Wyn held up his lantern, the soft yellow light lighting the caves of the seventh floor. He had only just regained leadership of the team and planned to take them through some of the lower floors for easy rewards, items, and practice before trying to go to the ninth floor. They had all week left to clear it, and they had a good idea of what they could find between their own personal experience and the information collected from the guilds. For now, Wyn wanted to push them to regain his footing leading them, collect items to potentially improve his own equipment, and gather more stock for future item trades.

  That brought them to the seventh floor, where the secondary quest of collecting monster drops was found. It was far more difficult than the first tier secondary quest, and the rewards were better. Having to fight different monsters that gave better piles of loot was a large bonus, too. Wyn hoped to clear the quest at least two times before moving on. They had also decided to stick with using Wyn’s lantern as a light source, hoping that it would reveal another secret room while they climbed.

  Secondary Quest: Dangerous monsters patrol the more rugged mountains of Isoterra, protecting or taking territory as they see fit. Proof of their defeat is a mark of a true warrior. Each component must be of a differing element.

  Riock feather: 2/2

  Ta-Yurk scales: 1/3

  Traversing the caves was a necessary part of the floor, and once out on the other side it would be easier to find other Ta-Yurk scales. They had already been in the floor for hours and found plenty of monster groups that they handled without major difficulty. Compared to a couple of weeks ago when Cedric led them and the eighth floor they just cleared, this climb felt much more manageable.

  A collection of rock monsters fell and rolled from the walls, and Wyn set about the task of killing them again. Like before, it was a fairly trivial job as long as he focused on what he was doing. He noted what colors the glowstones nestled in their bodies produced, and adjusted his Elemental Weapon spell to accommodate. For these, they seemed to be of the water element, and instead of using his weapon he activated his shield and backed up.

  “Cedric,” Wyn said, not needing to say another word.

  Cedric promptly attacked the three rocks with Spark, cast at a higher tier. The spell washed over the rocky trio like a thundering shower and they froze, stunned and damaged. Another spell let loose from Cedric’s topaz staff, and the rocks dissipated back into the tower.

  A small pile of rewards dropped from the monsters, some of which was glowing blue. Curious, Wyn stepped forward, hoping for an item. Instead, a half-moon shaped smooth but spongy rock was there instead. It was a monster drop and not particularly interesting, outside of its strange weight and feel. They had found several before, though this was the first one that was of the lightning element.

  At least, it wasn’t very interesting until Wyn’s lantern began glowing with a more intense light as Wyn held the item in his hand. Fear coursed through him as he thought something was wrong, then it worsened as the item began shaking in his hand. The smooth rock then flew at the lantern on his hip, disappearing in a small shower of magic.

  “What in the hells was that?” John asked, standing beside Wyn.

  Wyn had no idea, and was too stunned to answer. The lantern’s normally green magical glow intensified, and the yellow light that lit up the cave began to grow. As quick as it happened, the light then went out, and the group was cast in darkness.

  A quick word from Tasha caused a large glowing orb of white light to hover above them just below the cave ceiling. Everyone was staring at Wyn and his lantern.

  His lantern that now gave off a blue aura with some hints of light grey shining within.

  Wondering what was happening, Wyn pulled out his item parchment and went to the ITEMS page.

  Mushroom Lantern - A handful of rare, luminescent mushrooms reside within this magical jar. When shaken, the mushrooms activate, shining bright in their own colors. Provides dim light up to 60 feet. Will stay active for one hour, may be shaken again immediately. Colors can change with each activation.

  Suddenly the text was gone, and in its place was a new sentence.

  Updating. Upgrade component utilized, growth criteria met.

  Mushroom Lantern - A handful of rare, luminescent mushrooms reside within this magical jar. When shaken, the mushrooms activate, shining bright in a color of your choosing. Can choose dim or bright light. Dim light is expanded to 120 feet, while bright light shines at 60 feet with dim light expanded an additional 60 feet. Will stay active for two hours, may be shaken again immediately. The owner has an inherent understanding of text read when using the light of this lantern.

  Wyn read the effect out loud to the others as the parchment magically replaced the previous description. Wyn’s hands shook while holding the paper, unsure of how or why it happened.

  “How can that happen?” Cedric asked, looking at the parchment over Wyn’s shoulder. “I’ve never heard of an item improving on its own like that.”

  “So the criteria was just one of those rocks in order to change like that?” Tasha asked. “We’ve found a few before. Did the lantern absorb those, too?”

  “I… don’t know,” Wyn said. “I don’t remember. The last few times I just put the rocks in my bag. Or at least I thought I did.”

  “It’s worth looking into,” Cedric said. “And if I’m understanding that description correctly, that lantern received a massive upgrade by allowing you to understand any text read under its light. That’s a ridiculous effect!”

  “If we happen to come across another secret room, we’ll actually know what it says now,” Marcy said. “That’s huge.”

  “Huge doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Cedric said. “If I'm interpreting it correctly, you could theoretically ready any language and understand it. People would kill for an effect like that.”

  “Best keep it to yourself, then,” Lucy said. “Maybe only show it here in the tower, or else someone might want to take it from you.”

  The others glanced at Lucy but agreed. Wyn did, too. A sense of concern grew within him as he thought about the Faceless Four. They knew he had the lantern, and now the Twilight Blade’s leaders did, too.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The masked Climbers threatened him before during the guilds meeting, and it was obvious his lantern and their masks had a connection. Could they see the lantern’s true power and worth? Did their masks give them some kind of power that no one else knew? For that matter, were their masks similar to the lantern, being able to upgrade while giving a great power?

  Wyn suddenly wondered what their masks said, and now realized his lantern would tell him what the runes on each of them meant. That was a dangerous realization. If the masks and the lantern weren’t connected, then they had to share some sort of special property. The only problem was that Wyn was given the lantern, and it was obviously special as it was given by the Avatar of Alistair.

  Maybe their masks were also given to them in some way?

  More questions came than answers, though Wyn was grateful he could trust his team with keeping the lantern a secret. At least for now. Letting the guild leaders know probably was a good idea. It may possess a power too great for Wyn to safely have in his possession.

  All Wyn knew was that he needed to be cautious moving forward. Dangerous times were ahead, and he wanted to be ready.

  *****

  The ale was stout and delicious, and Wyn savored every gulp. The rest of the guild wasn’t as reserved, but he didn’t blame them. It wasn’t every day they were able to celebrate to this degree. The rest of his group also watched how much they drank since Wyn told them they were on a specific climbing schedule, and he didn’t want any of them too drunk to climb tomorrow. Healing magic worked wonders, but it didn’t cure hangovers.

  Marcy was his biggest concern but she was appropriately holding back. It likely helped that she was talking to Faye, who was very openly and obviously flirting with her. Marcy took the chance in stride and focused on them instead of the ruckus.

  Nigel and his team had just finished the ninth floor, and Gregory made the announcement to have a celebration. They would be upgrading their classes over the next couple of days, followed by rounding out the week and month by practicing with their upgrades before starting it all again for a new season.

  Wyn remembered when he and his friends completed the fourth floor and upgraded their class. It wasn’t as momentous as a time like this, but it was still memorable. He’d be lying if he didn’t say he was a little jealous, too, since he wanted his team to be the ones celebrated for advancing to the third tier and upgrading their classes.

  He took a deep breath and another drink of his ale. Their time would come. Hopefully within the week, too.

  Looking around at their table, Wyn noticed how everyone was taking the news and dinner. Marcy couldn’t care less, and was completely engrossed in her conversation with Faye. Tasha seemed to be comforting John, who put on warm smiles when congratulating Nigel and his group but had an obvious look of disappointment now sitting at the table. Wyn understood his desire to be Gregory’s pupil, and had a bit of a friendly rivalry with Nigel. Seeing him advance first stung.

  Cedric, like Marcy, also didn’t seem too interested about celebrating the team, as he was busy practicing with his magical arm. He still had food on his plate as he was forcing his cloudy hand to grasp the utensils, which was a slow and laborious process. Wyn also noticed he decided against trying to hold a cup with his arm as apparently he wasn’t quite that skilled with the item yet. Still, being able to have the dexterity and strength to successfully use forks and knives was a triumph, even if the process took him longer than the others.

  Then there was Lucy. She was quietly sitting towards the end of the table watching the others in the room. Her plate was picked clean, and she sipped at her cup. It was painfully obvious she wanted more to drink but was pacing herself. She looked out of place, awkward, and uncomfortable.

  In a lot of ways, she was. She didn’t earn her guild spot like the others. The Assembly snaked their way into having her join, and she was an outcast compared to everyone else. A woman who didn’t even want to climb but was forced to out of indenture.

  But, there was a small part of her that still belonged. Wyn reluctantly acknowledged that fact. She still climbed with them, put her life on the line for them, and fought monsters alongside them. Most would call her a black sheep, and by all accounts that would be true. But in a strange way, Wyn was thankful for her. Others in her position as being a part of the Assembly might exploit him and his sister, but she hated the organization just as much as he did. Everything she pointed out she would do she did, and she held her word despite what the others might have thought about her. She proved herself over and over, and it was Wyn’s own biases and mistrust that prevented him from truly letting her in as a friend.

  Though a large part of him knew that would never happen. Despite her words and actions of trust she was still tainted by her affiliation. Wyn wasn’t perfect, either, and wanted to keep her at arm’s reach. For his sake, and his sister’s.

  His mind then wandered back to his plan of selling the farm to finally remove their father’s debt. He hoped it would work. There was nothing but bad memories there, and he would be happy to leave it behind. But the threat of the Assembly trying something against him and his sister gave him hesitation.

  “Wyn,” Marcy said, her voice rising above the commotion of the dining hall.

  A small chicken bone hit Wyn in the arm, making some people at the table chuckle. Wyn looked over at Marcy, who had a look of frustration on her face.

  “What?” Wyn asked.

  Marcy groaned while the others laughed harder. “Your mind was adrift again. I’ve been trying to talk to you!”

  “Sorry,” Wyn said sheepishly. “What is it?”

  “Forget it,” Marcy said. “Are you alright? You seem distant.”

  “Just thinking about the plan for my debt. Really, though, what were you wanting?”

  “It’s not important. What about your debt?”

  Wyn looked around and saw the others were curious, too, including Lucy. Faye was gone, returned to the head table where her team sat with Nigel’s team.

  “Just some hesitation, is all. I really want the plan to work. I’m so tired of this looming debt, especially now with Arabelle here wanting to climb. I’d rather focus on us climbing and helping to keep her safe.”

  “It’ll work out. Have some faith.”

  Wyn huffed a laugh. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because you have us,” John said. “You’re not alone, you know. Arabelle, too.”

  Wyn smiled at his friends and took another deep breath. John was right. He wasn’t alone. Though that still didn’t remove his worries, he did feel better knowing his friends were by his side.

  “I’ll help you on what you need to say,” Lucy said. She took a larger gulp of her ale before continuing. “My handler, Mathias, is a right creep and piece of shit, but he can be manipulated just like any of us can. I can help with what exactly you need to say to help your chances at him agreeing.”

  Wyn was about to respond when Faye stood up on the head table, waving a sloshing mug. The room then started to quiet down.

  “Fellow Blade members,” Faye said, her words slurred. Some of the others laughed, which made Faye’s lips curl in a grin. “We’re here to celebrate Nigel and his team on their dashing performance in Alistair finishing the eighth floor!”

  “Ninth floor,” Brett said, his hands covering his face embarrassment.

  “Ninth floor!” Faye corrected. “Nigel has, apparently, prepared something to say. Please come up and speak!”

  “Yes, Nigel, please go up and speak!” Caryn boomed, causing the room to erupt in laughter.

  Nigel stepped up onto the table, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He didn’t appear as inebriated as Faye, and seemed even slightly nervous. He cleared his throat while the room hushed again.

  “Thank you, Faye, Caryn. Brett, too.” More laughs populated the room, though they were more subdued. “I didn’t really have much to say, but did want to say a little something on behalf of my team. When this season started, we knew we were ready to try to finish the ninth floor. All we needed was a good season to test ourselves. Seeing the environment, it was beautiful and magical, a stark reminder at why we climb. Of what we find inside Alistair, the magic and wonder.”

  The room was completely silent now, hanging on Nigel’s every word.

  “After hearing that dragons were enemies inside, and that a true dragon was the boss of the ninth floor, we were more determined than ever. It was the challenge we were looking for, one that was honorable, difficult, and noteworthy. Who could argue about our strength after facing and defeating a dragon?”

  People clinked their mugs and cheered, encouraging the Squire. Wyn wondered if the man really didn’t have a speech prepared, or if he was just that charismatic of a person. Nigel then smiled broadly and raised his arms before continuing.

  “That’s right! No one can! The floors fought back, of course, as they always do. Several times we weren’t sure if this was actually our time. But we persevered. We believed in ourselves as individuals, and our collective power as a team! There was doubt, of course, but we pushed through. We trusted ourselves. We trusted each other. We trusted our abilities, our guts, and our determination to make us and all of you proud! And we did it! We advanced!”

  The room erupted in cheers and applause, everyone standing from their seats. Nigel had them captured, completely charmed under his words.

  Wyn, too, stood, along with his table. Even Lucy was standing and cheering, caught by the infectious mood and inspiring words. Wyn looked to them, to her, and saw them shout and cheer in support of Nigel and his team at their victory. Their success.

  Pausing from his clapping, Wyn had a bolster of confidence with his own determination. He and their team may not have completed the ninth floor as soon as Nigel and his group, but they were equally committed with a fierce passion and desire to lift one another up.

  Wyn walked over to Lucy. “I want you to arrange a meeting,” Wyn said, nearly shouting the words to be heard over the rowdy room.

  “I already told you I would,” Lucy responded. “Our current meeting is scheduled for Torday, right before the season ends.”

  “No. Move it up. I want it for tomorrow.”

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