Chương 127: Arc 2 - Chapter 69

"I'm working on the details, there's much to do on the outside. But within some months we'll be climbing the Rain Spire," Fritz proclaimed. His team, who had been eagerly listening, nodded seriously.

"We? All of us?" Cal asked somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Fritz said.

"Do you not want to?"

"No, I do," Cal said quickly.

"I just wasn't sure what we'd all be doing after this Climb, now that we're you know... done... for now."

"We're merely done with this Spire," Fritz boasted.

"The next awaits and I want you all to Climb it with me. You've all proven yourself brave, bold and beyond reproach."

"What if I don't want to climb?" Cal asked, seemingly worried about Fritz's reaction.

"Is that really true?" Fritz asked, meeting the man's eyes.

"I don't know," Cal said, then quickly looked down and away.

"And how are you going to procure six badges?" Lauren asked primly. No doubt in her words, but some trepidation.

"Five," Fritz corrected.

"We have one from the raider."

"And what if his team comes to get it from you?" George asked.

"We have a safe place to hide it for the time being," Fritz said reassuringly.

"Months? That long?" Rosie asked, scratching at her scaly neck and wincing when one of her sharp nails accidentally caught in one of her gills.

"Yes," Fritz said.

"We'll need some time. And as much as it pains me to admit it, we need to rest and recuperate. Bert and I also have to lay low for a while, make sure everything is settled in the gutters. And we also need to gather more gear and get new weapons and armour."

"We also have to sell all our treasure," Lauren added.

"It would be better, and more profitable, to sell it off a piece at a time. It'll also be easier than selling it all at once, especially if you need to 'lie low', as it were."

"A good observation," Fritz said.

"I take it we can trust you to handle most of that?"

"Sure," Lauren said easily.

"Though I'll need some help."

"I can help," Cal offered eagerly. Lauren looked like she wanted to argue, but held her tongue and nodded, acquiescing amiably.

"And I can be your guard, make sure no one tries to rob us," Rosie stated.

"I don't think there will be much chance of that outside the districts," Lauren said. Rosie shrugged.

"Gotta' be prepared for anything. It's rough out there."

"It's rough in here," Bert said. Dale warbled, drawing awkward looks from the team.

"Don't worry about him, he's just hungry," Bert explained, patting the slimy snail with a finger.

"I'll get you some nice rocks of sea salt when we get out."

"You can tell what it wants?" Fritz asked.

"Sort of, it's the bond," Bert said.

"It's like I can feel a shadow of its hunger."

"A shadow of its hunger?" Fritz repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"What? You can spout off poetry and rhymes and no one blinks an eye. But I speak a little fancy and suddenly you look at me as if I grew a second head?" Bert huffed.

"Yes," Fritz said.

"You're a Brute, it behoves you to act like one." Dale whistled.

"See, Dale agrees with me," Fritz claimed.

"He does not," Bert grumbled.

"I told you, he's just hungry."

"Can the snail understand us?" George asked as the beast's three stalks goggled over him.

"No," Bert said.

"Not yet."

"Not yet?" George asked. Bert shrugged.

"They say it depends on the beast, and the bond-type."

"And who is they?" Fritz asked.

"I asked around at the sixth Well. The foreigners had seen more of beastmasters than anyone else in Rain City," Bert explained.

"But I know that Dale will be a smart one, I can feel it." Dale warbled, shuddered slightly and touched Bert's stubbled chin with one slippery feeler. He smiled at it gently. Fritz almost rolled his eyes, but George soon brought up an important topic.

"Where will we stay?" He asked.

"I'd offer you someplace at home, but I'm afraid I will no longer be welcome there," Lauren said with a sigh.

"I'm possibly going to be disowned."

"What? Why?" Cal asked.

"I ran away to join this climb," she admitted.

"That's not so bad," Fritz said.

"Happens all the time, even in noble families. It's frowned upon, but it's not such an offence. In fact, one such family might even throw a party for your successful return, especially if you come back with a Golden Climb."

"Unfortunately, I may have taken things into the Spire that didn't belong to me," Lauren said sheepishly.

"I could be labelled a thief."

"The rod?" Fritz guessed.

"The rod," she agreed.

"And the lens. Though that was a spare and not likely to be missed."

"Who'd you steal the rod from?" Bert asked, grinning.

"My family, or rather, my sister," Lauren said.

"It was a betrothal gift. From that noble."

"Who gives a Flame Rod as a betrothal gift?" Bert asked.

"Not very romantic."

"Marriage isn't about romance," Lauren declared scathingly.

"It's about the consolidation of wealth and power."

"Still, seems an odd gift," Bert said.

"Well, sister dearest asked for it," Lauren explained, her voice rife with barely concealed frustration.

"Why? Did she want to become a fire mage too?" Fritz asked.

"No. Well, yes, but no," Lauren said.

"What?"

"She knew I wanted to be one. So, of course, she suddenly wants to be one too," Lauren said, as she clenched her fists and started to rant.

"Then she gets to rub it in my face when she's a Climber, well married, more pretty, more proper, and also a fire mage. All while younger than her failure of a sister. It's always a competition with her! She won't let me have anything! I hate her! I hate her so much!" Lauren's eyes were bright with rings of flame, and Fritz thought she was about to breathe fire in her sudden fury. He was right. She spun and let loose a torrent of flame, spraying the Well. The water boiled and steamed as fire clung to its surface.

The flame lingered for almost three seconds, far longer than it should have without any fuel. Fritz theorised it wasn't quenched immediately due to their new Gold Awards. Lauren also seemed to notice that and she calmed herself quickly while a small smirk crawled up one side of her face.

"Something of a sibling rivalry then?" Fritz asked.

"No," Lauren denied vehemently.

"Ever since she was born she hated me and wanted to ruin my life. The bitch." Fritz doubted that was the case, or at least he could never imagine such a thing. Just the thought of his brother or his sister hating him made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Me and Cal don't have anywhere to stay either," Rosie said into the, now awkward, lull.

"I only have a small room, near the forge," George said.

"We shouldn't stay in the districts, not with all the treasure we have," Lauren stated.

"We can rent a suite of rooms in one of the Climber Inns," Bert said.

"That's what they're there for.

"There's also small estates or houses in the upper ring we could rent for a time," Fritz added thoughtfully.

"We should try for a house," Lauren said.

"While we sell off all our treasure." Fritz nodded, hoping he could find one close to the orphanage so he could visit his brother and sister more easily. Though he didn't know if he would be spending much time in the Upper Ring or much time out in the open, considering the trouble he could have with the Nightshark. Still, the fleeting fantasy flashed through him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

With those immediate matters dealt with for the moment, Fritz's mind turned to what he was going to tell the Nightshark once they met. He knew it was inevitable that he'd be dragged before them, willingly or no, and after hearing what little Toby and Jane had to say he thought he should plan for a more courteous visit if he could help it. They'd have to go along and give their story, a flatly false one that could bear some scrutiny, though shouldn't have to suffer such observations. Something believable and benign.

"Bert, we need to come up with some convincing lies," Fritz mused.

"What?" Bert asked.

"Toby and Jane are walking out without their team, and we will likely walk out with them," Fritz said.

"We should talk this over with them," Bert said, gesturing to the two.

"See if they have any ideas that aren't going to be the complicated mess that you're likely to dream up." Fritz wanted to argue the characterisation, but knew it to be all too accurate. Instead, he nodded solemnly and began to stride to the isolated pair. Toby nodded once in greeting.

"What do you want?" Jane asked, exhaustion grinding in her tone.

"What are we going to tell the Nightshark and the others?" Fritz said. Toby shrugged.

"I don't know," Jane said.

"We could say we lost our team person by person, then we waited on the sixth floor where we joined up with your team," Toby said.

"We lie about how many we were and the spite."

"No good, there were witnesses at the sixth Well," Bert said.

"Right," Toby said, his face falling.

"Maybe we shouldn't all leave together. We stagger our exits," Fritz said, knowing it had worked before with Sid. They nodded.

"You two will leave ahead of us. Your story should be simple, something close to the truth," Fritz said.

"On the last Floor you betrayed your team by running. They were fighting some great beast, and fearing your lives you fled." Toby scowled and Jane's face fell.

"They might murder us for that," Toby growled.

"I don't think they would," Jane said, her features creasing in calculation.

"I'm valuable. My healing is valuable. There are barely any healers in Rain City and none that aren't already affiliated or protected. Once we've had our words with our 'patron' we could seek out some better conditions."

"They won't let us get away," Toby grumbled, sick worry plain on his face.

"True as the rain," Fritz agreed. Once the gangs had their hooks in you it was nigh impossible to escape.

"Then we work for them, as we were going to anyway," Jane stated.

"They can't prove we killed them, and murdering us would be a loss upon a loss. It wouldn't be worth it to kill us out of hand, just for some thugs." Jane's skin went a little green when she realised she was talking about their own potential murders. She lowered her head, covering her face with her small, pale hands. Toby wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Fritz didn't know what to say, there really was no scheme he could think of to keep them all safe, there was only deadly risk and deadlier risk.

He even felt that his own secrets were likely to be pulled out of him on his meeting with the Nightshark and all he could do to protect his team and his siblings was to be honest about this Golden Climb. At level twenty he and Bert might prove to be too much of an asset to be thrown away, just as he assumed Jane's healing was. Especially considering he had his Door Sense. Although he was loathe to admit he had such a protected, profitable power, he would spill that secret if it meant his or Bert's life.

There were too many variables, too many witnesses and conflicting stories. Their ruse may have bought them some time, but it was at the cost of credibility. The Nightshark could just believe they were too dangerous to be left alive. Though he suspected they would be given a chance to prove their worth, especially if they took the cursed fang-mark without complaint. After all, the Nightshark didn't get where they were just by mindlessly murdering everyone that opposed them.

There was a lot of murder, he was sure about that, but it was premeditated and precise. Always for careful consolidation rather than creating chaos, filling the gutters with guarded dread rather than senseless fear. They cast a shadow as ever-present as the one the clouds did.

"We'll have to rely on their greed then, that we're worth more to them alive than dead," Fritz summarised.

"I think that's right," Jane said.

"It's by far the best angle. Anything else will make things messy."

"You'll have to leave all the treasure you stole from Larry's team, it'll give away that you had the time to rob their bodies," Fritz said. Toby grumbled an assent, glancing at his daggers forlornly.

"And you need to promise to keep all the stuff you took from them hidden, if they ever turn up in the market, black or otherwise, they will know," Jane said seriously.

"Don't even try to sell them to the Jastili. You'll be caught."

"Why? Jastil merchants never sell out their customers. It's just about the only thing they don't sell. You know that," Bert said.

"They're watched. Out there, we all are," Toby said darkly.

"What do you mean?" Fritz asked. Toby was about to speak but was interrupted.

"Toby!" Jane hissed.

"Don't say so much." Toby paled, looked down to his tattoo, then sighed in relief.

"You're right. Have to be careful," Toby said.

"Just how much are you allowed to say?" Fritz asked. They both shrugged.

"So we can't sell them and we have to hide them," Fritz said.

"Exactly," Jane agreed.

"We'll use Cal's Personal Pack to hide them for now," Fritz stated. They nodded, handing over the offending objects.

"Now, I shouldn't have to say this, but if you betray us we'll tell the truth about you two. You'll be dead. You only survive if you stay true to us," Fritz threatened. They both nodded, understanding their plight.

"I need another oath," Fritz said.

"Why? If you don't believe us already what's the point?" Toby groused.

"Just do it, it will set my mind more at ease," Fritz said.

"Fine," Toby said.

"What do you want us to swear to?"

"Swear that you won't betray us or spread our secrets," Fritz ordered, lacing his voice with Dusksong's coldest tones.

"I promise to keep your secrets and not break your trust," Toby said while Jane echoed the same words with the same sincerity. Those invisible, barbed bonds of their former oath tightened as this new one was added. For a moment, Fritz could see the ethereal weight of their promise press upon their spirits, then it was gone.

"That it?" Toby asked.

"That's it," Fritz allowed.

"We'll leave after we've slept," Toby said.

"No use facing tomorrow dead tired."

"You'll leave after us, a couple of days after tomorrow. If you can," Fritz said.

"Why?" Toby asked.

"For some reason, it feels right," Fritz explained.

"It might be Awareness." Toby huffed but didn't argue. It wouldn't matter much who was out first, they'd face the Nightshark separately and Fritz would rather his story was the first told.

"Also I need food for Dale," Bert stated. Dale burbled and waved its feelers.

"Ah, of course," Jane replied with a yawn.

"If I'm asleep wake me before you go, I want to say farewell to Lauren. She's been good to me."

"You all have really," she said, her eyelids drooping and her voice losing most of its vigour.

"Thank you, again." Fritz said nothing, he turned and Bert followed him back to their team where they'd draw up their other plans. He handed the two incriminating daggers to Cal, and along with all the other treasures and loot they had taken from Larry's team, had him store them in his Personal pack.

"I'm glad I took the Evolution that increased my Ability's size threefold," Cal piped up cheerily.

"Very useful," Fritz agreed enviously.

"Won't that start to get heavy?" Bert asked.

"Yeah, but it's not so bad. I have been aligning points to Momentum and Strength which helps. And I got a Trait that increases my 'maximum stamina' whatever that means."

"An interesting effect," Fritz said, trying to wend his tired mind around the implications of such a Trait.

"Yep," Cal grinned.

"Soon enough I'll never have to sleep."

"That sounds like an agony," Bert said with a yawn. Cal shrugged.

"Gives me more time in the day to do things."

"What kind of things?" Bert asked suggestively.

"Like cooking, like relaxing, like... uh... anything I want, really," Cal said.

"Wonderful," Fritz said, wandering over to his pack and taking out his bedroll. He thought he should get some rest in as well.

"Fritz," Lauren called.

"Hmm?" He absently answered. The striking woman strode up to him and said, "Secrets."

"Oh. Yes. Can it wait?" Fritz entreated.

"I've waited long enough, don't you think?" She stated, arching an eyebrow.

"Not a word, Bert," Fritz said, cutting off his friend's impending, inappropriate joke.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Bert said innocently.

"Whatever you thought came from your very own mischief-making mind."

"Uh huh," Fritz said. Dale gurgled horribly.

"Let's discuss this away from prying ears," Lauren suggested, then whispered, "and vile snails."

"Very well, lead the way milady," Fritz said, straightening.

"Bert, do you want to join?"

"Nah, you tell her what you want," Bert said without concern. Fritz shrugged then smiled to Lauren, gesturing for her to start walking. Lauren returned the smile, though it was strained and turned, walking away with a quick purposeful gait. Fritz followed and soon they were tucked away behind a pillar. Fritz sat and Lauren joined him on the hard, scaly stone.

"Should have brought a pillow," Fritz complained.

"Maybe, though that could make you too comfortable," Lauren said.

"Nothing wrong with a little comfort, or a lot of comfort, for that matter," Fritz said.

"Perhaps," she agreed.

"Though I don't want you to fall asleep in the middle of our conversation."

"Very well," Fritz allowed.

"What did you want to ask me?"

"What level are you really?" Lauren asked.

"Twenty," Fritz said.

"How many Spires have you climbed?"

"Two."

"Both Golden Climbs?" Fritz nodded. Lauren brought her thumb to her lips and bit it lightly while she thought.

"There's another Spire in this city?" She asked. Fritz nodded again.

"Something like that is hard to keep secret, impossible even," Lauren stated.

"How could there be a secret Spire?"

"That, I don't know," Fritz admitted.

"A reign of terror can keep the commoners quiet, mostly. Though, really, the more I think on it, I find it's likely there's someone else working with the Nightshark behind closed doors. Someone powerful and connected, somehow keeping it from the king. Or maybe his majesty simply feigns ignorance of it."

"Interesting theories," Lauren mused.

"Though not something we can figure out right now." Fritz nodded.

"Will you tell me of your Climb?" Lauren asked. Fritz smiled, then he told her the tale. He told her of the Sunken Spire's location in the tunnels under Rain City, then he told her of its strange alignment, treacherous Floors and odd monsters. He told her a little of Sid, though he didn't mention her by name, and she teased him, saying he had the stupidest smile on his face as he talked about her.

He took the jest in stride, and eventually, he spun into his story's end, speaking about how they had slain the Hound, claimed their Awards, fooled Nic, and secured their fortune in a hidden vault.

"Then, we found all of you," Fritz espoused.

"And you know the rest from there unless that lighting bolt scrambled your mind."

"My mind is perfectly fine," Lauren professed.

"Not something I can say about you, and Bert, and this mysterious woman." Fritz smirked.

"Not that I'm judging, mind you. You were in a hard place, between the tide and the storm," she added gently.

"Though you really have made things complicated."

"It's the world that's complicated. I'm simply trying to survive," Fritz opined.

"You say that, but I'm not sure I believe you," Lauren said, smiling.

"If you were simply trying to survive you wouldn't push so hard to get powerful."

"You're right, of course," Fritz agreed, though he wanted to refute the accusation.

"I do want something more than just survival."

"And what is that?" Lauren asked.

"Something better," Fritz said. They sat in silence for a minute, thinking their own thoughts.

"Now knowing the depths of my deceptions are you still willing to climb with us?" Fritz asked. Lauren gave the question some more consideration, then she smiled, bright and beautiful, eyes blazing with a ring of fire.

"Yes," she said. And so it was. Fritz stood, offered a hand to the woman, which she took easily. They returned to the team and Fritz thought it the best time to talk to each of them, one on one, discover their intentions and reaffirm their oaths. George was easy to talk to, his response was as straightforward and solid as the man himself.

"I'll follow you. Until you give great reason not to," he stated. Fritz patted the man's powerful shoulder and left him to his tasks, confident that George would keep to his word and stay silent on the secrets. Rosie was next, and he found her surprisingly eager to go along with whatever he had planned.

"You helped me a lot. And when it was dangerous you didn't abandon us, coulda' left us as bait three-hundred times. But you didn't. You're alright, Fritz. I'm glad to join your crew forever."

"It needn't be forever," Fritz protested, but when Rosie shook her scaled head he stopped and let her speak further.

"You've done me more than one good turn, more than anyone but Cal has," she said.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with forever." Fritz's eyes began to water at the words, struck as he was by her absolute trust. He discovered that he'd become fond of the strange, off-putting woman and that he considered her a friend. He stifled his tears and smiled, which she returned with a grin and then ended with an awkward hug. Cal was the last Fritz had to speak to, and the one he considered the most difficult. They had their problems, their arguments, and those small threats of murder between them.

Although it seemed much of what had transpired lay forgotten and forgiven. Apparently, it was hard to hate the man who had raised you from the gutters and showered you with wealth, Treasures and powers beyond your wildest dreams. Cal's agreement to climb with them further was less emphatic than the others in the team, though that wasn't to say that he wasn't eager.

"I've gained so much here. And you didn't lie about making us rich and strong," Cal mused.

"We survived impossible odds together. But you did threaten to kill me."

"For that, I'm sorry. In my defence, at the time, we were under some stress. What with the raider hunting us in his mad game. I was as worried as you were," Fritz said sombrely.

"I know that now," Cal said sadly.

"But it wasn't the first time I've been threatened. Not even the first time this week," he added in a lighter tone, trying to play off his lingering hurt.

"It won't happen again, Cal," Fritz said seriously.

"The words or the raider hunting us?" Cal asked wryly.

"The words, I can't promise anything about raiders," Fritz smirked. Cal laughed, but the sound soon subsided.

"I'll follow you," he said simply, but not without thought. With that Fritz stood and looked over his team, scattered around as they were. Talking, counting coins, resting or reading. For a split second, he could see again those bonds that bound them, stronger and tighter than ever. The densest and most potent of which were wending their way to Bert. Fritz strode over to his brother and sat beside him as he played with his snail beast.

"We'll need to get Dale some salt soon," Bert said, not even looking at Fritz.

"We will," Fritz said.

"I think we're all set to leave tomorrow, then we'll have Toby and Jane leave a couple of days after us. Just as planned." Bert nodded.

"Aren't you going to ask me if I'm going to follow you too?" Bert asked blandly.

"You don't follow me, we walk together."