Chương 50

"So," Fritz started as he stood and paced within the small crystal walls of the miniature fort.

"I have three choices."

"Really?!" Bert exclaimed in exaggerated surprise. Fritz frowned then realised he had, in fact, said something obvious, so he amended his previous statement, saying, "What I mean to say is that I have three very good choices and I'm torn between them."

"And they are?" Bert said impatiently, motioning that Fritz should explain further and faster.

"The first one is Treasure Sense, pretty self-explanatory really, lets me detect Treasures and objects of value," Fritz said.

"What does 'objects of value' mean?" Sid asked.

"I have only the vaguest of ideas, probably gold and jewellery?" Fritz said shrugging.

"Doesn't really matter the better part is being able to find Treasure Chests easier instead of stumbling upon them as usual."

"Might also stop you from blundering into the Treasure's protections as well," Bert added unhelpfully.

"Could be true," Fritz agreed begrudgingly.

"But that's where my next choice comes in, Danger Sense. It describes being able to detect imminent harm."

"Can't you already do that with your Awareness?" Sid asked.

"A bit, but I believe they would strengthen each other," Fritz replied thoughtfully.

"It would be helpful in shoring up my blind spots, such as stealthy monsters or other odder dangers that could be lurking. It also depends on what is considered as imminent harm, is it within a moment? A minute? Would it work on poisons?" He mused mostly to himself.

"Hmph," Bert huffed.

"You can save a life, your life, in less than a second," Sid stated. After a poignant pause, Bert asked, "What's your last choice?"

"Spell Shape, it would help me, well shape my Abilities. It would even let me use more Mana to gain more Control of the spell," Fritz recited from memory. The crew fell into thoughtful silence until Bert blurted out, "Treasure Sense! More Treasures means more Power."

"Absolutely not!" Sid yelled.

"Danger Sense, so he doesn't get killed on his 'scouting' missions."

"He'll be fine, he has been so far," Bert said disingenuously.

"Think of the gold!"

"He has not been 'fine', and I wouldn't trade his health for gold. Even if it were as much as another bull's heart," Sid argued. Bert grinned, "Is that so? That's so sweet. Isn't it Fritz?" Sid's cheeks brightened and she pulled her scarf over her mouth and muttered something inaudible even to Fritz's sensitive ears.

"Oh yes, it's the nicest thing someone has ever said about me," Fritz said distractedly, still thinking on his choices and pointedly ignoring the warm fluttering in his stomach.

"I would sell you for a bag of gold," Bert said with pride.

"No you wouldn't," Fritz replied wearily.

"No, I wouldn't," Bert admitted sourly.

"Couldn't bear losing a brother."

"More likely that you couldn't find a buyer," Fritz smirked back.

"Also true," Bert said grinning.

"But enough with the talking. What Ability are you leaning towards?" Fritz took another minute to gather his thoughts and go over each ability as he remembered it. Treasure Sense was great, terribly rare but greedy, especially when compared to the other choices. He craved its promise of wealth but unfortunately it didn't offer any combat potential, which he still felt he sorely lacked. Danger sense was also good, it covered some of his weaknesses in detecting non-trap threats and would serve as a defensive Ability.

If he was able to detect something even a split second ahead of its strike he could dodge out of the way causing whatever it was to either miss or hit something... less vital. Spell Shap e was a good Ability, but it didn't really appeal much to Fritz. H e suspected if he aligned more Control it would do the same thing, eventually. If he had a Magic Attribute it would rank much higher, as he could come up with some very tricky things to do with his Stone Pit and Illusory Shadows.

However, the cost increase was something he couldn't use at the moment which really soured him on the Ability. He knew any spell focused Pather would kill for an Arcane Aligned Ability like Spell Shape, as it would influence further choices but Fritz couldn't bring himself to ignore his friends advice. It had to be Danger Sense, its utility and the chance it could save his life couldn't be ignored.

"Danger Sense," Fritz announced to his crew. Bert booed him but Sid gave him a nod and her shoulders relaxed somewhat, he didn't notice until now how tense she had been holding herself. Fritz endeavoured to put her more at ease, he didn't know how to but he would try, somehow.

"Coward! Knave! Skulg-slime-slurping-squid-squeezer!" Bert accused.

"Think of the Treasure!" He lamented. Fritz shook his head at his friend's idiotic performance, he could see Bert didn't mean a thing he was yelling and was just trying to give him a hard time for picking the obvious choice. Fritz stopped his pacing and sat, falling into his Sanctum and feeling his arm light up in searing pain. He hurriedly harnessed the lines of Power spinning and streaking around his willow and chose.

His perception subtly shifted, it felt like he could see more of the world, read between the lines of reality. Then the sensation was gone leaving him with a shard of understanding of a completely new but familiar Sense. It was alike Trap S ense in that he knew it was there like a loyal hound waiting to warn him of any threat to his mind, body or soul. The watchful presence both comforted him and put him on edge, now he was more alert than he'd ever been. What was meant to be next?

He asked himself through the distracting sense. Right, Attributes. What should I align? More awareness or perception? Let's bring Awareness up to eighteen to match Perception. Aligning all three of his points into Awareness the mysterious feelings and impressions he could vaguely sense intensified. His Sanctum spun a little as his consciousness got used to the new strain and he found himself getting lost in the myriad sensations that barraged him. Especially the pain in his arm.

His willow grew even taller and its branches swayed and searched, feeling the breeze as if it were trying to interrogate it and pry out all the secrets whispered upon the wind. Spire sheet, he thought, and the silver glyphs came at his command more vibrant, solid and deeper than ever before.

Spire Readout Name: Francis Hightide Level: 9 Path: Spy Strain: Human Attributes Strength: 0 Agility: 9 Endurance: 9 Perception: 18 Focus: 9 Memory: 9 Advanced Attributes Awareness: 18 Control: 9 Activated 2/3 Stone Pit Gouge the stone, shift the ground, instant craters, holes abound.

Gloom Strike Weapon writhes, in shadow's grace, deliver foes, to night's embrace.

Passive 2/3 Trap Sense Pits and wire, falls and fire, discover danger, before it's dire.

Danger Sense Behind the boulder, up in the tree, lurking threats, can't hide from me.

Trait 2/3 Door Sense Beyond the portal, behind the door, a brutal death or distant shore?

Twilight Kissed Perhaps a boon, perhaps a curse, you'll find out soon, which is worse.

Path 1/3 Illusory Shadow Fake darkness, mocking light? Pseudo shadows, subdue sight.

Technique 2/3 The Observations (Novice) Whittle away, scatter survive, poor prevail, covertly thrive.

Arte Pugilist (Novice) Strike, Slip, Punch, Kick, Dive, Skip, Grab, Flip. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Strain 0/3 As he read the Spire Sheet he started to feel queasy and felt it hard to not be distracted by all the noise, all the colour around him and an odd, metallic droning emanating from the silver glyphs. Seeking an escape from the burning and dizzying spectacle of his own mental construct Fritz rapidly fled his Sanctum. He was nauseated when he surfaced and the glowing crystal felt too bright on his skin and the ringing in his ears tasted sour.

"Fritz, are you okay?" Bert asked.

"You look sick. Like you ate a month-old squid pie."

"Just... too… much... stuff," Fritz said, motioning vaguely while trying to keep down his lunch.

"Let me adjust." He stood and staggered away from the tiny fort and found somewhere dark and quiet to recover, an alcove that used to be the Stairway but was now just a shadowed hollow. He spent a couple of minutes focusing and filtering his Senses, fighting with his own powerful perception. Once he pulled his Awareness inward so he wasn't feeling the entire room all at once, the nausea receded and his head stopped swimming.

Fritz sighed, relieved that the overwhelming impressions were only temporary and he hadn't permanently impaired himself. Next Well I need to align more Focus and Control, he told himself. I'm sure that'll help deal with the sheer amount I'm feeling and the strain on my mind. Fritz took this time to check on the condition of his burnt arm, removing his sweat-damp scale shirt and removing his arm from its sling. It ached when he moved it and it tingled painfully when he flexed his hand and fingers.

It felt stronger, more dexterous, it was not at full functionality, still sluggish and clumsy. But h e could hold his dagger without feeling he was going to drop it, his grip shook a little and his hand felt as though it had a deep muscle ache, but it worked, mostly. Smiling, he stood, wobbled as he strode forward, regained his balance and rejoined his eating crew.

"Chuck me some of that, would you?" He asked Bert, realising he was famished.

"Feelin' better?" Bert replied looking through his pack.

"Cat or Bear?" Fritz thought for a moment and decided to torture his tongue rather than his heart, "Bear." Bert threw him a steak and he caught it and took a big dusty bite.

"Decided on your Ability Sid?" Fritz said through mouthfuls of mealy meat.

"Just deciding between two of them, Wind Barrier or Tailwind," Sid replied after drinking down some water.

"What was the third?" Fritz asked.

"Sling Stone," Sid said with a disappointed frown.

"I can see why that's not an interesting pick," Fritz agreed.

"What do the Wind Abilities do?"

"Wind Barrier creates a shield of air around me, lasts a minute or until destroyed. Tailwind is a Boon that increases how quickly and easily I can run for a minute," Sid explained.

"You got Actives rather than Passives," Fritz observed.

"Yeah. It's random. Like Nic said," Sid said.

"Hmm. If I were in your shoes I might pick Tailwind, being able to outrun things is a pretty good defence. And it would synergise well with Fleet," Fritz theorised.

"Maybe," Sid said.

"I would just do the opposite of what Fritz suggests," Bert said offering his insulting opinion.

"Well it's up to you, of course, I can see the benefits of both," Fritz said ignoring Bert's contrarian streak.

"I like the Barrier. I already have two speed-boosts with Wind Step and Fleet. Wind Barrier adds something new to my 'kit'," Sid said working through her thoughts.

"Good point, it'll also help against monsters with ranged Abilities. So I can't say I disagree," Fritz said.

"I could... but I'd be lying," Bert supplied. Sid nodded, quickly coming to her conclusion and sinking into her Sanctum. She was out in a couple of moments and smiled.

"What kind of rewards can we expect from the next Well?" Bert asked.

"Another Trait and a Path Ability Evolution," Sid replied.

"Huh, thought it was just another Trait," Fritz said offhandedly.

"Just another Trait," Sid repeated blandly, obviously annoyed he was making light of such Power.

"You know what I mean, I didn't know that bit about the Path Ability," Fritz replied.

"Reaching the limits of your noble-boy tutoring?" Bert mocked.

"Yes, actually," Fritz said bitterly.

"Ah, sorry," Bert said dropping his grin and patting Fritz on the shoulder.

"It's fine," Fritz said, pushing away the sour feelings the reminder brought.

"We've all chosen, when do we leave?" Sid said.

"Hang on!" Bert burst out.

"The Treasure chest needs to be opened!" Bert sprinted to where the chest sat on its side and lifted it easily, running back to Sid and Fritz leaping over the small wall as he did so. He set it down in front of himself giddy like a child with a Tolling Day present and said, "This one's mine to open right?"

"Of course, we've already opened one each. Go ahead Bert," Fritz offered magnanimously, he needn't have bothered because Bert was already opening the bronze banded chest before the words left his mouth. Fritz made to scowl but realised no one was paying attention. H e was also more interested in what was brought out of the prismatic light now pouring out from under the wooden lid. The light settled and Bert took out the shiniest thing he saw first.

It was a circular amulet of what looked like burnished brass set with a duo of opaque lime-green stones, one of which had a warm yellow light flickering softly within.

"Shiny," Bert said slipping the brass chain over his head and displaying it by puffing out his broad chest.

"Does it suit me?" He said fluttering his eyelashes. Fritz rolled his eyes agitated that it did indeed go well with his golden locks. Sid giggled and said, "Very fetching." A small spark of irrational anger flashed in Fritz's chest but was gone in a moment.

"Thank you," Bert responded, flicking his hair out of his face and grinning. He reached into the chest again pulling out the rest of the items. There were a pair of black boots, a well-made dark blue cloak, a set of hard leather gloves and a sky blue silk pouch with a silver drawstring that was stuffed with twelve gold triads. More wealth than he'd ever seen in one place since he was exiled from the orphanage, not counting the bull's heart of course.

Out next were six sturdy-looking arrows and last but not least; a know-note was retrieved from the chest before the wood shifted into ghostly a translucence and faded away into nothingness. Bert grabbed the bo o ts before Fritz did, then at seeing Fritz's murderous expression winked, grinned and handed them to him saying, "I was just holding them for you, I don't need 'em." Fritz took the boots and studied them, while Sid picked up the arrows and stored them in the quiver that hung at her side.

The boots were made of a pitch-black suede-like substance, both delicately soft to the touch and strangely stiff to bend. It had to be some sort of exotic material, perhaps some kind of monster hide that he hadn't heard of. H e had been wishing for better boots for a while now and it seemed the Spire had heard him, he repressed a shudder. T he y looked to be around the right size and shape for his battered feet, so he assumed they were intended for him.

The y were oddly light and had no laces for Fritz to fumble with, another God send he thought after his experience in the Spire lake outside. He shivered just remembering the icy, oppressive waters. He quickly kicked off his own filthy, scarred shoes and went to slip on these new black suede boots, idly he wished he had some proper socks to go with them, but wisely decided not to speak the complaint aloud. The y slid on easily, reaching up to the middle of his shins and they fit... perfectly.

He stood up and strode around to test out their feel and weight. With his last pair of boots it had been almost like trudging through mud everywhere he went, now though walking was like gliding, like stepping on fluffy, warm clouds. He accidentally let out a deep, relaxed groan. Sid smirked and Bert grinned saying, "Oh, you were right Sid, that's what he sounds like when it's pleasur e, my mistake."

"An easy mistake to make, he does sound a bit like he's being tortured," Sid responded.

"What you're hearing are the deep aches of my heart and soul," Fritz said dramatically, too comfortable to complain or contest their comments.

"Oh wow, this is nice," Sid said happily as she donned the cloak that resembled the depths of the ocean in its black-blue hue.

"And fearsome," She added as she pulled up its hood shrouding her face in shadow.

"Very fearsome," Fritz agreed, and he meant it. Sid cut quite the figure, a looming, brooding figure when her breastplate's resplendence was hidden behind the cloak like the sun hidden by storm clouds.

"Really leaning into that ranger aesthetic, it suits you. Too bad there's no forest to stalk near Rain City."

"Yeah, just stony beaches, barnacled boats and dingy docks," Sid sighed.

"Don't forget the rain-slick streets, towering tenements and gurgling gutters," Fritz added as if he were reminiscing about an old and dear friend. Which now that he thought of it, he was; strange; surviving in the Sunken Ring had been something of a nightmare that he woke up to endure rather than the other way around. But now, after this Abyss of a Spire, he felt somewhat homesick, then he vividly remembered the rain, rats and rotting wood and decided the Spire wasn't so bad.

"Fritz, you there?" Bert called out to him.

"Huh, what? Sorry, got caught up in my thoughts, what's wrong?" Fritz replied focusing back on the present.

"Your arm. It's out of its sling. Is it feeling better?" Bert asked as if he were tired of repeating himself.

"Hmm. Oh, yeah. The Well's magic is healing it, slowly. Still feels numb and aches terribly, but I can use it now. Even if I may be a little clumsy until it's fully recovered," Fritz explained holding up his hand, wincing then waggling his slightly trembling fingers.

"What's left of the Treasures?" He asked before they could pester him with any more questions about his condition.

"Nothing, save this No-note," Bert said proffering the paper card in his now leather-clad hand.

"I think all these things are slightly magic, but I'm not sure if they are imbued with Abilities," Fritz stated.

"Like our packs?" Sid asked.

"Like our packs," Fritz agreed.

"I have read that such Treasures and items don't need to be recharged as often as their effects are generally pretty weak. Or something about Passive Abilities not drawing as much mana because they pull what little they need from the materials themselves that have those particular abnormalities intrinsically. But, I'm no expert."

"Coulda' fooled me," Bert groused.

"A squid could fool you," Fritz replied.

"You do sound like an expert," Sid said.

"It's called confidence, you either have it or you fake it," Fritz espoused as arrogantly as he could. He smirked when he saw them both scoff at him.

"It's just a feeling, but these particular items aren't going to improve our combat effectiveness, save maybe that obviously imbued necklace Bert is wearing," Fritz continued.

"It's an amulet, not a necklace," Bert corrected.

"Not that it matters, but you should get these things right, it's a matter of professionalism."

"As a Scout?" Fritz asked.

"As a Thief," Bert said.

"Uh, huh. So we have one know-note, again." Sid stated.

"What should we use it on?"

"Wish it gave us more know-notes, but I guess that's the point. To have us suffer in our ignorance and indecision," Fritz complained.

"Sure,' Sid said with a sigh.

"But what do we want to use it on?"

"My necklace?" Bert suggested.

"I thought you just said it was an amulet," Fritz said pointedly, annoyed by his friend's mercurial nature.

"Don't be so picky," Bert replied with a grin.

"It's annoying." He added as his grin grew even wider. Fritz was about to argue when Sid spoke, "Fine use it on the amulet, let's get this idiocy over with." Bert glanced at her sourly as if she had ruined all his fun and in that moment Fritz was glad of her no-nonsense approach. If Fritz and Bert had been alone together they may have bickered for hours before coming to the obvious conclusion of using the know-note on the only Treasure they had no clue about.

"Before you use it, you better use the trick to find out if anything else is imbued, just in case," Fritz warned. Bert complied with the request, tapping the piece of paper to his gloves, then to Sid's cloak and arrows, then to Fritz's boots as he stood over him smirking his most self-satisfied smirks.

"Nothing imbued, but there was a small tremble. Like Fritz said these are real Treasures and are magical, but not imbued," Bert said a little disappointed, then he broke into his usual grin as he placed the know-note to the brass amulet draped around his neck. Glyphs burned into being as specks of flame wrote out a description of the Treasure's imbuements upon the white card. Bert sternly stated, "It's like it was made for me. I'm keeping it."