The Proven were solemn when they awoke. Mikal even ignored Ziplocke’s mischievous teasing over their recent loss. Despite their low mood, the team still checked their weapons and gear. Each needed to adjust their armor in order to accommodate the tears and slices from their recent battles. Jeze was able to stitch the fabric and hard leather parts of their armor. Rolfe hammered the chainmail back into place for a quick fix. The chamber had only one other exit, which was at the far end.
“Proven! Let’s move out!” Dunar barked.
Helga attempted a boastful “Hurrah,” but it lacked the usual mirth.
“Jeze, scout ahead,” Dunar ordered.
“I know,” the teenager snapped.
Dunar’s face hardened, but he remained quiet. He simply nodded as Jeze went ahead to check the corridor for traps, where she found none. However, the walls and floor had hundreds of tell-tale tracks that marked the passage of the Thralls. All of them were killed in the next chambers and tunnels.
“Be prepared. There may be a monster portal nearby,” Jeze cautioned over her shoulder.
The Frostsworn nodded and marched in formation. In the tighter spaces, Rolfe switched out his spear for his sword. When the passageway opened up, the large Protector switched back to his longer-reached weapon. Dunar opted for his sword and shield, while Helga remained with her Dane axe. Mikal took up the rear with one hand holding his spear and his other near his channeling tools. They marched on, and Dunar wrote down their progress on his map.
They found a smaller circular chamber that was dark. The only illumination came from the shimmering purple Portal in the center. Jeze recognized the Threshold Runes that surrounded the Portal.
“Will anything come through?” Dunar asked.
“A lot has already come through, but Jeze will need to hurry up!” Mikal snapped.
Jeze scowled at the Healer, but she knelt by the Runes and got to work. They were the same Runes she saw in the Pyramid and the ones she practiced on in the Runic Research Division. Dunar suddenly lashed out with his sword and struck down an Imp that was hiding in the shadows. The bloated red creature let loose a squeal before plopping dead on the ground.
“Nice work!” Jeze exclaimed.
She was impressed that Dunar was able to sense the Demon without being attuned to the Darkness aspect. Jeze teased Ziplocke, “How come you didn’t spot the Imp? Are you not the Darkness expert?”
“Focus on your job, knucklehead!” The Goblin spat back. His ears were curled back on his small green head.
In a rare moment, the normally humble Leader looked proud of himself. “I am learning to pay attention to the Shadows and to when my mind is being tampered with.”
The Proven returned to being vigilant as Jeze worked on the Runes. She used the channeling tools she created for this purpose and focused her Will through them. Jeze completed the final glyph in the air, and she felt the energy snap into place. The Threshold dimmed, went inert, and plunged the chamber into darkness. Mikal activated the magical glowing rods.
“When you repurpose the Floor portal, this portal can be used to exit the Spire?” Rolfe asked.
Jeze nodded and answered, “Yes, this will turn into a Safe Zone.”
Dunar updated his map and looked around with a nod. “A good defensive position.”
“It will be used mainly to retrieve the fallen. Let us not forget the many that lost their lives on this floor due to madness,” Mikal stated.
The others bowed their heads. Jeze perked up and remembered to search the Imp. As usual, she found another pouch of gems. “Killing these things can be profitable!” She observed.
“Ya! And these portals can be used by scavenger teams so we can earn extra coin. Maybe this gal can get a flaming axe?” Helga stated.
“You would do great with a flaming axe,” Rolfe said, and the large warrior maiden beamed back at him.
“How many monster portals do you suppose are left?” Dunar asked.
“Many more! You may think you are safe, but you are not!” Ziplocke squealed.
The Proven gripped their weapons and looked around.
“What’s next?” Mikal asked.
Dunar looked at his map and answered, “There is one exit that we have not explored yet. It was in the large room after the one where we discovered the deceased team. Form up!”
They marched out and returned to the previous chamber. Along the way, the team became somber again as they passed the area where they fought Ozun.
“How can we expect to defeat this Spire if we could not even defeat one man?” Rolfe finally asked. He was no longer able to contain his poor mood.
Dunar called for a halt, and the Leader looked at the giant Protector. Jeze returned from her scouting. Helga rested her axe on her shoulder. Ziplocke and Mikal scowled at the delay. The Goblin was annoyed over the risk of Jeze losing money and never again seeing good-quality paste. Mikal was eager to get the Safe Zone up and running so that the dead adventurers could receive a proper burial. Again, Jeze found it odd how the two could be similar in their impatience.
“It is not winning or losing that makes us stronger. It is much more than that. It is us willing to take the risk and face insurmountable challenges,” Dunar began.
“Insurmountable challenge? Yeah? Like the five of you versus just one man?” Ziplocke snickered and reminded the team.
Dunar ignored the Goblin and continued, “We get stronger by getting back up from our losses. Learning from them and using them as a foothold so that we can climb higher in our quest for strength.”
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“Hurrah!” Jeze cheered.
The other echoed, “Hurrah!”
“Geez!” Ziplocke muttered with a shake of his tiny head.
“Jeze, you talked with Ozun. What magic did he use?” Helga asked.
“I did not see that he used Runes or Glyphs. I know he is a disciple of the Sanguine Blades,” Jeze answered.
“Aww,” Rolfe replied with a nod of his head.
“You don’t even know what that is!” Mikal snapped.
The large man scowled back at the Healer.
“Your Adventurer Ranked friend fights in a similar way?” Dunar asked.
Jeze bowed her head and answered, “The two studied the same style.”
“It is graceful and brutal,” Helga observed.
“Brutal? You swing a giant axe!” Ziplocke screeched.
“Oh, ya! I do! Maybe I’m more brutal than this Ozun, no?” The warrior maiden asked.
“Did you see his eyes glow?” Jeze asked.
The others turned solemn again and nodded.
“What was that about? Mikal, you mentioned the Blood Lust,” She asked the Healer.
The dark-haired man nodded and explained, “We have stories of terrible warriors that can trigger an inner power of rage within themselves. This is through meditation and certain movements. It is called the Bloodlust. In all the tales I’ve read, it never bodes well for the warrior as it eventually will consume them like a fire. In the end all they have left is fighting and killing.”
Jeze recalled how Swordslayer became different. He was meaner and more coldblooded after his duel with the Templar. She asked, “Movements? Like in Rune casting?”
“Our bodies and mind are connected. Movements and meditation can be one and the same. It is not just for us to focus our Will to unlock Rune magic. It can also be used to unlock greater powers of the body,” Mikal answered.
Jeze began to worry for Swordslayer. When he fought, he utilized the same style of movement as Ozun. Fluid, loose, graceful, and deadly. What dark future awaited him? Jeze told the others about what she learned from Irvin regarding the Sanguine Blades style and Vornicus, the vampire lord that created it.
“What some will do for their quest to get stronger,” Dunar stated.
“Us Frostsworn, we gain strength through the cold. Running in the deep snow and swimming in the frozen waters,” Rolfe stated.
“We also carry big stones, ya?” Helga added.
“You two still neglect your breathing and meditation,” Mikal admonished.
Rolfe ruffled Mikal’s hair, “And you neglect to carry stones.”
Helga turned to Jeze and asked, “This Ozun, he was traveling alone, no? Or did he kill his teammates?”
“He was alone. The adventurers he killed were a part of another team,” Jeze answered. She recalled this from her scouting of the chambers. There were five dead adventurers, along with dozens of Thralls and a couple of Imps.
“Perhaps they were afflicted with madness like he claimed?” Rolfe suggested.
Dunar shook his head. “Ozun enjoys killing, and I believe he especially enjoys it when he can get away with it. He is dangerous, and I have heard of people like him. They use the Wandering Spire as a way to hunt other adventurers.”
“He allowed us to live,” Jeze reminded them. The Proven remained quiet as they mulled over what was just shared.
“Why? I wonder,” Dunar finally expressed.
“He wanted me to tell Swordslayer that he was strong. Also, he wanted us to fight him again when we can give him a worthy challenge,” Jeze said.
“Oh, ya? You think the two are rivals?” Helga asked and added, “I wouldn’t mind seeing them two go at it.”
“Jeze’s friend would win. You all saw how he took down the Goreraptor!” Rolfe exclaimed.
It was another reminder of how far the team needed to go if they wished to go further within the Wandering Spire. Dunar banged his sword against his shield.
“Enough talking! Let’s continue moving to find the floor portal,” He barked.
They traveled the unexplored corridor, which led them to a maze of square chambers linked by narrow passageways. As they moved further on they saw more evidence of other adventures that ranged from the remains of campfires to piles of Devil’s Steel weapons and other treasures to be claimed by the scavenger teams. This excited the Proven as they knew they were near their goal. However, they also discovered the cairns that covered remains of those that fell to be collected later when the Safe Zones were established.
“Was this a monster portal?” Dunar asked.
They arrived in a chamber that differed from the others. Most of the chambers were empty except for various glowing torches. Every chamber differed slightly with the shape of the stones, the color of the walls, and some had a dirt floor while in others, the ground was made of worked stone. It truly was a chaotic experience to traverse the Wandering Spire. The chamber they were in had a circle of Runes that were scratched and marred.
“Yes, a team came through here that didn’t know how to repurpose this portal, so they destroyed it,” Jeze answered.
“Can you repair it?” The Team leader asked.
Jeze studied the Runes and nodded. “Yes, but it will take time.”
“Time we don’t have!” Ziplocke spat.
“I agree with the Goblin. We should focus on finding the Floor Portal,” Mikal said.
“We can always come back after, no?” Helga asked.
“Agreed, okay. Proven form up!” Dunar barked.
The team Leader continued to map their progress but still had not found the rooms that were traveled by the teams that were able to exit. They had traveled for nearly two full days, and it amazed Jeze at how large the Wandering Spire was.
“Maybe you are reading their drawings wrong?” Mikal asked.
Dunar rubbed his face. This was a criticism that the Healer has made on numerous occasions already. It was possible, but Dunar was fairly confident that he was reading the other maps correctly. He had trained under the best cartographers to prepare for his role as Leader.
The Leader steadied his breathing and replied, “That could be. It does not change the fact that we have not discovered the Floor Portal.”
After another hour of traveling, Dunar called for a halt. He studiously compared what he had mapped out with the other drawings he received. Dunar removed his helm and looked up at the others with a wide grin.
“Good news?” Jeze asked.
“I would say so!” Dunar invited the others to kneel down with him as he laid out the maps on the floor. One map looked like it linked up with the map he was drawing. Dunar explained, “If we continue this way, we can reach the floor Portal.”
The four other maps that Dunar was able to collect all appeared to link up to a large circular chamber where the floor Portal was located. They finally found it!
“There may be other undiscovered monster portals. Form up and be alert!” Dunar barked as he strapped his helm back on.
They followed the maps and moved toward the Floor Portal chamber. On the way, they encountered passageways littered with dead Thralls mixed in with the occasional looted dead Imp. There were many piles of Devil’s Steel weapons to be collected by the scavengers.
“The price is going to drop on Devil’s Steel! We came too late!” Ziplocke cried.
The Proven ignored the Goblin as they focused on their surroundings for an ambush. They also kept their minds alert for any Affliction spells that may be casted upon them. One passageway had a triggered scythe trap. The wall and blade were stained with blood that could have resulted in another fallen adventurer. The Proven passed it with a solemn nod. Eventually, they arrived in the Portal Room. It was a wide circular chamber that spanned many meters across. Two shimmering portals stood on each end. One was a deep indigo that led to the next level, and the other a glowing green that led to the outside.
“No!” Jeze cried.
Around the exit portal were bodies of adventurers. People Jeze knew and traveled with. Adventures that the Proven have fought alongside during the monster waves. It was Jonah and his team of hunters. They laid dead and covered with burn marks.