by Shawn Kass
Despite knowing that Mal had shown plenty of interest in joining the two of them on more quests, and that if he needed, he could easily have asked Jeva for more troops, Sam remained quiet about how many people he could muster if he really needed to. Instead, he asked, “And your point is?”
“Well,” she began, and then pointing with her thumb to the small pin on her shoulder, she said, “I am the leader of the Reckoners clan, and we have been working our way through the Tower’s first floor.” Taking a closer look at her pin, Sam noticed that it was of a five pointed star with a scimitar sword on each side. As his eyes focused, however, Sam noticed that there was some small writing on each of the sword’s blades listing the clan’s name along with some of their stats. Cutting into his concentration, Kat continued with, “I was about to announce to the people sitting over there that we were able to find the doors to the first floor boss’s room today.”
Sam knew from his talks with Anna that even though the Tower had risen only a few years ago, scores of people had taken their turn at conquering it, and no one had ever made it past the first floor. In fact, as Anna had put it, none of them had made it very far at all due to the numerous traps and monsters inside. Truth be told, most had perished in their attempts, including that guy Jimmy who may have been from Earth like him.
Still upset about Kat’s assessment of what he had begun to think of as his people, Sam asked, “That’s great, but aside from gloating, why are you having this meeting?”
“We decided to come back to town and stock up before we made another run at it.”
Not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice, Sam asked, “Okay, so what are you doing, looking for donations or something?”
“No. One of our newest members fell behind when we retreated, and we need to get back in there together, as soon as possible.”
“You mean Raven?” asked Sam.
“She’s probably dead,” came the gruff sounding voice of a large barrel chested man behind Sam, and he spun around quickly to find that it was Mace from the night before. To make matters worse, the big guy was completely decked out in battle armor. To top it off, the Reckoners clan pin, despite being over the big man’s heart, was actually just at Sam’s own eye level.
After the aggression Mace had displayed last night, Sam’s initial instinct was to back two steps up and prepare for a fight, but Kat’s words cut sharply through the air, causing him to freeze even though their focus was on the big guy. “Hold your tongue, Mace. We are a clan, and we do not accept the defeat of our members without proof. If it were you or anyone else from our clan in there, we would be doing exactly the same.”
Looking properly admonished, Mace grumbled a, “Yes, Kat,” and walked away.
Redirecting her attention to Sam, Kat continued, “I’m not sure where you heard her name, but yes, Raven is missing. What we’re looking for is some extra help when we go back into the Tower. If there are any people willing, we would like to invite them to come with us, yourself included. This meeting is meant to be a quick explanation of what we know in hopes that we can get some people to join us, or in the case that we go down, to impart some of what we’ve learned to help others.” Looking past Sam towards the crowd at large, she said, “Some of these guys are representatives of other clans, and they just came to get whatever intel they could about our last trip. I don’t blame them, mind you. Most clans don’t share their findings, but we are down a member and need help. To be honest, I doubt we’ll get too many volunteers.” Switching her eyes back to Sam’s, she explained, “They all have loyalties to their own clans, but we thought you might be able to help us since you don’t belong to a clan.”
Sam took a moment to look around and had to admit that most of the people there looked like they didn’t want to be there and were ready to leave. Several of them were having conversations, but the rest eyed the exits like they were made of gold.
Seeing Sam’s eyes search their way around the room, Kat said, “Look, all I’m asking is that you stay and listen to our plan. You can see what we have to share about the Tower, and if you’re not interested afterwards, then no hard feelings. However, if you think you can help, then we could really use you.”
Despite being enthusiastic about the opportunity to finally get into the Tower, the one place where he thought he might find a way to get home, Sam felt that he still had to consider Anna and the rest. He didn’t think she would want to go in the Tower, but he didn’t want to simply disappear with this new group and not tell her anything, either. Somehow he would have to let Anna know, and if Kat didn’t mind, possibly invite her to come along since she would be the only one whom he knew he could count on in a fight to have his back.
Seeing him thinking it over, Kat pressed, “I have to get back up there before they get too restless. Let’s talk afterwards, once you find out what we know about the Tower, and then you can make up your mind.”
Nodding, Sam said, “Thank you. That sounds good.” He had no idea if he was even ready to enter the Tower after everything Anna had told him about the place, and he certainly had no intention of running into the Tower without all the information he could get his hands on. So if Kat and her Reckoners clan were willing to tell people what they knew, then why not stick around and listen in preparation for when that time came.
After selecting a seat next to a squat looking man with a long red beard which reached down to his navel, Sam sat down and waited for the meeting to continue. The man, for his part, seemed to look Sam over and judge him on his simple traveler’s clothes and lack of armor. As he did so, Sam saw that he had a pin as well, and that it was of a shield and hammer. The name and stats were written along the edge of the shield and proclaimed him to be part of the Dungeoneer’s clan and that they were currently ranked in fourth place and earned bonus items. Pulling his focus back, Sam caught sight of the man’s face once again. From the look of it, Sam figured the guy didn’t think much of him, because after a short grunt, he turned back towards the stage and resumed waiting.
As Kat walked back to the makeshift stage, Sam took a quick look around and spotted several classic video game archetypes. Standing off to the side, probably because he couldn’t fit in a regular seat, was a guy who looked like Rambo with long black hair and muscles stacked on top of other muscles. He wore no armor, but he did have a pin which looked like two crossed swords on his sword’s sheath. Sitting near him, Sam spotted an old man with a long white beard and a tall walking stick in his hand wearing a blue robe with a matching tall pointy blue hat. The pin he was wearing appeared to be an eight pointed star, and it reminded Sam of some fireworks he had lit during last year’s Fourth of July.
Not wanting to be caught staring, Sam averted his eyes and found that they landed on a petite young woman who looked to be no older than seventeen or eighteen. From this distance he couldn’t make out much about her pin, other than it looked like an animal paw print. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced towards her feet and then behind her. Eventually, he located a pair of yellow eyes with black vertical slits for pupils that watched the crowd from the dark corner behind her. Curious about her pet as well as her clan, Sam made a mental note to talk to her if he got the chance and to find out what she knew about familiars like Tezukayoshi.
Thinking of Tezukayoshi, Sam set his sack down on the floor and opened it up to allow his familiar to come out, but to his surprise, the lizard sent him a telepathic message that he was sleeping and did not wish to be disturbed. Shrugging, Sam closed up the sack and reattached it to his belt just as Kat came around to the front of the room.
Stopping in the middle of the stage, Kat clapped her hands together to draw the crowd’s attention back to her and spoke in a voice not much louder than the voice she had used to speak to Sam. “Again, I would like to thank you all for joining me here today. For those of you who do not already know, let me introduce myself. My name is Kat, and I am the leader of the Reckoners clan.” This caused a stir in a few small pockets of the room, but they
quickly quieted as she continued. “As some of you may know, we just got back from an excursion into the Tower, and we would like to not only share what we have learned, but to also find out if there is anyone who would be willing to help us.”
“Help you do what? Most of us already have our own clans,” said a short stocky man sitting in the middle of the room with a mug of ale.
“I get that, and I am not looking to poach anyone from their clans,” explained Kat with her hands raised in peace. “What I am looking for is an equal exchange of information and possibly a little help. Earlier today, my clan and I entered the Tower, and we made our way further than anyone has before.”
“Right, sure you have,” came the jeers of a different man who was scrawny looking and stood at the far right of the room. Sam noticed that he wore a hood pulled down so low that all but his yellow stained teeth and beard stubbled chin were covered in shadow and that he had a belt of throwing knives wrapped around his waist.
Shaking her head slightly from side to side, Kat called off the big guy who was already advancing on the heckler from behind before she said, “Sir, if you do not want to hear what I have to say, then you can leave, and that goes for all of you, but I promise you, you’ll wish you had stayed with the information I plan to provide tonight.”
The man who had spoken earlier stared Kat down and considered his options. Clearly he didn’t want to be there, but Sam guessed that he was one of the men who had been sent on behalf of his clan and therefore, didn’t have the option of leaving before hearing her out. After a moment, he finally said, “Get on with it then.”
“Okay, well, here’s the deal. Earlier today, the Reckoners clan found the first floor boss’s room.”
If Sam had thought things were quiet before, the room was absolute void of sound now. No one joked. No one tried to call her out. They just sat there, mouths agape in most cases, and let what she had said sink in.
Kat, for her part, allowed this moment to continue for a second before she spoke again. “We are willing to tell anyone its location, but please hear out our situation first. Earlier today, while exploring this area, we lost one of our members. We need to get back into the Tower as quickly as possible so that we can save her.”
“So you want other clans to help you fight?” asked the old wizard Sam had spotted earlier.
“If they are willing, yes, but if not, that’s okay, too. We, on the other hand, will be venturing back in tonight.”
“What can you tell us about the boss?” asked a young man wearing green in the front row.
“I can tell you that there is no way you’ll be able to kill it by yourself,” responded Kat. Then addressing the entire room again, she said, “Our goal tonight is to get back in there and rescue our friend. Then we will be going after the boss and hopefully up to the second floor. When we return, I expect that there will be more clans here than anyone has seen since the first days of the Tower’s rising. People will talk, word of the boss’s room will spread, and if the fates will have it, people will know that it can be conquered. This is your opportunity to get in on this before the rest show up.”
Murmurs drifted throughout the crowd as everyone discussed their positions, and Kat waited a few minutes, letting them say their piece to each other before she went on disseminating her information. “If you decide to come with us, you may bring others from your clan, but we will not wait for them. With time being an issue, you may wish to form a temporary clan with anyone you see around you, but I warn you, we will be reentering the Tower in exactly two hours. As you consider these options, please make sure that you have your own supplies before entering. Despite the fact that I have already sent out two of my clan members to purchase herbs and other supplies for the Reckoners, we will not be able to carry or buy enough for everyone.”
Even before she finished, Sam saw several people in the room make eye contact with each other, and several of them nodded in whatever silent agreement they had made. For a second, he considered the idea of asking to join one of them. For one thing, he still wasn’t sure if he was going, and for another, he knew Kat would accept him into the Reckoners if he said yes.
Interrupting Sam’s thoughts as well as many of the quiet conversations that had sprung up in the room, a young man with spiky black hair wearing orange stood up in the middle of the crowd and said, “Wait a second! You said that you would tell us what you found in there. I’m not joining up with anyone until I have at least some idea of what we’re walking into.”
With this, all eyes went back to Kat expectantly, and Sam heard more than a few grumble their agreement with the young man.
“Yes, I have not forgotten. I was simply giving people the opportunity to get themselves teamed up and fully supplied before entering the Tower.” Waving her hand to the side, Kat gestured for one of her Reckoners to bring a large chalkboard which had been leaning against the wall up to the stage.
As they brought it up and turned it towards the crowd, Sam noticed that it looked quite a bit like the Bestiaries he had seen in other games which listed out names of monsters and their individual stats. Focusing on it, Sam saw that the board was filled with the detailed information about all sorts of creatures, including specific weaknesses and the creature’s common attacks. He recognized some of the names like the centipedes and cockatrice from other games, but as he listened to the crowd around him, he realized that many of the others had no idea what they were looking at.
As Sam did his best to memorize the information, Kat proceeded with her briefing. “Here you can see we have listed out all of the monsters we have encountered on the first floor.”
“What about the boss? What kind of monster is it?” asked the same spiky haired young man.
Eyes looking downcast for a moment, Kat said, “We don’t know.” As the murmurs began, she explained, “Our clan found the boss’s room, and with the help of everyone present, we were able to open it, but when we sent in one of our members to do a bit of recon, the doors closed, and we were unable to open them again.”
Recalling JRPGs he had played over the years, Sam knew that some had puzzles which needed to be solved and that some had special stones which needed to be collected and inserted into the boss’s door before it would open. He figured that in this case, these doors had some sort of magic seal which required at least five people to be present in order for it to open. In games like this , this type of requirement was meant to keep people playing until they had found all of the NPCs in the gaming world, or it was a built-in safety protocol to make sure a player didn’t get his whole team wiped out. Either way, there was no way they’d get back in without meeting the requirement.
“So, you’ve got someone stuck in the boss’s lair?” asked a woman wearing a single piece of chest mail on the left side of the room. “How do you know they’re not dead already?”
“To be honest, we don’t, but she went in with an invisibility spell cloaking her, and I refuse to simply leave her in there without seeing what has happened.”
“Wouldn’t an invisibility spell have run out by now?” asked the wizard from before.
“One would, yes,” admitted Kat. “But, if linked, she should be able to recast it every fifteen minutes and use the time between to regenerate at least a small amount of magic.”
“This I suspect is the reason for your time limit, then?” asked the wizard.
Nodding, Kat confirmed, “It is, Sir. We intend to make a straight shot towards the boss’s room and get her back before she runs out of magic.”
Several people around Sam broke into conversation at this, but his attention was drawn away from overhearing them when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning around in his chair, Sam came face to face with Anna who was squatting down just behind him.
“What’s going on in here?”
“The Reckoners lost one of their clan members in the Tower earlier today, and they’re asking for help.”
“Really?” asked Anna, surprised. “That’s
odd. Clans don’t usually recruit people like this.”
“They’re not recruiting. They’re just looking for people to go in with them to help get her out,” explained Sam.
Looking around, Anna spotted Sherri, who was the offensive mage of the Reckoners off to the side of the stage, and asked, “Are you talking about the new one?”
“Yeah, Raven. She’s apparently stuck in the first floor boss’s room.”
“Oh,” commented Anna. “I mean, that’s horrible.”
“Exactly,” agreed Sam. Then after pursing his lips for a moment to think, he suggested, “I think we should join them and see if we can help.”
Wide-eyed, Anna exclaimed, “Sam, that’s crazy! I mean, I get that you want to help, but we aren’t Tower Tempters. We wouldn’t know the first thing about surviving that place.”
Determined to make his point but not to be overheard, Sam whispered, “We might not know the Tower, but we know how to fight. We’ve been doing it ever since we met. Think about all we’ve done. Are you telling me that the things in there are going to be much worse than giant spiders, wolf packs, and a yeti?”
“I don’t know,” responded Anna in a matching whisper. “You have a point, but everything I’ve ever heard about the place all involved horror stories.”
“This is no different than when we saved Peter. We had no idea what we would find in the mine, but we made it out all right.”
“I guess you have a point, and it wouldn’t be right to simply leave her in there if there is a way to rescue her, but I have to tell you that I would rather it not be us who go in there. I mean, take a look around. Aren’t there plenty of people going with them already?”
Shaking his head, Sam answered, “No, I don’t think so. Most of these people are just here for information. I’m betting they won’t get all that many to come with them, and none of them are going to be as interested in helping the Reckoners and Raven as they will be in helping themselves.”