B2 Chapter 17: Catching Up (Patreon)

Sebastian looked at me through hazy, half-closed eyes, but he seemed to recognize me when I said his name. I stared down at the man that had once refused my help and told me that he could handle things on his own. The party we'd both been in fractured with him and some others going their way, and Hugo and I going for another. He'd looked strong and healthy then. Overly arrogant, sure, but not suicidally so.

Now it appeared that he hadn't washed or shaven in weeks, and there was a haunted look in his eyes.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

He took another swig from his bottle and I had to resist the urge to knock it out of his hand.

"Nothing," he muttered.

He stood up and tried to leave, but I grabbed his shoulder and shoved him against the wall.

"The last time I saw other members of your party, they were dead," I said. "Want to explain how you weren't among them?"

He cast his eyes downward. "I left the party shortly before they were attacked."

"That's a little convenient."

His eyes flared up with anger. "Don't you think I know that? That they became an easier target once I was gone?" Tears streamed down his face. "That it's all my fault."

I let go of him and he sat back on the floor, defeated.

This was not what I expected, and I gave him a moment to collect himself before I asked what had happened. Sebastian explained that he ended up having a falling out with his group over an argument over who should be in charge. The conversation was going nowhere, so he decided to leave the party and make a go of it alone. It wasn't long after before he was trapped in the forest fighting wave after wave of zombies. When the zombies were finally defeated, he was lost deep in the woods lost until he saw smoke and followed it. That led him to the burning wreckage of Martin's camp, long after the fighting there was done.

"Hemi and the others think you're dead," he said.

I nodded. That made sense with the way I'd disconnected from their party right after that cave explosion. I just had to hope that they were okay with coming back to life.

"Where are they?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I haven't seen them since that day."

I got the feeling that he was leaving something out. "This city can't that be big. You're telling me you have no idea where they are?" I pressed.

Two male voices could be heard chatting amiably in the distance. Sebastian stiffened and tried to leave again, but I stopped him.

"Let me go!" he hissed.

The two voices rounded the corner, and I saw that they belonged to the city guards I'd seen earlier. As they entered the alleyway, one grinned at the sight of us. "Well, if it ain't our old friend."

For a second, I thought he was referring to me and that he recognized my face from the wanted poster, but then I saw that he was staring right at Sebastian.

"I don't want any trouble," Sebastian mumbled.

That was when the other guard noticed me and made an assumption based on my finer captain's clothes. "You should move along, sir. We've arrested this one before for vagrancy. If he stole from you, then you should let us handle it."

Sebastian blanched and looked at me with fear and pleading.

I smiled to put everyone at ease. "That's alright. I've just arrived here and was talking to him to get the lay of the land."

"Him?" one chuckled in disbelief.

"You'd be surprised what people on the streets see," I said with my smile never wavering.

One guard leaned to the other and whispered, "treasure hunter."

The other nodded and then shook his head. "You pirates will do anything for a lead. Even talk to a drunk like this. Has your search been fruitful thus far?"

I frowned, not understanding what he was getting at.

[Would you like to join Sebastian Calder’s party? Y/N]

I joined and immediately received a message.

[Party leader is Sebastian Calder, Class: Battleborn, Level: 62]

I was surprised to see him at such a high level. Given his appearance and what he’d told me so far, I figured that he’d given up on leveling entirely.

[Sebastian Calder: He's fishing for a bribe. Just give him one so he'll go away.]

[Lucas Hudson: If I do that, then you have to answer all of my questions.]

There was a brief pause.

[Sebastian Calder: Fine]

[Lucas Hudson: How much should I offer?]

[Sebastian Calder: Three hundred should do it.]

My smile deepened, and the guards took that as a sign that my endeavors had been fruitful. "The city guard works so hard to keep this place safe," I began. "And the timing of you two especially! I mean I wasn't conversing with this filthy vagrant for more than a moment before the two of you arrived to check on my safety. It's very commendable and if it's not too forward of me, I'd like to donate some funds to the City's guard office."

Both guards went from eager to unsure of that.

"Of course, I'm a busy man. So I'll have to give you funds directly to take there," I added hastily.

They went back to grinning.

One of the guards said that his name was Tim. I set up the trade and transferred three hundred coins to him.

"Looks like I'll be sleeping aboard my ship tonight instead of in a hotel," I said humorously.

They both laughed and jokingly apologized for putting me out like that. "Your charitable contribution is much appreciated," they said before moving on.

"What was that about?" asked Sebastian once they were out of earshot.

"I needed them to believe they'd fleeced me," I explained. "If I'd parted with the three hundred coins so easily, then they'd have known that I had more. At that point, they'd either try to kill me or extort me for everything I had."

Sebastian's eyes widened. "So you do have more, then?" There was a hunger in his eyes that I didn't like. One that spoke of purchasing a lot more alcohol.

"Let's get back to my questions. Why are you at such a high level if you've been like this since the forest, and what's my best bet to find Hugo and the others?"

Sebastian was about to respond when a loud gong sound reverberated through the city and a System message appeared.

[4 days remaining]

"And that. What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

Sebastian finished the last of his bottle, put the empty one in his inventory, and started walking. "Come on, I'll explain on the way while you buy me another drink."

My mouth tightened, but I reluctantly agreed and caught up with him. As we walked down the street, he pulled a scrap of paper out of his inventory and offered it to me.

"These things were all over the city when I first got here," he said. "Go on, take it. It's easier this way."

I take paper and got another notification.

*New Quest Unlocked* [The Golden Door] - As you may have noticed, this place is different from the other floors. I'm trying something new and any complaints will be forwarded to my shredder.

Now this place is a foundational floor on steroids with multiple other floors being merged with this one to create different difficulty zones. You may have also noticed that you haven't been able to find an elevator or stairwell door since arriving here either and thus we get to the quest.

There is a single golden elevator door hidden somewhere on this floor like buried treasure. It might be on one of islands or it might be underwater. The point is that you’ll have to hunt for it.

If a regular tower resident finds it or is in the finder’s party, then they will be upgraded to tower climber status and receive all the benefits that go with it. If a tower climber claims it, then there's a secret special prize waiting for them.

Once the door has been found and claimed, other elevator doors will appear on every island to allow the tower climb to continue. You have one week to find the golden door and unlock it before it disappears. If that happens, then you'll be trapped on this floor until the tower self destructs.

So there's only four days left until the golden door disappears. I asked Sebastian how the search was going, but he could only shrug and say that every pirate crew had been searching without much luck.

"What about my bounty? Do you know who's trying to capture me?"

"No, as I said. Most people think you're dead. I assumed the bounty was put up by the System to taunt me and the others, considering everyone thinks you valiantly sacrificed yourself to kill Martin."

They do?

I guess I could see it. They all must think Anders and Martin both died in the explosion, too.

We arrived at a liquor store that was still open past midnight. The owner saw Sebastian and his expression darkened. He was ready to yell at him to leave when I stepped in and smoothly offered to pay for whatever he wanted which mollified him.

It seems like everybody on this floor could be appeased with money and I said as much back out on the street when Sebastian had a new bottle of whiskey in his hands.

He looked at me strangely. "What do you expect? These people are stuck in the tower with us, except they don't get Classes like we do. The System implants some basic skills like how to sail or gives them a liquor store to manage against their will. If they don't do the job they're assigned, then they don't make money and they starve. For us, money is easy. You want to know why my level is so high? Because all I have to do to get coin is wander into the jungle and kill some monsters."

"If it's so easy, why are you living on the street?"

"Most of the residents won't sell to me because I'm a climber. Taverns and hotels turn me away while liquor stores like the one we were just in massively overcharge me. They're resentful of the fact that I have choices." He then snorted. "Not that those ever did me any good."

Sebastian rambled on about what this place was like as he led me away from the market streets and towards a more industrial part of town lined with warehouses. We were actually close to the docks again, and I wondered if he'd intentionally walked us into a big circle. He indicated that we should head inside the big warehouse to his left to get out of the cold.

"Yeah, I'm not walking into a trap. Thanks for nothing," I said. I started to leave when my vision darkened and I was left blind.

"I'm afraid you already did when I gave the signal," said Sebastian.

I thought for a moment and then got it. "The liquor store clerk," I realized.

"I'm sorry. Thirty thousand is still a lot of money, even for me." To his credit, he did sound genuinely sad about it, not that it made me feel any better considering he's selling me out to whoever put the bounty out on me.

“Was it all a lie?” I asked.

“No. All of it was true except for the fact that I knew who put the bounty on you. It’s the leader of the Black Corsairs. I don’t know why he wants you and I don’t care. I’m sorry, but I’m done. All I want now is to get a room where no one will bother me and ride this whole thing out until the tower collapses.”

I formed a blood sword and lashed out blindly with Air Strike in every direction, hoping to hit him and anyone with him.

There was no sound of it hitting anything.

"You're wasting your time," said a new male voice. It was deep and mysterious. He must be using some kind of shadow magic to keep me blind and absorb my attacks.

"I've spent a considerable sum of money to bring you here, but I only have one question for you, Lucas. Where is the map?"