Chapter 62: Sink or Swim (Patreon)

“Did any of them say when the trial was taking place?” I asked Geminy.

There was the sound of something crashing on her end, followed by banging. Geminy jumped and looked around worried.

“They said it would happen in two days once they’ve recruited or banished whoever’s left in town,” she said.

“Is everything okay there?” I asked, out of concern. Andreas had said there was an angry mob out on the street and, by the looks of it, they were close to the tavern. There was another loud bang.

“I have to go,” she whispered, and then ended the call.

Two days to prepare a recue. It wasn’t as much time as I would’ve liked, but it was better than nothing. If I maximized my blood healing power and really pushed it, I think I could get to a high enough level to pull it off. The bigger question was on whether the others would come or not.

I knew Hugo would follow me anywhere and his spirit summons would be an invaluable asset. Hemi seemed like someone who just didn’t want to be alone and would join, just avoid being by himself. Elise was tougher to read and I wouldn’t hold it against her if she refused and decided to focus on tower climbing instead. Although considering I’m still a level lower than Martin, and the others are even lower than that, we should probably clear another floor or two before trying to mount a rescue.

Hugo was on the kitchen counter eating something. I left him be and found Hemi on the balcony, staring out into the black void. At least in the room with Ostorox, there were distant stars painting the area. Out past the tower, there was nothing.

“Is this real or some kind of illusion?” asked Hemi when I stood beside him.

“All I know is that the tower is separated from the rest of Earth. Whether that means we’ve been transported to space or another dimension is anyone’s guess. My theory is that it's some kind of magical barrier.”

“For what reason? To keep us in?”

“No, more likely to keep other things out. This tower climb is a tutorial that the survivors are meant to learn and grow from. There are beings out there that are far more powerful than what we’ve faced in the tower that would crush us without that black nothingness in place.”

Hemi leaned against the railing and looked over the edge. He seemed sad about what I’d just said. “So you’re saying that even if we escape the tower, it’s just going to be more of the same?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly.

I didn’t like to think about what was after the tower. It meant thinking about my family and wondering whether they were alive or not. It meant wondering about my long-term future.

I shook my head. None of it would help to keep me alive right now. Better to just focus on clearing the next floor. I sent out a party chat message to meet by the elevator and went there to wait. Hemi and Hugo came right away while Elise did so a few minutes later, looking most annoyed.

“I thought we’d be here longer than five minutes,” she complained. “I didn’t even get the chance to try out the shower.”

“You can do that later. Look, I tested out the merchant terminal and it works. The only problem is that one of the merchants said that Martin’s group is going to execute a friend of mine in a couple of days. So I intend to clear as many floors as I can and rack up as many levels as possible and then stage a rescue before that happens. I won’t ask anyone of you to join me on my return to the town but—”

“What? Of course, we’ll come,” said Elise.

“Yeah, you’re our leader. What are we supposed to do without you?” asked Hemi.

The support was overwhelming. I thanked them and turned away.

“Guys look, I think he’s going to cry,” said Hugo.

“Shut up bird!” I snapped. “It’s just a speck of dust in my eye.”

The others let it go, and we returned to floor 95 stone chamber and I checked the levels of my teammates. As much as I have to get myself over level 20, I have to find a way to help the others catch up too.

[Hugo, Class: Psychopomp, Level: 11]

[Hemi Smith, Class: Novitiate, Level: 9]

[Elise Evans, Class: Elemental Wizard, Level: 15]

As before, I took the lead, going through the door to the next part of floor 95. The door led to a narrow cave tunnel. Elise made the crystal on her staff glow to help the others see as we made our way through until we saw daylight from around the corner. But rather than leave the cave, we’d actually entered a massive cavern with a giant hole in the ceiling where light was shining through. There didn’t appear to be anywhere else in the cave to go. Great, more climbing.

I glanced at Hemi and wondered how many points he’d put into strength or dexterity.

“Can you make a climb?” I asked him.

He nodded. “I’ll make it.”

We were about to find a place to start from when a droning sound from above made us stop. It grew louder, and the sky became darker. We looked up and saw a large number of flying insects hovering overhead.

*Beast Identified* [Swarm of Bullet Wasps] Level 7 – These stinging menaces can deliver excruciating pain through the venom in their stingers. Extreme swelling, paralysis, and death are not uncommon.

I grabbed Hugo and retreated into the shadows. With him under my cloak and my hood up, the two of us were effectively invisible to the swarm.

Elise threw a panicky look my way when she saw I wasn’t getting involved. “Um, a little help!” she shouted.

“Nah, you guys got this,” I said.

It was perfect. Here was numerous enemies that were relatively low level. Killing these should help boost them fast. Not everyone shared my view, however, as I heard Hugo huff with impatience. It made sense to hold him back, though. The only combat ready spirit summon he had was Ostorox, and it was far too bright in the cavern to effectively use him. I patted the little guy on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find something for you to kill,” I told him.

The bullet wasps were a mixture of red and black, and each was about the size of my index finger. I couldn’t tell how many there were as they flew in a fast, chaotic fashion above the cavern. They buzzed with an anger that could only precipitate a fight.

Hemi summoned his book and began muttering something while Elise readied her staff. The wasps took this as provocation and launched themselves at the pair. As soon as the first wave got within six feet of them, the wasps slammed headfirst into a golden barrier in the shape of half of a bubble. Many of them died on impact. The rest of the swarm seemed to learn from this and moved slower to engage. Some reached the barrier and tried to break through it with their stingers to little success, while smarter ones in the group tried to circumnavigate it altogether. They flew over the pair to try and attack them from behind. Elise whirled around and as she swung her staff, a wave of fire shot out of it, incinerating the wasps.

My eyebrows rose at the display of power. “Have you been holding out on me?” I asked her.

Elise kept her eyes on the wasps and said, “I was level ten the last time I fought. My flame spell would have been useless against a creature eight levels higher than me. Lucky for me, these level 7s burn just fine.”

The rest of the swarm descended on Hemi’s golden barrier. Cracks were beginning to show, as they relentlessly pounded against it. Hemi flicked the wrist of his free hand and his barrier flew up towards the cavern wall. It slammed into it and crushed the remaining wasps before they could get away.

My estimations rose even higher. “I thought you couldn’t kill with your power?” I asked him.

Hemi shrugged. “I am allowed to defend myself and there are loopholes, though I must be careful not to exploit them too readily, lest I close myself off from many future paths. A Novitiate who only uses their power for violence is often sent down a dark path.”

“That seems unfair,” I said. “This whole place seems designed around violence.”

“Yes, but some would argue that there are still choices that can be made. Although it appears that killing these creatures is not considered a sin according to my book.”

“Is that book your weapon?” Hugo asked.

Hemi smiled. “I would say it was more of a tool and a teacher.”

Curious to see how they’d done. I checked their stats and saw excellent news.

[Hemi Smith, Class: Novitiate, Level: 11]

[Elise Evans, Class: Elemental Wizard, Level: 16]

Hemi had gained two levels, and Elise had gained one. At this rate, I’d get all of us to level 20 in no time. I told them as much and while they appreciated the chance to gain more points, they both said that they’d prefer a heads up, the next time I decided to sit out a fight. I agreed, but seeing how they’d handled themselves just now, I told them that they had little to worry about.

“Seriously, guys we’ve got this. This floor’s not going to be a problem for us.”

Before we could climb out of the cavern, storm clouds gathered in the sky. Thunder boomed out, and the ground shook.

Hugo looked at me and sighed. “You just had to say it.”