Tasting metallic spit, Wyn spat the blood in his mouth onto the forest floor beside him. The monster group was difficult, he had to admit. He burned through his entire mana pool and utilized every ability he had to defeat the nearly twenty monsters. It was the third group of the climb, and he hoped the end was near.

  Since completing the fourth floor secondary quest with Arabelle, he had an idea. It came to him while in the trading hall with her, securing her new Warmage set. After they finished their climb of the fourth floor, they were rewarded with a purple rarity item each from the chest. Which was a great reward, considering their trade value was high. It easily helped to secure her desired set. She was ecstatic to wear the new gear and instantly started training with it. He admitted she was already incredibly capable as a Climber, but her drive to be better was infectious.

  So, he wanted to take that same drive and push to clear the fourth floor on his own.

  In hindsight, it wasn’t the best decision he ever made.

  At first, he was proud to overcome the challenges. The traps were harder to spot, more frequent, and deadlier, but he made his way through without injury over two hours. It was slow, methodical, and he had three instances that were too close for his comfort, but he made it. Unfortunately, the monsters were another difficulty entirely.

  They felt to be of a similar strength to ninth floor enemies. They came in large packs of no less than a dozen, were both physically strong and large and magically adept. If it wasn’t for his Sprint skill he would have been seriously injured or killed during the first fight. If it wasn’t for the rest of his abilities, he wouldn’t have been able to overcome three of the monster groups on his own.

  Now, still wading through the second half of the floor filled with monsters, with his body sore and fatigued, he seriously considered leaving. He wouldn’t earn the secondary quest but at least he could brag to the rest of his group that he made it most of the way through the floor by himself.

  Though deep down he desperately wanted to at least see the bosses. So, he continued on.

  Slowly progressing with a poleaxe at the ready and a spell at the edge of his lips, he advanced. The forest began to clear over the next agonizing ten minutes, and he made it to the familiar open and dark glade where the simple wooden cabin rested.

  A deep breath left him as he met his goal. It was enough. Over the course of his climb - or more accurately, his survival - he found a blue rarity shield, a half dozen gemstones and even more potions, and hundreds of silver cloaks he added to his bag. That was a worthy haul while climbing on his own. Daniel would chastise him to the hells and back for going inside Alistair by himself, but at least he had something to show for it.

  Without realizing it, his legs carried him into the clearing. He knew with every fiber of his being that the bosses would be too much for him, but he wanted to note what they would be. Would any other Climber be able to say they made it there alone? It was a mark of personal pride that he wanted for himself.

  His old commander used to say that pride was a folly men died for, and he admitted the grizzled man was right. But he was already planning to leave. Why not at least see what the bosses were?

  Wyn stowed away his weapon and withdrew a portal key. Any step now the witches would show, and he was prepared to portal out immediately.

  Another two steps and the ground began to shake. Mounds formed in the large gap between him and the cabin, and then soil rose and broke revealing giant earth monsters twice his height. Behind them came a cackle so menacing and loud it made his skin crawl.

  Three witches immediately exited the cabin, and they didn’t walk. They flew with ease as ragged cloaks and scraps of cloth barely covered their wrinkled bodies, and they flew up in the sky to see him over the minions. All three of them were heavily coated in multiple colored auras so dense Wyn could feel the pressure even from the distance between them. Not a single monster had wielded that much power, not even the dragon of the ninth floor the night he advanced to the third tier.

  And there wasn't just one boss. There were three of them. Whatever magic they possessed, whatever intelligence they carried, it would be forever unknown. Wyn was brave, and he was bold, but he didn't want to die for being stupid.

  He immediately activated his portal key with a shaking hand.

  Staring at the bosses while the portal formed, he saw them continue to laugh and form spells that would likely kill him without much difficulty. If the bosses were truly ninth floor difficulty, and there were three of them so magically powerful, he stood no chance. Not by himself.

  One of the witches started to say something but Wyn ignored them as he leapt through the portal.

  Finding his boots back on the polished stone of the portal room, he took several deep breaths to calm himself.

  He was out. He was safe. Everything would be fine.

  Running his hands over his body, he felt sore muscles and aching joints. Despite the magical healing he was still exhausted, and the memory of suffering injuries didn't immediately fade away. A long night’s sleep was more than warranted. It was welcomed with open arms.

  He wanted to tell the others about his attempt but that could wait until the morning. It had been the late afternoon when he went to climb, and after spending several hours inside it was likely after dinner. If he was lucky, maybe Daniel or Arabelle would be free to have dinner with him in the dining hall.

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  Leaving Alistair, he noticed the street lights were just starting to come on. It was dusk, and there was still a chill in the air. Winter was ending soon, and the days were getting warmer, but the nights still had a cold bite to them signaling the time of year.

  Wyn took a deep breath of the cool air and smiled. His jacket’s enchantment of keeping him comfortable in all weather truly was incredibly convenient.

  The streets weren’t too busy as some Climber groups were still out and some civilians were walking here and there, and Wyn was content walking alone. A horse drawn carriage slowly trotted by and he hoped another would be around to take him to the housing district before it became too dark.

  As the carriage passed by, Wyn caught something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped abruptly, then slowly turned his head towards the street.

  Anger and surprise swelled within him. He wanted to summon his weapon but thought that would draw too much attention.

  A tall figure stepped closer to him in the street, mostly shrouded by their ragged cloak. Their face was still visible from the ambient light.

  Not their face, exactly, but at least the mask that served as their face. A mask that resembled a strange looking dog or wolf.

  “Hello, Wyn,” the figure said, stopping about ten feet away. “Climbing alone? That’s admirable.”

  Wyn wanted to relax so he didn’t appear hostile but found his body remained alert. He took a deep breath to try and settle himself.

  It didn’t work.

  “What are you doing here?” Wyn asked.

  The figure – the leader, from what Wyn remembered – turned his head to briefly look back at the rest of his group. “We’re here to talk. Nothing more.”

  Wyn snickered. “I’m sure. After the shit you’ve been doing to my team? My sister?”

  “We haven’t been doing anything except for trying to communicate. No threats. No harm. We haven’t even been closer to where we are now.”

  Wyn stepped forward towards the man. He didn’t budge, but Wyn could feel the tension in him and the rest of the masked group. “Funny that the first thing you say is you haven’t threatened us. You may can disguise your approach as being cordial, but I know the truth. Your intentions are just veiled. Like your faces.”

  “As I said, we just want to talk,” the man replied, a slight edge to his voice.

  Wyn strangely felt some relief. Knowing he could get under their skin was rewarding. And despite his anger at them, he also had some things he wanted to say.

  He just hoped his words wouldn’t provoke them to attack.

  “Then let’s talk,” Wyn said. “War room in the training hall?”

  The man nodded. “After you.”

  *****

  John wiped his nose again. He looked around him and frowned. It was nearly impossible to focus on what the others were saying with that damn smell.

  “John,” Marcy said. She lightly slapped him on the arm. “Focus.”

  “I’m sorry,” John said, his voice low. “It’s just… can’t you smell that?”

  Marcy looked at him flatly. “Are you asking if me, the one of us with the most heightened senses, can smell something?”

  “Of course she can,” Cedric said. “We all can. We’re just mature enough to ignore it.”

  John looked incredulously at the three of them. He started to say something but Tasha put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

  The four of them were seated in the simple yet comparatively quaint den of the home where they now resided. Since having to vacate the guild hall, Tasha and Marcy found a house where they could all remain together. They had grown fond of being in the same quarters, being able to talk, eat, and rest together as a group.

  Unfortunately the house was pitiful and in terrible shape.

  Sections of the walls were chipped or scarred. Floors creaked and were uneven, while the doors had had entire sections of wood stripped or marked. The entire house was small, too, with only two bedrooms split between them for men and women and a single washroom they all shared. Worst of all was a stench that was absent on first inspection but now permeated the house relentlessly.

  It was unspoken that they all regretted the rental for the month, but none of them were going to say it out loud.

  “Hopefully it’ll clear it up in a day or two,” a woman said, stepping into the room. She was middle aged with wrinkles marking her face and skin, though her face was kind. She wore an apron and bonnet and carried a bucket that slightly sloshed as she turned the corner. “I put some herbs in each room to help combat the stench, though I’m afraid I don’t know where it’s coming from.”

  “Thank you, Jenny,” Tasha said. “You’re doing us an incredible favor.”

  Jenny held the bucket beside her and smiled broadly. “Anything for Wendy or Daniel. And since they consider you family, think nothing of it!”

  “Still, it’s greatly appreciated,” Cedric said. “If there are any issues, can we ask you back?”

  “Of course, dear! Just let her know. That’s all I have for today, just remember to leave the herb bundles alone. Thank you all.” She gave one more goodbye before leaving.

  Marcy hit John again once Jenny left. He didn’t bother defending himself. He knew it was rude right after he said it, though Marcy physically reminding him wasn’t the best feeling, either.

  “Now, can we get back to the topic at hand?” Cedric asked.

  “Sorry,” John said, rubbing his arm. “So, were you agreeing to be our bookkeeper?”

  Cedric slowly nodded his head. “I think so. I enjoy numbers and clerical work and could serve to keep up with our finances.”

  “Great,” Marcy said. “I’m going to keep mentoring along with Daniel. Wyn mentioned providing teaching services to new Climbers and I think a large part of our guild should focus on that.”

  “I’ve been wondering about that,” John said. “I don’t disagree, but why? Guilds just focus on climbing and having a group to do that together. Why bother?”

  “Why did you want to join the Twilight Blades?” Cedric asked.

  John scrunched his face for a moment. “Well, they were one of the top and most popular guilds. And Gregory was an amazing Knight, so joining them meant…” he trailed off as realization struck him.

  Marcy smirked. “Meant what?”

  John nodded reluctantly. “I now see your point. Joining them meant I could learn from him while still being in the guild.”

  “Exactly,” Marcy said. “Think about how valuable it would be to a new Climber to have not just an older member, but a guild member providing teaching and training? They would have guild exposure and see how active veterans approach climbing rather than older, non-active Climbers.”

  “And we’d set ourselves apart,” Cedric added. “No other guild does that. It would be another avenue of gathering funds and renown without even exposing ourselves to the tower. Plus, ensuring newer Climbers be better and safer is a huge bonus.”

  “If we wanted to take breaks from Alistair, we would just focus on mentoring,” Tasha added. “It could let us stay longer and make more of a name for ourselves!”

  “Alright, you’ve proved your points,” John said. “But we won’t have any other groups in the guild? Just us and Arabelle’s?”

  “Faye and Nigel want to join,” Marcy said. “They’re working out the details but I know for a fact Nigel is wanting to bring his group in.”

  “The details being Gregory and Caryn,” Tasha said. “They still haven’t worked out their differences?”

  Marcy shook her head.

  Tasha nodded in understanding. “That’s a shame. They could bring valuable insight to running a guild and leading others.”

  “So that leaves just convincing Aureus to actually approve us,” John said.

  “Among other specifics, yes,” Cedric said. “A financial plan, schedule, more organizational documents. It’s obviously not cheap to run a guild, and we need resources that would assist the other members and students.”

  “Resources that can only be found on the higher floors?” John asked.

  “Precisely. So, we’d need to push into the third tier and start collecting better rewards.”

  “Which is something we should do only with a full team,” Tasha said. “I’m convinced we could manage on the second tier, but I wouldn’t trust going to the eleventh floor without six of us. There are just too many unknowns.”

  Cedric leaned over to the wall beside him, sniffed, and made a sour face. “And another priority is finding a decent guild house.”

  A knock at the door pulled their attention. They looked at each other, waiting, before Marcy stood up. As though some part of her enhanced perception picked up who was at their door, she smiled broadly with a small gasp. She trotted to the door and swung it open wide.

  “Cal!” Marcy said, excitement in her voice.

  The others jumped up from their seats and rushed to their guest at the door. The tall man greeted them, giving Tasha and Marcy hugs. They welcomed him inside.

  He paused right inside the door and sniffed. “Why does it smell like seasoned fish?”

  John groaned. “That’s what it smells like?”

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