Chương 82: Arc 2 - Chapter 24

On their separate sides, with pillars and the Well blocking the view between them, the team proceeded to bathe. Fritz split his, now empty, hollowed-out soap with the men around him, wishing he kept some of its centre contents even if it would have been suspicious if he were searched. There were only scant slivers left of the wonderful, white soap, but they still made use of them. He kept Bert's Seed stuffed bar out of sight for now until his friend specifically asked for it.

The soap had no scent at all and lathered them up far better than the small amount had any right to. The tiny soft white bubbles ate away the filth and foulness of the past Floor and Fritz was left feeling cleaner than he could remember. Although the past couple of hours had been harrowing and exhausting it seemed to slough away with the dark grime. His mood soared as did the rest of the men while they came to realise that they were now Pathers and they considered the implications that had on their futures.

They talked and laughed, steadily becoming ever more raucous as they recounted their heroic exploits to each other. A game Bert had started when he boasted that his fists had driven back a score of lizards and Fritz had espoused an embellished tale of tantamount skill and prowess when he defiantly dealt with the deadly beasts.

"My Sharpened blade parted scales and flesh with ease," George proclaimed.

"And the armour, I myself forged, held fast against their wicked claws!"

"Indomitable!" Bert proclaimed.

"Mighty!" Fritz agreed. They turned to Cal expectantly as he washed his wounded chest, wincing from the apparent stinging. When he noticed their awaiting stares he said, "With my Heave I... uh... Heaved it... uh... mightily."

"You sure did! Saving your kin from the terrible lizard's jaws," Bert boasted for the man.

"Bravo!" Fritz said.

"Bravo," George echoed. Cal smiled wide bowing to the praise and winced again when he pulled on his still-raw injury.

"You should slather some healing grease on those injuries Cal. I know they're mostly healed but it'll numb the pain and keep it from going bad," Fritz suggested. Cal nodded and did as he said, taking his tin from the pocket of his pants that lay on one of the raised daises of the pillars and applying it liberally to his now clean cuts. They laughed and talked through the rest of the washing, slapping on their wet armour and clothes, then returning to the giant pearl once they were done.

They were careful to wait for the ladies out of sight with none of them so much as trying to catch a glimpse of the women. George seemed to have no interest in the prospect, while Cal seemed nauseated at the thought of seeing his sister accidentally. Fritz merely proclaimed he was a gentleman and would never resort to such things while Bert said it wasn't his way either. Another nine minutes passed as they sat on the pearl's altar, dangling their feet in the water.

The two women appeared looking much refreshed or at least far less bedraggled as they had been. Their hair had been brushed and wrung, and their skin had a glossy, clean sheen. The floral notes of Lauren's scented soap clung to them sweetly as they strode to meet the gathered men. Bert looked like he was about to whistle so Fritz elbowed him. As the two approached, Fritz saw that Rosie was moping somewhat so he asked, "What's wrong? You look like a kicked hound."

"I have scales," Rosie said.

"Yes, you do," Fritz replied.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Patches of them. Everywhere," Rosie said. The men took her meaning.

"Don't worry you can always marry a fisherman," Cal said with a smirk.

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Might even like them." Rosie scowled.

"And you can marry a fat noblewoman," she retorted.

"Your Heave would come in handy."

"Maybe I will," Cal said his smirk replaced with a frown.

"I'll be rich and won't have to Climb anymore." Seeing an argument brewing Fritz cut them off with a pertinent question, "Speaking of Climbing, who's going to Climb higher with Bert and I? The Stairway to leave is right behind you and the next escape is on the sixth floor. So think about your choice carefully." There was a small lull that Lauren quickly pounced on.

"I want to go higher," She stated simply. Fritz nodded and she beamed.

"I'm willing to go further," George said. Bert nodded to that. Rosie and Cal looked to each other.

"Last floor was scary but I want to keep going," Rosie stated.

"I threw a lizard," Cal said with a weak smile.

"I can go higher." Rosie smiled wide and the two hugged.

"Ouch, your scales are really hard," Cal groused.

"Oh," Rosie said a thoughtful expression crossing her face.

"Must be because of Durability?"

"Yes," Lauren said.

"Certain Abilities and Attributes will have synergies and reinforce each other. Or do the opposite, though clashes like that tend to be rare. The Spires do want you to become powerful after all."

"Do they?" Cal asked.

"Well, it's one of the theories. That Arravankis gave us the Spires so we could grow Powerful and join them in the higher realm. Like the Gods did," Lauren preached.

"That's what the church teaches, at least," She added.

"No sermons, please," Fritz groaned.

"Fine," Lauren huffed.

"So Durability works well with Scaly Skin," Bert said thoughtfully.

"You said earlier that Advanced Attributes can have side effects?"

"Yes, depends on the Attribute though, some are more... noticeable than others. Especially Magical ones," she stated.

"Like your Essence of Fire making you... overexcited?" Fritz asked.

"Impulsive. Is the word the texts use," She corrected a small flush creeping onto her face.

"Does it do anything else?" Bert asked.

"Some small things. It raises my body heat and also makes fire a little less deadly to me. There are some mild physical benefits too, greater strength and agility," She said.

"Does it add points to those Attributes?" Fritz asked, not having heard about this before.

"No. It's like a hidden bonus to your base because Advanced Attributes are almost like Abilities unto themselves," Lauren explained. Fritz noticed she didn't seem as bored by the lecturing as she had been on previous floors, but she fidgeted, shuffled and seemed like she wanted to be moving.

"Interesting," Bert intoned, looking at his skin and the veins below. His hand tapped out the rhythm of his heart unconsciously as he thought. Fritz wondered what small bonuses Dusksong had and if he had been missing out on or just not noticing them.

"Any idea what sort of side effects Grace has," Fritz asked.

"Ah," Lauren said with a knowing smile.

"I heard it can make you irritable when you make mistakes or make you feel clumsier than you actually are. Drives you towards perfecting your movements."

"Huh," Fritz said. He had been feeling something of the sort especially when swinging Quicksilver but had thought it had been his own fussiness. Maybe it still was and his Grace was exacerbating the annoyance he felt when he failed to use the blade just right.

"Don't worry. Apparently, you get used to it. Or learn to manage it. Or embrace it. It doesn't change who you are or anything, just prods you to do the things it is Aligned to," Lauren said upon seeing his obviously contemplative face.

"Hmm," He agreed noncommittally.

"So you want to burn stuff now?" Rosie asked. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"No? Maybe," Lauren said with a quirk of her lips that turned into a dangerous, lopsided smile.

"Okay," Rosie said, taking a step back from the woman.

"So now that we've all agreed to Climb higher we should discuss our Roles and Abilities. Vagaries are fine. Though the more open we are about our Powers the better we'll work together," Fritz announced.

"Bert go first," he ordered when none spoke.

"I have Vitality and Momentum and a bunch of Abilities that make me hard to kill, like Tough Skin and Imbued Bones," Bert said.

"And Concussive blow."

"As for me," Fritz interjected.

"You've seen, or rather, not seen, many of my stealth and shadow Abilities. I also have Awareness, Grace and a Passive Ability named Danger Sense which helps me find traps and lurking threats." The team processed this information, they hadn't told them the full extent of their Abilities and the others knew that but it was a glimpse into their 'kits' and how they worked. A small show of trust.

"You two have some rare Abilities and Attributes. For Rain City at least," Lauren observed awkwardly.

"We do. That's why we don't go shouting about them. I hope you'll be as discreet and circumspect as us," Fritz said smoothly.

"As your Powers are rare in Rain City as well," He added with a bland smile. Lauren frowned at the observation and its veiled threat of mutual exposure.

"Of course," She agreed.

"I'm a Guard. Awareness and Durability and I got a Path Ability called Interpose that lets me rush to an ally's side," Rosie said bluntly, completely missing the subtlety of the previously spoken words.

"I was offered Swordsman and I chose it," George said proudly and with great pleasure.

"I received Might and Speed and an Ability called Sever. I'll let you guess what that does." He turned to Cal who stood next to him.

"Hauler as you know, my Advanced Attributes are Speed and Momentum," Cal said.

"And I have a Personal Pack. It can store non-living items but it feels like I'm still carrying about half the weight," He explained, reaching into thin air and pulling a hessian sack from nowhere. His shoulders sagged, likely from Stamina drain.

"How much can you hold?" Fritz asked.

"About as much as a backpack. I think it's limited by space taken up, not weight," He hedged.

"So we'll give you all the small, heavy stuff. Got it," Bert said, clapping Cal on the shoulder.

"Also the secret stuff. It's a great Ability for a smuggler," Fritz said as he thought about all the uses he'd have for hidden stash on his very own person.

"Or a merchant," Lauren corrected, looking askance at Fritz.

"Or a merchant," He quickly agreed.

"You think so?" Cal said with some interest.

"Yes, of course. You could carry around your valuable inventory, or gold, without having to worry about theft," Lauren said.

"I hadn't thought about it like that," Cal said.

"Me neither," Bert said.

"But that's a merchant's daughter for you! Always finding ways to make gold." Fritz knew he didn't mean the comment as an insult, in fact, it was some of the greedy idiot's highest praise, but Lauren didn't take it like that. She scowled and looked as if she wanted to set him ablaze.

"And what did the great Fire Elementalist get? Did I guess right before?" Fritz asked.

"Yes," She nodded, turning away from Bert.

"Essence of Fire and Intensity. My trait is Fire Breath and my Path Ability is a Passive named Clinging Flame."

"Isn't it odd to not get Fire Bolt or something more basic?" Fritz asked.

"It is. Though we went through a hidden Door. So our Powers are likely to be muddled. In a good way. And even though Fire Breath costs three, I have more than enough mana to cast it," She explained happily.

"The higher cost is one of the reasons I aligned so many points into Essence of Fire. Probably should have assumed that Intensity would, well, intensify my emotions as well as my Abilities."

"Are you still managing it well?" Fritz asked.

"Yes. Before, it was all very new, but now I have a handle on it," Lauren said confidently, her eyes glowing for a flickering moment.

"Though I'm likely to align more Focus at the next Well. To be safe."

"What of your first Activated Ability? Did you end up choosing it?" Fritz asked.

"Yes, I chose Soothe Burn. It's a healing Ability," She said.

"Now that I have Fire Powers it will be more useful than before when I thought I didn't need it."

"Does it work on other injuries?" Cal asked.

"It does, but it's most effective on burns," She said.

"Splendid," Bert said and Fritz agreed with a dignified nod.

"So it looks like we have: a Scout, me. Two Defenders, Bert and Rosie. Two Strikers, George and Lauren and one Support, Cal," Fritz listed.

"What's a Support? They're not on the Role list," Cal asked.

"They're like Sages, Tradesmen and Harvesters, who have Abilities and Techniques that are more useful outside of combat. Not to say they can't pull some of the weight when fighting, it's just not meant to be their primary concern," Fritz explained.

"Oh, makes sense," Cal said.

"They're more prevalent when climbing the larger Spires with larger Floors," Lauren added.

"When Teams start to turn into Expeditions."

"So nothing to worry about at the moment," Fritz said.

"Well now that we're all re-acquainted as Powerful Pathers and are determined to Climb. I better search these Doors," Fritz said, striding away to the three choices ahead.

"Find one with lots of beasts to slay," Bert said.

"I want to see what our new Pathers can do." Fritz expected the team to baulk at his mad suggestion but they instead perked up and chattered excitedly about testing out their new Powers. Especially Lauren and George whose more offensive Paths would shine against monsters. Smiling he found himself standing in front of the Doors and he withdrew the chapter from his pack, making sure no water splashed into its open top. He again marvelled at his Traveller's pack and its dry interior.

Sure all the packs and sacks they had were some measure of waterproof, as was needed in Rain City, but the pack he shouldered didn't let in a drop. Even when fully submerged. Well, as long as he made sure to close it, which he did. He sat on a the dais of a pillar and surreptitiously fell into his Sanctum. It was raining, his willow waved lazily in the gentle breeze. The power from the Well streaked in the sky.

Attributes Gained +3 Unaligned With some trepidation he considered the best use of his new Attributes, should he align more to his Focus and Memory so he could handle his excess of Awareness and Perception? Or perhaps he should increase his Dusksong? Every two points was another cast of his Gloom Strike or Lethargy, while every three was another Illusory Shadow. He knew it would also increase the recovery of his Dusksong's mana reservoir, by how much he was unsure, but every bit counted.

More Grace and Control could also prove a great boon, but he didn't feel the need to increase them just yet. He was still getting used to the fluidity Grace brought and he didn't exactly know what Control was good for except shaping his Abilities. With only Stone Pit and Illusory Shadow seeming to benefit from the Attribute. He could split up his alignments, and after some thought he decided to do so. Two to Dusksong, raising it to eight, for another cast of his curse.

Then one into Focus putting it to ten so he could see how it affected him. It was the best plan he could conceive of in the moment and he didn't want to hold onto the points as he did before. As he felt he'd caused himself a lot more aches than he had to necessarily endure by being indecisive and putting off his choices. The world around swirled with shadows and light his willow grew taller and more hazy yet somehow more present.

The incessant humming in his ears dulled and his constantly racing, hazy thoughts cleared minutely. He left his Sanctum, hopefully before he had raised any suspicion. As he sat, back in the Well room, he concentrated on the feeling of clarity his point in Focus had brought him. The flood of sensations from his eyes, ears, skin and nose had become slightly less demanding. There was still noise however, it was like moving from a roaring crowd into a busy market. Loud, though a little less likely to sweep him away.

Fritz sighed, he knew he'd have to invest far more into Focus to get the most out of his Awareness and Perception. He almost regretted putting two of his points into Dusksong instead of all three into Focus. Though he reminded himself another cast could never be a bad thing, that and there must be those other small bonuses Lauren had mentioned. He idly wondered what they were. He pulled his attention back to the Doors, searching them for the dangers and mysteries beyond.

The first was strange, made of soft, squishy, grey and slimy material he had never seen. A distinct smell of rot and fish wafted warmly from the circular opening as it subtly throbbed. Fritz grimaced as he reached out with Door Sense, finding his misgivings to be wholly founded as the impression of some great sea-beast, perhaps even a leviathan, blanketed his mind. With a shudder, he turned to the next Door, a ramp of white sands flanked and framed with yellow-white stone.

It was the dark of a starry night beyond the Door, the strong winds were cold, on the edge of frozen. He basked in the sensation for a moment, revelling in the change from the oppressive heat of the previous floor. He felt like he was standing in endless almost flat dunes of bleached sand. It wasn't an empty expanse, there were small oases surrounded by tall grasses and trees. The verdant patches were dotted here and there amongst scattered stretches of large, smooth, black stones that protruded from the sands.

There was a sense of hidden danger on the floor, but it was too vague to make head or tails of. Regretfully retreating from the peaceful quiet of the impression, Fritz turned his gaze to the very last door. It was a portal into watery depths, neither hot nor cold and blandly suffused with salt. Not able to glean much from the gently rippling disc of water, Fritz immediately applied his Door Sense. A calm sea bed, with bright corals, rough stones and a forest of seaweed.

Yellow fish flitted and bright blue sharks glided ponderously. It was a sight straight from a portrait of the wondrous reefs of Portus Hai or other tropical demesnes. There was still, of course, danger on this floor but it was only the danger of drowning or of more natural beasts rather than the perils of monsters or strange, hostile locales. Fritz shook his head from the impression and returned to his team of eagerly awaiting Pathers.

He briefly explained his deductions, hiding his Door Sense by describing the warnings as his Danger Sense.

"So you can tell how dangerous a floor is just by looking?" Lauren asked.

"Could you do this the entire time?"

"My Danger Sense can't tell me the nature of the danger just that there is some and how intense it is so isn't exactly reliable. And yes I've been using it this entire time, which is why we haven't run anything we couldn't handle," Fritz assuaged.

"My Awareness also gives me gut feelings here and there, which Rosie will soon be able to attest to."

"Why all the lies?" Cal asked scowling.

"I'd just met you all. I can't go spilling all my secrets," Fritz said matter-of-factly"Fair," Rosie agreed. Lauren and Cal still stared at him suspiciously while George smirked as if he knew Fritz was lying the whole time, but didn't mind the deception. That might be something to be wary of.

"Now let's decide which Door we want to go through," Fritz said before more questions could be thrown his way. They began to ponder and Rosie said, "I don't want to go in the Slimy Door. It looks like the inside of a fish. And I don't like fish. Hate them bastards." The team nodded at her declaration, and Fritz thoroughly agreed with the woman's mislike of that particular floor, if it could be called one.

"Then it's between a cosy swim and the potentially perilous plains of sand," Fritz observed.

"Are you still keen to try out your new powers or should we just take the easier floor and hope for monsters on the next set of Doors?" He reached into his pack and pulled free a strip of smoked shark. He chewed it thoughtfully as he waited for the rest to come to their conclusions. Upon seeing him eat it seemed that the team remembered their own hunger, forgotten in the excitement of receiving their Paths and began to snack upon their rations as well.

"Sand Door. Don't much like the wet," Cal said through a mouthful of shark.

"Sand Door. Can't use Fire underwater," Lauren agreed, patting the crumbs from her mouth with a pale handkerchief.

"Sand Door. Sea water will make my armour rust," George said between swallowed mouthfuls.

"Sand Door," Rosie stated and when the others turned to her for an explanation she just said,"I already told you. I don't like fish."

"Looks like it's unanimous, as I also vote for the Sand Door," Fritz said.

"Not so fast!" Bert said.

"I want the Slimy Door! Maybe the great danger will lead to great Treasure!" The team broke out into noes and incredulity, lambasting Bert for the suggestion which he bore as easily as his grin.

"No," Fritz said, grimacing at the thought of entering the huge fish-beast. The team quieted.

"Fine," Bert said.

"Sand Door it is. I can only hope that there are monsters. Tasty ones."

"That would be good," Cal said, staring sourly at the last of his ration bar.

"Get ready team. We leave in nine minutes." They took some time wringing their clothes of as much water as possible and preparing their minds for battle or bad weather. Fritz reassured them that he would notice any danger far before it presented itself but they still seemed jittery. It was similar to how they looked on the landing floor but he could tell that it was more excitement than fear this time around. Likely they wanted to let loose their new Powers.

He led them up the sands, finding the grains fine and smooth. The cold air embraced him causing him to shiver as he breached the ramp and strode into the night. Up above he could see uncountable stars all of diamond white, gleaming down a light that was somehow as bright as the full moon's yet far less intense. He felt like he glowed, that the soft radiance was coming off of his own skin rather than the glittering sky. Fritz's team joined him, standing and staring around in wonder at the alien world and each other.

"It's gorgeous," Lauren whispered as if afraid to break the quiet.

"Whoa," Bert said, unafraid and brutalising the calm.

"You all look so odd." It was true, the light made them stand out, the usual shadows cast on their features dispelled and giving them a dim luminous aura just above their clothes and skin.

"It is wonderful, isn't it," Fritz said.

"You look like a faerie," Lauren said, staring at him with wide eyes that reflected the stars.

"Well, I'm not," Fritz said quickly. Too quickly.

"Never even met one." She gave him a dubious look but soon smiled as if his defensiveness was a jest.

"Look at me I'm like a gem!" Rosie blurted. They turned and found what she said to also be true. Her scales gleamed like dull jewels, and she smiled wide as she waved her arms. Some distance away, maybe a hundred feet or so, one of the large, smooth stones shuddered and stood. On six short spindly legs, it rose from the sand and bared its two curved and powerful claws. What he had taken for a stone was instead a domed shell as black as midnight that repelled the radiance of the sky.

The huge creature stood a foot taller than Fritz and most resembled some kind of crab. From under it nine smaller domed crabs unfurled, clacked their claws and started their skittering charge. They chirped as if eager to feast on him and his team while the greater of the beasts followed in their chittering wake. Fritz coughed once to clear his throat and to be heard over the talk of his, still awestruck, team.

"The stones are crabs, hungry crabs. Prepare for battle," Fritz ordered in a relaxed tone.

"I'm ready," Lauren said striding to Fritz's side.

"As am I," George said forming up with them.

"My fists itch for some fighting," Bert said.

"They don't look that tough," Cal said shakily.

"I don't like crabs," Rosie said.

"Hate them bastards."