Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]
3.38 The Third Ascent IV

The treasure chest that accompanies the fight is unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. It contains a Skill book, and while I would love to peruse its contents, Stefan claims it for himself. Considering how, despite his appearance, he’s actually the lowest-leveled of the four of us at 37, no one raises any serious objections to his doing so. Apparently, his new Skill allows him to build something akin to charge as he lands blows, then release all that charge later to devastating effect.

However, what does come as quite the shock is when not one, but two paths open to us. Once again, it falls to me to read the glyphs on each of the two options, though for some reason, these actually want to be read, their meaning as easily understood if it had been written in plain English. I… definitely need to figure out how they do that. Some sort of [Universal Translation] glyph baked into the array? Or maybe they really are different languages.

There are only six words between the two signs. On the left, it reads ‘To Tenth Floor’, and on the right, ‘To Fourteenth Floor’. After relaying this information to the others, we stand around the rapidly cooling magma chamber, trying to figure out what the best course of action is.

“So, the tradeoff seems pretty simple to me,” Lindsey says. “We lose out on five floors worth of treasure and Experience, and in return, we get a chance to get even better treasure and more potent sources of Experience on the higher floors.”

“With that much more danger,” Chloe says. “More importantly, we don’t know where the next path out of here is. If the next transporter is on the thirteenth floor, then we might not be able to get out of here until the twentieth. Maybe even the twenty-fifth! I think we should go slower.”

“But slower means that we might not gain enough levels to stop whatever attacks our homes next,” Stefan says. “And Lindsey and I can’t stay here forever. Another day or two, maybe, but we need to head back to defend our hometown, just as you two have been working to defend your own.”

“Are there no others who could take up the mantle in your stead?” I ask.

“There are a few,” Lindsey says. “But I would say the number of people who are actively fighting and have made it to Level 32 are… there’s some of the former members of the Order of the Wilds, Kristil hit 32 a couple days ago, and there’s some smaller companies that might have a few. But the two of us–” She takes Stefan’s hand in her own. “–are probably the two highest leveled people in the city. Especially after today.”

“If I might bring up a point,” Stefan says. “Is there a reason why we shouldn’t press further with gusto? After all, Seraphina isn’t even using her real power. If she stopped holding back–”

“I can’t,” I interject. “I mean, technically, I could, but we should proceed as though I can’t. I don’t want to share all the details or drawbacks of that ability, but I will say only that it’s an absolute last resort for when the other option is dying right then and there. Not even for using it as a crutch to move further in the tower.”

“So, your vote is for going to the tenth floor?” Stefan asks.

“I didn’t say that, necessarily. Just that the decision shouldn’t be made on the basis of that particular Skill.” I lie slightly in that [Seraphina Overlimit] is registered as a ‘trait’ and not a ‘skill’, for whatever that means, but the gist of the statement is still accurate.

“I vote for the tenth floor,” Chloe says. “We never know what we might find, and it could be something incredibly valuable.” Chloe doesn’t reference the apples, which are still in my side bag, but Lindsey catches the subtext instantly.

“Sera,” Lindsey asks. “You know more about these Towers than I do. Do you think it’s more likely we’ll find better treasure higher up?”

“Almost certainly.”

“What was the level of the monsters you fought on the first few floors?”

“The first floor had some robots with levels in the low-to-mid 30’s. The second had a doppelganger which took the shape of Alana. It was level 39, if I recall. I also seem to remember that the Tower is designed to be started at level 40 and beaten at level 64. We can fudge those a bit, but I think we’re looking at a fairly steady half a level per floor at this pace.”

“So, we’ll be fighting things about three levels higher…” Lindsey closes her eyes for a moment. “That Thunderbird, and then the Armored Arachnid. They were incredibly difficult enemies, for sure. The issue is that I don’t know how much stronger they would have been had they been three levels higher. Could we have still beaten them? I’d like to think that we could have, but I just don’t know.”

“For what it’s worth, I’ve gained two levels as well since the Thunderbird fight; one on that fight, one on this one.”

“Damn!” Lindsey mutters. “The System must’ve credited you with a shit ton of work on that Thunderbird fight. How much Experience did you get? Eighty thousand? More?” She shakes her head. “Nevermind. Considering that, I think we should go to the fourteenth floor.”

“Chloe?” I ask, noticing a bit of hesitance in her facial expression.

“I– I don’t like it, but if you think it’s the best choice, I’ll go along with it.”

“This isn’t a democracy, where the majority does what they want and everyone else gets the shaft. We’re a team, and we’re going to make our decision as a team, with consensus. And if that thing–” I briefly shudder. “–shows up again before we make our decision, we’ll go to the tenth floor.”

“Thanks, Sera.”

I offer her a slight smile and a warm vibe through our [Angelic Bond].

“Here’s my concern,” Chloe says, sounding a bit more confident than before after our brief mental conversation. “We don’t know when the next time we’ll be able to get out of here is. Maybe there’s some item that immediately warps us back to the ground floor. I doubt such a thing exists, but hells below, there could be. As Sera might put it, it’s best to expect the unexpected and consider nothing impossible.

“Anyway, the point is, we don’t know when the next retreat point will be. A chance to rest, bodies and minds alike. A chance to destress, and a chance for Sera to build some new contraption or decipher some new glyph that will save us deeper in. I know that there’s risk involved in going too slow. Again, to quote Sera, ‘Not taking a risk is itself taking a risk.’ But we should consider that we might be marching straight to our deaths, which is in no one’s best interest.”

“For all we know,” Stefan says, “the transporter is just as likely to be on the thirteenth floor as the fourteenth or the fifteenth or the twelfth or sixteenth. In other words, I don’t think we can consider these warps to necessarily move us further from the next teleport. Disregarding that fact, however, there’s one question which remains: Are we prepared to fight enemies that are two to three more levels above us? Personally, I think we are.”

Chloe takes a long, deep breath, centering herself. “I guess I gotta work that much harder then, to make sure I’m able to save your reckless asses.”

Lindsey’s jaw drops a bit. “Chloe, when did you start cursing?”

“I always have, even before the System. I blame Sera for that. She rubs off on me.”

“Yeah, there sure was plenty of rubbing going on the last few nights.”

Chloe and I both giggle.

“Well, that aside, it seems like you’re okay with taking the shortcut?” LIndsey asks.

“Still not a hundred percent loving the idea, but I’m not going to veto it. I do think we should wait a little longer; my [Ether] isn’t back to a hundred percent and we don’t want to be caught unaware when we make our way there.”

“I suppose not,” Stefan says. “There’s taking necessary risks, and then there’s just making careless errors and trying to hasten our own deaths.”

“Hey there,” Lindsey says. “You’re not allowed to die on me in here. I am not dragging your worthless body through God only knows how many floors because you decided you wanted to take a long nap in the dirt. At least wait until we get out of the Tower if you really decide that you just have to go croaking.”

“Wait, I never said anything about wanting to die, Linds!”

Lindsey rolls her eyes. “What have I told you about calling me that? Or should I start calling you Steph?”

“Are we like this too?” I ask.

“Honestly? We’re probably a lot more kissy and lovey-dovey and less play fighting like they are. But I bet we’re still every bit as embarrassing as the two of them.”

“Ugh. I– I guess you’re right, Chloe.”

“Of course I’m right, Sera. I might not have your mastery of Ethertech and glyphs, but–”

“I know you are, Chloe.” I lower my head slightly. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Lindsey claps once, snapping Chloe and I out of the brief lull in our conversation. Vaguely, I recall that the two had been continuing their conversation at superhuman speeds. But, having been conversing with Chloe just as quickly, though far more silently, I can’t seem to remember any of the details.

“Well, I think we’re all in agreement?” Lindsey says.

“Yep, we’re just going to sit here and wait,” I say, reaching for a bottle of water and downing a couple of glugfuls.

“Hurry up and wait, as they say in the military,” Lindsey remarks. “Even though the two of you were only working in the forces officially for a few weeks, I get the sense you already understand that perfectly.”

“Kinda the whole thing with the Adventurers,” Chloe says.

Stefan breaks out into a deep laugh. “Yeah, I suppose it was a lot of hurry up and wait for you two while I was running things.”

“How are things down there, anyway?” Chloe asks. “I know you’ve mentioned bits and pieces here and there, but–”

“Honestly, it’s about the same as here and in most of the large and mid-sized cities across the States,” Stefan says. “Occasional attacks, headlined by the one big attack back close to two weeks ago. It was… coordinated. Different cities got different creatures. If the reports are to believe, up in Chicago, the Chicago River turned green and tens of thousands of four-foot tall leprechauns swam out to cause terror in the city. Almost like a St. Patty’s Day parade gimmick gone horrifically wrong.”

I can’t help but laugh at that. Chloe barely holds back a smirk, the absurdity of the encounter outweighing the horrific tragedy that undoubtedly befell the millions who lived there.

“Sorry,” I say.

“No, I get it,” Stefan says. “But yeah, the System has been pretty quiet lately. It’s almost as though it’s watching and seeing how we react before deciding what to throw at us next.”

“I think it is,” I say. “If my conjectures are correct, the System is guiding us to get stronger. It wants to keep pushing us all to our limits, and then to break through those limits. Over and over again. But it understands that we also need to rest and train, as well as be pushed through its trials.”

Stefan takes a deep breath. “You say it so forcefully, like the System is some alien intelligence watching us, rather than just… I dunno, magical powers that our soul lets us perceive through notifications, or any of the other theories that are going around. And considering who you are, I have no choice but to take you at your word.”

We make idle chit-chat for a bit longer, though my mind is a bit busy through it all. At once, I’m keeping an eye on my current [Ether], while keeping my ear attuned for the signs of that rattling sensation signalling the arrival of the friend I hope never to again encounter, even from a thousand miles away. Even after a solid hour of rest and relaxation— as much as can be the case in such a hellish place— it doesn’t show up, to my great relief.

I smile. “Anyway, I think we’re all ready to move out? To the fourteenth floor!”

All four of us turn to one another and nod, and with that, we ascend. Upward, for a higher, more dangerous hell awaits.