Chương 183: Chapter 259: Rowdy Boys

"Thank you so much for saving my idiot brother from that wirehair gorilla!" Maribelle exclaimed, extending a single pinkie claw for Will to shake. Despite her size, The tip was sharp enough to cut him if he handled it poorly.

"Barely a nudge, Miss. I'm sure he could've beaten it on his own." Will said, shaking her claw. Maribelle gave quite possibly the poshest laugh Will had ever heard, a sort of burbling guffaw that no human could possibly imitate without a staggering amount of money and drugs.

"You're far too modest, Mr. Oh. A Wirehair gorilla would've torn little Aggy limb from limb. He's a bit of a runt, you know." Just based on context, Will had guessed that Maribelle probably wouldn't believe Aguilion's story, so he flipped the script. Aguilion couldn't say anything or else he'd be in even more trouble for lying to his sister. The young green dragon gave a whine of suppressed frustration and fixed Will with a blistering stare. What do you want from me? Will thought, meeting the green dragon's gaze.

She was never going to believe anything good about you. Aguilion's sister was at least twice his size, and more coordinated to boot. And twice the size means eight times the weight. Maribell could probably bat Aguilion around without much effort.

"Mmyes, I try to look out for him, since we came from the same clutch and all, but if things continue like this, I'm afraid little Aggy will have to go down a floor during the migration. It's a shame but if he can't make a living here, it's for his own good if he moves somewhere more… suitable for his talents. I personally am going to try my luck with the eligible bachelors on the 15 th Floor. Where winners go." Kind of a bitch isn't she? Will thought, meeting Aguilion's gaze again. Aguilion nodded.

Maribelle, having missed that quick exchange, polished her shiny pearlescent claws against her chest, preening.

"Well, if you do have to go down a Floor, I know a dragon down there who's in the market, as it were." Will said. That might even be a bit of an understatement.

'Desperate and willing to kidnap if necessary' might be more accurate. Maribelle gave that burbling laugh again.

"Indeed. One of the diseased runts from the 13 th Floor would be a proper match for my brother. But that's all beside the point, I find myself rather more interested in our little guest. We so seldom get visitors."

"What about that nest of Climbers to the east?" Aguilion asked. he had to be talking about Carrie Envar and her Stronghold.

"Oh, don't remind me of them." Maribelle said, fanning herself off.

"Watching them desperately struggling to survive turns my stomach. No, this young woman here is much more interesting. What business do you have here? And please tell me it's not something as pedestrian as 'getting to level 60'." This was a tee-up if Will had ever heard one.

"It's getting to level sixty." Will replied.

"Also, I'm male."

"Oh!" Maribelle gasped, throwing a house-sized paw over her forehead.

"Such shallow motivations. To reduce the majestic 14 th Floor to a mere source of XP. It wounds my very soul."

"The Floor is quite beautiful." Will said.

"That's it!" Maribelle said.

"I'll take it upon myself to show you the natural wonders. Then you couldn't possibly deny the love welling up inside you." Love for what? Will thought, glancing at her brother. The green dragon shrugged.

"Wait…did you say male? But you're so much taller than your companion! And you're so much stronger. I would've sworn…" Maribelle leaned down and put her enormous eye at their level, glancing between Will and Brianna.

"Sexual dimorphism among humans causes males to be larger." Loth commented as she arrived beside them, carrying her barrel by the straps.

"How scandalous. How do they prevent the males from destroying their eggs, then?"

"They keep the eggs inside their body until they hatch," Loth said.

"If the male tries to destroy them, then the female often dies. There is only a single egg at a time and no second clutch. After the baby hatches, humans are hardwired to protect them communally due to the baby's rarity and its inability to protect themselves." That's a weird way to put it.

"Fascinating, and you are…" Maribelle mused, peering down at Loth.

"Loth the Luminary. Technically a kobold, but I've taken on a few draconic traits through a passive Ability." Loth unfolded the wings cloaking her body.

"Marvelous. As tiny and deformed as you are I'm sure you'll be the most powerful Climber of your age. I would expect nothing less from someone who pays homage to our form."

"I shall endeavor to meet your expectation." Loth said, bowing.

"But enough talk!" Maribelle said, waving off the conversation.

"We've only got a short time before you die, so we must make the most of it." Maribelle snapped her fingers together, the opalescent claws making a faint ringing sound.

"…What was that?" Will asked.

"Let's show you around! First stop, the falls! Quick, climb on!" She placed a house-sized paw in front of them. Will shrugged and hopped on, along with the rest of the Party, save the real Travis, who shook his head and made a big X with his hands from where he hid invisibly. Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. Travis had a knack for preventing monsters from noticing. This being a case-in-point.

Will was fairly sure that dragons had some ability to sense Miasma, so they should be able to tell Travis was using an Ability, but it was good enough to turn their attention away from it. Maribelle's claws closed down around them and she took off with a thunderous snap of her wings, instantly catching the air. From Will's point of view, he could see miasma coalescing around her wings, somehow providing extra lift. I don't think something that big could fly it if didn't use magic for it somehow.

Will slipped out of Maribelle's claws and flew alongside her right wing, adding a quick sketch to his legend. The miasma's shape looked like a close cousin of the terrain solidifying ability of Aspect of the Immortal Serpent. A few differences, but extremely similar. Wait, that's what it is! Will hastily made a quick note. The shape of the miasma was much more spread out and skeletal, missing much of the density and several portions that his Ability would have. It's because it's only targeting the air!

Will realized, mentally overlapping the shape of his own Ability over this one. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Her wings couldn't affect the dirt or anything else, they only worked on air, which was a narrow application of his Ability, which created a cut-down, skeletal version of his own ability, with many gaps. But on the other hand, it looked like she was using it effortlessly, and it only seemed to take a tiny fraction of the Miasma That Aspect took.

Plus, if my guess is correct, then this might be a key to decode which strands of miasma mean what. If that means 'air', and this means 'compression' and this means 'terrain', then… Will flew alongside Maribelle, taking furious notes. A more efficient, slimmed-down version of his own Aspect was a great find, and possibly a model for how to recreate the effect without needing the Ability.

Will was especially fascinated with the organic way the strands appeared from the major joints in her wings, coalescing into extra lift, then fading into nothing. Will took notes.

"And here we are!" Maribelle said.

"And-wait, where did he go? Did I drop him? did he die already!?" The enormous purple-blue dragon stared at her open palm, then down at the ground and behind her.

"Did I sit on him?" Maribelle exclaimed in something of a panic, craning her neck to peer underneath herself.

"I'm right here." Will said. Maribelle blinked, looking up at Will, who was hovering above her.

"I can fly. I was just admiring your wings." Will said.

"How indecent," Maribelle said, tucking her wings in tight.

"We can all fly, actually," Brianna said, shapeshifting wings. She, Loth and the fake Travis all took to the air.

"But I thought that…Humans don't have wings."

"Most Climbers above a certain proficiency will create their own techniques for advanced travel." Loth said.

"True, that lordling to the east can fly, but she's the only one. Your whole Party can fly?"

"I'm a Lordling a few Floors down, and this is my Party,""Hmph. Tell me you don't need a ride next time. I was getting excited about carrying you around all by myself." Maribelle grumbled.

"I can't fly as fast as you, Maribelle," Loth said placatingly.

"Me neither." Brianna said.

"Just you, then?" Maribelle asked, giving Will a side-eye. Is she competitive?

"Anyway, this is what I wanted to show you," She said, gesturing to the waterfall beyond. It was a steaming waterfall erupting from a massive tree, gushing out of its side, smelling faintly of herbal medicine. The water poured down into a small lake formed from a pair of roots that made a basin large enough for even Maribell to take a dip inside.

"…Huh." Was all Will could say. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Did the taproot strike a spring?" Loth mused.

"And then the water forced its way through the trunk, which found a weakness in the side of the tree and spilled out.

"One of the great wonders of the 14 th Floor! the sap-spring waterfall! Bath here and the sap and oils dissolved into the water will make your scales more lustrous than- hey!" Loth was already diving in.

"Ahem, as I was saying, it works wonders for scale-polish, wound cleansing, magic rituals, this water makes just about anything better. Will flew down and knelt beside the pool and studied the water. it was warm, a few degrees below scalding. Naturally, since they had high resistance, even boiling water wouldn't do anything… still wouldn't be comfortable though. If the entire 13 th Floor was filled with proto-curses, then the strands of Miasma that floated around the hot water might be considered proto-blessings.

Spending a bit of time would allow the proto-blessings to clump together like salt crystals and provide myriad temporary benefits. Will glanced over at Loth, who was using her wings to propel herself through the faintly green water at high speeds. Brianna slipped out of her kit and dove in behind her, followed by Travis (Illusion), who rolled up his pants and waded in.

"Crap, am I not real?" Travis muttered under his breath. Despite the roar of the waterfall, Will still heard him. As amusing as that was, Will had questions he wanted answers to more than he wanted to frolic in a hot spring.

"What did you mean when you said we were going to die soon?" Will asked, looking up at Maribelle.

"Well, that's just the way it is, isn't it? Climbers rarely last more than a few days before something kills them on this Floor. And even if that were the case, your lifespans a pitiful thousand years or so, isn't it? Can't go getting attached." So it wasn't some kind of threat or allusion to a disease or curse or something? people just die here a lot?

"And boys might try to kill you to show off in front of me." Maribelle mused, tapping a claw against her chin.

"Actually that's usually how it goes."" Usually?" Will asked, eyes widening.

"How often does-""Maribelle, you seem to have been attacked by Climbers whilst bathing! I will protect you from them!"" YOU were the reason people die on this floor!?"

"Noo…it's the boys, obviously." Maribelle said as the roar of the waterfall was drowned out by the roar of the approaching dragon.

"Mother says they get rowdy near Migration."

"If you weren't here, what would boys do?" Will demanded. Maribell froze for a moment.

"Probably…run you off?"

"Ugh…is it okay if I kill him?" Will asked as the massive male swooped down beside them.

"If a dragon could be killed by a Climber, then they don't deserve the name." Maribelle said.

"Do your best, I suppose."

"Vile Climber scum! Ambushing a maiden as she bathes, take this!" A pair of jaws big enough to swallow full-grown oxen snapped down right where Will had been standing, tearing up a large chunk of the ground. Will pulled himself out of the way, studying the furrow in the ground. I can see where this is going, Will thought as the dragon looked up at him, filling his lungs with air.

Will could probably beat this dragon in combat without resorting to dirty tricks, but they were currently at a site of some rarity, and vigorous fighting would surely destroy it. Maybe he could lead him away, but that had a lot of unknowns, especially on an unfamiliar Floor. Will couldn't afford to do this in the traditional way. A shot with Hammer of God might work, but the explosion would cause a lot of damage to the falls. He needed a quick way to take care of this without breaking anything… Oh right.

"Hey." Will said, solidifying the air around the dragon's mouth pausing the fire breath and creating a tunnel to carry his voice straight into the dragon's ears.

"Stop attacking or I'll kill you." Will said, forming a barrier of air around Maribelle. There. Obligatory warning sent. The red dragon's eyes went wide before they narrowed in fury and it tore the solidified air apart, the glow of fire forming in its throat. Hammer of God -> Sickle of Malignant Silence"Shh." 322 Charges remaining.

The dragon froze, blood welling up in his eyes and nose before he slumped over, panting weakly, his bloody tongue slipping out of his mouth as his body went to war with the curses flooding his body. Definitely works better when they're not undead. Will thought, nodding.

"Jer? JER!? What are you doing to Jer!?" Maribelle demanded.

"…Killing him?" Will said with a shrug.

"You're not supposed to be able to do that!"

"I asked if it was okay."

"Well, I changed my mind!" Maribelle said. Will blew out a sigh. These dragons were totally oblivious to their hypocrisy. This 'Jer' fellow was considered 'a bit rowdy' for killing several Climbers in an attempt to impress girls, but as soon a Climber threatened them, they were all about the sanctity of life. If a thinking monster killed several people, let alone one, it would be put down. but this 'Jer' was just a rowdy little scamp. But even so, I shouldn't make the dragons my enemies.

Will was more comfortable with the dubious compromises of politics than he had been when he first entered The Tower. Years of running a frontier town will do that.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Will said, flying up to Jer's man-sized eyeball.

"Jer, Jer, look at me." Will said, snapping his fingers, waiting until the bloody eye focused on him.

"Are you going to attack me again, Jer?" Jer gave a faint whine. Oh right, paralysis. Jer's eyes began to flutter as his consciousness faded. If he stopped concentrating on the seeds, they would bloom and riddle his body with more curses, making it a sure kill. Hmmm. Sickle of Malignant Silence -> Ring of Explosive Doughmaking Will took the Mirror of Inversion out of Dimensional Storage, pointing it at Jer. Capture Image. 322 -> 312 Charges remaining.

The image of the dying dragon was graven into the mirror, preserving him in a state of near-death. Dimensional Storage 311 Charges remain.

"There, your friend won't die. He'll just suffer in a state of near-death for several hours before the effect expires. Plenty of time to get him to a healer. Plus we can see if the curses will run their course, or if they're paused as well." Worst case I can just use Sourdough to dump a few dozen supreme healing potions on him to try and ride out the curse, Will thought, turning his attention to Maribelle. Maribelle was watching Will with… significantly more caution than she had shown previously.

Like a beetle a child had been playing with had suddenly bit off a friend's finger.

"I think… I should take you to Mother." (Relic Description) Sickle of Malignant Silence (X12. 67) +273 Strength +191 resistance +109 Kinesthetics +12 Acuity +478 Focus Active: 1 Charge. Wearer may shush a target and apply a debuff that makes it more difficult to speak. Duration and potency scale with Focus. +205% potency of debuff Abilities. Debuffs inflicted by the user that have expired or been dispelled, will leave behind 'seeds'. These seeds will regrow into new debuffs as soon as the host loses focus on them.

Number of seeds and their duration scales with Focus. Debuffs from seeds do not spawn further seeds. Debuffs applied by the wearer also apply bleeding, paralysis, and psychic damage over time. Bleed damage is increased. Scales with Focus Debuffs applied by the wearer may spread to other enemies. Chance scales with Focus, opposed by enemy Focus.