The Tower in the Shadows

The runner entered the Adventurer Guild at full speed, narrowly missing a few and colliding with others. Yells and curses followed him as he pushed through to the receptionist's desk. She looked up in frustration at his actions. He reached the desk, leaned over, and whispered a message into the lead receptionist's ear. She paled and ran up the stairs to the next floor.

Elian was sitting at her desk, facing the relentless enemy of her paperwork. Of course, it was vellum, as paper was far too expensive for her to acquire. She was surprised by a rapid knocking at the door, which her lead receptionist hurriedly opened.

"Apologies Guild Leader. A third team has been wiped in the Dungeon!" She blurted out while trying to catch her breath from the run from downstairs.

"WHAT!" Elian yelled, getting up from her desk, knocking over the stack of reports on it. She stormed out of her office and down the stairs. Often, adventurers would attempt to speak to her or plead their cases for different issues. Today, they sensed the storm cloud brewing and parted like a hot knife through butter.

She marched out of the building, and as soon as she was gone, the murmur increased as they all asked what was happening. Word quickly got around; a third team was wiped out.

Elian stormed past the guards at the gate in the palisade. They knew who she was and, with one look at her mood, chose to leave her pass unchallenged. She passed the line of adventurers waiting to enter the Dungeon. They had heard of the third team's deaths, but none had moved from the queue.

She reached the hut set up near the Dungeon's doors. A man from her guild was waiting for her.

"Report!" She barked. Her mood was evident.

"Three teams have been wiped out today. First, a Tin group of six; we think they tried for the third." He began reading from a sheet of vellum.

"Greedy new adventurers. Continue."

"Next was an Iron group of five. They went straight to the third and we never heard anything else. Our sensor crystal showed the Dungeon resetting."

"Bit of more than they could chew. The last?"

"Another Iron group seven strong. We think they went straight to the fourth floor."

She pinched the bridge of her nose with her hand and let out a deep sigh of frustration. She knew that once they entered, they were on their own, but she hated filling out the additional reports that accompanied each team's demise.

She was about to speak when the doors slammed shut and the blots were heard closing.

"Well, that changes things." She said to mostly herself.

"The Dungeon is closed as it is creating its new floor!" She yells so the queue can hear her. Groans and exclamations follow her words. "Back to town, everyone."

Grudgingly, they returned to town. She remained giving the guildsman orders.

"Normal procedure. When it reopens, let me know." The man nods at her orders, expecting them. She then heads back to the town. Word is already spreading fast through the town. Merchants and artisans complain about the short-term loss, but all wonder what new riches will be available to be exploited.

As she passed, the guild was in a ruckus of complaints; others were handling them. She walked to the building where Ranus was working. Naru noticed her entrance and got up from her desk, slipping into the back. She reappeared a few minutes later with Ranus.

"Guild Leader Woodland, what brings you here today?" He asked.

"The Dungeon had closed for the creation of its new floor, Lord Goldwind." She spoke knowing many in the room were listening and it was not private information.

"Thank you for telling me." He nods to her and turns, returning to whatever he is doing in the room behind this one.

She returned to her guild and the work ahead. As she entered, a dozen adventurers began speaking to her all at once.

"SILENCE!" This brought quiet to the chaos. "You all know the rules for a dungeon expansion. Stop panicking, get the request in and do not harass the receptionist!"

She got through the masses who she wished again washed more often. She reached her office and found Albrot waiting for her.

"Floor six." He spoke.

"Floor six." She echoed as she closed the door and walked back behind her desk, sitting down so they faced each other.

"Normally, I would ask what was expected, but here, we just have to wait." He chuckled at the situation.

"I have a problem." She said, leaning back.

"Which is?" He asked, a bit confused.

"I would take Gran and his team in with me, but the last floor was almost too much for them. Also, they are in the north at the moment." She liked them, but as Guild Leader, she had to be practical.

"Ah, yes. That would be an issue, but I have word of a solution. A team of Bronze grade adventurers arrived this morning and will be registered by the end of the day." He told her.

"Really, who?" She asked.

"Nimora Airspeaker and her group."

"So, one of the highest-level human teams in this part of the continent has graced us with their presence." She was a bit snarky.

"What can I say? The Dungeon is attracting more attention and people are getting interested. It is financially worthwhile for them to see what it has to offer." He shrugged as he spoke.

"Another thing to add to my list of things to deal with." She groaned out and he laughed.

## ## ## ## ##

Nimora Airspeaker was walking through the town's market with her team. They had secured rooms and were registered with the local Guild. Now she could relax, take in the few sights and inspect the town's local wares.

"Why are we here?" Kyle groaned.

"Come now, Kyle. This Dungeon is so different we had to be here." Nimora told him.

"This town is the back end of nowhere, Nimora." He was not giving up.

"Tue, but every great city begins somewhere, Kyle." He snorts at this.

The rest of the group looks around at the stalls and shops, not engaging in the conversation. They have known each other for a long time and know how the conversation will go.

"Nimora, look at that leather armour." Xerack said, pointing to a set of armour hanging on display. This caused the whole group to turn and look. A few gasps spoke of their surprise.

The leather armour was made from the hide of some beast that had been treated and formed into the set before. Its quality was respectable, but what made it stand out was that it was magical in some way. Nimora took a closer look and understood why Xerack had spotted it so quickly.

"Shadow infused! My, my, you do not see this often." She looked around for the shopkeeper and quickly caught his attention. "Such a find, shopkeeper. Where did you acquire this armour?"

"Why, honoured patron, the suit is made locally from several hides from the third-floor boss of the Dungeon." The shopkeeper waved at it with a flourish of his hand. "It can be yours for a mere twenty-five gold coins."

It was expensive, but such sets were not often found. That did not catch her attention, but what the shopkeeper had said caught her attention.

"You say that it is made from the hide of one of the floor bosses?" She asked.

"Indeed. The Dungeon had only five floors, with the sixth being created, but what we gained from it is very generous." He was very proud of his wares that he had been able to gather due to the Dungeon.

"My, my, I had heard that the Dungeon was small, but I had no idea that it was so profitable." Nimora was playing a part in getting more information from the shopkeeper. They already knew the Dungeon was small but had not believed the rumours of its danger or the wealth that could be gained.

"Yes, we are getting very excited as we are looking forward to the sixth floor."

Nimora nodded as he spoke. What surprised the group was Xerack's action. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Merchant Guild crystal, which he handed to the shopkeeper.

"I will take the armour." He pointed at the shadow-infused set, and the shopkeeper's face lit up with a smile. His team was almost shocked, as their teammate was known for his frugal lifestyle. The shopkeeper paced Xerack's crystal next to his own on a sheet of mana-infused vellum. Words appeared naming the two and the agreement to transfer twenty-five gold coins between them for the set of armour. This was the high point of the shopkeeper's month as it was such a large sum of money.

He handed The armour over to him and placed it in a dimensional storage bag. He was happy with what he had acquired and walked with more of a spring in his step. The rest of his team smiled at each other as they watched him move.

The rest of the trip to the market was uneventful, but a few things were bought. Nimora had told them she had agreed to escort the local Guild Leader into the Dungeon when it reopened to explore the new floor.

They returned to their rooms. Nimora called them together.

"Prepare yourselves when the Dungeon we are travelling to the sixth floor." She told them.

"Why did you agree to that, Nimora?" Kyle asked for the group.

"I have discovered something odd about this Dungeon; for what I plan, we will need to hire a carrier to help us." Her words attract the interest of the others. "The Dungeon is based on a stairwell that extends the whole Dungeon. We will map and explore the sixth. As asked, we will move up through the Dungeon from the bottom to the top."

This initially confused them, but they eventually understood what she had planned. This strange plan could only work in this Dungeon, as every other Dungeon required clearing each floor to reach the next.

"That is so insane it could work!" Laughing, Mealina, their healer said. The rest soon joined in.

"Go, get your supplies and equipment. I will find a carrier to take additional supplies and equipment in case we need them and to carry what we gain in loot." She continued to speak.

They nodded and went about their business, but Xerack held back. When they were alone, he spoke.

"We are not the highest-rated team in the town." He told her.

"Who is also here?" She asked, interested in who he had discovered.

"A Silver grade team of elves."

"Silver? Well, this is unexpected. What do we know of them." She asked.

"Led by Sliva Moonborn, they have been visiting several Dungeons on the east side of the continent. They have been here for several months and have been into the Dungeon several times." Xerack explained what he had found.

"Thank you, Xerack. Excuse me, I have a carrier to interview." She stood and walked out of the room. She walked to the common room, which was full of adventurers who were waiting for the Dungeon to reopen.

She looked around and spotted the man she was here to see. He had secured a table and was sitting with a mug of ale before him, watching the room with mild interest. She moved over the table. He saw her and rose to meet her.

"Ator, thank you for meeting me." She inclines her head in greeting.

"Thank you for enquiring about my services. Would you like to sit?" He indicates to the other chair.

"Thank you." They both sit at the table, and a waitress comes over. Nimora orders a wine and it soon arrives. When the waitress leaves, she starts talking.

"You have been recommended as the highest-level carrier in town. An iron-grade carrier with a dimensional storage bag. To this end, my team and I wish to engage your services for our first trip to the Dungeon." She found that laying out the proposition first gets things moving faster. "It will be a full Dungeon exploration and we will need you for supplies and loot carrying."

He nods as she speaks, saying nothing beyond what he does regularly. This Dungeon was getting deep enough that carriers were becoming a needed service. Extra weapons and supplies were a life-saving requirement for the deeper a Dungeon got.

"When do you think you will get entrance." He asked.

"We will be going in first." What she was saying quickly dawned on him.

"You will be the team exploring the sixth!" Then he frowns. "Why employ me for a full Dungeon run?"

"Do not worry about that. Just know we will pay for the Dungeon run." She smiled at him as she spoke, not answering his question. "Have you any issues?"

"No, as long the contract is the standard Guild fare, there should be no problems." He said after a few moments of thought.

"Excellent; we will sign the contract tomorrow and be ready as soon as the Dungeon reopens. We will be going in." She was happy things would be happening without problems.

They both stood as their business was almost concluded.

"We will meet at the Guild tomorrow at midday to get everything in place until then." She turned and walked away.

She left Altor wondering what she was planning with such strange terms of service.