Floor One

  Group: 5/5

  Quest: The local village of Brag’s Hollow has reported missing villagers in the past week. You’ve been tasked with helping find them, though all had something in common – they were exploring the expansive bog at the edge of the forest. The swampy waters are and full of dangers. What lies in their depths?

  The goblin’s body quickly disappeared back into Alistair, and Wyn moved to the next one. A quick jab of his spear and the monster was impaled through the chest, spitting out black blood in a spray in front of Wyn that disappeared in smoke along with its body. He looked to find another enemy but found nothing.

  John inspected his great sword for a moment before making it disappear with his Weapon Bond skill. He then looked down at his boots and lifted one of his legs. “You know, I hate floors like this. It just had to be a damn swamp this season, didn’t it?”

  Marcy walked up beside him, chuckling. “You always complain about the environment we find. Are you sure you were meant to be a Climber?”

  John made a disgruntled sound and stomped away. Nearby, Tasha lifted her robes so they wouldn’t fall into the disgusting water. Cedric was levitating on top of the marshy water thanks to his enhanced boots, and John just grunted as he walked by the Storm Sage.

  “Oh, don’t be a baby,” Marcy said, slowly walking through the water. “I’m just kidding.”

  “Always have to poke at him,” Wyn said, keeping his voice low.

  The group was slowly working their way through the floor, with a large emphasis on slow. The floor’s description made it sound like the entire place was one large bog, and they were finding that to be frustratingly true. The shallow waters made movement difficult for everyone except Cedric. Marcy, Tasha, Wyn, and Cedric could fly if they wanted, and even though their effects were temporary they could likely find the boss and exit before it ran out, but John didn’t have that ability.

  Wyn did have the ability to avoid the water by either flying or levitating on top of it similar to Cedric with his purple rarity Boots of the Wandering Magi. They gave him the ability to not be exhausted by walking, which was a huge boon in of itself with how much distance he covered climbing, as well as a small list of abilities. It had six charges to use per day, and could jump at an increased height and distance for one charge, improve his speed for one charge, levitate for two charges, or fly for two charges. Each of the effects lasted half an hour, which was more than enough for most fights or to avoid traps.

  It was one of his favorite new magical items and part of the Wandering Magi set, which boosted his overall magical abilities. With his class upgrades he didn’t have the same magic increase like Tasha or Cedric, despite still being able to use spells. Having three pieces of the five-piece set helped alleviate that negative. The gloves he wore took the place of the bracelet Cedric gave him as a gift, but they similarly increased his mana regeneration while decreasing the cost of spells. They also had an ability called Overcharge which increased a spell’s ability by a moderate amount similar to his Ability Link. He found that using it along with his ability let him either boost the first spell he cast or greatly boost a spell affected by Ability Link. The third piece was a ring that gave moderate resistance to magical effects and more mana.

  The total set improved his mana pool and mana recovery while adding an additional spell slot, as well as provided two unique effects that sealed his decision on getting the set bonus. The first was that if spells were cast in quick success, their mana cost was lowered by a small amount. An effect that coincided incredibly well with his Ability Link. And the second ability was that his endurance and speed increased for a short time after casting a spell, which gave him a large amount of flexibility. He didn’t have to rely on his Sprint ability constantly for a speed boost, and if he wanted to vastly improve his speed to nearly the point of teleporting, he had the means.

  All in, the set gave great effects, and his mana regeneration was at an astonishing fifteen minutes from completely empty. It let him be more liberal with using his abilities.

  “I swear if the other floors are like this, too, I’m going to go buy a flying item straight away,” John said, still stomping through the bog.

  Wyn didn’t want to activate the effect of his boots to add insult to injury, so he quietly slogged in the swamp beside his friend.

  They had been in the floor for half an hour, and had killed only three groups of goblins. They came in packs of around a half dozen, and were surprisingly quick while not being too impeded by the shallow, swampy water. Only a few of them carried weapons, though Wyn had a feeling that would change as they progressed through the floors.

  “I wish I could just have a bath after this,” Tasha said. “I have a feeling the stench is going to linger.”

  Marcy sighed. “I know. I hate that the only house available for us had just one bathtub. It doesn’t feel right to have to share it with three men.”

  Tasha groaned. “Don’t remind me!”

  “The house isn’t that bad,” Wyn said. “We’re very grateful to you two for even finding one. I didn’t like the idea of going back to an apartment by myself after staying in the guild house, and I know John and Cedric feel the same way.”

  John and Cedric looked at Wyn, who shot them a warning glance. Cedric caught on quicker than John. “Absolutely! A lot of effort and time went into that, so it’s very appreciated.”

  “No more guild vault,” John said under his breath. “No more dining hall. It’s a damn travesty.”

  Tasha smacked him on the arm, though he barely reacted to it.

  “At least it’s going to be better tomorrow,” Marcy said. “Wendy was kind enough to find someone to clean it weekly at a bargain of only 50 crowns.”

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  Wyn thought it funny that Marcy considered 50 crowns a bargain, but he understood her meaning. The place they found could barely even be called a house, and he had no idea how it was still standing. There were holes they patched before moving in, broken doors and floor boards they repaired or replaced. It was no wonder the house was available, though Wyn only hoped they would be in it for a very short amount of time.

  John stopped and looked up at the sky. He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. “Wyn’s right. It’s great that you two found it and I’m thankful. I’m sorry. It’s been rough lately and trudging through a swamp isn’t what I imagined when starting over for the season.”

  Marcy twitched her head to the side and pulled up her bow. She drew the empty string and formed a magical arrow, then held it against her jaw with ease. “How about you take your anger out on these annoying goblins so we can see what the rest of the floors are like?” She released the arrow and it struck a goblin that jumped up from the bog at the same time, piercing it in the head. It was thrown back from the impact and splashed into the water.

  Four more of the waist-high, green-skinned monsters popped up from the water, chittering away in garbled high-pitched speech. Only one had no weapons while the other three carried spears with jagged tips.

  John summoned his sword but didn’t bother activating his aura. In three quick swipes of his sword, the goblins were dead.

  “Feel better?” Marcy asked.

  John shook his head. “Let’s find some more.”

  *****

  Floor Two

  Group: 5/5

  Quest: Pushing further through the bog, you found a hideout of the goblin camp. They’ve been increasing their territory outside Brag’s Hollow and pose a threat to the village. Help the people by removing the threat. What else will you find along the way?

  “It’s not that I’m mad,” John said, pushing a low tree branch out of his way. It cracked from his effort and fell to the ground. “It’s just that it’s not fair, you know? We didn’t ask for any of this! Why are we the ones being punished for it?”

  “Are you still on that?” Cedric asked. “It’s behind us. Let it go so we can move forward.”

  John whirled and pointed a finger at Cedric. “Hey! If I want to express my feelings, then let me! Right, Tasha?”

  Tasha smiled awkwardly while lifting her robes again, avoiding a puddle as she walked. “It’s good to get it out, but you have been bringing it up a lot.”

  John had a look of hurt shock on his face that worsened as Marcy and Wyn laughed.

  “I’m sorry,” Wyn said, forcing himself to stop laughing. “I love that you’re getting comfortable sharing yourself with us. Truly.”

  “But?” John said.

  “But,” Wyn continued, “Cedric’s not wrong. It’s terrible that the guild was dissolved but there’s nothing we can do about it. We already have a plan in place to start our own guild, anyway. I figured you’d be excited about that!”

  Marcy stopped, raised her bow, and shot it into a tree. A creature the size of a small dog fell and hit the ground, then disappeared. Shrieks of monster cries came up around them from the tree tops that completely covered the sky above. Marcy drew her bowstring again as Cedric readied a spell.

  “I am excited about that,” John said, ignoring the fighting. “But I was really looking forward to more time with Gregory and his team. We could learn a lot from them, you know. It’s so rare for a Climber to be close to tier three teams with that much experience.”

  Wyn patted him on the shoulder as a streak of lightning blasted a tree branch, scattering both wood and monster flesh through the trees. “I know. Maybe they’ll join our new guild and will do better in a more hands-off role. You could still learn from them that way!”

  John nodded and crossed his arms while watching the destruction continue. “That’s true. It’s also ridiculous that the Tower Master declined our request for a new guild. I’ve never even heard of that happening before! I just want things to be normal.”

  “John, things have never been normal. Why should they start now?”

  Marcy released another magic arrow, then turned away as the struck monster fell to the ground. “Speaking of not normal, how are Daniel’s Climbers doing? They really have some strange classes.”

  “They really do,” Wyn agreed. “During the rookie climb a couple of days ago I took two Ruby Magicians and two others, a Tamer and a Brewer. Honestly, they did really well. Which is a testament to Daniel’s teaching, because their abilities are very odd.”

  “A Tamer and a Brewer,” Cedric repeated. He was still staring at the canopy above them, looking for signs of more monsters. “That’s quite bizarre. I knew the starting classes expanded to twenty, but it may be more, now.” A monster cried and flew to him from the side, but he reached out with his Arm of the Stormcloud. The magical appendage lengthened towards the monster rapidly, then caught it in a grip with an expanded hand the size of a plate. Cedric pulsed a spell through his arm, and the monster seized as lightning coursed over its body.

  “I think there’s a lot of potential with them,” Wyn said. “The Tamer is really as strong as the monsters they find on the floor, and was smart about his choices and using them as allies. The Brewer is an apothecary in the city, so I have a feeling she’ll want to be some sort of merchant-Climber hybrid and has the means to be pretty successful.”

  John picked up a potion that dropped from one of the monsters, holding it up to the sky. It was red and small, and he put it in his backpack. “Maybe you should add her to the list of business partners you’re forming.”

  Wyn sighed. “No, she’s pretty resolute about making her own way here.”

  “Still, that’s great they’re doing well,” Tasha said. She joined John by sifting through the two piles of loot. “Daniel is a good mentor, and you are too, Marcy. You should be proud of the work you’ve been doing with your Climbers.”

  Marcy leaned against a tree and sipped on her water skin. “They started rough, but they’re doing better. They’ll be ready at the end of the month for the next rookie climb, and I think I’m going to get them a little present for improving so much.”

  “That’s thoughtful of you,” Wyn said. “Too bad other mentors don’t have the same approach. I have a feeling the average Climber would be a lot better.”

  “You know, maybe there should be a guild that helps with that,” Cedric said. “If the city guild is busy with other administrative duties, then why not let a guild or two help new Climbers?”

  “I’m surprised that hasn’t been done already,” Tasha said.“It’s because they’re too focused on trying to climb for themselves,” Marcy said. “When a group or two is good enough to form a guild, they then have more means to do even better. Considering so few people actually make it to the third tier, let alone past that, it makes sense.”

  Tasha started to lean against a tree but then stopped herself and wiped off the dirt on her cloak. “That’s too bad, though. Maybe we should have a portion of our guild dedicated to help new Climbers? Considering you’re already doing it, Marcy, it might help us get approved faster.”

  Wyn thought about Tasha’s idea as he drank some water from his own water skin. It made sense, in a way, and she wasn’t wrong. Marcy was already mentoring Climbers while still joining their group on climbs so it shouldn’t change her routine or add more to her obligations. Daniel would obviously be welcomed to join the guild, too, and could have a specific role as a sort of mentor leader.

  Actually, the idea didn’t just make sense. It sounded wonderful.

  “I think incorporating some kind of Climber training or teaching is a great idea,” Wyn said. “Aureus would probably appreciate some help with that responsibility, and people would benefit from it. It seems like a perfect fit.”

  “Having good mentors that Climbers could trust would go a long way,” John said. “Mine were terrible. I practically trained on my own and brought all of my knowledge from my family.”

  “Plus, Climbers could see how a guild is run,” Marcy added. “Most wouldn’t ever have the opportunity.”

  “We’d have to come up with some sort of payment system,” Cedric said. “It wouldn’t be free. Cheap, of course, but we’d need something.”

  A high-pitched growl pulled them from their conversation, and a large group of weapon-carrying goblins sprang from behind some trees. They were a bit bigger than the ones on the first floor, though still only about chest high. Several carried crude, chipped shields while the furthest three had short black bows and jagged arrows. They wore ragged leather armor which was an improvement from nothing, and the dozen enemies quickly moved to attack.

  Marcy drew a real arrow from her quiver and imbued it with Multishot, and the arrow split into nearly two dozen identical arrows, peppering the monsters.

  “Let’s figure out the specifics later,” Wyn said, summoning his weapon in the shape of a spear. He mentally activated Sprint and rushed to the nearest goblin.

  Beside him, John summoned his own weapon but stayed still in a defensive stance with his great sword raised. He activated an aura that drew the goblin’s attention to himself.

  As the monsters funneled to him, the others peppered them from the sides with spells and attacks with ease.

  The fight was over in seconds.

  Wyn looked at the others, who were all standing around casually as though they hadn’t just massacred a group of monsters.

  It was time to collect their rewards. Even if they were half way sunken in mud.

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