The Tower in the Shadows

Gran watched his team.

Nilus was still favouring his leg, but the healing tonic was working to bind the wound. The others were still in fighting shape.

He noted Woodland still working on her floor map and muttering into a crystal. Walking to her, he motioned to Kimor to join them. The woman, as always, noticed his motion and silently stood from balancing on her heels and joined them.

"Kimor, what are your thoughts on the floor?" Gran asked her. Woodland watched them come to her and stopped working.

"The environment has been tailored to these spiders. The webs hide their locations and the walls have ambush points built into them. The beams above add another angle of attack. From what I have been able to make out, they have a shadow affinity." Her tone was the same as always to those who did not know her. Gran had known her long enough to hear the slight hint of tension. This floor pushed her abilities like they had not been for several years.

"Thank you, Kimor." Gran knew she was not needed for the rest of his conversation and glided away.

"Are you continuing?" Woodland asked the very question he had been contemplating. He was within his rights to pull his team out and come back later better prepared.

"Would you object?" He needed to know where she stood. She looked down and thought for a few seconds before looking at him again.

"No." He let out a breath he had been holding. "This floor is a drastic increase in danger. The Dungeon rating will be increased to a high Iron grade at the least. These webs will cause a new industry to appear in Shadow Vale. I want to map the floor on the first attempt as well as a point of pride." She smiled slightly at her joke.

Gran had his answer and had to make a choice. This team was reliable because he did not jump head-first into danger and retreated when the situation dictated.

"Hena, how much will this web be worth anyway?" Nilus's voice drew his attention. Hena looked around, thinking about his question.

"The webbing is slightly thicker and a shade of grey. If it makes the same amount of silk…. I think about three to five silvers…"

"Five!" Nilus exclaimed. The pain in his leg was forgotten briefly. The rest of the group was also surprised.

"… For this room alone."

That brought silence to them all. Nilus did the calculation.

"So, adding in the cave, we could get a minimum of ten silvers for the three rooms?"

"That sounds about right." Hena's reply was a matter of fact in its delivery.

That meant they could get thirteen silvers if the next room matched this one. That was enough for a person to live in a good inn and get two meals daily for a year!

"If this is true?" Woodland thought out loud, and Gran came to the same conclusion.

"This floor will be a death trap. Greed will drive the unready here."

Gran's statement was like cold water to the rest. Their dreams of wealth were suddenly ruined by the understanding of the blood and death this floor would create. The hunger for wealth would bring the foolish here, the spiders would feast and the Dungeon's power would grow.

"This place is too smart! Nobody will speak of this floor when we leave until I approve it!" Woodland snapped out, breaking the silence. Even Nilus would keep his mouth shut this time.

Gran wondered what the Guilds would think of this floor. The Alchemy Guild will want the spiders and the webbing for testing.

"Up and at it, people; we have a floor to clear!" He could not let them think too much and got them moving.

Nilus was moving better on his leg now. Tobar and Kimor were at the room's exit, looking down another corridor with a bend. Mags was checking her bags and pouches and Hena cleaned some webbing off her wand.

"Kimor led the way."

Her only response was action. Moving along the moss-lighted corridor, she scouted for dangers. The rest followed her for a short distance to the next room.

Gran was up with Tobar and they found her kneeling in the doorway to the room. Gran was instantly alert and frowned.

"What do you see?"

"Long room. Set up like the others. Seen hints of at least three spiders."

Gods damn it! Two of them were bad enough. Three and most likely more was going to be a tough fight. The avenues for attack from the floor and above gave the spiders the advantage.

"This is what we are going do." He looked at the room and then his team. "Tobar and I will lead the way. Kimor supports us. Nilus hang back with Hena attack targets of opportunity, especially if they move above us. Mags stay back unless needed. We bring the spiders to us and kill them as quickly as possible."

He could have gone into more detail and created a more elaborate plan, but experience had taught him that these were the most likely to fail. Keeping it simple allowed them to adapt as needed.

They got themselves arranged and checked themselves over. When they were ready, he said.

"Begin."

He and Tobar advanced into the room. The webs had to be cleared as they walked, but they moved very slowly anyway, trying to look in every direction at once.

The room was extended. Kimor said he counted eight pillars and could make out the doorway on the other side through the webbing. Above them were rafters that the spiders could transverse and attack from above. The blue moss was growing in patches and he spotted alcoves on the wall where spiders might emerge.

They were soon covered in webbing again, but he ignored it. They continued further to the next set of pillars. He noticed that the webbing was in clumps that hid routes the spiders could travel along without being hindered. He was about to share this when Tobar rumbled.

"Two spiders, right." The fight was on. They came at them on the ground.

"Nilus, keep your eyes up!" Gran moved to stand with Tobar.

The spiders jumped at both of them. They met shields in return, and both men had braced to meet the attack. The spiders bounced back and the Adventures moved up with their attacks. Gran caught him with a glancing blow that cut it slightly.

“[Sky Hammer Strike].” Tobar rumbled as he activated a skill that caused his mace to glow and smash into the head of the spider it made contact with. The grey/yellow blood splattered everywhere from the force of the blow as the spider's body contorted from the impact.

"Gran above us… three! Rickle's laughter! Five!" Nilus called out from behind as an arrow flew past Gran.

"Another coming from the left. Engaging." This time from Kimor.

Seven! This was like the second room on the third; they would be tested.

"Hena, can you do anything?" Gran looked at his opponent, unable to see the new threats, while Tobar shifted to face the ones above.

"I will use a…."

"The ones above are jumping!" Nilus screamed out. Things went from intense to dangerous.

Gran was being attacked again, which prevented him from getting a clear picture of what was happening. The sound of the battle was not good.

"Nilus cover Hena…"

"Tobar's got three on him…"

"Clear, I'm about to unleash a spell…."

Gran heard the voices of his teammates and spoke using a skill. He had to take charge.

“[Multi thrust- 3 strikes].”

His arm blurred as the skill triggered. He felt the burn in his arm from the physical exertion and knew his stamina was still good. His opponent was stabbed by his blade three times, unable to defend itself and the wounds were fatal, killing it. Gran turned and things were terrible.

Three spiders were attacking Tobar. Kimor was fighting two and Nilus was trying to stab the sixth. Hena was about to release a spell, with her wand tip glowing.

“[Arrow of Light].”

Like her Mana Arrow, the arrow-shaped spell was far brighter and white-coloured. The spell had only a few meters to cross and hit one of the spiders attacking Tobar. This one was clinging to his back and trying to rip through his armour. The spell connected and the spider screeched in pain as the magic burned into it, causing a fatal wound. It dropped off Tobar dead.

"They're vulnerable to light magic!" Gran called to Hena. The other spiders had seen what had happened and one broke off from Kimor and went after Hena. Gran intercepted that one.

Swinging down with his sword, he caught the spider's leg. He cut cleanly through it, forcing its attention on him.

"Hena, get them off, Tobar!" They need to even the odds.

Hena cast another Arrow of Light at the spiders attacking Tobar. Gran could not turn his attention away to see which one. He slammed his shield into the spider as it jumped. The impact did not stagger him, but he felt it in his arm holding the shield.

Moving forward, as the spider righted itself, he thrust with his sword. Even missing a leg, the spider was able to dodge the blow. Cursing, he had to be careful as he was near several dense patches of webbing, limiting his ability to move.

The spider attacked again, coming in low. This worked in his favour as he thrust his shield down, impacting the spider's head and stunning it. His blade finished it off with a downward thrust into its head. Pulling the blade free, Gran turned to see what was happening to the rest of his team.

Tobar was fighting one opponent now but was wounded with blood coming from his neck. Nilus was overcoming his spider with help from Kimor, who killed hers. Hena was looking for another opening for a spell and Mags was casting.

“[Blessings of Ilinia: Minor Healing].” Tobar started to glow. Mags would not panic but cast her magic on the team members who needed it the most.

Two spiders remained, but the Adventures overwhelmed them. Gran looked over his team. Tobar was wounded, but the healing magic took care of that. Kimor's arm vambrace was damaged and he saw blood.

"Kimor, get checked out by Mags," Gran told her. Mags was inspecting Tobar and turned to look at the stoic woman. Gran knew he had to make sure she looked after herself, as he had seen her being beaten down and not uttering a single word of complaint or pain.

Nilus was investigating the reward for the fight that appeared.

"We got a Cythian Silver!" Gran turned to look at what he was waving around.

The coin was slightly larger and of better quality than most coins used in the Human lands these days.

"Not bad for killing eight spiders." Nilus was happy with what they had received. Gran agreed with him but looked across the room.

"What comes next?" Woodland had approached him. He had heard the quill scratching on the parchment as she walked.

"We are near where the door in the cave we entered the floor through."

"Yes, we are. Depending on the size of the boss room, we might have another one to three rooms to get through." Woodland calculated by looking at her early map. Gran nodded in agreement. He had been thinking the same.

"What is your rating of the floor?" He asked her.

"The spiders are dangerous but not as dangerous as the boars above. The floor's environment makes them far more threatening. Their vulnerability to light magic is a good discovery. All things considered, without seeing the boss, it will be rated a high iron grade."

Again, he nodded, still looking into the distance. He had thought the same.

"Hena, do you have any other light spells?" He asked, looking at his newest team member.

"Only the Arrow of Light can be used to attack. I have only a small affinity to light mana and find casting them taxing." Gran nodded, taking what she said into account for going forward.

"Hold your spell off until we need it. If the Dungeon stays the same as above, we will face an enormous spider as the floor boss." Nilus shuddered at that.

"Mags, how are they?"

"Tobar is injured. My healing magic has taken him from danger, but he will need at least a week of rest after this. Kimor has a nasty forearm injury but has been bandaged and given a healing tonic. She will need rest as well." Mags was all business and spoke as she was still wrapping up Kimor's forearm.

Gran let out a long breath. This floor was pushing them hard. He was within his right to call off the mapping and leave and knew Woodland would not hold it against him, but that little voice in him that made him become an adventure whispered to go on.

"Rest up for now. Then we continue."

## ## ## ## ##

"The eight spiders had maybe been a bit too much?"

The fight against Gran and his team showed that the swarm tactic could overwhelm even experienced groups. Their discovery of the spider's vulnerability to light magic was a fact I was hoping would remain hidden for longer.

"You expect them to reach me then, Creator."

"Yes. The greater spiders will put up a fight but not stop them. You best get ready. Also, call me Bhaldor, not Creator."

“I understand, Bhaldor.”

I knew that this team would reach Queen, but what then? Could she beat them? She was a marked improvement over all the other guardians. Gran and his team were battered but not beaten yet.

This was going to be interesting.

Now I knew what spider silk was used for. How many would listen to their greed and seek the wealth the silk could lead to? I should feel bad about this, but I do not. Why? Simply put, they must accept the consequences if they choose to come here.

My musings abruptly end as Gran gets his team moving. I watch them move to the next room: Kimor, with Tobar in the lead, Gran close behind, and the rest.

They entered the next room and were introduced to my Greater Shadow Spiders. The fight was fast and brutal. The spiders put up better resistance than I had hoped. They died true but were no pushovers, forcing the Adventures to fight.

"They will be with you shortly."

Queen did not answer but got into the ambush position she had chosen.

## ## ## ## ##

"There is another cave ahead." Kimor reported to Gran.

"Boss room?" She did not answer but nodded. "Rest up, people; the boss room is next."

Gran walked over to Woodland, who was inspecting a spider's body. The spiders were a nasty surprise, a variant of the ones they had already fought on this floor. There were two and they died hard, being more brutal, faster, and more robust.

"We will be moving into the boss room next. Are you ready?" Woodland looked at him. She understood what he was saying from his expression that his team members could not see as his back was to them. Is she ready to run if the floor boss overcame them. He had never asked before, but this floor had shown him they were about to face something dangerous.

"Yes."

"Right then. The floor boss is next. This will be one hell of a fight, so be ready. Check everything and tell me if you have any concerns." He turned back to his team and got them ready.

They spent the next ten minutes checking their injuries and gear, then resting how much they could. The tension was building and Gran knew that he shouldn't wait any longer.

"Tobar and I lead. We attract the boss and pin it in a fight. Kimor and Nilus are next. You two try to flank it and hit it from the sides. Hena and Mags are last. Hena, use what magic you need, but be ready to cast as many Arrow of Light spells as you can. Mags heal as you need." They had gathered around him and accepted their part in the plan. "Be ready to cut and run if things go badly in there. No heroics; we live to fight another day, understand?"

This was a sobering thing for him to say. Woodland knew that this team would never scale the heights of the Paths but would rise further. She was sure of this.

## ## ## ## ##

I listened to Gran's plan and thought it was sound. I could tell Queen what they were going to do, but I wanted to see what she would do in response. This was her baptism by fire, after all.

## ## ## ## ##

"Go."

They moved into the cave. Like the first, it was covered in webs with blue moss illuminating areas. Stalagmites and stalactites were covered in both. A small stream ran through it.

"Keep your eyes open." Gran was looking for the boss.

"All we need is to find the giant spider hiding here." Came Nilus's snide remark.

He did not turn around but heard the sound of the slap or Nilus's yelp in pain and surprise. He knew Mags was dealing with him.

"Stay focused!" She scolded him.

There were a few paths through the webbing, and the group followed the first they encountered. The tension amongst them was easily felt. They were ready for the fight- or so they thought.

It never occurred to them to look down.

Gran was walking slightly behind Tobar when he was attacked.

Tentacles of solid shadow wrapped around his legs, causing him to cry out in surprise. Tobar spun around at his cry, not fully seeing the huge shadow detach from the ceiling.

His instincts saved him as he raised his shield, but the floor boss hit it with his arm in an awkward position and there was an audible crack. As the tentacles impeding Gran vanished.

Tobar let out a loud grunt, for him was nearly a scream of pain as he was knocked down.

"Tobar!" Several cried out behind Gran. He attacked as Tobar was now pinned under his great shield.

The boss was a giant spider, even bigger than the third-floor boss. Gran went for the eyes, but the boss had other ideas. As he went to thrust, a spider leg impacted his shield. The shock of the impact travelled up his arm and stopped his attack in its tracks. The boss used its front two legs as weapons, similar to short spears.

Kimor went around him and an arrow flew between them.

The arrow glanced off the spider's hardened shell. Kimor used the distraction to go in low. She was tripped by more tentacles that appeared and gripped her ankles. She hit the ground and rolled as a leg sought to impale her. She was forced to turn into a dense webbing patch or collide with Gran. The terrain was limiting them in openings to exploit.

Kimor was untangling herself as Gran blocked another attempt by a leg to impale him. Nilus fired another arrow, which hit the boss in its body but did not seem to penetrate far. Tobar was still pinned and unable to move.

"[Arrow of Light]" He heard from Hena. The spell passed him, but the boss was moving to avoid it. The spell hit one of the boss's legs, causing significant damage that slowed the boss down. It was forced to stop using the front leg on that side as a weapon. It had the bonus of freeing Tobar as the boss's weight shifted.

Gran attacked, but the boss moved in response, manoeuvring to give itself room. A leg blocked his blow, but he cut it deep. Kimor was getting up, but the strange shadow tentacles were slowing Tobar.

The boss was not done yet.

It let out a strange cry/song. At first, Gran was confused, then heard Nilus shout from behind.

"Baby spiders are attacking Hena!"

"Mags and you help her whi…" As he spoke, the boss spat a glob of webbing at him that he did not have time to avoid. It hit him and exploded, covering him. The boss pressed forward, but Kimor prevented the boss from hitting him by attacking.

She leapt at it with her two long daggers, forcing the boss's attention from Gran. She was using a skill as her movements were much faster. Scoring several hits making the boss turn its head to avoid being hit in the eyes. Tobar regains his footing and is standing again. Gran is getting free from the webbing and watching the fight unfold.

Kimor launches another flurry of attacks, but the boss charges forward. Colliding with Kimor, she is knocked over. The boss bites down hard, catching Kimor on the shoulder and penetrating her leather armour. She cries out in pain.

Tobar joins the fight. His face is pale, but he swings his mace using skill.

“[Breaking Blow].”

The mace impacts the boss's central body section. The blow cracked the outer shell. The boss staggered from the impact and let out a screech of pain; grey/yellow blood flowed from the cracks.

Gran has an opening.

“[Multi thrust- 2 strikes].”

He had used his better skill earlier and did not want to risk using it again. This one would be enough, he hoped. His arm strained again as his arm blurred. Sweat came to his body as his stamina was strained. The first cut sliced across the boss's head. The cut was not as deep as the shell blocked the bulk body. The second struck true, cutting deep into one of its eyes.

The boss screeched again, backing up to give it space from its attackers. Nilus slipped forward and dragged Kimor back to safety. Tobar and Gran pushed, staying close.

Tobar was in no condition for a protracted fight. Gran would need to end this fast, or he might be beaten down. He had to risk pushing himself to exhaustion.

The boss was lashing out and Gran had to step in with Tobar's injured shield arm. The first block sent an impact shock into his arm. The second glanced off it and slid down. Gran did not realise the boss's plan until it was too late. The leg cut across his, cutting through his leg armour. Sharp, hot pain surged up his leg, causing him to grit his teeth.

The boss moved to attack again and Gran pushed past the pain and stepped in with his own attack. Deflecting the leg with his shield, the boss was close.

“[Multi thrust- 3 strikes].”

His whole body strained from using his skill. The three thrusts went into the boss's head, penetrating it and causing vicious wounds. The boss staggered and collapsed, dying. Gran collapsed as well from pushing himself too hard, breathing hard and sweating profusely. Exhausted.

## ## ## ## ##

That was a close fight.

Queen had fallen, but had taken a toll on Gran and his team. They were treating their wounds and counting the cost. I had listened to their conversations as they worked through the floor and realised I had to make a few changes to what I was doing with my Dungeon. Adding tunnels for Puck to use on this floor was another thing that needed to be done.

I had things to do. Things to think about.

For now, I am limited by my lack of CP. Once I reach level five, I will have new options.

For now, I wait and plan.