"What you faced within the tower," Amais repeated unsurely, he sat at the corner of Boaz's cot eager for the man to distill the knowledge he had acquired during his foray into the Tower of Wynd.

  By now Amais knew it as the fourth treasure, something men spent their lives searching for only for it to elude them each time.

  But Gaius had made it, Boaz too. Would he be able to as well?

  To slay a single demon was a feat not to talk of five hundred, but still, Amais felt resolve grow in his chest. He had given his word he would enter the tower and free his teacher, there was no reneging on that promise now.

  "You contemplate, having second thoughts?" Boaz asked.

  "You would prefer I did, wouldn't you?" Amais retorted with a smirk. Boaz sighed, rubbing the freshly bandaged stump as if it itched.

  "You're unlike anyone I've ever met, never have I seen someone so willing to throw their life away," the giant man said tiredly.

  "It may seem that way to you. Rest assured I have no intention of dying," Amais said resting his hands on the metal railing of Boaz's cot. "Tell me do you fear for my life?"

  "From the moment I met you,"

  Amais laughed.

  "We met just the other night, barely on amicable terms,"

  "I care for you as one would a distant and stubborn brother, you are a cleric of Edain and so was I once," Boaz said.

  "So teach me as a brother would," Amais said growing bored of the older man's stall tactics. It was clear to him that Boaz still aimed to convince him of the tower's danger.

  Little did he know Amais already knew the danger that awaited him, he simply would not back down.

  Boaz exhaled at the sight of brown eyes not swayed by his warnings, the young man was determined to go to the tower no matter what. A fool's errand but were we not all fools once?

  "Listen well, I've stated previously what you must do to escape the tower now I shall tell you what I endured within. I shall tell you the story of this arm," Boaz said moving his arm.

  Amais frowned but nodded as the great figure began his tale.

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  "I lost it to a Primal,"

  ===

  Boaz woke in a new room of the tower different from the town he had previously saved from a rampaging demon. He winced, lifting a heavy hand to cradle his aching head. He glanced at his number, 305, and grinned in triumph at its rise to a higher digit.

  "Must I endure such aches when slaying demons already takes its toll?"

  Transportation to the next room was never smooth, the force of the movement would be enough to kill a normal man.

  Ah, but he was not such was he?

  Boaz took his attention away from his pains and scanned his surroundings.

  Underneath him, Lush, green grass grew freely in tall stalks that would come to his waist if he stood. Looking up he noticed his back rested against the base of a mighty tree, its branches that stretched far across the horizon and each was easily the width of a warrior's thigh.

  "I seem to be in a forest," he said rising from his place on the ground. Boaz dusted himself off and began his search for the next transportation orb and the next demon he could slay.

  Judging from the size of the tree, it wouldn't be unwise to assume that a creature that prowled this place would be enormous.

  He walked, wading through the thick stalks of grass and the small insects that hid within them. He lifted his hands and batted away the fairies and nature spirits that tugged at his hair and clothes as he walked.

  "Come off you pests!" Boaz growled, gripping one by the wings and chucking it far behind him.

  Eventually, he walked out of the tall grass and into a lush meadow where strange multi stemmed flowers grew, Boaz ignored the flora, using his eyes instead to scan for the orb that would transport him again.

  He found it not too far from him but the Tower of Wynd had taught him that any path deceptively easily as this could only snare a fool.

  He gripped his sword keeping his eyes on the target he sprinted forward in a bid to catch his enemy off guard. As he suspected, from the corner of his eyes a shadow echoed his steps in the form of a giant black wolf easily three meters tall on its four legs.

  Boaz knew he would not reach the orb in time for the creature to stop him, with a heavy heart he unsheathed his sword as the beast bounded across the meadow and landed in front of him barring its teeth.

  It was hard to believe this had once been a man like him, the only remnants of its humanity being the armor fitted across its body, pierced with dozens of arrows and blades, some even sticking out of the demon’s hide and fur.

  The wolf stood at an impressive height easily dwarfing Boaz who was not small compared to other humans. Its fur was black, easily swallowing the light that shined over head through the branches of the great tree.

  Boaz knew then that those who came before him were not as fortunate, a difficult battle awaited him.

  "You dare draw your sword against me?" The wolf growled sounding halfway bestial. The tower was slowly eroding the mind of this former man, Boaz could only pray for what was left of his soul.

  "If it would allow me to leave with my life," Boaz replied.

  The wolf chuckled, crouching until its snout nearly touched the short grass of the meadow. A slow drawn out laugh came from the wolf's chest.

  "I shall not allow you to leave this place alive,"

  "I don't believe I was asking," Boaz said.