotting fish aboard Shimmer for weeks, after all.

    As he was running, a body turned the corner, nearly running directly into Will. Will¡¯s adrenaline was so high that the sword was halfway to Travis¡¯s eye before he identified him.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± they whispered at the same

    ¡°Escaping, obviously.¡± Travis replied. ¡°Our stuff¡¯s over here.¡± He thumbed over his shoulder.

    Together the two of them sprinted down the hall until they reached the room where Will¡¯s kit had been stashed.

    Will listened at the door and determined there were at least two people breathing on the other side.

    ¡°Two enemies,¡± Will signed, pointing at the door.

    Travis nodded, and a moment later, Will cracked the door the tiniest amount, using the Ring of Total Freedom to ooze his way into the room without opening it more than a couple inches.

    ¡°You¡¯re not sneaky,¡± Loth¡¯s voice came from atop the chest with Will¡¯s gear, causing all the tension to drain out of his body.

    Will glanced over and saw that Ria was standing beside Loth, acting as the saboteur¡¯s bodyguard.

    Behind them was an insect-chewed hole in the side of the ship, marking the path of their escape.

    ¡°¡­I know I just asked for a huge favor,¡± Will said, turning to Ria. ¡°But would you mind doing one more big favor for me?¡±

    Shortly afterwards, Jairus finished the debrief with the messenger, drank a bit of water to clear his throat, and headed back to the interrogation room.

    The room was oddly chillier than he remembered it, but the guard still stood in the corner, watching the Deceiver with a steely gaze.

    The Deceiver¡¯s bruises seemed to have faded, his lacerations scabbed over.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Jairus asked.

    ¡°The Deceiver had a healing potion concealed in their collar. I as able to pry it out of their mouth before they could drink too much.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡± Jairus asked.

    ¡°Yes, Saint.¡±

    153-123 charges remaining.

    ¡°Nonbelievers cannot lie to me.¡± Jainus said. There was no time to go through the typical process of slowly extracting information and cross-referencing it to get a deeper understanding of the subject.

    William Oh took in a sharp breath.

    According to the prophecy, Will was going to escape any second, or perhaps he had already. He no longer had time to dance around the issue and instead must cut to the heart of the matter.

    ¡°Are you William Oh?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± William Oh said.

    ¡°Are you planning on escaping?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±

    ¡°?¡± Jainus said, his voice taking on an edge.

    ¡°Well, my working plan is that I¡¯m going to paralyze you with hoarfrost, slip out of my restraints, subdue your bodyguards, then I¡¯m gonna drag you out onto the ocean and escape into the confusion of the Scramble as the fishpeople you¡¯re working with sink your ship with a bit of help from Loth the Luminary.¡±

    Jairus almost laughed off the absurdity of Will¡¯s ¡®plan¡¯, until the ¡®fishpeople¡¯ were mentioned.

    Jainus glanced behind him where his bodyguard stood, inhaling through his nose. Sniffing the air.

    Cold air. The faintest scent of blood. Something he hadn¡¯t been conscious of until he had grown suspicious. He¡¯d assumed it had been Will¡¯s blood. His eyes widened.

    123-93 charges remaining.

    ¡°Nonbelievers cannot-¡°

    A piercing pain assaulted Jairus¡¯s chest an instant before hoarfrost locked his jaw shut.

    Ice covered Jairus¡¯s eyes and ears as he froze in place, toppling to the ground.

    Around him he heard the muffled sounds of battle as his hidden bodyguards engaged with Will and the false one that had been replaced while he was gone.

    Jairus felt the ship begin to rock, and beneath the shouting and ringing of steel he thought he could make out someone shouting ¡®Scramble!¡¯

 Chapter 103: Getting the Hang of it

    nuthin¡¯

    ¡°Scramble! Scramble! Scramble!¡±

    The clanging of bells rose above the shouts that multiplied, echoing from ship to ship.

    Will sprinted across the water while Ria jumped from pier to pier, the frozen Saint over her shoulder.

    The man¡¯s movement speed was penalized to such a degree that he was for all intents, paralyzed.

    Will thought.

    ¡°That way!¡± Loth said, sprinting along behind Ria while Travis was bringing up the rear.

    A dark form lunged out of the water, its webbed fingers clasping around Ria¡¯s ankle.

    The Tangled didn¡¯t even slow down, her powerful leap violently ramming the fishman¡¯s chest into the pier before he let go to save his arm.

    Will widened his gaze and saw that Climbers were being snatched off the piers in droves as they ran to their ships.

    Will glanced down and spotted even larger shadows moving through the churning ocean beneath.

    Will looked up and spotted the slightly pearlescent clouds he¡¯d learned to associate with cloud coral, and by extension, sky sharks.

    Will thought.

    It wasn¡¯t the right time to pat Loth on the head for her strategy sense, but when she called an incoming attack, it paid to

    ¡°Ria!¡± Will shouted over the storm, catching her attention.

    ¡°You wanted to save people!?¡± Will said, gesturing to the Climbers getting picked off in the confusion. ¡°Here¡¯s your chance!¡±

    Ria nodded and tossed the Saint to Loth, who let out a squeak of surprise before Travis caught up and helped her carry him. Together those two hefted the Saint and kept running. Shimmer was within eyeshot.

    Meanwhile, Ria split dozens of times over, each of her clones growing fins as they dove into the water. Jean was still wearing the Ring of Water Breathing, so the Tangled girls were their best underwater combatants.

    The water around them began to churn as Ria did battle with the attackers underwater, forcing many of them to release their captured Climbers, who dragged themselves back up on the piers, shivering and gasping.

    Will kept running and spotted a fishman about to pop out in front of Loth.

    Will turned suddenly and performed a sliding kick that shot seaspray into the air, catching the fishman in the face and forcing him away from Loth, allowing her to continue past him.

    Will¡¯s hand caught the water and pulled himself up before he sank into the ocean, getting his feet back under him and jumping out of the way of a charging fish person, their claws swiping where his calves had been an instant ago.

    A thought occurred to Will as he danced away, a face rapidly approached from under the surface.

    He slammed his heel down onto the water, stiffening it for an instant as the fishman crumpled against the hard plate of water Will was standing on.

    When Will glanced back up, Loth and Travis were climbing the ropes onto Shimmer as the wind and waves began to get more and more violent.

    On either side, scaled humanoid forms were climbing up the side of Shimmer.

    Will thought, bursting into a sprint, grabbing Phantom Hand and flinging himself up above Shimmer¡¯s deck, flying in a high arc above them before landing on board Shimmer.

    His shin bone nearly got shoved into his sternum as the swells propelled the ship up beneath his feet, but Will didn¡¯t have time to feel pain, scrambling forward and leaning over, taking his place beside the line of Annas leaning over the side of the ship.

    ¡°Push them off!¡± Will shouted to Anna, pointing at the boarders swarming out of the water, before he began hauling on the rope Loth was climbing, bringing her up to the deck

    ¡°One moment.¡± Loth said, pausing as Travis took the Saint huffing with effort as he threw the frozen man over his shoulder and sprinted further on board.

    She turned back toward the edge and peered over for a moment before slamming her fist down on the nearby railing.

    With a mechanical noise, the outer scales coating Shimmer flipped with explosive force, catching the limbs of the climbing fish-people and snapping them off as the orientation of the scales reversed.

    The vast majority of the boarders tumbled back into the ocean, missing a hand or a few toes, but there were still a dozen or so who had managed to avoid getting a body part snipped and retained their suction-cup grip on the side of the boat.

    Loth growled, holding one hand to her Amulet of Chain Casting, the other directing her claws towards the boarders.

    Two dozen fishpeople gave strangled gasps of pain as wasps burst from their chests before setting upon their allies, driving them back into the water.

    One by one, Ria found the ship and climbed aboard, cuts of various sizes closing as she did.

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    ¡°Hold onto something!¡± Loth¡¯s voice rose above the storm.

    Will craned his neck to see what she was warning of: a massive mouth erupting from the water, attempting to engulf Shimmer.

    With a jolt that caused dozens of people to lose their footing and tumble into the abyss, The mouth impacted the ship, not big enough to swallow Shimmer.

    Shimmer, half-inside the massive leviathan¡¯s mouth, was suddenly dragged downward as the creature dove with it¡¯s catch.

    Will looped his arm around the ship¡¯s railing, using his newly minted left elbow to secure it in place.

    It felt like the world had dropped out from under their feet for an instant before a wall of water crashed into them, scouring the deck with the fury of an angry god.

    The moonlight faded above as they were dragged down further and further, before Will felt a and a jolt, transmitted through the entire ship.

    A fishman approached from above, moving swiftly as he was drawn inward, riding the titanic eddies propagated by Shimmer¡¯s wake.

    Will quickly switched his arm out for his leg around Shimmer¡¯s railing, Standing up in the water to wait for the fishman¡¯s approach.

    Will finally got a good view of these new monsters. They had needle-like teeth, streamlined, scaled bodies, and large fins that splayed out from the sides of their short legs.

    Every movement screamed confidence as it approached, with all the swagger of a man approaching a duck about to be dinner. A duck he particularly disliked.

    Will thought, unleashing the Shortsword of Perserverance directly into its chest from Phantom Hand¡¯s storage. The water had no effect on how fast it could move.

    Will grabbed the handle of the sword as the stunned monster delivered it back to him, yanking it free and warding off the narrow spear thrust towards him by the creature¡¯s compatriot.

    The water was frustratingly thick, slowing down Will¡¯s movements to a perceived crawl as he tried to fend off dozens of creatures after his blood.

    A moment later, Anna arrived beside him, the chubby blonde baker had grown fins, her hair creating a glittering curtain in the water as she fended off the fishmen with the help of several other copies of Ria, Jean and Bee.

    One the pressure was off of them, she turned and gave Will a silent thumb¡¯s-up.

    Shimmer slipped out of the Leviathan¡¯s mouth and suddenly the water slapped Will down, nearly tearing his leg off as Shimmer began flying upwards at ungodly speed.

    Will stowed his sword before he lost it and grabbed the railing with his hand too, looking out past the railing, out into the abyss beyond.

    Hundreds of baker girls were swimming directly towards him, trying to catch up with Shimmer after being washed off. It was like something out of a dream:

    Their hair flowed behind them, their bodies framed by the endless expanse of black that lay beyond, creating a stunning visual as the moonlight highlighted their isolated bodies.

    Will thought an instant before Shimmer broke the surface, catapulting up into the air, carried by its own momentum.

    ¡°WHOOO!¡± Loth shouted from the upper deck. ¡°You think you can stop something built!?¡± She beat her chest and cackled.

    Will managed to collect himself and roll away from the railing before the sudden return to the ocean broke his leg. The sudden impact of his chest going down while the ship bobbed did knock the wind out of him for a second, even with his high Resistance.

    Will thought as he scrambled to his feet.

    ¡°Are you okay!?¡± Anna asked, erupting out of the water and arriving beside him, fins fading into legs like one of the mermaids from the old stories. The non-monster kind, anyway.

    ¡°Find Mason!¡± Will shouted back, a bit more barking than he would¡¯ve liked when speaking to their food, clothes, and cleaning specialist, but it was an emergency.

    Anna¡¯s expression went blank for a moment and Will thought he¡¯d pissed her off, but the girl simply pointed towards an empty section of railing.

    Will leaned over and spotted a shivering Mason barely clinging to a rope off the side of the ship. A Ria shot out of the water and landed on the netting beside him, grabbing their Nuker and hauling him aboard, delivering him to Will.

    ¡°Mason!¡± Will said, getting the slender Nuker¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Eh? EH!¡± Mason shook out of his stupor, seemingly surprised to be alive and above the water.

    ¡°Crows nest!¡± Will shouted, pointing. ¡°Leviathans!¡± He wanted Mason to give them a mouthful of fire next time they tried to drag Shimmer under. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Sky sharks!¡± Mason shouted back, pointing straight up.

    Will glanced up and spotted the thousands of sharks swirling above them, eager to pick off isolated Climbers.

    ¡°Take Ria!¡±

    Ria nodded and carried Mason up to the crow¡¯s nest, followed by dozens more of her.

    ¡°Do a headcount!¡± Will said, grabbing one of Bee¡¯s copies.

    Bee nodded, her expression going blank.

    ¡°Party¡¯s accounted for!¡± one of her clones said, giving him a mock salute as she sprinted past.

    Will¡¯s legs buckled and he grabbed the railing as the ship went nearly vertical.

    ¡°YEEEHAAAW!¡± Reese¡¯s voice rose above the storm with a strange battle-cry, the emaciated sailor heaving on the steering wheel as the waves carried them up.

    ¡°WILL, LOOK!¡± Loth shouted from her perch, pointing in front of them and down.

    Will dragged himself over and looked over the railing, spotting The Floating Church of Granesh in the valley of two swells, directly beneath them.

    Shimmer slammed down on top of the luxurious vessel, the reinforced leviathan scales cutting through the high-end wood.

    In a matter of seconds, the Floating Church of Granesh was sheared in two, drifting into Shimmer¡¯s wake as they cut through the water.

    Will thought, wincing as he spotted hundreds of sailors scattered to the wind. The vast majority of them would not survive the night.

    Will shoved nonessential thoughts aside, refocusing on keeping everyone aboard Shimmer alive through the night.

    And on the battle went.

    By the time the night ended, Will was a ragged mess, splayed across the deck and staring at the sky above, which was rapidly turning it¡¯s unnatural shade of blue as the strange sun peeked above the horizon.

    Anna¡¯s face came into view, blocking some of the morning light, seemingly fine despite fighting for her life the entire night.

    Will knew logically it was her higher physical stats, and the fact that she could keep fresh copies in reserve, but still¡­

    ¡°Are you okay? Do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°Breakfast, nap and a bath. Maybe not in that order.¡±

    ¡°I bought some oatmeal and dried blueberries in the Flotilla,¡± She said, putting a hot bowl on his chest.

    ¡°Big spender,¡± Will grunted, glancing down at the steaming bowl of blueberry oatmeal under his chin and desperately tried to move his hand.

    It didn¡¯t work as well as he wanted to, so Will resorted to trying to grab some of the delicious treat with his tongue.

    ¡°Here,¡± Anna said with a sigh, taking the bowl off his chest and sitting him up before beginning to spoon-feed him the oatmeal.

    ¡°Having fun?¡± Loth asked, arriving beside them.

    ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said no,¡± Will admitted. ¡°How can you still move?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t jumping around the deck from emergency to emergency all night,¡± Loth said with a shrug, folding her legs and sitting beside him, accepting a bowl of oatmeal from one of the dozens of Annas crisscrossing the deck with trays of steaming food.

    ¡°We have to kill the Saint.¡± Loth said matter-of-factly between bites, causing Will to nearly inhale a blueberry.

    Will coughed oatmeal out of his lungs for a moment before catching his breath.

    ¡°Moral dilemmas aside, he¡¯s got some information I want,¡± Will said.

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better find a creative way to get it out of him before he thinks to give Anna the Berserk debuff.¡± Loth said, scanning the surrounding Tangled, that made up perhaps a quarter of the five hundred people aboard.

    ***Saint Jairus***

    ¡°So, let¡¯s revisit that permanent two points of stat growth,¡± Travis Oilton said, lacing his fingers together as he studied the Saint. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that offer is back on the table?¡±