The Ruby Magician

FLOOR 7

Group: 5/5

Quest: The wizard’s tower looks unassuming and small on the outside, but looks can be deceiving. Stepping inside, you find the space is far larger than expected, and filled with enemies, too. The previous wizards who utilized this tower were called to help in the war, but they’re nowhere to be found. Can you find any signs they still live? Or are there only monsters wishing to take over and control the magic for themselves?

It didn’t take five minutes before the group found the first trap. Well, more accurately, before Marcy found the first trap.

The winding staircase from the floor’s entrance led to a sprawling, empty floor that was far too large to actually be inside a tower. Wyn and John claimed it was some kind of Alistair trickery, though Cedric and Tasha claimed that it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. Some wizard towers actually did have spatial magic that expanded their space, and it was entirely possible that this floor was simply a representative of that.

Marcy finally settled the argument by shushing them so she could focus. After crossing the room by sticking to the right side wall she felt a disturbance from her Extrasensory that made her cautious. There weren’t any passages in the large hall-like room, and only three doors marked any kind of possible advancement. The walls were huge, easily four stories tall, and they were all suspiciously barren of any decor or adornment. Each door was set exactly in the middle of one of the three walls that wasn’t the entrance, and they were each normal size. Wyn thought the ratio of door size to wall size looked ridiculous. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was some kind of illusion that played with his mind, especially considering the fake army in the entirety of the first tier.

When the group advanced closer to the first door on the right, Marcy slowed then stopped. She knelt down and inspected the ground for a moment, then carefully stepped to the wall. Placing her ear to it, she ran a hand along the stone feeling for something unseen.

Wyn looked to the others who seemed just as confused, including Cedric. He was the one Climber who had more experience with Marcy’s trap finding ability, but even he seemed unsure.

“Damn,” Marcy said after a few minutes. “This is good. Really good.”

John started to speak then caught himself. “Wait a second. Good as in good for us, or good as in you’re impressed by how good it is which would be for us?”

Marcy smirked. “Good as in impressed, of course.” She took a small, careful step back. Then another. “The trap is a magical one unlike the ones you all have seen so far. I’ve only seen one of these before a few seasons ago. They all vary, though.”

“What is it?” Wyn asked.

“I don’t know,” Marcy confessed. “It’s impossible to know what it will do. I’m not a trained Mage and I can’t even see the glyph, but my Extrasensory is alerting me of the area where it should be. And that it’s magical. But nothing more than that, I’m afraid.”

“Great,” John said. “So what do we do?”

Wyn thought for a moment. Marcy was able to locate traps and figure them out before, but they were all mundane traps. Trip wires, pit falls, basic things. She warned them about each one but still tested and set off the traps to make sure passage was safe. This wasn’t any different. It would be helpful to be ready for anything, and probably be a safe distance away, but otherwise the caution remained the same.

And, he had a certain lantern that might be helpful.

“Let me try something,” Wyn said. He unslung his backpack and pulled out his Mushroom Lantern. They hadn’t needed the light so he no longer kept it on his belt, but the magical properties were still useful and he liked keeping it close just in case. Attaching it to his belt and giving it a shake, a dim green light filled their area. It didn’t provide any extra light since they could see from the tower’s interior just fine, but the glow showed something else.

A large magical glyph was placed several feet in diameter exactly in front of the door where Marcy was previously inspecting, lit by the lantern’s green light. It didn’t resemble any class Wyn recognized, and was heavily marked with intricate patterns of runes and scripts he didn’t recognize.

The group stepped closer to the glyph and silently inspected it until Cedric spoke first. “That doesn’t look like anything resembling Alistair’s magic. I’m not sure what it is.”

“You mean like it’s magic from this realm?” Tasha asked. “Wherever we are in this wizard’s tower?”

“Maybe. It’s impossible to say. It could just be a way for the tower to set a trap, or it could be far more complicated. We still don’t know all of the details of how Alistair provides its magic or how it creates its floors.”

“This makes me lean towards the idea that the tower sends us to alternate places instead of creating all of this from scratch,” Wyn said. “If it creates everything inside, then this magic would at least be familiar. Same with the script from the temple last season. It was foreign, which implies another source outside Alistair.”

“That’s a fair point,” Cedric conceded.

“Or a combination of the two,” Marcy said. “Maybe the tower provides the enemies and loot while granting us temporary passage into this other location or realm or whatever you call it.”

John groaned. “Who the hell knows! Does it really matter at the end of the day? We’ve been climbing Alistair as long as recorded history. None of the details mattered to generations before us. It doesn’t matter to me, either.”

Wyn laughed. “Maybe. It’s interesting, though. You have to admit that.”

John shook his head and folded his arms. “No, I don’t. The only things that are interesting are the different monsters to kill and loot to find.”

“You’re so stubborn,” Tasha said. “It is interesting. Since this tower is as old as you say, it’s fascinating to learn the history of our world or possibilities of another.”

“But like John pointed out, at the end of the month it won’t matter,” Marcy said. “We’ll be climbing a different place anyway and whatever we learn about this place will be lost to the history books.”

“True,” Wyn said. “So, that leaves us with the here and now. The rest of us at least can see the glyph. I say we back up and prepare ourselves for a magical attack of some sort while setting it off from a distance. If it’s not as threatening, then no harm done.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Marcy said. “The best idea I have is to shoot an arrow at it and see what happens.”

After agreeing to the rudimentary plan, the group backed away fifty feet from the glyph. John stood in front with his shield raised, Marcy stood just beside and behind him ready to fire an arrow, and the rest stayed behind them both. Wyn stood off to John’s other side, ready to cast a Shield spell at a moment’s notice.

Marcy’s arrow pinged off the stone floor a second later, causing the glyph to light up in a bright red light. Then a loud boom echoed off the walls along with a fiery explosion that stirred up thick smoke. It lingered in the air for several seconds, hiding the door and area.

“Damn,” John said. “Good thing we didn’t walk into that. That would’ve been a party killer.”

Cedric patted him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the second tier. But your armor would’ve protected you better than you think.”

John shook his head in polite disagreement. “I don’t think it would’ve saved me from that.”

Cedric tilted his head towards his shoulder. “Probably. But you definitely would’ve needed some healing after.”

John barked a laugh.

The smoke faded quickly and the door and interior looked like an explosion never occurred. The area was still pristine and unmarked, and all that remained was a door.

“Shall we?” Wyn asked, extending a hand towards the door.

“I should lead,” Marcy said. She carefully stepped forward and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, and she slowly opened it while peeking inside. After a couple of seconds, she swung the door completely open. “Empty.”

“Not even a chest?” John said, his disappointment obvious.

“Nope,” Marcy replied.

Wyn stepped forward and let his lantern light fill the room, and the green glow exposed nothing. “Now we try the other doors.”

Walking across the room, the light from Wyn’s lantern was still glowing, and it again revealed another glyph in front of the next door before they got too close. The group carefully approached it and waited again.

“Same strategy?” Wyn asked.

Marcy already had an arrow nocked on her bow. The others backed up in preparation before Marcy fired.

The glyph once again lit up, except this time it was a bright blue. A swirl of frost formed before coalescing into a large ball the size of a barrel. It then began to get brighter with each passing breath. The process was taking longer than the first explosion.

Wyn had a feeling something bad was about to happen. “Tasha, Shell with me!” While his own Shield spell protected against magic due to his Ruby Captain feature, Tasha’s did not, but she had the magical barrier spell Shell ready just as easily. Wyn quickly raised his own magical Shield right before the sphere of ice exploded like the last glyph. Ice spikes flew in all directions, and the ones that were directed to the group were blocked with the combination of both Tasha’s and Wyn’s spells. The magical projectiles broke through one barrier and cracked the second, though didn’t reach the Climbers.

A collective sigh left the group in relief.

“Damn these glyphs are strong,” Wyn said. “That was too close.”

“Good call on the spell,” Tasha said. “I’ll be quicker next time.”

Marcy again tried the door in a similar fashion, but this time a wide smile formed on her face instead of a frown. “Might not need to. We have a passageway.”

Following Marcy, the group continued in their standard formation of Marcy, Wyn, Tasha, Cedric, and John. The passage beyond the door was narrow and uncomfortable, barely five feet across while the ceiling was only a few feet above their heads. It was a straight corridor and went beyond Wyn’s dim green lantern light. Wyn knew if a fight broke out here, it would take some maneuvering to gain any type of advantage. His spear was far too big for the close quarters, too. Another point to having the changing weapon of the Ashen Warriors from the last floor.

“I don’t like this,” Tasha said. She flicked her wand and cast the Torchlight spell, giving them more light to see the stone blocks that made up the entire barren hallway. “It’s far too small to safely do anything.”

“If we get into trouble, I’ll cast a Flash spell and fall back,” Wyn said. “Hopefully it’ll stun the monsters enough for John to step forward and take my place.”

“Perfect,” John said. “This might not be good for your spear or magic, but I could do some damage in this hallway.” He puffed his chest to try and match his bravado.

Marcy took them through the passage at a slow pace while still checking for traps. She didn’t find any, though after a short walk before the passage turned she stopped. She cocked her head to the side and slowly nocked an arrow.

Wyn knew what this meant. He looked back at the group and a silent understanding passed between them. John drew his sword while Cedric and Tasha edged to one wall to make room for the position changes.

Suddenly a series of clunks and thuds came from the passage ahead, past the turn. It was over forty feet away, maybe even fifty feet. Marcy cast her Ignite spell that lit her arrowhead with an impressive magical flame. She released it a second later, right as something rounded the corner. The arrow hit true and exploded in a fiery blast similar to the first trap they set off in the previous room, albeit on a smaller scale.

Out from the flames and smoke came a heavily armored figure, humanoid in shape but covered from head to toe in polished metal armor. No part of their actual being was noticeable as every inch was armored. What was noticeable was that they were jogging straight towards them, two gauntlets wrapped around a large battle axe.

Then, two more similar beings emerged from the blast unscathed behind it. One had a longsword and the other also held a battle axe. They both were at least ten feet behind, but jogging at equal speeds.

Wyn decided to wait a few seconds until the enemies came closer before casting his Flash spell. He didn’t want to use it too soon and it be ineffective, but he would be in John’s way and in danger if he waited too long. The three enemies had helmets that left their eyes exposed, enough to potentially be affected by the bright light.

He then heard a spell being cast behind him and glanced back to see John now covered in the familiar magical glow of Arcane Aura that was layered on top of his red glowing skill. It didn’t look the same as his new Squire aura, but rather one of the lesser skills he had as a Fighter. He looked like a proper one-man army with his sword and shield raised and impressive armor set.

Looking back, Wyn decided it was time. He cast his spell and jumped back towards the group to let John step forward. His heart fell when he realized the enemies weren’t slowing at all, and they didn’t flinch or respond whatsoever to his spell. They each wore helmets but their eyes were only shadowed. Did they have some sort of resistance to magic? Or were they actually covered better than he thought?

He scrambled to think of another way to help as John stepped past him to face the opponents by himself. What could he do?

A sudden idea came to him. It wasn’t much, but it was something. He stepped forward and spoke to John’s back. “I’m going to throw up a Shield when they attack, then drop it. Counter when the time is right.” A small, nearly imperceptible nod from John’s helmet was all Wyn needed to know he understood.

Now the timing had to be even better than his last spell. When the first armored enemy approached and slowed down, then raised its axe to attack, Wyn cast his spell directly in front of John. The translucent barrier winked into existence right as the axe swung down and the weapon bounced off awkwardly. Wyn mentally willed the magical forcefield to disappear and it left as quickly as it came.

John immediately sprang forward and swung his sword down in an arc like he was a blacksmith hammering in a forge. Wyn immediately thought he had gone mad and was trying to brute force his attack instead of using more precise, skillful movements that he knew John was capable of performing. John’s sword glowed in a red aura as it smashed into the armored foe as though it really was a hammer. The blow completely dented the plate armor of the enemy and knocked it to the side, though the hit didn’t take it completely out of the fight. Whatever it was, it was strong.

John was strong, too, though. He followed up his attack with several more, his sword still glowing red and impacting as though it was a completely different weapon. Wyn wondered what kind of new skill John possessed, but figured he would have his answer before long. The fight didn’t seem to be too far from being finished, as the first enemy fell in a crumpled heap right as the second two reached them. Though the narrow hall limited their movements and fighting, it did the same for their enemies.

It took John a bit longer to deal with both enemies but he had help in the form of Wyn and Tasha casting well-timed Shield spells to block one opponent’s attacks when John was focused on the other. Thankfully the fight didn’t take long and Wyn didn’t have to use more than three casts of the spell before all three enemies were killed.

Marcy walked over to one right as it fell to the ground and lifted its helmet. Oddly, there was nothing underneath. It was just empty space. Then it disappeared back into the tower, leaving nothing more than a slightly winded, still-glowing John.

“What was that?” Wyn asked. “I didn’t even see a head!”

“I think it’s some sort of magical defense,” Marcy said. “Remember the environment. We’re in a wizard’s tower and facing whatever obstacles would be realistic here.”

“Like an animated suit of armor,” Cedric said. “Except quite powerful ones.”

A small pile of treasure was resting on the ground where one of the monsters disappeared. A pile that was glowing blue.

John immediately sheathed his sword and bent down to look at it. “Coins, a greater mana potion, and a ruby gem. The gem is better quality than the one I have, so I think I’ll take that as my share.” With a brief glow of magic, the gem currently in John’s sword popped off and he replaced it with the new ruby as he unsheathed it. The sword hummed with magic and gave a deep red glow, almost like blood, and it was richer than before. He twirled it in the air a few times, satisfied with the improvement.

“And what was that skill you used?” Tasha asked. “The one on your sword? Those hits shouldn’t have impacted like that.”

Wyn was glad she asked the question. He was about to do the same thing.

“A new skill I learned when I upgraded to Squire. Bash. It coats a weapon in an aura that makes bladed weapons to be used like blunt ones, so I can deal with armor better. I haven’t had to use it before but those rust buckets were perfect to try it out!”

“If it’s that effective, then by all means,” Wyn said. “But let’s keep moving. This hallway is way too small for my liking.”

The group quickly agreed and kept moving. Wyn had a sinking feeling the path was going to be like this the entire floor, like how the second floor was usually some sort of maze. This was going to be a rough climb if that was the case.

A soft noise ahead made Marcy jerk her head. Wyn was surprised he heard something, too, but the Ranger must’ve heard it more clearly. It sounded like a sack of food being dragged on the floor. He held his spear at the ready but already cursed it. It was next to useless in this tight hallway.

Walking forward slowly, the path had a single open hallway to the left. It was as plain and barren as the corridor so far. Marcy took one step forward then stopped. A thin stone wall steadily closed off the path, making the same noise Wyn heard before.

“What the hells?” John said. “Where do we go now?”

A similar noise came from behind them, except it was the opposite situation. A section of the wall slid out of view to reveal another open pathway.

“Shit,” Marcy said. “This is going to make this floor next to impossible.”

Wyn instantly understood. If the floor changed constantly like that, mapping out any sort of path wasn’t going to work. It just wouldn’t be feasible to accurately note down turns when the walls themselves created new passages or closed off previously used ones. They could spend hours just exploring the different halls, wasting vast amounts of time and energy. It was a great design to keep invaders from finding their way through a magical tower, but a nightmare for Climbers who needed to advance. This floor felt incredibly contradictory, and he wondered if the others thought that, too.

After about ten minutes of turns through changing halls and barren stone, there was relief in the form of a larger room rather than another hallway. Each of the four walls were about twenty or so feet long, making it a square room. There wasn’t any additional door or adornment that helped the boring aesthetic of the room so far, but there were two things that drew everyone’s attention immediately.

The first was a large chest sitting against the far wall. It was easily as tall as Wyn’s waist and likely four feet wide. The second was four more Ashen Warriors that stood before it in a diamond formation like the other groups they encountered. The three in the back were draped in robes and fine jewelry, where two held staves and one had a scepter, and the monster in the front was the largest Ashen Warrior so far. It was likely close to eight feet tall, legs as thick as trees, and armor that covered its torso, shins, and forearms in a black metal. A helmet covered its head and face where only red eyes were visible underneath, glowing with hatred and power. In its right hand was a hammer the size of Wyn, and its left arm held a shield that was even bigger.

One of the mage monsters tapped the giant warrior with its staff, causing a large rune to form at the end of the weapon. A deep yellow glow surrounded the warrior and it banged its shield with the hammer. A loud clang echoed throughout the room.

Wyn wasn’t afraid to admit he felt fear. The monster was just buffed from its magical allies, and dealing with that many mages would be more than problematic. The thought crossed his mind that they might actually be in over their heads.

Marcy drew an arrow as a rune formed in the air and a blob of water formed on the arrowhead. “Champions,” she whispered. “Don’t hold back.”

Wyn readied his spear. His fear, unfortunately, grew.