Chương 24: Book 2 Chapter Twenty-One: Heart to Heart

TWENTY-ONE"I can honestly say I didn't expect that," Darren said as the two of them stood outside the temporal chambers that Jerry occupied. Roan hadn't paid for their time in the chamber, but they had enough to split the difference as half their number entered the enchanters room. A house over, the second half of the new guild entered with his arborealist's touch manuscript.

"It was honestly a spur of the moment thought. Was talking to Taoya about enchanting his weapons when I get my private lessons from Jerry and realized it was cheaper to have me do it rather than having the mobs on the level do them. So, why not have a bunch of people working on it together?" Roan said. He felt content as he looked at the beginnings of the Support Guild. He'd use the earnings of the guild to buy more manuscripts which he could learn, but in the meantime everyone would be supported."

If I can get all my support manuscripts paid by others I can focus on buying direct combat skills or items. It's a win-win."

"No, it's a good idea. Just mad I hadn't thought of it first. I was too combat focused," Darren said, wiping at his face with one hand.

"Are you alright?" Roan asked, looking suspiciously at Darren. The man wasn't one who admitted to anything, especially to Roan.

"The temper has helped more than I thought. I didn't realize how tired and stressed I was. It was like a great weight coming off my shoulders. If I could get eight hours of sleep I'd probably start skipping through the forest while singing," Darren said with a chuckle." Body changer for sure. Darren doesn't make jokes." Roan started looking around to see if Taoya or someone else was close by to help him.

"Stop that. I can hear your heart elevating. I…I was wrong to treat you the way I did," Darren said slowly, each word drawn out of him like it pained him to speak. Darren paused for a bit then sighed and shook his head.

"You've contributed a lot. More than most of us who had advantages you don't have. I can't in good faith say you're a detriment to our plans and you said you'd join the Pact and you've delivered. Plans, resources, allies. Hell, at this point you've done more for us than anyone else." Roan shifted, suddenly uncomfortable by the wave of compliments streaming out of Darren's mouth. He remembered how good he'd felt after his own body tempering, but it hadn't caused him to have a complete reversal of who he was.

"You need to work on your poker face. Taoya and Moira talked to me about what a shit I was being. How it was hurting our plans by being an elitist prick. Their words," Darren said.

"Yeah, I figured," Roan muttered.

"I need this to succeed. More than just living or dying, I do believe this is a threat to all of us. All of the world. Do you understand why I act like I do?" Darren asked.

"It's always been a threat to my world. I grew up watching everyone I ever knew and love walk into this place and never return. I watched the world forget us. Watched as steel rusted and concrete chipped and children starved or died of heat exhaustion in the street. Watched gang members shoot and stab each other in the middle of the street over a crush of fucking bread. Maybe this is new to you, but this is how we all lived." Roan felt the anger in him swell.

Years of repression broke as Roan looked at the spoiled scion who had felt the need to impress on Roan the danger of the tower. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"This might be the end of the world for you, but our world ended long ago. We're just ghosts in the desert, waiting to be exorcised," Roan finished. Darren stayed silent as they stared at one another.

"Regardless, it was well done. You'll need to find someone to lead the day-to-day though. Unless you wish to be an administrator," Darren said, pivoting out of the awkward silence with the grace of an ocean liner.

"Billie. The rest are beat down. Last level they would have met my suggestion with blades and anger. Now? They rolled over instantly."

"The woman who spoke with you?" Darren asked.

"Yeah. She was in our saferoom and I've talked to her a few times. It would have been Deacon or Vanessa, but he ran off and she's dead."

"Lot of dead climbers on this floor," Darren said tiredly.

"Lot of dead climbers," Roan said. While the village was packed tight right now, it was the entirety of the floor minus Grace and whoever was still with her.

"Where do you think Grace is? And Nash?" Roan asked.

"Fuck if I know. I have no doubt there's somewhere they can hide and fight, but without access to the Market, what can they do? They'll run out of supplies eventually, but I don't think they'll survive the night," Darren said dismissivley." Regardless of what he said, he's still an egotistical elite. Only way he can look past his nose is if he's staring down it at others. He's going to be rudely surprised." Roan looked at the other man out the side of his eyes and decided it wasn't worth wasting his breath.

Darren's obvious superiority complex would get him killed." I'll just talk to Taoya and Moira about it," Roan decided.

"This plan of yours. Do you think it's going to work?" Darren asked.

"It got your approval. It's different from what I wanted to do, but nobody wants to give up those temporal chambers. Means we have to survive tonight and I think our plan gives us a good chance. The survivors don't have many heavy hitters in it. What, Jared and a few other college fighters?" Roan asked. He'd seen the other man in a battered set of Tower robes looking exhausted as he received healing.

"Jared's good, but he's not elite. Not without the body tempering, but by the time he has that, the rest of us will be further ahead. It's a game of advantages. What we earned on first level allowing us to compete and earn more on this level," Darren said dismissively.

"You really don't have high opinions of anyone, do you?"

"Not till they earn them. What are you doing the rest of the day?" Darren asked.

"Buy a higher grade weapon, get Jerry to honor his bet. That should take most of the day. Get a nap while I'm at it," Roan answered honestly.

"Sleep. What's that?" Darren said bitterly. He did look tired and it wasn't getting better. The body temper had relieved some of it, but the shadows under his eyes were deepening.

"Go and get some sleep. Lose an hour out here but get a full night in the chamber," Roan said. It was what he planned on doing. He realized that the chambers were the key with how the level was on a countdown. There was just too much to do with too little time. The chambers gave them more time if they had the money to use them.

"Don't forget we still have to go and rig the other village. Are you going to be part of that team or the dragon team?" Darren asked.

"Haven't decided yet. Wasn't a fan of being chased the first time, but I do like the idea of blowing the dragon up. Thought about investigating the cave too."

"Have to confirm that is where the exit is. Would be bad if we waited till the last minute and then went down to cave and that's not where the stairs are," Roan said with a laugh. Darren chuckled as well as he wiped at his greasy hair.

"Showers, nap, fresh clothes and I'll be fine. Alright, I'll see you an hour before dark. We'll finish the details then," Darren said as he pushed off the wall of the building and sauntered off.