Wyn slumped down into the water, allowing his body to completely submerge. He may have hated water, but he didn't mind this. In fact, he quickly grew to love it. The hot springs of the fifth floor were more than just relaxing. They were also invigorating, both to his mind and spirit.

  Magical healing was wonderful, but magical hot springs were extraordinary.

  Slowly resurfacing, Wyn gently meandered to the edge beside John and Cedric, keeping his body under the water except for his head. John was lounging with his arms spread wide over the smooth rock edge, his eyes closed. Cedric wasn’t as restful. He was focusing on his ethereal left arm, playing with the shape and control and how it interacted with the water. It kept its arm-like appearance consistently, or at least as much as Wyn noticed. Even moving about through the water its magical shape remained. When Cedric would try and flex parts of it and wade around, though, faint portions of the object became distorted and strange. Still, it was a lot of progress in a relatively short amount of time.

  “Your control is already amazing,” Wyn said.

  Cedric leaned back against the side of the hot spring and took a deep breath. His left arm now looked like a perfect copy of his right, except for the grey color. “I’m happy with how intuitive it is to manipulate. It’s certainly become easier the more I practice and focus. But the finer control and specific interactions, like with water, give me more trouble.”

  “It’ll get better. You’ve come a long way in such a short time. I imagine it’ll be second nature in a month.”

  “That’s the hope.”

  “And then you can start practicing to use it beneficially while climbing,” Marcy said. She was across from the three men, lounging beside Lucy and Tasha. “I’m glad that you have your arm back, but I can’t hide my excitement about how you will use it against monsters.”

  “I have some ideas,” Cedric said, raising the arm to the sky.

  “I’m sure you do.” Marcy tilted her head back to rest against the edge, wearing a playful smile.

  All of them wore simple clothes made for communal swimming for modesty’s sake at the insistence of Tasha. Just about all of the other Climbers present also wore some type of clothing, evident as they walked from one hot spring to the next. Lucy wanted to go completely bare, but then decided against it as she would have been the only one. A few Climbers also had no reservations about modesty, drawing many curious glances.

  The group decided to return to the rest floor after Tasha finished her week of being the group’s leader. It was Torsday, and they had only one more day of the week to go. She made the decision not to climb that day but instead to report to Faye about the group’s performance under her leadership on the last day while the others did what they wanted. Wyn didn’t mind as he was still being invited to the guild’s weekly leadership meetings, which would occupy a fair chunk of his day both physically and mentally. He wanted to know what he could about the ninth floor before the final week of the month came so he could give a final push to progress.

  Throughout the month Wyn had some reservations that he would be replaced as the team leader, but his continued invites to the leadership meeting gave him some reassurance. The others also continuously stated they didn’t want to lead, despite Gregory mandating that they be given the opportunity. When they asked Faye about it, she said that it was more of a formality but still an opportunity to see if anyone showed promise in the role. John hated doing it and was honestly not that great at it, while Cedric and Tasha performed better. Cedric didn’t like the responsibility in the end while Tasha felt the same. She told the group she planned to tell Faye and Gregory she wanted to relinquish the position back to Wyn as Cedric had done the week before.

  After the group cleared the eighth floor a few days prior, they received their rewards and praise from the guild before returning to climb lower floors. Tasha met her progressive goal of stepping foot into the ninth floor, and then continued their overall goal of obtaining more items. Wyn gathered enough coins climbing mostly in the second tier to combine with the leftover coins from last month to nearly meet the required 12,500 gold needed for his debt payment, and the excess items he received helped make up the difference and then some. He only had a few items to his name after selling the rest, but there was still an entire week of climbing to help gather more items so he could improve his gear.

  And there was the matter of his idea to completely erase his debt in one swift motion.

  He had been putting off telling the others about his idea to sell the farm but figured now was as good a time as any. Opening his eyes, he realized he missed some conversation lost in his own thoughts.

  “But you still did an incredible job,” Marcy said. “You’re a natural.”

  “Agreed,” John said, lowering himself down until the water was right under his chin. “I was, admittedly, not. And I’m okay with that. But you were great! You got us past the eighth floor, after all!”

  “Cedric came up with our equipment lists and helped us even get to the eighth floor, though,” Tasha said.

  “I enjoy reviewing magic items and learning,” Cedric said. “Leading was far too stressful. At most I’d rather be an assistant or something similar. I’ve particularly enjoyed reviewing the information we receive about the floors from our guild and the others, and have a few thoughts about how they could improve.”

  “Of course you do,” Marcy said. “I never want to lead, so the only competition you have is Wyn.”

  “And I won’t try to take his position,” Tasha said. “I appreciate having the chance, and maybe one day I could lead a group. But for now I’d rather us keep what we know works. And that’s Wyn being at the front. I am grateful for the exercise in expanding my tactical mindset, though. That was a welcomed improvement I hope to continue.”

  There was a brief lull as everyone continued to soak in the magical waters. Lucy was the one to break silence. “I’m just happy to be in a good group for a change.”

  The others looked at her in confusion.

  Lucy stared at the misty grey sky above them while continuing. “I’ve been in groups before, of course. But they always end one way or another. Usually it’s because one of them was a mark of the Assembly. Sometimes it was because they just meshed better together and moved on. I hoped I could make the best of this shitty situation of being forced to climb by at least climbing with capable people I could trust to have my back. I know I still have a long way to go but it looks like I finally have that.”

  Wyn wondered what would happen to Lucy after his debt was cleared. Would she stay in the guild or be sent somewhere else? It was impossible to know. He appreciated her skills but still considered her a liability. He’d never be able to fully trust her, whether he wanted to or not.

  “As long as you’re open and honest with us, we’ll be open and honest with you,” John said.

  Lucy nodded, closing her eyes.

  “That reminds me of something I wanted to bring up,” Wyn said. “I may have a way to quickly clear my debt.”

  “Oh?” Marcy asked. “How?”

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  “I’m going to sell my family farm to the Assembly to cover the remainder.”

  No one responded, which made Wyn wonder if his idea was bad.

  “You think it’s worth that much?” Cedric asked.

  “I think it has the potential to be worth a lot,” Wyn said. “Having a legitimate property with a lot of land should be interesting to them. It could be worth a lot if it’s farmed correctly, and it would be a consistent income.”

  “That wouldn’t be what they use it for,” Lucy said. “You think the Assembly would actually have a farm with cows and crops and shit like that?”

  Wyn shrugged. “Why not?”

  Lucy chuckled. “I like the idea, though they wouldn’t use it for that. They could use it to grow… certain plants with a popular underground market. Or a front for other activities. There are definitely some possibilities there. And yea, even just the land would be interesting. It’s worth a pitch.”

  “Really?” John asked. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that,” Lucy said, her eyes closed.

  “Huh,” Wyn said. “I thought you’d give me a harder time. Like, tell me to stick to the debt schedule or something like that.”

  Lucy shrugged, her shoulders just cresting the top of the water. “Like I said, it’s worth asking. The worst thing they’ll say is no.”

  “The worst thing they’ll say is that the debt would go up,” Wyn said. “ I have no idea who your contact is. He could also threaten me or my sister.”

  Lucy sighed. “I've already told you he wouldn't do that. If it makes you feel better, I could be there, too, to help smooth over the plan.”

  Wyn felt hope rise inside him for the first time with a solid chance of it working. His idea had only been that, so far. An idea. There wasn’t any assurances tied to it at all. But now that Lucy was more supportive, it seemed plausible. He only hoped it wasn’t the relaxing hot springs that swayed Lucy’s words.

  “I say we all be there,” Marcy said. “That way he’ll be dissuaded from trying anything.”

  Lucy opened her eyes and sat up, paying more attention than before. “That would not be smart. You want to get involved with them, too?”

  “We’re already involved,” Cedric said. “Whatever happens to one of us happens to all of us.”

  Lucy looked at each of them, and Wyn wondered what was going through her head. Was she impressed at their bond or mentally calling them idiots?

  “Then wait outside, at least,” Lucy said after a few moments.

  Wyn nodded his approval. “Good. Maybe we can meet in a few days? I want to be done with this sooner rather than later. I already have the month’s payment, too.”

  “Sure. I’ll get it arranged for Moonsday.”

  The six relaxed after, letting the warm water contrasted with the cool air soothe their bodies and minds.

  “You know,” Lucy said, quietly, “if there’s a way to speed up your freedom of course I’d help. Get what you and your sister deserve. To be free.”

  Wyn thought about his sister. She never deserved any of this. Their father, a right bastard by any means, was the cause of their problems. Wyn hated how they were in this position but relished the thought of moving forward with their own goals free from the chains of familial debt.

  Then he thought about Lucy. She could never attain what he and his sister would eventually have. She was still helping them, too, despite her position. It was admirable.

  “Thank you,” Wyn said. He didn’t know what else to say, though knew it wasn’t enough.

  *****

  The wooden training shield strapped to Arabelle’s left arm wasn’t overly heavy, but she knew after the training session she’d be sore. It had only been half an hour and she was already slowing down drastically. Thankfully she had healing magic, and it was enough to remove the soreness. Despite training for weeks on end and her body being in incredible shape both physically in strength and endurance, she wasn’t as skilled as the others. They literally had skills to boost their physicality, making her question her choice of using a shield. What good would it be if she couldn’t raise it after an hour while still clearing out a floor?

  Her training partner’s sword hit her on the shoulder when she tried to lift the shield to block. Unfortunately she raised it too slow, and his weapon easily struck her.

  “Hit,” Daniel said, marking something on his notepad. “That’s the match.”

  “Damnit,” Arabelle said, her left arm hanging by her side. She dropped her own mace and started undoing the straps on the wooden shield. “I didn’t even score a hit!”

  “We’re not using magic, to be fair,” Adam said.

  “Yes you are. What do you think skills are?”

  Adam paused. “Well, that’s true. But I’m not using active ones!”

  Arabelle sighed. Adam obtained his class this month just like her and was also still getting used to having magic. He was a broad, stocky man, but short, and a little older than her. His brown curly hair made him look more inviting as his size was so intimidating. Apparently he worked as a smith’s apprentice, and his frame reflected the work. He hoped to eventually become a crafter but ended up getting the Fighter class. Arabelle didn’t fully understand why he was upset about that as he was well built for the role. His weapon training was decent, too, being familiar with handling different tools, weapons included. There was still some serious training he needed to be good, but he was better than her. He didn’t have to worry about using spells, either.

  Arabelle understood why the split difference between having access to magical spells and having skills that correlated with using weapons and armor was troublesome to the average person. It would likely take her months to be sufficient with using a weapon at a caliber that could be considered good, and far longer to be great. She hoped with her class leaning more towards a magical focus that would advance quicker.

  It made sense how Wyn was able to go directly into the tower to climb with years of weapons training in the military.

  “That doesn’t matter, you brute,” Brianna said, playfully smacking Adam on the arm. “You’re still stronger and faster from your passive skills!”

  Brianna was another Fighter, though her skills leaned more towards mobility and dexterity similar to a Duelist. She had the body to match, too, being lean but muscular. Her short hair that came down to her chin wasn’t common in Jahnin, and her olive skin further marked her as being from out of the country. She said she was from the border city of Fyrewatch, which neighbored the neutral country of Derkin.

  Arabelle didn’t know much about her now, but she would before long. Both Adam and Brianna joined her to train at the insistence of their mentor. Word apparently spread that a new Ruby Magician was training to enter the tower, and after further rumors were confirmed that the new Climber was related to the Ruby Magician that made such an impression at the guild trials, people were interested in possibly creating a team.

  That was further confirmed when Daniel informed Arabelle other mentors were asking to join training sessions to see if they could be good fits to create a group. She didn’t think much of it, but Daniel was giddy. He said that hadn’t happened in over a year, and that Wyn really started a change on the current class outlook.

  “Let me take a look at your shoulder,” Oren said. He stood beside Arabelle and raised his staff, casting Cure on her.

  The third and final Climber to join them for training was Oren, a Diamond Magician. He had a look that resembled a Fighter even more than Adam, being tall, well-built, and handsome with kind features and a warm smile. He came to Alestead in the hopes of having a combat class but ended up becoming a Diamond Magician. Hoping to make the best of his decided class, he leaned into magical study and has been in the city for over a month learning magic and readying himself to climb.

  “You know it’s fine,” Arabelle said, accepting the white healing aura that coated her body for a few seconds. “They weren’t hard hits.”

  “It lets me practice my own way, though,” Oren said. “I need to get used to healing all of you when you take real injuries.”

  Arabelle couldn’t argue with that logic. She nodded in reluctant, and slightly embarrassed, agreement.

  “Arabelle, take your three laps with Brianna,” Daniel said, still writing in his notebook. “And if you don’t keep an appropriate pace with her, you’ll go directly back to another set of exercises.”

  Arabelle took a deep breath in preparation and mentally prepared herself. She was used to Daniel pushing her recently. The rookie climb was in a week, and he wanted her to be as prepared as possible. If she was being truthful, she also enjoyed the intensity as the payoff was well worth it. She could already tell her body was strong. Far stronger than the stringy woman she was before coming to the city.

  The others hadn’t realized how hard Arabelle had been training as they all shared surprised looks.

  “Isn’t that a bit harsh?” Brianna asked. “I have passive skills that improve my speed and endurance. And her trying to keep up without the same skills and sparring with us for half an hour?”

  Daniel closed his notebook and looked at each of them. He just nodded to Arabelle, who spoke for him. “That’s exactly why I need to push myself. I don’t have your skills for mobility or Adam’s for strength. I need to be able to hold my own without magic, which means working harder.”

  “Exactly,” Daniel said. “Now, please, Brianna, go ahead and start.”

  Brianna gave Arabelle a sympathetic look before jogging to the side wall of the training hall. Arabelle followed her, and the two women started running.

  Arabelle knew this was for her own good. She wasn’t going to complain. After the physical training, she would do some magical training with Oren, who was gracious enough to wait. He mentioned wanting to see the others for himself and said several times he was impressed with their abilities and work ethic, especially Arabelle’s.

  Arabelle knew Daniel had a hidden motive with this training meet, too, thanks to Wyn. The elder mentor wanted to show how hard of a worker she was and convince her potential teammates that she was not only worth having in their group, but that they didn’t need to slack off around her. If they saw her working hard, hopefully it would encourage them to work hard, too. Most Climbers in the city tended to over rely on their magical abilities, and neglected their regular, non-magical potential.

  She didn't want to be a regular Climber. She wanted to be better.

  During their second lap, both Adam and Oren joined the women for their run.

  “We couldn’t just stand by and watch,” Adam said, his curls bouncing with every step.

  “And I won’t be the one to fall behind physically, either,” Oren said. Arabelle wanted to say that he was likely the fittest one of all four of them when magic wasn't involved, but decided to keep that to herself.

  Passing Daniel, she swore she saw a smirk on the man’s face. The man knew what he was doing, that much was sure. She felt lucky to have him.

  As the evening went on, the four confirmed they wanted to climb together. They also agreed to set out to find one or two more complimenting members.

  All in all, Arabelle couldn’t have been happier. Soon she was going to enter Alistair for herself, and then her real journey would begin.

  Thanks for reading! Please check out my for advanced chapters - up to 12 ahead of schedule!

  If you'd like to chat about the story or other things, please join my .

  If you're enjoying the story, please provide a comment, rating, or follow. They go a long way!