Bind on Pickup

by David Silver

First published 19th of June, 2019

What do Spike, Garble, and Smolder have in common, besides being dragons? They've been summoned to another world at the behest of a needy adventurer who thinks her fortunes are turning with their arrival. No one involved is ready for what comes next.

What do Spike, Garble, and Smolder have in common, besides being dragons? They've been summoned to another world at the behest of a needy adventurer who thinks her fortunes are turning with their arrival. No one involved is ready for what comes next.

Done as a collaborative effort with a patron (RadicalDishonesty)! Will be updated weekly.

PS: This means you can blame all the typos on them, muah ha ha ha!

PPS: Lovely picture done by Dragonpony, thanks!

Power Trio

She wrung her hands over one another, fingers enmeshed for one desperate moment before they lost their grip and her hands resumed circling one another, her eyes locked on the bright and swirling colors that danced before her.

Clashing flashes of violent magical energies danced above and around the altar, another, older, woman stood nearby with a kind smile, watching it all happen with a placid expression as if this was all something she'd seen many times before. "Just a little longer," she advised, her eyes on the riotous event with an easy patience.

With the sound of forming stone, great structures of granite formed as if the energy were filling the shapes, rapidly taking the shape of two great decagons, ten sided polygons of uneven sides that spun wildly, throwing shades across the room with a swirling noise that began to pick up in volume and intensity.

The younger one clasped her hands as if in prayer, her eyes stuck on the strange shapes as they wobbled and spun. Her breath caught as they fell, smashing into the altar with a great weight, but they did not stop, rolling and rattling around, bouncing off a field that had been invisible a moment before and sent back towards the center. The smaller sides were almost comically small, as if the dice would have to defy reality itself to land on them, and each time it hit one of the heavier sides, the dice lost momentum, as if it would be so easy to stop there.

They struck one another with a great sound of stone on stone, and stopped. They were leaning against one another, both on the smallest side. A great 0 0 appeared, one over each die. A single one appeared just to the left of them and the younger squealed, faltering back a step. "What does it mean?!"

"It means," counseled the older. "--that you have won the right to the next possibility. Greater things are now in store." She waved at the shapes and they lifted, tumbling and shaking. The sounds become more subtle, each shape glimmering as if sparkling instead of throwing out random lights. Rattling sounded from within them and they tumbled wildly, testing the whims of fate once more. "Very lucky. The gods smile on you."

The shapes bounced and shook as if something alive were inside them, forcing them to jitter and shake in unnatural ways. "What's going on?!" stammered out the younger, bewildered at the possessed movements of the judging stones.

"Unusual…" It was the first time the elder looked interested, leaning forward a little as she considered. "Fortunately for you, the guild fee does not increase with better results. You are… blessed, perhaps."

One die jumped as the other rolled, and the first landed on the second, and both became still.

0 0 0 0 displayed over the two, then a single 1 appeared before it. The colors turned a gold before they began to scramble, the letters cascading through all ten digits wildly a moment before 9 9 9 9 9 settled. A great yawning gulf of energy appeared from the top of the column, wiping it all away and filling the room with blinding light.

The older woman smiled and clapped her hands. "You've done it. Perhaps your fortune as an adventurer turns today."

"Eeee!" squeaked the younger, about as articulate as she could manage in the moment, energy waving through her hair and throwing her clothing as if she stood in a brisk wind.

It all gusted past them, revealing three forms on the pedestal, all the glowing fading away. Faint wisps of smoke rose from them and one coughed softly. "Very funny, Garble, but that doesn't count as a win." He spoke with the voice of a young male, but he was not a human.

"Yeah, not cool." Another, female, older than the first, but not by a large degree, tapped her foot. "First back up to the… top…" She was just noticing where they were. There were no lava flows to race.

Towering over the other two was a large, broad figure, who came into view first, covered in red scales, clearly muscular with pointy teeth, taller than most men. The younger girl squeaked in glee. This looked like a dragon, and he looked really powerful.

He looked around angrily, though, and said, “Wait, where the heck are we?”

The younger purple-scaled male that was half the height of the others rubbed behind his head, looking equally confused, if less angry about it. "Uh…"

"Not at the lava flows," finished the orange-scaled female with purple fins, crossing her arms impatiently. "Hey, you, whatever you are." She was looking directly at the girl that was gaping at them with open wonder. "Where are we, who are you, what are you, why are you, I'll throw in for good measure."

The girl, however, looked to the older woman. “They can talk? Can they usually talk?”

The older woman looked at her book, as if referencing it. “It’s not unheard of, summon’s talking. What is unheard of is three separate creatures...” She started leafing through her book. “What to do, what to do…”

“Hey!” The red dragon shouted, and took a step forward. “My sister asked you a question.”

The younger girl looked at him, like noticing he was there, and looked back to the older woman with uncertainty. The elder didn’t even look up from her book, but said, “it is your responsibility to manage the temperament of your summon, Sandra. Even if there are more than one.”

“Oh, right right.” Sandra tried to comport herself, dusting her clothes as if any lingering dust hadn't been blown away in the great rush of wind created by the summon. "My summons, I welcome you as your summoner. I am Sandra Kite, and I accept this responsibility."

“Oh,” the orange dragon female said. She put a hand to her chest, smiling amicably. “Okay. I’m Smolder-” She gestured up to the large dragon “-this is Garble-” and she gestured down to the small purple dragon “-and this is Spike.”

“Oh! Hi!” Sandra said, waving, the billowing sleeves from her robe flapping around with her hand.

“Now where are we and why are we here?!” Smolder shouted.

"Noted." The older of the two humans was making a note on a floating pane of words that vanished with a puff of magic, collapsing into an ornate bracelet she wore on her right arm. "Good luck in your adventures." She turned to leave, not sparing another glance back at the four she left behind.

Spike glanced towards the departing woman, his eyes darting to the younger of the two. "Hey, you're a human, right?" He had seen plenty of those, past the mirror. "But I'm not a dog…"

"This is all so much," sighed out Sandra. "Alright, you are all in the guild." She pointed at Spike. "You are a dragon, not a dog." She looked a bit confused that she had to specify that. "And you're here because I summoned you. I found a summon in the grassy fields. Do you have any idea how low the odds of that are?" She clapped her hands, excitement rapidly building.

The three dragons just watched as the girl looked back at them with anticipation. “... No,” Smolder said. “We literally have no idea what any of this is.”

“Right right right,” Sandra said. “Newly summoned, you probably don’t know anything at all. So! I am-” she flashed a bangle wrapped around her arm with an ornate setting on it, and inside that ornate setting was a dull grey orb, and she tapped it, summoning a flat image floating up. It said on it “Sandra Kite, slate rank Elemancer.” There were also some bars with writing too small to read. “An adventurer in the adventurer’s guild! We go get hired--"

Garble held up a hand, cutting her off. "--you go get yourself hired, great. Send us back, now."

Spike pointed off in the direction the other human had wandered off in. "Do we need her back for that? She seemed to know what was going on."

Smolder glanced towards Spike. "What makes you say that? They all look about the same to me."

"Really? That one was older and this one, Sandra, looks kinda nervous." He shrugged towards their summoner, examining her without certainty.

“I-I am not nervous!” Sandra stomped the ground. “I am your summoner, and I that makes me in charge! You have to do what I say, so that I can become more than a slate rank adventurer!”

Garble snorted smoke. “The heck you are! I’ll show you who's in charge!” He tried to stomp over to her, and she flinched away, but as he tried to go down to grab her, he felt himself freeze. He was unable to move any further.

She opened her eyes, seeing him looming over her, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Garble tried to push forward, and it was like his body was unable to move. Not forward, anyway. He breathed in, and readied himself to breathe out a big flame… only to find he couldn’t do anything but hold his breath.

“B-bad summon!” Sandra shouted, pointing at Garble. “Don’t attack your summoner!”

Garble started to turn blue as he was unable to breathe, his lungs filled with magic ready to become fire.

“Oh, but while you’re here,” Sandra said, touching the slate on her shoulder, and fiddling with the flat image she had. The words “register summon” showed up on it, and she popped the slate orb and briefly touched it to Garble, letting go of it and it floated back to her bangle automatically, the words “summon registered” showed up.

She stepped away, and, as soon as she was far enough away the flames wouldn’t spill out and scorch her, Garble finally was able to breathe out, a dramatic puff of flames coming out of his breath, but Sandra was busy looking at her menu, making little squeaks. “Look at those stats! Lotsa toughness and strength!” She walked over to the other two dragons. Spike perked as she approached.

"So, uh, my stats are pretty good, right?" He struck a confident pose, full of the heroism he envisioned himself having when not dealing with trouble he couldn't handle. "Give it to me straight."

Smolder rolled her eyes. "That's cool and all, but what part of this gets us back home? We have a school to get to." She hiked a thumb at Garble. "And Gar Gar has things to get to too, right?"

With an unresisting subject, Sandra was easily able to register Spike as her summon and began looking over his stats curiously. "Oh, a very young dragon, cute!" She suddenly threw an arm around him, hugging his smaller pudgier form. "I will take such good care of you, promise."

Spike went red in the cheeks, but didn't try to attack the human. "Uh, thanks, but I'm not a kid. I've saved the world before."

"It's true, he has," dryly noted Smolder with a little smirk on her face. "Better tell him what his stats are before he loses it."

“Um… I mean…” Sandra looked at Spike’s bars, that Spike could already see were not particularly tall. “You have… decent… mental stats? Your stats are like a human’s, with a few above average, but nothing super special. Except your toughness is still pretty high, which must be a dragon thing.” She walked over to Smolder. “Now for you.” She touched the stone to Smolder’s shoulder, another list of bars. “Well, it’s not like the big guy’s, but you still have higher fighting stats than the little guy.”

Smolder shrugged expansively. "He's a nice guy, but he's more pony than dragon, so, you know, less fighting. No offense." She shot a thumbs up towards Spike. "So can we focus on the 'how to get the dragons home before they get ticked off?'"

Sandra looked at Smolder like she had an extra head. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you don’t want to get us ticked off?” Garble asked.

“Because it’s a bad idea to keep friends who aren’t really your friends?” Smolder asked.

“Because it’s the right thing to do?” Spike asked.

“What… no!” Sandra protested, but she composed herself and pointed directly out. “You three are the end of my bad luck streak and the beginning of my rise to the top (or at least not the bottom) of adventuring! So come on!” She began to march out, before stopping, and turning back to them. “Besides, there’s nowhere to send you back to. Summoning creates monsters from magic itself, it doesn't pluck a creature from somewhere real.”

She snorted a little to herself. “Can you imagine how awful it would be if we just stole creatures from their normal homes and forced them to fight for us?”

Author's Notes:

And so it begins! Welcome to this Isekai version of a MLP story. Will friendship win out, or is it time to grind some levels and unleash a few master moves on a raid boss as dramatic music plays?

... why not both?

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2 - Entering the Grass Field

They moved in an uneasy mass, the dragons trailing behind their new summoner. Garble grabbed Spike as they went. "Look, I know you're a pansy or whatever, but you can't be happy about being that whatever's plaything, right? Don't you have ponies to get home to?"

"He's not wrong," agreed Smolder with a soft shrug, following with her hands behind her head. "But, I also have to admit I'm kind of curious where this is going. She said she's an adventurer. That's basically the opposite of boring."

“Yeah! It’ll be fine,” Spike said with only a little uncertainty. “We’ll do some adventuring, figure out how to get home, and get home. Easy peasy.”

Smolder fired an emphatic thumbs up, but her reply was cut off by other words.

"There she is," noted another female tone. "What'd you get, Sandun?"

"That's not her name," snorted a male. "It's Sandumb, obviously."

"Didja get something good?" asked a reedy second male voice. "Or Sandra luck as usual?" All three laughed, good naturedly to one another, but hardly to the one they focused their mocking towards.

"Laugh all you want," proclaimed Sandra with a moment of steadfast confidence. "I got a summon so great, it couldn't even fit in one body."

"Wha?" asked the larger male. It was about this point that the dragons came into view.

Four humans stood, three of them standing in a line barring Sandra’s way, a female with her hair worn up wearing a breastplate with a shield at her back and sword at her side was directly ahead of her, flanked by two men, one wearing a fancy outfit with a rapier at his side, one with a bow slung over his back. Behind them there was another figure, possibly female from the long hair, wearing a tall hat and a jacket that covered half of her face, only her eyes being visible from beneath the coat and robes.

The three humans in the front were all stunned by the appearance of three dragons, though, all gaping.

Sandra puffed out her chest, putting her hands on her hips. “You see. Everything is different now, and I’m gonna start rising the ranks immediately now.”

A wicked grin appeared on the female assailant’s face. “Oh, no, I know what’s going on here. Screwup Sandra can’t find anybody willing to be her partners, so she bought some cheap low rank summons from someone somehow, and she decided she’d make herself a party.”

"What are they talking about?" Garble hiked a thumb at the loud bunch of whatever-they-weres.

Spike grinned internally as he gave a shrug as if he didn't know. "It sounds like they don't think you're a good adventurer though. They don't think you’re tough enough. Kinda rude if you ask me."

"I'm not sure that's--"

Garble didn't wait to hear what his sister had to say, pushing Smolder aside as he stormed towards the trio with fire in his eyes and smoke on his lips.

“Oh yeah? You think I’m not tough enough to hack it?” He loomed over the smaller woman, snorting and growling, and leaned down. “I don’t think you know who you’re talking to.”

The woman, however, was completely unphased, raising an eyebrow to him. “Who you are? You are just some random summon that a nobody adventurer has. I, on the other hand--” She raised her hand, and on her wrist was another mounting with a shining blue stone on it. “--Am sapphire grade. I beat a dozen monsters bigger than you this morning.”

“I’m not some dumb monster, I’m a dragon,” Garble spat out smoke.

The woman just rolled her eyes. “No. Dragons are centuries old, and make you look like the tiny insect you are."

Sandra was suddenly there, between Garble and the source of his ire. "Words are easy. You'll see when we start making you all look like chumps. Garble, we're out of here."

"It was starting to smell in here anyway," grunted Garble indignantly.

Smolder leaned closer to Spike. "When did you start playing my brother like that? You know he's sensitive."

Her definition of sensitive was not quite Spike's. Still… "Once we see what this adventure is about, I bet Garble'll start having a good time instead of being annoyed. Besides, we don't know how to go home, so better that he--"

Sandra and Garble returned to them, Sandra pointing across the guild lobby. "We're heading out. Gonna see how you all perform against real monsters. You know what a monster is, right?" she didn't sound nearly as confident as she'd like to be that her summons understood their purpose.

Smolder rolled her eyes. “Yes, we know what a monster is.”

“Good, we’re fighting them, let’s go.” Sandra marched across the guild hallway, the party of adventurers returned to gossiping among each other, except the girl in the back, who spent a moment staring at Sandra and her new entourage, narrowing her eyes, and looked away to leave.

Through the guild hall the few people they passed, all wearing some manner of armor and weapons. Spike had a hyperactive bounce in his step. These were real adventurers! Sure, guards had armor, and occasionally you saw an adventurous pony, but this was a whole organization. And he was going to fight monsters.

Emerging from the guild that had almost a tavern-like atmosphere, they stepped out into vast openness. It was a city all around, wide and vast, with buildings that reached towards the heavens. Only Manehattan could have competed with it, leaving all three dragons gaping and turning about to take it all in.

Just to the right of the entrance they could see an enormous tower that the city seemed to be encircling, as if its tallest buildings were nothing compared to its height that couldn't even be seen as it rose above the clouds without pause, presumably pushing up into the very heavens beyond. The tower was made of the smoothest stone, but the shapes it made were anything but smooth, forming uneven floors and strange gaps as if the floors of the tower had been built by different designers at different times.

Spike looked up with marvel. The city was amazing. And it was bustling. A bunch of differently shaped humans wandered around. Tall willowy ones, smaller ones, big stocky ones. Ones with strange ears, even a couple that looked more like races Spike saw from outside of Equestria were around. But this place felt nothing like Klugetown, and there was a spirit of adventure and joy, instead of danger and betrayal.

“Are you sure we didn’t step into a pony town?” Garble said, looking at the same sights with a dismal expression.

Spike frowned. “Figures you wouldn’t appreciate it.”

“What’s there to appreciate? All this frou-frou and people building their own stuff, it’s all lame…” As a large tan skinned adventurer, somehow larger and bulkier than Garble, with a wicked looking axe on his back walked by him, it drew Garble’s gaze. “... Mostly lame.”

“Aww come on, Gar Gar,” Smolder said, nudging him before pointing to a store that had a sword and shield crossed. "Now, I'm no expert, but…"

"Is that a for-real item store?" asked Spike with wide eyes.

Sandra turned towards her strange summons. "One of many, but we don't have money to be buying equipment, and you have fire breath and sharp claws and those teeth look decent too, so what would you need it for?" She shrugged softly. "Come on, the day only has so many hours, and I can feel that experience already flowing!"

She led them through the town. It was a vibrant place, full of a wide variety of people, built up as well as out, with bridges even between some of the buildings. They passed nearby a district will glowing smoking blacksmitheries, and as they passed there was another large building with people training with large two handed weapons in an open yard.

But soon, they reached a wall and a gate, and above the wall there was a bluish purple heat haze, wafting faintly in place, but quite solid in appearance despite that.

Sandra approached the wall and she announced, “Slate grade adventurer Sandra, with summons, going out of town!” She bopped her brooch, bringing up the stats.

The guards briefly looked at the stats, and over the three summons, raising his eyebrow, but he just pressed a little panel on the wall, and said, “Good luck out there.”

She beamed and said, “I don’t need it! I’ve got summons now!” And she marched out, happy as can be.

The pastoral land beyond was full of rolling hills. A few farms and windmills dotted the landscape, alongside a beautiful sparkling lake with a manor by it.

But, in addition to the beautiful scenery, there were creatures. Many creatures dotted the landscape, apparently not hiding or darting about. Many many more than you would normally see in the wilderness at random, even, the land seemed lousy with them.

Spike thrust a finger out. "Is that a literal slime?" He hopped in place, coming down facing Smolder. "Just like in Epic Warrior!"

"No idea what that is." Smolder lifted her shoulders but had a wicked smirk on her face. "But I'm guessing it's our job to do things to them?"

"Yes!" Sandra pointed much like Spike has. "Go forth, my summons. Teach that slime a lesson!"

The slime seemed to notice it was being spoken to, two great projections curling up then flopping, forming lop-eared bunny-like limbs as fine slimy whiskers grew from a sudden mouth. It was a rabbit slime. "I can usually take down one or two of those in a day before I had to come back. Let's see how many I can do with you all."

The three of them just stared down the extra bouncy rabbit, and Garble nudged Spike in the back. “Come on. You’re the fan of this stuff, right?”

Spike brandished his claws and stepped himself forward to the cute rabbit slime. The adorable green nose sniffed at him, and it bounced a little around. It looked up at him with big round eyes, somehow. Spike bared his teeth, trying to growl and puff out smoke. He was ready, he was able! He was a dragon!

He couldn’t do it.

He turned around. “Are you sure that, um, we have to kill the cute little monster?”

And at that moment, the monster struck, rearing back, it’s body flattening a little, until it’s rubbery body sprang back into place, propelling it forward violently into Spike’s side, knocking him over with a cry.

Garble erupted into laughter.

Spike actually growled to himself. Now the monster was making him a fool? Fine, it was a real monster, and it needed to really be taken out. He turned to it, swiping with a claw. He got purchase into the monster’s flesh, cutting into it, and it cringed back, morphing in a way that it’s limbs and nose just retracted into it and came out facing Spike.

It pounced at him again, only this time Spike was ready, easily dodging out of the way. He took a breath, and puffed out a big puff of fire, directly hitting it. The heat washed over the creature, obscuring it from sight as it melted away.

With a soft chime, the broach she wore demanded her attention. Next to each name of the members of her party, a soft beige bar appeared next to them, filling slightly with a bright blue bar. Sandra squinted at them, glancing up at hers, then the dragons'. "Wait… You're not supposed to have those. Summons… don't advance on their own…" She stroked her chin, looking quite befuddled. "Uh, but you did it! Good job! One down, so much more to do!"

Author's Notes:

A thanks to Dragonpony for sudden fan art that turned into a new cover!

They've scored their first kill, one of many, perhaps? Spike and Smolder are kinda digging this.

What do you mean my summon gained XP? That's weird...

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3 - Grinding Session

The grinding session began in earnest. Garble would not be outdone by Spikey Wikey, an endearing term he was sure to use as he charged past to grab up two cute little rabbit slimes and grind them together in a great explosion of goo that faded into ether, coins and a single potion falling where once they were. "What the?"

Smolder lunged for it, grabbing the potion before it fell to the ground. "Got it! What is it?" She swirled the bright cyan-shaded fluid around in its glass bottle. "This was not floating around inside that slime."

Sandra stood tall and proud, adjusting her glasses as she cleared her throat, looking ready to dispense wisdom.

Spike spoke without even noticing Sandra's preparations, "Bet taking out the slime made it appear."

"Well, yes," she deflatedly agreed. "There's more to it than that." She waved in the direction the sparkles that escaped the defeated monster fled towards. "The energy that makes them up was forced out of their body, which sometimes is enough and gets caught in the right way to make new things, like the coins and the potion. The rest goes off to be reborn as new monsters."

“So wait,” Garble said, picking up a gold piece between his claws. “All we need to do to get more gold is beat up a ton of these stupid easy things to beat?” He grasped it in his hand and grinned wickedly. “That’s awesome!” He took to the air, not very high, flying over to another bunny slime, roasting it, laughing maniacally.

Smolder walked over to Spike, watching Garble. “I gotta hand it to ya. I didn’t think Garble would warm up to it as quickly as this.”

Garble was laughing as he terrorized the slimes, throwing them around like they were nothing, and Spike grimaced at Garble’s cruelty unleashed. At least they were monsters that seemed to exist just to be defeated. “Yeah… I kinda figured.”

Sandra, however, was staring at the menu out of her broach, a frown on her face as a bar on it went up ever so slightly as Garble smooshed another slime. “Why’s it going up so slowly for me…”

“Well you’re not really doing anything,” Smolder said. “You’re just sitting here watching Garble or us do all the work.”

“... So?”

“So,” Spike chimed in. “Aren’t you supposed to be like… practicing magic or figuring out how to beat monsters? Just watching people doesn’t help that much, you have to do it.”

"Well, yeah, sure, but you're taking them down so fast…" Sandra slowly scanned over the horizon before extending a figure to what seemed to be a tree. "There we go. I'll start on that, you assist, alright?"

Spike and Smolder shared a look. It was a tree…

Sandra gave a thumbs up before advancing on the helpless shrubbery. "This one's tougher than the rabbit slimes, but I have such great summons, we'll take it down."

As they began to walk, Spike hiked a thumb back. “What about, you know?”

Sandra looked back to Garble. “Well…” He was flying around, laughing raucously, snapping up the gold and bits of items dropped by the slimes and depositing them into a growing pile, which Sandra eyed greedily. “Let’s let him keep doing that. We won’t even be far enough away that he can’t see us.”

Smolder made a soft polite gesture as if to let Sandra past. "Show us what you have. You know what we can do." She wriggled her claw-tips. "Comes written on the can, you know?"

Spike was stroking his chin softly. "Yeah, sure, but I want to learn some of that magic… Later, I mean." Even at his most optimistic, he didn't see the option to do that in the middle of the grassy field. "For now, go on." Seeing magic that didn't require a unicorn horn was a step forward, right?

Sandra tapped her bangle twice, pulling her hand up high, a light trailing behind it briefly. In front of her, magic circles and a sparkle appeared straight up and down, and from top to bottom, as if something was draining off of it, a short wooden staff appeared, about the length of Sandra’s arm. She snatched it out of the air and held it straight out.

“Let’s do this!” she shouted, and wisps of flame began to collect around the tip of the staff, starting to form a little ball at the tip of her staff. She brought the staff back a little, and pointed it forward, the burst of fire flying in an arc toward the shrub monster, which had clearly noticed and cringed away from the flames...

Only for the fireball to go wide, striking several feet behind it.

All parties watching briefly froze, and there was a rustle and the shrub monster began to twist back and forth, and after a moment it became clear what was happening: it was uprooting itself.

“D-don’t just do nothing!” Smolder yelled. “Shoot again!”

Sandra twirled her staff in a display that did little as she backed up a step. "According to plan," she muttered with a lack of confidence, the flames gathering more slowly for the second round. "Remember we're a team, right?"

Spike rolled a hand softly. "Uh, how much tougher is this thing than the slime? It's kinda slow."

"Super slow," addended Smolder with a wry smirk, watching it rise to its full height, towering over them, but all its motions were almost comically sluggard.

"Right, right. I have this!" She raised her staff high, flames gathered for a second strike. "Focus focus... " She stared dead at the treant as it took its first great step towards her. "Big target, can't miss. Can't possibly--" She swung the staff forward, flames not emerging on one coherent ball but instead a sprinkling, like a burst of confetti that set a few of its more dead leaves ablaze but did little real damage to the thing.

The shrub creature stepped forward, closer to Sandra, and she gasped, trying to step back, stumbling and falling on her butt. A very leafy limb extended from its side, and began to swing down on Sandra in a wide hook. It swung slowly, but built up momentum, and Sandra was frozen stiff, her eyes wide with terror.

Spike reached for her, but it was a moment too late, her form sent sailing in an ungainly heap. "Got her," cut in Smolder, jumping up to grab the air-borne wizard from the middle of her tumble.

His eyes on the bushy enemy, turning towards him, he flexed his claws. "Alright, I don't have magic, but I do have plenty of fire, which I hear trees don't like." The tree was unimpressed by his claim, taking a stiff step towards the small dragon. His cheeks bulged with his attack before vomiting forth a great cone of dragon's fury, enveloping the beast.

Unlike the slime, it did not melt. It barely caught on fire, approaching despite the burning heat to smash down a branch right on top of Spike's head, stopping his attack and sending him to the ground in with a loud 'oof!'.

"Shoot." Smolder set Sandra down roughly, half-dropping her as she almost bounced off the turf back towards the leafy nemesis. "Now you're askin' for it!"

She leapt up, into the air, and pounced on the shrubbed monster, slashing at its branches, clipping several of them. It swung it’s branch-arm at her in another slow but powerful arc, except she was much faster than that, and easily avoided it. She puffed her own puff of fire as well, scorching a little of the flesh underneath the branches.

Spike pulled himself up, a little woozy, seeing Smolder darting and pouncing on the monster. She was already better at this, he thought, shaking his head to dismiss the thought. He could prove himself! Adventuring like this is a dream come true!

Besides, it didn’t hurt that much. “Another breath, coming up!” He announced, and inhaled deeply. Smolder caught his form out of the corner of her eye, flapping herself up in time for the flames to hit the foliage monster, causing it to stagger back just a step. It was progress.

She landed next to Spike, in a ready stance, cracking a smile to herself. This wasn’t so bad. He was tough but not that tough. He just took a lot of punishment. She bared her claws and ran in with a low growl.

Sandra gathered herself to her feet, watching her new summons clash with the great creature. "Hey, Garble!" she called out to him even as he smashed three poor slimes at once in a great sliding pounce that ground them to so much ooze. "Help take out this shrubent! It's a better fight than the slimes, promise."

"Say what?" He snatched up the small bag that had fallen from one of the slimes. "Whatever. Hey, Sis, you need help? I get Spike callin' for backup, but you, really?"

"Kiss--" She ducked under a swinging branch, slipping around the plant. "--my--" She bit down fiercely at the base of one of its limbs, tearing it free, though it had so many more. "--scaly backend! Help or not, your call! I'm havin' plenty of fun on my own."

Garble lifted his shoulders as he ambled closer. "Yeah, you're doing alright."

Sandra threw up a hand with a frustrated cry. Why were her summons so hard to control?! "Hey, do you have fire resistance or not?"

Spike heard the question even as he was diving out of the way of a slow attack. "Huh? Yeah, hard to hurt a dragon with fire." He gave a thumbs up that turned into a sudden swipe, pruning the branch that was reaching towards him. "Back up, you badly upkept shrubbery!"

As Spike and Smolder continued to slash and spit bits of flame at the monster, Sandra got herself up. She closed her eyes began to focus again, feeling her magic flow through the staff she was holding, also feeling the staff shape her magic in a way she was not capable of. At least, not yet. The flames gathered at the tip of the staff, and she focused them. She needed them hotter, more explosive.

Once she reached almost as hot as she could manage, she opened up her eyes. Aiming. Aiming always sucked. But the monster was slow, and the dragons would be immune to her fire.

Garble watched the girl squint her eyes and focus real hard, somehow producing fire on the tip of a wooden stick. Which didn’t burn. Magic is weird.

Sandra held the spell, aiming… aiming. She released it, the blast pushing her arm back. With the sound of a deep cannon blast, flames rushed forward towards the violently clashing meeting of dragon and wood. All became heat and fire, washing over them all, lost to sight in a moment of rushing air, exploding brilliance, and a blossoming of fire that caught fire to patches of grass around them.

Garble stopped next to Sandra, one scaly brow raised. "If you just toasted my sister, I'm gonna be really angry, just so we're clear."

Sandra laughed with a bravado so false even she knew it was hollow. "I'm sure they're fine, they're dragons!"

Author's Notes:

That could have gone worse, or better? Pow, you are thrown into a MMO-like world, what class are you rushing to become?

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4 - FOE

The bright conflagration faded, Sandra staring at the center of it still, a rictus frozen on her face in false confidence. The shrub monster lay on the floor, the force of the fireball having not just scorched but cracked it’s torso, with burnt leaves fluttering about. Spike and Smolder both lay on the ground a few feet away.

Spike, planted on his face, pushed himself up. “Uggh, did you see the cart that hit me…”

Smolder groaned too, laying on her back. “I dunno, but it hit me too.” She pulled herself up, hissing. A part of her upper leg had scales were torn, the skin underneath red and seared. She gingerly touched it. “Ow ow ow.”

Garble glared down at Sandra beside him. “Now, what did I tell you,” he growled out.

But Sandra was calmed, instead. “Calm down,” Sandra said, waving her staff around unthreateningly. “It’s not much of an injury at all. We just need a little healing.”

Spike pulled himself up. “Maybe I need a little too, I am sore… Can you cast any?”

“Does it look like I’m a healing class?” Sandra said, her eyebrow raised. “No,” She put her hand to her chest in a haughty gesture. “I am an attack magician, thank you very much. I’m sure most of those potions that were dropped by the Lagoslimes are healing potions. We just need to give her one or two.”

"So, about that learning magic thing." Spike had a raised claw, even if smoke lazily trailed up from his singed form. "By the way, nice blast. Maybe next time don't include us in it.”

"I second that," moaned out Smolder. "Gar gar, hook a sister up with a potion." She waved a hand from her prone position, not in the mood to move yet.

"It was fire! You said that would be alright." Sandra put her free hand at her hips. "You don't know your own resistances?"

Garble was already fishing out his loot from his slime murder frenzy. "Shut up and show me which of these to give her. Or we can test your resistances."

"Calm down, sheesh." Sandra snagged a small red vial. "Here, drink up."

Garble grabbed it back and hurried to Smolder. His sister closed her fingers around the vial he knew better than to try nursing to her directly. She popped the cork and guzzled the contents almost instantly. "Cherry, nice. When do--" her words were cut off as her entire form glowed, the injuries fading away. "Okay, that was awesome."

Garble raised his eyebrow. “Alright, fine. You lucked out.”

Sandra smirked. “Luck had nothing to do with it. I knew we had it. And now--” She gestured down to the pile of gold and potions and other items. “--I have a big ole pile of loot.”

“You mean my horde, right?” Garble shot back. “I gathered it, after all.”

Sandra shot him a sidelong glance. “Just get some more--” She wiggled her fingers and smiled a toothy smile “--While I sort through this pile and put it in my inventory.”

Garble snorted, but still turned around, muttering under his breath.

Smolder headed out after him, and Spike seized the opportunity to ask the question again, “So, Sandra… what can I do about learning spells like that?” He rocked back and forth on his heels.

Sandra, picking up what looked like a bit of crystallized slime goo, gave him a look. “I mean… You can’t?” she stated with a questioning look. “You’re just… a summon. The powers you have now are the powers you will always have. So, like, you have the magic fire breath and that’s it.”

Garble, having ambled back to the Lagoslimes, popped another one by stomping on it. He sighed to himself. “It’s just not the same if I don’t get to keep the horde…” The magic from the slime, instead of forming into gold, though, drifted upward, drawing Garble’s vision...

Spike frowned. “Are you sure? We have an XP bar. We’re definitely not ‘normal’--” He put air quotes. “--summons.” He waggled a finger as he turned towards the defeated bush. "Putting that aside a moment, why hasn't this thing fallen apart into stuff for us to have already?"

Smolder stopped, going rigid as she peeked over her shoulder. "Uh…"

The remnants of the creature exploded outwards in a haze of wood and ashes, spreading over the area in a flurry of sharp fragments, forming together into a strange human-shape of particles that raised its newfound fist as it stepped towards Sandra, looking quite ready to pulverize her.

Spike didn't even try to burn it, the thing already looking charred. Clawing or biting it felt equally as bad of an idea, being made of little bits instead of one solid piece to smash. He opted instead to throw himself at Sandra, grabbing her around the middle and pumping his wings, carrying her up and away just in time for the whoosh of air to caress them from the near hit, the ground where they were exploding violently from the impact of the creature.

"Shut up!" suddenly roared Garble, slamming his hands together as he stormed towards the thing. "We beat you up fair and square. Go on and finish dying already!"

"Uh, not sure it works like that, Gar Gar." Smolder backed away, her wings carrying her up a little further away from the things incessed reach. "Maybe we should let it--"

"--Nuh uh, it has our stuff." He swung his own fist, meeting its in a great clash. Small cuts and nicks exploded over his fist and arm, slivers of the singed wood embedding themselves into his scaled hide as he howled in pain.

The bipedal creature stood up, the vague shape becoming a more defined ethereal outline. Bluish motes of magic spiraled around it and coalesced in it, and where the ethereal outline and the motes met, slime filled in the gaps.

Soon, it had grown even larger, and was now a large bulky slime creature with spiky claws of wood and patches on the surface of the slime serving as armor. The face was notably bunny like and bunny ears sprang up from the top of it.

Sandra, from her place in Spike’s straining arms, shouted, “It’s a mana merged creature! That’s amazing! I’ve never seen one before!”

"Oh, yeah, one of…" Garble never finished his statement, grabbing what he could while the monster before him was forming itself. "Tell me it doesn't like fire." He stuffed his pockets with random potions and coins in a flurry of hoarding to do any dragon proud.

"Get out of there!" hollered Smolder from above, swooping in to belch out a blast of fire across the thing on the way past. "I'll distract it!" Her plan was short-lived, its eyes glowing fiercely as it reached for her. Its hand didn't reach her, the glow becoming an actual beam that lanced out, painfully scorching a line across her that wasn't of fire but of some other exotic element she couldn't identify in that painful instant. "Agh! Shoot, that didn't work!"

Spike came down, forced to with his extra burden. He set Sandra down with a huff of relief. "I think we need to get out of here."

She peered at her hesitant summon. "We need to rally together and use some sound strategy!" Sandra clapped her free hand against the one still holding her staff. "First, let's take a peek." She swirled the end of the staff towards the strange rabbit-wood monster, the end glowing with purple light. "I thought I'd never have a chance to use this one."

"Great for you." Garble jumped to the left as a great gooey psuedopod crashed into the ground where he had been standing, sending splinters and wood flying in all direction. "Fantastic." He exhaled a great plume of fire across the thing, but it hardly seemed to register his presence, as if the charred wood had negated the slimes' weakness to the flames.

Smolder looped around and came for Spike and Sandra. "Yeah, I don't think we're, you know, ready for quite… this much, as much as I want to punch it right in its face, I saw what that does! What a rip off, we didn't get whatever you get for beating up that tree."

"Scan!" announced Sandra in a loud and clear command of the universe, strange white lines appearing all over the amalgam monster as facts about it began to pop up into clear view.

Weakness: Acid, Lightning -- Restored by: Fire
Level: 15 -- Full Party Encounter
Consideration Level: Deep Purple

"Great." Garble scrambled away, aborting his thought to even try breathing at it again. "Great! Did I mention great yet? We rip this thing apart, or we get out, one or the other."

Sandra took an uncertain step back. "D-deep purple?! Things aren't supposed to be… level 15 on the grassy fields, or full party encounters… or restored by anything…"

Spike grabbed for her, tugging at her midsection. "Time to go."

Sandra didn’t budge. “But… the loot!” She reached out for the pile of coins, currently basically underneath the monster’s “feet.” “We’ll leave empty handed!” She stepped forward, fiddling with her menu. She fiddled with her menu and produced another staff, a bit better carved instead of gnarled. She began to cast something, a purple glyph appearing on it. She squinted her eyes, and pointed it. The magical bolt soared through the air, straight and true, slamming into the monster ahead.

But it appeared to have no effect.

The monster roared, a slimy maw appearing on its face, and it raised up a pseudopod, and the wood on the pseudopod grew. He swung it in a broad arc, apparently not trying to hit, and spikes of charred wood were flung at Sandra and Spike, colliding with both of them.

Spike was pelted with sharp shard, which knocked him over and somehow pierced even dragon scale, a very large spike now partway into his gut, but not all that deep. He pulled himself up, gritting his teeth. It hurt. And then he caught a glimpse of Sandra.

She laid on the ground now, a huge shard, more like a spike, embedded in her shoulder, as blood oozed and stained her robe. She didn’t stir, or moan, but just laid there, as her lifeblood leaked out.

Garble reached Spike and Sandra and didn't debate the point. He didn't have elegant arguments to throw down. He just plucked the mage right off the ground and began running with her. "Move it or lose it, Spike."

"Don't have to tell me twice!" With Sandra spirited away, he took to the air, flapping wildly to put some distance between himself and the dread beast that had put such an abrupt halt to their grinding exploits. Without even thinking, he wrenched the spike free, though that made his flying falter in an awkward stumble as the pain proved far greater than he had been expecting, but he could flee freely without it jutting from his form.

Smolder flipped upside down to wave at the beast with both hands as if parting farewell to a dear friend instead of the thing that had so recently hurt her. "See ya later, maybe never!"

"Hey, if you have time to do that, dig around and find one of those damn red potions," grunted Garble as he jumped over what few obstacles stood in his way, weaving across the plains towards the city they had emerged from. "We have two weaklings that could use one, Miss Loudmouth first."

"Er, yeah…" Spike peered down at Sandra's limp form. She wasn't being loud. "I'll live…" But would she? He couldn't feel absolutely certain about that. Though they had just met fairly recently and in awkward circumstances, he felt sure he didn't want her to meet that end.

The guards at the gate held up a hand each, but after consulting with a glance at a device much like the brooch that Sandra wore, they were allowed in. "Didn't realize you were adventurers."

Author's Notes:

Phew, we barely got this one done in time, but did it we did. The lesson of today? Pain! But a valuable clue is given right in the end there, did you catch it?

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5 - Self-determinism

Almost immediately after entering the city, a man wearing soft white robes rapidly approached them. "The guards said--" He aborted his thought, seeing the direly wounded Sandra. "This way." He gestured back where he had come from with one hand, the other raising towards her as strange words spilled from his mouth, bidding her to glow and slowing the loss of her life. "We will help."

They were led through the city’s streets to a nearby building. It was sorta like a doctors office, except instead of normal doctor’s equipment there were wands and staves and potions. The person at the desk was wearing a coat that had many vials and flasks hooked onto it, and shot up when she noticed the injured girl brought in. She rang a bell and a third person, wearing a flowing robe, came out with a cart to put Sandra onto, and all three of the healers ushered her off into the back room, with the clerk shouting back, “Ring the bell if someone else comes in very injured.”

And then the three dragons were alone, sitting in the entryway of a small healers building.

Smolder glanced in the direction Sandra had vanished off to. "So, hey, not to be a jerk or nothing, but we're finally alone."

Garble shrugged expansively. "You wanted to, oh yeah, when are we getting home?"

"After we finish being awesome," retorted Smolder with a smirk. "Besides, we'll keep an eye out for that, but I don't plan to sit around being a sad sack until then. Tell me you didn't have fun crushing all those rabbit ooze things."

Spike gave an emphatic thumbs up. "About that. As fun as it was teaming up on the tree thing, we should get, you know, better tactics, and I have an idea!"

"Yeah?" Garble hiked a brow at Spike. "What kind of idea do you have?"

"Gar Gar, I can hear you sneering from here." She rolled her eyes mightily. "Hit us with it, Spike, but if it's awful, I ain't stopping' him from laughing, fair warning."

Spike held up his hands. "Alright, alright, hear me out. Sandra's an 'Elemancer', she said that. She said we were summons, but we're not. The guards said so, and we already knew that, let's be honest."

Garble crossed his arms. "Well, technically, she did summon us, the jerk."

Smolder threw up a hand. "But we are not summons. I'm with you so far, so what's your idea?"

Spike put his hands out. “Okay, okay, so bear with me… we need to… pick up classes like Sandra.”

Garble looked at him dumbfounded.

“Because, like, we’re not summons, so I bet we can totally learn magic, or wield cool weapons, or--”

“This isn’t some afternoon day jaunt!” Garble roared, standing up. “We aren’t just going along with someone’s plan. She is forcing us to fight for her.”

“Weren’t you enjoying it, Gar Gar?” Smolder said, raising an eyebrow.

“Sure, as a one time thing. Now we’re done, now I wanna go back home! Don’t you have like, ponies to get back to?”

“Well… yeah,” Spike said.

“And you!” He points to his sister. “You’ve got all sorts of friends back in that pony school you like to go to, right?” He didn’t wait for the answer. “What are we gonna do to get back?”

Spike and Smolder both fell silent, thinking. Smolder piped up. “Well, Sandra ‘summoned’ us,” she said, using claw quotes. “So she probably has the answer as to how to send us back.”

“She isn’t gonna send us back, Smolder,” Garble said. “She has three dragons as her servants. Why would she give that up?” He turned tail and started stomping. “No, if someone is gonna figure out how to send us back it has to be us figuring it out.” He stomped outside. “So, I dunno if you two wanna play adventurer with a girl who is busy using us like slaves, but I’m gonna figure out how not to.”

He crouched down and shot up, flapping his wings powerfully, intending to get away for awhile, figure out what to do. He flapped his wings, clearing a few stories, as the sun began to set. He surveyed the city from his twenty or so feet up. It was a good looking city, with that monstrous tower looming over the city. But, he had no idea where to go, but anything was better than here, and he set off in that direction, intending to leave.

Almost immediately, his wing seized up, and he started falling… falling… well only a little bit. He wasn’t very high, but the ground was still hard and he crashed into it.

“Gar Gar!” Smolder shouted, running toward him.

Spike rolled a hand as he approached more casually. "For better or worse, we're a team. We can't separate. I wonder if there's a way to, you know, leave a team. Bet it has something to do with that thing she wears." He pointed where the brooch usually dangled off the elemancer. "Another thing we have to figure out."

Even as Smolder helped him to his feet, Garble snorted. "Well she's not 'part of the team' right now, duh. We're already not next to her." He waved in the direction of Sandra. "See? We could just walk away, together if we have to. Bam, no more Sandra."

Smolder extended a finger. "Well, for one, it might kick back in whenever she wakes up. For two, that's kind of a jerky thing to do. I mean, she did summon us, but she really needs a little help. And three, she knows how things work around here, so I say we keep her around for our needs."

"Wait, but we're here for her," he reminded with a frown.

"Or so she thinks." Smolder waggled her brows with a smirk. "Let her think that. She needs us way more than we need her, and she can't make us do anything we don't want to do."

“So we need to win her over!” Spike said, hopping up a little. “We need to become her friend, and make her realize we’re not just summons! Then we can get all of this sorted out.”

Garble snorted. “Fine, but I don’t have to like it.”

Smolder chuckled. “You were liking fighting those slimes just fine…” She nudged his side. “So why not enjoy the fun parts while we’re at it?”

Garble chuckled. “Alright, alright, fine.”

The three of them started walking back to the clinic. “Anyway!” Spike piped up with enthusiasm. “The first step to showing her we’re not just summons is to show her we’re people!”

“Oh no don’t tell me…” Garble started.

“And that means picking classes!” Spike decisively punched his fist into his palm.

Smolder turned in place slowly before reaching out and grabbing a random human wandering by, grabbing the man by the shoulder. "Hey, dude, if you wanted to get a 'class', where would you do that?"

"Huh?" His eyes darted from one dragon to the next. "Huh… Never saw demihumans that looked so much like dragons, uh. I'd go to the guild, of course." He pointed the way to a two story building that rose above many of the others that had but one level. "They handle adventurers."

“Great!” Spike started marching ahead, with the other two dragons in tow.

“You’ve got the money for registration and the first set of gear, right?” the human shouted as they sped away.

Spike and Smolder looked over their shoulders at Garble, who frowned. “But my stuff! I’m the one that killed all those slimes, what did you do? Fail to kill a tree?”

Smolder held up a hand towards her larger brother. "If you don't want us holding you down, you cover this so we can stop sucking so hard. Everyone wins."

Spike blinked at that, surprised to hear Smolder accepting the put down. "Uh, yeah?"

Gable snorted as he stomped towards the guild. "Whatever. This is where they summoned us, isn't it?" He waved at the building that the trouble had begun in. "And now here we are, this better be worth it."

Spike practically skipped to the registrar. “Three new adventurers here to register, please!”

The clerk looked down, peering at them through his glasses. “Weren’t you three already here this morning?”

“Ah uh… well yes…”

“Yes… you were with that other human, weren’t you? Where is she?”

“Ah, uh... “ Spike smiled a big nervous smile. “W-why do you ask?”

“Because she shouldn’t be going out to adventure with nonregistered adventurers!” The clerk slammed a paper on the table. “That’s dangerous. What if you got lost? What if you were hurt? All the safeguards that the brooch could afford you were gone!”

Spike sighed in relief. Okay, so normal rule stuff, and not summon stuff. “We’re so sorry, but we were saving up the money to actually get registered, you know? And now we have it! So let’s sign up!”

The clerk adjusted his glasses. “Good, proper registration is important for both your safety and our security.” He produced three papers. “Fill these out and return them to me and we’ll send you to your rooms to pick your class and get the equipment fitted.”

Garble snatched up one of the three, flipping it around to look over with a raised brow. "Name, race, class. Race only has two options? I woulda thought it would be a blank space like the other ones."

The secretary clapped his hands. "Oh, how silly of me," he laughed as if chiding herself on expecting a child to understand something advanced. "There are only two races we track. Humans--" He gestured to himself and then a few other passing humans. "And demi-humans." He pointed to Garble, Spike, and Smolder. "You're not human, so you're a demi human. Easy as that."

Spike quickly jotted down his name and checked the demihuman box. “Done aand done.” He peered at the sheet again. “And what does… how do I know which class to pick? Can I write down anything?”

“What? No, no.” The clerk fetched a piece of solid paper, mounted on a wooden plate. “Here’s a list of the classes that you have access to as a beginner from the guild. No rank requirements or having to convince their personal guild that you’re worthy for these classes.”

Spike looked down at the list of about half a dozen names, and Garble and Smolder both edged in to get a glimpse too. But what faced them was a list of strange terms that were… hard to understand.

“What’s a…” Smolder read the strange title, “Boltslinger?”

"Ranged specialist, physical," spoke the clerk as if reciting the obvious. "They specialize in things like crossbows and quick repositioning to take down their targets." He raised a brow then. "Should I just give the rundown of the entire catalog? I feel that would be faster than going one by one waiting for questions at this point." He rested his head on his hands, watching them bemusedly. "You had a human with you, didn't you ask her?"

Spike raised a hand high, waving it a little. "I want to cast spells! Which ones do those?"

He brought her hands together, head lifting as he looked at Spike as if he were an eager little boy hoping to one day be an astronaut. "How darling. There are a great many professions that lead to spellcasting. To start, we have elemenacy and vitamancy. You can think of them as offense and defense. If you get good with them, other classes become available to blend them, or even bring martial talents to bear, but you shouldn't get ahead of yourself."

Garble shrugged. "Too many words, not enough getting to the point. I want to smash things and stop my sis from getting hurt." He hiked a thumb. "She acts tough, but--"

"I am tough," she retorted with an acidic tone, rolling her eyes.

"--she still needs me." Garble nodded at the human. "What have you got for that?"

Author's Notes:

Picking a class! With later class evolutions? Sign me up. Would you play this MMO so far?

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6 - Tutorial

“Bulwark, then. It is a defensive class that focuses on engaging monsters in ways so they have a hard time harming your other party members. If you wanna get up close to a monster three times your size, that’s the class you want.”

“And smashing things?” Garble said, fins perking up at the word smashing.

“Well, they use a weapon in one hand, and a shield in the other, typically. But they can smash.” The clerk adjusted his glasses, an expectant smile on his face. “In fact, they can learn a host of debili--”

“Done,” Garble slapped the paper, with his choice written, onto the clerk’s chest. “Where do I get the stuff?”

Spike slipped his paper next to Garble's, hovering in to get it into position. Smolder, the only remaining, was tapping a foot. "I'm not interested in standing hiding behind Suddenly Caring Brother. What have you got that lets me get in close and make them regret everything?"

The clerk considered a moment, inspecting Smolder. "Do you have any melee practice."

"Mel-what?" She turned a hand palmside up with an expansive shrug, looking baffled at the idea.

"Fighting face to face, with a blade or with your fists," explained the clerk, doing a poor job of disguising his naked amusement at how un-knowledgeable the cute but daft demi-humans were before him.

"Oh! Yeah! Exactly that." She pointed to him with a fanged smile. "Hook me up."

Spike nodded to himself. "Vita means life," he noted. "If I can do stuff based on that, I bet I could do all kinds of things."

"Where'd you learn that, your pony friends?" scoffed Garble, waving off the talk.

"Intersector," offered the clerk. "Specializing in quick deft strikes over slow ones, they can get into and out of trouble quickly while tearing their enemies apart." His voice sounded like he was quoting some already written slogan for the class. "Sound good?"

"Sounds great," agreed Smolder with a big grin. She quickly filled out her paper and set it with the others. "Alright, done! What's the next step?"

The clerk took all three papers, browsing them for but a moment. "I presume Sandra will be your sponsor?" When all three looked confused, he just smiled a little. "Demi-humans need a human sponsor, but I saw you four together before, so don't worry about it." He casually applied one of the dropped pens to each paper, adding Sandra's name to a field they hadn't even paid much mind to. "Now just the small matter of fees. Do you need to get her for that?"

"No," stated Garble in almost a bark, pulling out a handful of coins and slapping them on the counter. "That enough?"

The clerk pushed around, counting under his breath, then he scooped up the majority of it, leaving a few coins. “Allow me to fetch fresh guildchains,” he said as he headed into the back room.

Garble snatched up his coins, depositing them with a notable clink from more coins he didn’t bother presenting. “... What?” he said, noticing Smolder and Spike’s stares. “It’s mine, isn’t it?”

After a moment, the clerk came back in with three wooden cases, held closed with clasps. He distributed them to each of the three dragons, stepping back and bowing. “Welcome to the adventurers guild of Zoramiah. Go and forge your stone to diamonds.”

Spike unclasped and threw open the box. Inside there was a bland looking rock, the same he saw on Sandra’s brooch, held in place by a bit of wire that was attached to a chain. There were extra links as well, and the chain had a loop to attach it to… something.

Spike reached in and picked up the stone. Immediately it lit up, forming a little colorful menu with “Welcome, Spike” at the top. It faded into several options, and he immediately hit status. The class name was still blank. “Hey… I thought I wanted vitamancer?”

"We haven't quite finished," he assured. "But we have reached the end of what I offer. One moment, please." He turned in place, raising his own guildchain, similar and yet different than Sandra's, and waving the opposing hand over it. "We have three newbies in need of basic introductions and equipment." The gem in it shone bright a moment before going dim. "She's on the way."

Smolder rolled a hand. "Tell me it isn't Sandra. I'm not quite ready to see her just yet."

"What, I thought you loved her or something." Garble shrugged lightly, rolling his eyes. "The way you keep doing what she says and all."

Spike jingled his new chain, wrapped around his arm as it was. "It isn't like that. She knows how this world works. It makes sense to stick on her good side, at least until we've figured things out."

The clerk was paying them no mind, already returned to looking busy behind his desk as if they weren't there.

"It's Sandra's summons!" came a voice from the right. The man with the bow that had antagonized Sandra earlier was standing there, gaping openly at them. "What are you doing here, without Sandra? Did she send you?"

“Hey!” Garble stepped ahead of the rest. “Sandra doesn’t tell me what to do. We’re here with my money to get classes because we wanted to.”

The archer raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, it doesn’t work that way. You’re summons, not adventurers, and you don’t get classes, or guildchains, or anything.”

“Oh yeah!” Garble said, and yanked the chain out of his case, the stone dangling with the words “Welcome Garble” flashing on the menu . “See! Class junk.”

The other two dragons held up their chains in a show of solidarity and not-summon status, smiles on all three faces in various shades of prideful triumph. "Huh, right." The archer hiked a thumb. "Get back to me when you're not just playing dress up. Bet you won't even use your classes right."

Garble snorted smoke as the archer walked away. “Who does he think he is?”

Smolder sidled up to Spike, whispering, “I think Garble found someone that annoys him more than you do.”

Spike snickered at the very idea of it. "I can only hope. So where's--"

A new guild member approached, older with an ornate guildchain dangling around their neck. "Are you the new students? Hm, demi-humans. Do you understand what you're signing up for? This is not an easy path you have chosen."

Spike started to open his mouth, only to be interrupted by Garble. “What kinda question is that? We said we wanted to, didn’t we?”

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "We already took down this big, uh, what was it, bushant? Angry bush. Hook us up." She jiggled her chain at the man.

Her brows raised as one. "Did you now?"

"They were with Sandra," noted the clerk without looking up.

"Ah… Good to see she's getting her feet under herself." The potential teacher gestured back where she had come from. "Follow me, then.”

They were led through ornate stone halls, the clicks of their claws echoing on the ground as they walked. "As new members, the first thing you will learn is how to use the classes you have selected, and how not to hurt yourself or those around you."

Smolder leaned towards Garble. "Think Sandra missed that class," she whispered with a wicked smirk.

"As I was saying.” The woman didn’t look back. “The classes you have chosen will determine what abilities you have and learn. Many magical pieces of equipment are created by the various craftsmen of the town, or dropped by monsters, or even found in ruins, and the class you have chosen will determine what magics you learn.”

“But--” Smolder began to say, before being cut off.

“For example, the cheapest and most elementary magic staff will give an elemancer access to a basic fire spell, but for a vitamancer it will give you access to your basic healing spell, instead. A vitamancer cannot cast a fire spell, nor can an elemancer cast a healing spell, as the nature of those classes are anathema to it.”

They passed an ornate fountain, burbling softly, but the woman was walking a brisk pace.

“As you gain experience with your magics, you will eventually become accustomed to shaping your power, and you will no longer need the equipment to use those particular abilities.”

The group fell into silence as she finished her explanation. “You may ask your question now.”

“Oh!” Smolder perked up. “So, I thought I was a me… I’m gonna fight stuff with a weapon. Why are you talking about magic and spells?”

She looked over her shoulder. "You will be. Your personal ability to fight is not entirely irrelevant, but to fight things twice your size, literal godlings that could crush a normal human without a thought, some magic is involved even when you're being very physical. All classes use some amount of magic, just not always spells as you know them."

Spike raised a finger, looking smugly confident. "The magic will make us better at fighting, but we still have to fight."

"Did Sandra teach you that?" Their teacher pulled open a barred gate, leading to a wide courtyard that was open to the sky above. "Now then, you--" She turned to Garble. "You registered as a bulwark. Armor is right there." She pointed to a mannequin with a crude breastplate. "And you may select a weapon and shield." She moved her fingers to point to the racks that held many of both. "I recommend something you can easily wield in one hand, not too heavy, as your shield will be just as important, if not more so often."

Garble walked over to the armor, picking it up and starting to look it over. It looked kinda… dinky. He knocked on it, listening to the dull ring. "Was this what the runt was all excited about?" He huffed indignantly.

The teacher then pointed to another mannequin, with a leather jerkin on top of a simple shirt. “The girl registered as an interceptor, which wears light armor. Pick out a small blade as well, two if you prefer. Interceptors focus on rapid movement and attacks, so you want something you can swing quickly, not necessarily something heavy.”

Smolder raised an eyebrow. “Do you tell anycreature they want a heavy weapon?”

The teacher paused, thinking for a moment. “Yes, a rivener. They wield large two handed weapons and let the mass of the weapon add to the power of their blows.”

Spike had not waited. He was already pulling on a simple looking tunic and a pointed hat that he saw waiting to be claimed. "Aw yeah, now we're talking!" He reached for a staff, ready to assume his character's role from Ogres & Obliouettes. "Ta da! Check this out!" He brandished the staff meaningfully. "Cure, cure, restoration!" As he said the last word, the staff suddenly vibrated in his hands.

In his vision, he could see the word Restoration appear briefly and a sensation of needing a target. He yelped and swung wildly, directing the magic at Garble, washing him in a green haze that covered him in sparkling power.

"What… did you just do?" demanded Garble, peering at Spike. "And you look like a dork, just so we're clear."

The teacher wore a severe frown. "How did you do that? I hadn't given you your crystal yet."

"You mean those?" Spike pointed to a small table nearby where a collection of different shaped crystals rested. "They have labels. I took mine."

"You're not supposed to do that until I tell you to!" she barked with obvious irritation. "Still, you did manage that reasonably. Thankfully, your accidental spell was a restorative one, and not a fireball. You have to treat this with respect."

Smolder laughed and poked her head up, holding two differently sized daggers. “A fireball would probably be totally okay. We are dragons, after all. Hey hold on.” She hopped up and flapped over to Spike, not dropping the daggers. “Your thingamajig is different.”

Spike held up his guildchain, the bland stone was now set in copper colored leaves around the stone. He recalled back to Sandra’s guildchain, which he now realized was set with four little nodes on the corners with a bit of flame, electricity, a water bubble, and a swirling air node. He held it up, looking at the proof of his very first class.

"Time to see what I can do!" came Garble's sudden announcement, eyes turning just in time to see what he was doing.

Author's Notes:

These dragons are taking to their newfound powers quickly. Too quickly? Smolder sure is quick to forget how recently she was hit with a fireball.

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7 - Job Level 1

Garble swung his sword wildly at the test dummy that had been placed there, leaving deep gouges in the wood with triumphant cries with every blow, but there was no magic to be seen in it, just a powerful person being violent all over the helpless strawman.

Their teacher let out a sigh of relief. "Your basic form is acceptable, but I notice you don't keep your shield up."

Garble glanced at the shield that mostly just hung there, both of his hands on his weapon in a power stance. "Yeah? Not like this thing's gonna make me want to use it."

"Let me show you." She went to the table with the crystals, plucking one up. "This is yours, paid and true. It will guide you through your starting days and you may outgrow it in time, but for now, it is your link to the powers you reach for."

"Like Spike's thing?" He hiked a thumb at where Spike was still practicing his staff swirls.

"Exactly like that. Show me your guildchain." When he held it up, she reached out and pressed the crystal to it. It flowed into it as if the two were made of water in that moment, undulating as 'Bulwark' the name flashed on it as it metamorphosed, its angles becoming sharper and beveled as if they were shield edges on all sides. "There you are, now you have a class, and access to the powers of it, at least the simple ones."

"Yeah cool, so what powers are those?" He raised his shield up, releasing his weapon with that hand. "Let me guess, shield stuff?" He scoffed at the notion.

"It doesn't have to be defensive," explained their teacher with a wagging finger. "Though most are. Remember that your job, as a bulwark, is to remain standing and prevent the others in your party from being injured, so they can do what they do and, together, win the day."

Garble frowned. “When you put it like that, it sounds an awful lot like--”

“Friendship!” Spike said, grinning.

Garble groaned.

"Like practical teamwork," corrected the teacher with a hand at her hip. "Some of the best teams see each other as respected peers and nothing more, but they have complete faith in each other to do their part, and they win through amazing odds because of it. Friendship, if you can manage it, is a nice addition, but also a liability."

Garble smirked at Spike. “No friendship needed? Sounds great.”

Spike frowned, Smolder rolled her eyes, but Garble was already turning away. “Anyway, so what do I do with this?” He held up the shield in front of him, waggling it. “It’s something cool, right?

The teacher turned him, a hand on either of his shoulders, back towards the practice dummy, then stepped with him several long strides away. "Alright, now it's a little far to hit with your sword, right?" When he skeptically nodded, she gestured with two fingers at his shield. Hold that up towards it and think 'Shield Rush'. Go ahead and say it out loud, it can help focus. Some people shout it."

Shouting it sounded pretty lame, so Garble held up his shield and tried to think: Shield Rush.

Nothing.

Shield Rush.

Nothing.

He thought very loudly, and shouted “Shield Rush!” very much aloud. He felt a rush of power, coursing up through his legs and arms, and just a bit of tug forward on his shield. He pushed off with his legs, but hardly needed to, being carried with that momentum forward at a sudden and great speed towards the helpless strawman.

His shield slammed into it, his entire bulk crashing in a jarring impact. Their teacher nodded sagely. "It's difficult for most enemies to ignore that. You have its full attention, and you just crashed into it. Feel free to use your sword now."

Garble smirked, and raised up the sword, slashing at the dummy, cutting into it several inches. He slashed at it again, talking as he cut. “So, what powers do I get for my sword?”

“None.”

“Say what?” Garble said, stopping his slashing and looking back at the teacher. “I don’t get any cool things to do with it? Why am I even practicing then?”

“The equipment provided to you as a beginner has one ability each. Different pieces of gear have different abilities they can teach you, but you'll have to purchase or find those on your own." She turned to Smolder. "You've all been eager to rush ahead. Have you already figured it out?"

"You know me too well." She crouched a little, a dagger directed at either side. "Watch this." She took a sudden step forward. "Shadow step," she barely whispered, blinking out of sight for just a moment, appearing as she dragged one dagger across the target dummy that had been 15 feet away from here. She twirled in place as she faded away, only appearing in time to bring in the other dagger in a cruel stab. "I gotta say, I'm loving this."

The teacher clapped her hands in soft applause. "Well, you've exhausted the basic tutorial. The rest is up to you to learn. You should rejoin your party member. She should be able to guide you along further." With that said, she moved to leave as if there was nothing more to say.

Spike held up his staff. "Huh, she said I get one thing, so… I can heal people."

"Is that what you did?" He shrugged softly. "Didn't notice a thing besides green sparkles."

"Because you weren't hurt, duh." Smolder rolled her eyes. "And we're still dragons on top of that. I am entirely alright with this. Now let's go see if Sandra is busy getting over not being a dragon." She hiked a thumb back towards the hall they had come through.

The three of them headed back through the guild halls, not stopped by anyone on their way out Lamps along the side of the street were alit, as evening fell across the city, and the streets stopped being so much of a bustle.

This suited Smolder just fine as she flipped the knives around, tossing them up and slashing at the air. “I am gonna stab so many things.”

Garble laughed. “I always thought it was lame to have to wear armor, but decked out like this I feel pretty awesome.”

Smolder smirked. “You think you’re impenetrable now?” She play swiped at him, which he blocked with his shield. The two of them swiped back and forth in the street, grinning both.

Spike walked behind, fidgeting with his staff, holding it up. Just one spell, for the moment, the spell to restore life. But soon, so many more spells.

"New members?" came a sudden purr of a voice, another figure emerging from the guild with them as if it was entirely on accident. "I don't recognize you. What tribe do you hail from?"

Spike glanced at his friends and back. "Tribe?"

"Race?" ventured the figure that looked much like a human, if one ignored his large feline ears and swaying tail. "I am of the beast folk, where the humans see animals, but you are not one of those, I feel sure."

Garble shrugged at that. "We're demi-humans, or so said the jerks inside." He hiked a thumb back at where they had just emerged from. "Why?"

"Don't use that word… Not between us." He shook a hand, an annoyed growl emerging from his throat. "Humans call everything not human that. We are more than that… They call us beast folk, but before I was a beast folk I was of the Felisurra tribe. You are…?"

Garble smirked. “Dragons. That’s what we are. Not some dumb not-humans. Dragons.”

The figure raised an eyebrow. “Dragons are the things of myth and legend. Impossibly old and rare, and yet three stand before me?” The figure smirked, his sharp fangs on display. “I like that. It’s bold.”

Spike took in this figure, trying to determine what class he was. From his hip hung a weapon, some variety of curved sword. Attached to his belt was his guildchain, hanging off of it, and the setting on the guild chain was a ring with a geometrical swirling design coming off of it. He wore light armor, like Smolder did, but what exactly he was was unclear.

Smolder flipped one of her daggers in an idle toss, catching it as it twirled with a triumphant grin. "Dragons are cool, can't argue that. We have to check in on our team-mate, got herself hurt real bad. Humans, ya know?"

The figure chuckled. “Don’t let her push you around, now.” He turned around, walking with one hand resting on the hilt of his weapon, waving his hand above his head as he disappeared into the shadows.

The three dragons watched the figure disappear, and turned to keep going to the healer’s hut.

“At least some people are cool here,” Garble said.

"Sandra's alright, just… you know… kind of desperate." Spike shrugged softly as they walked along. "The way I see it, she really doesn't have much going for her. I feel bad for her."

"And that means you'll be her little servant?" demanded Garble with a raised brow. "'Cause I--"

"--No no! Nothing like that. Hay, now that we know what we're doing a little, I'm pretty sure she should be following us. She just wants to be a good adventurer, right? Cool, so she can do her stuff while we look for how this world works and figure out a way home."

Smolder fired an emphatic double thumbs-up. "Sounds like a plan to me. I don't remember voting her as the party leader, but we don't have to kick her out."

"Hello? She's the one that made us come here," argued Garble with a smokey snort.

"Bzzt." Smolder smirked at her larger brother. "She found a summon and gave it to the older guild member, remember? She basically had nothing to do with it other than being there. The other one actually called us. She hasn't done much but show us some stuff and then get hurt. Kinda pathetic if you think about it."

Spike lifted his guildchain into view. "Besides, she's still in the party." He pointed to where his name and the others all rested. "Hey, I think she's better." They each had a bar beside them. Hers was lower, but was increasing noticeably. "They must be healing her. Oh! I can do that now."

They walked past the receptionist, only for a staff to lower in their hand, blocking the way. "They are restoring her currently."

Spike raised a hand. "I can do that too now. Can I help?"

They glanced at his guildchain suspiciously, but that faded on seeing the marks of a vitamancer. "Ah, so you can. You may enter but follow the lead of the master already on sight."

Spike was allowed to proceed as the others waited impatiently. He quickly dashed through the narrow halls, coming on the room they left Sandra in. Bits of green magic flowed out from the closed door, revealing the magic at play. He glanced at his guildchain, seeing her bar still raising, maybe halfway up. He dared a soft knock. "Hello? I'm a friend of hers, and a vitamancer."

"Hm?" came a male tone from inside the room. "Come in then." The door swung inwards, revealing an older gentleman, his hands still glowing light-green pulses. "They hadn't mentioned she had any vitamancers in her party."

He plucked his staff free from his back and held it aloft with pride. "I just got it, but I'm ready to help."

"That's just as well. My most serious magics were required to draw her back from the edge of the void." He clapped his hands and they faded, the glow leaving them. "From here, you can tend her with simpler restoratives. She is stable, just injured."

"Great, thanks!" He held up a scaled hand towards him. "I'll handle that, but, really, thanks."

The elder considered a moment, hesitating, but eventually taking the hand. "Take your path seriously. The way of healing is a serious one. Even the most stalwart of warriors will suffer terrible wounds, and only you can stand between them and the end they never saw coming."

Author's Notes:

While Sandra recovers, the party dynamic is shifting considerably. As a reminder, written alongside the commissioner, RadicalDishonesty.

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8 - United in Purpose

Spike waved his staff in a slow side to side motion as energy flowed from its tip into the sleeping form of Sandra. He wasn't repeating the word, it seemed to come naturally enough to him, and so long as he continued to sway, the power came. Glances at his guildchain showed that Sandra's health was filling in nicely, his magic proving effective.

"Mmmng?" She cracked open an eye, looking up at the ceiling. "Aw damn it all… again?" She sat up, the blanket over her sliding down as she looked around, only then noticing Spike there. "What?!" She yanked the blanket up to cover herself, cheeks on fire and eyes wide. "Why are you here?!"

Spike tilted his head. “Why wouldn’t I be here? We dragged you back here from outside the city.”

"T-thank you?" She threw her legs over the side, though held her blanket close. "That's… not how that usually works." She raised a lone finger, the other arm crossed over her chest. "I was defeated, and I'm still a low enough rank, they should have yanked me back without any other adventurers around, and… What?"

"That's where you were wrong," gloated Spike with a big grin. "You had three adventurers with you that were still ready to go. Why, look here." He jangled his guildchain softly. "Master of life itself, watch out."

"Is that a guild chain?!" she shrilly yelped, shrinking back. "Did you steal that?! How did you get that? We're gonna be in so much trouble!" She threw her free hand wide. "I thought you were the nicest one of the three. Did that big bruiser talk you--"

"Woah woah woah, calm down. You're really pulling a Twilight there." He made soft placating motions in the air. "Everything's alright. I have this legally, paid for and everything."

Sandra eyed it warily. “... You shouldn’t be able to have that. Summons can’t… learn skills, or anything.”

"And yet, here it is." He gently swayed his staff at her. "And here I am, casting spells at you. So, what does that tell you?"

Sandra looked down. If they had classes now… but they were clearly summoned… three at once from a summon egg found in a low level area. Her eyes widened.

“That wasn’t a really random roll on the summon… that was not a normal summon at all!” She shifted around, her earlier freakout forgotten. “It was a special event! You’re special summons that level up!” Her eyes widened. “It’s the kind of stuff that only happens to adventurers. The kind that get books written about them and everyone remembers!”

Spike made a frustrated noise. “I mean… I guess that’s kinda right but also not right.”

“I mean, you’re summons and you got levels, right? That sounds about right.”

“No!” Spike threw his free hand up in exasperation. “The lady in the guild said summons are created right there, and we weren’t created right there. We got pulled there from where we were before that!”

She curled a finger, peering at him skeptically. "Look, for right now… let's accept what's in front of us." She nodded softly, as if dispensing sage advice. "We know, for a fact, you can use a guild chain and learn a class. That's great! We've just become so much more… everything. What classes did the other two take?"

"That much is true, but I need to get something straight." He hiked a thumb at himself. "We're not following your orders like you own us, because you don't. We're going to keep looking for a way back." He turned the thumb outwards to the world at large. "And you're totally welcome to come with us, if you want, but we're going."

"But you came--"

"--That wasn't our choice. Come on, the other two are waiting for us." He turned for the door, holding his staff in both hands.

He got up and she did not. He looked back. “You coming?”

“Y-you go on,” she said. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

He paused a moment, but pressed on with the faintest shrug, leaving her behind. He went right back down the hallway he came from, where Smolder was busy reading some kind of leaflet. "Hey, what are you reading there?"

"Spike!" She tossed it aside, bouncing to her feet with a smile. "Everything cool?"

“Yeah,” Spike said. “I tried to explain that we weren’t summons…” Spike trailed off.

Garble folded his arms. “And?”

Spike smiled sheepishly. “She… at least understands a little better?”

Garble raised his eyebrow. “Did this include her agreeing that we weren’t her slaves?”

“I…” he rubbed the back of his head. “Told her that we weren’t, at least? And then I left before she could tell me no.”

“Well--” Garble said, before the door opened again. Sandra appeared, clad in her shortrobe and pants. She surveyed the three dragon’s in her room, her eyes far more wary than before. “So… you three got classes?”

“Heck yes!” Smolder popped up instantly, tossing her daggers up. “I got intersector.” She grabbed one dagger out of the air, the other falling at her feet. “Oop.” She picked it up, posing with it. “Haa.”

“I got a…” Garble motioned to the shield currently on his back. “I forget. The shield class.”

Sandra danced a finger from Smolder to Garble and down to Spike. "That's… not a terrible array… Are you…" She paused a moment, taking a breath with her eyes closed before they opened. "Alright. You want to do this, right?"

Spike nodded, gripping his staff a bit more tightly.

Smolder waved with a twirl of her dagger. "We're here, and I don't plan to sit around. Let's beat things up and find out how to get home."

Garble threw up both hands. "Now we're cool going home? Finally. Yeah, let's do that. So which way is that?"

Sandra bit her lip. “So… there’s one thing I can do. That I think will work.”

Garble scowled and raised his voice. “You could have done something all day and--”

Smolder smacked him in his side. “Hey. Don’t yell at her when she’s about to do it. C’mon.”

Sandra pulled her guildchain off of her arm, opening up the menu. She navigated to the summon registration, which still had that “summon active” menu on it, for the three dragons occupying her three party slots. And she put it over on “dismiss summon.”

Her finger twitched over it. “This will… this will dismiss the summons, which normally releases the uh… the magic that the summons are made of. If you’re really from somewhere else. It’ll just… send you back.”

"Then you'll be home, nice and safe, and I'll be here… alone." Her finger wavered over the needed button. "Back at the bottom of the barrel… Failing, again... " She sniffed a gob of snot she hadn't even noticed until she did it. "I'll figure something out!" she suddenly defiantly claimed, standing straight. "I can do this, and this is the right thing to do."

Garble watched her struggle with a furrowed brow, clearly bored with it. Smolder and Spike watched with greater interest, both leaning forward, watching her. Spike broke the silence of the dragons, "You'll be alright."

"Huh?" She snapped out of the little mental bubble she had placed herself in. "Oh, yeah… I'll be… I'll be just fine…" Her finger descended towards it. "Not like… Gods above and below, Sandra, do something right!" She suddenly smashed the button with a firm press of her finger, looking away from them, eyes squeezed shut as tears escaped with clear expectation that her new party would vanish.

There was a shimmering around the three dragons, with motes of light lifting off them. Spike looked around him, feeling like he was floating a little, with the light growing in intensity. It grew and it grew and the softness of the light became hard, with Sandra having to cover her eyes.

And then, the light faded away, leaving three dragons standing in the healer’s hut, still in another world, still with Sandra there.

“Oh,” Spike said, looking himself over. “I guess it didn’t do anything.”

Sandra quickly checked her menu. The summons were missing, but she still had three demi-human party members, an interceptor, a vitamancer, and a bulwark.

"But…"

"Oh great!" groaned out Garble, turning away with smoke trailing from his mouth. "What's your next big idea?"

Smolder lifted her shoulders softly. "Well, I mean, thanks for trying at least. I do appreciate that."

"That was brave." Spike nodded at Sandra. "I know you didn't want to do that."

"But…" Sandra shook her head slowly. "I am so confused right now."

Spike lifted his shoulders. "Well, we aren't going to figure it out here with the hurt people. I say we go get something to eat and plan our next move."

"Huh, can't argue with Spike," admitted Garble with naked surprise, his shoulders shrugging. "Where do we get something to eat around here?"

Sandra peered at her summons. "You get hungry too? You really aren't summons." She huffed as she walked past them, shaking her head. "Alright… so, feed four people with no money. How h--"

Her talk was interrupted with a scaled fist thumping her right in the chest. Garble dropped a small bag of coins into her hand as it came up reflexively. "We didn't come out entirely empty-handed, now make with the real magic and turn that into grub, and somewhere decent to sleep."

Dazed, but not entirely displeased, she resumed her walk, counting the currency rapidly. "This is like two days of field harvesting… Nice job!"

Garble nodded as he smirked towards his dragon friends, and Spike looked over to the, quite frankly, handful of coins she had. If those were bits it wouldn’t be too much… maybe it was more money here?

"Let's get something nice," she decided, folding the bag shut and tucking it away. "Tomorrow, we do this seriously. I don't know exactly how to get you home, but we're going to do what we can, the right way. We'll be a team! I mean, if nothing else, there's always the top."

"Top?" Spike raised a brow, following along after her. "Top of what?"

"That." She hiked a thumb at the tower that loomed over the city. "They say if you get to the top of that thing, you get one wish. Getting you home sounds like a wish to me."

“How many people have been to the top?” Smolder raised an eyebrow.

Sandra shrugged. “Well, everyone’s heard of at least someone who made it to the top, but… I mean someone must have made it to the top, elsewise how would we know you get a wish?”

Spike and Smolder gave each other a dubious look but didn’t say anything.

“Okay! We’re here!” Sandra said, leading them to a cart on the side of the road, with a smiling demi human standing behind a cart with steam billowing out of it. “Delicious food! Four please.”

The demi human, a rabbit with twitching ears and a dancing nose, reached in and pulled out four sticks with some kind of meat on them, and Sandra paid the man with the majority of the coins she was handed, and she took the sticks and gave one each to the dragons, immediately starting to chow down on it.

Garble and Smolder also started in, eagerly biting off the meat on it, while Spike looked on to his meat-stick with worry. “What… exactly is this?”

Sandra swallowed roughly. “I dunno--” Without waiting she took another bite, and mid chew kept talking, “I think it’s some kind of drop from some kinda monster? It’s good, whatever it is.”

“Mm hmm!” Smolder agreed readily, swallowing herself. “If you’re not gonna have it, I’ll take it.” She reached over, greed in her eyes.

Spike pulled it away. “N-no… I’m hungry.” He took a tentative bite. It was juicy and heavily spiced, and it was pretty good.

It was the end of the day, but the start of a new party and purpose.

Author's Notes:

The party reforms, 3 summons down, 3 class-wielding dragons up?

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9 - Tested in Fire

"Shield Rush!" Garble flew across the battlefield, slamming into the warted face of a humanoid, his shield intercepting a down-swinging blade that had been well on its way to making Smolder's day less comfortable.

"Thanks, Bro." Smolder vanished without further ado, her presence only known when a taller combatant lurched forward and fall flat on its face, Smolder smirking from behind him with daggers twirling.

They were deep in the Goblin Caves, and those goblins were coming from all directions, trying to wear them down with numbers more than any individual strength. "Be washed away in cleansing fire. Field of Heat!" droned out Sandra as she threw her hands wide, flames erupting all around her and spreading rapidly, forcing the rushing goblins to dance and wail in agony.

The dragons could feel the heat, but it was not hot enough to get through their resistant scales. Spike brought down a staff on one armored goblins head, ringing it like a bell before twirling in place, a bubble of light exploding around him, knocking the goblin away. "Thought I was easy prey, did you?"

A great goblin, easily twice the height and width of the others, slammed down a club on Sandra. A shield of wind flared to life, turning the club aside, and she fell back a step, squeaking with surprised horror. The big creature clearly wasn't as paralyzed by the fire as its smaller kin.

"--Rush!" Garble slammed into the thing with his sword already out, piercing into the thing with a triumphant smirk that lasted such a brief time before he was swatted aside like a bothersome insect, sent tumbling with a quick blow of the stout club.

Spike was already waving his staff. "I got it!" But he wasn't targeting the big goblin, instead warm green energy rushing free of him, suffusing Garble and chasing away the riot of pains, his more obvious injuries abating visibly.

At least some soreness remained, and Garble pulled himself up, teeth grit. The great goblin loomed over him, his club gripped in both hands, ready swing, and Garble shouted, “Adamant armor!” Magic washed over his armor, glowing a faint cyan color, and he brought up his shield too. The club slammed into it, a metal clang ringing out, and Garble was pushed back, two furrows forming around his planted feet as he slid but remained firmly upright.

Smolder finished cutting down a couple goblins, the horde had thinned out and all that was left was the huge goblin. She grit her teeth. The big ones were always way harder than the small ones. She crouched down, and intoned ‘Vital Strike’ in her head, the two blades began to glow a dark red.

Garble grit his teeth in a half grin half grimace as he shoved the club aside, only to have to take cover behind the shield again, holding it above him as the big goblin started angrily slamming his club on the top again and again. The loud clangs rang out in Garble’s ears, and he grit his teeth. His armor was still glowing, and that was nice, but each strike still hurt and wore down his arms and legs. He braced himself, waiting for his oh-so punctual party to actually do something.

"On the big guy," shouted Spike as he wove his staff in slow figure eights, channeling power into their tank to keep him standing despite the abuse, not that it lessened the discomfort that came with being the angry target of the enormous goblinoid. "He's counting on us."

"I got this," spat Garble, his voice perhaps not as sure as his angry words, shoving his shield up against a strike and forcing the goblin to stagger back a step.

Smolder landed on his back in that moment of vulnerability. The goblin flashed the same angry red as her weapons as she smirked viciously, the sound of its agonized cry music to her ears, but it was not collapsing, instead grabbing for her in a sudden swat, sending her flying aside.

"That's my sister," roared Garble, flames washing from his outraged mouth in a cone of destruction, forcing the goblin to retreat a step, bits of smoke rising from its dirty clothing.

"And my friend!" Spike landed on it, staff first, connecting with its head with the low sound of wood striking a hollow nut. The goblin wobbled and collapsed beneath Spike, leaving him flying in the air.

Smolder rolled upright. "Hey, I totally softened that thing up for you guys, you saw that."

Sandra pointed with her staff towards the exit in the caves. "You were all great. Did you see how I was thinning the crowd?" She giddily danced in place. "Grab the loot, let's get out of here. We are real adventurers!" It seemed she couldn't decide which facet to focus on.

“Hangon hangon hangon,” Spike said, waving his hands. “Weren’t we here for a reason? We took that enterprise request, right?”

Sandra picked up a big two handed axe and placed it in a bag far too small for it to fit in, it disappearing completely anyway. “Yeah, we were supposed to get, like, some kind of crown, right? Did the big one drop it?”

Spike shook his head. “No… he just dropped--” Spike picked up a tattered looking goblin cloak, and a rickety wooden key. “... Well, definitely not a crown.”

Sandra shrugged. “I mean, we already beat a buncha goblins. We probably don’t need to get the crown, we got a cool axe! And gold!” And she opened up her menu. “And remember! Garble finished learning Shield Rush, so he can finally get a new shield!” She nodded. “It’s been a productive day.”

“Yeah, but… we also kinda beat the heck outta these guys,” Spike said. “We can probably go in a bit deeper and find that crown. I mean, it can’t be far, right?” Spike walked to the door, inserting the wooden key, opening it up.

Inside the next room was, lo and behold, the crown, sitting on a pedestal. And around that pedestal was a series of glass spheres with varying sizes of holes in them, and gears and levers.

“Awh!” Sandra said. “I knew it! It’s a dumb puzzle. Look we don’t really need to finish the enterprise. We can just let someone else do it.”

Smolder raised her eyebrow. “But it’s like… right there? It’s like a few feet away.”

Garble hiked a thumb at Spike. "Hey, pony boy, time for you to shine. Show us what that bookworm you call a nanny taught you."

Spike crossed his arms, folding his staff over his front as he glared at Garble. Despite that, he marched over to have a better look into the room. "Huh… that looks like the Triple Gambit from Wonder Mare #74. A classic!"

Smolder snickered softly. "He wasn't wrong, just saying, now…" She casually picked through the room, plucking up anything that looked remotely valuable. "One of these, one of those… Ooo…"

Sandra watched Spike intently, her eyes widened at his slow but methodical progress. "Wow, you've actually seen this puzzle before?"

"Not… exactly like it, but close enough." He ducked suddenly, an arrow flying over his head. "Oops, has to go the… other way." He stuck out his tongue mildly as he worked the glasses in strange fashions. "And the crown will be ours. Besides, we have to turn in the crown or we don't progress up the tower, remember?"

"Yeah, we have to get to the top," agreed Sandra without enthusiasm. "Get you all home…"

Garble suddenly swatted her shoulder. "Hey, don't go getting cold feet now. We're a team, right? Friendship, etc, whatever."

"Yeah, of course." She squared her shoulders and stood upright. "You're right. It's just… we're doing so well. I'm… really going to miss having you around, you know, when you go home."

Spike continued to rotate the spheres, each sphere rotating other spheres, and trying to reach his hand in, snaking it around, straining with his hand to try to go in there, focusing too much on it.

Smolder joined his brother and Sandra, one eye on Spike, but most of her attention on her loot. "Not a bad haul, if I say so myself, which I just did." She waggled a bit of metal, like a dagger, but it didn't appear sharp and had clear jewels embedded in it. "You have that magic bag, right?"

"Oh right!" Sandra quickly pulled it free of her clothing and held it open, allowing a rain of loot to rain into its darkened interior. "You sure you don't want one for yourself?"

Smolder shrugged. “I mean, it’s all kinda going to the same place in the end, right?”

Garble raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re a dragon, sis? Because I’m pretty sure I want to make my own personal horde out of all the gold we’re getting.”

Smolder smirked. “Which we can divide up when we get home.” She twirled a dagger. “And I can focus on stabbing, instead of having to scramble for gold.”

Sandra closed the bag and drew the string tight. "Doing alright in there?"

"Doing fine." Somehow, Spike had trapped himself inside one of the clear containers, still wriggling and working the others as if he had planned that. "Think it's… uh… close…"

With a loud click and a ringing bell, all the glass shattered as if they were made of sugar instead, raining tiny bits all around as Spike fell to the ground, the crown landing perfectly on his head. "Yep, got it!"

With their quest complete, they began to amble for the exit. Spike had one hand on his new crown, holding it in place. "You know, I think this crown may have something."

Sandra raised a brow. "Besides being a quest turn in?"

"Besides that," he quickly agreed, lowering it to where he could see it. "Time for some vitamancy! Reveal to me your secrets!" Green magic sprang from his hands and his eyes together, numbers and words dancing in his eyes as he identified the item he held. "Ooo, nice. This thing has a skill."

Garble was suddenly interested. "A bulwark skill? Something awesome?"

Smolder tossed a dagger in the air, clapping her hands before it came back down to be snatched. "Something for me? Don't keep us in suspense."

Sandra flinched and looked away. "And there I was ready to leave it behind."

Spike placed it on his head. "It comes with a story. You see, there once was a king--"

Garble put his hand right over Spike's face. "Gonna cut you off right there. Skip to the part that matters."

Spike huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "Alright, summary, king, also healer, country attacked, took up arms to fight them."

Smolder lifted her shoulders with a half smile. "So… sounds like a 'you' then?"

"Yep! It's a class unlock, I think? I'm not sure how to… do it though. I don't want to put the whole crown in my guildchain, then how would we turn it in?" His eyes were turned upwards at the crown on his brow as he walked along.

Sandra set a hand on his shoulder. "I almost cost you getting it, I can at least help here. Those jerks taunted me with stories of things like this. They already got some advanced classes like that. The secret is the story."

Spike clapped his hands together, staff held between them. "I had a feeling! This story felt, you know, important."

"You have to put yourself in that position, in your head." Sandra tapped her temples before adjusting her glasses, her hands already so close. "Become the healer king, fighting off the enemy, and it'll happen. You'd better do that before we turn in the crown though, since you need to have that until it's unlocked.

Garble shrugged softly. "Does this healer king or whatever use magic to fight people and hide behind tougher people like you do?"

Spike squinted at him a moment. "Hey, I've used my staff too, but no. This king was on the front line, fighting right alongside his soldiers when he wasn't throwing out a choice bit of healing magic."

Author's Notes:

Our group has come together and now fights side-by-side. It seems they want to climb this tower to get that wish. But first, shiny crown is shiny, and full of secrets!

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10 - Feelings

"Still sounds like you," noted Sandra with a raised brow. "For a vitamancer, you've been pretty bad at staying in the back. Don't get me wrong, you're not bad, but…"

"It's not the class." Smolder shrugged as she came up beside Spike. "But that's fine, we aren't actually, you know, the class. That would be weird." She bobbed her dagger in place, up and down but not leaving her hand. "I'll still be Smolder even if we swap classes."

Garble snorted softly, smoke escaping his nostrils as he walked along, heading for the exit of the caves. "Yeah, 'bout that. When do I find a class better for me?"

"Didn't you ask for this?" Spat Smolder with an upturned lip. "You want something with more drums?"

"Don't even joke about that!" He swung a fist at her, but she danced away laughing.

“Aw come on, the only dragon here is Spike. He already knows.”

“No, come on I don’t want it getting around.” Garble reached, possibly playfully for Smolder, who kept out of his range.

As Garble’s annoyed chasing gave way to less annoyed chasing, Spike lagged back with Sandra, twisting his hand on the magic staff he held. “I know I… get up close. But it’s just nice to have the option. Being a wizard is… that’s what I want to do.” He nodded.

Sandra tilted her head. "I can understand that. I'm a wizard too… But we're still new to this." She watched the two dragon siblings roughhousing, smiling a little at their antics. "Even me… We're still learning what we're good at."

Spike narrowed his eyes. “But you know you’re a spellcaster, right? Not just that, but an attack caster, right? You said that before. What made you so sure you aren’t a healer instead?”

Sandra laughed too-loudly and put her hand behind her head. “Well, you know. It’s just one of those… things you know, right? My stats are good for it.”

Spike brought up his staff. “Aha! But you can’t aim, so you're struggling with a lot of the spells you cast!”

“But… it’s different,” Sandra protested. “I just need to get my bearings and practice.”

Spike smiled smugly. “That’s right.” He stepped out ahead of Sandra. “And therefore I just need to practice too! And not that much, since I’m already doin’ so well.”

Sandra reached over and tapped Spike right on the end of his nose. "Not arguing that, but you found the crown. You could just not use it, but that seems like a waste. Secondary jobs blow the intro ones right out of the water!" She brought her hands together with a smart clap. "Besides, maybe you'll learn things you can take with you when you find an awesome casting class? Keep an open mind is all I'm saying."

Spike suddenly darted in front of her, walking backwards just as quickly as he had been moving forward. "Explain that part. I mean, I learned a bunch of skills as a vitamancer. If I swap classes, do I just… forget them? Do they stop working? This is kinda important." He rolled a hand a bit frantically in the air before his other hand joined in the motion. "Fill me in! Have you ever had another class before?"

Sandra grimaced. “I mean… yes… but I don’t use it.” She shook her head. “That doesn’t matter, different classes can learn different skills, and if a new class can learn the same skills you keep them. Like… well…” She searched for an example. “If I were to swap to vitamancer, I would keep my focus spell ability, that lets me spend longer casting for more power? A vitamancer can’t learn it, but they can use it. Even though I couldn’t cast any elemental spells anymore.” She gestured up to Garble. “I bet that armor ability he has, whatever it’s name is, can be used by any class that wears heavy armor.”

Spike nodded along. “So to be a really powerful caster, you’d have to learn abilities from all sorts of different classes. Is there a class that can cast any spell?”

"What was that about dark secrets?" Smolder had appeared at their side at some point, only making her presence known just then. "Do tell. What is this mystery past of yours?"

Sandra's cheeks darkened as she looked anywhere that didn't have a dragon in it. "I don't know. People talk about that kind of thing, but people talk about a lot of things that may or may not be a thing."

"Yeah yeah, that isn't an answer." Smolder circled Sandra, getting in front of her field of view. "Out with it. It's at least partly your fault we're here, so telling us your little secret is the least we can ask."

“I… look it’s nothing.” Sandra crossed her arms, still looking away. “It’s easy to get the opening classes. I just didn’t like the other one, that’s all.”

“So that means it’s fine to tell us which one it is.” Smolder continued to float around Sandra.

Sandra evaded Smolder’s gaze, only to unpleasantly meet Spike’s piercing gaze. Looking away again she only saw Garble’s somewhat confused gaze, although he immediately folded his arms too and tried to look tough. She squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s… it’s… interceptor.”

“Whu, really?” Smolder raised an eyebrow.

“Y-yeah.” Sandra let her arms drape down. “I-I just didn’t like it, you know? Getting up close. All that… stabbing…”

“That’s it?” Garble’s unamused expression. “That’s what you were all upset about?” He turned about, almost stomping away. “Lame.”

Spike shrugged softly. "I get that. Here I am complaining about the same thing." He rubbed behind his head softly as he walked along. "I just… I dunno… Part of me always thought 'I bet if I could do magic like Twilight, I wouldn't get tripped up on the stuff she freaks out about all the time.'"

Smolder suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh wow! I did not see that coming, but looking back, I really should have." She eyed his expression, sagging in defeat as it was. "Hey, not as an insult or anything. So you have mommy issues, no big--"

"She isn't my mom!" Spike squeaked, cheeks turning a bright red. "She's more of a big sister."

"Big sis, mom, same thing in the end." Smolder shrugged before she came down to set a hand on Spike's shoulder. "We're still cool."

Spike just rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah, cool… So, hey, what about your parents?"

"Pass," sang Smolder, dancing ahead. "Unlike the people you usually hang with, we dragons are not usually big on thinking about their folks."

Garble huffed softly. "Ain't much to say anyway. Look, we're here." He hiked a thumb at the exit, light trickling in to tease of the outdoors beyond the crevice. "One lame dungeon crushed."

The four of them entered the field proper, the green farmlands and sparkling lakes, and all started taking the relatively safe path back to the city proper in silence. As they ambled through the field they had started their first timid outing, Garble waved upwards at the huge tower that jutted up in the middle of the town. "So when do we get to start goin' up that? That's where we actually get home, right?"

"We… have to get our next promotion before we're allowed past the guards at the base." Sandra drummed her fingers as she walked. "Which, I guess, we might be doing soon. Speaking of that, Spike, you going to unlock that crown before we give it back or what?"

Spike didn't answer, looking ahead and walking, his focus somewhere in the middle distance.

Smolder hiked a brow. "Yo, Spike?" She reached over and flicked one of his head spikes.

"Wha? Oh, uh, just thinking." He frowned a little, his own hands worrying over his staff. "What do you think Twilight's doing… and everycreature else? We've been gone a long time."

“I dunno. We haven’t even been gone as long as the break last time we were gone from school, so, like--” Smolder shrugged “-- I’m sure they’re alright. Prolly wondering where we are.”

Garble glanced over at them even as he brought down his sword, squashing flat a slime rabbit that had come too close. "Yeah? Maybe they think you're dead."

Spike almost tripped over himself as Smolder shot him a nasty glare. "Hey, way over the line there, Bro. It's not like that, they'd never, you know, give up on you that fast." She softly swat Spike on the shoulder with an awkward smile. "I'm sure they're still thinking about you."

“This is the longest I’ve ever been away from Twilight,” Spike said very softly. He gripped his staff tighter. “It’s been weeks. Is she alright? Is she worried? I bet she doesn’t have anypony to take her notes, or help her with the class. I bet she’s spent days looking for the right book!” Spike’s voice started to raise. “And-and if things got hard, and she was worried, she might panic and nobody would be there for her!”

Smolder chuckled. “I don’t think you’re that necessary for Twilight to operate, dude.”

Spike’s crest fell, and he stared at his feet for a few moments. “... I miss her. I miss all of the ponies from Ponyville, but…” His eyes began to sting. “I really really miss Twilight. Just--"

Garble suddenly grabbed Spike, plucking him from the ground into the air. "You quit your baby crying, alright? You think we don't have people we miss? Those jerks are jerks but they're my jerks and they're probably getting into trouble and I'm not there to laugh at them."

Smolder rolled her eyes at what passed for an emotional display. "They don't know what to do without you, Gar Gar. Look, I say we get where we need to be, so we can get home. We all have people waiting for us, that we want to see just as much."

Spike kicked at the ground. “I guess so.”

“So!” Smolder punched Spike’s shoulder. “Let’s just do what we can to get there, and enjoy the monster slaying, right?”

Spike rubbed his shoulder. “Yeah… I guess…”

A soft sniffle came from the seemingly silent Sandra. "I… know that feeling so well. I miss them so much!" She suddenly grabbed Spike. Not to hold him by the scruff or punch him in the shoulder, instead hugging him tightly like a lost teddy bear. "I keep thinking about them, but there's nothing I can doOoo!" her voice trailing into a wretched sob as she rocked Spike back and forth with her steps.

Spike sniffed. The tears he had been holding back start falling, his stubbly arms ineffectively wrapping around. “Th-there is nothing we can do, is there?” He started crying more sincerely. “And she’s gone and I might never find her again.”

Sandra’s wail grew louder.

The two of them bawled as Sandra walked forward. Smolder met Garble's glance, the two sharing a shaking of their head as Garble stepped forward to talk with the guards at the gate, "Hey, we're back. Let us in." He held up his guildchain for inspection, but they were already moving out of the way, knowing that adventuring group it seemed.

The four of them entered the city, at which point Garble immediately took to the air, pulling up a pouch of money. “It’s meat time!” Garble said, as he flapped away.

"Tempting… You two gonna be al--" Her words trailed off, seeing Spike and Sandra still having their sniffly moment. "--right… Hey, you know what can cheer me up? Some good grub. Let's get something tasty after a hard day's work."

Sandra sniffled. “O-okay…”

"Something good, alright," agreed Spike a little listlessly, allowing himself to be carried by his human party-mate.

"That's the spirit! Garble went that way." Smolder pointed the way before striding purposefully, hoping some food would lift the mood.

"Say," whispered Spike as they started to move, still in Sandra's arms. "You don't have to carry me… but thanks…"

Author's Notes:

In this chapter no one does much fighting and instead talks about their relationships. Oh dear. Wait, no, not those kinds of relationships, perv.

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11 - Psst

Garble angled himself downward, aiming for the dense alleyways he knew were in that direction. He checked and doublechecked to see if his sister or the dweeb were watching out for him, and neither was.

Good. That mushy stuff was not what he wanted to deal with. Who cares if those jerks, who laughed at his poetry, who didn’t really treat him the same after they knew, even with Ember ordering them to, were a world away. It wasn’t just good, it was better that way, he bet. He didn’t even miss Fume’s jokes, or how Clump would be down for just about anything.

He snorted. He didn’t need 'em.

But it woulda been nice if things were like they used to be, but you can’t just do crap like leaping into a girl’s arms to cry about your missing fwiends. There’s no coming back from that. Or any other mushy stuff like showing your carefully crafted beat poetry to your friends, hoping that maybe it’ll become normal afterward.

It won’t.

He stomped through the alley, fuming. He jingled his bag of gold. Upshot of this city, he thought with a wicked smirk. All you need is some gold and someone will have already caught some meat for you. Judging by the smell, he was about to find one there.

"You're the dragon, aren't you?" asked a seedy male voice from the darkness, tucked into a niche. Clawed and furry hands came into the dim light, clasping together. "A moment of your time, perhaps?"

"Hard pass," he spat, remembering when his sister had said much the same thing. "The only thing I care about is getting something to eat, unless you're volunteering." He exposed his sharp draconic teeth, not that he had torn apart a creature capable of asking him nicely not to, but he was a dragon, dang it all.

The hands recoiled back with caution, and a mild nervous laughter could be heard. “Well, the ferocity is there, for sure. By all means, eat, and I will go without offering you a place to express that ferocity, to fight and compete free of the gaze of the humans… free of the guild...”

Garble was already looking away, but his earfin still perked at what he was hearing… and he turned around to see the outline of the figure still somewhat visible in the darkness already slinking away. “Wait. Hold on.” Garble’s stomach growled. “I’m serious, I need something to eat first.”

Shortly, Garble was munching on some kind of fluffy pocket of food with meat inside, and was following the now-obviously-cloaked figure through the streets. Whatever he was, he had full fur on his hands, and a muzzle occasionally poked out. Also, he was creepy.

He led Garble through the city, the winding streets, until Garble lost his way. “Hey! Just where do you think you’re taking me?”

The figure turned around and pointed nearby. “Right underneath the red roof tiling. Do you see it?”

Garble didn’t even need to search to notice it. “Yeah, I see it.”

There was a hint of a smile on the figure’s muzzle. “Only one like it in the city. Underneath is where we are going. Come, come.” He continued through the streets, and shortly they were there.

Right next to the structure, there was a path leading down into the city. A dull light emanated from deep within the passage. Garble hesitated. Sure, he was told how to get there, but for all he knew it was still just someone who was gonna attack him.

“Come, come.” The figure beckoned him with a hand. “We are so close, now. Set aside your fears.”

“What fears?” Garble shouted, pushing aside exactly those fears and stomping down the stairs.

The figure laughed a wheezy laugh. “Of course, of course. Come come.”

Garble followed down into the dimly lit passageway. There was a switchback ahead, and a great roar emanated from it, causing Garble to immediately go for his sword and shield.

The sound was immediately followed by a metallic ringing and a loud clearly-voiced cry out. The figure stopped, his head tilting. He laughed again. “Is this just a coincidence? He always had a flair for the dramatic. Hurry, we don’t want to miss this.” The figure increased his pace.

As hurried through the passages, a din could be heard, as well as more snarling and what was now more clearly sounds of a battle. Finally turning a corner that could see, Garble found he was in a surprisingly large arena, with an arena and stands, which weren’t full but had people crowded up in the enter.

And in the center, a large four legged monster, a great canine creature, was circling a bipedal figure, and as Garble approached, he realized the figure was the Felisurra man he had met before, who was holding his curved sword with two hands, calm as the monster circled him.

When the monster was near his back, it pounced, but the man simply pivoted, lowered his sword and cut upward, the monster getting a fine slice across its side for its effort. The crowd erupted in cheers. The man pursued his attack, striking across the monster several times, until the monster was panting and struggling to keep up. It was on its last legs.

The man resheathed his blade, his hand still on his hilt, and the crowd went silent. The beast reared back, unable to do anything but pounce once more, and the man began to speak:

"The sun rises high."
"Monsterous roar calls for blood."

The beast pounced and the man drew and struck with his sword all at once, with energy exploding out of the sheath and slashing across the foe, cleaving it in two as it dissipated into the aether.

"The twilight fades fast."

The crowd erupted into cheers at the dramatic finish. But Garble, instead, just stood there stunned. The Felisurra man was walking back, a picture of calm success, after delivering a poem mid fight, and everyone was cheering.

It was the most awesome thing Garble had ever seen.

"Hey!" he called in an urge of eloquence. Even as his new friend reached for him, Garble advanced without a thought, his wings carrying him over the barrier that normally kept the audience from the arena.

The warrior scowled at the approaching dragon. "What is this, another challenger? Await your turn to feel my steel."

Garble lowered his sword with a deft smoothness he was only just starting to realize was possible, too smooth. The sword clattered to the ground, slipping from his grip. "Uh, hey. I just want to talk to someone who's not stupid for a change. Got a minute?"

Sandra set Spike down carefully. "Here's his usual meat stand, but I don't see any angry dragons anywhere around here."

Spike shrugged softly. "Well, that means we could get something new for a change."

Smolder peered at the two of them. "Hey, Gar Gar could be in trouble."

"I doubt it." Sandra shrugged as she turned in place. "He's pretty tough, and he's even specialized in taking a hit. I doubt anything will get the drop on him in town. For now, dinner. Do you want something different?"

"Well…" She examined the kebabs and the rabbit tender. "We have had those most of the days here. Let's do something new. Hey! Any tips?"

The bunny's ears lifted and his bucked teeth were displayed in a smile. "How cruel, to ask me where to go to spend money away from me. Truly you are a vicious customer." He laughed despite his words, raising a finger to point the way. "Have you tried the pasta just on the corner? They are a delight for the tongue. Not as good as mine, but worth it for a change of pace. You will come back tomorrow, yes?"

Sandra was already walking off as if the conversation was over, but Spike waved eagerly. "Yeah sure, you got it. Pasta sounds good to me."

Smolder fired an energetic thumbs up. "Keep it cool, rabbit dude. Hope you sell out." She went with Spike, trailing after Sandra to get some food.

The pasta shop was an actual dine-in eatery, unlike the cart that the demi-human offered, and the woman who stood in front smiled as Sandra approached, only for the expression to sour on seeing her two draconic friends. "Demi-humans sit in the back." She hiked a thumb. "If you're with them, that goes for you too."

Sandra returned the frown, but the others were already walking past her and she moved to join them quickly. "How about that one?" They went to the table she pointed to. The back only had one other demi-human, an otter that fastidously nibbled at her food with two clutching hands, despite how messy that was with saucy pasta.

Spike hopped up onto a chair, Smolder across from him, and Sandra taking a spot next to him. "I haven't had spaghetti in ages, think they have any gem-based condiments?"

"Yeah, right," bitterly laughed Smolder with a great smirk. "But hey, we can ask." She waved at a waitress wandering past, to no response.

Sandra barely got her hand up before the same waitress somehow saw behind her and turned around. "How can I help you?"

"Oh, hello." Sandra smiled awkwardly. "My friends were wondering if you had any… gem flakes or stuff you can put on food?"

The waitress' eyes grew. "Are you joking? Is this another little demi-human trick?"

Spike shook his head quickly. "Nope. If you got 'em, we want 'em."

"Well… yes. We have the 'Tower Survivor Special'" She pulled out a menu and flipped it open, revealing a drawing of a towering mess of pasta, rigatoni glittering with something. "Made for party celebrations. It feeds four, and is dusted with real gemstones. Can you afford it?" She had not mentioned a price.

Smolder licked her lips appreciatively. "I am suddenly entirely interested in this place. How much?"

Sandra drew out her money pouch and some of the hesitation seemed to fade from the waitress. She quoted an amount and all three winced. It was not beyond their reach entirely, but it was dangerously close, and quite a bit for a simple dinner.

Spike lifted his shoulders. "I really do want that, but let's wait until we actually get into the tower, then we're coming back and getting that."

"You're on." Smolder thrust a hand forward, the two meeting in a fistbump of solidarity. "For today, let's just go simple. Spaghetti and meatballs, pile on the meat."

"Sounds good," quickly agreed Spike.

"Do you have a party of that? Just bring us a big serving plate for us all," suggested Sandra as she waved a hand over the table. "Probably easier."

"As you wish, ma'am. Anything to drink?" She gathered their ordered and hurried off, leaving them alone.

Spike reached up for the crown still on his head, fiddling it left and right. "So… how to turn this on…"

Smolder leaned in over the table. "Have you tried thinking like a king? I mean, your friends with a princess, it's like that, but more like a guy. Shoot, she's a magic princess, even better. Just guy that up and you're practically there! Oh oh--"

"--I have no idea who you're talking about." Sandra drummed a few fingers on the table. "It's hard to believe sometimes, but you really have a past… I'm sorry it took me so long to really see that."

Spike waved Sandra's apology away. "Water under the bridge. So, just to be sure, if I unlock this thing, I don't have to use it, right? It's just another thing I could use, right?"

Sandra quickly nodded, reaching for the crown, though Spike shied away. "That's why I'm saying you should go ahead. If you don't like it, no harm done. Just another option."

"Another option…" He looked up at his crown as best he could with it on his head. "I mean, I guess trying wouldn't kill me… It's still a healing class, so I still get to use the magic I learned, right?"

"She said that." Smolder's eyes wandered towards the waitress returning, grabbing her drink when it was in range to take a big gulp. "Mmm. She said that. If not, well, switch back. What did you lose?"

"Nothing, I guess. Alright, Twilight. Twilight with a stick to beat people with who she doesn't like." Visions of Twilight with a stick floating beside her, bashing the various villains they had faced. Tirek, bonk. Chrysalis, bonk. Sombra, two bonks. Every bad guy got a bonk as she hovered and glowed with magic power.

He couldn't help a soft chuckle as the silly mental image. "That would be kinda funny… Hey!" He reached up suddenly for his itchy crown. "What… Woah?"

His crown was glowing dimly on his head. "Did I do it?"

Sandra shook her head. "Don't think so, your guildchain didn't change."

Author's Notes:

Let's have a clap for Radical, who did much of the Garble scene. Meanwhile, Spike arrives at the first step towards getting that snifty new class.

While we're here, let me ask, what do you want? Do you want more 'slice of life' dungeon romping? Should we be focusing on the big goal(get home), or the sub-big goal (ascend that tower!).

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12 - Quest Turnin

They stood assembled in the guild. The representative, the same elderly female that had summoned the dragons to start, was holding the crown appraisingly. "It seems… unharmed, but something is off."

Garble glared sidelong at Spike. "Did you do something stupid with it? Anyway, here it is. Now you can send us back, right? You're the one that dragged us here."

She shook her head. "Ah, here's the problem!" She touched her guildchain to the crown and squinted at what appeared. "It seems someone began a class test, but didn't register it."

"Wait, that's a thing?" Spike rubbed behind his head softly. "I mean, I think I did that?"

"Did you?" She reached out and casually touched the crown to his chain.

CLASSES

VITAMANCER
????????

"There we are. Now I can take this off your hands." She turned to set it on a small platform that withdrew into the wall without prompting, clicking with finality as some lock deployed without prompting. "Good job. You've made exceptional progress. Sandra, you must be beside yourself with joy."

Smolder rolled a hand even as her eyes followed the motion. "Are you just going to pretend you didn't hear my brother?"

"I see you…" Her voice trailed off as it seemed to dawn on her that she was just dealing with a guildchain. "You are not a summon at all. This is the first time I've ever seen a demi-human answer the call."

Garble slapped a hand against his face. "Look, I have important things to do. Either send us home or buzz off."

Sandra laughed with obvious anxiety. "They've been great adventuring partners. They want to get to the top of the tower, you see, to use the wish and--"

"Oh, well, you've just taken half a step forward towards that." She gestured at Spike's guildchain. "Only a party that has unlocked at least one advanced class per member is allowed to attempt climbing the tower. We don't want to needlessly risk your lives before you're ready." In a lower voice, she whispered to herself, "Summoning sapients? This is most unorthodox…"

Garble grunted, smoke trailing from his nostrils. "I figured you weren't sending us back. Whatever. We get paid for that crown, right?"

“Yes, of course.” The woman gestured back through the door they had come through, her distraction fading away. "The secretary at the front will see to that. You are all quite talented, for demi-humans. Perhaps you'll beat the record."

Smolder leaned in a bit, her brows going up together and her hands clasping in front of her. "What's the highest anyone's gotten?"

"Well, a human team made it almost to the top before they were forced to turn back down. No other group has apparently made it to the top, as any other group who could feasibly reach said top did not return." A sad expression shaded her face as she reminisced on it. "A battle for the ages, but they just weren't prepared, and couldn't get away… Now, as for demi-humans." She lifted her shoulders, her mood seeming to rise with them. "About halfway at best."

Sandra hiked a thumb at herself. "First of all, they have me. Second, they're amazing! Stop talking about them like they aren't good, because they are… Way better than I was when I had that much experience." She shuffled awkwardly in place. "Say you're sorry."

"I am only stating the facts.” She looked over the dragons quietly. “If it makes you feel better, far fewer demi-humans seriously challenge the tower, so naturally the best would not be of the same quality. Did you have any other questions or are we done for today?"

Spike looked over where the crown had vanished into the wall. “What do you use it for, anyway? Did someone ask to get the class I’m trying to get?”

The woman shook her head. “It might have the magic left in it to give the class to another, but we cannot guarantee that, and your party has first rights to the class. No, naturally formed class attuners are very valuable for crafters. They are often used to make powerful weapons or armor, or other attuners themselves. The cavern you were asked to go to was a known source.”

Garble huffed, smoke escaping as he turned to face the others. "Whatever. I got my own plan, and I'm already doing it." His tone was haughty, as if rubbing it in how well he was doing. "We're getting to the top of that thing and going home. Got it?"

Smolder rammed an elbow into his midsection and grabbed his shoulders when he doubled over. "Hey, glad to see you're perking up, now spill the beans. What are you up to?"

"None of your business," he roared, swatting one of her hands away as he stood up. "I'm taking care of it. You just worry about yourself. The crazy one said we all need one, and right now, you and Sandra are tied for last." A wicked smirk spread across his face. "Or are you alright with that?"

"That seems like a fine invitation for me to go." Without further word, the guild elder quietly walked from the room, leaving the party to discuss without her.

Smolder smirked back. “Oh, so you think just because you and Spike got some hot stuff going on I can’t? Oh I’m gonna find an awesome class, and it won’t matter that I got the thing later, I’ll unlock it first.” She flapped up and stared defiantly at Garble. “How’s that?”

“We’ll see,” Garble said. “The class I’m looking at is so awesome it won’t matter when I get it.”

“What’s this?” A female voice came from the guild hall. “Sandra is playing at moving her little party of forced friends forward?”

"I'll be back," practically hissed Smolder, taking flight with a wicked scowl.

Sandra cringed, but Smolder was already flying away and would be of no help. "Let's not start anything."

Garble shoved past her. "Sounds like someone else is already starting somethin'! I recognize that voice."

Spike hurried past, only to be grabbed just as he was about to clear Garble. "Hey!"

"Come here, you." Garble carried him under one arm as he stomped into the hallway. "You!"

"I have a name," she snorted, scowling at Garble, her armor shining in the light, shield on her back. It was the warrior lady they had seen before with the other party of adventurers. "And I will be addressed properly. I am Tabitha, summon, remember that."

Spike wriggled in his grasp, but the grip was true. "Uh, hi, Tabitha. I'm Spike. This is Garble." He gestured towards the large form that was holding him. "How's it goin'?"

"And this little punk--" He suddenly set down Spike ahead of himself. "Is already getting his next class with just one week of work. How long did it take you?"

Tabithia made a little hmph sound. “It’s already unmasked?”

“I… whuh?” Spike was taken by surprise.

Tabitha rolled her eyes. “Can you switch to it yet?”

“Oh, uh… no.”

“Then you haven’t unmasked it yet.” Tabitha folded her arms. “You have to prove yourself worthy to wield a class like that--” she looked directly at Sandra. “--And some people just aren’t up to the task.”

Sandra shrank away.

“In fact--” Tabitha sneered. “--with the loadstone here--” She pointed at Sandra. “--it won’t matter if you get your class in two days. She isn’t good at the class she wants to do, she won’t change for anything. Heck! She isn’t even good at adventuring. You have to lead her by the nose! She always wants to leave!”

She had raised her voice by the end of that, and people were looking at her, and she coughed, composing herself. She looked back at Sandra’s party. “She doesn’t have the talent of an adventurer, she doesn’t have the attitude of an adventurer. There’s no reason why she should have some dumb lucky mega summon party.”

Garble's chest heaved, glaring daggers at Tabitha, his hands flexing dangerously. Sandra didn't say anything, looking anywhere but at Tabitha. "You take that back!" barked Spike, breaking the brief silence. "She's already shown she's not like that at all. Even on the first day we were fighting something way overclassed and she--"

"--Failed?" cut in Tabitha acidicly. "You didn't die though, good job."

Garble suddenly grabbed at Tabitha, but she danced back, only for his other hand to swipe in, catching her armor at the collar. "You listen here, you stuck up son of a--"

Electricity coursed through him and he fell back, jerking and twitching. A guild guard stood there with a two-handed prod at the ready. "Attacking fellow members is strictly forbidden. Cease immediately. If you cannot control your base instincts, you are not welcome here."

Tabitha dusted herself off as if nothing of note had happened. "Whatever. Enjoy your moment, Sandra. I expect to read about how it all goes downhill from here."

Spike thrust a finger at Tabitha. "She started it!"

"I'm ending it." The guard twitched the pole held in both hands closer. "Is this over?"

"Don't hurt him!" Sandra suddenly came to life, yanking Spike back behind herself. "He's innocent."

Spike clenched his teeth. Sandra was weaker than him by most measures. Even as 'the healer' he should be in front right then. "I've taken bigger hits than that," he reasoned to himself in a conspiratorial whisper.

Despite his jarring injury, Garble managed a soft pained chuckle at the babying treatment Spike was getting. "Whatever. Go on and cry somewhere else if you won't face me."

Tabitha scowled at Garble, but it faded quickly as she turned. "I will not demean myself with this a moment longer." She strode away with firm steps, her suit clanking faintly as she proceeded through the guild. "The nerve of some creatures," drifting back from her.

The guard nodded at Garble. "I trust we'll have no more problems then?" The upper part of the stick slapped against a hand, the tip crackling just faintly.

"Yeah, we're cool. But if you touch me with that thing one more time."

"You'll what?" asked the guard cooly, stun stick at the ready. "I am authorized to subdue any lawbreaker in this guild, and you were one. You're fortunate she doesn't seem interested in seeing judgment cast and that you didn't get a chance to hurt her."

Spike peeked out from around Sandra, only to swap places with her, slipping around her to be in the front. "She was shouting and yelling at us. Is that alright? I don't see anycreature else here doing that." He had no weapon in hand, but his fingers flexed, taking up a defensive position in front of Sandra despite being outmatched by the guard.

"Speaking in elevated tones is only restricted in sensitive areas, such as the library." The guard lowered the stun baton, held easily at his side. "She broke no rules having a conversation with you, even if you didn't agree with her. Keep your snouts clean, demi-humans."

Garble ground his teeth the entire way out of the guild. “Can you believe this?!"

Spike heaved a little sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. Alright, look, let's focus on what we need to get done."

"Pound that Tabitha 'I'm so perfect' jerk in the face? Preferably out of sight where the guards won't try to get in the way?" Garble punched one fist into the other, giving Spike a meaningful glare.

Author's Notes:

The adventure, it continues, with social conflict of the spicy sorts. Just what is Tabitha's problem with Sandra? Garble is not accepting this new world order!

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13 - Cooking Up Trouble

Smolder flew with determination, her thoughts far from what her friends were discussing, but on what had already been said. "Think I can't get a stupid class, whatever." She landed lightly in front of a familiar eatery where they had enjoyed pasta just a short time ago. "I bet these guys will know where to look."

She strode in, just to be intercepted by the doorstaff, who was looking at her with even less warmth than the first time. "Your human friend isn't here," they noted as if that could be the only reason Smolder had come in.

"You noticed that, huh? Look, not here to sully your place with my cooties or whatever." She made a dismissive wave away. "You get powerful adventurers in here, or you wouldn't be serving something that costs more than some people would ever see in their life."

"This is true," allowed the door attendant, a forced smile on her face. "You aren't one of those just yet. Good luck." Her well-wishes rang hollow in the air. "Is that all you needed to know?"

"Not quite. They all had advanced classes. Do you know where I could get one? Surely such a prestigious--" She emphasized with a sudden spreading of her hands. "--place would know where to find one or three. Hook me up so I can afford to spend more here."

"The only class we could offer is only taught to human clients," she noted in icy tones. "I mean, really, a demi-human Wonder Waiter? How absurd would that be? No no, off with you." She made a gentle shooing motion towards the door. "Unless you want something to eat, in which case, Demi-humans in the back, you know the rules."

"I'll pass." She turned with a wave. "Not feeling hungry right now." She stormed off with an angry grumbling. "Stupid jerks. They're just jealous of a proper tail. How do they even balance?"

"Poorly."

Smolder looked up towards the familiar voice, seeing the rabbit vendor they had visited many times before. "Oh, hey. How are things?"

"I cook and I sell." She plucked up a meat kebab in deft furry fingers and offered it towards Smolder. "You look like you could use one."

Smolder licked her lips with thought. "I shouldn't… I didn't bring the cash."

"For a friend." She held the kebab out further. "For a fellow demi. I heard them."

Smolder suddenly looked towards the pasta shop, half a block away. "Your hearing is that good?!"

"They aren't just decorational." She reached up her free hand to work along a long ear. "But, really, please, take it."

Smolder accepted the kebab in one hand, just to add the other a moment later, snarfing up a combination of meat and veggies, savoring the smoky flavor. "Ahh, you make them so well. Say, do you know where a dragon can pick up an advanced class around here?"

She glanced left and right before leaning forward towards Smolder. "First, introductions. We are both of the same caste. Let us speak as familiars. I am a laggie, not a demi-human. You are a dragon, yes? I feel I've heard you mention it before."

"100% dragon." She thrust a thumb at herself before snapping up another meaty morsel. "Mmm, name's Smolder. You?"

"'Hey, you', to most passing by." She crossed her arms under her chest. "But to those that matter, I'm Pella. Nice to properly meet you, Smolder." She extended one arm, fingers wide.

Smolder met it, their hands clapping together and fingers tensing, each giving a firm show. "Ha, you know how to shake properly, that's cool. You have no idea how much you miss that when you attend a school full of things with no hands."

Pella rolled one ear to the side. "What manner of school would have students like that? Is this the place you hail from, curious dragon? Nevermind me." She held up both hands. "You asked a question first. You seek an advanced class?"

Smolder nodded. “Ahuh. We gotta get to the top of the tower to get back home, and we gotta get advanced classes to be allowed in the tower.” She puffed out a puff of smoke. “It’s a lotta trouble.”

Pella raised an eyebrow. “What about going up the tower?”

Smolder waved it off. “Oh, we’ll get to that when the time comes. All three of us are tough as nails--” she began showing off herself as she described herself. “Tough scales, sharp claws, strong wings, and, the best part of all--” she puffed a tuft of flame “--fire breath.” She shrugged. “Not to mention these sweet interceptor skills I’m getting. I can’t imagine much of anything standing up to me once I get even sweeter stuff from an advanced class.

Pella laughed. “It seems you have all the skills for death dealing ready.” She raised one finger. “But! Do you have the skills for life.”

Smolder blinked before realizing what must be meant. “Oh, sure! Spike has a healing class.”

“That’s all well and good,” Pella responded, staring to pull out bits of food to prepare. “But I don’t mean that. The tower is very tall. Taller than you can climb in just one day. Taller than you can climb in several days, sometimes." She pointed at the kebab still in Smolder's hands, half of its contents gone. "Could you survive on that all the way to the top?"

Smolder peered at her kebab, tilting it left and right before she leaned in and casually slurped up the rest, chomping on the mix with great gnashes of her teeth. "Doubt it." She lifted her shoulders as she tossed the skewer into the little bin attached to Pella's cart. "So we have to bring a lot of food?"

"You could do that." She rolled a hand slowly. "But now you're moving around with great loads of supplies, slowing you down. That doesn't sound good for your survival. You could lose it, or it could be destroyed, or simply spoil. Then what?"

Smolder huffed, smoke escaping her lips. "Alright, you're going somewhere with this, so out with it. What have you got?" She reached out to poke at the next kebab. "You have a magic bag that's always full of snacks you want to sell me? Because you have my attention…"

"Better than that," half-sang Pella, rocking left and right on her feet. "It involves what you asked me for. I'm not so shady I would turn my friend's request into a sales pitch. I have a class, you see."

"You?" Smolder looked Pella up and down swiftly. The woman with rabbit ears and fine whiskers did not appear to be a toughened warrior, or a sagacious spellcaster of some kind. "Not seeing it, no offense or anything."

"I wanted to be." Her gaze slipped into the distance a moment. "But the others suffered for my weakness, and I turned to this instead." She gently ran a finger along the edge of her cart, eyes on Smolder. "You have very good friends, strong friends, and you… I feel you are capable yourself. You could restart where I left off, maybe make it all the way?"

"You… wanna talk about it?" Smolder lifted her shoulders softly, looking as eager to help as she was to avoid the topic. "If you want to?"

"You appear as awkward as I, let us speak of more immediate things. The class." She reached below her cart and came up with a knife. "Would you believe I know how to use this?"

"You better, or cooking's gonna be hard." Smolder smirked at the taller rabbit lady. "Let me guess, you were an interceptor?"

"Once." She twirled the blade in her hand. Though balanced for cooking, the laggie turned it around forward and back, gripping it with the certainty of being ready to cut a person. "But for every basic class, there are dozens of paths one may follow. I used to envision myself as the mother of our party."

"Mother?" Smolder asked with clear distaste on her snout. "That doesn't sound very cool."

Pella stabbed forward, the knife soaring with not even an inch between it and the side of Smolder's head. "Mothers are fierce when their charges are threatened. Mothers will die for their sake, and mothers will keep them fed. I was their mother, and I will not hear you slander it, friend or no."

Smolder bat the blade away with one of her own, one in either her hands. "Hey, now I see some fighter in there. So what's the advanced class you got?"

"Is it not obvious?" She turned the blade back and set it on the cart itself. "I was a Combat Culinarian. My tools to give life are also my weapons to take it. Every enemy is a potential source of power and nourishment for me and my charges. The battlefield is my kitchen, and the losers are lunch."

“So… it’s kinda like a hunter class?” Smolder said, her frills angling up.

Pella laughed, a hearty and happy laugh. “If it makes you feel better, yes. But the support value of the food produced by the class is just as strong, or even stronger than the death-dealing abilities. I mean, if you die of starvation you sure can’t win a fight.”

“Sure, but you can’t keep fighting if you can’t beat anything,” Smolder countered.

“Well--” Pella smiled a sweet smile that had a cunning edge to it. “That’s where the extra combat capability that comes from feeding. Besides, it is… you could say it builds on interceptor? Many skills from other classes complement it, but interceptor is a snug fit. You will be able to use basically any knife skills you have or find." She ran a finger along the flat of her knife. “And as you know, interceptors sort of specialize in that.”

"Alright, that actually answers a question I had." She wasn't holding her weapons anymore, her daggers put away as if they had never been drawn. "So this CC class still fights, right?"

"There is a reason I was able to put my blade within an inch of your face," Pella casually reminded, clucking her tongue against her teeth. "You will hurt them, kill them, tear them apart, and present the remains worked to perfection to your friends. It will feed them and bolster them. When… we were still together, we would sometimes just not bother returning to town. Why should we? I would keep up their energy and we felt invincible…"

"But you weren't that." Smolder held up a lone finger before it drooped a bit. "Sorry… That wasn't nice. Right, so don't get full of yourself, got it. Seriously though, I'm going to stab some random monster and start a firepit in the middle of a fight?"

“Well, not exactly. That comes after the fighting.” Pella put a finger to her chin. “Usually. But I digress. It is time to make your choice, Smolder.” She gestured to the food in front of her. “Do you want in or not?”

Smolder bit her lip and looked at the food, and the knives and other utensils. “Alright, fine, I’ll do it.”

Pella clasped her hands together. “Wonderful! I expect you here at 8 in the morning tomorrow, and we can begin training you to cook. Come dressed in breezy clothes, you’ll be helping me out all day.”

Smolder nodded, “Alright, I’m on it, I’ll see ya tomorrow.” And she began flying away. Not a minute passed before she stopped. “Wait, did I just get a job?”

14 - Luggage

Sandra worried her fingers as she wandered down the road. The rest of her party… "Off training…" Spike seemed certain. Garble hurried off to whatever he was doing without a word, and Smolder had reported she would be busy too. Everyone was advancing.

"Except me…" She had started the group at the top, knowing the most of the world and of the highest skill level, but that had so quickly reversed itself. She was the one human in the party, and was doing the worst of them all. It was laughable. She felt certain the others were already mocking her right that moment, how a party of demi-humans were dragging her along helplessly.

"That's not right…" She punched one fist into the other. "They're not just… that." Was it that demi-humans were better than she had thought, or that they were more than demi-humans? She wasn't sure, and thinking about it was making her head hurt more. She knew they could do almost anything. Nothing seemed to stand in their way for long. "I don't want to be the weight holding them back…"

She grabbed the handle of a door and threw it open with frightful strength, her eyes flaring with strange hues in that instant before it banged loudly against the wall. "Sorry," she squeaked, quietly berating herself for her lack of control. "Just like then…"

"Like when, exactly?" asked a new male voice within the guild, seated at a table with a cup of tea. It was the reedy-voiced fencer of the group that had mocked her.

Sandra scowled at him. "Come to make fun of me, Tomás? Well it won't work!"

"Nah." He gestured at the opposing chair at the small table he was at. "You look like you have enough on your head. Share?"

She peered at him with growing confusion. "You… just want to talk?"

"That's what adventurers do sometimes." Tomás shrugged softly. "We're both those, right?"

"Well… sure…" She sank onto the offered chair. "But you're usually making fun of me."

"I was just ribbing you, hoping you'd rise to the bait and stop waffling around." He lifted his shoulders before sipping his tea. "I hear your new party's really shaping up in a hurry.” He looked at her over his tea. “But you don’t look like you’re riding high on having a successful new party.”

Sandra sank further into the chair, as if her displeasure was more failure on her part. “Not really,” she mumbled quietly.

He set down his glass. “Right, obviously, so why is that?”

Sandra squirmed. “It’s not important…”

“Sure it is.” Tomás folded his fingers and rested his head on them, smiling. “How could I ignore someone in distress?”

Sandra bit her lips. “I just… don’t feel like I’m doing well, compared to the others.”

Tomás rolled his fingers, as if to say go on.

“Well… all of them have their own plans for their secondary classes, and all of them are working toward it or figuring them out. But--” she looked down, avoiding Tomas’s gaze, brushing her hair. “-- I don’t have one in the works. I don’t have any idea what to do.” She sighed, returning her gaze to his. “It’s just like with Tabitha, you know?”

He shook his head. “I don’t.”

Sandra blinked. “You… don’t? But you--”

“She always kept it close to her.” He shrugged, looking up. “I think she told Marina, I only know the basics. What happened?”

Sandra frowned. “What’s there to tell she hasn’t? I’m not suited for adventuring.” She scowled. “I have good magic power but can’t aim. I’m not suited to figuring out puzzles. I don’t want to keep going late nights or work harder, I just wanna give up.” She sighed. “I’m not gonna change my class, but maybe Tabitha’s right and I should.”

"Well, yes you are." He lifted his shoulders. "Eventually you'll get a secondary class, a better one, and you'll want to switch to that. Tell me if I'm swinging in the wrong direction here."

"No," she sighed out in a gust. "No… It's just…" She worried her fingers together, glancing around. "Seriously, why are we having this talk?"

"You want to wait for your buds? They're busy moving forward. That has to sting a little, summoning adventurers that are racing ahead of you like that." He leaned forward, chin coming down on his clasped hands. "I would be annoyed.”

“Well, I mean, I’m not,” Sandra snapped, slamming a hand on the table. “But that doesn’t mean I’m happy, alright?”

“It sounds like it’s you’re just losing the plot, you know?” He shrugged, apparently not noticing Sandra’s outburst. “It sounds like me you just gotta muster some willpower, ya know?”

Sandra’s heart skipped at the word ‘willpower.’

Tomás continued unabated. “You know, just nose to the grindstone.”

“Well, I can’t!” Sandra shouted, standing up. Now people were staring. “If I could, I would have with Tabitha, and she wouldn’t have left. I’ve been at this as long as she has, did she tell you that?”

“Uh…” Tomás was taken aback. “Yes, she’s said tha--”

“So even with this party of summoned people, I’m still behind! And I’m still the worst in my party. I’m not gonna summon my will anytime soon. If I could, I wouldn’t be behind. And if I could maybe then--” Her voice hitched suddenly.

“Maybe… then what?” Tomás got up slowly. “Tabitha said you have like a hangup on advanced classes and it’s what’s making you stubborn, but that she didn’t know--”

“I thought she didn’t say much to you.” Sandra’s voice was icy.

Tomás chuckled, backing up a little. “I mean, obviously she said something. I wouldn’t just join in on umm… picking at you without knowing anything, right?”

“Why are you here?!” Sandra shouted.

“What! I told you,” Tomás said. “I’m just taking an interest.”

“Screw you!” Sandra twisted around and stomped away. Once she got far enough away, and checked to make sure nobody was watching, she collapsed against the wall, sliding down to her feet as she breathed heavily.

She could feel their eyes, all of her guildmates, as if every single one of them had been there, watching her have her tantrum. She thumped a hand on the ground in an impotent fist, her face becoming wet with a line of tears. "This isn't what you wanted…"

"Tough day, huh?"

Sandra's head snapped up, ready for another attacker, but it was a friend instead. Smolder landed lightly, with a plain white apron on her body. "I was just taking lunch and I saw you dart off in here looking bad."

"You… are getting things done." She couldn't help but peer at little. What was Smolder getting done that required an apron? "Going well?"

"I'm fine." She waved it off as if it were nothing, pulling off her apron unusually quickly and stuffing it away, her cheeks warming. "You saw nothing. Now, what's really up?" She twirled one finger, aimed at Sandra. "You're in an alleyway, kinda sobbing. That isn't normal."

Sandra's teeth set, glaring at Smolder as if a withering enough look could cause the dragon to vanish. Smolder was not so easily dissuaded. "Yeah… no. Try actual words. Seriously, as messed up as this whole thing is, we're a team, right? So tell me what's bothering you so much."

Sandra folded her arms. “Nothing. I met another one of Tabitha’s party, and he gave me a hard time.”

Smolder raised an eyebrow. “He was picking on you?”

“I... “ Sandra frowned. “Well… he didn’t pick on me. He was just… talking to me about my, you know, what you all are doing right now."

"What are we doing?" She crossed her arms. "So far I know, we're just trying to get into that tower, so we can get to the top."

"Yes, that. Exactly that." Sandra pushed off the ground to her feet in a scramble. "Do you know how long I've been trying to get myself together?"

Smolder looked Sandra up and down. Far from any expert on human biology, she lifted her shoulders. "Uh… ten years?"

Sandra's face lit up. "Not that long!" She punched at Smolder, but Smolder easily stepped aside. Off-balance, she almost fell over, but Smolder caught the tipping elemancer in her arms.

"That was fun, but if you want to spar, there are better places for it." Smolder gently set her upright. "And I suggest using magic, because I have a bit of an advantage in a straight up brawl."

"The magic I suck at aiming?!" she blurted out, face still a dark red, tears starting to flow fresh. "Or maybe the magic that could hurt anyone, friend or foe?"

"Hate to ask…" She rolled a clawed hand slowly. "But have you tried a physical class or two, just in case it works out?"

"No! No…" Sandra took a slow shuddering breath as she drew out her magic rod, holding it ahead of herself. "I always wanted to be a great spellcaster. My… parents told me I could do it, to follow that dream. It's the last bit of advice they gave… Second to last."

"Second… to last?" Smolder hiked a brow at that. "So… Where are they now then?"

"Where people go when you never see them again," bitterly retorted Sandra as she turned away. "They aren't coming back… unless I got to the top of that tower and used my wish on it." She threw up a hand, rod with it. "Which I can't do, because you three have dibs on that wish even if we make it up there, which we won't, because I'm weighing the team down like a big fat loser!"

"You aren't fat." Smolder shrugged as she stepped closer. "Garble's bigger than you. And the way I see it, you've been getting better."

"You're just saying that." She remained facing away into the alley, arms folded.

"Nah." She reached out a hand, grabbing Sandra by the shoulder. "I don't owe you a thing. If you were still just as awful as before, I'd tell it to your face. It's a dragon thing." She rolled her eyes. "Alright, maybe not a Spike thing, but most dragons, prepare for blunt truth more often than not. You are getting better."

Sandra brushed away the hand, or tried. Smolder's grip was far more sure than she expected. "Lemme go!"

"Mmm, nah. Lucky you, you made a dragon a friend, and we're stubborn things. Now I want to hear about those dreams of yours, because this has gone on long enough. We're preparing for that big trip, and you're coming with us. I think you want to do this, so we can start there. Is this something you want or not?"

"So you're mugging me for my past?"

"Yep." Smolder leaned in with a smirk. "Give up your dark and brooding past or suffer the consequences."

Sandra choked out a single hollow laugh. "Oh no… not that… Look… Look." She turned around, drawing Smolder's claw with the motion, but Smolder wasn't letting go. "You don't need to hear about me."

"That's my decision." She poked Sandra with her free hand. "Now be good and it could work the other way around. I have something nice for good elemancers who start talking."

"What if I'm not a good elemancer?" Sandra returned the poke, though her nails were no match for a dragon's claw for poking power.

"Then we would have already gotten beaten up. You've been doing your part, so cut it out and start talking. Since you've resisted so far, we begin, stage one."

"Stage o--" She didn't get to finish her statement, squeaking and bursting into laughter as Smolder began to tickle her wildly with both hands. The two collapsed, Sandra falling back and Smolder pursuing her with a wide grin.

Author's Notes:

This chapter was mostly me, for what that matters. Will we get to peer into the dark past of Sandra? Smolder seems set on rooting it out.

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15 - You're Missed

Meanwhile, Twilight sagged, her mane frizzy and eyes bloodshot. "I found him…"

Starlight peeked out from behind a stack of books. "Oh, good. Bring him home? Or are we jumping to him? Either way, I'm ready for this to be over. We have plenty enough other--"

"We won't be doing either of those things," she sighed out, wings rustling on her back in a nervous fidget. "On the plus-side, it appears Smolder is with him. I'll send word to Ember. That I've located all three of them, but they are beyond my ability to reach, or yours."

Starlight hiked a brow. "What about us together? you know, friendship, magic, synonyms. You know that drill.".

"They aren't on this world." She thrust a hoof down towards the portal that was in her basement. "And I don't have a portal that links this world to that one. To even determine how to reach that one could take years, centuries even!" her voice raised to a squeak toward the end of her statement, shuffling in place.

"Can you tell if he's alright?" Starlight sat beside Twilight.

"He's fine, I think… They're… fine. I mean, they're breathing, and their magic feels strong. That's really all I could tell you." She crashed down beside Starlight, flopping against her. "I'm the worst big sister ever…"

Starlight gently held her friend. "It could be worse." When Twilight glared at her, she grinned sheepishly. "Look, he's alive, and so are they. They're probably together, and fine. We'll figure this out, together."

There would be no answers right then and there.

"S-stop!" Sandra pawed at Smolder's hands, futilely swatting at those tickling fingers. "I can't talk while you do that!"

"So you'll talk then?" Smolder grinned down at her helpless victim, her claws poised to strike, but pausing their attack. "Good, I'm tired of being in the dark. Out with it."

"It's none of your business." Sandra crossed her arms, guarding herself feebly along the way.

"Yeah, no, kinda is." Smolder poked her on the nose. "Unless we toss you aside like dirty laundry, you need to get up to speed or we can't start on that tower, so it's my business. Congratulations."

Sandra wrinkled her nose. It was a bad idea to say. Well, probably a bad idea. Maybe it wasn’t. But Smolder was right, she probably should. “Fine.” Sandra looked around, trying to see if anyone was watching them. Nobody was.

"I know we only met, what, a week or so ago?" Smolder shrugged softly. "But we've spent that week being in constant low-level danger, so, you know, I feel like we have something." She held up two fingers in the air close together. "Ain't a lot, but we can build on that. So start from the… scratch that. I don't want to hear 'So I was born', unless that ties into this somehow?"

Sandra looked Smolder directly in the eyes and said, “So, I was born--”

“Oh come on!” She threw her hands in the air, exasperation burning in her eyes.

“--To a family of adventurers.”

“Oh.”

Sandra pushed a bit of hair behind her ear. “Yeah. My family did a lot with adventuring.”

“Wait, but if your family were all adventurers, then why are you so… bad at it?”

Sandra smiled somewhat sadly. “Well, I didn’t really want to be an adventurer, and I was never very good at it, so while I got some basic instruction, I also…” She shrugged. “I decided I would do something else with my life. Something not as exciting.”

“But that didn’t work out and... “ Smolder put two and two together. “And now you’re looking to get to the top of the tower…”

“Right, so, I had finished school for the day…"

The pathway home was always a pleasant walk. I lived out to the west, and it was easy to get wards and guards to stop the easiest monsters from attacking--well, easy for us, at least.

My parents weren’t just adventurers. They were good adventurers. They rode out and changed the face of the world--

Smolder rolled a hand softly. "They found some new crazy artifact that people hadn't seen before or something?"

“No,” Sandra protested. “They secured a major victory…" She looked away and back. "It's in the books…" She could see Smolder's lost expression. "Right, new, never heard of it… There was a huge war." She spread her hands wide. "Basically the entire world going for blood. Big mess, everyone was involved… My parents were in it."

"How do you grind for loot in the middle of a war?" she asked as if that were the most pressing fact among many.

"You… don't. They weren't trying for the tower." She hiked a thumb at the huge construct behind them. "They were busy working with what they had, the world, you know? They were… heroes, real heroes, not chasing their own dream. Not… selfish like me…" She scuffed a foot on the ground. "Anyway, so…"

It had made us very wealthy, and I was, at the time, going to a very nice school in the capital. I stayed there and came home for holidays and breaks, and I was on my way home, with my guards, and in the distance, we saw the smoke.

As Gustav sped us to the house, I could only think about what kind of horrible things must have happened. Was it an accident? Lightning? Or… Were we attacked? Something came back from the old war?

…

Anyway, we arrived at the estate, billowing smoke and flames alight. I had already swapped into my class, even though I was… not very good. But I had Gustav and Wendy and we entered the gate, which had its monster shield broken.

It was my childhood home… the buildings were wrecked, the windows smashed, doors broken in… there were… bodies. The staff’s bodies.

And it was infested with monsters. The little red gremlins were easy for the guards to dispatch, but that just meant that something worse had to have led them in there, because monsters like that couldn’t beat my family.

Which, of course, was the perfect time for the larger ones to come attack. Huge, lumbering beasts, bigger than the biggest man.

Fortunately, Bennet chose that time to show up, cleaving a path through the gremlins and slicing through the big ones. Bennet is… well he’s my brother. The one that would carry on the family business. The one good at it.

Bennet, Gustav, and Wendy were fantastic together. I tried to shoot a few enemies, and scored a few hits, but they were the real workhorse as we made our way into our estate. And finally, in the courtyard inside our house… there was one more monster. A huge monstrous cloak of darkness with a blazing red figure deep inside it was fighting two figures.

They were shining gold and white, as the gold light gathered as shields and weapons, and the white light lanced through the darkness. But almost as soon as we entered, the attention of all the combatants were turned to us, and the darkness immediately came for us.

It shot out directly at us, and I squeezed my eyes shut, rooted to the place with terror as Bennet called out… and then the blinding light enveloped us. In front of us stood our parents, the figures cloaked in gold and white, some kind of fancy magical armor on both, magically suspended, with a shield of gold produced by our mother, and an aura of white from our father.

We had never… seen anything like that. We hadn’t even heard anything like that. If they were hiding this kind of power, why wouldn’t they use them on the battlefield? But they looked down at us, their eyes glowing with power. “You have to leave,” my father said, hoisting his staff up.

“Dad--” Bennet pushed forward. “--What is this? What are these… are those classes?”

“We were hoping that we could talk about this later, Benny,” my mother said, turning to look back from the magical projected shield, as the darkness came back and slammed against it again. “It’s a bad time.”

“Y-yeah,” Bennet was abashed. “Sorry…” His ability to ignore the danger of things was the whole reason why he was able to fight like he was.

“M-me too,” I said, trembling as I stared at the resplendent forms my parents were currently in.

“Hurry,” my father said. “We need to move. We can’t hold back these attacks forever.”

The four of us turned tail out of the courtyard, only for an uprooted tree to slam into me, thrown by the monster. I was slammed into the ground, ears ringing and seeing double. I remember Bennet was by my side, with Gustav holding up a shield, ready to defend, when the darkness lanced at us again.

And once more the bright forms intervened, setting up a shield that split the blast of darkness in half, but not quite enough, as just enough penetrated to slam into the two forms of our parents. Our father’s staff glowed and we were rushed in an orb of energy outside the house, which was a familiar escape spell I knew he knew.

The two of them fell to their knees, dark splotches on their forms where the darkness struck them.

My mother and father looked at the dark spots and each other, and… they reached for us… me and Bennet, I mean. Father reached for me. He produced a magical crystal from the… whatever it was that his armor and weapons were made of, and placed it onto my guildchain. “This is a very special class, Sandra. You need the will to unlock it, but it’s stronger than any I’ve seen.”

“B-but, but I don’t,” I stammered out. “I’m not good at…”

He smiled and closed his eyes, them returning to his natural eyes, instead of the alien glow. “If you never need to use it, Sandra, that’s just as well, but I wouldn’t be much of a father if I didn’t pass down what I could to you.”

“F-father…” I said, staring down at my guildchain.

He struggled to his feet, and my mother finished with Bennet, I guess, because she struggled too, and said, “He’ll be back for us soon, and the four of you need to be gone when he comes back.”

Bennet and I nodded dumbly.

The two of them turned away, and they walked away and-and…

Sandra choked back a sob. “And they knew… somehow… that they weren’t walking away from that.”

Smolder swallowed roughly, reaching out and setting a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for sharing at least. Look, not gonna lie… that actually does sound pretty awesome."

Sandra glared witheringly, tears threatening to resume but stopped by her moment of anger.

"I mean it! I mean, yeah, kinda uncool that your parents caught it, but they did it being awesome, and they left something amazing for you before then. As last acts go, I can think of worse." She withdrew her hand as her shoulders lifted in an expansive shrug. "You were actually ahead of us the entire time."

"What?" Sandra asks breathlessly, her anger turning to confusion on her face.

Smolder pointed to Sandra's guild chain. "You had an advanced class thing way before us. Now, look, it sucks that they bought it, it does, really. I know Garble said we don't talk about parents, us dragons, but eh, I miss mine enough. We just don't talk about them, not our thing, doesn't mean we never think about them. I get it."

"Yours passed?" Sandra leaned forward with curiosity surfacing. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, they went exactly the way they wanted to." She lifted her shoulders. "I think that's part of why Garble is the way he is. He didn't take it as well. Now, kindly, never mention that to him, like, ever. Ever ever. Either way, they wanted you to have that." She suddenly grabbed for Sandra, snatching the guildchain and yanking Sandra by it closer. "Time to stop hiding from it and make them proud."

Author's Notes:

Random fun fact, but I make up the chapter names. This chapter was mostly Radical words, wanna say 60-70% Radical words, so watch out, I hear he can be dishonest at times!

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16 - Bon Appetit

Spike held his staff at an angle just before flames struck him dead on. He felt certain he could have weathered it without his magic that dispersed it in a wide semi-spherical shield that sprouted from his shield. Those behind him, on the other hand, would not have been as lucky.

"Get back," he ordered as he advanced, twirling the staff. He could feel the magic, flowing through his fingers and the staff, throwing aside the incoming flames. "Run." Get a little practice in, he had thought. Why bother everyone else, they were busy anyway, he had thought. A great club swung down at him, shattering his fire-aligned shield and sending him flying to the side.

He crashed into a rock in a cloud of dust, both it, and his own insides from the feel of it, breaking on impact. "Ow." It wasn't the worst time he slammed into something though, and he was already muttering words of a healing spell, green glow at his hands sweeping over his arms and across his body, banishing the worst of it just in time to roll away from the next club strike that pulverized what was left of the rock he had smashed into.

Spike could see the people he had been charged to protect fleeing, as he had told them. More immediately pressing at that moment, the great insectoid creature with clubs for hands was already facing him, its movements precise and too fast. "Don't suppose we could talk this out?" Turned out that monster was no exception to the general rule, lunging for him with a sweep.

Spike thrust his staff forward, a new shield appearing far more solid and hard to see through than the first, the strike cracking it and sending him sliding backwards with the impact. He could feel his head pulsing with the pain of the effort of turning that blow back. "Alright, new plan…" The thing's other arm was already coming in as if to squash him between the two posts and Spike jumped back, the impact of the two ringing out like two massive trees colidding. "New plan!"

He started running, trying to look around as he did. In short order, there was a corner, and he darted around it, and quickly found a rock to slide behind. He plopped down behind it, breathing heavily. The huge clubbed insect stomped by, looking like a praying mantis, but far more bipedal and clubbed. It swept its head around and he hid behind the wall.

Spike peeked out when it wasn’t looking towards him. Dangit all he could think about was how a party was better. If he could do more damage he wouldn’t have to heal. If he wore armor he wouldn’t have to be as afraid of taking a hit. If he had friends here, even just one, he wouldn’t have to worry as much. His nose wrinkled as he thought of Twilight briefly, but he shook it out.

He had taken on the job, and people were counting on him. He could mope later, when there weren't huge deadly insects after him. If he just huddled there, it'd find the others, and then… "Over here!" he shouted as he burst from cover.

The big thing immediately turned for him with a great screech, charging with great thuds towards him, but Spike didn't flee, even if every fibre of his body was screaming that running would be a perfectly valid idea. "Right here, play with me a little longer." He mutters under his breath, magic swelling up within him, not a shield, more of a buffer, granting himself more durability. "Just long enough…"

As the thing closed within conversational distance, Spike blinked, realizing… "I'm a dragon." He had become so focused on using the skills the world had given him instead of what he was born with. As the club came in, he was already darting back and up, flying up out of the way. "I have wings."

As if in reply, the clubbed mantis gave a watery cough before spewing a steam of green-brown gunk at Spike. He yelped with horror and jigged out of the way, allowing it to splash and sizzle loudly on the stone. "You have acid breath, nice, nice… I have a breath too!" He exhaled a great cone of flames over the thing's head and it stomped away with obvious pain. "And I know how to use it." He took a deep breath, flapping after the lumbering insect.

Now, though, it was lumbering away, not toward him, clearly being cautious now. Spike put the fear of flame in it. He smirked and blasted out the biggest blast of fire he could directly at it. It screeched a horrible noise Spike didn’t realize could come from living things, and it began to flail. Oh did it flail, swinging its club arms around chaotically. Spike smirked from his position above it, only to find “above it” was not actually good enough, as it sprayed acid, winging his--well-- wing.

As he fell down, the chaotic flailing of the thing's limbs sent shrapnel flying, redecorating the area with small holes and crushed features. Its hissing roar of pain and fear filling the area. Spike twisted as he fell, barely having time to call on his bolstering magic just before he slapped into the ground with a dull thunk, knocking the magic right back out of him, but he wasn't hurt.

If one didn't count his frazzled wing. Spike tucked it in against its brother on his back. "Acid repelling, acid repelling…" His shield could deflect different elements, but each was a subtly different spell. Fire came natural, a fact that brought a smirk to his face. Dragons liked fire, what could he say?

The thing turned on him, smashing down both clubs, creating a new crater, shreds of rock flying off as it bellowed at Spike in renewed fury. "Alright, you aren't backing down, but neither am I." His wards were probably far enough away… probably. He couldn't check, he had to assume the insect could catch up with them if he gave it a chance. "Let's dance."

Sandra shrugged softly. "What have you been up to? You get to dig into me, I at least deserve that. Were you doing a part-time job? We're not that hard up for cash."

Smolder rolled her shoulders. "What I decide to do is my business."

"You just finished explaining that wasn't true, so unless you're wrong, it is my business. We're a team, remember?" She crossed her arms, looking smugly victorious.

Smolder began to walk away from Sandra, headed for the exit of the alleyway. "I'll show you if you're that desperate to know, but not here."

"Alright?" Sandra trailed behind with a curious peering at Smolder from behind. "Though that does remind me, it's normal for most people, demi-humans included, to wear clothes. That sure doesn't seem to bother you at all."

"I am a dragon, not a human, or even kinda human, sorta human, demi human, halfsie human." She threw up a hand as she walked. "We don't do the clothes thing often, and can you blame us? One nice lava bath and those clothes are going to be gone. One little accidental sneeze, poof, your pretty blouse has a scorch mark that isn't coming out."

"Have you considered fire resistant clothes?" Sandra asked as if that weren't an unusual thing at all. "I'm pretty sure I remember a set that only takes damage if you do, so if you're basically immune to fire…"

"It would be too, huh…" She raised a hand to her chin, rubbing softly as she walked, her pace not changing. "Garble doesn't seem to care. I almost think he likes wearing hunks of metal around. I think he just likes the look." She smirked a little, glancing over her shoulder back at Sandra. "Suits the bad boy image he has goin' on."

"Maybe." Sandra didn't sound terrible convinced. "So, where are we going exactly?"

Smolder hiked a thumb. "There's a little kitchen in our room, right?"

"There is… Seriously, are you going to show me you've learned a new recipe?"

Smolder's smile turned into a grin. "It only starts there. You'll like it, promise. Speaking of that, I don't suppose you actually are hungry?"

"I… wasn't thinking about it," Sandra confessed, moving up to her side. "I was busy."

"Busy crying, yeah, saw that. But we're past that. It's time to move forward. Step one, get some good food in you. Then we're gonna go places."

"Places?" She furrowed her brow as they entered the building that was their home for the moment. "This isn't something fixed by a little grinding in the starter fields."

"Have you tried it? Really tried it?" Smolder lifted on her wings, dancing easily up the steps with a twirl at the top. "But, right now, food. We're going to do that." She produced the apron, tucked away as it had been wherever dragons hid such things.

"That apron doesn't… quite fit the aesthetic you seemed to be going for."

"What, this?" She produced a knife with the same ease, smirking. "I wear this so the blood and gore of my enemies doesn't get all over my scales. Seems pretty metal to me."

"No… it's definitely cloth," she argued, missing the reference entirely. "Is it enchanted?"

"Nevermind." Smolder threw open the door to their room and pulled something from in her apron, a paper-wrapped package. "Right now, it's time to cook."

"You were walking around with a hunk of meat?" Sandra was peering at the package suspiciously. "How long have you had that?"

"Since shortly before I ran into you. I was going to make it into a snack for myself later, but we can share." She set it aside for a moment and grabbed a pan. "Now, first trick." She seemed to just wobble the pan and suddenly fire erupted beneath it, holding it and caressing it as it grew hot quickly. Smolder released it and it floated in the air as if supported by the fire.

Sandra clapped softly, smiling at the trick. "I recognize the fire." She held out a hand, a flame leaping into being above it, the same color as the roaring fire under the pan. "But I never had it support something before. That's really neat. Is that an elemancer spell?"

"Eh, maybe?" She grabbed the package and gave it a hard wrench. The meat kept moving but the paper was caught in her hand, causing it to spill out into the pan. The room filled with the sounds of sizzling meat, the unidentified chop of significant size starting to cook. "Now just a hunk of meat isn't a meal, so…"

Sandra watched as other things began to join the meat of various shades. Some spices, some vegetables, and even a quickly diced fruit joined the riot of colors that began to waft delicious scents. "That… looks really good. Seriously, stop playing with me. You've been learning to cook?!"

"Among a few other tricks." She suddenly grabbed the pan and flipped it upwards, sending the food up faster than the pan itself. In that instant it hovered in the air, she swung in with her chef's knife, slicing through it in several straight lines. By the time the food recovered from its assault, it landed on two plates, her knife already put away and the pan back on the fire. "Lunch is served."

Sandra reached for her plate, or what she assumed was hers, one held out further than the other. "Thank… you, but this is only raising so many more questions. Like how you cooked this nearly as quickly as you did. Is this meat still basically rare?" She examined it intently, but it didn't have the look of still bleeding meat, and yet, it wasn't perfectly brown all the way through either. Was it done?

Only one way to know. She grabbed a fork and went to try some.

Author's Notes:

This one was mostly me. Yay balance! Spike's learning how to do his new role and working towards that unlock while Smolder shows off to Sandra. Someone's working harder here! What is Garble up to?

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17 - In This Corner

Garble licked his finger, rubbing a smudge off of his breastplate. He had to look his best for this one. He hefted the large two handed axe from its place on the ground. It felt better to have a real weapon in his hands. He was gonna have a hard time going back to his dinky little sword as a Bulwark, but man did he like swinging around a big weapon as a Rivener instead.

He slung it over his back as the gate opened, and he strode into the arena, ready to show off. The crowd was… well none to impressed. Garble scowled to himself. It’s not like nobody looked, but a lot of people were still talking and milling about. Fine, he thought to himself. I’ll give them a show. He hoisted the axe above him and spewed a blast of flame. That got some interest.

Garble looked around, trying to find the swordsman. He couldn’t clearly tell. The swordsman seemed to know, like, everything that happened, and Garble wondered if the swordsman knew this was his first night.

His reflection was cut short as the other gate opened. What came out was somewhat disappointing. A small little red… thing was there, with a thick neck and an oversized head for its body. At least it had claws, but it looked around like it didn’t really know what was going on, peering about quizzically.

The crowd, however, grew quiet, and Garble heard what he thought was excited whispering. It was strange.

He walked on over to the monster, who at least noticed him and bared it’s little teeth and claws. He sneered and hefted his axe up. If this was his opponent, he might as well end it quickly. He lifted his axe high, the monster making a high pitched hissing noise, accompanied with a lower pitched rumble.

He brought the axe down, and the monster’s mouth opened as he did, a tremendous burst of air and sound blasting upward, deflecting Garble’s axe which, to be frank, he wasn’t really swinging with all his might.

Garble blinked and stared at the small monster, as it inflated it’s head and neck with air, puffing itself up to nearly his size, and it blasted an airy roar directly at Garble, knocking him off his feet and a few feet back.

The crowd roared with a mixture of cheers and laughter, as Garble stared at the once small monster, now comically oversized. It looked like a very angry joke, it’s skin puffing up with air again, it’s face contorted in anger, and it bellowed another scream right up, a terrific noise being made from the once small creature.

"Alright... that's... more like it." He steeled himself internally. A real fight was what he had asked for, right? Clutching his axe and bouncing back up to his feet, he scowled at the suddenly huge creature as if a good glare would be enough to send it packing.

The crowd was a mixture of cheers and jeers, as if just as desiring of a good fight as a thorough stomping. Great claws came in, and Garble smiled. The thing was huge and noisy and all kinds of things, but it wasn't nearly fast enough. "Brute strength does not a monster make." He rolled forward under the reaching claws. "Quick slices for my sake." He came up, dragging his axe along the underside of the thing. It only left a little line, but the first blood was his.

The thing's little tail suddenly twitched, knocking the smug Garble forward away from the creature. He went like a top to face it, knuckles paled from the force he was holding his axe. The crowd roared with delight at the show. "He ain't quite as artsy as the other poet," he somehow managed to hear despite the crowd full of people.

"Yeah yeah, I ain't slingin' poets, I sling beats. I deliver beatings, Hold on to your seats." Sure, he had gotten the rhyme off a little, but he felt good enough about it, deflecting claws aside with a mighty roar of his own, flames washing out in a great cone of battle fury.

The creature was not intimidated by the fires. "Figures," he grumbled to himself. Of course they wouldn't send a flammable creature against a frickin' dragon. That wouldn't make for a good show. He swung his axe in a great arc as the creature swung its entire body. The two collided, his axe biting into one of its claws, but the tremendous momentum of its great paw proved too great, lifting Garble into the air and sending him flying.

He snapped out his wings and hit the ground feet first. "Nice try, now die." It was short, but the beats were on point. With rebounding confidence he stalked towards his would-be prey. Or he meant to; great wind rushing at him with the deafening roar of the creature as it seemed to be releasing all its air at once, forcing him back then off his feet. Spread wings did little but help carry him away uncomfortably quickly, slamming into the opposing wall of the arena.

The crowd was wild at the show, cheering on the shrunken beast. "Tear that 'dragon' apart!" someone shouted down.

Garble groaned, pulling himself to his feet as if using his sword as a cane. The walls of the arena were not soft. "Fool me one, shame on you." His axe glowed with power. "Fool me twice, Rager's Rush!" He propelled forward, carried across the field in one great leap, coming down on the thing with his axe first. "Kyaaaa!"

Wind buffeted him, the little thing trying to blow him away, but he refused to be turned aside, slicing right through it, his axe serving as the sharp point to divide that wind, clearing a path as he came down. The crowd went silent for a single tense moment.

It broke with new cheering, and groaning. Some had lost their wagers and cursed at the victorious dragon. A swaggering human emerged from the darkness. "Ladies, scalliwags. That was a fight, but only a taste. Our arena warrior, Garble the Great, has proved he might deserve the name. With this, he officially graduates from the baby pool and you'll see him going up against real combatants. Let's put our hands together to welcome the newest warrior to deserve being called an arena battler!"

Even the sore losers seemed to join the clapping and cheering. There would be more chances to wager on him, to win or to lose. Garble raised a fist into the air, the axe dangling from the other hand. "Yeah! Don't you suckers dare bet against me." He stormed off the stage into the shadowy back hallways of the little arena.

"Sloppy."

Garble saw his leader there, standing stoically. "Yeah? I won."

"But it was without grace." He pushed off the wall, fully blocking the path forward. "You can fight, this is good. But fighting is more than brute determination. You must have grace. Your first, least, hit was impressive. It showed a hint, a shred that I would pursue."

Garble's teeth set, a low growl in his chest.

"You approached me," reminded the warrior. "If you wish to learn to turn the words in your heart into power, you will follow. Go home, savor your victory. Tomorrow, we train."

"No!" Garble took a firm step forward. "Not tomorrow, today. Let's do this."

"So soon after your bout? Surely you have aches."

"I'll get over 'em," he assured with a rolling of a shoulder. "No more delays. Show me."

"There is grace to be found in conversation as well, but that is a lesson for another day." The felisurra warrior turned away. "Come then. Watching you battle did not tire me. The pain you will feel is on your own head."

"Bring it." Garble hung the axe on his back as he prowled behind his teacher. "So what's the first step?"

"We are beyond the first step. I have brought you this far, but there is more to be done." He looked over his shoulder at his draconic student. "I would hear the words of your heart. Speak them."

"Wha?"

"I wish to hear the words." He led Garble out away from the arena, towards a dark field, the grass softly compressing beneath their feet and only the sound of night insects around them. "Speak them. You said you were a poet."

"I am! Just... Look, I don't usuaully--"

He turned, arm out towards Garble, a blade held, its tip dangerously close. "I heard you attempting to speak them in the battle. If you cannot speak your heart's words, we are both wasting our time. They are your strength, not a weakness."

It was a strange way of looking at it, contrary to how Garble had up to then. "A strength... You have a drum?"

"A drum?" He lowered his hand, sheathing his blade along the way as if it simply wanted to be there. "Ah. I wish you had simply told me earlier. You will not march into battle with drums, but you carry them regardless, and your enemies provide them unwillingly. You will strike and beat your rhythm into their resisting flesh as you impress on them the words." He pointed to the tip of Garble's axe peeking out over his back. "That is your drumstick. Tonight, I teach you how to play it."

Garble wrenched his axe free, a wicked smile on his face. "Oh yes. Now you are speaking my language! Let's do this." He swung his massive blade left and right only for it to strike against metal with a clear single note, his teacher blocking it with his own without any seeming effort. "What?"

"You are swinging wildly, not in tune with the words, or the song. We will begin slowly. Speak the words, strike with them. Do they sound slow? Strike faster, but never faster than the words themselves. You will march to the beat of your song."

"Right, right... Okay..." Garble took a slow breath, raising his axe to a ready position. "Teacher, man, teaching me, teaching how... to dance." He cleaved the air with each word at first, a slow procession, each swing, one word, but his teacher did not stand idly, meeting the blade, starting a slow spar at the pace that Garble set.

"Ostentatious--" Garble met his master's blade, stepped aside with a two-motion shuffle and brought his blade in, moving with every syllable of the word. "--displays. Victory... mine? I will not... give up."

"Yes, yes..." He was easily avoiding being struck and pressing in more firmly, keeping Garble on his toes and forcing his song to accelerate to keep up with the flow of battle. "Let the words of your heart free. Impress on me the strength of them."

"Sassy... sisters. Dorky not... dragon." Garble began to press back, swinging with irritation. "Bare--ly holds a... candle to crying humans!" He brought in his axe, caught by his master's sword but pushing him back and away with the momentum of it.

"Impertinent whelp." The teacher swatted aside his heavy blade and slide in close.

"Filled with the anger of youth." With a sharp stab of the hilt of his blade, he knocked Garble back, stumbling to the ground heaving for breath.

"Learn as the sun rises." The teacher bowed softly towards Garble's fallen form. "You show promise. Good. I was considering abandoning this, but you have changed my mind with the strength of your words. They are as crude as your swings, but we can take a whetstone to them."

"Yeah... good..." He pulled himself to his feet, scowling at the sudden defeat handed him. "Hey, wait! You aren't changin' my beats."

"I will. Do you think you are at the pinnacle of your art? I should imagine not. Your words will be sharpened as your hands become true." He put his blade away with a casual wave. "Go home and rest. We have much to do."

Author's Notes:

100% Garble! He's doing it his way. Are you proud of him?

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18 - Final Steps

"Check it out." Spike turned to the side with a smug smile on his face. On his head floated a crown much like the one they had located, shimmering and bright despite not actually existing. "How are you all doing? Bet I'm not the first."

Smolder shot an emphatic thumbs up. "You win that bet, by losing. Pretty sure I was the first one past that finish line." She drew her dagger with one hand, a meat cleaver in the other, twirling both in place. "I am now a Combat Culinarian. Anycreature foolish enough to cross paths with me will be smoked, possibly literally."

Sandra pointed past Smolder to Spike. "What is your class actually called?"

Spike raised a finger with a smug look. "Divine Lord." He emphasized each word with a twirl of that finger. "By my benevolence will you be free to pursue justice."

Smolder burst into laughter, slapping a knee. "Oh, wow, that is great, Spike. You do your thing and I'll keep our bellies filled, fair trade?"

He emphatically thrust a thumb skywards. "It is a deal, fair lady. Now, uh, Sandra?"

Sandra turned and blinked. “Yes?”

“That’s the two of us, what do you have going on? For the class to enter the tower, I mean.”

“Well…” Sandra trailed off, looking away. “I guess there’s one but… I don’t know if it’s realistic…”

Smolder flapped over to Sandra, putting her arm around Sandra, practically hanging off of her. “She got a wicked powerful class from her family. Powerful magic armor. Superpowered spells. The works. She just hasn’t unlocked it yet.”

“Oh!” Spike perked up. “That’s cool! How do you unlock it?”

Sandra smiled a broad nervous smile and looked at Smolder. “I… uh…” She said through the nervous rictus, looking at Smolder, who looked at her with just an optimistic smile. “My uh… family were very high level adventurers, so the class probably can’t be unlocked until I am a high level adventurer.”

Garble butted in. “So you don’t have anything, is what you’re saying?”

Spike turned in place. "Oh, hey Garble. What'd you get?"

"Poet--" He drew his heavy blade off his back, cleaving the air in front of himself. "Slicer."

Spike shot him two finger guns with a grin. "That sounds pretty cool."

"Better than 'divine lord', like something put you in charge." He rolled his eyes before looking to Sandra. "So, whatever. We're ready, you're not. Forget whatever that is, because we don't have time for that."

Smolder lifted her shoulders as she produced a steaming little dumpling from seemingly nowhere. "Bro's not exactly wrong per se. Getting that big one's more a long term project. For now, we just need you to get into something that's not a basic class, so we can move forward."

Sandra tapped a foot on the ground. "Like what?"

Spike landed next to Sandra, on the opposite side of Smolder. "Well, people know a lot of them, right? We're a little blind, coming into this like this, but there has to be a list, right, somewhere?"

"Well, yes." Sandra approached the window of their room, looking out at the busy street below. "The guild keeps a full list of every class ever confirmed. I'd be shocked if the ones you have aren't on that already."

“So, that means that someone knows about all the classes, right? We can find one that fits, like, a caster really well and ask around.”

Sandra frowned. “But, the three of you all got classes just by… meeting people and finding out stuff. To have to go out and ask...”

“To be fair,” Smolder said, sitting up. “I did actually ask around, and Spike just tripped over his. What is your luck stat anyway?"

Spike blinked owlishly at that. "We have one of those? How do you even check it!?"

Smolder smirked playfully, leaning back on the seat she had taken just a moment before. "I'm joking with you, but you tend to be a lucky fella, so keep on being you. I mean, outside being sucked into another world without being asked. That isn't exactly super lucky?"

Garble marched past the others. "Right, sounds like it's time for a little trip down to the den of abrasive jerks. Let's take a look at this stupid list and find something."

Spike started forward after him. "I'm not arguing with that idea, but I admit I am a little surprised."

"At what?" He looked over his shoulder with a scowl.

"Oh, um, nothin'... just I figured you'd be more... you know... upset."

"I am." He threw up one hand, the other putting his sword away easily. "But you two aren't dropping the dead weight, and arguing isn't getting us there, so let's look at this stupid list and find a stupid class already."

"Sorry." Sandra trailed out third, only to be thumped into by Smolder from behind.

"Don't look so glum. We're gonna find a class you like." She fired a thumbs up, lifting into the air and swerving around Sandra. "You summoned us to turn your adventuring around, didn't you?"

"Well, I mean, yes, but I wasn't trying to yank out living things away from what they were doing." She sheepishly smiled. "Who I need to help get home, but am holding back... Who are all better at this than me, who lives here..."

"Keep up," roared Garble from the front, throwing open the door to the street. "Let's get this over with."

Smolder flew alongside Sandra. "Hey, look. Between me, you, and Spike, I kinda like this whole adventuring thing. It's fun! Now, do I want to get home? Yes." She raised a finger with the last word. "Fun time has to have an end, but I'm not, you know, mad about getting the chance to learn freaky magic and beat up monsters. So knock that guilt chip off your shoulder and let's find an awesome class."

"What are you talking about?" Spike drifted back, floating on the opposite side of Sandra. "Girl stuff?"

"Yes, girl stuff," laughed out Smolder.

"Oh, okay." He didn't leave though, still hovering there.

Sandra peered at him as she walked, confusion clear on her face. "Most boys I know of run away when they hear girl things are being discussed."

He shrugged softly. "I've developed an immunity. Anything I can help with?"

"You just keep being you, Spike." Smolder put down a hand on Sandra's shoulders. "I was just kidding anyway. I was telling Sandra we, you know, you and me, we're not angry at Sandra."

"Uh..." He glanced away, flying along facing away from them. "I know she didn't mean to do that, but I do want to get home. This is... cool and all, but I can only imagine how freaked out Twilight must be right about now."

"S...ike!" The voice came from somewhere ahead of him and Spike blinked softly, holding up a hand to his head to try to hear the grainy and faint voice.

"What?"

"..tr.. ard... to tal... to you bu... the ...shun is bare.. ...ing up."

"Twilight?" He looked around desperately, but there was no floating portal or anything, just a voice. "Twilight! I can hear you, sorta."

"T--k Celestia." The name of their princess came through clearly, one word breaking through the static.

Spike smiled broadly even as he looked around, but the voice's direction seemed to change haphazardly, not resting in any one place. "I'm alright! We're working on a way home."

Sandra watched Spike dart and look around wildly, already out of range to hear him talking. "Is he alright? He looks like he dropped something, but I doubt he'll find it up in the sky like that."

Smolder shook her head slowly. "I am not sure, but let's keep up with Gar Gar before he loses it. Spike knows where we're going."

They left him behind, making their way towards the guild. Garble was the first one inside, tapping at the counter. "Hey."

"Ah, back again." The secretary considered Garble, looking towards his guildchain. "That looks different. Did you change classes?"

"Poet Slicer," reported Garble with pride, moving a hand to polish against his armored chest. "Our party's ready for the next step, minus one. I hear you got a list of advanced classes. We want a look at it."

"Hm?" His eyes drifted past Garble to the other two party members coming in behind him. "Sandra, is it? I must admit, for demi-hu--"

Garble slammed the counter with a balled fist. "I'm a dragon, got it? I ain't human anything."

Smolder swooped in, one hand on Garble's shoulder. "Hey, sorry for the fuss. Did he ask for that list yet?"

But the secretary was looking at Sandra, not either of the two dragons. "You really should teach them some manners."

Sandra laughed nervously. "Ha... yeah... Do you have that list, please? We'll get out of your hair."

"In the library," he sighed out. "Ask the librarian and he'll show you the way."

"Thank you." Sandra turned stiffly, the dragons trailing behind her as she made her way to the library. As the name implied, there were many books, but perhaps not as many as one would expect. Great stone slabs rest on platforms in fairly even spacing.

The woman who had summoned the dragons to begin with stood there. "Ah, Sandra, You're back, with your friends. Weren't there three?"

"The other one will catch up," she waved in the vague direction they had left Spike. "We wanted a list of all the classes you've found. If they list how people got them, that would be good too."

The old librarian raised a hand and the platform closest to Sandra began to glow. "Go on and have a look. That isn't confidential information."

"Thank you." Sandra put her hands on the platform and a book appeared, more of a hologram, opening up to a great list. "Wow, you have that memorized?" She leaned forward to look it over. "Purchased, found, found... Taken from an elder wyrm?! That must have been a story..."

Smolder floated closer to the librarian. "Hey, what about Combat Culinarian, Divine Lord, or Poet Slicer?"

"One of them is right here." Sandra inclined her head towards where 'Divine Lord' was written.

Divine Lord -- Uncommon -- Unlocked through acquisition of magic item, see subnote

"Uncommon, nice." She nodded softly. "Maybe I should just buy one of the ones they sell." As if controlled by her thought, the order of the list shifted to list the ones for sale at the top. "There's a rare one for sale? If it's for sale, how can it be rare?"

Garble lifted his shoulders. "If they want all the money in the world, it's still pretty rare."

Sandra looked to the price just to look away just as quickly, her skin paling a little. "Got that in one! Did... either of you pay for yours?"

Smolder hiked a thumb at herself. "I asked, and I made a friend, then I learned how to do it while helping out."

Garble snorted a small puff of smoke. "I saw what I wanted and reached for it. Bastard made me work, but I didn't give up."

"What about..." Sandra trailed off, realizing Spike still wasn't there. "Well, I need to pick one..."

Smolder smirked faintly. "Pick one you want and let's get it. You'll rock it, whether we buy it or whatever. It doesn't matter so long as you give it your all." She thrust a finger at Sandra. "It's time for you to take a step forward. We can't make you."

"Yeah... But--"

"You're about to say something about not being 'ready' or 'worthy' aren't you?" Smolder crossed her arms. "Denied. You pick a cool class and get moving. You'll make yourself ready and worth it. You think I knew how to cook worth a damn when I started?" She flicked out her butcher knife, twirling it in the air. "Not a clue, but I kept at it. Time for you to decide. You're going to make this work, or give up. I know you can do it, but that doesn't mean a thing until you do."

Author's Notes:

Time to pick or quit. What sort of class should Sandra be aiming for?

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19 - Don't Forget the Milk

Sandra held a paper in her shaking hands, walking along with Smolder to the left and Garble to the right with her. "Can it be this easy?"

"No," snapped Smolder with a smirk. "It only looks easy because we're prepared. We have the money."

Garble snorted softly. "Just so I have that right, your awesome new class is cooking things?"

"It's way cooler than just cooking things, but, yeah, I cook things." She tossed up her dagger to catch it casually. "Right in the middle of the fight if I want to. You know how Spike was throwing out those green healing spells?"

"Yeah?"

"Great, take out the wobbly staff stuff and instead get a tasty snack that does the same thing." She snapped two fingers sharply. "Tell me that isn't more satisfying."

"But yer still gonna stab stuff, right?" He glared at Smolder across Sandra. "I ain't gonna have my sis get all wimpy on me."

"Bro, chill. I'll be stabbing stuff all over." She twirled her dagger in place, dancing between her fingers. "It has to be dead before you get to proper cooking. On the other hand, I do know at least one skill to help start on that before they stop moving."

Garble opened his mouth a moment before a laugh escaped instead of words. "Alright, cooking some jerk alive, yeah, yer fine."

While the siblings joked, increasingly paying no attention to Sandra, she stared down at the paper. The inflamer class. A class dedicated to all the fire skills known to adventurers. She’d be able to cast all the highest level fire spells, but only fire spells. She had been using fire a lot, because she could abuse big area spells without her party members being risked, but…

She’d be able to do any fire thing, but only fire things. It was like the most basic of any advanced class, and once they ran into a monster that couldn’t be hurt by fire, she could do basically nothing.

And a part of her burned with shame that she had to do this to just get them in the tower. Everyone else was chosen, trained, learned something. She would literally do what she was doing now, except with less element options, and she would just buy it.

But what choice did she have? The dragons were eager to get to the tower, and so many of these classes were dependent on knowing someone, finding something, or having very specific skills and basic classes mastered. She had to keep up, and if they are going to have to pay for it… that’s just how it is.

Movement caught the corner of her eye. Excited voices and gesticulating people were gathered in a square. That was hardly a strange thing, but there were several glowing creatures dancing in front of humans that seemed focused on them.

"Master the arts of the elements," intoned what seemed to be their leader. "Not through gross manipulation of the aether itself, but with an accord with those that live in it. The summoner class gives you all the power of a spellcaster, without reaching for what man was not meant to touch."

She paused, considering with a tapping of her chin. Was that what was wrong? Had she been going in the wrong direction?

"Hey, keep up," came Garble's annoyed shout from ahead.

"What's up?" Smolder actually turned, then followed Sandra's eyes to the display. "Huh… What is it?"

Sandra took a step towards it, hesitating in place. Her new friends were ready to buy her a class, any they could afford. Was she chickening out, again? No! No… this way she could be far more useful. "Excuse me! What elements can you work with?"

The teacher cocked his head, seeming to hear her. "Fire, water, air, earth. With practice, even creation and entropy itself can be confronted and befriended, made to work at your behest." He brought his hands together in a smart slap as he turned towards her. "Are you curious?"

Smolder slipped between Sandra and the instructor. "How much are you trying to get?"

"I am more interested in spreading my teachings than earning coins." He snapped his fingers and two creatures stepped from nothing, one a beaver with crackling electricity for fur, the other more of a duck made of stone. "If you find success and wish to give back, word of your victory would suffice."

Smolder looked dubious, and opened her mouth, only to have Sandra cut her off, “Is this the same as when you find a summon and use a ritual?”

“It isn’t!” The teacher beamed, expecting this kind of question. “A summon like that is fed by the magic of the item you find on the field, and supported by the magic of the enemies it defeats.” He pet the beaver, the electricity crackling around his hands. “But this technique involves brokering a deal with a spirit and creating the summon from your own magic.”

Sandra licked her lips. “So… what can the summons do?”

The teacher’s smile turned craftier. “Ah, well what do all adventurers want to do? It can attack, of course, and defend. As you gain in power with it, it could do all sorts of things, the sky really is the limit.”

It sounded fantastic. Sandra nodded her head eagerly. “Where do I sign up?!”

He raised a finger. “There are but two requirements. First, we must test your magic to determine if it is capable of wielding such a power. Second, you must be able to broker the actual deal with said spirit.”

Smolder slipped between Sandra and the would-be teacher. "You're setting off all the wrong kinds of bells. Tell me why someone would not want this class? And so help me if you start with demi-human..."

Garble lifted his shoulders. "Sounds lame to me. Why would I want someone else to be awesome instead of me?"

"You are their link to the world, and their leader. Their fame is yours, as are their winnings." His eyes rested on Smolder as if sizing her up. "There are several reasons, your friend mentioned just one. It is an indirect class, so if you prefer personal involvement, it can be lacking."

"Uh huh, keep going... " Smolder rolled her hands over one another, prompting him.

Sandra grabbed her by the shoulder, giving a little shake. "This sounds perfect," she harshly whispered.

"Too perfect," grunted the dragoness. "Keep going."

"As I was just saying, before you can call upon any of the wondrous creatures that will aid you, you must approach them and broker an accord with them. This requires force of will and personality both, or the spirit will reject you, possibly painfully." He lifted his shoulders in a soft shrug. "On the positive side of things, if you lack this, it is quickly determined."

Smolder raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And what?” The teacher pursed his lips. “You’re asking me to talk down the class that I am trying to convince you to pursue? It is a class like any other, it has strong points, like command of a powerful magical beast, and weak points, like using your own magic can limit the magic available for the summon.” He shrugged theatrically. “And I suppose as long as you are being a summoner you aren’t being any other amazing thing. Do you want to try or not?”

She folded her arms. “It still--”

This time Sandra interrupted, pushing her way ahead of Smolder. “Sign me up!”

Smolder grunted as she was pushed, but Garble was swifter than her in action, grabbing Sandra by the shoulder and wrenching her back. "Look, I don't care which thing you do, but you are asking us to waste more time. So look me right here." He thrust two fingers at her eyes and turned them back to his own. "Are you completely serious? No more excuses. Right?"

“I--” Sandra was stunned. “Yes? I said I was?”

He glared at her and she shirked back further. “That doesn’t sound very serious at all.”

“Y-y-y” Sandra steeled herself. “Yes. Yes this sounds perfect.”

Garble stood up, no longer glaring. “Alright then.”

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "Show her what she needs then, but we're staying. That's what friends do."

"Yeah, friends." Garble rolled his eyes, but didn't further complain. "Speaking of 'friends', where is Spike?"

"I can hear you better." Spike was rising faster and faster. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, it's quite--behind you!"

"Behi--" Pain bolted through his shoulder and he roared in pain, a shield flaring into being around him reflexively. "I'm under attack." He ducked under the next golden needle of energy that darted towards him. "It's… the tower?"

Several nodes in the tower seemed to be turning towards him in smooth rotations, the beams coming faster and faster and from more directions. "I don't think they like me here!"

"Spike, get away from there! We can talk, that's the important part. Don't get hurt for this. We'll find a way." He couldn't see her, but he could hear her waving frantically.

He swept in low and towards the tower as the beams painted a wild arc where he had been. "Can… you… talk whenever… you want?" he asked between huffs for breath. Several beams collided with his shield, causing it to flare brightly, but his power remained strong.

"You're sounding out of breath. Spike, please, get away from there. I--we, we'll talk l--r. O--ay?" Her voice became increasingly distorted as he ducked and bobbed away from the defenses, starting to make his way back down towards the base of the tower.

He twisted around in time to thrust his staff forward, a glimmering shield appearing before it just in time to deflect one of the beams away, but it seemed like the last one. He was far enough away for the tower to lose interest in him, it seemed. "Maybe having more defensive power isn't so bad… Twilight, not sure if you're still listening, but we'll keep working. We'll get home, promise."

His oath spoken, to Twilight or not, he let himself half-fall into the city. "Now where did the others go off to…" They had been going to the guild, right?

As impossible as it would have been for Spike to spot them, the same count not be said in the other direction. There were far fewer flying things than there were ground-bound ones.

"What element do you feel some kinship towards? It is often easier if we begin there." The instructor was working with Sandra. "If you don't have one, that isn't--"

"--No! No. I mean, I've been using fire the most, for sure." She bobbed her head in two little motions. "Does that mean I'll summon something fiery?"

"To start. You've seen what I call. With experience and power, you will forge ties with more than one, and can even make them do more than the obvious element they wield."

Garble elbowed Smolder suddenly. "Hey, look." He pointed up to where Spike plummeted from the tower. "What was he doing?"

Smolder snapped her wings open. "No idea, but there's one way to find out." She zipped off the ground, aiming to intercept Spike.

"For now, your real challenge is to make that first pact. The first is always the trickiest, but if you have what it takes, you will manage it." He turned in place but didn't point. His summons did that for him. "You must go that way, past the beginner fields, into Misty Forest. You will find where an old forest fire raged so horrifically the forest has not recovered, and there you will do two things."

He held up his fist, raising one finger with each thing. "One, you will make your first accord. Two, you will help mend the forest by drawing some of that fiery energy away."

"Alright, so… how do I make this fire spirit show up, then do I just talk to it?" She looked uncertain but excited.

Author's Notes:

The split party will soon be mended. The GM will be so happy!

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20 - Pressing Forward

"That is the trick I will show you today. Then you must face it. Some will wish to talk, some will fight. Some may want both and more. Find a balance with it. Some you will have to prove your worth in battle, and others seek clever souls. Make it respect you, and it will agree to enter your service." His arms dropped, his right doing a swing to reach out in time for one of his summons to hold up a book.

Garble lifted his shoulders. "You must already be great at summoning things. You got 3 dragons from another world. Anyone else ever top that?"

“That’s right!” Sandra said. “I already got—”

“Remember!” the teacher said. “This is not normal summoning. Normal summoning happens as long as you have the item for it, but for this summoning you must dedicate your own magic and broker the deal. Former luck has nothing to do with it.”

“R-right.” Sandra nodded. “I got it. Impress the spirit. Can I bring my party?”

The teacher shrugged. “I couldn’t tell ya. Maybe if you do no spirit will come, maybe only a spirit who likes parties will come.”

“Um…” Sandra looked unsure.

The teacher pursed his lips. “If you think it’s important to you, do it, elsewise leave them behind. You will not be able to impress them with your party, though. You will have to be the one to talk to it.”

Sandra nodded, looking down in thought. “Yeah… that... makes sense.”

Garble hiked a thumb towards the gate of the town. "Hey, whatever, let's get moving. You either do it or you don't."

"Are you... supporting me?" She smiled a little awkwardly at the largest of 'her' dragons. "Thank you."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes mightily. "Let's just get this over with." He grabbed her hand, but paused. "Does she have everything she needs?"

"One moment, let me teach her the basics." He gestured to the side. "Alone and undisturbed."

"Hey!" Smolder zipped into Spike's path. "Where were you?"

"Smolder!" He eagerly closed the distance with her. "I talked to Twilight! She can reach us, mostly." He lifted a shoulder just to wince at where the golden beam had scorched him. "Second." He began to glow with power, mustering healing energies.

"Uh, why are you hurt? Was Twilight seriously angry?" She glanced behind Spike as if he were hiding a pony back there. "And where is she? Oh yeah, Sandra's trying out a new class."

"Really? Great!" He let out a soft sigh, his wound fading away. "Healing and tough... why was I... so upset about this?"

"Big fancy Twilight spells?" helpfully reminded Smolder.

"Oh, yeah... I can do a lot, but nothing that fancy. Still... I mean... Anyway, she talked!" He waved his hands excitedly, a grin on his face. "She knows we're alright, which means she'll tell everyone else."

Smolder fired an emphatic double thumbs up. "Great. Can she teleport us back, or teleport here?"

"About that... I doubt it. She could barely talk." He turned and pointed high into the sky. "It was clearest when I was close to the tower and pretty high up. Turns out, the tower doesn't like cheating."

"And so you got zapped." She prodded the spot that had been injured moments ago. "You alright?"

"I'm okay," he quickly assured. "But I'm also convinced. Getting up that tower is what we need to do."

"Speaking of that." She turned away and began to descend where she had come from. "Let's get back to Garble and Sandra before they tear each other apart."

Spike barked out a laugh at that. "That would be awkward. I don't want either of them getting hurt."

"Oh?" Smolder smirked faintly, glancing over her shoulder. "You care about Garble now? I thought he was basically 'the worst' in your eyes."

"Hey! I mean... a little?" He lifted his shoulders. "Doesn't mean I want him hurt."

"He cares about you too." She dropped from the sky, landing beside a bored-looking Garble. "We ready to go?"

Garble snorted softly, smoke escaping. "They're going over the basics, over there." He pointed to the corner they were behind. "This better work..."

"We'll find something," assured Smolder, looking like it was no big deal. "One of these will work for--"

"--No. This is the last bit of waiting I do. This works, or we throw her aside. We don't need her."

"Harsh." Spike touched down gently next to Smolder. "What class is this, anyway? How much did it end up costing?"

Garble held up his hand, fingers curled in a big circle. "Only redeeming part of this whole thing. The guy's desperate for students, so he isn't charging at all. Makes me think it's full of junk."

Smolder shrugged. "Hey, with you there. I was asking questions, but she seems to really like the idea. Figures, she already summoned three dragons, why not make it official?"

"Official?" Spike scratched behind his head lightly. "What is she, some kind of dragon lord class?"

Garble barked with laughter, suddenly slapping Spike on the shoulder hard enough to make his shield briefly flare into being. "You just made my day a little better. No, summoner." He wriggled his fingers in a spooky manner. "So she can call more things to do her work for her. Seems her style."

"If it works for her?" He considered the corner the action was happening behind. "Just so long as she isn't yanking creatures from other worlds and pretending she owns them."

Smolder nodded in solidarity. "I will have to bap her on the head if she even considers it. Once was more than enough." She leaned in close to Spike. "Besides, I learned a recipe for human. Turns out they come out pretty good if you do it right."

Spike paled at the very idea, but Garble roared with laughter. "I take back everything, Sis. You're more than alright. Why did I ever doubt you?"

"Stupidity?" She snipped with a smirk and the two siblings thudded against each other, apparently neither taking the exchange poorly.

"Thank you for waiting." Sandra emerged into sight, looking not at all changed, though she clasped something in her hand. "I know the next step, but I'm not a summoner until a spirit accepts me." She turned the hand over, opening it to reveal a small dull stone. "It'll get shiny when that happens, then I can add it to the guild chain."

Garble turned for the exit of the city. "Great, now I don't feel like fighting the crowd there, so I'm going to pick you up, and you aren't going to complain."

"What?" was all she managed to get out before he turned halfway towards her and reached the other have, snatching her where she stood and propelling himself into the sky. "Put me down!"

"You sure you want me to do that?" he asked with a grin as they raised higher and higher into the sky. "I mean, if you insist..."

"No no no!"

Smolder nudged him from the side, easily matching his flight speed. "Don't be mean." She pointed down and ahead. "You know they get creeped out if we fly over the walls, let's land at the gate."

Spike flew at the opposite side of Garble. "I talked to Twilight. She knows we're here. I don't know if she can get us home, but it looks like the tower is the best way."

"Keep doin' what we were doin', got it. I'm not in the mood to be saved by a namy pamby pony princess anyway."

Sandra blinked softly. "Did you say pony? Like a little horse?"

Spike flew around to be in front of Sandra as they went. "Yeah. She's my, uh--"

"Master," cruelly quipped Garble with a smirk.

"Adopted sister," retorted Spike with crossed arms as he flew backwards. "Yeah, she's a pony." He thrust out a hand, balled up tight. "Hooves, twitchy ears, the works."

"Hooves... on her feet?" Sandra lifted one of her floating feet in demonstration. "I've seen demi-humans like that."

Smolder shook her head. "Oh boy, you would be so confused in Equestria. Imagine it, a whole world where humans are not in charge." She leered suddenly. "In fact, there are exactly zero of them. The dominant species, ponies, hooves, all four of them. Happy colorful ponies."

Sandra's fingers danced as if she were trying to calculate the scenario. "But... how? I mean, they have you guys, and other dragons, right? How have the dragons not... done what dragons do to ponies?"

Spike inclined his head faintly. "Made friends?"

Garble snorted derisively even as they touched down, the gate not far ahead. "That's what you do to ponies. The rest of us see them as potential snacks."

"Speak for yourself, Bro. One of my best buds is a pony. Speaking of that, wonder how Sandbar's doing, and the rest of them... Are they worried?" She reached to poke Spike. "Next time you talk to Twilight, ask. I didn't mean to make them all worried."

Garble released Sandra and pointed forward. "Enough talk, more action. Let's get out of here and find out if you have what it takes, Sandra."

They were allowed through with little trouble. A glance at their chains was all that was required. "Be careful out there," advised one of the guards, then they were past, into the fields they had started in so long ago.

Sandra pointed the way. "I know the forest he was talking about, where the big fire happened."

"Great, keep pointing." Garble snatched her back up without waiting for permission. "Because we're not walking. Don't get used to this, you're not light, but today I'm tired of waiting."

The forest came into view as they quickly sliced through the air. Spike shrugged softly as they went. "The tower didn't like me flying on the outside, but is there anything stopping us from flying on the inside?"

"N-no, now that I know of." Sandra spread her hands. "It's a dungeon though. You can only fly so high before you bump into the ceiling. Some of the rooms are really big I heard though, so yeah, you can fly, just not right to the top."

"Figures." Garble dropped Sandra a foot off the ground as they got close to the edge of the burnt forward. "And here we are. Ash and soot as far as the eye can see."

That wasn't entirely true. One could see, in the distance, where the trees started back up. The forest was not gone, but a great chunk of it had been reduced to ash, and was not showing much sign of recovery.

Sandra wobbled, regaining her footing after the rough drop. "R-right, okay... There's too much fire magic here, he said. I specialize in fire, so, maybe, I can call out a fire spirit and make a deal. Then I take the fire spirit away with us, and the forest can get a little better. Everyone wins!"

Sandra thumbs up before hiking the same thumb into the burnt ruins. "Well, how do you get one to come out and say hi?"

"This is a literal friendship quest," noted Spike musingly. "Neat. I haven't seen one of those in a while."

"You... used to see them a lot?" Sandra turned to Spike. "Any tips?"

Garble sat on a burnt stump. "He's a regular expert at sissy friendship stuff. You came to the right place for all that."

"Bro, student at the school of friendship, remember?" She put her hands at her hips and puffed out her chest. "You got at least two experts in the field. Now the way I see it, you need to go say hi."

Spike bobbed his head. "Yeah, say hello, and get to know them. Don't assume you know them, let them talk, and treat them as a person you care about, because you do. That's what friends do."

"Gag me."

Sanda nodded softly to the advice her friends were given. "Right, right... As a friend. Someone I care about... I can do this." She turned to the forest and began forward. "Just in case, if it starts cooking me, give a hand?"

21 - Who?

Sandra stood in a clearing surrounded by ash. It was warmer here, and she closed her eyes, since that was supposed to help, and began trying to ‘feel’ for the magic, as her instructor instructed.

She reached out with her magic senses, as if she were reaching out with a guildchain or into a magical weapon, but without the aid of those things, magic would be raw, difficult to contain or mold.

And then, coming over her almost suddenly, like putting on a pair of glasses, the magic felt… clear. She could barely recognize what she felt. Powerful magic, hot and intense overwhelmed her, and almost as soon as it came, she lost her focus and stumbled back, like she was struck.

She breathed heavily, her heart beating. Was this normal, with magic? Did all magic have that intensity? She learned to cast her first spell when she was just a kid… but she had never felt like that before.

A low growl had her open her eyes in a flash. Far more concrete than the subtle and intense play of magic, a very real creature seemed to loom over her, glaring with a potentially dangerous mien. It was bright oranges and red, giving the impression of flame in its movements. Feathered ears twitched on its head and its wings fidgeted at its side. "A fire owl?"

It vanished as quickly as it had come. "What the…"

"Keep going," shouted Spike a short distance away. "Whatever you were doing, uh, worked. I think?"

Sandra sat herself back up, somewhat confused. She hadn’t done much of anything, had she? She had only looked… But she had already gotten something’s attention, it seems. She gazed down at the ground, not with her magical sight but with her ordinary sight. Maybe it’s just that desperate to get out? It was fire… She pursed her lips and started to focus again, sitting this time.

Garble nudged Smolder lightly. "Two gold she messes up."

"Be nice." She nudged him right back. "And you're on."

She reached out her senses in again, and was immediately assaulted with that hot magical feeling. But it wasn’t just hot, it was a little clearer. Inquisitiveness… and eagerness were there. Like she could feel them herself. That must have been the owl, the owl that jumped out at the first chance.

“... Hi?” she said, very verbally, but nothing was happening. Well, it was made of magic, and it was all magical feelings, so… she tried just… focusing her magic on her feelings? What did a welcoming feeling feel like?

It did something, because she could feel the eagerness grow. It was… it was a little intimidating. There was so much fire down there, with a piece of it reaching out. And it was eager and energetic, but part of Sandra reasoned… it was fire, wasn’t it? Why wouldn’t it be those things…

The three dragons, though, were all taken aback as above her a flame formed into what seemed to be a bird’s face. Sandra sat down, her head dipped, eyes screwed in concentration, completely oblivious to the flaming creature forming above her.

Smolder whispered to Garble. “Get that gold ready.”

“I will,” he whispered back. “For when it tries to bite her head off.”

Sandra, meanwhile, felt more comfortable already. Maybe the enthusiasm was rubbing off on her, but she expected a lot more burning. A lot more anger and maybe rage? But she felt this desire to get out, this desire to go out. She liked that feeling, even as the feeling of just… busting out scared her. What if she failed? What if she couldn’t do it?

But a burst of enthusiasm, of determination came through clear as day, as she realized what she was thinking was definitely being picked up, and it was sorta in her thoughts. The spirit wanted out. The spirit wanted to see the world. Heck, the spirit wanted to fly and run and pitch itself into danger.

It was everything Sandra felt like she was not, and this excited her.

"A spirit can enhance what you are," she remembered her teacher saying. "But they can also be what you are not. They can fill the voids within you, rushing to occupy that space with their own energy and personality. This is not a path you ever walk alone."

Sandra was certain. This was the one, and it was already ready and ‘impressed.’ She didn’t know it happened or how she was certain, but she was. So the next step is to draw the spirit out, and she began to extend her own magic to pull it out. Only a little tug was necessary and she became aware of a presence beside her. Snapping her eyes open, the rather tangible spirit was right there, and as she felt her magic tugging the spirit out, the owl fluffed itself up and embers fluffed up at the same time, creating a brief cloud of flaming brilliance.

The owl danced away, wings flapping at the apex of each little bounce. Its eyes were upon her steadily, watching and waiting. She felt certain it was waiting, for something.

"No more waiting." She took a slow breath. "It's... time to do something."

The owl bounced closed, but didn't come back down, hovering in the air with steady beats of its wings, bits of smoldering embers raining down from its feathery body and its eyes even with Sandra's.

"Can you... talk?"

"Since you want me to," replied the owl. "Are you serious? Is it time to go?" The owl sounded like a young boy, no great sage there. "You're hot. Will you keep me warm as we travel?"

Sandra's cheeks warmed, puzzling the meanings of that. "Like... this?" It was a fire spirit, perhaps a little fire magic was what it wanted. She held out her hands, fire swirling into being between them, not quite violent enough to become a fireball just yet, just swirling, almost calmly.

"Oh, yes! Yes yes." The owl flapped closer, landing on one of her hands, looking down into the flames. "You like names."

"I... huh?"

"You like names." The owl looked back to Sandra. "Give me one. Make it a good one."

Even as Sandra considered some, the owl fell right into the flames she held, flapping wildly, its wings brushing the insides of her hands as it awkwardly held itself there in that fire, starting to glow brightly. Her magic was seeping into it quickly, forcing her to call on more fire magic, lest it all go out. "Name, name... Aiden."

"Good name," agreed the owl, its form unchanged but something else about it seemingly altered with the name, harder to place. "Hotter."

She held her hands a little further apart, allowing Aiden to fly without brushing feathers against her. Sandra was focusing on the fire, trying to raise the temperature slowly, but Aiden kept encouraging more and more.

Spike watched with a slightly confused expression. "Well, it isn't attacking her, and they are... talking... I think?"

"I think?" agreed Smolder. None of them had heard the words the owl had said, just what Sandra had spoke, responding as if she had been talked to. "Sandra! I think it likes a good fire bath, turn up the heat!"

"Hotter," agreed Aiden, its own feathers glowing just a bit brighter than the flames around it, always keeping ahead of the intensity of Sandra's heat just by a little.

Sandra was at the edge of what she could reasonably control. She could feel the edges of her heat fraying and twitching, about to escape, to douse the already burnt forest as if it needed any more fire. "I can't..."

"Can. Afraid. Stop. Hotter." Aiden spoke each word carefully and pointedly, its eyes locked on Sandra's.

"How... hot?"

"All hot."

Sandra took a slow breath, even if the heat she held burnt at her throat. "Alright... hotter." She closed her eyes and fell. Not literally of course. She let the magic flow as quickly as it could. The flames erupted into a mighty roar, exploding between her hands.

She couldn't see it, but the dragons could, gaping as the great explosion reached out several feet before drawing right back into that space between her hands. The owl drew it all in and its wings redoubled in size, becoming little more than moving flames, brushing Sandra's hands despite her moving them further apart. With a predator's cry, the owl burst into light, and vanished.

Sandra staggered forward, her magic drained and fatigue threatening her. "W-wait... Did... I?" The area was relatively dark as she opened her eyes, her flame no longer there. But something was shining. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the glimmering stone that had once been dormant. "I'm a summoner..." A smile spread across her face. "I did it!"

Spike wooped and cheered, charging over towards her. Smolder held out a hand towards Garble, a smug smile of victory on her scaled lips.

"Yeah Yeah." He shoved the coins at her as if attacking her with her earned winnings. "So what can that, uh, owl do?"

Smolder nodded, coming in at a more sedate walk. "Good question, but first, you're supposed to put that in your chain, right?"

"Yes, yes, of course." She held up her chain in one hand and brought over the glimmering stone in the other. With shaking hands, she brought them together and there was only a chain a moment later. The chain changed shape, acknowledging her new class. The face of Aiden appeared on the side and feathers dotted the entire surface. "Huh, he really left a mark."

Spike arrived first, peering at the chain Sandra held. "Think it'll change as you get more?"

"Maybe. That's... pretty nice." She was smiling, looking less nervous by far than when she had begun the process. "Aiden is the owl's name."

"Hello, Aiden." Spike waved at the chain, though the chain had no replies to give.

"Hey." Garble was looking around as he came closer. "I think you did something." The others looked as well, seeing small patches of grass poking through the burnt ruin. It wasn't a sudden reversal of the damage, and wasn't spreading before their eyes, but...

"It helped... I helped!" Sandra clapped her hands together, allowing her chain to return to its usual dangling place. "Aiden? Are you there?"

With a burst of flames, the flaming owl appeared, crackling and burning, still shining with Sandra's magic.

"Say hello to my friends."

But he said nothing, just landing on Spike's shoulder. Spike looked pleased, reaching up to gently scratch the bird. "I raised a phoenix once, you're a lot like him, all... bird-like and on fire and all. Come to think of it, I had an owl for a friend too. You're like the two put together. Nice. I'm Spike. What's your name?"

But Aiden didn't speak to Spike. Smolder nodded softly. "Great. You got a summon and you can actually call it when you need to, so you qualify now. You know what that means, right?"

Garble thrust a finger at the tower in the distance. "It's time to get serious. We're going to beat up everything in the way, get to the top, and go home."

"Why isn't he talking?" Sandra frowned a little. "He did before... but yes, we should go report to the guild, tell them we're all qualified, and get promoted."

"Wait, promoted?" Spike leaned forward, forcing Aiden to change his stance.

Sandra nodded firmly. "Oh yeah, we officially shouldn't be at the lowest rock anymore. They'll judge us and give us a new rank. Whatever it is, we'll then be qualified to enter the tower. We'll also become eligible to do other, much more advanced, quests."

Smolder hiked a brow at that. "Pass. The goal is to get home, not run around earning money. Besides, we'll do that just fighting through the tower, right?"

Sandra nodded softly. "Well, yes... Some people do just that. Aiden, come here." Aiden took launch from Spike's shoulder and flew directly at Sandra, vanishing into a haze of embers as it reached her, vanishing. "That will take a little getting used to. But I did it!"

Author's Notes:

Sandra has a flaming owl. Welcome Aiden to the party!

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22 - First Step

Sandra strode down the street with firm steps, her arms pumping and her eyes on the tower ahead. "It's really time," she said mostly to herself, a giddy smile on her face, and a new stone bouncing on her visible guildchain.

"Just so we're clear." Garble elbowed her from the side. "That doesn't make you in charge."

"I know! I know… It was stupid." She looked to his chain, which also had a new stone, but the guild had only raised the dragons by one step, while granting Sandra three, claiming she had brought a 'rare new class'. "Really stupid. I know I was… just as dumb, at first."

Spike shook his head. "They weren't exactly subtle. They only gave you such a big jump so you'd be over us. I bet they think they're doing you some kind of favor."

Sandra rolled her eyes with a long suffering grunt. "That kind of help I could do without. We're a team. You're all amazing. I'm happy that I'll be able to help, at your side, not as your boss. You know that, right?"

Smolder swatted her human teammate on the back. "Relax. Garble's just beating his chest, one of his favorite things to do sometimes."

"Hey."

"Calling it like I see it." She shot imaginary guns at her brother. "We're a team. What stupid rock they put on the chain doesn't mean a thing when we're facing things that want to chomp us for lunch." She licked over her snout. "They don't understand that's my job."

Spike rushed ahead to the gate that separated the city from the area immediately by the tower. "Hey, we're qualified." He held up his chain in clear view. "All of us. We can go in now, right?"

The guard held out a hand until Spike flew in close enough for him to draw it in close for inspection, keeping Spike hovering uncomfortably close by. "Looks proper," he admitted after an awkward moment. "Next."

Sandra flashed her chain, looking ready to step up as Spike did, but he waved her past. Garbe moved to follow her with a smirk, just for a glowing spear to come down in his way.

"Chain?" the guard demanded flatly as if bored.

Garble rolled his eyes. "Seriously?" He held his up and the guard started to reach for it. Garble yanked it back. "You know a chain when you see one. I'm going past now."

Smolder pulled her lips back, exposing sharp teeth. "If you're lucky, we'll be devoured by random tower monsters. Mmm, you wouldn't want to keep us away from that, would you?"

The guard snorted softly. "Ensuring you have the proper stone is how we keep you safe. If you want to kill yourself, fine." He raised his spear, allowing their progress.

The siblings marched past him, eyes forward and frowns on their faces. As soon as they were out of conversational distance with the gate, Garble shoved Smolder. "Did you catch that? Sucks to be a demi-human around here."

"Good thing we aren't one." She cocked a brow. "Not that anyone knows the difference between one and a dragon, so, eh." She lifted her shoulders. "It's time to get serious." She hiked a thumb at the tower they were approaching. "Sandra, got any info you want to share about this place? You haven't been in there yourself, right?"

Sandra looked up at the tower above. “I… well… what the tower is is pretty mysterious. Nobody knows what it… or the other towers that are in the world are here for. We know that they are huge collections of magic and thus have tons of powerful monsters, and powerful items, and probably even classes and stuff.

“But that goes with… nobody exactly knowing what is in the tower. But, the important part is--”

“That the tower grants a wish to whomever can climb it!” Spike said, marching ahead of the group.

“There’s… one more thing, real quick,” Sandra said.

Spike looked back, fiddling with his shield, but said nothing.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but we… will have to turn back sooner or later.” Sandra grimaced a little. “Not that we’re not getting to the top, it’s just gonna take more than one trip.”

“So what?” Spike said. “I mean, I figured we’d take a little time for it…”

“I’m just saying to… manage expectations, you know. We won’t get all the way up today.”

“Oh, I get it,” Garble said, his hand gripping his brand new blade, a large curved sword which was neither worn on his back or side, but slung over his shoulder from a strap, hanging down. “Sandra is worried we can’t handle the tower, even after all the training and new classes.”

“No! It’s not that.” She fanned her hands wildly.

He drew the sword from its sheath, which was a two handed process which involved taking the strap off of his shoulder, even, holding up the massive, if somewhat simple blade above his head. “Now now, poor limited human girl. You are with the three most mythological creatures that exist in this world, even if one of them’s a namby pamby. We sped through the former process, and are gonna do stuff that you only wish you could do without us.” He pointed the sword forward. “Onward!”

Smolder and Spike cheered, and took off a bit more quickly toward the tower. Sandra looked at them and smiled weakly. It was heartening to see them so enthusiastic, but she looked up at the tower, so tall they couldn’t see the top. So tall stories of people reaching the top were more legend than stories.

But she needed to get to the top too, right? That was why she came to this town after all. So realistic or not, she had to do it, and she snorted to herself and steeled her attitude and headed after them.

As Garble reached the towering stone doors, his chain began to glow. The door replied in kind, strange runes emerging and glimmering in wild patterns that ran along its edge. With a low thrum of stone against stone, it began to open inwards into the dark beyond.

A man bowed towards them. That man had not been there moments before. Garbed in robes with a beard far too long for most, he raised his hands together, fingers pressed together except the middle fingers that folded over the opposing hand. "Go, Seekers. You will surely find, but is it what you wish?"

Garble ignored the man as if he hadn't even heard him. Smolder wasn't as quick to dismiss the sudden human, peering at him but keeping up with Garble.

Spike was the first to approach the stranger. "Hey, uh, who are you?"

"Death, or victory? A new life, perhaps? Many are the things found here, but none leave empty handed."

"Do you have a name?"

The man smiled at Spike. "Reach the tenth floor and I will answer that." And he was gone, blown away as if made of sand, the gust from nowhere carrying the flecks away.

"O… kay." Spike turned in the air, still hovering. "I wasn't the only one to see that, right?"

"We're leaving you behind," called Garble from up ahead. "Catch up, Mister Lord. You're supposed to be in front now, ain'tcha?"

Spike hopped up forward, catching up to them as he entered the tremendous doors and stepped into the massive entryway. Natural light filtered through what appeared to be stained glass windows, and there were columns with ornate bases and capitals, which looked like carvings of guildchain insignias. Spike thought he saw the vitamancer, even, but it was not nearby. Everything was intricate and ornate, nothing looked worn down or old or even heavily used, as this is the room everyone would go into.

Hanging over the door at the far end of this hallway were letters. This door was made of wood, of fine touches and almost delicate compared to the stone face they had just passed. The words read, "Go boldly and claim success. Go meekly and join the rest." They were large enough to read at the distance they were working to close.

Garble hiked a thumb forward at it. "They're warning the weaklings to go home. Anyone having second thoughts?" Surely not him, as he continued forward without pause.

Sandra's eyes wandered from one class insignia to the next, her feet moving on auto pilot as she gaped. "It's... amazing, but it's not all of them." She reached for her chain, holding it up. "Where's this one?" Her newly forged class was not there, at least none of them saw it.

Spike landed briefly on a column, clinging to it. "Found mine. Guess this is a classic." He launched free of it, soaring to just in front of Garble and touching the ground in a speed-waddle. "What I wanna know is who made this place? The same people who made the rest of the tower?"

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "Search me, but it'd make sense, right? Hey, Sandra, who did make this tower?"

"Does it matter?" spat Garble. "It's time to fight. We can chit-chat about that when we're back out." He nudged his head towards the door. "Go on, Spike. Open it."

"Wait, what?" He toddled up to the massive wooden doors. They did not open as automatically as the stone ones had. "These are huge." Still, he put a hand on it and tried pushing, then the other hand came in, grunting and heaving. "Come on, give a... hand."

"Let me show you how it's done." Garble slung his sword and approached in several large strides. He tried to shove the door open, but it did not obey, and soon he was also pushing, grunting and frowning all the more with every attempt.

Smolder hurried up. "Is there a trick to it?" She looked around, trying to spot the secret that would cause it to open.

"I think we just need to do it together." Sandra let out a slow breath as she advanced. "They mentioned something offhand, the... other party. Together." She put her hands on the door. "You too, Smolder."

"Can't hurt." Smolder put both of her hands on the door, not pushing, simply resting her hands on the wood.

A great shudder rumbled through their feet. The doors began to open inward, revealing darkness. In the gloom, red glowing eyes began to open, dozens on dozens of them. It seemed their welcoming party was already assembled, but they did not advance on them.

Garble huffed, smoke escaping. "I loosened it for you."

Sandra took a quivering breath. "Aiden, I think it's time." With a flare of fire, her owl appeared, perching on her shoulder. "I don't think they'll come into the entryway, but the moment we step in..." She didn't finish the thought, but there was hardly any need to.

Spike lifted his shoulders. "So why don't we blast them from here?" He drew his staff from his back just as Garble drew his. "Take this!" Spike's staff glowed faintly, then went out. "Well, that didn't work."

Smolder smirked softly. "Nice try, Spike, but I guess that's cheating. They can't come to us, and we can't pick them off from here." With a twirl of her suddenly drawn knives, she assumed a battle stance. "We fight, right from the start."

"Sounds good." Garble leveled his blade, taking a slow breath. "We take the first step, let loose the first blood," he began to speak melodically, stepping in time with the syllables. "We cave the first skull. Nothing will stop us."

"That doesn't rhyme," noted Spike, but he moved on despite his disapproval. They all did. The door closed with deceptive speed behind them, slamming shut. The great smash of wood against wood seemed to be a signal, because they came. Emerging from the gloom, spiders with fangs of dripping crystal scuttled towards them. The struggle to ascend had properly begun.

Author's Notes:

The adventure properly begins!

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23 - Going Up

They were rushing from all directions, yet Spike seemed to always be at the front. With staff held firmly in both hands and his eyes set forward determinedly, his force could be felt and seen, glimmering around his teammates in warmth and by his enemies in hostile rebuke.

A spider swarm dove at Garble, his great blade cleaving into them, crushing and breaking them with every word of his song, but there were so many more, pressing and biting. "Dang it," he swore, one getting past his spotty defense, his focus on his attack, but the bite never really hurt.

Instead, a swollen bump appeared on Spike's side in the same place Garble had been bitten. Spike hissed softly, but his grip only tightened on his staff, warm green glow swarming over the spot, trying to heal it even as he kept up the sphere of protection.

"Aiden, show us what you have!" Sandra waved a hand out over the swarming mass. Following her direction, Aiden spread his wings wide and soared at them as silently as owls were known for. As quiet as his wings were, the flames that began to spread out were anything but an angry roar of hungry inferno that consumed the arachnids that had been approaching Sandra.

Smolder slashed with one of her brand new daggers, slashing one between its eyes, it collapsing. The next arachnid was dispatched just as easily, but Smolder snorted as she peered spotted Garble cleaving another three apart with one slash. Daggers were not well suited for hitting groups of enemies at once. She raised her daggers up again. Nothing to do but to slash faster!

Garble slashed through another wave, and they had just a bit of breathing room. But the spiders, despite the fact that they had cleared out what had to be a room full of them, were regrouping and ready to surge. “What gives? Aren’t they supposed to be, like, being beaten?”

They began to surge forward, and Sandra called out, “Aiden! Keep it up!” He flew up close, flapping out a wave of flame to blanket the first wave, who skittered to an end and evaporated as monsters do, but leaving nothing behind. Not even scraps. Sandra tilted her head. Not a single one turned into anything?

“There!” called out Spike, as he pointed his glowing staff. In the gloom there was a single glowing light, apparently on a pole, and notably the spiders avoided it.

Garble nodded, holding up his sword high and behind him, ready to swing. “Let’s get moving then! Rolling Crescent!” He spun himself around, his blade close, then brought it down at the end of the rotation, sending a wave of white energy out in, well, a crescent in front of him, cleaving a huge swath of spiders apart.

The swarm was too much for just his staff. Spike thrust forward an arm and his shield appeared on it without the usual steps of drawing it, just in time to catch the mandibles of a crashing spider and thrust it aside. "Together!"

"They… said…" Sandra directed Aiden with great sweeps of her right hand, guiding his flaming path across the seemingly endless carpet of crystalline spiders. "They said! To… watch for your first… step."

Despite her fatigue, Smolder let out a lone rough laugh. "It's a doozy." She slide forward, slicing open the belly of a spider along the way and dragging its entrails as she bent and twisted it in a bloody display. By the time she sprang up the other end, she tossed it aside to a floating fire that hadn't been there before, cooking the knotted spider offal without missing a beat. "Snack coming up!"

Pressing together, they forced the waves of arachnids back, Spike at the fore. He held his shield high and to the front, projecting an angular plane of force that kept them from swarming from ahead, which left the others to cleave and burn those who came from behind, earning their progress what felt like inch by inch. "Eat this." Smolder shoved her cooked meat into Spike's face, narrowly missing just jamming it into his mouth.

"Not… in the mood. Barely breathing." Spike was panting with effort, sweat coating his scaled body and making his clothing stick awkwardly. "Keep going."

"Eat!" she sternly commanded. "It'll help."

Spike moved up and chomped the morsel of meat, which was still juicy, and chewed it up. It was at that moment that he remembered where it had came from. "I'm eating a… spider…" Part of him wanted to retch it right back up again, but it didn't taste as awful as one might imagine, and the food was working as advertised, chasing away his fatigue.

Smolder took a moment to pat him on the back, smiling but saying nothing, before turning back to slash away on her side, ready to make a few more morsels.

Spike turned his attention forward again, pressing forward slow and steady with his shield. Even with the angle they beat against it, trying to press him back. The spiders didn’t have a sense of self preservation, and somehow they never stopped. But bit by bit they cleft and burned and even munched their way to the light that drove them away, and when they got there, Spike collapsed onto the ground on it.

The ground lurched beneath them, then began to rise towards the ceiling at a smooth but rapid clip, the unyielding stone above coming towards them uncomfortably quickly. "Tell me that's part of the plan," grunted out Garble, edging towards the side, ready to jump free.

Sandra held out her arm and Aiden landed on it without a word of command. "We made it, I think… We beat the first floor." She gestured upward with her free hand as the ceiling began to part, opening for them. "The second's not quite as… intense, if their bragging is anything to go off of, but they get stronger with each floor."

Almost too close to call the ceiling parted and they went straight through a tunnel that seemed to be nearly exactly the size of the pillar they were being lifted on.

“What was going on with those spiders?” Spike sat himself up, breathing heavily. “They were so weak… were they weak like the weakest monsters out there? And they didn’t seem to end...”

“They might literally have no end,” Sandra said. “I think… the magic from the spiders was being reused to make new spiders.”

“Wait it can do that?” Smolder was astonished. “So, sometimes, there might literally be an unlimited amount of monsters that people would have to fight?”

“There was probably some kind of device making them…” Sandra looked down in thought. “Unless the tower is just… like that. The monsters definitely don’t deplete from the wilderness. It usually just takes a bit longer.”

“Scary,” Smolder said, pulling out another bit of spider flesh. “You know, this isn’t bad. Tastes a little like when Fluttershy brought us some of that seafood stuff.”

With that, above them a second ceiling split open and they arrived in a well lit large stone room. This floor had… more than one floor? There were clearly two different staircases up, with gates and large ogre monsters and rooms branching off of the first floor. One of them looked at the party, but seemed uninterested in pursuing, and looked back.

Garble took the first step off the pad. "We're here."

"Wherever here is." Spike hopped off next, shouldering his shield along the way and holding his staff firmly. "Give me a second." With soft words and green magic, he began to banish the hurts he had built along the way. "That stung, just so you know, like… a lot."

"Don't be a pansy." Garble rolled his eyes.

Smolder quirked a brow, but Sandra acted faster, ribbing him just as firmly as Smolder might have normally. "I, for one, am thankful Spike was there. One of those spiders bit me! But I saw Spike taking it instead… Sorry for not getting out of the way, Spike."

Spike waved his staff, creating shadows of the green light. "It's the job I took up… It's kind of… different, being the leader."

Garble frowned at the statement. "You ain't leading me anywhere, shortstack."

“What?” Spike blinked. “That’s my class. Divine Lord. Sandra is a summoner who summons, ”

“Well you aren’t my lord.” Garble poked Spike in his chest. “You aren’t much of a ‘divine’ anything either. You’re just a healer in armor. Better than a healer out of armor, but not my ‘leader’,” he said.

“Woah woah woah woah.” Smolder got in between the two, pushing them away from each other. “Okay, this is not the place for this. Garble--” She turned to him. “Spike definitely took point, and that whole ‘take our hits’ thing was pretty damn good, right?”

Garble grumbled some affirmative noises, and Spike beamed, at least until Sandra turned to him.

“But, Spike, being the healer and in the front line doesn't make you like, ‘the leader’. Any more than Garble was our leader before.” She gestured to her brother. “So we work like we did before, except now you have cool armor and new healing awesomeness, and Garble now smashes instead of takes hits. Easy, right?”

Garble snorted, and Spike looked down, feeling abashed.

“Right, easy. Now let’s figure out this floorrrerr--” Smolder looked at the stairs and multi floor chambers. “Floors. Yeah, that.”

Smolder walked ahead, calling over her shoulder, "Anyone still tired? It probably won't just be a casual walk through this floor either." She waggled a few fingers over the strange scene before them. "I am assuming this all counts as one floor."

"Probably," weakly agreed Sandra, looking uncertain. "Do you know, Aiden?" The owl vanished as a reply, flames fading away from the burst of its leaving. "Guess not... Still, that worked. Aiden's pretty great."

"Speaking of that." Garble slung his sword, peering about for other trouble that wasn't in obvious sight. "You can get more than one of those, right? The guy that taught you had a few."

"Yeah! I... just have to find them and then convince them." Sandra began forward, walking with the others along the stairs. "This place is too quiet compared to the first floor. Infinite spiders to not a thing around at all."

"Spike?"

Spike cocked his head, his gait faltering a moment. "Twilight?"

"It's not a bad time, is it?"

"No! No, I mean, I guess? We're in that tower, uh, floor 2. Fighting for our lives."

"For your lives?!" came her distressed squeak. "Spike, what are you doing?!"

"At the top of this tower is how we get home, unless you found another way?"

Smolder ribbed him lightly. "Hey, Spike. You're talking to yourself. Just FYI."

"I haven't," admitted Twilight in a sad defeated tone. "I'm still looking! Spike, please, don't get hurt..."

Spike thought back to the injuries he had banished just moments ago. "I'll... do my best..." He held up a claw towards Smolder. "I'll be with you in a second."

Smolder hiked a brow, moving to be next to Sandra instead. "Huh, must be an important call..."

"Most communication magic doesn't work well through the walls of the tower," noted Sandra, peering skeptically to the side at Spike as he talked. "Who is he talking to?"

Garble rolled his shoulders as he hiked a thumb ahead. "Door coming up."

There was a door, deceptively small compared to the great multi-floored complex they had been traversing. "Think there are monsters behind it?"

Smolder's brows fell in a furrow. "Or some kind of trap, or a puzzle to even get it open..."

"You're much clearer," noted Twilight, sounding a bit happier. "This tower has fascinating properties. If I was there, with you..."

"That would be bad," completed Spike. "Equestria needs you."

Her groan was deep and suffering. "It's not fair. You're in danger and I have to... just hope."

"Don't hope, believe in me, in us. We'll get through this." He put a hand on his chest as he spoke those words, a little smile on his face.

"Be careful." Her voice faded out, the conversation ending for the moment.

Author's Notes:

Welcome to Floor 2! Now with less spiders!

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24 - Floor 2

Smolder wandered towards the edge of the hallay, peering down and over the side. "This isn't the only way, not by far."

Garble shrugged towards the large door. "But it is the way in front of us, so are we going or not?"

Spike strode to the fore and placed a hand on the door. "Open?"

As it turned out, the door did as asked, swinging inwards with nary a sound to its silky parting of its two sides. Beyond it was a room with a great network of channels that glowed in various colors. Spike clapped his hands together almost instantly. "Sweet, a riddle."

Sandra blinked softly. "While I think I agree, how did you figure that out so quickly?"

Smolder smirked softly. "Spike loves a good brain teaser. I blame his pony sister." She moved to nudge him good-naturedly. "You already solve it?"

"Oh, no… So that goes…" He began tracing through the air where one color met the next, what they became and broke out into, trying to discern the pattern. "I wouldn't try to cross until we figure it out though."

Garble snorted and put his sword back in the sheath, slinging it over his shoulder. “Great, just some more waiting.”

Sandra wandered over towards where Smolder had been peering. "You know... I'm not sure we can solve this one just waiting for Spike."

"Finally." Garble threw a hand up with sour relief. "Someone gets it. Waiting all day sounds boring."

"I meant that I think we have to do more than one track to finish it." She pointed down to another level they could see. "And not one by one."

Smolder hiked a brow. "Seriously? Puzzles for everyone? Fine." Her wings unfurled wide. "Need a ride?"

Garble snorted a gust of billowing smoke. "This is like the opposite of… Whatever." He suddenly grabbed Sandra by the scruff of her shirt. "You're with me."

"Wait wha--" Off the edge they went, rising up to another floor of the multi-level puzzle corridor they had started.

Smolder blinked at the space that once held her brother. "Subtle, bro."

"Wha?" Spike was already proceeding into the room, deflecting a beam with his shield. "Where'd everyone else go?"

"Doing their own puzzles. I better get going too. Meet you at the end, alright?"

“Um--” Spike began, but Smolder was already leaving. “... Okay.” He turned his attention back to the puzzle and it’s channels of color. He mentally traced the colors. There were a variety of colored nodes with colors coming from them, so maybe the ones of the same color needed to be connected… It looked like the red ones all had handholds, but without figuring it out Spike didn’t want to touch them. Haphazard movements could make it harder.

But just as he was thinking about it, the static looking connections started shifting. “What?!” Spike said aloud. “Why is it changi--” Oh. His claw hit his face.

His party members were shifting things in their places. Spike snorted. Well so much for not haphazardly shifting the connections, he thought, and began rotating one of the nodes he could.

It was maddening as he rotated, he’d rotate something to a place he thought would work, only for the other nodes to rotate on their own. He snarled. “Hey! I’m tryin to work here!” But there was no response. They could not hear him. He went back to trying to figure it out, the chaotic mess of nodes and channels shifting.

It felt less like puzzle solving and more like trying stuff at random.

Then he saw it! The chance to connect two nodes at the edges. It had been left out. He quickly rotated his red node and connected a series. The nodes glowed brightly, brighter and brighter, until with a noise like spak all the nodes burst, their lights going out.

“Was that… what was supposed to happen?” Spike wondered aloud, and he heard some grinding, as a hole appeared in the ceiling, depositing a hunched over bipedal beast with large claws, who roared and charged at Spike.

The magic shield went up almost as an instinct, the clawed monster bouncing off, and Spike cursed his luck. The monster clawed at the shield, cracks appearing where it clawed. It would make it through in time.

Spike grit his teeth. How was he supposed to deal with a monster like this? His class was a protector! A supporter! It wasn’t intended to be used solo like this.

Probably.

Unlike his other party members, he hadn’t seen anyone with his actual class. No mentor or anything.

And he was now wearing heavy armor, and while he chose a staff with the shield and damage sharing spells… he didn’t have only one staff. He suddenly remembered the last time he was alone with a great beast. "I haven't lost it…" He leaped into the air, wings carrying him over the reaching claws as he grabbed for his staff, his metal shield vanishing in the act. "I just got better."

The monster's eyes shone with deadly intent, but soon something far more pressing, beams of energy lancing out and crashing into Spike's magic bubble. He squeaked and dodged to the left, allowing it to pass and dig into the ceiling behind him. "Alright, you have some ranged moves, good, wouldn't want it to be… boring, right?"

He thrust his staff at it, not the gentle waving bobbing of healing motions but a violent invocation, strange words coming with it as he marshalled the life magic he had learned and hurled it in a tight ball, smashing into the thing's snout with a faint trickle of blood.

It roared in fury at being hurt as if insulted by the very idea. Grabbing the wall, it scrambled up towards Spike, eyes flaring with fresh beams of death, sending the dragon swirling and bobbing out of the way.

And just as Spike was focusing on dodging, it leapt in, closing the gap effortlessly, catching a glancing blow at Spike’s armor, knocking him back. Spike scrambled to get back on his feet as the clawed beast pressed at him, and he swung his staff at the monster to bat it away. The hit rang true, but it did very little but knock the beast back a bit.

But Spike felt a tickle when he did it. A little tickle he was familiar with now of magic trying to be drawn. It wanted to be drawn. When the monster bore down on him, he swung it again, pressing all the magic he could at it, and instead of a small thwack like before, a big magic aura, looking very much like the shield he could summon appeared and smashed into the monster.

The blow sent it flying back several feet and tumbling to the ground, surprised at the force suddenly brought against it. "I am the divine lord," growled Spike as he scrambled to his feet. "Come get some." Sure he didn't feel nearly as brave as his words, but he gave himself a few points for coming up with the line in the heat of the moment.

He was a front line combatant, he silently reminded himself. Fighting things head on was what he could do, whether to keep them away from his friends, or tangle with them himself. "You can do this," he whispered, clenching his staff firmly. "Let's do this."

The creature rolled up to its feet, drool and blood dripping from it’s face, and it bellowed, digging furrows with its claws as it charged.

“What is taking you so long?!” Garble shouted, sitting up from his chosen post laying down on the ground. “Didn’t you make progress or something?”

“I dunno…” Sandra said, looking at the board. “The red ones went out, which I think was right, but then the red nodes stopped moving. They need to be twisted if I’m gonna connect my green ones.”

Garble just groaned and went back to lay down.

The beast’s eyes glowed and it shot it’s lasers at Spike, and followed up with a charge. Spike half dodged the lasers and brought his staff down onto the monster, being rewarded with his own glancing blow as the magic scraped across the monster’s arm.

The monster was unabated as it pressed forward, slashing ferociously at Spike, digging deep into Spike’s arm, causing him to cry out, but Spike also smashed his staff into the beast’s side, the bright golden runes and magic slamming it away in a skidding sort of scramble, not quite knocking it off its feet.

As it recovered, Spike immediately pointed the staff out and shouted the words, firing the somewhat small burst of vitaemancer blast at it, which hit the monster square between the eyes, sprawling it back on it’s back.

It didn’t get back up.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief, the stinging in his arm hurting, but at least the fight was over. As he cast the heal spell on himself, he opened up his guildchain, looking at his class and its abilities. Right underneath his other new spells, Pain Funnel and Divine Shield, was his third new ability, Smite. Spike smiled to himself, and looked back at the puzzle screen, the other green and blue nodes were still moving on their own, and Spike came back over to help them solve the puzzle.

Smolder threw a dagger sharply. It slammed into the side of one of the nodes and turned it to the right until it clicked. "I got this." She twirled and flung a second, manipulating the workings of the room without moving. "Spike thinks he's the pro at this." She smirked with growing confidence. "But this is a friendship puzzle and I bet he doesn't even realize it."

She could see the other colors of the other rooms moving around and simply focused on them, trying her best to support them towards solutions. "I bet mine will be easy to fix once they're through." There was a chance hers would automatically end at that point. It was a wager she was willing to bet on.

Sandra reached out an arm, Aiden appearing without being vocally called. "You're getting better at knowing when I want you." The owl tilted his head at her silently. "Get that node over there just as I turn this one." She pointed over to the thing that looked almost like a spigot.

Aiden lifted and flew with only noise when he flapped to a stop, landing on the spigot, eyes on Sandra. When she gave a heaving turn, Aiden turned the same way with a flurry of flaps and flaming feathers, the two grinding them to the next position. The colors changed dramatically and their line reached the other side of the room. "Score!"

"That mean you got it?" asked Garble, not even watching them. "'Bout time."

Aiden flew back to Sandra, perching lightly on her head. Fortunately, he had almost no weight when he didn't want to, and she accepted her strange new hat. "The door's opening." She pointed the way. "Thanks for the help."

"When you have something that needs hitting, I'll be there." He flexed his right arm as he began to stalk forward. "Maybe there'll be something worth the trouble after this."

They walked through the doorway, and descended a flight of stairs to exit where they saw Smolder and Spike both coming out of two other doorways, from the middle and bottom respectively. “Oh good, we’re back together,” said Sandra.

“Yeah, it was surprising when they dropped those beasts on us, having to handle them alone.” Spike hiked a thumb back at where his battle took place.

Sandra blinked. “Beasts? We didn’t have to fight any beasts.”

“You mean get to fight any beasts,” Garble said. “That woulda been way better than watching you mess with a panel for like an hour.”

Smolder rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t that long, Gar Gar.”

“My boredom thought it was that long,” Garble said, walking ahead to the door all of their passages led to. “Hopefully the runt didn’t take all the fun.”

“We’re in a dungeon full of monsters, Garble.” Smolder rolled her eyes. “There will be more fights.”

Garble pushed open the door, his face lighting up. “Well maybe this wasn’t a waste after all.”

Author's Notes:

Another floor down? Or is it. What did Garble see?

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25 - Chest Open

Garble stood before the somewhat small room, more of a nook, but inside the room there was a treasure chest. But it was not any ordinary treasure chest. Most chests were some kind of wood, or at best some dull metal, but this chest was gilded. It shone with gold, scrawling’s on the sides, embedded gems, the works.

And most chests had a potion, or some dull chainmail in them. But if the chests of those niceness…

Garble dashed over to it, practically hugging the chest. “Look at this beauty. Ohohohoh what do you think is in it? A bunch of gems? Gold? Some amazing massive item! Oh it’s gonna be great.” He grabbed the top of the chest, trying to push it open, only for it not to budge.

As Garble continued to try to pry open the uncooperative box, Smolder snickered. “We’ve found Garble’s other secret love, treasure.”

“Hey! Less yapping more helping me open this chest.” Garble said, from atop it, trying to pry it open.

“Hang on, stop,” Sandra said. “I think I know what this is.”

Garble did not stop, but as he pulled on the top of the chest he managed, “Great, so--” he grunted as he tried to yank the top up again “--what is it?”

Sandra sighed. “We won’t be able to open it with you on top of it.”

Frowning, Garble climbed off the top of it. “Fine, great. Tell me how to open it so I can get what’s inside, then.”

“The chest collects magic, as long as it’s closed.” She walked over to the chest. “Nothing is in it, technically, until it’s opened, and to open it--” she pointed at a small round dent in the middle “-- You put a guildchain and it makes an item aligned with the class you are.”

Spike's brows rose together. "Huh, so we should really think about who gets this."

Even as he said it, Garble was already shoving his guild chain against it, grinning widely with expectation. "C'mon, nothing lame!"

The chest began to rattle and quake, bits of light escaping from the seam of where the top met the bottom. It began to crack open, the light becoming blindingly brilliant. "It's making the item," shouted Sandra, not that the opening was actually very loud.

Smolder shoved Garble from the side, almost knocking him over. "Doofus! We're a team."

"Yeah, so? I'll smash things better and that'll help 'the team'." He made airquotes as he spoke, rolling his eyes. "Now what do we get?" He tromped towards the fading glow of the chest, leaning over the side to see what was lurking within.

As he saw them, his facial expression fell. “Aw what?” Reaching inside, he pulled out what looked like a pair of ornate gloves. “Gloves? Why couldn’t it be a cool sword or something?” He flipped the gloves over. “They don’t even have like, things over the claws.” They did indeed look more like bracers over the forearms, with a strap that went around the palm to hold an armored part over the back of the hand.

“Maybe that’s better?” Sandra looked down at them. “I mean, it won’t interfere with you grabbing your sword, or using your claws if you want to.”

Garble pursed his lips. “I guess.” He removed the current leather gloves he had on and put on the new gloves. They did… feel good. And the style was definitely nicer. Not rough leather, but fine metal and smooth fabric. And they were orange (and white), which was a great color. He knew because he was it.

Maybe he should replace all of his breastplate and leather gear with stuff like this…

He shook his head, and opened up his guildchain, seeing if anything was new.

The chain dutifully reported the presence of a new skill, but its name was obfuscated. Spike was flying just over his shoulder, peering at it. "Guess you have to unlock it--"

"What the?!" Garble brought up a hand, brushing Spike away. "Warn a fella before you go getting pushy. Alright, so it looks decent, and it does… something." He turned to Sandra directly. "You know how this stuff works. How do I make it do its thing."

"Fight with it, should come out on its own eventually." She lifted her shoulders.

"Sounds right." Spike nodded in easy agreement. "Even works for classes. Well, that's it for the chest, we should move on." He pointed to the door on the other side of the small room that held the chest.

Smolder snorted softly, smoke escaping. "Next one is not Garble's. You got that, Bro? Hopefully after this we get some stairs or one of those platforms." She was quickly proven correct, a spiral staircase ascending upwards through the ceiling, promising the next floor of dangers. "See, this isn't so bad. We have this."

The four of them followed the path that seemed opened to them, ascending the stairs as they wound round and round. "Hey." Garble rolled his shoulders as he climbed. "Other people go up this thing, right?"

"Yes." Sandra nodded softly. "Why?"

"So where are they?" He shrugged, looking out over the view of the floor as they went around. "Do you run into them sometimes?"

"This is my first time here," she admitted. "But I've heard you can, yes. It's just not nearly as common as you'd think."

"It's like The Eternal Maze!" piped in Spike with a big smile. "Everyone gets their own path, unless the maze itself decides to bring you together. I loved that comic."

Smolder twirled her dagger in the air, casually tossing it as she went around and around. "Show it to me, once we get back."

"You read comics?" Garble looked over his shoulder back at his sister.

"Yeah, and?"

"Nothin'..." He went quiet for a time, until the sound of his sword being drawn was heard. The others rushed up ahead to see him facing what appeared to be a housecat, though this cat had wings.

"You've made it this far," they could all hear, but the mouth of the cat was busy licking its paw, the voice not seeming to come from it, more like behind it. "Be proud. To die on the next floor is a distinct honor that few others can claim.

Sandra set her hands on her hips, frowning at the feline. "Thanks, but no. We'll be going right past it. We didn't pass the first two to bite it on the third. We have... uh..." She looked upwards, though there was no hint there of how tall the tower was. "A lot more to go after that."

Garble huffed as he turned to Spike. "Is this what you were talking to before?"

"Huh? Oh!" He shook a hand quickly. "Nuh uh. That was a human. You didn't see him?"

Garble hiked a brow. "Whatever... Hey, cat. We're walking past you now. You got a problem with that?"

The cat watched them, speaking no further, not that it had really spoken to begin with. Garble kept his blade out, but walked past the feline. He took a hand off the hilt to touch the door beyond the cat. When it didn't open, he looked back to the others.

Soon they were all next to him, joining their hands on the door. When the last hand touched it, it opened slowly. "Do groups always come in fours or what?"

Sandra shook her head. "But the tower seems to know what you came with. If you were crazy enough to come alone, it'd work for just you, I think. Aiden--" The bird appeared on her shoulder. "--I think it'll be time to get to work soon."

Beyond the door was brilliant light. A cloud-specked sunny day greeted them with wild cheering. They were stepping out into what seemed to be a vast arena. Those cheering were far from human, instead monsters of all sorts, including a section of the spiders they had crashed through on the first floor, waving their sharp legs wildly.

Sandra took a sharp hiss of a breath. "Oh, great, an arena level."

Smolder nodded softly. "Sure looks like one, but you sound like you know what that means. What should we expect?"

Sandra drew her staff and clutched it firmly. "Expect fights. We win against enough waves, they let us past. On the positive side, you get rewarded if you do well, and look good doing it. On the negative, no breaks, no pauses. Once it starts, you're in it until you win, or get beaten up and possibly killed. No pressure."

"Beat things up and look good doing it?" Garble tossed his blade from hand to hand as a smile grew on his face. "I'm liking this floor way better than the last one.

"Arriving from the north side," boomed an announcer excitedly. "A most unusual party. With three dragons and a human, it may be time to really turn up the heat on the competition!" The crowd was going nuts, hooting and crying in their monstrous ways. "We'll be sure to put them through the paces."

Smolder flipped her knives in her hands, assuming a battle stance. "The way I see it, last floor was the break. It's time to get back into things."

"That's my sister," reported Garble proudly, a smirk on his face. "We'll pound them all. Spike, you keep them from returning the favor. Sandra, keep them from bunching up on us."

Spike blinked softly. "When did you learn tactics?" he said quietly, not actually arguing with Garble. Those were their positions. "Smolder, strange as it is, you'll help us keep going strong, right?"

"As if you had to ask." She twirled her right dagger in place. "We're going to cook the competition, figuratively, then literally, and possibly back and forth a little depending on how I'm feeling."

"On the south side, we begin with a warmup. They're small, they're cute, they just want a really big hug. Bring your forelimbs together for the grass oozes!" Great gates opened wide, though the oozes began popping through before they even finished. It seemed like an entire field of bouncing little oozes, moving towards the party in a great stampede of squishy bodies.

Smolder pointed one of her daggers up at Aiden. "Time for your firebird to really show his stuff."

"Right." She threw her hand forward and Aiden took flight without further prompting. "If they're as strong as the goops we started with, this wave shouldn't be hard, but there will be more after it, I promise."

Aiden flew just over the wave, flames dropping from its wings to either side in a great V shape that began to cook and boil the slimes along the way. Roughly half of them began to melt in place, their numbers greatly dwindled by the elemental bird's attack, but their great speed allowed them to close in on the party and the battle began properly.

Spike caught one on his shield and thrust it forward, sending the ooze crashing into several of its compatriots to bound wildly just in time for Garble's sword to come down, smashing the group into paste. Smolder was dancing from ooze to ooze, appearing wherever one appeared to not be looking to plunge her knife deep into its gooey body. "I wonder what I could make with this..."

She hefted one up, impaled on her knife, and slammed it down into a pot that hadn't been there a moment before, starting to prepare something in the middle of the fight.

"What is this? A break time? A bold move from the party," shouted the announcer, as excited as ever, the crowd cheering the ridiculous move on wildly.

Sandra jinked and bobbed, trying her best to be out of the way of the oncoming bouncing enemies, her bird setting groups of them ablaze at the direction of her sweeping hand motions, as if she were the conductor of the symphony of fire.

"It didn't save the last party that tried that, but maybe this one will be luckier."

Author's Notes:

Smolder is not the first to walk the tower's depths with battle cooking skills. Did you think we'd get more of a break with the chest opening?

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26 - Bouncing Back

"They weren't us." Smoulder tossed the entire pot towards Spike, though its contents seemed to cool even as it twirled, detaching from the inside and becoming a molded jello despite the lack of a mold.

Spike caught the wriggling treat, the pot fading back to Smolder's ready hand in the same instant. "Right, eat it," he replied to the order that hadn't even been said yet. With a great chomp, he discovered it was just as gelatinous as it appeared, but also tasted strongly of tart lime. He slurped the rest of it down, wiping his face clean. "Alright, what does that… do?" He noticed his arm had stretched far past where he had intended it. "Woah."

Smolder gestured at him, although not too closely, with her knife. “It won’t last very long, so get to work.”

Garble came down with both hands, splattering the last of their gelatin-based foes just at the crescendo of his song. "Don't get too happy, the next waves already coming."

Just as he had said, the gates leading elsewhere were open wide, allowing hulking golems of crystal and stone to lurch onto the field. The announcer was all too happy to describe them, "The mashers of dreams, the illuminators of weakness. Put them together for the Crystal Crushers!" The crowd shook the arena with stomping and clapping, calling for the spilled blood of everything involved in the fight.

Their enemies were far fewer but with each shuddering step they took, Sandra felt certain they were more powerful. Her area-affect spirit felt worthless in that moment. "How are you so unflappable?" she whispered towards Smolder, watching Spike charge forward with strangely bouncing steps. "You just got this job and you look like a pro."

"I have no clue what I'm doing," rapidly confessed the she-dragon. "I am terrified, but there's no time for that. We fight, or we get squished. I can finish being scared after we get out of here." She turned her cooking knife on Sasha. "Say, are these things spirits?"

She threw her hands wide just as Spike caught the bone-smashing swing of one against his shield, but his bones refused to be smashed, instead sending him flying backwards several feet to bounce forward with a mighty cry. "They're awful solid if they are spirits."

"Your owl seems pretty solid when he's here." She turned the knife upwards towards Aiden. "Maybe you could get a big solid buddy? It'd also mean one less crusher trying to crush us."

"If... they qualify, they'd be earth, right? What else would they be?" She took a slow breath, shuddering as it was with fright. "Just an earth spirit..." She tried to reach into that mental space she accessed once before, when she was searching for Aiden. "Don't you want to be friends, see more than just this arena? It'll be fun."

A massive stone slab with crystals jutting out of it, sharp and deadly, slammed down just next to Sandra as it howled at her with obvious fury, its other hand rearing back with obvious ill intent.

"I think it might be working," stage whispered Smolder before dashing out of the way, in case she was wrong.

"Working..." Her eyes darted to where Spike and Garble clashed against a golem, driving chips of it free in teamwork, even if mostly involved Garble attacking it while Spike kept its attention. It was working; unlike her... "Hello, earth spirit. Don't be angry." Aiden suddenly vanished in a flare of fire. A good sign, or a bad one, Sandra wasn't sure. "I'll show you new places."

The golem before her howled with what seemed to be unchecked fury, its fist coming down towards her, ready to splatter her broken body across the sands of the arena floor. In that instant of impending death, her life flashed before her eyes. Wait, no, that wasn't her life. She could see a dozen presences inside the golem, and one of them, just one, wasn't screaming with fury. One of them was watching her with naked curiosity, perhaps attracted by her offer. Just one out of so many.

Feeling strangely calm, she reached for it with her mind, her hand raising to grasp at nothing. The presence timidly stepped out of formation with the others, trying to reach her.

The whole thing came apart. The titanic hand broke free and hit the sand just behind her, knocking her forward to the ground, but not empty-handed. She was hugging something close. It was hard and jagged, but it was hers. "We'll take care of each other, right?"

"See new things," agreed the crystalline earth elemental she was holding. The golem it came from as re-assembling itself, creating new order from the spirits still locked inside itself. The elemental sounded like a curious little boy. "You'll keep me safe?"

"You have to return the favor." She scrambled to her feet, carrying the heavy stone companion with her. "Your old friends are angry."

"Not friends." The earth elemental jumped to the ground, flashing with a burst of light as it grew new arms and legs. It became a new elemental, just as craggy and crystalline all in one. It wasn't nearly as large as the one it came from, but appeared just as solid. The time for words was over as it surged forward.

"What is this?" excitedly spoke the announcer. "They've taken some of the enemy over to their side. Is that cheating?" The sound of rustling paper was heard as if the unseen announcer was checking the rules. "Mmm, nope. A valid play. What an upset!"

Cheers and jeers were in almost equal abundance as the crowd reacted powerfully to the team's new member entering a melee brawl with the same creature it had been pulled out of. Garble came down on the larger one's back, driving his sword into its stony flesh. "No idea what you just did, but keep doing that." He wrenched his blade free of the tough stone and jumped free just as a hand came seeking where he had been. "We got this under control."

"Snacks up!" Smolder tossed rock candy to each of the living members of her party, created quickly from the very golems they were fighting. "We'll get out of here, and they'll regret fighting dragons." She snapped the fingers of her right hand. "Or their human friend."

Spike thrust his staff forward, white magic smashing into an already dizzy golem and knocking it to its knee before it crumbled the rest of the way, falling into heavy chunks of stone and gems. "These things look, oh hey!" He grabbed the rock candy from the air and smashed into it with his teeth, grinding it up as if it were chewing gum. "Mmm, they taste just as good as they look."

The flow of battle had changed in their favor and they reduced the golems to bits of rubble and sweet candy.

The next set of monsters, furry almost-demi-humans with great claws and slavering teeth, were fierce with good teamwork and a taste for flesh, but they were not the only hungry ones in the field. Smolder plunged her dagger into the back of one that was trying to get its teeth into Spike. "Time to see what you taste like." Smolder drew her knife to the side in a cruel swipe, turning the wound from terrible to lethal before grabbing the beast by the scruff and pile driving them into a cauldron that hadn't been there a moment before.

Neither their claws or teeth could do much against their new golem friend, desperately scratching at it as it pounded them into the sand one by one.

"It seems the challengers have this well and under control, and we can't have that. Perhaps it's time we jump straight to the final round!" The crowd cheered its approval of the idea. "The only thing worse than one adventuring team, is two!" Rising from the floor, a set of six people came into view, blinking in the harsh light of the arena. "Only one of them will be getting higher in the tower. The other's going straight down!"

Spike blinked at the other team, comprised of humans, not monsters or even demi-humans. "Uh, are we... supposed to fight them? They have guild chains."

Sandra grit her teeth powerfully as her hands flexed. "It doesn't happen all the time, but you can run into other groups, and here they are. You heard the announcer, only one team gets to go forward."

Garble swung his blade, blood driven free of it with the rushing wind. "So we pound them like everything else, got it."

Smolder stirred her great pot, sticking a finger in to test her creation. "Mmm, almost done. Look, the way I see it, they're probably huge racist jerks that think we're easy targets. Let's stomp them and show them how wrong they are. Six of them, bet they think they have the advantage."

One of the humans, dressed in gleaming metal with a big phoenix-like bird heraldry on his chest plate, stepped forward. "We have been instructed to fight. We will not be turned back here, so be ready."

"I'll show them ready," sneered a male magician, lightning gathering between two hands in crackling fury. Without missing a beat, he thrust them out, a crackle of lightning striking Garble across the chest, blowing him back.

“Damnit, I wasn’t ready,” complained one of the people from the side, a somewhat older man wearing worryingly low amounts of armor, or clothes for that matter, who was looping a strap from a club onto his hand clumsily, as his other hand already had a club in it.

Garble pulled himself up to his feet, only to find the phoenix-clad man already swinging his sword. Garble pulled his sword just in time for the two to clash with a ring of steel, the battle began in earnest.

Sandra pointed forward, her new golem lumbering forward. It was struck by a bolt of lightning, which left a small scorch mark, but didn’t seem to usefully stop it. Sandra grinned. “Go! Get the wizard!” It swung its arm forward, not claiming any hits but driving back the wizard a little.

The wizard leaned over, and pointed at Spike, who had engaged the mostly naked man with clubs. An arc of lightning shot from his fingers, arcing directly back to the craggy lightning monster, creating another smudge of smoke, but nothing else.

Sandra watched as the lightning wizard struggled to get around the lightning-attracting-and-immune summoned monster, and she wondered if he bought the lightning element caster class. Could this have been her, she thought. Uselessly trying to throw fireballs at some fireball immune monster? A bit of pride in her own decision swelled inside her. She did a good thing.

She folded her arms, watching her summon distract the monster, and even the man in the shining armor start to try to chip away at her monster. She thought, he didn’t have a name, did he? She would need to give him a name.

And at that moment, she saw a tiny curl of smoke, curling around her. She wheeled around, finding a somewhat short masked woman with two daggers, crouched at her. Sandra backed up and cried out, or she would have cried out, only the sound of her crying out was more of a muted dull noise.

Ignorant of the clash, Smolder suddenly kicked her cauldron over towards one of them that thought she was an available target. "You're not invited!" A loud scream was the reply as scalding hot fluid poured over them even as it gathered into portions for her team. "Get your own food." She licked over her lips with a cruel smile, perhaps wondering at the taste of her latest victim.

The assassin’s eyes smiled with mischief, surging forward towards Sandra with their daggers gleaming in the light, the crowd roaring with approval at the violence soon to come.

Author's Notes:

We leave on a razor's edge, literally. We took a break last week, forgive us, but we come back right into the action!

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27 - Who Is a Monster?

The assailant spun as she darted at Sandra, her daggers glowing as she twirled. Sandra brought her arms up close to her, cringing away from the spinning slash. The dagger bit into her side and Sandra cried out silently in pain. She twisted away further, tripping over herself.

She landed with a rough crash on the ground, the collision causing another lance of pain from her side, as well as her arms. Her party! She had to get to her party. She turned, trying to pull herself up, looking toward the sounds of combat behind her, and her heart fell. The crowd was wild with excitement, savoring the battle between two hated foes. Whoever lost, they would win in the end.

Between herself and the chaotic sounds of combat stood the assassin who turned around as she flipped a dagger, her hip cocked. She snapped the dagger out of the air, pointing it at Sandra with obvious malice in her eyes.

Sandra stared at it, unable to breathe. At least, until the assassin came for her, when she found herself scrambling backward without even thinking, trying to create distance. Not enough distance, though, and the assassin's sudden slice nicked her leg in a shallow cut. A second set of slashes hit her legs, the blow landing true and cutting deep. It was as if the assassin were toying with her prey, hobbling her intentionally.

She knew she had to do something. She still had spells! She propped herself up with one arm, the other pointing her staff, and she silently summoned her spell, her raging fireball.

The assassin’s eyes widened as the tip of Sandra's staff started glowing, and she darted to the side… only for a rather small fireball to go very wide. She assassin watched it fly past her, looking back, her eyes half lidded, before that sparkle of amusement came back.

Sandra stared down at her staff. ‘Did she not have access to her best fire spells anymore?’ she thought. When the assassin stepped forward again, though, Sandra squinted her eyes and gathered her will into a fresh fireball, just for the assassin to sidestep in a lackadaisy way, a smug smile on their face.

Sandra fired a third time, trying to scramble to her feet, only as soon as she tried to pull herself up her legs surged in pain, and she collapsed back onto her rear end with a pained but silent grunt. The assassin looked like she was ready to quit playing around, brandishing her daggers with deadly purpose. The crowd whooped and celebrated Sandra's fall and the successful play of the assassin. Their words were lost, but their pounding excitement was impossible to miss.

Sandra cringed away, squeezing her eyes as the assassin raised her daggers, only to see just a crack of gold light from behind them, and her eyes snapped open to see the aftermath of some kind of magic attack, with the assassin being knocked off to the side apparently by Spike’s glowing staff.

"Seems the challengers are even tougher than we gave them credit for. What teamwork, what spirit! It almost makes you root for them." There was a noise of paper shuffling. "Oh, reading the wrong cards. A stunning save turns things around. Can anything stop these lunatics from rising to the top?!"

Spike looked down at Sandra, taking a moment to pose. He had the perfect line, too, and opened his mouth. But no sound came out. He tried again, with no avail. He pursed his lips, his perfect moment ruined. He still held out his staff though, and green light rained down from his staff onto Sandra, healing her wounds, at least enough that the pulsing pain went away and the blood stopped escaping her.

Sandra smiled, and Spike returned the gesture, only for his eyes to widen and he leapt away from the assassin slashing at his side. He grit his teeth and swung his glowing staff, it pulsed with gold runes as it arced through the air. He didn’t land the hit, but the momentary lull was enough to give Sandra time to scramble to her feet as Spike and the Assassin traded ineffective blows.

Sandra took a deep breath as she watched Spike fight, nobody bearing down on her or menacing her anymore. Glancing over, she could see her golem had not gone dormant during her silence. It was locked in combat with the stoutly armored knight of the enemy group, neither side accepting defeat as stone and metal clashed with faint sparks and ringing steel. It was all very interesting, but she quickly discarded it in favor of returning her attention to the assassin Spike was tangling with.

"That summoner looks stumped. Will their friend carry the day for her?" Sandra burned at the announcer's words, trying to get herself back into things. She had to help!

Her fireball had gone wide, but that wasn't… That unusual for her. So her aim stank, but she could… maybe? She tried to call on her connection with fire, but it felt sluggish and distant, as if she was trying to manipulate it with great mittens on. That was not the summoner's way, until it was. Bursting free of her flexing hands, Aiden appeared brilliantly, exploding in a flash of heat and light and fading just as quickly, as if the firebird had been a spell instead of a discrete creature.

The blast of the spell, silent but real, spread outwards from her, hurtling towards both assassin and noble dragon lord. Spike turned around just in time to see the wave of flame washing toward him, and the assassin noticed too, but only one of them panicked. The assassin twisted away, putting her hands together and beginning to emit smoke around her.

Spike, however, didn’t hesitate, and before she was consumed by smoke, he smacked her with his staff again, and the smoke immediately dissipated. The flames washed over the two of them, the assassin letting out a shriek as the flames knocked her off of her feet. Spike was, as expected, unaffected, and he brought his staff down onto her again.

He stood over her, brandishing his staff, ready for her to rise again, but when a moment passed and she did not, he turned back and give a smiling thumbs up to Sandra. "We did it!" he announced. "And we can talk again!"

Sandra nodded, but looked over to the rest of the fight, which was still going. “Should we…”

Spike matched Sandra's view and saw Smolder and Garble were back to back, with what seemed like the last three of the enemy team pressing in. Without hesitation, he began running towards them, staff clenched firmly in hand.

Garble bashed an incoming sword aside. "Last chance, no dance." He ducked at the last word and a dagger flew through the space where his back had just been, Smolder hurling it over him as if the two were in sync. The knight staggered back, the sharp weapon piercing through his stout, but stout enough, armor and embedded in his chest.

An arrow thunked into her side before she could savor the moment. "Gargar!" A line of red ran down her scales, but she resisted doing much with the wound, one other melee combatant still menacing her. "I'll cook up this one."

"On it." He slid in a turn towards the archer that had kept some distance. "You've been harassing us all fight. Time to say good night!"

"This is coming to a stunning finish. Plucky upstarts or crazed monsters? Only time could tell. Outnumbered and outranked, they're cleaning shop! What brutality!"

Sandra peered in the vague direction of the announcer, only to realize she was still standing over the bleeding form of the assassin. "Was this to the death?" she asked no one, the others far away from her.

Smolder deflected the short sword of her foe with the only dagger she had left. Pity he had two of the dang blades and wasn't shy about pressing in, creating opportunities with every parry Smolder made to swing where she had no metal of her own to protect herself. She was being forced back step by step. Glancing towards Garble showed him chasing after the archer, shouting and fuming.

That arrow in her side was slowing her down. She was still bleeding. There was no time to prepare a snack. There was barely time to keep herself from being carved up instead.

Her attacker suddenly rolled to the side and a glowing staff came down where he had been. Spike was there, already bringing the staff up and around towards the swordsman. "Get away!" he shouted, bright golden magic lancing from the end of his staff. The human brought his blades up in an x formation to catch it and avoided being directly smashed, but the force of it wasn't lost, sending him back several feet and crashing to his back on the ground.

"Good…" The remaining words didn't get out as she staggered forward. She tried to say something, anything, but everything was spinning. She hit the sand heavily, unmoving.

"The challengers aren't going down without taking at least one with them," boomed the announcer excitedly. The crowd was eager to join in his excitement, savoring in the fall of one of the team.

It was at that moment that Sandra thought to see where here golem was, but it was nowhere in sight. What had happened to it? Had her spell dismissed it? More likely, she quickly reasoned, her inexperience had. "Stop him!" She pointed at the standing swordman meaningfully, and the rocks understood that meaning.

The ground behind him surged upwards, taking the form of a short, squat, elemental made of gems and stone. It swung a heavy fist even as the swordsman dodged and fought with Spike. He didn't even get to know what hit him as the golem smashed him forward into the ground. "Spike! Help Smolder!" Sandra was pointing desperately at the fallen dragon.

"Smolder?" Garble craned his head away from the desperately fleeing archer to see Smolder's still form. "Sis! You bastard!" He launched himself forward with a surge of angry energy. "Hurry up and die." Flames erupted from his mouth in concert with the word, washing over the human. With a grunt, the archer raised his bow as if for a final shot, but the rope broke as he drew it, burnt along with the bow.

Garble landed on him and began beating him with his fists. There was no swordplay or poetry to the pummeling, just unintelligible shouting and the uneven tempo of his fists mashing into the form of what had been his combatant.

"What a display! Hey, you want a job? We're always looking for a few good monsters." The crowd roared, laughing and cheering as one, roses showering down from the aisles from all directions. "You don't even need me to say this, but we have a winner! Leaving none standing and with no holds barred, this team could go to the top."

Spike scrambled over to Smolder, leaving his staff in the sand in the frantic rush to reach her side. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" He willed the green life energy to his hands, made more difficult with his missing staff, but he wasn't going to go back for it, just focusing on his fallen friend. "We won, you can't go now. C'mon!"

Sandra let Spike tend to Smolder, instead approaching Garble who was still pounding the human he was on top of, though the archer had long since stopped offering even a hint of a fight. "It's okay." She reached for his shoulder, only to have her hand roughly slapped away.

"Back off," he growled, hissing with teeth bore, flames gusting from his mouth with each breath a few inches. His eyes came into sudden focus. "Sandra?" It was only then that he saw the roses, and several large gilded boxes in the center of the arena as if they had always been there. "We won?"

"We won," she gently assured, rubbing where her wrist stung. "Spike's seeing to Smolder. She'll be alright." Or so Sandra hoped.

Author's Notes:

That's one way to finish a fight. Everyone gave it their all, and the treasure awaits the victors.

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28 - Red Sand

As tempted as Garble looked, he ignored the chests, at least for the moment. He stormed over to Spike. "Yo, you done? She alright? If you mess up--"

"Shut up," spat out Spike with uncharacteristic shortness. "Working."

Sandra came up beside Garble before looking towards the chests. "I don't mean to sound greedy, but there could be something in there that could help." She pointed at the great chests, waiting for them to plunder the contents of.

"Yeah?" Garble hiked a thumb at it. "Sis said I can't open the next one, remember? She'll be royally ticked if I go back on that now. Soon as Spike finishes doin' his stuff, she'll be all over me, complainin' and everything."

Sandra set herself down, no seats to be found in the arena. In fact, she looked around, the whole arena had fallen silent. There were a few monsters still filing out, and the other group was being ushered back to their circle by a couple small motes of light, which seemed to be urging them on.

Her eyes met the wizard’s eyes, who was dragging the bleeding body of the archer back to the circle the light was motioning them towards. They had another wounded, too, and their robed healer was looking over them with some panic. None of them looked like they were enjoying this, but shortly they were on the lift and sent away, their fate uncertain.

Garble, for his part, paced back and forth, smoke occasionally puffing out of his nostrils. He kept looking at Spike, who was still over Smolder, as she was now entirely enveloped in green magic.

But Sandra was consumed by something else entirely. She addressed her stoney friend. "You did good, especially since I couldn't even tell you anything." She nodded softly as if a response had come. "I can imagine. You were very brave. We only just met, I know… but I'm happy to have you." She paused as if listening. "Aw." She gently patted the top of her golem. "Go take a break, you earned it.

The creature of crystal and stone sank into the sand, returning to where her summons were when not at her side. Garble peered at the very spot. "That was… interesting. You do know it wasn't talking, right?"

"More--" Smolder coughed sharply, blood flecking her lips. "--than I was."

Sandra gasped, hurrying towards the sign of life, though not as quickly as Garble's scramble.

Spike's grave expression brightened by just a hair. "Stay still, stay… still. Stay with us, please."

Smolder aborted her attempt to push off the ground, not that her body approved of the idea anyway. "You look really…" Her breath was forced, her speech slow through obvious discomfort. "Did I get it… that bad?"

"Hey, Sis." Garble dropped into a squat beside his conscious sister, forgetting entirely about Sandra and her rock toy. "You missed us winning."

She smiled, and leaned her head back. “That’s pretty good. You’ll have to tell me about it.”

Garble smiled. “Okay, so we were--”

“Later, bro,” she said, an unamused tone creeping into her voice.

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

The four of them sat, waiting for Spike to finish his healing, and Sandra was staring at the blood on the ground. Monsters didn’t bleed. Well, that is, they did bleed, but once they were destroyed the blood disappeared. And even if they weren’t, the blood disappeared somewhat quickly anyway. But people… people bled. She swallowed roughly. People that might be dead now.

“Do you… do you think that archer is dead?”

Garble looked over, with what approached a disgusted snarl on his face. “What?”

“The archer… and that shadow woman… they were both still hurt as they were dragged out. They were… in bad shape,” Sandra said, still staring at the blood.

“Who cares?” Garble said, his voice raising, turning to her. “In case you forget, those bastards were trying to kill us too. Who cares if they die on the way back down?”

Sandra looked to Garble. “I-I mean,” she stammered. “I’ve never… I’ve never actually fought to kill someone, and they might be dead right now!”

“Who cares?!” Garble wasn’t really asking. “We’ve killed dozens of monsters and you wait for the time my sister almost dies to worry about it?”

“M-monsters don’t count! They’re not people they’re just magic… stuff that moves! People are different.”

Smolder sat up, to Spike's frown, but she propped herself up without immediately collapsing. "I didn't get a chance. Hey, what's that?" Her eyes were on the chests that rested in the center of the arena, clearly abandoned and waiting. "Winnings?"

Spike drew his staff back, the flow of green ebbing but not fading completely. "Yeah. It just kinda appeared once we won. How do you feel?"

Garble thrust a finger at Spike. "Unlike you, I bet she's already raring for another fight."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." She slowly worked up to her feet and dared to reach out her hands. "I don't feel like I'm fading anymore, which is good! Thanks, Spike. I'd cook something up for myself, but it's hard to do that when you're bleeding buckets."

Sandra shook her head softly. "It's for the best we have two people then that can help with that, in case one of them needs the other. Now, I don't mean I'm sad we beat them, no, that's great. I just... would rather not be fighting other adventurers at all. I know they're not dragons, like you, but they're still thinking, feeling... people."

Spike lowered his staff and slung it on his back, patting Smolder on the shoulder. "I think I'm just about out for the moment, but you look way better than when I started, so totally worth it."

"Thanks, Bud." She returned the clap, patting him right back on the shoulder. "I feel it. I'll be back up to speed soon enough. Now, Gar Gar, you've been a good dragon."

Garble scowled at that. "Don't patronize me!"

Smolder smirked as she began to approach the chests, leaving footprints in the sand along the way. "You didn't open any chests and remembered what I said. I'm complimenting you. These chests look... bigger. Does that mean there's more in them?"

Sandra left the sight on the ground, the grim reminder of what they had just been fighting. "It could be. After bosses..." She frowned with her own struggle to remember. "The rules are different. We should just open them up. Things will spill out, or one great thing. It's keyed to the party, rather then the person opening it, so we can decide who gets what afterwards."

Spike lifted into the air, darting forward on his relatively small wings. "Well, in that case, let's get opening! We deserve a little reward time after that floor."

With a communal cheer for the loot before them, they descended upon the boxes, each getting their own to pull open. As if the contents were being held down in place by force, the moment the cover was swung open, they flew free, depositing an assortment of things on the ground around each of them. One bounced off Garble's face and he grabbed it with an angry huff, but the set of armor did not have feelings, or a response.

Spike's chest was the only one that didn't explode in a bomb of goodies, instead projecting a cone of light upwards that shone different colors in a rainbowish swirl before a great sword emerged from within, far too large to have actually fit in the chest.

Sandra suddenly laughed, slapping her right thigh. "The dungeon has spoken, Garble wins again. That's clearly yours. That has to be at least a rare drop, if not legendary... Almost a shame it's only on the third floor."

Smolder arched a brow at that. "I'm sorry, but you stopped making sense. Care to break that down a little?"

Spike turned away from the glowing blade, facing everyone else instead. "Oh, I get it!"

"You do?" echoed all his friends.

"It's like Ogres and Oubliettes, of course." He hiked a thumb back at the still floating sword. "It has a level, based on the floor we found it on, so it's a very good level 3 item. If we found something equally as good, but on a higher floor, it'd be even better. Right?"

A voice suddenly spoke in Spike's ear, "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, hey, Twilight. We just finished a huge fight." He began to walk in a loose circle as he spoke with his sister. "It was tough, but we did it."

Garble peered at him as he wandered off. With a shrug he marched up and snatched the blade from the air. The light suddenly inverted, becoming a spotlight over him as triumphant music swelled. "Woah!" His entire form went tense as some strange power seemed to flow through him for just a moment before fading. "What was that?"

"Bind on pickup," advised Sandra. "That sword is now yours. None of us could use it even if we wanted to. Even if we swapped classes to something that would like it. No creature can ever wield it besides you. You could sell it, if you ever wanted. Trained smiths can smelt it down to parts that're useful for working with other magic items, but as a sword, it's yours forever."

Smolder was picking through the things scattered in the sand. "Hey, supplies." She began to gather up potions with a merry whistle. "Some of this stuff I have no idea what it is."

Sandra pointed to what looked like a beetle carapace. "Some of this is crafting material. Give this to someone who's good at it and they can make great stuff out of it." She was smiling, looking proud and in her element. "I've gotten some of it from the fields outside the city, but this is obviously way better."

"I'm being careful." Spike was looping back around, still conversing. "It was Smolder that got hurt." He suddenly winced and rubbed the side of his head. "No shouting, please. She's alright."

Smolder tucked her newfound collection of potions away as she turned to Spike. "Is that Twilight? Hey Twilight!"

"Huh? Yeah, that was her. See, fine." Spike waved lightly at Smolder even as he wandered right on past.

"Spike, your magic dipped," fretted Twilight. "And now you tell me Smolder was hurt! Were you hurt? I'm still looking into how to get you home, without... whatever it is you're doing."

"We're climbing that tower I told you about." He hopped up and perched on one of the already open chests. "We just cleared floor three. If we can get to ten, we can teleport back down and come back later. We're doing it."

"You're getting hurt." He could hear her deflating. "How do I even say, 'be careful' in a situation like that? Your magic's looking... a little better. Are you sure you're alright?"

Sandra inclined her head faintly. "Who is he talking to? He's really into that conversation."

"It's his pony princess." Garble rolled his eyes. "She can fight, but hates doing it. She isn't here though. Hey, Spike, is she getting us home or do we keep climbing?" he shouted towards the distracted smaller dragon. He swung the blade while waiting for an answer, admiring the crackling electricity the blade seemed to leave behind in the air with every motion. "I'm keeping this..."

Smolder shook her head. "Doubt it, or we'd all vanish, or maybe there'd be a hole or a door to walk into or something. Or she'd just appear, pop, out of nowhere." She smirked at the idea. "That'd be interesting. Right in the middle of a fight, Sudden Twilight." She spread her hands, fingers wriggling. "Ta da, surprise pony! You two, help me gather all this up."

Spike looked towards his party members as they gathered up all the treasure. As the last piece of each chest was picked up, that chest vanished. He fell suddenly to the sand, landing with a soft thump. "Shoulda saw that coming." All the treasure of his box had been gathered. "Twilight, it's time for us to push on. We're alright, promise."

"You literally can't promise that, Spike... Just... do your best. You're my #1 assistant, and best little brother... Don't forget that."

Author's Notes:

Fighting actual humans is rough. But... the rewards! To answer the last Chapter's question, What is a Monster? A Miserable pile of loot, obviously.

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29 - Cold Reception

Then there was the fourth floor, with screaming in the wind. Nothing like the fifth floor, with goblins making a din. There was no warning for the sixth, where all was water and slime, but at least the seventh seemed just fine.

As they ascended the lift, they were brought out to a corridor dimly lit by flickering torches.

Smolder stepped out, looking around. The corridor stretched in two directions, and off in one direction an intersection could be seen. “So… what’s this floor’s thing?”

Spike brushed the last of the slime off of his boots. “I dunno, but we’re neither being attacked nor is there slime, and I am alright with that.”

Sandra giggled at Spike, the only of them covered in slime.

He glared back back at her, and she turned that giggle into a conspicuous cough. “Well, maybe it’s just a maze? We should make sure we’ve got enough light…” She put her hand on the side of her golem. “Maybe it’s time I swapped back… take a rest.” She concentrated on putting away her golem, and then tugged on the magic for Aiden, pulling him forth with a burst of light and flame.

It drove away much of the gloom nearby, although it only reached so far.

Garble looked down the hallway. “Well hopefully there’s something good to fight on this floor.”

“Only one way to find out!” Sandra announced, pointing forward dramatically. “Into the darkness!”

The four of them began exploring the floor. Intersections were usually marked with a symbol. A fish for one, a bird for another, a campfire for another, but so far nothing else notable was seen. At least, until in the distance they could see a bluish lantern in the middle of the corridor, as well as a clanking.

Garble grinned madly, pulling his sword out of his sheath and putting it aside. “You hear what I hear? I hear a monster coming!”

Sandra rolled her eyes, and raised her staff. “Yes, we see it.”

The four adventurers prepared themselves for the confrontation, which slowly plodded into view with a distinctly frigid atmosphere. A giant animate set of armor marched into view, but where a head would normally be was instead a cold miasma emitting from it. It held a large sword in one hand, and a glowing blue lantern shaped like a skull that generally failed to illuminate much of anything in it’s other hand.

No sound but the clanking of metal could be heard as it held the blue lantern up, and it blasted a frosty orb at the party. The orb landed in the middle of them, and it burst, covering the whole hallway, and the adventurer’s clothes, with frost, chilling each of them.

Sandra scampered away, the frost already fading from her even in the motion. Aiden threw its wings wide and launched at the lumbering golem without any spoken command. The dragons reacted far more slowly, showing a hint of their reptilian origins, though they all scattered slowly or not.

Spike grabbed his staff in both hands, a great shield of energy blinking into place just in time for the next frost blast to crash against it, creating a spiderweb of cracks through it surface, bits of it flaking and falling free, already looking ready to crumble. "This isn't good!"

The golem didn't react to Aiden, stoically accepting the wash of flames that did little more than make its frost run wet for a moment before freezing just as solid as it began. Emerging from the brilliant flash, Garble came from the darkness in a grand jump, slamming down his sword against its side.

Electricity crackled and its metal dug with futility, for barely a nick was formed as Garble clenched his teeth. "C'mon, this thing cuts things in half! Respect my blade!"

Smolder tossed something goopy and yet frozen at once. "It wasn't a frozen treat before, but it is now, eat up!" She flashed her daggers, darting forward at an angle. With a blurring rush, she zipped to the next bit of cover. "Don't panic!"

The headless armor brought it’s sword arm around, slashing at Garble, who ducked underneath the swipe, swinging his own sword, striking at its side, giving it just about as much damage as before.

The armor raised it’s skull lantern, icy mist pouring out of it, blanketing itself in chilly mist.

Garble grit his teeth to stop them from clattering as the cold poured over him. “So, what, do you think a little cold is gonna stop me!” He raised his sword above his head, and called out, “Lightning Lace!” A snap and crackle resounded as a lightning bolt struck his sword, coming from somewhere unknown between the sword and the ceiling, and it crackled with greater arcs of lightning, and Garble roared as he brought it down on the armor, scoring a direct hit on it’s chest.

He looked up at his handiwork, to see that there was a cut, deeper than before, scorched along the edges, but still not anywhere near the damage he was hoping for. The armor was already rearing back, and Garble wrenched himself back, but to no avail as the armor’s sword slammed into his side, knocking him down and biting heavily into his breastplate.

Garble gasped for air on the ground. The chill was worse than before, and this thing hit like a roc. He looked up to see it bringing it’s sword up, ready to plunge it down on him, and he scrambled back.

Fortunately, Garble was not the only person fighting, and at that moment two fiery daggers appeared at its side, with Smolder pouncing on it, shoving her daggers where a weak point would be on any normal combatant. She scored two more scorch marks, and there was sizzling that could be heard from the melting ice, but it barely phased the monster, who brought it’s sword down just outside of Garble’s legs.

Sandra waved her phoenix away with one hand as the other raised, palm-side to the ground, swapping between her spirit friends and sending the rock golem charging towards the greater one of ice and steel. "I don't think this is working and I swear this is not me being nervous here."

"You don't have to tell me." Spike lowered his staff and raised an arm with a shield attached. "This thing is way advanced compared to the other things. I say we get out while we can."

"I almost have this." Garble ducked between its towering calves as the sword came down behind him, almost ridding the dragon of his tail. "Don't be cowards. We have this!" With a deft twist, he scored a spiraling scratch along the thing's metal hide, another superficial hit on the unstoppable force.

Smolder threw her hand wide, launching a great volley of spices in the thing's lack of a face. The cold mist seemed to somehow catch it, igniting in brilliant bright blue puffs of anti-flame. The thing staggered back, stunned perhaps from having paprika applied directly to its lack of eyes. "Yeah, take--"

The great skull it held suddenly sneezed. It was as if the very nature of cold bloomed outwards from that place and time, washing Smolder and the ground all around and behind her in a layer of frost. Her skin cracked audibly, starting to bleed as she staggered back, only half-thawed. "Nevermind!"

Spike stepped up, his staff glowing, and he raised it up, a spiral of bluish magic spinning around Smolder, closing up her wounds. The frost began to come off in chunks, and Smolder breathed on her daggers, setting them alight again. “Cmon, Garble, let’s go!”

Garble hissed as the blade cut down his side, leaving a great gash in his armor even as it parted his flesh as if it were that of a newborn child instead of a hardened dragon. "You'll pay--" He stepped forward with a firm striking upwards, throwing his entire body behind the weight of his great crackling bade, shoving it right between plates into the unknown innards of the creature.

The two were perfectly still a moment, as if both the golem and Garble were just as shocked at the successful strike. Sandra's stone companion broke the silence, smashing into the back of the great set of armor, driving it into that sword even as it light up, all three of them illuminated in a great roaring crackle of lightning, the thunder of which rushing out over the area, rustling hair and clothing with its force and striking the combatants deaf for a moment.

The dust and mist cleared, with Garble falling to the ground as the armor evaporated into magic, as all monsters do, and he landed on the ground deftly, and, still bleeding from his side, he slung his long long blade over his shoulder, looking back at the party, the cockiest grin ever on his face. “I told you, I got this.”

He then immediately doubled over and fell to his knees, gripping his side. Smolder and Spike both jogged over to him, Spike already casting a healing spell, ready to help him recover. Smolder, for her part, leaned down with concern. “Oh crud! You okay, Gar Gar?”

Garble just smirked. “Better than you, when you got sliced up.”

Smolder frowned and punched him in the shoulder. “Yeah, he’ll be fine.”

Garble laughed and groaned in pain. “As long as you keep making with the healing.”

Spike’s staff continued to glow as he more spells, green glow punctuating with soft runes that appeared for moments before fading away. “You know I don’t have an unlimited amount of this, right? It takes energy to do this, energy I can run out of.”

“Oh yeah?” Garble raised an eyebrow. “So why ain’t you out yet?”

Spike hiked a thumb behind his shoulder. “Because we got a cook, remember?”

“That’s right, because my sister is awesome. So eat up and we’ll keep going.”

Smolder passed a gooey globule to both Spike and Garble. “We’ve been eating these nearly as fast as I make em. And that big tin can didn't give me any materials to make new snacks.”

Sandra patted the back of her new friend gently. "You all did great."

"You too," suddenly blurted Spike. "Your golem came in at just the right time. Thanks." He flashed his spare hand in a thumbs up at Sandra, then her golem. "How are you feeling, Garble?"

He rolled his shoulder with a low grunt. "I'm alright, but my armor's had better days." There at his side, the gash was still visible, broken and unaided by the healing magic. "Can you do something about that?"

Sandra shook her head. "Your armor isn't alive, Garble. Healing magic won't work on it." She looked thoughtful, but it faded almost as quickly as it came. "We should… Make getting to the checkpoint the priority. That stupid big golem didn't even have the etiquette to drop anything."

Smolder made gun motions with her hands. "Which is a hint. We aren't even supposed to fight it. Let's get past this floor."

"Spike, your readings are dim again. Is everything alright?"

Spike perked at the sound of Twilight's voice only he could hear. "We're alright. I guess that just happens when I use a lot of magic." He popped the snack Smolder had passed into his maw, chewing quickly. "It should get better."

Smolder turned away from Spike even as she grabbed his free hand. "He'll be talking to Twilight a little while. I say we get moving. This floor we play the stealth game. Move like the shadow." She made a smooth sailing motion with her free hand, cutting through the air with her claws.

"I don't want to be a broken record," assured Twilight. "Just checking in... I think I might have found something, but I'll let you know when it's more than a theory." Her presence seemed to fade.

Sandra waved goodbye to her golem friend. He would not help them when stealth was the goal.

Author's Notes:

A floor where fighting is not the goal? I call hax. We have moved up the tower though, so that's good!

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30 - Dramatic Pause

“Look!” Spike pointed, and clearly visible in the gloom was finally their destination: a light illuminating a set of stairs came into view around the corner of the intersection.

“Finally.” Smolder groaned. “I thought we’d never find the dang exit.”

Spike beamed. “I told you, all the armor monsters were guarding the exit, so we had to figure out where they were trying to shoo us away from.”

Sandra looked down the hallway they came from, the cold blue light continuing to approach. “Speaking of which…” The four of them hastened into the hallway crossing it, and the headless armor clanked past somewhat slowly, but paid them no mind as they weren’t directly in their way.

“Can we fight just one more?” Garble nearly whined. “I’m bored.”

“No, Garble,” Smolder admonished. “We have that elevator two floors up, right? So let’s get going. The big milestone is close.”

Despite his grunt, they all hurried down the darkened hallway. The stairs were there, unguarded if one discounted all the great monsters that had tried to dissuade them up to that point.

Spike hopped as he ran and came down on the first step, spinning on one toe back to the others. "Did it!"

Sandra imitated the move, leaping onto that first step with a little joyful laugh. "I… never even dared dream we'd get this high, on the first try even! Maybe we can do this."

Garble shoved her aside as he began storming up the stairs. "Of course we can do this. You got me, and Smolder." He hiked a thumb towards his sister. "Two bad-ass dragons that ain't letting anything stop them."

Spike caught the staggering Sandra and they shared a smile before he looked to Smolder. "Hopefully the next floor isn't quite as… you know, as this one."

"Hear hear to that." Smolder began ascending just after her brother, tail lashing softly behind her. "We're doing great, so far. Let's keep it up."

The four of them continued up the stairs, which managed to be actually rather short, doubling back once out to a spacious, well-lit floor. The walls were hewn of the grayish stone that the tower seemed to be built from, but instead of the very standard brick there were intricate carvings and some statues, very much like the entryway to the tower.

In front of them there was a bubbling fountain, with the calming sound of rushing water. To their side there was a door, with a sign labeled “Shoppe” on it, and the other side had several seats and a series of windows facing outward. Beyond the doors there was a staircase going upward, with intricate doors of wood and metal to the next floor up.

Spike peered around with a mixture of relief and suspicion in almost equal amounts. "Sandra, you hear about this?"

"I forgot!" She burst into light laughter, almost bouncing over to a seat and crashing down on one with a thunderous sigh. "We did it."

Garble raised a brow, turning to face the human. "Did what? You're awful relaxed all of a sudden."

"Just before the boss." She made a walking motion with her fingers across the air. "You get a chance to relax. This is it. No monsters, no traps. No tricks. Just you and a moment to breathe." She flopped to the side, leaning against the armrest. "There's a story someone was so tired when they got to one of these, they just kinda retired there."

Sandra looked out along the town, gasping lightly. “Oh wow.” At ten floors up they were nearly above the tallest buildings in town already, and the expanse of the town stretched out for her to see. The people bustled about their day, far far below.

Spike hopped up and looked through the nearby window. “Oh! That’s pretty cool!”

Garble came over and looked over Spike’s head. “... So what? I can get up this high when I’m flying.” He grunted as an elbow hit his side, "What? I'm not wrong. Whatever, you all enjoy the view. I want to see what this is." He hiked a thumb as he approached the door with the shoppe sign beside it. "Who's running a store in here?"

A quiet bell jingled as he pushed the door open, revealing about four little rows of assorted little goods that appeared to be mostly restorative items at a glance with a few bolstering chemicals in clearly marked bottles. Behind the far counter was a strange round monster with one big eye that peered at Garble. "Welcome," it greeted without a mouth. "Congratulations on making it this far."

Garble looked somewhat askance at it. “Thanks… What exactly are you?”

“Can’t you tell?” The eye tilted just a little. “I’m the shoppekeep.”

Garble leaned in to the creature. “So what, are you just a monster? Like all the other stuff in this tower?”

The bottom of the eye came up, smiling in it’s own way, as a distinctive chuckle was heard. “I’m not just an anything, mister dragon.”

Garble’s demeanor changed, and he stood up taller, starting to smirk. “Oh, you can tell I’m a dragon, huh? It’s about time.” He looked away, coughing and composing himself. “I mean, that’s just how it should be. Dragons are kind of a big deal.”

“I can see that,” the shoppekeep said, raising it’s eye just a little, with another ethereal chuckle.

Spike leaned in from the door. "Woah, a gazer! I never thought I'd see one outside of a book."

The great eye's attention slid towards the smaller dragon. "You sound more eager to see me. Hello, little one. What can I help you find?"

"A gazer?" Smolder leaned in over the top of Spike's head, peering into the room. "Woah! Uh, we're cool, right?"

"We cool," assured the great eye, its accent shifting for that moment. "I am here to sell things. If you are here to buy things, we are friends. Getting this far must have been hard. Your supplies may be running low. I could help with that." Its voice lilted in sweet offerings.

Garble crossed his arms with a huff. "Actually… You got something that heals people without needing to wait for food or little dragons to cast spells?"

Several vials began to glow softly. "Right there. Healing potions are quite popular. Of course, they are one use. Once you've drunk one, it's hard to drink them again.".

Garble still snatched up a green bottle. “Fine by me. I’ll take twenty.” He looked at the label, pursing his lips. “... Ten.”

The gazer chuckled once again. “They surely aren’t free, of course, but how valuable is one’s health? The price they are at is practically a steal.”

Garble snorted. It was his gold, though. How would he get a good pile if he had to spend it. But he still dumped a rather generous pile out onto the counter. It floated away and the potions from the shelves floated up to the counter. Garble scooped them up into his small bag, where they disappeared into it.

The gazer turned itself to the rest of the party. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Spike looked around at the potions, a few of them being rather expensive indeed, bubbling and smoking even. “... Do you have something that works on getting back magic.”

“That I do!” There were potions, fewer in number, glowing on the walls. “These potions will be a bit more expensive than the health ones, be warned.”

“That’s fine,” Spike said. “A good idea to have some backups…”

Smolder gave a firm nod. "I'll try to have snack options ready for that, but having a backup when we need healing or protection now sounds like a great idea." She stuffed a hand into a pocket and produced a jingling handful of coins. "I'll put in towards that."

"What are you all--" Sandra came into view just to freeze, gaping at the gazer that looked back at her with a merry expression as far as eyes went. "Uh… hi?"

"Hello to you as well. I thought this party was all inhuman. What a surprise. A human with dragons? How rare is this. You are a lucky human. Most end up far worse when dragons get involved."

Spike blinked rapidly. "What? Oh… She's our friend. We wouldn't hurt her."

"Usually," spat Garble on the way out of the shoppe. "Tell me when you're ready to go. We got more to do besides shop."

Smolder frowned, pursuing her brother. “This is supposed to be a rest floor, Gar gar,” she said as she followed him out.

Sandra, however, was still rooted to the ground with the gazer, well, gazing at her, as it floated up toward her. “This is fascinating indeed. Not just that you’re with three dragons, but that the three dragons are with a human. They certainly don’t like nonhumans very much down there.”

That left only Spike with Sandra, but he was quick to slide between her and the peering gazer. "Yeah, they don't, but whatever. She got over it and I never hated humans in the first place."

The eye turned towards Spike, angling downward. "The way you say that is curious. Did you wander into their city? You sound like you're an outsider."

Sandra put a hand on Spike's shoulder from behind "As outside as they come." She smiled a little. "That was my fault, sorry again, but we're here to get him back where he belongs."

A great blink, the entire eye closing a moment before it opened just as wide as it began. "You are not here for yourself? You've come in the company of dragons for their benefit? What a curious human." Despite its apparent curiosity, it began floating back where it started. "How delightful. How noble. Does she speak the truth?"

"Are you asking me?" Spike's shield faded as his defensiveness faded, instead hiking a thumb at himself. "Yeah. When we get to the top, we're using the wish to get us dragons home. We're not from... anywhere near here."

"Marvelous! A selfless human putting a nonhuman ahead of his... her? Human are so tricky to identify... Their own interests. To climb this tower for nothing of their own. What madness! I am smitten. Go on." Things began to glow softly around the shop. "Take one. Take one just for the amusement you've brought me today."

Sandra rubbed her arm, looking awkward and embarrassed. "I do have a hope..."

The glow faded. "Ah ha! At least you are truthful. What is that kernel of greed that motivates you, human?"

"I... want my parents back... If I can do that and get them home, that would be best." She worried her fingers together, fidgeting in place. "T-them first. It's my fault they're here..."

A lone item began to glow. "A nobler reason than most; not as noble as some others. Go on."

Spike lifted from the ground to get a better view of what was glowing. "Huh."

They emerged from the shoppe, a large blue pendant dangling around Sandra's neck. "Let's go."

"You too? Fine." Smolder hopped up off the chair she had been lazing in. "Break's over, let's go punch a boss in the face a few times."

Garble gave a rough cheer of agreement with that sentiment, heading for the stairs leading upwards. "Let's do this."

The stairs were short, just barely long enough to reach the next floor of the interior of a house before it opened up into bright white marble walls and an equally dark black set of double doors. A glowing pillar of light rested to the right before the door, and a strange man to the left.

Only Spike seemed to pay full attention to the man, the others seeming to avoid looking that way for long. Sandra pointed to the light. "That's that check point. Put your hand against it." She hurried up to do just that, making it and herself flash brightly.

Author's Notes:

Next chapter, answers? A boss fight?! Sounds like a good time to me! What would you have purchased from the gazer?

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31 - Big Dog

Smolder walked up to the glowing pillar of light, peering over to it, but putting her hand up to it. It was surprisingly solid for being made apparently of light, and a little magic tingle shook through her as she glowed. Garble walked straight up and pressed his hand to it as well.

Spike, however, was still looking at the man, who took notice and turned to look at him, but saying nothing.

“What are you waiting for?” Garble said. “Afraid to get a little magic on you or what?”

Smolder rolled her eyes, but looked to Spike with equal bewilderment.

"Hello again." Spike wriggled a few fingers at the mysterious person. "Will you answer a few questions this time?"

"If I answer that, you will feel slighted, so I won't. You have one question. Perhaps I'll answer another when you reach the next." He looked beyond Spike to his friends. "I advise speed, your friends grow concerned."

Sandra wriggled her fingers as she turned away from the column of light. "Now we can hop back down in a flash, and come back up just as quickly. We can even do it right in the middle of--"

Spike’s mind raced. He hadn’t thought up what he wanted to ask! Would he only get one question per ten floors? He had to make sure to spend them wisely. But what if he asks an irrelevant question, or gets a frustrating answer?

“Come on, twerp!” Garble was becoming irate.

Spike snapped at the only question he could think of. “What’s your name?”

The man smiled. “Oh, you remembered your question. Good. My name is Logue.”

Spike blinked. “... I don’t get it. What does that mean?”

The man’s finger came up, waggling. “Ah ah ah. Your question is up.” He began to turn into light, the same shade as the pillar, which was bleeding upward. “I’ll see you around, young dragon.”

"--fighting, but it takes ten or twenty seconds or so of you mostly not doing anything more than a slow walk, so be careful about that," finished Sandra, spewing her helpful advice.

Spike, somewhat slowly, turned around and walked back to his party, putting his hand on the pillar too but hardly seeming to pay attention to the glow it put in him. “Okay, uh… sorry about that.”

Smolder slapped down a hand on his shoulder. "You alright there, Spike? It isn't too late to go back to the restroom."

"Wrong answer." Garble stomped towards the door. "We got a boss to pummel. C'mon!"

Garble and Smolder took point, both pushing on one of the doors each, as the heavy doors creaked open, bit by bit. Spike shook his head, no time for worrying about the useless answer, and he pulled his staff out, getting in a ready stance.

The doors crept open, but finally they began to give way, Garble and Smolder getting some momentum behind them. The doors flew open with a tremendous echoing thud.

Fog clung thick to the floor, rolling as if it were a living thing. Some of it gusted out from an actually living thing, its nostrils flaring. Across the way they could see a challenger, or was that a defender. A great canine-like creature, its tail low and even with the ground, its ears pricked towards its next fight. It had great claws and dug easily through the solid floor of the ground as if it was nothing but loose gravel. It was perfectly still, watching them, daring them to enter the room.

Garble looked the thing over. "That's all, a dog?"

Spike pointed to the spikes that jutted from the ground. "Uh…" Each spike was exactly the same size, protruding upwards about fifteen feet.

The boss was near one, taller than it. Its apparent lack of size was only a property of the distance between them. "Oh," allowed Garble. "So it's a big dog… alright." He grabbed his sword, unsheathing it slowly, staring down the wolf as he did, discarding the sheath near the doorway.

Smolder drew her daggers, and Spike readied himself too, and only Sandra felt herself starting to sweat. No, she admonished herself. She had summons to help. She just had to keep calm, and tell them what to do… maybe cast a spell. She didn’t need to get face to face with it or anything. She nodded wordlessly to herself.

Garble stepped out first, a toothy smirk on his face, and began to run across the arena.

“H-hey!” Smolder called out, and started running behind. Shortly all three of them were running into the arena, with Sandra following behind.

The wolf snarled, and broke into a full charge, Garble bellowing a hoot. “Don’t be dismayed--” He brought his sword above him, bringing it down. “When you taste my blade!” The blade crackled with lightning which blasted out in response to his rhyme, striking the wolf straight in it’s muzzle. “Ha!” Garble cried out.

The wolf twitched with the lightning strike, and instead of going straight for Garble went to the side, its massive paw colliding with him, powerful enough to knock him right off his feet, tumbling on the ground.

“Garble!” Smolder shouted, heading up the rear, slashing at the side of the monster, which left a red line, but it’s size rendered them, well, small. The wolf growled, bending it’s knees and sending its side to Smolder, side checking her, knocking her back as well.

Spike caught up, and immediately sent his glowing healing onto Garble, who was already pulling himself up off the ground, groaning. "I'll focus on defense." That thing hit way too hard to be distracted, he decided silently, spreading out his sympathetic magic across his friends, accepting their future pains to banish them as best he could.

The great furry beast wasn't made of stone. "Aiden!" Sandra gestured forward in a sharp sweep, a flare of heat and light signaling the arrival of her spirit friend. "Show it who's boss!" A loud screech was the reply, soaring towards the great canine. Flames rained down and around it in a carpet bombing, but the guardian of the floor shook most of it away as if it were falling bits of snow instead of flaming doom.

The guardian wheeled around, it’s jaws chomping at Garble, who was glanced and forced back, only managing to chop some of the guardian’s fur off. Garble leapt back, holding his sword out, but the guardian turned its attention instantly to Smolder, swiping at her and catching her arm with the sharp points of its claws.

Despite the obvious hits, they were unharmed save for being shoved. Spike endured the pain for them even as he worked feverishly to banish the hurts from his own small form. Smolder slashed back at the guardian, who backed out, right into Garble’s range, who scored a good hit on his other side.

Renewed fire pelted the guardian, and it flinched with a low growl. It threw its upper body upwards, howling with a tremendous din. Spike put his hands to his ears, the pain was hard to bear, and when he was done he noticed a cloud of mist had been thrown up, descending around them.

The guardian growled, more mist pouring out of the sides of his mouth, and he roared forward, a huge burst of pale mist shooting out at Spike, hitting him nearly as hard as any club would, knocking him right off of his feet.

It raised its claw, and the mist congealed around it, forming a larger pale claw, and the misty claw came crashing through Garble, the real claw slashing, and the mist blasting him back as it made smaller cuts across his armor and scales. Garble tumbled across the ground, coming to a stop. He groaned as he lay there in pain. At least, he did until a large shadow appeared over him, and he pulled himself up just in time to roll away from a pair of fangs chomping down on him.

Sandra watched from a distance, Aiden pelting the guardian with small tufts of fire. Smolder was slashing at it and Spike was pulling himself over to Garble to help, but it was not going well. She had to think of something… “Aiden, we need something bigger! As big as you can make it!” The spirit crowed, flying in a tight upwards spiral and his wings began to flare up as he flapped them vigorously.

"I couldn't see you," hurriedly explained Spike. "No see, no taking your hits and I was--"

"--Yeah yeah, got it. Garble brought down his heavy blade just in time to turn away the swat that would have caught Spike's undefended back. "Focus." It was as close to an active moment of caring as he'd get at the time. "We got a big dog to train."

The fog suddenly withdrew, heat and light replacing it as Aiden exploded like a brilliant display of fireworks, smaller explosions rocking the area, banishing the fog with each loud percussion. The dog howled and took a step back, cowed for just a moment before it turned its angry eyes on Sandra, somehow aware that she was the responsible party.

It broke away from the other three, barreling at Sandra, mist streaming behind it.

“A-Aiden!” Sandra shouted, only for no response to come. She desperately searched her magic, trying to call him out, and he was there, but there was nothing behind him now.

And she looked up at the guardian approaching her, jaws and teeth first. Magic mist streamed from the corners of its mouth, and it’s teeth practically glistened with drool. Sandra stared at it, her mouth gaping open, frozen in place as the monster closed on her and slammed it’s jaws on her, those fangs digging into her abdomen. She cried out in pain.

The dragons were hot on the guardian’s heel, Spike shouting at the top of his lungs, “Smite!” His staff glowing with golden runes, slamming into the side of the creature, causing it to lose its grip on Sandra.

Garble followed up, calling out as normal, “Lightning Lace!” slashing with his crackling katana and Smolder, silent as always, quickly cut with flaming daggers. All three hits landed, and the guardian actually made a yelping noise, which quickly changed to a growl.

The three dragons stood over Sandra, brandishing their weapons, glaring down the mist wolf creature, and it glared back at them, but stepped back, and howled again. This time it wasn’t piercing, but almost as soon as it started, it was joined by other howls, until a cacophony of them was heard.

Smolder grit her teeth. “Now what?”

Spike said nothing, and turned down, his magic flowing from his staff to Sandra on the ground, who cracked an eye. The three of them came for her. She couldn’t… she couldn’t stay down. If she could help she needs to help.

The mist surrounded the party, and inside it, ghostly forms in the shape of wolves, made of mist themselves, appeared, howling alongside the guardian. One by one they stopped, their forms turning to the party.

Two of them stepped up, and quickly, with a howl, they blasted toward the party from two sides. Smolder and Garble tried to dodge out of the way, but the wolves were much much faster, less like wolves darting out and more like misty spirits fired from a cannon, their spectral fangs tearing at each other.

With more howls, three more wolves appeared, and Garble and Smolder immediately moved, but the third wolf was pointed directly at where Spike stood over Sandra. He grit his teeth. “Sandra can’t move yet!” He brandished his staff, and just as it rushed at him tried to bat it away, but it was too fast, slicing at him and grazing Sandra.

In a moment’s reprieve, Spike frantically resumed healing Sandra, closing the wounds, and she stirred, wrenching herself up off the ground.

But with only another moment, there were more howls. The wolves shot out from the mist, and Spike wrenched himself aside, feeling the wind of the wolf careening just past him. The howls continued, the spirits beginning to attack relentlessly, and Spike had to leap out of the way, trying to minimize the damage futilely as something still hit him.

The wolves began to attack relentlessly, spirits coming from all angles, slicing and cutting the party.

Then, finally, the attacks came to a stop. The four adventurers, blood dripping from their wounds looked around. The wolves appeared to surround them, all the former spirits growing and glaring down, with the guardian looming over them.

Spike knew they were about to surge in. One big final attack, and nobody here was looking too well… But there was a chance, maybe… just one to make sure they lived. He raised his staff, the pleasant green aura emanating from it.

Sandra and Smolder both looked at Spike’s glowing staff, and looked back at each other, their eyes widening. Smolder opened her mouth to speak, “Wai--”

The wolves collapsed on the party, the ring crashing into them, and Spike was hit like a truck. Dozens of cuts appeared on him all at once, slashing at his scales and armor. Spike tried to scream, but all that came out was a guttural gurgling noise and a cough.

He started to fall, but put his staff out, and caught himself, still holding on to consciousness. The rest of the party looked back and Garble suddenly grabbed Spike. "We're leaving."

Author's Notes:

This was an interesting chapter for me, since I basically started it, then kind of edited it along the way, then slapped on the last few words. This chapter was mostly written by not-me. Huh. So how is it?!

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32 - Tactical Withdrawal

Sandra and her party ran out of the room, and Sandra slammed the wooden door shut behind her, panting and sweating. The party all watched the door, and they waited, listening for anything hitting the door.

“Looks like we’re in the clear.”

Sandra slowly slid down and flumped down on the ground, taking a deep breath. “Oh thank goodness. It was… it was huge…”

As the healer knelt down and started healing the spear wielding party member, the heavily armed member stood back and looked at the party. Their spirits were broken, either grumbling or lost it. But she knew what to do.

Tabitha cleared her throat. “That was great out there today, girls.”

The healer looked up at her and smiled weakly.

Tabitha held up a single finger. “I’m serious, girls. We had problems, but until that last wave of minions you were doing a fantastic job of keeping us healed, we just were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The healer looked away, trying not to smile. “That’s… good, but…” she gave a sidelong look over to Sandra, who had her head down. “Not all of us really pulled our weight that fight… And I was running out of magic anyway.”

Tabitha puffed out her chest. “That’s why we’re gonna go through some training, adventurin’ style!”

The healer just blinked at Tabitha.

“No, no! Hear me out. If we were just a bit more powerful, each step would go faster.” Tabitha began to pace. “We wouldn’t have to worry as much about being hurt if we had better armor.” She turned. “With some more spells, and better weapons and more skills we’ll have this whole thing whipped! We just gotta find a place to kill some monsters to figure it out.”

The healer nodded her head. “Yeah… yeah… that… might work.”

“I doubt it,” the muffled voice came from Sandra’s head. “Did you see it? It was huge. We’d need a lot more than just… a little more training to fight it…” She looked up. “Just look at what it did to us when we made a mistake…”

Tabitha rolled her eyes. “Yes, and she is also alive. We got out with our lives, and healing magic is like a dang miracle.” The form on the ground was yet breathing, her eyes cracked open. “Right? Are you alright?”

She grunted and sat up. “Yeah… yeah I think I’m good.”

Sandra stood. “I’m just saying, this is too dangerous. We should take a break, find something easier to do!”

The healer scoffed with an offended noise. “You see what we have to deal with? Sandra barely hit anything during the fight. And now she is telling us we can’t do this.” She stood up starting to stomp over to Sandra.

Tabitha got in her way, though, trying to smile. “Woah. Look I know Sandra’s aim is bad, but she just… panics, you know? You’ve seen the aim when she’s hitting targets. We just need to find something to get her used to it, you know…”

Sandra whimpered behind her, and Tabitha’s smile faded.

“You see! She doesn’t want to do anything like that.” The healer stomped. “She’s bringing us all down!” She twisted around. “This isn’t working… come on!” The healer stomped away, and her patient smiled somewhat sheepishly, but followed her companion out.

Tabitha wheeled around to Sandra, her eyes angry. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

“Tabby…” Sandra reached out to her. “Look, I--”

Tabitha wheeled back around and started stomping off herself, without a word.

Great canine teeth dug into stone, sending dust into the already foggy air. Its menacing howl echoing as it scrambled to face its enemies. The party was glowing and trying to keep away, but their motions were stifled as if they were pressing against some unseen substance all around them.

Smolder gave a firm flap of her wings, but even going up was slowed down, as if she were swimming in some thick substance. "How long does this take?!"

Garble threw Sandra aside, his other hand holding Spike like a sack of potatoes. "Too damn long. Sandra! You said we could just hop out of here with magic, right? It's just slowing us down!"

Sandra snapped out of her vision as she hit the ground. "It's working. It takes time. We just… don't die!" She retreated on all fours, barely getting back to her feet in time for the wolf to smash through the pillar they had tried to hide behind. "Survive!"

"Yeah yeah, survive, easy," grunted Garble as he ducked under the wolf, rolling out onto its other side all too slowly. "Spike, you in there bud? We could use some of your… anything right now."

Spike could hear him calling. He could also hear Twilight's frantic shouts.

"Spike! What happened? Spike! Please talk to me. Spike, please… Spike…" He could hear her sniffles. He could tell she was starting to cry, but he was too hurt to form much of a response to either of the two people trying to talk to him.

"O--" It was barely a syllable, not enough to please anyone.

"No food," reminded Smolder. "Grab one of his potions. Wait, didn't--"

"--Yeah!" Garble patted himself down, grabbing out one of the vials he had purchased and practically shoving it in Spike's mouth. "Eat it! Eat the damn thing!"

That was surely not the way healing potions were meant to be administered, but with a soft crunch, it broke against Spike's gem-breaking teeth and the potion poured into him.

Garble thrust out his hand in time to catch the teeth of the wolf, causing him to be shoved back wildly instead of bit, suddenly airborne but out of control. He came back down against one of the piles of stone with a rough crunch of the harsh landing. "Dang it all…" He dug out another potion and quickly downed one himself. "Thought I'd keep this a little longer."

Spike wasn't there. The sudden toss caused Garble to lose his grip. Spike was on the ground, watching the Wolf storm off after Garble. "H-hey… Stop."

"Spike! I can hear you," came the frantic voice of Twilight. "Oh, thank Celestia! You're alright?"

"I am… not alright." He crunched the glass into dust and swallowed to clear his throat. "We messed up."

"Is it as bad as it looks?" asked Twilight in a little scared voice.

"Yeah, maybe…" Spike looked around, but his staff was nowhere near him. He thrust a hand out and his shield appeared on it. "Maybe." He pulled himself up, and it was like moving in molasses, but he pulled up an armored boot, and slammed it on the floor. The wolf turned away from its current quarry to Spike, who was still standing.

Spike slowly, torturously, raised his shield, and the wolf guardian ran at him. It was hard to see, it was so bright. Too bright. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes as the wolf came bearing down on him.

And there was a light pop. No bone shattering crunch. No slicing winds. Spike cracked his eyes open, teeth still grit. The fog was gone, and for that matter so was the giant room. In fact, he was standing in the room with the light pillar. He lowered his shield and looked around. Garble was in a pile on the ground, groaning, and his other party members were still there, standing.

“... Oh.”

Sandra sighed herself and sank to the floor. “Thank goodness.” She looked around as if for the first time. "This isn't the first… oh yeah."

Smolder softly swatted their human partner on the back. "Please don't say 'oh yeah'. What is it?"

Sandra gestured to the pillar. “By touching the pillars we got a spell to teleport us back down the tower.” She rolled her shoulders. “I thought it would take us down to the first floor, but it seems it takes us to the pillar. I think if we cast it again it’ll take us to the first floor.”

"Hey." Garble sat up slowly, holding where it hurt the most along his ribs. "Spike?"

"Yeah?" Spike sank down, Smolder's idea seeming a good one. "What's up?"

"I saw what you did."

"Huh?" Spike slowly rolled a shoulder, trying to get things in the right place.

Garble hiked a thumb towards the great door that hid the wolf. "It was about to… bite my dang head off… I heard you. It heard you… Thanks."

Smolder gave a weak thumbs up, looking like she wasn't up for moving too far from where she started. "That means you saved our back ends twice today, Spike. You're the hero."

"I wouldn't go that far," acidly retorted Garble with a scowl. "Anyway, how do we go home now? Just do the glow thing, again?"

"Yep." Sandra took a slow breath. "That's it… Outside of a fight, it works way faster, I think. I heard something about that. One big thing though, you may have noticed..."

Smolder hiked a brow. "There's more?"

"Just a little. If any of us use it, we all get dragged along. We're a party and it will affect the whole party. That much I know for sure." Sandra lifted her shoulders softly. "Probably for the best there if you ask me. Imagine just some of us vanishing in the middle of a big fight."

Spike shuddered, imagining facing down the wolf alone. “No thanks.”

"You're… okay Spike?" came Twilight's little voice. "Your levels are going back up, slower than I'd like."

“Yeah, that sounds awful,” Smolder said. “Anyway, time to leave, will you do the honors, Sandra?”

Garble looked down to Spike. “Hey, you got some more healing magic? I don’t wanna walk through town like this if I don’t have to.”

Spike slapped his hand down on the floor only to discover a stick in a way. He blinked with confusion and rolled over to see his staff there. A weight he hadn't realized lifted away as he grasped it carefully. "Yeah… one heal I can do."

As Spike healed Garble, Sandra became lost in her thoughts. “So… what are we doing now? We got stopped going up the tower.”

Smolder laughed. “Really? Isn’t it obvious?” She smacked her fist into her palm. “It’s time to start training. Like, we went in here just as soon as we got our new classes. Of course we couldn’t get to the top at first.”

Garble got up from the healing Spike was giving. “You think maybe fighting those weird ice armors near the boss floor would be good.” He cracked his knuckles. “I’m looking forward to fighting something tough.”

Spike hopped up too. “And I bet there are lots of new spells and stuff we could get!”

Scratching her chin, Smolder added, “I bet I could talk to Pella and she’d know how to get better more awesome stuff for my class.”

“Oh heck yes.” Garble grinned a wicked grin, caressing his sword. “I could show this new baby to the guys at the arena. They’ll be jealous as heck.”

As Smolder and Garble continued to gush about how much stronger they’ll get, Spike walked over and looked up to Sandra. “So… what do you think? You ready to do some training and come back to the tower?”

Sandra smiled weakly through the flood of memories to the last time she did this with her party. The time that went badly. “... Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Spike held a hand near a fin. "Can you hear me, Twi? We'll be alright. Just a little mistake. We'll get better."

They all glowed, but unlike the first time, it raised to a crescendo rapidly, the flash leaving the room empty. They had other places to be.

Author's Notes:

That could have gone better. That could also have gone much worse. The party takes it in good spirits I think.

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33 - Growth

Pella leaned across her stand. "You faced the first boss?" Her eyes darted up and down her dragon student, her long ears swiveling. "You seem to still be standing."

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "We saw him, fought him, and realized we weren't winning that one, so we bounced." She grabbed a kebab off Pella's stand, chomping it. "But your lessons really paid off. Being a battle chef is great! We need to practice a bit, get better gear, but we're gonna get past that jerk."

"Him? Ah… What… did that first boss appear as? Was it a six-armed giant with eyes of crackling electricity?"

Smolder frowned at that. "Not even close. Big angry dog in a room of pillar piles of stone. Fog everywhere?"

Pella shook her head. "I always suspected… Also." She held out a hand towards Smolder, only withdrawing it when coins were set in it. "Thank you. Each party faces different challenges, including the bosses. They are meant to test where you are weakest. It didn't break you… That's the important part."

Smolder swatted the side of her teacher's shoulder. "We didn't win, but we'll be back."

"I can't say the same of my group… You remember that." She scratched softly behind one of her long ears. "Lucky I made it out at all."

Smolder winced. "Yeah… Spike really came through for us, got us all out in one piece. He's a real stand-up dragon."

Pella's whiskers went askew. "For such a fine dragon, he only rarely stops by."

Smolder suddenly gave Pelle a shove with a bright laugh. "Don't be that way. He's training right now. I have to get back to that too. We're not gonna let this keep us down." She set down the kebab where the used ones went. "Thanks."

Pella watched her student stroll off with a bitter little smile. "Perhaps I gave up too quickly… Are they laughing at me, or happy I found this little life." She picked up the kebab and got to cleaning it. There was work yet to be done.

“Come and see then, the power of the summoner,” the robed figure said.

The young adventurer looked over, a hungry look in his eyes.

The robed figure waved his hands and summoned a small beaver, crackling with electricity, and the boy’s excitement drained from his face. “Really? A beaver?”

The robed figure raised a finger up. “Not just any beaver, an electric beaver!”

“Tch,” the boy took a step back. “I figured this would be cool, but this is lame.” He walked away.

The figure put his hands on his hips and looked down at his summon. “I thought for sure people liked electric rodents.” He sighed. “Next time, then.” He turned back up, sensing someone approaching. “Perhaps right now!” He whirled around to face someone, and raised an eyebrow at the figure.

Sandra stood before him, waving somewhat sheepishly. “Um… Hi.”

“A student of mine, welcome, welcome,” he said, sitting himself down. “Please, make yourself comfortable. I am happy to see you. Was your excursion productive?”

“Oh!” Sandra sat down on the ground. “Yes. I got a new spirit!”

“Ah, good!” The instructor’s face lit up. “While you can’t store an unlimited number of them, you definitely should collect a good number, now--”

“Ah, well, I had a question?” Sandra interrupted. “See, when I was using Aiden, and I asked him to do his biggest attack, he got… tired? Is that normal?”

He slapped his knees to disguise his sitting up. "I didn't expect I'd have to go over that just yet. You only just entered the tower, did you not?"

Sandra glanced towards the massive pillar. "Y-yes, we reached the first boss an--"

"Already?!" He was standing, leaping to his feet. He realized his outburst as quickly, clearing his throat and slowly sitting back down. "Quite the achievement… Against enemies that are too difficult to pierce, a loyal spirit will try with all their strength to press through. I hope you are not upset with them, I'm certain they did their best if they were forced back into the ether afterwards."

“I was... just worried that I did something wrong, which is why he was exhausted.”

“Well--” the instructor held up a finger. “--It’s not wrong as long as you’re alright with them needing to recuperate. Usually as long as you don’t crazy overwork them in each fight, and have magic reserves available, then they will be fine for the next one.”

“Well… this was in the boss fight, remember?”

“Yes, many spirits can expend the rest of their energy, but typically won't on their own. You must have been very much in need." He set two fingers down on her shoulder. "What were you thinking, just before Aiden acted?"

“Well… The fight was not going well. My party was getting beat up and… well I thought that we needed to do something drastic.”

The instructor nodded. “Yes, yes. That sounds definitely like the spirit was motivated by your desperation. Aiden was a fire spirit, right? They would be particularly sensitive to feelings like that. They burn bright, but all fires eventually fade. Better to be a star than a smoldering speck."

"Yeah…" Sandra rubbed behind her head. "But I should avoid doing that. It was scary, and I bet he was super tired afterwards."

"Oh, certainly. Have you not called him since then? Do that, thank him for his work." He brought his hands together softly. "You are a team. You are unified in victory and defeat."

Sandra looked down. “It’s the same with my party, isn’t it? If one of us messes up, we all kinda lose.”

“Well… that’s not exactly what I meant, but the same kind of principles apply, yes.” He laughed heartily. “That being said, your party can probably bail you out more easily than your spirits can. If you fall unconscious they won’t be able to help you for very long.”

Sandra looked down, and then back up. “What is the best way I can help out with my party? What can I do to help them with what I can do? Are there any other abilities I need to learn? Do I need special equipment? Do--”

“Hangon, hang on. One question at a time, now--”

With a great slam, his blade crackling angrily at the steel it met, Garble tried to press his moment of advantage, only for his mentor to suddenly dart back and to the side, allowing Garble to fall forward.

"You have improved." The less obviously mighty blade was at Garble's throat with the speed of silent lightning. "But there is room yet."

Garble slapped the blade aside as he turned to face his teacher. "That's why I'm here, right?"

A little smirk graced the human's face. "I am pleased to hear that." There was a time when Garble would not have admitted so easily he had more to learn. "Now let us spar, and tell me of the battles you waged."

"I was the sword of the team." He danced, ducking, parrying and coming in at the march of an unheard song. "Minus a few annoying things, and the boss that sent us packing, I was feeling powerful."

"Because you are." The teacher vanished. Garble spun his blade around suddenly, catching the unseen strike. "And you are growing more so, good…" He danced back, seemingly unbothered that his surprise strike was caught. "Just know that you stand at the start of the journey, not the end. This is the first of worse encounters you will face."

"Then I'll just have to get better and smash them too." Garble leaped at his mentor with bared teeth, pressing the spar to continue.

Spike trudged along the city. Go train by yourself. That was what the party was doing. Get new abilities, learn new strategies. All great, right? And he knew that all the other members were with the people who gave them classes.

Which left him to… wander around trying to figure out what to do. He figured an altar in a goblin infested cave wasn’t going to be a very good place to find strategies. Not that he could actually get through the goblins all alone.

He looked down at his guildchain, rolling the gem in his claw. The setting he had looked very much like a crown, with what he assumed were magic staffs or scepters on three points.

His class was all about working with the team. “Fighting alongside” them. What good was training alone?

… At least he could see if he can get any new gear.

He sighed, and he trudged. At least until he saw a familiar figure. Well, more accurately, she stood before him, directly in his way.

“Hmph. What do we have here?” The armored woman put her hands to her hips. “Miss Silver Spoon’s little servant demihuman?”

“Oh,” Spike muttered, stopping in his tracks and glaring at the woman. “It’s Tabitha. We haven’t seen you around to bully us.”

“I--” she flipped her hair. “Have better things to do than to keep tabs on my old useless party members, you know.”

“Great,” Spike said, trying to step aside around her. “So you can go do that, I can go away.”

She stepped back in front of him, grinning a wicked grin. “Aw, come on, summon. Regale me with tales of her helplessness.”

Spike snarled. “She’s not helpless. She got her new class, we got to the first boss of the tower, we’re spending time getting new skills and advice before we go in and start training as a party.”

Tabitha’s smile faded with this, turning into a cold glare. “Is that so,” she basically stated. “I didn’t think… she had it in her.”

She also stopped blocking him, so he began to finally make his way past her, only to give a look at the guildchain on her side. The setting showing her class was a now-familiar crown with scepters on the side. Spike halted.

Tabitha turned to him, looking down at his smaller figure. “You just--

“You’re a divine lord?” Spike said, interrupting her.

“... Excuse me?”

He looked up to her, now glaring back. “How the hay is a bully like you a class that’s all about healing and helping your friends. I’d have figured cruelty is not something a divine lord should do, you know.”

Her expression darkened into a scowl as others began to peer at them. "What do you know, summon?"

"About that." He held up his chain with a victorious smirk. "We aren't that anymore. Sandra isn't who you think she is anymore either. People change, they grow up. Pity you haven't."

"You've just been lucky!" she squeaked almost as much as any shout. "I bet you don't even know how to use that class. It's for humans. Which you are not and never will be no matter how much you 'grow'."

Some part of him suggested being the larger dragon. The rest of him… "Try me."

With a roar of laughter, a new male human showed up on the scene, one of Tabitha's party members. "You're going to let him talk to you like that? He just challenged you to a duel. You have to do it now."

Wait… "Duel?" Spike scratched at the side of his head in rapidly growing alarm.

Tabitha wasn't nearly as confused, stomping a foot with balled fists. "I'll crush you! See you in the arena, three days! If you aren't there, I'll know you're a little scaley coward not even worth consideration." Tabitha turned up her nose and stormed away.

The team-mate, still as well armored as always, slapped Spike's shoulder. "I'll be there to see how you do, Dragon. Make it an interesting show."

Author's Notes:

Everyone's gathering their strength. Spike gets into a duel. Spike, that wasn't the plan...

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34 - Fight!

Spike sank onto his bed, head resting on his hands and a worried groan issuing forth.

Sandra peered over at the noise. "Your training didn't go so well?"

"Worse than that." He threw a hand aside. "I ran into Tabitha and--"

Sandra's hands clenched a moment. "Oh!... How is she?"

"Just as annoying as ever." Spike crossed his arms. "And now I have to duel her."

"Spike!" Garble rolled over, face becoming visible from his bunk. "You're going to fight her? I didn't expect that. Awesome."

Smolder wasn't as excited. "We're still in town. Are we allowed to go fighting each other? I'm pretty sure I remember that being against the rules."

All eyes turned to Sandra and she raised her hands. "No, but yes. If you fight in the right place and in the right way, it's allowed. Did she tell you to go to the arena?"

"Yeah." Spike nodded. "In three days."

"Then you have a choice." She raised a finger into the air. "One, you go. You'll set terms, usually until someone gives up or is knocked out, and you fight." Another finger joined it from the same hand. "Two, you just don't go. She can make fun of you, but that's about it."

"Pfft, yeah, nevermind." Garble rolled back to facing away. "I thought you were about to do something cool."

Smolder caught her dagger in her sheath instead of her hand. "Actually, what are the rules for this? Besides taking it or not."

Sandra shrugged, looking to Spike. "What did you agree to? Not that it matters much until you're there. The rules get set at the arena. Why?" She looked back to Smolder. "Something on your mind?"

"Well, yeah." She pointed at Spike. "You're a support. A great one, may I add, but still a support. Even the greatest support is going to be kind of sketchy in a one on one duel. You need someone to support!" She hiked a thumb at herself. "I'll be your champ--"

Garble made quite the slam, suddenly landing on his feet. "You're support too, Sis. I'll cut them in half. Spike'll do what he does."

Spike looked up, surprised. “Really?” he said incredulously.

Garble raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t want my help?”

“No no!” Spike waved his hands. “It’s good. I’m just surprised you want to help me.”

“Well, maybe I decided that dueling in an arena was cool.” Garble glared at Spike. “Because it is definitely objectively cool, so there.”

“Oh… sure,” Spike said, looking at Garble sidelong. “I’m sure that’s it.”

“Relax, shrimp!” Garble puffed his chest out. “There’s no way we can lose with me there. I do arena fights all the time.”

Sandra sat down on the bench, looking aside at Smolder as she sank down beside her. "I've never been here, I mean, for a friend. To watch a friend fight, you know?"

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "If the worst they can do is knock each other around a little, it's not that big of a deal. Why aren’t you looking forward to this?"

Sandra blinked at Smolder. “Why… would I be?”

“Tabitha’s like, your mortal enemy. We’ve personally seen her bully you over and over. I bet you are looking forward to wiping the smile off of her face, right?” Smolder grabbed a small bag of popcorn from a passing vendor, flicking them a coin without interrupting her conversation.

“Oh. That.” Sandra did not look like she was looking forward to that.

Smolder nudged her. “What's up? Why aren’t you looking forward to this? I thought she hated you.”

“I mean… it’s not exactly unwarranted…” Sandra sighed. “But it’s not just that. I don’t think Spike and Garble can win.” She suddenly snatched one of Smolder's popcorn, stuffing it in her mouth and chewing moodily.

“Say what?!” She held the bag a little closer, protectively, but her eyes were on Sandra.

“Tabitha is… she’s good. She’s smart, she’s determined, she’s tough. And she’s good at working with a team.” Sandra looked down at the ground. “When you’re in her party, you know you can count on her. No matter what.”

Smolder raised an eyebrow. “No offense, but that does not sound like the Tabitha I met.”

"We interrupt our usual bouts for a duel," came an announcing voice, echoing across the small arena. "Not for gold but to satisfy their honor. On the south side; you know her, you love her, it's Tabitha the Stout with Tomas the Terrible, combining her shield with his sword."

The crowd cheered as they stepped into view. Tabitha had a triumphant smirk on her face already, waving as if to people she knew, and perhaps she did. Tomás, the fencer Spike had run into not long before, sliced his thin blade through the air as if testing it.

"Across from them, freshly qualified to enter the tower and letting the power rush to their heads. A demihuman that knows so little about the divine lord he still uses a staff and a local up and comer you all already know. Bring 'em together for Garble the Great!"

The response was more mixed for Spike and Garble's entrance, with cheers and whops for the larger of them as others peered at Spike skeptically, him and his staff.

Spike took a deep breath, and tried to focus on Tabitha and Tomás. The crowd didn’t matter, the announcer didn’t matter, all that mattered was showing up Tabitha.

The two teams approached each other, standing with just a few feet between each other, as the announcer continued.

“The newcomer has requested the match be a two versus two match, but this isn’t just because he needs arena training wheels--” Spike’s eyebrow twitched “--But because his chosen class is all about teamwork, the rules are if any one combatant either is unwilling or unable to continue fighting, that team loses.”

“Gotta hand it to ya,” Tomás said, holding his blade and other hand out in an open gesture. “A team fight is a pretty good idea. But--” He pointed his blade at Spike. “--You also messed up picking teamwork up against us, Tabitha’s a master at that stuff.”

Spike opened his mouth to respond, only for Garble to hop in, “I dunno why.” He grabbed his enormous longsword sword, pulling it almost laboriously out of his sheath. “With that toothpick there, I doubt you’ll even be able to get through my armor.”

“I think you’ll find his blade more than enough against the likes of you,” Tabitha shot in.

"I was talking to that guy." He hiked a thumb at Tomás. "Spike, I'm going to tear them apart. You keep me upright."

Tomás burst into gay laughter at the scene. "Is he a guardian, or a healer? I'm looking forward to this fight more and more."

A loud gong sounded, the battle was on. Garble charged with a great roar of noise and flame, waving his sword like a great pendulum of pain. Their eyes focused on him, Tomás was not expecting the sudden magical bolt the caught him in the side, making him dance back with a wince. "What was that?!"

Tabitha hurried forward, getting between Tomás and the oncoming Garble. "Look at him charging alone. Finish him quickly and we can mop up the little brat at our leisure." She hadn't even seen her friend get pegged in that first instant.

Tomás waited until Garble's sword clanged as loudly as the gong against Tabitha's shield, lightning crackling dangerously around them. He lunged in, sliding his thin blade between two plates of armor as if the gap was a mile apart instead of a precious half inch. But Garble didn't even flinch, twirling in place and smashing the little weapon.

Despite its frail appearance, it held firm. Tomás was pushed back, but entirely intact. "Pattern two," he grunted with a frown. "The time for games is closing."

Garble turned toward the fencer, getting ready to slash again, only to get lunged at by Tabitha, her shield forcing him away. He backed up, pulling his abdomen out of the way, only for Tomás to bear down on him, thrusting in an attack. Garble was too slow to get his weapon up, and was rewarded with another stab wound. Before he could even react, Tabitha was slashing at him again, scoring a glancing slice at his side.

Spike grimaced but held firm, drawing the injuries Garble suffered away as quickly as they came, his staff glimmering with green power in his dance between redirecting and mending the injuries to keep Garble fighting without distraction. "Every… lash is another reason… to win." He hadn't thought the words, they just came out, and felt oddly natural.

Garble grit his teeth in a grin, and brought his sword up. If Spike had the heals, he could do the damage. “Lightning Lash,” he shouted, and the blade crackled as he brought it down on Tomás, only for Tabitha to deftly bring her shield up, it glowing with gold runes.

"We are seeing something special," gushed the announcer. "Two sides of a class we thought we knew so well. The bloody martyr fell out of favor years ago, but this little demi-human thinks he can bring it back. Keep your eyes peeled to see how this goes!"

"Their tank works from behind." Tomás darted around Garble, ducking nimbly under a wild swing to rush for Spike. "I'll take care of it."

"Hey!" Garble turned just to have Tabitha right in front of him.

"I'm not done with you." Tabitha slammed the shield into his chest, knocking him off his footing. "It's not nice to switch dance partners like that."

Spike gripped his staff tightly between his two hands, seeing Tomás sprinting in with the sharp rapier at the ready. "For every lash… I return it twice." He took a step forward, the ground indenting beneath his small foot, magic swirling violently.

"Your special effects don't scare me." Tomás ducked left and right, as if preparing to dodge whatever magic came him, but no bolt ever came. He got in close and lunged forward with his sword. "Too s--"

Spike drove his staff up at an angle and jabbed it into Tomás' shoulder where pain exploded as if he had been stabbed repeatedly. He howled with unexpected agony, falling back, his rapier clattering to the ground from a temporarily numb hand.

Tabitha's eyes darted towards him. She had expected him to clean house on the healing-specialized tank, not a cry of pain. Jittering lightning threw off her even instant of distraction, Garble's sword slamming into her armor from the side. "It's rude to look at other dancers or whatever," he taunted, already dancing from the first swing into the next. "They're big boys, they can handle themselves."

The crowd roared their approval, feet stomping the ground and bets suddenly being placed on a much more interesting battle. "He has a lot more going on than we thought. We have a striker and a defender in two matches, but one of the defenders doesn't look that defended."

Spike kicked the rapier away. "Defended enough."

"First mistake." Tomás stepped to the side in a burst of speed, snatching his weapon from the ground. "But you are doing exactly what I asked for, so thanks for that."

"Huh?" Spike swatted aside an incoming sword point with his staff. "What'd I do?"

"You made it interesting." His point seemed to become many, suddenly jabbing at Spike from a dozen places at once. The little dragon tried to parry and dodge, but there were too many and they were too fast, puncturing his scaled flesh with yelps of pain.

Tabitha suddenly pulled her shield back before holding it high and forward as if trying to bash Garble in the face. It flashed brightly, blindingly bright white light that sent him reeling, rubbing his eyes with one arm even as he swung wildly through the air with a roar of anger.

"The tables," Tomás taunted. "They have turned." His rapier glowed with personal violet energy, going for a telling blow. Spike thrust his arm forward, a shield appearing on it suddenly, but the rapier dancing even as it came in to avoid it.

But he hadn't been watching the staff. A sudden flash of angry light fired from it, catching Tomás in the face just as he was extending his arm. The rapier sailed over Spike's shoulder, only missing for his small stature. Spike snapped his staff to the side, grasping it with both hands, the shield gone. It smashed into the rapier, knocking it free of his hands.

Tomás suddenly raised his hands. "I concede."

Spike blinked softly. "What? I mean... I didn't beat you."

"You didn't have to." He waggled a finger. "I asked you to make it interesting and show me you had something. You did both of those. I concede!" He repeated that last word louder to get over the din of the crowd.

The crowd erupted in cheers and jeers, some openly mocking Tomás for giving up so easily, but he didn't seem all that bothered about it. Tabitha let her shield fall. "What? What?! Tomás! You traitor!"

Garble laughed as he sheathed his blade. "Seems you picked a terrible partner. Spike wouldn't ever give up that easily."

Spike was smiling. Had Garble just complimented him without insults attached? "You did great, Garble!"

Tomás plucked up his rapier and sheathed it smoothly. "The way I see it, he has proven he knows how to be a divine lord. That was the entire point, was it not? Any further is just a boorish waste of time."

Tabitha ran at him with a piercing wail, shoving him with both hands even as he danced away. "That was not the 'entire point'! I didn't say you could give up! Who gives up against two demi-humans that barely know what they're doing?!"

"It seems not both sides of the team agreed with losing, but the rules were set." The announcer sounded sad and disappointed. "If either side is defeated, they both lose. Who would have seen it coming, losing to two up and coming demis with chips on their shoulder. We should keep an eye on these two, they have something ahead of them if they don't get murdered by something in the tower that doesn't give up the moment things get interesting."

The crowd seemed more focused on booing Tomás than cheering the dragons. Their fight had been interrupted due to his apparent cowardice. Despite this, Spike approached. "Hey, uh... good fight. You don't... seem so bad."

"You are not so bad yourself, little dragon." Tomás tipped his hat lightly. "But I will not surrender if we clash in the tower. All's fair there."

Author's Notes:

Want some honest opinions. How was that scrap? Did they seem unbalanced? Was Spike too awesome? Lemme know!

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35 - Second Wind

"I realize my mistake."

Sandra looked over from where she had been speaking quietly with Aiden, though the phoenix-owl had been not replying in any audible way. "What mistake, Spike?"

"I'm not a healer." Spike clapped his hands. "And I'm not a tank."

Garble hiked his brow from his top bunk. "Funny, I thought that was exactly the two things you did. So what are you then?"

Spike hopped down from his chair, his staff held high. "I'm in the front row. I should be the ones in their face, turning their attacks back."

Smolder tossed her dagger up and sat up, catching it as it came back down. "Sounds good to me. I'm more in the back row these days, throwing out some hurt and supporting. It's working out."

"You're happy with that?" Garble leaned over the edge of his bunk. "I thought you liked being right up in there, stabbing things, cooking them, and eating them. Not always in that order."

Smolder flashed her sharp teeth. "You know just what to say, Bro. You think I'll stop doing that? It's about getting us to the top. We have to play it smart if we want to smash that stupid dog in its equally stupid face and then face off against things that make it look easy."

"Speaking of that." Spike twirled his staff and conjured his shield in the same motion. "While I'm totally cool with you getting that big sword first, we could all use some upgrades. I motion we sell off everything we aren't using now that we're in town and do some shopping."

Sandra's hands came together in a smart clap. "Shopping! Yes, we should definitely do that. Now that you brought it up, it's basically a miracle we got so far with the equipment we had, but even more important than that--"

Smolder hiked a scaled brow. "What's more important than that?"

"We got materials, remember?" She drew out a small chunk of strange metal from her robes. "A good bit of it, from the arena fight. There are artisans in town that know how to work with it." She pointed at Spike's head. "Remember how the guild paid us for your crown? That's because it was material too, though a step removed."

Garble sat up, his grin growing by the moment. "Now you're talking my language. So we can all get our upgrade." He hiked a thumb at his sword, resting against the wall. "I'll take a pass on a weapon upgrade. Mine's already awesome."

Smolder snorted on her way towards the door. "Yeah, thanks. C'mon!" With a wave, she got them moving. All four poured out of the inn and marched determinately towards the market side of town.

Sandra pointed to a particular building, made of stone with smoke billowing from the top. "I know that smith, maybe they'll give us a good rate?" No strong objections came, mostly shrugs and alrights, so she led them onwards. A small bell jingled as she pushed open the door. "Hello."

There was a human there, but they were no burly smith. They looked like a wisp of a female with a bright smile. "Hello to you too. Sandra, it's been forever. I honestly though you'd given up." The others came in behind Sandra and the smith's eyes widened. "Are they with you?"

Sandra waved at her team. "Say hello to the rest of my party. We've made it up to the first checkpoint and we need better equipment to take down the first boss."

"The first boss?!" She danced closer. "First. Boss? My little Sandra! I thought you'd never... But here you are. You've destroyed all my expectations." She burst into airy giggles, suddenly reaching to hug Sandra, tightly squeezing the confused summoner. "Don't look like that. I'm so happy for you. So what are we doing today?"

Smolder held out a strange plasticky chunk. "Sandra mentioned 'materials' like this could be--"

"--Look at that!" The smith whipped around and snatched the plastic away. "Mmm Mmm, very nice. Obviously first level material, but first tower level material, very nice." She twirled it and examined it with obvious interest. "You have more than this, I assume?"

Spike pulled out a bit he had, more metallic, and spikey. "What can you make with it? Um... Miss...?"

"Oh! Look at me." She snatched the metal bit, grabbing it with the skill required to not stab herself with its spikes. "Just so excited. You can call me Tammy, and you're in good hands. The more you have, the more I can make, so stop teasing me and get out all the materials you have."

Garble pushed ahead of the others. "Hold on. You're just taking our stuff. Start explaining what we get back for it."

Tammy inclined her head faintly before clucking her tongue. "Dragon."

Garble blinked softly. "Yeah?"

"A dragon!" She twirled around, setting the two chunks of material down and finishing the spin to face him. "I've worked with dragon scales and dragon teeth and dragon claws and dragon... almost everything else, but I never had one come up and say hello to me before."

Sandra gestured to Garble, then the others. "Welcome to my party, 75% dragon by volume."

Smolder puffed out her chest with a wry smirk. "It's alright if you want to bask in our glory a moment."

"Well, since you offered." Tammy had no shame, reaching to paw at Garble, feeling his scales and face and how everything fit together. "You are so much more interesting put together! Why are people pulling dragons apart?! Say! Can you do the fire thing?"

Garble swatted her hands away with an angry snort, flames escaping his nostrils. "I'm about to give you a real personal demonstration."

"Oh, yes, please!" Tammy clapped her hands and danced away towards a large machine that occupied much of the room. "Right there." She pointed to a hatch. "Some actual dragon flames should improve my furnace's efficiency! If it works, discount for you. Only fair."

Smolder swaggered towards the hatch. "I have the strongest fire breath, let me at it."

"What are you talking about," thundered Garble, storming after her. "My fire is way better!"

"Competition?" Smolder grinned at him, a spot of flame escaping her snout. "Hey, Spike, join in. Let's see which dragon has the most puff."

"Pfft, if either us loses to Spike, they get to be his servant for a day." Garble drew in a sharp breath.

Tammy casually reached over with a foot, stepping on a pedal that caused the hatch to pop open, ready to receive the flames. Other than an annoyed grumble from Spike, there were no more words left between the three. Garble went first, gushing angry flames. The machine came to life, blinking and colorful. A meter sprang to life, growing into the yellow before simmering back down into the green as the flames ended.

"My turn." Smolder took in all the air she could, torso swollen a moment before she let it all out. The bar filled, twitching around the yellow before starting to fall back down into the green, an almost identical performance to Garble. "Hm, go on, Spike. Show us what you have."

Spike sidestepped into position, facing the hatch. He had breathed plenty of fire before! Small ones, to send letters, and big ones... Right. He captured the thought in his head, focusing on that dread instant, when so many ponies could have been hurt, when he was the only thing between them and being painfully crushed by a floating island of ice.

He could feel the fire. With a soft inhale, he stoked it, burning hot inside him. With a sudden roar he let it out, gushing into the strange machine. Its meter slammed into yellow instantly and began to show bits of orange as it pushed past, lapping just faintly into the red before it started to peter back, fading into the lower portion of yellow.

Tammy took off her foot with an excited clap as metal slapped against metal in a loud closing snap. "Oh, marvelous! Fantastic! Sandra, where did you get three wonderful dragon friends? Ooo, I can't wait to forge on this." She worried her fingers together with a manic grin. "Now, materials! Give them up. I need to get started before I explode with excitement."

Smolder and Garble were standing there, limbs loose, jaws hanging. They had been beaten at fire breathing. By Spike.

Sandra's hands came down on either of Spike's shoulders. "Wow, that was great! Alright, everyone get out all the materials you have." She began pulling out all she had.

Smolder allowed a little chuckle as she dropped what few bits she had left. "Well, be nice, Spike. I mean, Sir."

"Ain't gettin' me to say 'Sir'." Garble snorted angrily as he threw down what he had.

Spike smiled a little awkwardly. "I command you both continue being amazing dragons."

"Ooo, that's a hard one." Smolder moved over to elbow Spike. "I'll do my best."

Garble didn't accept it as easily, grunting. "I'm not taking your pity. Hey, you." He was looking at Tammy. "Here's all our stuff, so what can you do?"

Tammy was already gathering all the materials. "One moment. One moment... Let me see one of your guildchains kindly?" She happened to be near Spike and saw his dangling. "There we are." She almost pulled the poor drake off his feet as she yanked the chain over to the grand machine.

Once it was close enough, the machine made a new beep. "Open a party account," ordered Tammy and the machine was quick to obey, showing the faces of everyone in the party. "And now in we go." She began tossing the material into the center of the machine, each causing a gush of flame before sinking into the inferno.

The machine began to show which materials had been stored beneath everyone's image. On the third toss, things began to appear. "Those are things the machine knows I can make, but those are suggestions, not always the limit. With the dragon's breath in there, I'm feeling... spicy!" She didn't slow her feeding of the great metal beast. "The machine will remember what you gave me, so you don't have to do all your shopping at once. Isn't that handy?"

Smolder leaned in a bit, squinting at the little images of items. "It also keeps us from wandering to another smith."

Tammy paused, tapping a smooth bit of metal to her cheek. "I never thought of that before, huh... You have a point. Still, it has to be in there for me to do things with it, so--" And in went the smooth metal, joining its friends in the flames. "I didn't design this thing. I bought it from the last person who owned it, who got it from someone else. I don't even really know who built the furnace in the first place, but I owe them a thanks considering it's my business and all." She snorted a laugh as she tossed in the last bit of material offered to her. "Look at all those options!"

She reached out into the air and physically grabbed the image, pulling it closer and stretching it wider so it was much easier to see each thing. "So anything you see here, I can make, no problem. On the other hand... You can show some faith and describe something a bit fancier and I can give it my best shot. If it works out, fantastic! I get to add a new recipe to the sheet here. If not... I won't charge anything, but your materials will be shot."

Smolder jabbed a finger forward. "Hey, why do those boots have wings?"

"Jump boots!" excitedly announced Tammy. "With those, you can..." She trailed off, looking over her customers. "Most of you really don't need that. You have wings. They do work, right?"

Spike gestured at Sandra with a grin. "They work great, but if you could make Sandra fly too, that'd be really great."

Author's Notes:

Shopping! Nocreature told me there'd be shopping in my adventure! And we're not even done after a whole chapter?! I'm sorry. You can blame this entirely on me. I wrote this chapter (Rad was le busy). That includes the typos, alas.

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36 - Not Flying

"Jump boots do exactly what the name suggests," Noted Tammy as she snatched the image of the winged boots and set it in the middle of the air. An image of a random human wearing them came to be, two dimensional and floating there. The human took a few steps before leaping.

The wings of the boots began to pump, allowing them to sail across the room in a straight line for an impressive distance before they came back down, thumbed up, and reset, starting to do the motion again. "Just like that!"

Spike hiked both thumbs at himself. "I've learned that I don't know as much as I want to, so, what do you suggest for me? I'm a front row divine lord with a 'martyr' focus? I can take damage for my team and return that to a bad guy by hitting them with this." He raised his staff for inspection. "I can shoot energy, uh, white? I have a shield." He raised his shield, both arms then high.

"And you're a dragon with lots of fire," noted Tammy with a soft nodding. "Can't forget that part. Alright. First of all..." She leaned in close, a swirl of information flashing in front of her eyes, illuminating her face a moment as she examined the staff, then the shield. "These are inadequate! Enough for the training fields, but not much more." She turned her vision to his chest, his shirt glowing a moment. "That barely even counts as armor! How have you survived until now?"

"By not being hit," explained Spike with a single raised finger. "And mostly by hiding in the back row, which I want to fix."

She snatched the leaping human right out of the air, squirming helplessly as she shoved them back onto the selection menu where they became just the jumping boots. "Well this just won't do even a little bit. Being a divine lord, you can wear heavy armor, and if you plan to be in front, you may want to consider it, but heavy armor may get in the way of using those cute little wings of yours."

"About that." Spike glanced back at his wings and at Tammy. "I notice you don't call us demi-humans, like everyone else that isn't Sandra and even she had to learn the difference. Why?"

"Because you're dragons." She began to scroll through her selection of things. "Because dragons aren't even part human, like the others. Only stupid people think that."

"Hey," defended Sandra, rubbing one of her arms.

"Sorry Sandcakes, I didn't mean you. At least you learned." She brought her finger down on a new staff and pulled it free. Instead of hanging it in the air, she shoved the image against Spike. "Try that."

Suddenly Spike's staff had a new staff overlaid atop it. It had a big jewel at the top and was a little longer. He could feel some warmth coming from the inside as he gave it a few test swings. It felt good in his hands. "Nice... What does it do?"

"What staves do, better," helpfully explained Tammy. "With that you'll cast your spells better, hit things better, and run out of energy slower. It doesn't do anything, like new things, just lets you do what you do better."

Smolder suddenly snatched the staff away from Spike and held out the strange dual-staff at Tammy. "So what if we want it do something too? You said you could go that extra mile with the breath we so graciously contributed, right?"

Tammy casually snatched the image back, peeling it free of the actual staff easily. "Then I'm making a new staff, which I am totally ready to try. Remember what I said about that."

Garble lifted his shoulders. "Go on. You got three dragons' worth of fire, yeah? Do something cool with it."

"Exactly what I was hoping for." She shoved the image back where it had come from and closed the window it had lived in. She pulled open a new one and started tapping materials shown there. "This, this... definitely this... Spike, give me that staff you have."

"Huh? Okay." He offered it towards Tammy, just to have it yanked away and thrown right into the furnace, consumed in flames. "Uh... Good luck?"

"I'll need a dash of that." She swiped from left to right and the bar appeared, warming up rapidly into mid-yellow. "Let's try this out..." The staff rose out of the pit of flames, unharmed for its time there, but visibly smoldering. Metal oozed upwards, creating supporting lines and a claw at the end. A great gem lifted to rest in that claw as a plume of flames engulfed the entire thing. "Oooo, this is... Right, delicate part." She sucked on her breath through her teeth as she fiddled with dials, rapidly tapping at the glowing keys in the air.

Just as suddenly, she was reaching into the flames, pulling the staff free. The furnace's levels began to lower back towards high green as she swung it towards Spike. "I present!"

Spike reached and she didn't resist him taking the staff. It was his staff, but also note, clearly modified. It felt different in his hand, a touch heavier, but more... powerful. He could feel his magic flowing through it, gathering... "Is this orb thingie collecting my magic." He peered at it. Whatever crystal it was made of, it smelled delicious.

"Is it? That's good to know." Tammy dutifully made notes as she added it to her recipe list. "It should be keyed to your class and, you know, being a dragon. I made it for you! Now, that doesn't mean I won't sell it to someone else who happens to be a divine lord martyr, but those are so rare these days. Most people don't go for that spec anymore."

Spike slung his staff on his back with a satisfied nod. "I don't get it. Isn't that what a divine lord is basically? A healer that, you know, sacrifices for the good of others?"

Smolder swatted Spike's back. "That's one thing they can be, figures you saw it that way. You're always ready to give it all up for other creatures. One of your really noble traits."

"Weird traits," scoffed Garble. "Alright, he got a new staff, we got plenty more to go."

Tammy was perfectly happy to get right back to work. Smolder got a new set of daggers, red and blue in color, equally fit for cooking or stabbing. A new set of mail covered her with fine rings that didn't clink when she moved. Garble was given nothing at all. "Nice sword," she complimented. "Easily the best gear in the party. If you ever swap to something else, I call dibs on melting it down."

"Yeah, not happening." He huffed out a small bit of flames before hiking a thumb at Sandra. "What about her?"

Tammy pulled Sandra closer, looking her over. "Hmm hmm... Hmmm... Alright." She snapped her fingers and reached for her recipe list, pulling a set of robes free. "I think this would do pretty well."

Sandra took the picture of robes from Tammy and held it to her chest. It expanded out, overlapping her current suit. "Oh!" Apparently she could feel some difference in it as she looked herself over. "It's warm and feels... supportive."

"Supportive is just the right word." Tammy nodded firmly. "It'll keep your magic going strong, and your magic is what you use, right? You're still a spellcaster?"

Sandra held out an empty hand. With a flare of light and heat, Aiden came into being, wings spread out and folding back as embers drifted down around it. "Meet Aiden."

"Hello, Aiden." Tammy pointed past Aiden to Sandra. "I'm giving her more power so you can use it." Aiden hooted and Tammy nodded as if she understood it. "Right? I knew you'd like it." Tammy danced back to her furnace. "Shall I begin?"

Sandra was soon wearing a new set of robes, colored with red and orange trims to match her first summon. She also had a wire tiara on her head. Tammy didn't seem done, busily crafting with soft murmurings, fingers quickly at work. "Now this isn't a new thing, but 'new' doesn't always mean 'better', in this case. I made this up myself a while ago, but I like it." She plucked a shield free of her furnace and twirled it in place, examining it for defects before hurling it like a frisbee towards Spike.

He caught it and slid it over his arm. His original fell to the ground, apparently realizing he had swapped. "Huh." He reached down, but Tammy snatched it up before he got it.

"You don't need that." She tossed it casually into the furnace. "We can reclaim some of its materials for later. How does the new one feel?"

It was made of smooth metal, wider at the top and coming to a point at the bottom. It was a soft cyan shade and had the icon of a dragon on the front, flames erupting from its mouth. Spike smirked at that as he waved it softly, testing its heft. "Did it have that picture before?"

"Nope, added that for you." Tammy leaned in with a big grin. "Like it? It's a nice combination of strength and small size. It's no tower shield, but you're not a tower shield kinda guy I don't think."

"Nah, nothing that huge." He pulled his staff off and tried them together, parrying invisible blows with his shield and thrusting his staff out, grunting and shouting in false combat.

As he did that, Tammy turned to the rest. "Satisfied? Did you want something for him?" She indicated Garble with a smile. "He's still lapping you all with that sweet drop there."

Garble thrust a claw at Spike. "You swapped his stick and his shield but no armor?" He clanged his claws against his own breastplate. "If he wants to be front row, he'll want some armor."

"Martyr builds don't usually do heavy armor," mused Tammy, looking thoughtful as she tapped a foot. "What do you think, Spike?"

"Huh?" He willed his shield away and slung his staff. "A little armor wouldn't be bad. Maybe some chain like Smolder has?"

"Chain it is!" Tammy was quick to produce another set of chain armor sized for Spike, tossing it his way. "There you go, all suited up. Now go crush that tower, or at least come back with second level materials for me to play with." She giggled, eyes shining with the thought of the more exotic materials gotten from higher up the tower. "Either way's fine by me."

Sandra stepped up, offering an arm. The two were soon hugging. "Thanks for taking care of us."

Tammy waved at the dragons and soon had Spike and Smolder in the hug, Garble sneering at the whole thing. Tammy shugged and enjoyed her hug with the others. "Alright, seriously, come back with some great news." She hopped back and fired a double thumbs-up. "I'll keep the furnace warm while you're away."

They emerged into the dimmer light of evening, the day spent getting kitted out. Garble softly shrugged as he went. "She was nice enough. Why didn't you bring her up before?"

"We didn't have anything for her to do," sighed out Sandra. "Once we had materials..."

"She could get to work," cut in Smolder with a grin. "Makes sense to me. Glad to see you have a friend besides us. You should stop by and say hi to her, even if you aren't buying things."

"I was... kind of embarrassed... I told her last time I would get it right." She rubbed her cheek awkwardly. "I only just started doing that."

Spike hopped ahead. "Pity she couldn't make you fly, but let's get a bite to eat and tomorrow, group training."

Garble rolled his eyes mightily. "Ugh, guess we should. You need some practice to keep up with my awesome moves."

Author's Notes:

See, this is what happens when you leave me at the helm. Two weeks it was just me writing and they spent it all shopping. Ugh, promise they're done with that! Does that big dog stand a chance against our improved team?

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37 - Trust Building

The starting fields held no threat to them. What few monsters dared to come close were swatted back with childish ease. Fortunately, they were moving through it instead of trying to train there. Smolder pointed ahead. "Now, we could go back in the tower, but we agreed to not try that chance until after at least a little practice first, so today, we plunder the forest. Tomorrow, the tower if we're ready for more."

“You agreed to not try the tower,” Garble grumbled. “I don’t see how a forest could ever compete with how dangerous the tower is.”

“Some adventurers never even step foot in any tower, you know that, right Garble?” Sandra said. “The tower is it’s own… thing. Other adventurers spend all their time in caves and forests and out fighting other adventurers.”

“Besides,” Smolder piped in. “We’re here to practice working together, not fighting the hardest stuff in the world. If the monsters here aren’t any tough, we spend some time, leave, do something harder next time.”

Aiden appeared without being called, looking towards a portion of the forest they approached. Sandra followed its gaze and it dawned on her. "Oh hey! Look." The others looked towards the trees, but there were just trees. "Guys, this is where the burnt patch was. It's been healing while we were away."

Spike smiled with genuine joy. "That's great! Is it all better? Looks like a lot of trees to me."

Sandra shook her head. "Close, but wow, definitely on the way." Her steps became more confident, knowing she had played some part in the restoration of the forest. Aiden played silent vigil, watching the place where he had been born.

With a sudden piercing wail, they were set upon just entering the cover of the trees by angry, big-eyed monkeys with flailing hands. They would not have to search long for practice. Instead of hanging back, Spike charged right alongside Garble, leaving Sandra and Smolder behind.

Smolder edged just in front of Sandra. "I'm basically the back guard. Anyone tries to get on you, they're getting cooked." She twirled her suddenly present daggers in ready position. "I do mean that literally, of course."

"Of course." She thrust out a hand and Aiden launched free of her arm. "Let's get you some cooking supplies."

The monkeys rushed out, their fists crashing into the front line. Neither Garble nor Spike were bat away, but they were outnumbered and hit. Garble sliced at the nearest one, landing a decisive slash, but the monkey didn’t fall from the hit, merely hesitating a vital moment in the wave of simian flesh.

Spike was glowing brightly, a strange white/green hue that echoed more dimly in his party mates. His staff flared as he brought it in a two-handed arc, knocking one right off their feet as it crashed into their knees, but another was practically climbing over the body before it finished hitting the ground.

Then the fire came, Aiden soaring just overhead, sheets of heat and flame raining down from its spread wings on the enemies below. The fire was a living thing, clinging to and attacking the monkeys and turning away from the dragons, even if they held no particular fear of flames.

The now flaming monkeys flailed those fists and met with Garble's blade. In an arc of crackling precision, he removed several fists in one cruel motion. "Such a good audience, giving me a hand like that."

Spike, for his part, was doing his best to knock heads with his staff, swinging it, the new gemmed head glowing as he beat away the assailants. With a moment of free time, he sent a quick healing pulse to Garble, who no doubt needed it, but went straight back to hitting.

Fire continued to rain down on the monkeys, while the two in the front clubbed and sliced their way through the enemies.

And Smolder was actually kind of bored. None of the monsters had gotten past anyone yet. She huffed. They needed a plan for when protection wasn’t needed, huh? Aiden's cry signified that change, a smaller chunk of the swarm following it as the fire bird came flying towards them.

Even as Smolder charged with a rejoiceful cry, Sandra slashed the air with a hand, Aiden vanishing in a bright puff and the ground erupting in stone, her rock golem climbing free, jewels glistening with the promise of solid defense. Monkeys crashed against twirling knives and great crushing fists.

Not only were they holding their own quite well, and little floating fires proving as gravestones, er, future meals, but their antics took enough pressure off the two in the front, allowing Spike and Garble to start beating back the diminished horde, the flames weakening them when bludgeoning staff strikes and dismembering blades weren't doing the job fast enough.

A loud ring of steel echoed out as a clenched fist larger, and stronger, then the others met Garble's blade and did not yield. Its owner was a huge arm, attached to the running, burning, mass of the others, flowing together into something greater and more terrible than the many others that had been slain so rapidly together.

Sandra hissed a breath. "Looks like we managed to do it again…" Much like when they had first started, the mass killing in such a short time had called a sudden boss to face them. "This time we'll handle it," she said, as much to bolster herself as anyone else that could hear her.

Garble, however, bellowed a laugh. “Would ya look at this! I thought this was gonna be just us whaling on some kind of little loser monster.”

The manamerged monster roared, finally coalescing into a huge monkey, as large as the monster in the tower, wreathed in flowing flames. It rose it’s huge fists, and slammed them down, barely missing Garble and Spike as they lept back. But... Garble felt strange. It felt a little like being in a magma pool but bad, instead of good.

Garble spun around and cut at its arms, biting into the skin but not slicing through it like it’s smaller form. The wreaths of fire lashed out, and Garble paid no mind, slashing again, right until they collided with him, sending him off of his feet with a sharp slap.

Garble cried out. “Ow. What the hey?!”

Spike ducked down underneath another fist, a wave of flame washing over him, which hit him and stung. It was a new feeling, and he had to grit his teeth to bear it.

The monkey brought its arms back up again, roaring and the flames gathered, and as it prepared to slam it down, Spike brought his staff up, ready to absorb the attack.

Garble pulled himself up and braced himself just in time for the second burst of flame to wash over him, the same stinging inflicted on him, but only pushing him back instead of knocking him off his feet. “What the hey is this.”

Spike sprang forward gritting his teeth through the injury, thrusting his staff into the monkey, a burst of magic blasting it’s leg backward, causing it to fall over. He hopped back. “I think the fire is burning us!”

“Excuse me?!” Garble shouted, looking over for just a minute, but trying to press the advantage on the tripped monkey. “I’ve bathed in lava.”

“I dunno!”

Great vibrations of the ground were the first hint before the thuds of the approaching crystal golem announced the arrival of their backup. "Snack time!" called Smolder, riding the shoulder of the charging strone warrior. With two quick thwips, she sent fried morsels flying into the waiting maws of her frontline. "Time to get back in it!"

Sandra had not ridden, racing as quickly as she could across the grass between her and the forest where the fight had begun. Though she was not quite there yet, her presence was felt as her golem crashed into the monkey-amalgamation, buying a precious moment to regroup. Smolder landed neatly where it had stormed through. "Miss me?"

“Careful of the fire!” Spike said, as he dodged a puff of it landing at his feet.

“You weren’t that far away I could hear you yelling.” Smolder spun her daggers, finishing with them brandished. “It’s just like any normal fight then. We had a plan for this kind of thing, right?”

“Right!” Spike and Garble said together, and the two of them split up, running around the monster. The three of them spread out, surrounding the beast, which spun itself around for a moment, as if having to choose who to attack. Eventually it turned to Garble, bearing down on him, flailing and punching.

Smolder and Spike both took this opportunity to slash and bash at it, both going for strong attacks with glowing weapons.

The monster roared, twisting around to swipe back, flames lashing out at Smolder, who backed out while Garble pressed inward, hitting the monster with another crackling attack on it’s back.

Sandra caught up as she watched the three of them continue the assault, with her rock monster being pelted by flames as it less adroitly punched the giant monkey too. When the monster would focus on one of her party, the others would press the attack. Spike would throw out some heals too, when he wasn’t focused on.

Sandra conjured up a magic missile, pelting it, but with her rock monster out it was hardly much of an attack, making a little paff at the side of the enemy.

The monster roared, placing its hands on the ground, a wreath of flames rushing up out of it, causing all three of the nominally-immune-to-fire members of her party to wince back.

“What is it doing now?!” Garble yelled. “It’s friggin hot!”

Sandra looked down, and had a suspicion. She extended her senses, and saw just a bit of tendrils of magic flowing from the ground into its hands, red hot. She widened her eyes. “It’s absorbing magic from the burnout from before!” She looked around in a panic. “You have to get its hands off of the ground!”

"Nice idea." Spike jabbed his staff forward with a brilliant glow, returning the pain he had taken in addition to the firm thrust he delivered. "But how do we do that? I don't think any of us are that--woah!" He jumped to the left, avoiding the great slam of a fist where he had been standing.

Sandra turned her magic away from trying to send little useless pellets. "You are my magic." She extended her hands towards her golem. "You are my strength. We are one."

Suddenly there was no Sandra. The golem looked up, its eyes glowing with a fierce new light. "We are one," it spoke with Sandra's voice as if filtered through grinding stone. Sandra-Golem moved with grace the golem never had, imbued with the will to move of a human. "Get it still for just a moment."

Garble's sword clanged against the arm of the monster, hissing in pain. "Is this what being burned feels like? It sucks." But he held firm. Smolder came in on the other end, catching its other arms between her daggers for what little distance that afforded her. Spike came up behind it, battering at it with his staff.

Sandra-Golem closed its eyes, earthen magic flowing from it to the ground and back. It opened its eyes, rushing at the monkey’s head, close to the ground. It crouched down, and the earthen magic turned the soil to rock, pressing up and supporting the golem’s feet. The golem and the earth rose together, a continuous force from earth to fist, colliding with the monkey’s face. The bundled up magic was similarly thrust up, dry heat and flames being blasted into the sky by the earthen magic in a magnificent plume.

The monster’s flesh grew cracks as it’s magic was flung away, being torn up by its own improper release, flame magic pouring out of it up into the plume, burning itself up and away, it’s body losing form.

Dropping down from it was a single crystal, glowing inside as if on fire.

Sandra suddenly appeared in a flash of light, slumping to a knee. Her golem fell to pieces that faded away, leaving nary a trace.

Author's Notes:

Team and trust building! I think it's a success, you?

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38 - Rules of the World

Spike walked along with almost a bounce, the crystal hovering peacefully over his outstretched right hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," muttered Sandra, half-draped over Garble for support as they made their way towards a nice patch of grass. "But we did it!" She tried to be excited, even if fatigue ruined much of the announcement.

Garble casually dumped her onto the soft grass, at least making sure she landed right side up. "There you go. Now, crystal. What is it?"

Smolder held out a little greasy morsel towards Sandra. "10 to 1 it's a material. Bet it needs tossing into that fancy smelter we just left to see what we can do with it."

"It's kind of pretty." Spike raised his hand and the crystal went with it, floating so peacefully. "And warm when you can get your hands on it."

Sandra stayed flumped down on the ground, looking at the trees above her. “I dunno what it is.”

Garble rolled his eyes. “Okay, better question, why did the fire burn us?”

“Probably all the magic it was using,” Sandra answered from the floor.

Garble put his claw to his chin, tapping it. “Nope, that didn’t explain anything.”

“It was siphoning all that magic the fire once had. So probably the fire was magic, and so the magic of the fire still burned you, even though the fire fire would not.”

Garble furrowed his brow. “That’s stupid. This is stupid. I’m a dragon! I breathe fire-I breathe magic fire. I shouldn’t be burnt by some dumb huge monkey thing.”

Sandra shrugged from the ground. “I’ve heard of stuff like that. Magic attacks that can cut through resistances. You probably had some resistance left.”

“Does that mean we fought something that might have been a lot stronger than we were?” Smolder came into view above Sandra.

“It’s likely.”

Smolder’s eyebrow raised. “Are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m alright,” Sandra said, breathing heavily. “I… I am. I did something awesome, and now I’m alright.”

Spike's hand came into Sandra's view, thumb extended as his face followed with a big smile. "That was crazy awesome! Also, what was it?" His shoulders lifted in a soft shrug. "Your golem got all crazy and cool, and then it was gone and you were passing out."

Sandra was about to answer when Smolder lost patience and filled that void with the food that had been waiting. "Chew more, talk after. It'll help get your magic back up." Not having much choice in the matter, Sandra quickly chewed up the tough, yet spiced, meat and swallowed heavily.

Smolder's treat chased away the worst of the fatigue and Sandra sat up, smiling. "I… kinda melded with it? It was exhausting, for both of us. I had the power of the golem, and it had my grace."

"So no grace," laughed Garble with a wicked smirk. "You did good."

Sandra snorted at the insult, but it rolled off quickly. "It felt good. I didn't even know I could do that."

"Been there," cut in Spike. "When you really need it, some of this just… makes sense."

"I hear that," joined Smolder. "You think I have all these recipes memorized? I go with the flow and it just works out."

“No… I’m not…” Sandra took a deep breath. “That’s not how it works for me. I don’t ‘go with the flow.’” She sat up. “I never go with the flow. I concentrate, I worry I’m doing the right thing, I wonder if someone is going to hit me. I deliberately do something. Heck, sometimes I have a hard time breathing, when it’s bad.” She looked at her guildchain. “But the rock… elemental, didn’t have those feelings. All I could feel was a sturdy reliant feeling. All action, no worry.”

She held the guildchain up. “I didn’t need to channel magic using the guildchain, either. The magic felt more… freeform than that. I don’t think that the rock monster had an uppercut skill, per se. It just knew how to harden the ground and channel the magic.”

Spike stepped into Sandra’s view. “That sounds a lot just like a guildchain.”

Sandra stared at the guildchain. “No… Everything was much more raw than that. Like I was assembling parts of an ability, rather than a whole ability.”

“Well, why can’t we do that with normal abilities!” Spike said. “I mean, couldn’t we take like part of one ability, and use it with another!”

Sandra chuckled. “I don’t think it works like that."

Smolder made a gun shape with a finger at Sandra. "I don't think that's how you've been taught how it works, but us even being here already says what people think isn't what they get."

Garble barked out a laugh at that even as he snatched the floating crystal. "Stupid humans have no idea what they're playing with while they play like they're the big shots around here. Don't know jack."

"Hey!" Spike lifted into the air, lunging for the crystal, but Garble proved better at keeping it away than Spike was at jumping for it. "Come on! If it belongs to anyone, it'd be Sandra, or all of us."

Sandra picked herself up off the ground, her breath coming more easily. "How I got so far without a battle chef even up until now is beyond me. Have I mentioned you're amazing?" Smolder was grinning but silent at the compliment. "But, for the other thing, not quite sold… I mean, sure, I was seeing things through… earth view? That doesn't mean I can just--"

"--Why not?" cut in Smolder. "Give me a real reason that doesn't involve anything you were told."

“It just doesn’t work that way! The guildchain doesn’t do it.”

Smolder raised an eyebrow. “That sounds exactly like something someone told you.”

“Well, how am I supposed to tell you something impossible is without that?” She glared for a moment, then relented. “So do it now. Right now. If it’s very possible, go and do it.”

Smolder chuckled. “I will. One boiling cauldron knife slash, coming up.” She pulled her knives back, and focused on the spell to summon that boiling cauldron, and also to use her magic knife slash. As soon as she began the boiling cauldron summon, she felt the magic surge, the boiling pot popping into existence above her, nearly crashing into her head as she got out of the way.

Garble, of all people, snickered. “Sis, you sure you know what you’re doing here?”

“Cool it, just a little bit wrong.” She got up, and the cauldron faded away, leaving the bubbling steaming liquid to evaporate over the next few seconds. She brought her knives back again, trying the other ability first. Her magic surged, and her blades glowed with energy, and quick she tried the boiling cauldron, which this time succeeded in bonking her on the head. “Oww…”

Sandra laid back again, looking up. “See, not too easy. Guildchains do the whole spell for you, from start to finish.”

Smolder stood up again, tongue licking the side of her lips in concentration. “Slowly… slowly…” She gradually put magic into her first ability, the cauldron… and then once she built up enough, magic surged through it again, cascading into a summoned cauldron that she caught, this time.

She grumbled, setting it down beside her. “It’s like once I start it the spell just has a mind of its own.”

Sandra nodded from her place laying down.“The guildchain handles all the difficult stuff. It’s shaping your magic to create a metal cauldron and firey liquid from nothing, using the aura and magical synchronization of the class to help it along.” She looked up at the trees. “I guess the Culinarian class is, like, a class designed to shape magic into physical items. It creates all that food from monsters’ magic, and the cauldron for that attack.”

Spike piped up. “How do you know all of this stuff, anyway?”

“Hm?” Sandra looked over to him. “I mean, I learned a lot of this stuff when I was young, from my parents and tutors and stuff. I just… was never really good at doing it.” She raised an eyebrow. “Why? Do you wanna learn it?”

“It sounds a lot like the stuff Twilight would get up to, but with amazing training wheels.” He held up his guildchain. “Usually being able to fire off bolts and stuff is pretty hard, most unicorns can’t do it, but with the whole guildchain system it gets really easy… It’d be really cool to be able to mix and match powers. There must be a way to do it…”

Sandra laughed from the ground. “Maybe, but I haven’t heard of anyone who has.” She finally pulled herself entirely up. “Maybe a bunch of creatures from another world are what it takes.”

Smolder summoned another cauldron, sighing.

“Just not today,” Sandra said. “C’mon. We’re supposed to be training, right? And that food hits the spot something good. So let’s go!”

Garble began walking for town, his ill-gotten crystal floating over his hand. "You ain't gonna get an argument out of me. We came, we saw, we showed everything how awesome we were. Not a bad day. You did decent, Spike."

Spike was distracted from his quest to reclaim the crystal. "Really?"

"You were fighting and keeping us in one piece. That reminds me. It looked like you were taking our hits, but not all of them?"

Spike bobbed his head as he began to amble alongside Garble. "I kept that going on, you know, the background? So I could focus on more active things like hitting things." He gave his staff a good swing through the air. "And throwing out actual spells."

Sandra quickly caught up with the two. "You had it in both? When did you get the background version?"

"I… didn't?" Spike shrugged softly. "I did that my--"

"--Ah ha," called out Smolder, having joined the group. "There's my proof. He improvised."

"Spike's different," deflected Sandra. "He sees things his own way."

"Is that a compliment?" Spike scratched softly at his cheek. "My sister's big into rules, so I learned to notice when she's getting bogged down in them."

"Your 'sister' is a pony," noted Garble with a roll of his eyes. "Which are not 'sisters' of dragons. Just imaginin' her popping out of an egg…"

Sandra suddenly giggled. "That sounds adorable."

Smolder danced in front of the others. "Hey, she adopted him and they've raised a cool dragon if I say so. Now we're not here to argue family trees." She twirled back to face the town. "We have a material to turn in, and lunch to grab. Speaking of that, anyone up to smashing some easy monsters on the way for lunch money?"

Garble yanked free his massive blade, his arms bulging in the effort of the sudden movement. "Now you're talking. I'll play some victory music on them." And off he ran towards the city, veering off wildly every time something living entered his field of view.

Spike hiked a thumb at the joyful dragon. "Couldn't he end up summoning another boss if he goes too wild?"

Smolder shrugged softly. "This place is even weaker than the forest. If he does, I bet he'll smash it himself and feel like a million bits, so I say we let him have his fun and collect the small change that drops." She wandered over to where glinting could be seen in the grass. "It's like he's leaving us presents." She casually collected the small-time coins and materials and potions as she went. "Win/win."

Sandra held out a hand and made a clenching motion. Her golem rose just in front of it, looking unharmed from the last experience. "Welcome back," she greeted. "Can you help us gather what he drops on the way?"

The golem did not answer in any obvious way, but did move to do just that. It collected things, but not as Smolder had been doing. Instead it just walked over them as if absorbing the coins and other things directly into its stoney body.

Spike suddenly snapped his fingers. "I get it!"

Author's Notes:

What did Spike get?

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39 - How It Works

They were all holding kebabs, but also walking through the streets. "So, you see," continued Spike even as he chewed. "It's all magic, but how you… approach it matters." He angled his skewer towards Smolder. "Your magic came from the guildchain, right?"

"And taught," she defended. "Good teacher, served us lunch." She raised her skewer as if in triumph of the culinary arts. "But, yeah. And?"

"So it's a shortcut." He brought his hands together, skewer caught between them and getting grease on several fingers at the same time. "A good one, useful too. Don't get me wrong! But it's still a shortcut, not 'all their is'."

Sandra chewed moodilly on a bit of pineapple before swallowing and nodding. "So where's your proof of this?"

"It's all around us." Spike waved a hand expansively. "We've been fighting it. Monsters don't have guildchains, do they? Your golem doesn't have a guildchain, but both can do magic and skills and things, right?"

“Well, yeah. They don’t do magic like we do, no, but it clearly is still magic. And magic forms all sorts of monsters and items, and everything has some of it.”

“Right right,” Spike started pacing. “So they use magic without guildchains. What about before guildchains, then? What did people do for magic before them?”

"Crudely," suddenly noted Sandra. "I'd have to go get a history book to say more than that. People huddled around little campfires wearing leather scraps, hoping the monsters wouldn't eat them that day. You want to go back to that?" Visions of cavepeople with simple magic danced in her mind.

Garble suddenly grinned as if he were let in on a joke. "But they did it. You taught yourselves how not to do it. You humans are stupid sometimes."

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "Before you go getting that down on them, I bet the average pony doesn't even know how to build a fire, because they don't have to anymore. Why learn how to do all those old-timey things?" She fashioned finger guns at Sandra. "But forgetting they exist--"

Garble huffed, a bit of flame escaping. "Why would anyone need to 'know' how to make fire?"

Sandra smiled a little awkwardly. "Because they are not dragons and can't breathe it up when they want some?"

"Sucks to be them." He shrugged softly, but looked satisfied in his draconic status. "So, Spike, you're saying 'go primitive' and figure it out?"

"Well, I wouldn't use that phrasing, but basically?" He inclined his head. "It'd take work and practice, but when you get it down, it's just another spell. If we knew how these guildchains worked, we could even record it for someone else to use." He raised his chain into view. "Think they have a recording button hidden somewhere on here?"

“I haven’t heard of anything like that,” Sandra said. “You’d think that I would have heard.”

Smolder laughed. “Are you saying that you already understand everything about guildchains and can’t possibly have heard of someone using it unconventionally?”

“I guess not…” Sandra said, looking down in thought.

“That’s right!” Spike hopped in the air a little. “I’m sure there’s all sorts of magical stuff not explored.”

"Or." Garble thrust a finger across the walking line of party members. "Someone's getting all power out of it. If most people don't know how, or even that you can make new stuff, the few people who do get all the gold and fame, right?"

Spike blinked dumbly before a big smile spread on his face. "That was surprisingly--"

"--Smart?" cut in Garble with a little huff of flame. "Stop assuming I can't think, twerp. I can."

"He's real clever," defended Smolder, putting an arm around her brother. "Just, you know, dragons don't usually value that quite as high as they should. Humans have stupid habits, so do we. How about we all work on it?"

“Tch,” Garble made a noise. “I am already clever. I’m good at whatever the dumb habits dragons have.”

Smolder flapped up and pat Garble on his head. “Sure you are, bro.”

Sandra smiled a little, watching the siblings start to bicker, though her attention slid back towards Spike. "So, let me make sure I have your idea right." He nodded up at her and she continued, "The skills we get, from our classes--" She held up her guildchain. "--are basically pre-written magic. We follow them by... rote? Is rote the word? Rote." She nodded, getting more confident in the word. "But you're saying it doesn't--"

"--have to be that way, all the time," finished Spike, bobbing his head. He tossed his kebab into a trashbin they were passing. "Don't get me wrong. Most of the time? There's really no reason not to go with the nice, neat, ready to go version. I'm just saying we can tweak it, so why limit ourselves? Passive martyr is way more interesting than active martyr, and we're a better team for it."

"You were pretty passive already," noted Garble, hearing the conversation. "You managed to get more passive?"

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "He was pretty active last fight. You want to throw that away?"

"No no no!" cried Spike, waving his hands frantically. "I meant the skill. I'm using it passively, so I can do other things. I don't stop all the damage, but I can throw heals, hit things, and contribute more." He directed his staff at Smolder. "Keep working on yours. I bet you could come up with ways to blend your cooking with your fighting more. I know you want to be hurting them."

"I do hurt them," noted Smolder with a wry smile. "But I'm not against more ways to do it. If I could get that tweak right..." She gestured through the air and the great cauldron appeared, slamming into the ground from the foot up it had appeared. "That's not it..." It faded away, nothing cooked.

Garble suddenly wickedly smiled. "Wait wait wait. Yeah... You may be onto something." He hiked a thumb. "I vote we focus on that. Let's make this ours."

Smolder thrust a fist forward and it was soon met by Garble's and Spike's. Sandra squeaked, realizing she was missing out and got her hand in there, completing the gesture. It was time to train in a new way.

"Shield... Tempest!" Garble was propelled despite only holding his great sword in a defensive manner, bringing it down as he flew and cutting an innocent goopy slime in half.

"Boil and die, in that order," commanded Smolder as she clapped her hands, a cauldron springing up from the ground beneath another slime, cooking it alive even as she cut another in half in a smooth transition of her blade.

"Your health is ours!" Spike inhaled as if breathing fire backwards, drawing essence from the spiny creature before him. It gathered in his staff and radiated outwards to his teammates, not that he was staying still, already circling for a better angle to strike the creature.

"Fire creates, fire destroys," called out Sandra, flames trailing just behind her arms as they fanned the air. "I am the fire and the fire is me!" Aiden wasn't there, instead working through her, as she worked through the bird, the two unified as she hurled great balls of fire, each directed by the bird's innate sense of how to control its own magic.

Each pushed themselves to learn skills not in their chains, but evolutions of those skills.

"Is this normal?" Sandra was looking at her guildchain. It listed what skills she had, but the text seemed to jump and twitch spastically. "I don't think it likes what we've been doing?"

Everyone else looked to theirs to see them twitching in much the same way. The new skills they had learned were beyond the guildchain's ability to easily identify. Spike hiked a thumb towards the guild. "Maybe we should head back and make sure we're not breaking anything."

"I'll be breaking a lot of things," taunted Garble with a smirk. "Let's rub it in their stupid faces that we're doing it better than them."

Spike nudged Sandra on the way. "Good job, by the way. You don't look nearly as worn out after doing that trick."

Smolder fired a mighty thumbs up. "You look pretty cool too. I think we can smash that stupid dog."

Sandra smiled a little smile. "It feels... amazing. I can... Aiden's fire runs through me, like I'm on fire, minus the burning part. The rock gol--"

Garble interrupted, "--What, he doesn't get a name?" He shrugged softly. "Your fire owl got one, why not the golem? Thought that was just a 'thing'."

Sandra frowned a little, thinking on that. "I never really asked their name... which was rude of me." They were still marching to the guild through the busy city streets, but she turned her thoughts inwards, walking on auto pilot.

Spike reached out, helping direct her to keep her from bumping into things. "So, silly idea I just had, but what if what we're doing is not allowed?"

Smolder squinted. "Why would they make rules about that?"

"Because they're stupid?" Garble lifted his shoulders. "Whatever. Like we care about their rules."

Inside Sandra's mind, she called to the golem, sitting down in a cave where the golem rose from the rocks and crystals there. "Hello. I'm sorry, we never really got a chance to introduce ourselves since we met, and that's mostly my fault. I'm Sandra." She put a hand on her chest. "Nice to meet you."

The golem seemed to consider her with the patience only stone could have.

"I didn't mean to take you for granted, or granite, heh..." She smiled awkwardly at her little pun. "You really came through for me a few times. I am very grateful. Have you... gotten a chance to see more?"

The golem raised a hand towards her before it fell to various bits of stone.

"Did I sayEek!" Stone ran up along her form, creating a shell around her, firm, cold, yet gentle. "Oh... Is... this your way of saying you're happy?" The stone offered no words, simple solid companionship. "I get it... But I wanted to know, do you have a name? Do you want me to call you something besides 'the rock golem'? I mean, you're not even just rocks. Your crystals are a big part of you."

The crystals grew more prominent in the shell of stone around her and Sandra suddenly smiled behind her stoney mask. "Oh! Crystal! That's your name."

She suddenly woke, thrown clear of her mental space. They were just in front of the guild. "Wow, good timing. Guys, his name is Crystal, okay?"

Spike bobbed his head. "Sure, that's a nice name." Also delicious, but he didn't mention that.

"What a tasty name," said Garble, taking on that responsibility for Spike. "Fits. Alright, let's show these jerks what we've been up to." He strode at the front, marching through the doorway. He marched right up to the frontdesk secretary. "Hey, what's up with this?" He thrust his guildchain out at the man.

"Hm?" His eyes went up and down over the guildchain before it flickered. "Ah. Your chain is out of sync. Were you hurt recently?"

"I hurt a lot of things." He crossed his arms, chest puffed out proudly. "But I'm fine."

"Let me see that." When the guild chain came closer, the human took a hold of it and began feeling over it, muttering as he touched unseen buttons, changing the display. "You've been using invalid equipment combinations, I see. That's very dangerous. You could damage your guildchain."

Smolder added her chain, holding it out just next to Garble's. "I've only been using my usual equipment, what's mine upset about?"

"Hm." He released Garble's to take Smolder's. "Hm. Invalid targets. You could hurt someone."

Smolder hiked a brow at that. "Hurting someones is kind of the point."

"That restriction is there for your protection. You could use it on a non-combatant without the target restrictions," warned the secretary. "If you keep using it on invalid targets, the guild chain may lock you out of your abilities."

"What about mine?" Spike held up his for review. "I didn't target anything odd, or use new equipment."

"Me too." Sandra held hers out just beside Spike. "We didn't do either of those things."

"The entire party?" sighed out the secretary, but he moved to the next. "Your rapid ascent will end poorly if you keep this up. Hm…" He leaned in to squint at little words. "Oh…" He released Spike's chain and moved to Sandra's, inspecting hers. "Well… I take it back. It seems you two didn't do anything wrong." The two beamed proudly. "You unlocked a new skill, one the chain hasn't encountered before. For you--" He looked to Sandra. "--this isn't that odd. Your class is very new."

Spike suddenly thrust up a finger. "Does that mean we get to name them?!"

Author's Notes:

What should their names be? Spike is threatening foes with a drain->aoe heal and Sandra has her elemental-union stance that she's getting the hang of. Meanwhile, Smolder and Garble are being tsktsked for playing outside the rules. Fair laws, or unfair hinderences? What say you?

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40 - Equipped

“Well, either you would or I would,” the secretary said. “A goodly number of adventurers like naming new abilities.”

“Yesss.” Spike pumped his fist. “Okay, then um…” He thought. “Healthsuck! No that’s weird… uh… maybe something with drain? Is there already a drain ability? Um… what about…” He started pacing, his musing becoming mumbling.

The secretary blinked and looked over to Sandra. “What about you? Do you know?”

“Oh… I just…” Sandra looked down in thought. “What about… Union?”

“That’s an unusual name.” The secretary raised an eyebrow. “What does it do?”

Sandra tapped her fingers together. “I uh… I sorta directly channel the magic of the summoned creature, and also get some of their… mentality?”

The secretary tilted his head a little, but looked down to his sheet. “Alright, sounds good. Summoner’s Union it is,” the secretary said, noting it down. “And now…” He looked to Spike, who was still mumbling and pacing.

"Life L--Transfusion!" he hurriedly blurted out as if two thoughts couldn't take their time getting off his tongue.

"Life Transfusion." The secretary jotted it down, not noticing the mistake. "Alright. You two should be good to go. Don't use your abilities for about a day and we'll have it updated and ready to go. You can just keep checking your skills."

Sandra brightened in a smile. "When we see the new name, we know it's done."

"Exactly." He looked towards the two that had not made new skills. "As for you two."

Garble huffed loud enough for flames to gust. "I will use my powers how I feel like. Monsters don't 'obey rules' when they're trying to kill us, why should I?"

“Well, if you’d like--” The secretary smiled a none-too-friendly smile. “We can dispense with the formalities of having to wait for you to actually break your guildchain you can turn it in right now.”

“Excuse me?” Garble stepped up.

“If you break the guildchain who do you think fixes it?” The secretary adjusted his glasses. “And if we find that you’ve been using it for the wrong reasons.” He looked directly at Garble, a dark look in his eyes. “We might keep it.”

“Surely you won’t keep it if he just is trying out new abilities on monsters, would you?” Sandra spoke up, standing.

“Well… no. Not as such.” The secretary leaned back, shuffling around with his papers. “We might fine you, but it probably won’t be too much. More dangerous is if it locks up or breaks out in the field and you’re down an adventurer until you get back.”

Garble huffed, the fury abating slightly. “Well why the hay does Spike get to have a new ability but I don’t?”

“I’m not sure,” the secretary said, now trying his best not to look at the party. “I don’t know how new abilities work or what not. If you’re done--” He looked up. “Which I think you are-- You can go now.”

Smolder shrugged as she headed for the door. "Whatever. Sandra's thing's brand new, so no foul there."

"What about Spike's," Garble argued, trailing along his sister. "Is that new?"

"Well… yeah?" She shrugged softly. "He had a power that zapped enemies, and a power that healed friends, but none that did both at the same time. That's new, right? Mine isn't new. It's, you know, still the cauldron, just throwing it under an enemy before they're beaten up."

"That's still new," grumped Garble.

Spike clapped his hands together. "While we're in town, why don't we turn in that material we got?"

Tammy whistled as the glowing fire crystal floated over her cupped hands. “A manamerge core. That’s some powerful stuff, about as good as you can get outside the tower.”

“You think you can use it to get your forge to burn hotter?” Spike circled around the great furnace, its meter still in the low yellows from his last contribution.

Tammy tilted her head. “I mean… I could, yeah. It’s a huge mass of focused mana that’s already all ready to work together, though. I could use it to make a decent amount of normal stuff. Or--” She had a glimmer in her eye. “--I could make one really good thing. An amazing thing. I’ve never worked with a manamerge core before.”

“Oh ho ho,” Garble stepped up. “That sounds awesome.”

Smolder elbowed him. “You already have the best weapon we’ve got, even after upgrades, bro.”

“Well, there’s one person most responsible for beating the monster, and one who hasn’t gotten a whole lot in terms of upgrades…” Spike said, looking back at the human in their group.

Sandra took a step back, and shrank just a little when Smolder looked back too. “I--”

Garble looked back. “What? Her? She doesn’t even use a weapon. Giving the super magic thing to her.”

“Y-yeah!” she said, waving her hands. “Weapons are usually the most important, and my new class barely uses my own casting. I also don’t wear heavy armor. It’d be wasted on me.”

“Aw hun,” Tammy walked over to her. “There’s so much more to equipment than weapons. Let me make you something nice.”

Sandra leaned her head forward as she walked through the streets. It was the first time she wore her new equipment, and she kinda…

She held her head forward, her bangs flipped to the side of her head.

All of her previous gear was very simple. She wore robes sometimes, other times smocks or tunics, usually pretty simple colors. Practical and simple.

And this new robe… wasn’t. It flowed over her whole body, fiery red and orange, tighter than the roomy robes she was used to, with a wrapped belt around the torso.

“Will you keep up,” Garble barked from ahead of her.

“Everyone is staring…” Sandra said, looking around, hiding behind her hair.

“People aren’t staring anymore than before, Sandra,” Smolder said. “You are walking around with three dragons. All of us decked out in total adventurer gear. If that wasn’t enough to get people to stare, having a cool fire cloak won’t get them to start.”

Spike flew a foot off the ground, wings flapping lazily but able to keep him aloft without much effort. "Besides, from what Tammy said, it's awesome. More energy, and you can be half as fire resistant as the rest of us."

Smolder suddenly snorted into laughter. "We gonna take her lava swimming?"

Garble shoved against Smolder. "You saw some lava and didn't tell me?!"

"I was kidding, Bro." She danced away with a grin. "There's probably some lava somewhere in the tower, made to scare most adventurers, and we'll just laugh and laugh. Kinda looking forward to that."

Sandra ran a few fingers along the opposing arm, feeling the smooth silk-like texture of the material. "I'm not sure I want to test it with literal lava, but even being half as resistant as a dragon is a lot of resistance. Still, I bet the energy part will come in more... constantly useful."

"Look who's strutting their stuff." Tabitha was sneering, her group behind her. "You decide to get into fashion modeling instead of adventuring? You may do better there."

Spike puffed out his chest, bobbing placidly in the air under his wingpower. "We're too busy planning on how to beat the level 10 boss and--"

"--Only level 10?" asked Tabitha with a pitying tone. "Well, that is a floor that's stumped Sandra here before, isn't it?"

Sandra shrank a little under that burning gaze before she shook her head. "We're ready this time, all of us."

"All of us," repeated Smolder. "We're gonna kick it's back end and the rest of the tower while we're at it."

Their fencer, Tomàs, nodded. "I hope that you do."

Tabitha elbowed him suddenly. "Why are you wishing them luck seriously? They're our enemies!"

"They are our peers," he argued, looking fairly calm about the whole thing. "And I would rival them honestly. We will reach the top first, but there's no reason to be sour about it."

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Peers nothing if they can't get past the first real challenge. Do you know what floor we're up to? Want to guess?"

Garble reached up, resting a hand on the great hilt of his weapon. "I can guess what floor you'll end up being on if you don't back out the way."

Tomàs brushed ahead of Tabitha. "Let us not turn this into a brawl in the city. That will benefit neither of us. We don't want the guild punishing us for making a scene, after all."

Tabitha glared at him but her gaze slid quickly to the party of mostly-dragons. "I prefer my trouble to come from things that are worth it. 30. We're on 30. So, get past 10 and we'll talk. Maybe we'll even give you a tip or two. But peer? Ha! I think not." She turned away, facing the tower. "In fact, I think we're ready to push past 30. Come on!"

The group began to filter behind her. Tomàs waved while facing away. "Good luck in your fight."

Smolder shrugged softly. "The fencer seems alright. Why does he put up with that other one?"

Garble crossed his arms, leaving the sword slung where it had began. "Whatever, not my business. Only part of that conversation I cared about was catching up to them, and to do that we have to get past 10. We got better equipment, and we got the whole 'teamwork'--" He made quotes in the air. "--thing down, so let's get to it, huh?"

Spike landed in front of the party. "Let's get a full night's rest, stock up on any supplies we want, then we'll consider that."

Sandra tapped her staff on the ground before her face set. "No considering. We can do it. I... know we can."

Smolder fired a double thumbs up at that. "That's the spirit. We'll teach that dog who's holding the leash."

The party advanced as one towards the inn, for they had a rematch to look forward to in the coming day.

Spike looked out from his bunk. "We'll be able to hop right up to it, right? No going through the floors."

"Yes." Sandra glanced at her hanging robes, in her own bed. "We'll just think of rising and skip right past all the other things."

"So why can't we just keep doing that?" asked Garble with a little huff. "Skip everything, go right to the top."

Smolder laughed at the idea. "Even if that worked, which I'm gonna guess it wouldn't, we'd arrive at the top and the super mega supreme boss would give us one look before they swatted us right off the top of the tower. There's a pattern here."

"Yeah!" excitedly agreed Spike. "We need the gear from each set of levels to be ready to face off against that set of level's boss, repeat again and again until we get to the top. If we did skip to the top, we'd be so behind we'd lose instantly."

"Who invented that?" Garble rolled away and pulled up his blanket. "Whatever, going to sleep."

Spike squeaked, something had grabbed his tail. Peering over the edge, he saw Sandra's hand resting on the spade of his tail, her fingers squeezing just slightly as she held it. "Um... everything alright?"

"No... Yes... I'm glad you're here, and the others." She squeezed him a little harder. "I'll be doing my best, to be a partner worth having around. Tomorrow, we'll beat up that dog, together, as a team."

"As a team," agreed Spike with a little smile. He settled in, not stopping Sandra from keeping contact with his hanging tail.

Smolder watched from the other bunk with a smirk. Humans and pony-raised dragons were both very silly in her eyes. But they were her friends too. "Night."

Silence became the companion to them all. That, and anticipation. They had a battle to perform, and one they planned to prevail in. They had ten more floors to conquer.

Author's Notes:

Is the party ready to succeed where once they had failed? Is tail touching rude in dragon cultures, or a sign of something else?

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41 - Rematch

They stood across the door once more. That huge heavy door, with that mist wolf beyond it. Spike swallowed hard. Last time they approached this door, they were unprepared but apparently 100% confident.

Spike couldn’t help a little nervousness this time. Last time they were unprepared… but it had barely been a week. He worried they couldn’t possibly have gotten better enough in one week to do this, could they? They could have gathered more gear, more training, more time in the field.. They could have--

“What are we waiting for?!” Garble roared, stepping ahead of Spike, shoving the door. “We’re wasting time here, let’s go!”

The door opened into the same misty room, and the rest of the party looked at each other, and followed Garble into the doors. The thin mist wafted patiently, and after they got past the walls, the wolf, the mist streaming off of it, remained.

There was no pause, as soon as the wolf could see them, it started running across the room, and the party brandished their weapons, waiting for him to approach.

But Garble couldn’t wait. He walked out front, discarding his sheath.

“Wait, Gar--” Spike started, but almost as soon as he started talking, Garble began to walk faster.

“Last time you made me run--” His electric blade sparked twice. “Lame” Another spark. “--Shame--” A brighter spark, and two sparkst that ran across his blade, with lower noises. “--My name defamed.”

He bobbed his blade to the beat the sparks were making. “But I won’t be outdone.” The sparks intensified in rhythm. “I am second to none. And when this is done--” He brought the blade up high, the lightning crackling from a rhythm to a constant thrum, as the wolf was galloping at a full run, snarling and . “--You’ll see I have won!”

The battle was begun with a crackling slash, a blast of lightning not just from the blade but brought down from some unseen place above him slamming directly into the wolf and causing it to be blasted off course, rolling off to the side.

Smolder caught up with her brother. “That one was a lot bigger than the one last time, Gar-Gar.”

Garble cracked a manic grin. “My rhyme was way more awesome, too.”

"Aiden, time to light up a foggy morning." With a great cry, her bird flared into being and took off like a bolt, flames washing out in hungry consumption of the mist to turn it back, even if for a moment. "I'll keep it from calling for help."

"Roger." Spike twirled his staff as he raised his shield on his other arm. "We're ready for you, this time."

The wolf was not impressed by their words or deeds, scrambling upright and lunging for Garble, great jaws gnashing with the force to sever steel, or take a chunk out of Garble's left leg before he could get out of the way.

Both he and Spike hissed in pain, but Spike was already speaking words of healing, and Garble refused to let the pain, or the blood, slow him down, turning with the great strike to bring his sword back in, the crack of lightning echoing off the sheets of flames in a curious display of elemental fury.

"Transfusion!" shouted Spike, thrusting his staff forward, great waves of energy drawing from the wolf, dispersing out across himself and Garble. "No bleeding on my watch."

"Bleeding?!" suddenly cut in Twilight. "Spike, what are you doing?"

The question would go unanswered as Smolder dashed along the wolf's exposed flank, drawing a red line with her extended knife. "You're going to make a fine meal for us to celebrate."

With a howl, the canine snapped at Smolder, but instead of delectable dragon flesh, its jaws closed down painfully on a stout staff, Spike having jumped in the way and blocked it. "Not today."

Fire rained on all of them, burning away at the wolf's wispy nature and warming the dragons pleasantly, at least from their point of view. Garble was laughing as he circled around the other way from his sister. "Is this what scared? We weren't prepared. Now we have it all. So if you please, Victory we'll seize--" He brought his great blade in a two handed swing, the sharp elementally charged metal biting into the dog's leg, knocking it down and almost cleaving it off. "You'll be taking the fall."

Spike bounced back, no longer holding his staff. It was rolling away, yanked free by the wolf's sudden thrashing, but he didn't look overly worried about it. With a sudden motion as if tossing a ball violently, he hurled a ball of angry white light at the downed wolf, pelting it with attacks without his staff. "Kinda busy."

"Spike?" Twilight sounded concerned, clearly not seeing what was going on. "Are you alright?"

Even as Spike lunged to get his staff back in his hands, the wolf brought down a great paw, catching Smolder in the shockwave and sending her flying with a yelp. It was trying to get back on its feet when a great column of rock jut up beside it, quickly taking a humanoid form as it grabbed it by the back of the neck and shoved it back down. About ten feet away, Sandra had a look of concentration, her hand in a similar pose as the golem, focusing on the action.

Garble hopped up, wings flapping as he ascended the back of the wolf. "Served up like a sacrifice, not gonna ask the selling price, one cut, two cut, four cuts? Nah. Just one final shot, dealt raw." He brought down his great blade just where past where the rocky fist was holding it, digging wetly into the dog's flesh, electricity arcing, almost splashing around as he dug deep.

He had envisioned lopping its head clean off. That would have been so great. He only made it halfway, alas. On the plus side, the canine's fight faded in spastic twitches, life fleeing it almost instantly. "Huh, good enough." He ran his blade through the air, cleaning it before he thrust it back into its sheath. "Hey, Sis, you up for--"

His question was interrupted by sudden bright light. The fog was gone, replaced with pure white light and a soft choir from nowhere in particular. The tower had recognized their victory. "Yoink." Smolder had returned from where she had been flung, grabbing the great body of the wolf and smashing into an equally large cauldron, sized to fit her intended target. "Is this even the same dog that sent us running?"

Sandra clapped her hands. "Great job. Gather everything up." Her golem was fading away, its need concluded. Aiden was nowhere to be seen. "Wow, we did great!"

"Every--" Spike looked around wildly, but there it was, at the far end of the room where the mists had concealed it. "Oh, yeah." A great collection of strange materials and a deceptively simple door. "Guess it's time to go on to the next floor. Hey, will we have to fight--"

"--You're fighting? What are you fighting?" came Twilight's voice for only Spike to hear.

"--it again? I mean, if we recall and come back." He hiked a thumb back at the column they had teleported to. "That sounds annoying."

Garble huffed. "Sure sounds like we need to get up to 20 then. Whatever, that puppy wasn't so bad the second time around."

"It'll make a great lunch," assured Smolder as she stirred her pot. "I'll be busy a little while, plan to cook this up proper. Why don't you gather up the stuff?"

"Spike!"

He jumped at the loud voice. "Oh! Hey, Twilight."

"Hey yourself." Twilight sighed softly. "Everything's alright then?"

"Better than alright." He gave a thumbs up she surely couldn't see as he began a soft jog towards their loot. "We just beat up the level ten boss."

"Level ten boss?" she echoed with confusion. "This isn't a game of O&O, Spike."

"But it kinda is," he argued, reaching for the various bits and bobs, stuffing them away. "We're basically living a big game of O&O. Minus the scary parts, it's pretty interesting. We get stronger, fight stronger things, you know how that goes."

"Spike... I... You could get hurt," she got out in almost a whimper. "For real hurt..."

"And I couldn't with you?" he retorted with a frown that eased almost as quickly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap, but I've been in danger more of my life than not, it feels like. The only difference is, this time, it's my adventure, not yours. You didn't run away from yours. I'm not running from mine."

"Is that your pony princess?" asked Garble as he joined in the looting fun. "Tell her I said whatever."

Spike snickered at that. "Garble says whatever. Which I'm pretty sure is his way of saying hi."

"Hello, Garble," Twilight replied. "I... am glad you're all together, at least. Spike... I don't mean to... I'm just worried, as a friend. As a big sister."

Spike smiled a little, though his eyes were on a hat. He grabbed up the conical thing that looked made for a wizard. "Hey, Sandra?"

"What is--Oh! What do you have there?" She closed distance and accepted the hat as given, examining it intently. "Nice! This time the prime pick is caster gear instead of a big sword." She popped it on her head, turning left and right. "Doesn't quite fit the robes, but we're not in here to look good."

Smolder reached into the cauldron, not coming back covered in goop but instead drawing a pile of plates, each with a metal cap. The cauldron vanished as she started sauntering over with a victorious grin. "Looks like Garble gets to look forward to being eligible for something good again."

"About time!" He slung his sword properly on his back as he approached Sandra. "It isn't as cool looking as the sword."

"It really isn't," she easily agreed. "But the stats'll help us get through the next set of floors, so I'm not complaining." She reached up and tilted it a little. "Not everyone can get cool swords like you, Garble."

"Darn tootin'." He crossed his arms, looking quite smugly satisfied. "So what's for lunch?"

"Grilled doggy flank!" She set a plate before each of her party members, the plate floating in air patiently. "Don't ask how I grill something by boiling it. Probably the same way Sandra makes rocks dance." She gave a soft shrug, holding the final place. "Bon appetit and all that." She raised one hand to make a popping sound against her lips, chuckling softly.

Spike held the plate in one hand, the other by his head. "Twilight? We're gonna have some lunch, then push on. We have a tower to beat to get home. Oh, hey." He was looking at the others again. "Do we have to fight that each time we hop back up?"

Sandra pointed past them all to the door. "There should be another column on the other side, so we can hop up past the boss in the future. Now, I know we're all feeling good, and we should! We did good, everyone, but it's going to get harder." She pulled the metal cap off her plate, steam and fragrance teasing her nose. "Oh, this smells good. Smolder, you outdid yourself."

"The chef accepts your compliment," she got out between her own eager chomps of her food, clearly enjoying her own creation. "More eating, less talking."

Twilight could hear Spike's delighted laughter, and his kind words with his friends. Whatever danger he was in, he seemed to be enjoying himself despite it all. He was having an adventure, his adventure.

And she wasn't part of it. She sagged softly in place, wings wilting on her back. With a wave of a hoof, she dispelled the connection for the moment. "Spike..."

She turned back to a heavy tome, willing it to the next page, covered in heavy runic scrawls and her quill dancing just beside it.

Author's Notes:

It's amazing how much easier a boss is when you're properly equipped for it. Training also played a big part in this. Everyone did their part and is ready to press on deeper into the tower. What awaits them?

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42 - I Can Handle This

The monsters were tougher, simply. They were harder to put down and struck back with force that made those who lived on the first ten floors feel like they were playing around. The puzzles, oddly, didn't feel like they were getting tougher.

"Or--" Garble prodded Spike in the shoulder. "--you're an even bigger nerd than we figured."

Spike snorted at that, crossing his arms. "I don't see you complaining when we get past them."

Smolder brushed past the two boys. "C'mon. I can smell treasure."

Sandra followed along with a dubious expression. "I don't think treasure has a specific smell."

The next room revealed that Smolder hadn't been entirely wrong. A bright silver lamp rested on a platform in the middle of a big pool that filled most of the interior of the room. She gestured at it with a smug grin. "What'd I tell ya? Want me to fly over there and snatch it?"

Spike leaned over the pool. The pool was clear, he could see right to the tiles on the bottom of it, and it looked like there wasn’t anything down there. The tiles were a pale aquamarine, as if they used to be white, and there was this pattern where there were very dark tiles interspersed.

But the part that was actually strange was that there was sort of a strange… smell.

“No way,” Garble said, “I’m owed a badass something, so I’ll do it.”

Spike gingerly reached a claw over, touching his claw tip to the surface of the water, and he hissed as he pulled his hand back. It burnt, not quite like the fire but it hurt. But also notably, the water didn’t ripple like water, it wobbled, sending more like jiggles along the surface.

Garble bent his legs and opened his wings, and Spike called out. “Wait! I think it’s dangerous.”

Garble rolled his eyes. “It’s a pool of water with nothing in it. How dangerous could it be.” And he flapped out.

The 'water' didn't wait long to act, lashing out a reaching bluish psuedopod in a great motion. As huge as the wave was that approached him, it was slow enough for Garble to abort his motion, flapping haphazardly to not crash into it.

The mysterious substance flowed back into itself even as a new reaching wave began to grasp for him, set on capturing Garble from the air. "What is this?" he shouted, drawing his sword and slicing wildly. He could carve bits off as it came close, but it simply fell back into itself and became part of its whole, seemingly unharmed by his attempts.

Sandra brought her hand up. “Aiden!” she called out, and pointed at the pseudopod. Aiden flapped up a bit and sent a shot of fire at it, nailing the base of a psuedopod, which created a sizzling noise and a little bubble, which popped, to apparently little effect.

“Get back over here, Garble!” Spike shouted.

Garble looked back for a moment. “Screw that, the treasure is right there.” A psuedopod reached up again, smacking him on his side. There was a loud sizzling noise and he cried out in pain, faltering with his wings.

“Gar Gar!” Smolder shouted from the side, but he recovered.

Garble cut the psuedopod reaching for him again. “You guys coming out here, or at least making with the healing?”

“Garble it’s like a puzzle or something,” Smolder shouted, cupping her hands. “You come back here!”

“Screw that!” Garble shouted, swinging his sword in a wide electric arc, slicing down two psuedopods, but a third swept up and smacked his back. “Aargh!”

Spike wouldn't let Garble be swatted from the air without lending some assistance, even if his intoning prayer may have had some grumbles in it. Green energy jumped from him, soothing some of the worst burns, but the slaps kept coming, a race that was as franatic as it was obviously painful for Garble.

"Bro, get your flank down here." Smolder stomped a foot on the ground. "We can get the treasure the smart way."

"This is… the smart way." He banked to the left, narrowly avoiding one wave, but they were coming harder and faster. "Keep… going." He was as much speaking to himself as Spike, teeth grit against the loud sizzle that advertised the punishment he was receiving.

Sandra clapped her hands smartly, her form becoming shrouded in stone and gems. "I hope this is acid-proof." She thrust out a hand into the pool just to yank it back just as quickly. "No no no no!"

Garble continued to growl, his growl turning into a roar as he slashed frantically, most but not all of the psuedopods being sliced to ribbons before they could reach him, as they continued to smack him around, and he flapped and roared fire, his eyes squinted closed, until suddenly the flailing stopped.

He cracked his eyes open, still flapping his wings, to find out he was on top of the raised podium with the silver glowing lamp on it. “Yes!” he shouted, pumping his fists in the air. He landed on the platform. “Take that stupid puzzle pool!” He kicked his foot at the edge of the platform, swinging it out above the pool, at which the pool immediately reached up towards it. His motion continued, pulling his foot back with the finish of the kick and it all became calm below him once more.

Spike reached his hand out over the pool experimentally, it not coming up and immediately swatting him. “Okay, so it’s worse toward the middle.”

“I told you too!” Garble backed up and pointed out at his party. “I totally could make it. Way faster than figuring out how to do whatever it wants you to do.”

“Yeah, but you’re stuck on that side now.” Spike had an unamused expression on his face.

“Psh, I made it out here, didn’t I?”

“But you’re all banged up,” Sandra said.

Garble looked over himself. There were discolorations on his scales and armor… “Right, but we have things for that, so make with the healing already.” Garble gestured over to them. “There’s a reason we keep you around.”

Spike grumbled but indeed raised his staff, sending a burst of greenish light across the pool.

Which was swatted by the psuedopods, disappearing in a green sparkly flash.

“What!” Garble shouted, anger and discomfort raging in uncomfortable competition a moment. "Whatever, I got it." He turned away from the group and went for the lantern just sitting there. "Didn't come all this way for nothin'."
Smolder rubbed one arm with the opposing hand. "Guys, look… I love my Bro, and I am not at all comfortable with this situation, let me just put that out there."

"Seconded." Sandra had a hand raised. "None of the spirits I have are good with acid and I doubt we're going to burn away this entire pool."

Spike was thinking rather than speaking, twirling his staff and giving it a firm thrust, facing to the side and pushing it out horizontally. "Martyr can reach… but it's faint so far away. I can at least lower any hurt he gets, but I can't heal him, not right now."

Smolder slapped his nearest shoulder firmly. "You are the best sometimes, Spike. Now how do we get over there and save Gar Gar from himself?"

Garble was ignorant of their worries, wrapping his scaled fingers around the ornate lamp. "Huh, looks funny." Not that dragons had too many uses for oil lamps to keep things lit. Fire was rarely something they lacked. "What do you even do with this…?" He turned it around in his hands, trying to discern how to use it to defeat even larger foes.

The silver lamp jumped in his hands, rocking and quaking. Spike gasped with alarm, though he still held his staff out. "What if it has a genie?!"

"A genie?" Smolder lifted her shoulders. "What is that?"

"No clue," agreed Sandra, equally as ignorant to those stories. "But he's all alone out there. This isn't how a team should work."

Smoke began to billow out of the end of the lamp, taking on the form of the upper torso of a human with crossed arms. "Who has interrupted my slumber?" Bellowed the new figure, its lower body a trail of smoke leading back into the lamp.

"Me," boldly declared Garble, thumping his armored chest with a balled fist. "You some kinda boss?"

"I am a boss of sorts," allowed the figure, scrutinizing Garble. "For reaching this place, and to get you out of my hair, you get one wish. You cannot wish for life, death, or to change the mind of any save your own."

Spike inclined his head, able to hear the booming figure's words easily enough even at a distance. "Hey, I thought it was three wishes..."

Sandra pointed along the rim of the room. "Let's go around. Maybe we can get closer from another angle."

"A wish? Like anything?" He laughed with building confidence. "Maybe we don't need to climb this stupid tower then."

"Within reason," corrected the genie, fingers drumming on the opposing arm. "But given your reason, I doubt anything you speak will be beyond it."

"Yeah yeah. So can you send us home or what?" Garble waved his free hand wildly. "Back to our world."

"What world is that?"

Garble looked ready to rebuke the genie, but it hit him that he didn't actually have a word for his world. It was just... his world. "The one I hatched on. The one with Dragonlord Ember and Spike's stupid pony friends."

"You have surprised me." The djinn loomed larger, but never off the side of the platform. "You asked for something I cannot give. My power does not extend past the guardian. Ask for something closer at hand."

"Guardian? You mean the stupid pool?" He thrust a finger down in its general direction. "It tried to keep me from getting here. Ha! I showed it."

"You are here," admitted the genie. There was little arguing that. "Much as I wish it were otherwise. One wish, make it snappy."

"What if I wish for more wishes?"

"Then you'd be trying to change my mind." Arcs of power lanced over the chiseled chest of the genie. "And annoying me. Make your wish."

The rest of the group arrived at the other side of the room, having run around the rim the entire way. The pool didn't bother them at all along the way, apparently only agitated by those who tried to cross directly over its surface. On the other side, they could see the doors that led to the next room, or possibly stairs to the next floor, but Garble was still there, in the center.

Smolder danced from foot to foot, considering the deceptively tranquil not-water of the pool. "There has to be a way past this." She leaned over and looked at the colored tiles far below. Maybe... She hopped up and her wings caught her before she came back down. "Spike, keep me covered if this goes really badly. Countin' on ya!"

Sandra put her hands up, funneling her voice. "Garble! Smolder's coming to help, just hang on and don't do anything rash."

"Ugh." He rolled his eyes, one foot tapping at the floor of the platform. "As if I need help to make a stupid wish."

"Perhaps you do, as you have not made it yet," helpfully pointed out the genie. "My patience grows thin. There are other ways to remove you."

Garble suddenly snapped his fingers. "Got it. You can make stuff, right?"

"That is within my power."

"I want the best set of gear you can make for my class." His teeth were displayed in a manic grin, imagining what form the loot he requested could take. It hit him a moment later. "For everyone, for each of their classes, whatever. Ha, they thought I couldn't handle a stupid wish."

"As you request." The genie unfolded his arms just to clap loudly, magic exploding across the area.

Author's Notes:

What are the consequences of this wish? What would you have wished for?

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43 - Clothes Make the Dragon

Garble immediately felt different. The new gear didn’t appear in his bag, but he was clad in it.

“Hah! Awesome!” He said as he looked down at his new gear. It was fancy, like he hoped, some kind of flowing garment and was white clothes with blue accents. He waved his arms. “It’s light, is there like some kind of new super light armor on it?” He was aware he was wearing a hat of some kind, too.

The genie looked down, folding his arms. Garble looked at him. “You know, you seemed pretty pissy before, but this is pretty sweet. Weren’t you in a hurry to go?”

The genie smiled. “I’m going to wait just a little longer.”

“... Okay weird.” Garble said, looking back at his gear. He held his arm out. There was a fancy bracelet on it, with roses and flowers. Okay kinda lame, but whatever, probably really powerful. “Oh yeah!” his eyes widened with excitement. “Let’s see what sweet kinda sword I got!” He put his hand to his side, drawing his weapon.

The weapon came out of it’s holster easily, and he raised up… a small stick. On the end there was a ball with what looked like pretty feathers made of metal around it. This was not a sword. It wasn’t even kind of a sword.

Garble reached up and plucked the hat from his head. This wasn’t a sweet hat, this was like a… diamond with frills. He wasn’t wearing the cool tunic of a warrior, he was wearing a magic dress.

His eyes open, he looked back down at himself, to realize he was wearing the sort of thing Sandra wore. He snapped his head over to look at the rest of his party. They too were wearing new gear. Spike wore an apron and a do-rag over long sleeves, and a knife and a pan were hanging from his waist. Smolder had a dress, flowing and elegant if one ignored the armored skirt at her hips, and Sandra was wearing a toned down tunic like he’d expect his class would wear.

“Hey!” He turned to the genie. “What gives?”

The genie continued to smile. “What does it look like, I fulfilled your wish. I gave your party the best gear for their classes.”

“Yeah but the wrong classes.”

“You said nothing about who should receive what gear.” The genie gestured beatifically, his arms extended, palms up. “And I have provided.”

Garble scowled. “Whatever, at least we can swap gear so it’s right.”

The genie raised an eyebrow. “Can you?”

“And why wouldn’t we?”

Sandra raised her voice. “Well, most of the really good gear in the tower can’t really be traded…”

“So!"

Sandra looked down at what appeared to be a walking stick in her hands. It was… a walking stick? Or was it a cane? She walked with it, but it made metal tapping sounds with each impact that belied that first impression. "Guys, I think there's a problem."

"That's my line." Spike landed just behind Smolder, the two arriving at the center. "Mine's not so bad, I think?" He was dressed as a ninja, a cleaver in his right hand, a dagger in the other. "At least I can move in it."

Smolder stormed up towards her brother. "You couldn't wait a minute?! I told you to never tell anyone about this!" She gestured down at the dress she was wearing, flowing, pretty, and likely arcane in nature. "And you put us both in it?! Is this some kind of twisted joke, Bro?"

The genie looked satisfied with his work, his chortle growing. "You should not be angry with him. He wished for your party to have the very best equipment I could make, and this has been made so. Surely success will follow." With a parting clap, he became as smoke, flowing back into the lamp he emerged from.

With the genie's passing, the room's features bleached white. The great pool of clear acidic goo became nothing more than colored floor. It was a big empty space with an abandoned lamp towards the center. Boring, as rooms went. Garble was left with an irate sister. "Hey, you heard him. I asked for something good, for all of us. I coulda just asked for something for me, but I tried it your way."

"My way?!" she almost screeched. "How is this--" She waved her sceptre wildly at her flowing dress, her cheeks on fire. "My way?!"

Sandra closed the distance at a light jog. "I... appreciate the effort, but I don't think it worked out."

Spike raised a finger, the motion of his hips causing the dangling pot to jangle. "What happened to our old stuff? We didn't lose it, did we?"

"Probably in your inventory," advised Sandra, grabbing her guild chain and tapping. "Yeah, still in there, thank the gods."

Smolder grabbed Garble by his new dress, shaking him by the chest. "And since when did you ever want to wear a dress? What else don't I know about you, Bro?"

"Dude, c'mon." He pushed her snarling form back. "Since when did anyone... besides those two." He hiked a thumb at Spike and Sandra. "--like wearing dresses?"

"Hey!" Spike put his hands on his hips. "It had good stats!"

Smolder took a step back, realizing she never had confessed that to her brother. Why would she?! "Nevermind! These are lame!" She raised a claw as if to tear at them, but Sandra grabbed for her hand.

"Hold up there! These aren't very good for us to wear, but they're still really good!" Sandra pulled at her cane and it slid easily, revealing a sharp sword hidden inside of it. "We can bring them back to the forge and melt them down to make way better stuff."

Garble crossed his arms. "Now, I ain't an expert or nothin' but how do you 'melt' a dress? Don't they just... burn?"

Spike's shoulders lifted with a grunt. "I dunno, but everything sure seemed to melt in there. I like that idea. We'll turn it all in and get everyone an upgrade. For now though, can we get back to the equipment that actually fits? Cookware is not gonna help me do my thing. Sandra's not going to summon better with a sword, or armor. Garble... yeah... Ditto Smolder."

Garble was looking to Sandra. "I know how to stuff a potion or something in there, but how do you do it with whole outfits?"

"That's actually easier!" She moved to where Garble could look over her shoulder. "Just press this... See, all your equipment, and you can select which one you want to wear like this..." With a soft crackle, her form suddenly became garbed in her fiery robes, her staff appearing where she could grab it before it hit the ground. "Ta da, all better!"

Spike was already fiddling with his chain, but Smolder, powered by embarrassment, was the next to manically smash the buttons and get back into her other outfit. "Oh, thank you," she breathed out, sagging in place. "I'll leave the magical sticks to you two."

Soon they were all back in appropriate equipment, but Spike looked perplexed still. "Hey, never really thought about it before, but how much stuff can we hold like that? Not... everything ever, right?"

"Of course not, silly." Sandra was heading for the far door, towards the rest of the tower. "You can only hold a few pieces of equipment per slot, and 30 miscellaneous things at a time. That's why some people wear bandoleers, 'cause what's in those don't count."

Smolder reached for her dangling supplies. "And this, right?"

"Everything on your belt is one item, and only when you put it away," agreed Sandra as she arrived at the door. "So you're set to go."

"So, like dresses, huh?" Garble was at Smolder's side as they started to move.

"No!" she shouted at him, giving him a huge shove that only made him laugh. "I do not!"

Spike waved at them from by the door. "Let's form up. Past this is either stairs, an elevator, or the rest of this floor waiting to smash us. We should be ready."

Garble lifted his shoulders. "My gold's on stairs or elevator. This room had enough in it. Speaking of that, a little healing action, eh?" He moved to press his hands against the door and it began to open without him actually pushing against it.

"Oh yeah." Spike thrust his shield up, warmth seeming to explode outwards from him before becoming a more focused green line between him and Garble, soothing the acidic injuries. "Hey, uh, thanks."

"You bein' sarcastic?" He glared over his shoulder at the smaller dragon.

"Nah. The way I see it, you mighta got away with it if you had tried to be greedy, but you tried to do something nice for all of us. So, thanks, really." He tapped his guildchain. "Besides, when we melt all this down, we'll turn it into an actual upgrade for us all. We still got something."

Smolder roughly elbowed her brother. "Sure, that was good, but you could have just waited a minute."

"That stupid whatever it was was getting impatient like he was just gonna go and give me nothin', so I made a dang wish." He shrugged and marched forward. "Also, I win the bet."

Beyond the door, stairs reached up towards the ceiling in a tight spiral. Spike flew ahead, shield vanishing in the act. "Going up!"

"Spike!" Spike stopped at the voice, because it didn't come from inside his head, but audibly to his right. The others also turned to look at it. "Can you hear me?"

Smolder blinked with wide eyes. "Headmare Twilight?"

"Smolder? Oh, it's been too long. Is Garble there too?"

"Yeah... Ha, figures." He slapped Spike on the shoulder. "Your pony princess must be worried about you."

"Pony princess?" Sandra approached the floating voice. "Um, hello? We... haven't met."

"Hello to you as well. Who am I speaking to?"

Spike hiked a thumb at Sandra. "This is Sandra. She's the one that brought us here, by mistake, and now she's our friend and part of the team. She's been working really hard to get us back home."

Sandra colored, remembering those few moments when she first saw what would become her dragon friends. "I'm so sorry... I had no idea! They... your dragons... have really helped me out. I... am not the same person."

"They aren't my dragons," gently corrected Twilight. "Spike is my dear brother. Smolder is a student of mine... Huh, I suppose two of them are my dragon if you tilt your head the right way. I have no claim to Garble, but I'm glad to hear he's alright too."

Garble prodded the point in the air the voice was coming from, but there was no yelp in response. "So, you just checkin' in on us or what?"

"In part, yes. Also, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you, Sandra." The voice sounded friendly and female.

Sandra was peering at it with some bit of wonder. "Are you... a horse demi-human, or... an actual horse?"

"While ponies do share some anatomical similarities to equus ferus caballus, our genetic common point diverged countless moons ago," explained Twilight in full teaching mode. "Did you say human?"

"That's what I am," offered Sandra, a hand moving to point at herself, not that Twilight seemed able to see her any better than any of them could see Twilight. "So you're... like a horse... but not."

"Ponies are like horses, but very much not," agreed Twilight. "For one, horses have a difficult time having conversations about their taxonomical place in the world."

Garble took hold of Sandra by the shoulder and shoved her aside. "Yeah, whatever. We're kinda busy right now. We got a tower to crush. You need somethin'?"

"The connection seems better, whatever you're doing. I feel I can do something soon. I'm still working on it. Be careful, please."

Author's Notes:

Twilight refuses to be written out of this story, it seems.

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44 - Not Gods

"Keep doin' what we were doing', got it." Garble stepped towards the stairs, movement confident. "You didn't need to tell me to do that."

Spike waved at the voice of his sister and friend. "We'll keep going. We… uh, mostly have this under control!"

Sandra hesitated, peering at the point in space. "I… have so many questions… Oh! Next time listen first, make sure we're not in a fight before you suddenly pipe up… other than that, hope to talk to you again?"

"A pleasure meeting you too," spoke Twilight in a kindly tone. "Smolder?"

"I have to get going. Garble's not slowing down."

"I know, just look out for him, alright? You'll get extra credit for this friendship assignment."

Smolder burst into laughter as she started in a hurried jog after Garble. "Looking forward to getting back to class, after we show this tower's what's what."

As a group, they left the voice of Twilight behind, ascending further up the tower. The next floor promised no puzzles, and no bosses. There were monsters, plenty of them. Much like the first floor, they came in numbers without end. Much like the first, it stood as a test of their ability, a measuring stick.

Unfortunately, it was quickly proving to be one they could not stand up to. Garble swatted a ghostly figure aside, but another took its place with barely a pause. "Can't we just… run past them?"

Spike thrust his hand, green power gathering and lancing out in a ball that knocked another into mist, but afforded no mercy. "We're not putting them down fast enough, and I can't drain these." The wraiths had proven rapidly to not only be immune to being drained, but turn it around, causing Spike's spell to feed them instead of taking from them.

A blanket of fire washed over them, causing the wraiths to moan in pain, but it wasn't enough to actually banish them. "I don't have the power!" squeaked Sandra, though she kept trying.

“This can’t stop us!” Garble shouted, raising his sword. “I’ll do the big one!” He hopped back out of the range of a ghost’s hand reaching for him, and he brought the sword down, two electric snaps being heard. “Thunder,” snap snap. “Rolling onward.” He twisted and dodged to the right, cleaving two ghosts, driving them back but not destroying them. “Pressing me, ever strongward.”

“Strongward?” Spike said, dodging an attack. “That’s not a--”

“Cleaving my foes,” Garble said, louder this time. “That halt my advance.” His sword began to spark. “This isn’t a fight I’m leaving to chance!” He spun around, slashing an electrified crescent into the mass of spirits. It had a much bigger impact, as several spirits were scattered. “Ha! That’s right!”

The group of spirits already began to crowd back in, and Garble dove in, slicing as he did. “Let’s go!”

Spike grit his teeth, as he watched the spirits strike at Garble. “Dangit,” he muttered, tossing a heal out.

Smolder ran up to the rear, cutting at a spirit closing in behind Garble, quick rapid slices reducing the spirit to ephemeral fluff.

“Wait!” Sandra called out. The two of them were barely further than before. “Don’t go in the crowd we won’t be able to get to you!”

Soon, more spirits closed in behind them.

"Hey, Bro. Good job and all, but I think we just need an upgrade."

"Up--" He was in the middle of a swing, clearing out several spirits with a wide arc, but there was barely a moment to breathe. "--grade? Whattaya mean?"

"We got all--" She ducked under the reaching hands of several of them, jabbing and slicing. Little bonfires appeared where her skills could find something worth cooking. "--that material. This fight'll be easy after that."

Spike exploded in a pulse of power, buying them a brief moment of respite. "No arguments here."

"Not a one!" agreed Sandra with a bit of a panicked edge in her voice.

"Yeah..." Garble struck the ground, the shockwave clearing a small path, even if it was already closing. "I hate havin' to climb back up though."

Spike blocked several ghostly hands with a glowing shield, struggling to keep them back. "Maybe we'll run into that genie and you'll get another chance."

"Ha! Free stuff." Garble suddenly looked happier about the possibilities. "Alright, let's go."

With consent secured for the entire team, they began to glow with the power of recall magic. But recalling wasn't fast, and their movement was slowed by it. "Recalling in a fight is always risky," warned Sandra. "Turtle up!" Her eyes opened with flaming heat, aiden passing into her flesh as she took up their power. "Get back!"

Smolder jumped to snatch one of the flames she had left behind. "Ghost treat, no thinking, more eating."

Sandra accepted the gift, popping it into her mouth. It tasted of grave dirt and old whispers, which weren't really tastes, but were the impression she received none-the-less. Still, it was the right flavor, binding her to the spirit already inhabiting her. With a sudden cry, flames erupted around them in a great defensive shell.

It didn't stop them from coming, but only some could survive the trip through the flames to harass them, buying them some blessed space. Spike smashed one across the head with his staff as a bright glow followed, his life magic discorporating the larger ghost that had survived the trick. "Whatever you did, keep that up!"

Something sharp danced just in front of Spike's face, Smolder catching a spectre at the last instant, ghostly fog trailing her victorious blade. "The fight's not over."

A loud male shout drew their gazes to see Garble charging. It would have been much more of a sight if he wasn't slowed by at least half by the recalling magic, seeming to be taking more of what looked like a dramatic walk instead of a proper run, his blade clenched firmly in his hands. Ghosts were darting out of the way of the valiant attack, raking at him as he went past.

Spike's form echoes the cuts, gaining them as small mirrors even as he raised his staff to undo the harm. "Smolder?"

"On it." She was slowed, but even a slowed Smolder was a reasonably speedy Smolder, darting towards Garble at what would have been a light jog in speed to slice away at the ghosts that plagued her brother. "Is it almost--"

They all appeared before the level 10 pillar. "--done?" Smolder lowered her blades, a smirk on her face. "Nevermind."

Sandra let out a gust of flaming breath, Aiden gathering itself from the heat as its power left Sandra. She flopped back against a wall, panting. "Good... job." The bird let out a little coo before vanishing in a crackling ball of flame.

Spike blinked softly. "Huh, now we've all breathed fire."

Garble slung his sword on his back. "Finally, now you're a proper teammate."

Smolder clapped in approval as she looked around. "Alright, one more hop back to the bottom and let's do a quick bit of shopping with Tammy."

With soft noises of approval, they began to glow. Outside of combat, the teleporting was much easier and soon they were just in front of the tower.

"Forced to retreat? Figures." A familiar taunting female voice called. "We're already pushing ahead, you better speed it up." She laughed even as her team-mates were casually nudging her along, not allowing another fight to develop.

Sandra rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just... whatever. She's not... important." She pointed towards Tammy's. "Let's gear up and get back in there. We'll wipe that stupid smile off her face by doing what we came to do."

Garble slapped her firmly on the shoulder as he started going. "That's the spirit. Let's make them feel like weak little idiots, which they are."

"The fencer guy seemed alright," argued Spike with a shrug. "Still, yeah, let's get going."

Tammy shook her head slowly. "These are great bits of gear, really. Best I ever saw!" She gestured at the furnace behind her. "But I can only do so much with it. I blame the tower. It has rules. The amount of raw… stuff I can get out of it is limited by your level. So, yes, I can totally upgrade your stuff, but not--"

Garble slapped his hands together, punching an open palm. "But not as good as that jerk made it in the first place."

"Exactly." Tammy looked pleased that what she was saying had been understood. "Still, compared to overleveled stuff you couldn't wear, a huge improvement! Shall I get to work?"

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "Figures. Stupid tower's gotta gloat over us whenever it can." She reached for Garble's shoulder. "Let's take what we can get and use it to smash that tower in the face."

The party grumbled at the decrease in what they had envisioned as a huge leap up in equipment. "Still, an upgrade is an upgrade," argued Spike. "Please, go ahead."

"I am all over this!" Tammy soon had the flames roaring and was busily at work reshaping magic itself to fabricate new gear for the team.

"I should take this." Tammy was casually gathering their weapons. "This too."

But Garble was dancing away from the smith, denying her access to his sword. "No way! I like this one."

"But I'm going to make a better sword," she argued with a huff. "Don't go getting attached to weaker ones."

"It's mine." He crossed his arms over his large chest. "I like the way it looks. I like how it swings."

"Fine fine." She shrugged, palms up. "I'll transfer its appearance to the new one if you really like it that much."

"Wait, you can do that?" echoed three of the party members.

Sandra was the only that didn't. "You didn't know that?"

Spike pointed towards her. "You didn't tell us! Why would we know? We're kinda new to this world and all."

Tammy casually slipped the sword away from the distracted Garble. "Now that we have that settled, in you go." She casually tossed all the weapons into her furnace. "The higher level equipment looks better anyway. You'll love it! But I can make it look like your old stuff if you really want."

Garble huffed, looking towards the others as Tammy whooped and worked with obvious joy. "Ever get the feeling she enjoys this a bit much?"

Spike shrugged a bit. "Would you rather our smith not like their job? Look at her, she's so happy."

Tammy was wrenching down a lever, causing fire to rage upwards as she cackled with obvious glee, caught in the rapturous throes of creation.

Smolder hiked a brow at it. "Would that I get that happy someday about what I do."

Spike pulled at his armored shirt. "Kinda surprised she didn't take--"

Tammy grabbed him by the shoulder and casually de-shirted him with a little whistle. "Thanks for reminding me!"

Sandra colored instantly, fleeing from the room lest she be stripped next. "Hey, wait," called Tammy. "C'mon! Don't be a baby!" And off she went, chasing Sandra down.

Smolder began to casually strip out of her getup, enjoying her draconian superiority in the lack of a nudity taboo. "She's making us new everything, makes sense." She folded it in a neat little pile. "There we go."

Garble tossed his stuff towards her pile, knocking her pile over as he just cluttered the place. "What? She's just gonna toss it in the fire. Why fold it?"

Spike worked off his pants. "He has a point there." He kicked off his shoes and pants to join the rest. "Huh, haven't been this unequipped in a while. It feels weird."

"See, that wasn't so bad." Tammy was returning, triumphantly holding the rest of Sandra's gear. "Your robe's really nice though. I'll probably keep its looks. Really matches that fire bird of yours."

Garble waved at her with a scowl. "See?! Sometimes you have to fit the mood. Keeping my sword..."

Author's Notes:

We learn about equipment appearance options! Fashion is the end game, even here.

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45 - Gotta Keep Pushing!

Garble got to keep his sword, softly petting its crackling surface. "What do you mean it doesn't shock things? It's all zappy."

"Special effects," explained Tammy as if it was all that needed to be said. "You're all set! How's it feel?"

Spike thrust his shield ahead, gleaming as if made of glass. "Love it. But what is his sword?"

"Cold." She hopped up onto a chair and plopped down. "Your staff is focused on physical endurance, you know, taking a hit, and all the mana I could fit in it." Tammy pointed to Smolder. "Speed. One word, all you need."

"She knows me too well," laughed out Smolder, twirling her knives.

"Mine look entirely the same." Sandra pulled softly at her robes.

"I already had made all of your gear, so I just made the same stuff but better! More of what we like." Tammy clapped her hands. "So there you go. I already took my share of materials, so we're paid up. Go conquer that tower!"

“Yeah!” Garble said, giving his sword a few swings. “We’ve got some jerks to pass!”

Sandra said nothing, but nodded.

“And, don’t forget, we’ve gotta get up higher for Twilight,” Spike added.

“Well, if we’re all rarin' to go, let’s go!” Smolder said, pointing her dagger up and marching off.

The three of them made their way back to the tower through the town, the sun beginning to descend in the sky. None of them appeared to notice, however, as they all headed into the opulent main floor, teleporting up to the first boss floor.

The boss room was empty, devoid of any wolves, misty or otherwise, and the party proceeded upward again.

The next floor seemed the same as the first time they went up it, but the monsters had returned. Garble’s sword froze a pale eyed goblinoid that they had fought first time. “What gives, guys? Did we miss this many last time we went up?”

Sandra backed up, a flourish commanding Crystal to bash away another, larger hulking goblin thing. “They’ve definitely respawned. I guess us leaving just… sped up the process.”

Garble perked up. “Wait, if the monsters are back, then maybe!” He raised his sword back, spinning around. “Rolling Crescent!” The wave cleft through two small goblins, but left the larger one and a few others. “Tch, okay, when the fight is over.”

Right after the fight was over, he ran off down one of the hallways. “Hurry up, before more monsters show up!”

After a few twists and turns, and two other fights, he was standing in front of a puzzle, which also looked reset. Garble grabbed Spike, plopping him down in front of the puzzle, which had glowing orbs and slots. “You’re the egghead, solve it again.”

“Because that really makes me wanna solve it again,” Spike said, his eyes half lidded.

“There was a chest behind it.” Sandra rubbed her chin. “Maybe it’s not a bad idea to check again?”

“See!” Garble pointed at Sandra. “Even she gets it! Make with the puzzling!”

Spike sighed, but Garble did have a point, so he started to slot the orbs back in their places. He was pretty sure the puzzle was in a new configuration, but the puzzle wasn’t very hard anyway. With a chiming noise, the orbs all ceased glowing and the door unlocked

Garble sped inside, eagerly opening the door and into the little chest prize room.

Inside was, indeed, a chest, but not the nice ornate chest with a slot for a guildchain like before, but a much less impressive plain wooden chest. Garble looked crestfallen. “What? Where’s the cool chest?”

Sandra peered inside. “Maybe it didn’t have any time to generate a new one?”

“Or maybe the chests are only nice once,” Spike said. “What’s in it now?”

Garble opened the chest, and pulled out two potions and a little money. He sighed, holding them in his claws as he walked out dejectedly “Next to nothin.”

“Hey,” Smolder elbowed her brother. “Keep em and maybe next time you’re on the other side of a slime pool you’ll be glad you had them.”

Garble grumbled but put them in his inventory all the same.

They came across the great pool and the lamp rested in the middle on its platform. Spike shook his head firmly. "We are not wasting our time with that. I bet you get nothing for visiting it again so quickly."

Garble huffed. "It'd still be worth it to deck the guy."

Smolder began moving around the outside of the room. "I'm not arguing with that idea, but it's probably not the same guy unless we have a real wish coming. I don't want to fight acid slime."

Sandra leaned over the side, peering into the clear depths. "I thought you figured out how to get past it?"

"If it hasn't changed." Smolder shrugged. "Or we walk right on past it and keep going. I want to get to the next checkpoint."

Soon they were on the far end, pushing the door open to the stairs leading upwards. Garble hiked a thumb. "Alright, time to face the ghost room. We have what we need this time? We better. We all have upgrades. If we don't make it, someone's messing up! And it won't be me."

Everyone brandished their weapons. Aiden hooted and took to the air above them.

“Good,” Garble said, and kicked the door open, leaping in. “We ain’t here to stay, so you better make way!” He spun around, there was a crackle of lightning, and slashed across the group of ghosts nearby, an icy wave crashing over them. A few were vanquished, and a few others had ice clinging to them. Garble grumbled under his breath, “It’s just not the same.”

Smolder darted out, finishing off two frosty spirits, getting to work on making some ectoplasmic candy.

Spike and Sandra came in behind, pelting the enemies with a variety of thwacks and casts, clearing the rest of the first wave. They shared a look, Sandra looking nervous, but Spike nodding and pointing onward. “We got this, that was easier than last time.”

“Yeah… but not as easy as the first floor.”

Garble, however, was rhyming his way into the next wave of enemies. Their combined might let them push through the pressing undead far better than the time before, but the further they got through the room, the thicker the crowd of phantoms became.

Spike's form exploded with green light, weakening the spirits around them. "Is there no end to this? Anyone spot the exit? We just have… to make it there."

"I'll keep the snacks coming." Trickier than it first seemed. They couldn't wait for the food, always pushing ahead, trying to reach the end of the attack, but it was nowhere in sight. She had to cook fast to have it ready before they were too far to reach it and it went to waste. "Workin' on it!"

"Find it!" Sandra pointed off, sending Aiden in search, which meant she wasn't providing a blanket of fire. The others had to fight all the harder to make up for that lack, pushing the grasping immaterial combatants away.

Spike's stout staff came down to bash the skull of one perilously close to grabbing Garble. "No you don't!" he cried as it fell to bits of ether, discoporating. "Stick together!"

Garble swung his sword in a great arc, electricity jumping despite the creatures clearly looking chilled by its passing, not shocked. "Not sure I like the looks not matching what it does. The freezing touch and the visible buzz," he rhymed, advancing with greater swings like a metronome that was speeding up.

With a loud screech, Aiden returned to Sandra's shoulder and she brightened up. "That way," she called, her bird taking flight and burning the ghosts closest to her. "It's not that far now!"

"Thank everything!" Smolder jumped backward to avoid a hand, thudding into her brother. "Sorry." She bounced forward just as quickly, planting her knives into the immaterial creature. "I can barely get any cooking done like this, won't miss it when it's gone."

"That way? Everyone ready to move?" Spike moved in the direction pointed, readying his shield tall and his shoulders high. He took a slow breath, green power gathering in and around him. "Because I'm gonna give us an opportunity and we can't waste it."

Garble cocked a brow at the sudden puffiness Spike was showing. "Huh, kinda want to see this. Buzz off!" He smashed those that tried to approach the preparing Spike, acting as a defender for the one who normally defended. "Dragon business, stupid human ghosts, like you'd understand."

Spike thrust his mirror-like shield forward, releasing his gathered power in a great narrow beam of divine magic, punching a hole through the masses in the direction they wanted to go. So strong was the attack that many hit by it instantly dissolved into puffs of vapor, creating a corridor for the team to consider using.

That consideration did not last long. Garble grabbed the wobbling Spike and charged forward, the others right behind him. Fire was raining down around them, only to advance forward, Aiden helping to keep that precious tunnel clear of undead beasts that would have otherwise charged back into the open space. "Go!" called out Sandra with a raised fist and a big grin. "We're doing it! We're gonna make it!"

The closer they drew to the door, the more of them there seemed to be, forcing the corridor they had opened tighter, but they were charging as best they could. Recovered enough from his blast, Spike slipped to his own feet to join the charge, bright bursts of magic noting where he'd done his part to win their way forward.

Smolder's techniques had become largely worthless. There was no time to cook, only to cut and run, most of that being running. Not to say that she wasn't doing plenty of cutting, trying to keep them from getting too close. "How much farther!"

Garble slammed his sword down, a wave of crackling ice rushing outwards to encase several figures in a sudden reminder of what being physical was like. "I can see it. Just ahead. We're almost there, no more dread. Going forward, cannot stop. Heading towards, the very top!" he rhymed as he pressed all the faster.

The party almost ran into the door in their hurry. It fell open under the combined weight of their bodies and they fell through into darkness. They could hear the door slam behind them.

It was quiet. Blissfully quiet.

Sandra became visible first, Aiden crackling with fire and spreading their wings, casting light over her and the area. "Everyone alright?"

Smolder hopped to her feet, only to sag. "Let's never do that again."

Spike pushed himself upright, but was still sitting. "I'm here! Garble?"

"I'm fine." He was propped against a wall. "Just need to catch my breath."

Sandra gestured forward, Aiden taking flight and lighting torches along the walls, revealing that they had won their way to a small room with a platform on it. "Guessing that's an elevator to the next floor. We did it." She laughed a little as she advanced towards it. "Hopefully there's no more than one horde room per set of ten. That's already too many."

Garble pushed off the wall, glancing around the illuminated room. "Sure isn't much in here."

Smolder shrugged, sheathing her cooking knives. "It's like a little break. C'mon, I can taste the next checkpoint."

"Then a big boss," sighed Spike, hopping up to his feet. "We'd better get ready! So, uh, how'd I do?"

Sandra smiled brightly at her smallest of dragon companions. "You did great! That big blast was just what we needed." She turned to look at Garble. "You were a machine, cutting them down!"

"Not my brightest moment," confessed Smolder. "Really not the best time for cooking shenanigans."

"You kept us safe, with your blades," argued Sandra as the platform began to rise with them all on it. "We're in this, together."

Author's Notes:

What will the next floor hold in store for them? Will they make it to the checkpoint before having to flee?

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46 - What Goes Up

The platform reached the next floor, a well-lit floor with plain grey bricks.

“This seems unusually… normal,” Sandra noted as she stepped off the platform. With a flick of a hand, she bid her golem to rise before her.

A bright neon green 3 appeared above the door in front of them. An announcer called out, "Team 3 is preparing to enter the ring! This could turn the tides on 1 or 2."

Spike deflated a little. "Oh… Are we fighting other adventurers?"

Garble slammed his blade against the ground, frost left behind. "Good. We'll smash them to bits."

“Yeah, but… doesn’t it get messy?” Spike said. “We don’t have a reason to fight them, and it’s not like fighting monsters, who are just… like magic spells that move around.”

Garble gave a dubious look to Spike. “But we do have a reason to fight them. They’re in our way.”

Spike wrung his hands on his staff, recalling the tough fight and the uncertain fate of the bleeding enemies. He looked up to see Sandra seeming to have similar worries. She looked down and smiled a nervous smile, looking back up, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Spike matched her action, brandishing her staff.

Smolder slapped his back, having him yelp with a shock. “That’s more like it.” She pulled her knives out. “Let’s get going. I bet you a shiny coin they won't feel bad attacking us.”

"Ain't taking that up," grunted Garble as he advanced on the door, sword held even with the ground. "Alright, open up!"

"Team 3 is ready to enter! Here they come!"

The door vanished, leaving open space. They could see eight people in an intense battle just below them on a slight incline, two groups clashing with everything they had. One of them, dressed with billowing robes as befit a wizard, noticed the sudden new opening in the hillside. "Company!"

Garble charged out, Spike shortly behind. Smolder stayed back with Sandra. "By the way, since we didn't hear anything? Do these little matchups make bodies or not? Should I avoid cooking them?"

Sandra visibly winced. "I really don't want to find out. You'd better engage as a striker unless some monsters get involved. Forward!" She threw her hand forward and her golem broke into a lumbering charge, the ground vibrating with each heavy step.

The five of them ran forward, and the wizard rolled up a sleeve, pushing one hand up his other arm, as the light of magic gathered, and he shot a blast at them. Garble pulled himself to the side, as did Sandra, who was behind, but the blast, which was revealed as an icy blast. Spike lost his balance on a patch of ice created, slamming into the ground, his bones aching with the cold of the blast.

Smolder seemed to fare better, but was visibly shaken. She burst out a puff of smoke, pushing off against the ice under her claw.

Several melee fighters peeled off, forming an additional line between their respective parties. Garble clashed with one, a shielded person covered in heavy armor, who blocked all of Garble’s hits, as Garble chanted rhymes in his face. “Don’t be ashamed, my style’s untamed!” The shielded fighter seemed to always have his shield up for all of Garble’s strikes, though.

Spike blew fire against the ground, propelling himself up onto his feet and letting him land on warmed turf. "Yeah!" he declared proudly, even if he was panting from the effort.

Two warriors closed on Garble, one slice parried, the other smashing against his armor, knocking him back. As one pressed in to take advantage, he was sliced across the side, the other warrior not of the same team and owing no allegiance.

"What a wicked turnaround. Alliances are formed and dissolved in an instant," proclaimed the announcer. "But how long will any of them last? Will they be able to even face team four?!"

"There's a team four?!" echoed about half of the fighters on the field, including Smolder and Sandra.

The enemy spellcaster thrust a hand forward, a cone of frigid cold bursting forth. "No time to play around." Spike yelped as he was caught in it, becoming a blinking icicle.

"Damn you," grunted Garble, bringing down his sword at the mage, only to be caught against the shield of another fighter. "Get out of the way," he seethed, but his swings weren't as powerful as he'd like, the fighter swatting the heavy blade aside with a bash of his shield and bringing down his mace to smash Garble's feet with an uncomfortable sound of impact.

Sandra looked away from her golem, happy that it was, at least, holding its own. "Guys?" Smolder was darting and bobbing wildly with another striker, the two leaving marks on the other, but Smolder looked like she was taking the worse of the exchange. "Spike?" He was still frozen, and calling her phoenix meant her golem would vanish.

But there was one more trump card, and she shouted out, “Union!” her new ability having a new name, and ran at her elemental, who made its way to her. Upon touching her, there was a burst of rocky magic,and the union of Sandra and Crystal stood in front of them, the rock elemental taking more of a bulky feminine appearance, and also having a distinct facial structure and some kind of robe that seemed to have crystal trim. She darted up to Smolder, punching the ground, which created a jut of rock to split Smolder and her attacker.

Smolder looked over to Sandra, leaping herself back behind her. “Garble! Time to go!”

“What?!” Garble pulled himself up, wincing as he put pressure on his injured feet. “I have these guys on the ropes.” The armored assailant tilted his head, slowly, and raised up his mace, advancing. Garble instinctively scrambled back. “Okay okay let’s go.”

Sandra ran over to Spike, simply grabbing him, pulling him up from his place frozen to the ground. She turned around and ran with the rest of the party back to their room.

“Oh it looks like team three is taking the most elusive of maneuvers, a full on retreat! He who fights yadda yadda! With them out of the picture how will our tentative alliance fare.”

Almost immediately that warrior with his mace twisted, swinging the mace directly at the knee of his former ally, the other warrior crying out in pain as he was hobbled.

The four party members, for their part, reached the door they came in, which slammed closed behind them. Sandra-Golem placed Spike on the ground gingerly, and then the rocks crumbled, and Sandra was solely herself again. She stood for just a moment, and as she stepped forward, her legs buckled and she sank to the ground, panting.

Garble sank down against a wall too, and Smolder sputtered out flame to heat up and melt Spike.

“Well… crap,” Garble eloquently stated to break the silence.

Spike staggered forward, movement restored. He caught himself before he could do a proper fall. "Sorry about that."

"You should be," barked Garble in reply, sheathing his sword. "Hey, whoever you are. We can go back in on the next round, yeah?"

A different voice responded, male, not as full of showmanship, "Sorry, no can do. If you want another try, you'll have to leave and come back."

Smolder groaned, sinking against a plain wall. "We have go climb up, again." Her eyes suddenly widened before slamming shut. "We have to go through the ghosts, again…?"

Garble suddenly punched the exit door, his fist bouncing off of it to no effect. "Let us back in! We changed our minds."

But the door didn't open. They could hear the announcer going over the conflict that the fourth team had entered in on. It would have been exciting, if it wasn't simply salt in their wounds.

Sandra's hands fell at her sides. "I should have been using Aiden, throwing down more damage instead of being happy with keeping a few frontliners busy."

Garble snarled and stormed off, pacing around the room in angry motions.

Spike sat down next to Smolder. "Look, guys... I'm tired." All three looked to him. "What? We've been trying to get to the next boss literally all day. I'm tired, sore, and kinda down. Okay, really down. I want to not even look at this stupid tower."

Smolder slumped back, her hands resting on the ground, knives clattering from unclenched fingers. "I am very hearing that right now."

Garble drew his sword, leveling it at the door. "Enough of these stupid rules. Let us past."

But there was no reply. The announcer kept right on going as if they couldn't hear them, or were simply not paying attention to the complaints of a losing team.

Sandra reached for Garble's shoulder, but he stormed past her back for the door, slamming his sword in fits of sparks and snow, not that the door seemed to be showing much for the effort being put in. "Garble." Sandra kept with him, just a foot back. "It might be time for us all to take a step back."

"You take a step back!" he roared as he swung around with his sword, sending an arc of red as the blade caught their summoner and sent Sandra staggering back.

Spike sat up sharply, grabbing for his staff and directing it at Sandra. "What the hey?! I didn't even think we could hurt each other."

"I... didn't think so either," blurted Garble, suddenly awkward. "Ya... shouldn't have crowded me like that." Despite his tepid words of defiance, he had stopped swinging his sword.

The quieter second male voice returned, "You are still in a RvR area and normal damage restrictions are offline."

"That wasn't cool," grumbled Smolder, glaring at her brother. "Say yer sorry."

Sandra held up a hand, regaining her posture as the green magic banished her injury. "No, it's alright... It's... alright. Sorry, Garble. For holding you back, I mean."

Garble sheathed his sword with a grunt before shoving her shoulder. "Well we ain't going anywhere in here. Guess we have to go back down to 10."

"Then to 1?" finished Spike, standing then. "Then to bed?"

"Hell no." Garble pointed down. "We hop down to 10, smash our way back up here, and we don't mess up this time!"

Smolder's groan was powerful enough to shake the room. "Gargar, quit-it! I swear..." She pushed up to her feet and grumbled as she approached. "Do you think you can solo this now?"

"What? No. I didn't say that." He crossed his arms in obvious defiance, glaring at his sister.

Spike shrugged softly, slinging his staff on his back. "You may as well be. The rest of us are beat."

"I'll go," volunteered Sandra in a timid voice. "I won't hold you back."

"She gets it!" He clapped her on the shoulder, a big grin on his face. "C'mon, let's hop to 10. We have to do that either way."

Agreement had, of a sort, they began to glow, quickly vanishing away to just past the first boss. Spike threw up his hands. "I can feel all those monsters rushing back into position. All those ghosts."

"Don't remind me of ghosts," spat Smolder, idly kicking the pillar of light, not that it was very effective. "As fun as charging straight in is, I think I need to talk to my teacher."

"Huh, what for?" Spike looked towards Smolder with obvious curiosity. "You seem to have it down."

"The basics, sure, but that's all I ever asked for." She shrugged lightly. "There's more I don't know."

"Lucky you, I don't have a--"

"--So get one," cut in Garble, glaring at Spike. "Your class isn't that rare. Find one."

Sandra gestured at the pillar of light. "Does that mean we're withdrawing?"

"Ugh." Garble threw a hand up to the air. "If we have to."

Sandra sagged with a heavy sigh. "Thank goodness. I... didn't really want to try again right away."

Author's Notes:

Sandra was willing to go if they wanted to, but also didn't want to. Noble, or foolish? The whole party is feeling fatigue from a very busy day of dungeon mashing.

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47 - Round 1, Fight

Spike awoke to the sounds of clanging. “Aaah, whuh?” He pulled himself, bleary eyed up out of the bed, looking down off of his bunk, the blur receding from his eyes, when another round of clanging made him wince.

“Ow, Jeez what is that?” He heard from the bunk across from him, as Smolder pulled herself out of her own bed.

“Whaddya think it is?” the loud voice rang from the little rail between them, where Garble stood with his old sword and shield. “It’s time to get up!” He smashed his sword into his shield.

“Shaddup!” Smolder said, throwing the nearest pillow at him, which bounced off of him harmlessly. “It’s too early for this!”

“I already let you sleep in late, it’s like almost lunchtime.”

Spike turned himself to the clock in the room, which he could see was somewhere in the late morning. He stretched, his muscles aching.

“So what? We don’t have anything to do today,” Smolder yelled down at her brother.

“We always have something to do, Sis! We got a tower to climb.” Garble stormed around mostly in place, his frustration showing in emphatic swings of his hands as he looked around as if searching for support.

A groan came from the covered lump from the bunk underneath Smolder’s. Well, really, the only decent bed in the room, with all the others moved in or built up at low cost, just to have somewhere for everyone else to sleep. “I’m up! I’m up,” Sandra said, trying to pull herself up, her hair in all directions so early in the morning.

“You don’t have to get up,” Smolder said, actually getting up herself. “We’re not doing the tower today.”

“How are we supposed to get up the tower by not going up it?” Garble looked to Sandra, eyes pleading for her to see his way.

Sandra worried her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it even as she replied in a bit of a mumble, "I was going to talk to my spirit tutor. Smolder was going to do the same. Spike was going to find one for the divine lord."

"Where do I even start?" asked Spike with defeat in his voice. "I'm not against the idea, but is there some kinda list somewhere I should be looking at or do I just shout in the guild and hope someone's listening?"

"Ugh, fine, so go talk to whoever, then we go to the tower." He thrust his sword in the direction of the tower, visible outside the window, looming over the city silently. "We are not letting a whole day go to waste."

"Bro, love you." She put a finger right on his nose. "But I'm a breath away from saying something really nasty to you. I am not going today. That is final."

"But--"

"Shhh." She rubbed her finger on his nose. "No more talking. Sandra, want a bite?"

The two girls left together, leaving the boys behind. Garble scowled at Spike, the only one left to receive his anger. "You gonna flake out too? Ponies insist on nice big breaks like a bunch of pansies?"

"What? No!" He hopped to his feet, suddenly dressed for adventure as his chain called forth his gear. "I just want to do it right. You don't want me messing it up, yeah?"

Garble poked Spike in the chest. “You’re right. I don’t.”

“So… um…” Spike sat, rubbing his armor where he was poked.

Garble cast a glance back. “So get goin, you’re the one who’s looking for a trainer, right?”

“Uh, yeah.” Spike said. “You do know that if I do find someone, I probably won’t get much advice… just today, right?”

Garble half growled half whined, grabbing his head in frustration. “Fine, whatever, just get going!”

Spike groaned, grumbling as he pushed past Garble, off to the city proper.

Watching him leave, Garble growled to himself. “I bet that pansy’s not even gonna find someone today, and we’re stuck with more stupid delays for the tower. Argh!” He punched the wall, the wood buckling under the force of his dragon might. He snarled at it, knowing that someone is gonna come by and be angry with him. “Dammit!” He stomped out of the guildhall, not looking forward to that.

He fumed his way through the streets, his goal exactly one place. The Arena.

There was a fight going on, he could hear the cheers. He could hear the crash of metal on metal, the boos and shouts as the crowd roared their emotions with every move. For just a moment, Garble felt a little smile coming on. In the arena, everything made a crystal clear sense.

"What are you doing here?"

Garble came up short, seeing his mentor sitting on a box. "Hey. You look ready for a spar."

"Do I?" He slid to his feet despite the lack of urgency in his words. "What gives you that idea?"

"You're not watching the fight." Garble hiked a thumb towards the source of the fighting sounds. "And you're not getting ready for a fight yourself. You look bored. Let's fight."

"You look ready to lose." He hadn't drawn his blade, yet it was out, its tip at Garble's chest and held firmly in his hand that had been so calm a moment before. "You move without rhythm, your every step a discordant scream of agony."

Garble hopped back, drawing his heavy blade along the way. "I came to fight, not talk."

"Then don't talk. Sing with your blade." He closed the distance with smooth steps that didn't raise or lower his body, as if he were floating closer at frightful speed. He spoke no words of song, requiring none to hold the dance of blades in his heart.

Garble snarled into a smirk, and brought his sword in a clean arc, which reached his assailant first.

The felisurra man pushed off the ground, one of his feet touching Garble’s sword for just a moment, and his other foot came straight into Garble’s face. He reeled back at the impact, and the warrior came down with a slice catching Garble’s shoulder. Garble backed up hastily, trying to stab outward with his sword, which was bat away by his opponent, who closed the distance again, Garble narrowly evading.

Garble spun, bringing his blade up. Saying nothing, he tried to will it to come crashing down with a lightning (or, well, a frosty) blast. Instead, his blade caught the side of his mentor’s, being slid to the side of him. Garble retreated a few steps with a low growl. If his sword had done it’s thing that would have been a hit. He did it in the tower!

The man pressed his attack, striking with powerful fluid motions, trading blows with Garble, and it was all Garble could do to keep up. He growled and raised his sword into ready position. “Teacher or not, my rhymes run hot!” He brought down his blade, the crackling frost blast brought down alongside it, his teacher parrying it similarly, but the frost clinging to his side.

“A new trick, I see?” His mentor’s eyebrow went up. “Skills may--”

Garble snarled and backed up, interrupting his mentor with a spin. “It’s not a trick, I’ll hit like a brick!” His frosty blade slammed into his opponent, who had already brought up his sword in anticipation, bracing the tip with his other hand, far away from his body.

Garble growled with labored intensity and brought his sword back onto his mentor, who was already ready for him. In a frenzy, he slashed and slammed at his mentor, no hits making any marks.

“Look at this flailing,” the felisurra said. “What frustration is this now? You need to slow down.”

“No I don’t!” Garble shouted, slicing wildly. “Slowing down isn’t who I am!” He cut. “I am pride.” He slashed. “I am passion!” He brought his sword up. “I won’t be decried, my rage won’t be ashen!” He brought his blade down, it’s frost crashing down with it. However his mentor had already sidestepped the attack.

The dark feline eyes bore into Garble’s skull as he glared at his mentor and said, “I thought you respected that.”

Those eyes flashed in a moment of anger, and he slid his sandal across the ground, knocking Garble’s blade aside. “I see no pride here.” He sliced across Garble’s body, faster than he could recover. “I see no passion either!” His second strike was still faster than Garble. “I see confusion!”

“Discordant rhythm.” He slashed one handed at Garble, who finally managed a defense. “Frustration and delusion.” He gripped his sword with two hands, bringing it back down. “Waves crash uselessly.”

"You don't get it!" suddenly shouted Garble, not coming in for an attack. "They're all on my case! I got them all sweet upgrades and you'd think they'd be ready to go, but no! No they were not." He emphasized each of the last words with a stomp of a foot. "Now they're just bein' more lazy than before."

His mentor darted in, knocking the blade aside and carving a fine line along Garble's leg so thin barely a trickle of blood came from it, but the pain was enough to send him back with a hiss. "You allowed that cut. A wave once started must fall. Tell me more and fight."

Garble broke into an uneven laugh. As painful as that had been, the sharp slash had, perhaps, brought a moment of clarity. "You're on."

“There’s this girl.” He brought his sword up, slicing a simple controlled cut. “She hates Sandra. Constantly puts her down, and puts me down for being in her party.” He pressed on. “So we’re supposed to be catching up to her on the tower, but my teammates have stopped after just one day!”

"The sun rises bright." He caught Garble's blade and threw it aside, sliding along to the exposed side. "The fresh sapling of discord." The next strike was caught, Garble managing to swing his blade around just in time. This brought a smile to the feline instructor. "Tell me of success."

"There was a stupid, what was it…" He ducked under a strike and lashed out, managing to bash his teacher's chest, though it was more like a push than a strike with the way the hit was received, sending the felisurra floating backwards. "Genie! Right. A genie, gave me a wish for getting to it, which the others weren't doing by the way."

His mentor landed on the ground, bringing up his sword in a ready position.

Garble continued. “So I got us all new equipment! So what if the genie was a liar and gave us the wrong stuff, we still got it all forged into new hotness!” He came in, bringing his sword down, being blocked by his mentor. “And they were telling me to stop, the whole”-- He slashed, as fierce was it was wild-- “damn”-- their blades met, a bright spark flying on impact -- “time!” He swang wildly, his mentor stepping out of range. Garble panted, bringing his sword up again.

"And what did you learn?" asked the mentor, not attacking, not dancing. Just a simple question, hanging in the air, his blade lowering. "The fierce wind howls against trees. But what did it learn?"

Garble thrust his sword, not at his mentor, but deep into the ground. "That stupid people get mad when you give them junk they don't want!" He glared as if expecting comradery in his plight, but slowly it seemed to dawn on him. "Oh… yeah, maybe a little that." He thought back. "This one time, Spike brought me a gift, I hated it… He worked really hard on it too…"

"Tell me of this time." He smoothly slid his sword into its sheath, taking no special hurry in the act. "Raven flying over us, some things mystify." His tone changed, the combat completely over. "If it could have granted any wish, perhaps they would have preferred to speak on such a heavy matter."

"That's just slowing things down." He wrenched his blade free, dirt flying, just to slip it onto his back. "Like we are right now."

"A little delay can shorten the trip," noted the felisurra with a feline smile. "They are preparing, in their own way, to race all the faster, are they not?"

Author's Notes:

The mentor puts down some hopefully helpful wise words. How will the others better prepare themselves?

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48 - Know Your Place

Smolder led the way through the city. “You seem to know where you’re going…” Sandra said.

Smolder twisted around, flapping in the air. “It’s true! I have been wanting to try this place for a while, Pella was talking about it.”

“About that…” Sandra cocked her head. “Why don’t you want to go eat from her?”

“Huh? Why?” Smolder peered at Sandra with naked confusion.

“I dunno.” Sandra gestured out to the city at large. “She might need the business, I guess?”

With a laugh, Smolder landed. “I don’t need to worry about her. She’s doin fine. And what do you think I ate every day when I worked there? Whatever we were making that day, no,” Smolder punched her hand. “She talked about the quality of food at this place and I am excited to have a day we neither have to go out and eat magic food nor work at her cart. Let’s do this.”

Sandra shook her head a little as they advanced. "If it's that good, are they going to be happy about demi--" Her words died in her mouth, seeing the face of where they were approaching.

Brightly lit, the music playing just as loudly with deep tribal thumps that most of those waiting in line to enter were bobbing with. The people who had tails more than not. Fur, scales, and feathers adorned them. They talked openly and with smiles.

It was a demi-human eatery, not a single human in sight. Just like that, Sandra was the odd one out. "Oh, wow…"

"Isn't it great!?" gushed Smolder, clapping her hands. "Smells as good as it sounds. C'mon!" She grabbed for Sandra to get a place in line, half-dragging the stunned little human girl.

While Smolder was blind to any issue, bobbing with the music and looking like she was already tasting the food to come, Sandra could see the others peering at her out of the corners of their eyes, glaring even.

One wolf-person that was just behind them, moving to take their place on the line, snarled at Sandra openly, teeth mildly exposed. "You get lost, human?"

"You got that wrong," laughed their felisurra partner. "You're supposed to tell them to get lost." He looked from his friend to Sandra. "He's like that. Still, go away. This isn't your place."

Sandra cringed back in fear, but Smolder stepped in between Sandra and her. “Hey, what’s the deal?”

The felisurra wrinkled his nose. “You brought this human here?”

“Yeah,” Smolder said, giving him the stinkeye. “You got a problem with that?”

“Yes,” he stood closer, much taller than the still somewhat short dragon. “This is our place, not hers. She can’t come waltzing in expecting it to be hers just because everywhere else is.”

"I can go," demurred Sandra, looking eager to avoid that particular conflict. "I wasn--"

"Nuh-uh," flatly denied Smolder. "I know you got a problem with humans, but this human's alright by me, and she's my partner." She thrust a thumb at her own chest. "So we're going to go in there and we're gonna enjoy some food, like anycreature else. Whattaya say to that?"

The two predators peered with Smolder, expressions caught between surprise and disgust. The wolf broke the pause first, "You're mating with a human? Did you whore yourself to her?"

Smolder's eyes widened. "You want a duel? Not my usual style, but that question deserves a duel." She patted one of her cooking knives. "I planned on letting someone else cook, but I think I could make something out of you."

Sandra squeaked, thrusting an arm out, switching which was guarding whom from whom. "No! No, that won't be needed. Let's just--"

The cat shoved Sandra aside. "We're talking. This ain't your place, bareskin."

"Yeah, shut the hell up," joined the wolf, eyes on Smolder.

The cat produced a pair of brass knuckles from apparently his sleeves and donned them. “A duel sounds just fine. I can kick you and your human friend out.”

Smolder drew her daggers, and leapt up at him.

His fists went up, clashing with her daggers, their metal preventing them from biting into his soft flesh. She reeled back to attack again--

“Hey, hey hey hey whadddya think you’re doin’?!” A voice rang out. A rather portly feathered demi came out, wearing an apron and holding a big wooden spoon. “Read the damn sign!” He smacked the sign, which said plainly. ‘No fighting.’ “Yer breakin the rules so get out!”

“I was just tryin to show this bareskin--” The felisurra started, while at the same time Smolder was saying. “He started i--”

“I don’t care! You fight, you don’t get fed! GET OUT!” the avian man roared.

Smolder's shoulders sank in abject misery. "We'll be good, promise!" Her dagger thunking into the ground dangerously on either side of her adding an odd emphasis to her words.

The wolf threw an arm around Smolder, drawing her in closer as if they were the best of friends. "We were just playin' around, waiting for our turn. No more fightin'."

The avian glared at the lot of them with doubt in his gaze. "One more little peep and I'll ban you all. Don't think I won't!" He turned with flying feathers, storming right back into the restaurant. On the way he shoved the bouncer. "Do your job! They fight, they don't stand out here. They don't come in!"

"Yes, sir," mumbled the larger demi, bowing sheepishly at the overwhelming chef. With the avian gone, her cleared his throat. "You heard him! Keep in the line and shut up."

The wolf released Smolder, frowning. "We can settle this later, somewhere else."

A peace of sorts returned at least, with Sandra sliding in close to Smolder. "Is this what it's like?"

"Mm?" Smolder looked aside at her friend. "Is what like what?"

"What demis have to put up with." She shrugged softly. "It sucks."

"Oh, nah." She plucked up her knives and got them back on their loops before taking a step forward with the line. "They know if they attack you, they'll probably get in big trouble, but, even here, the opposite's not quite true. This is their place, but it's still your city."

"That didn't stop them from pushing me," Sandra whispered.

"If it helps." Smolder took Sandra's hand, stilling it. "Getting a chance to do that was probably nice at the time, and I bet he's wondering when you'll go to the guards, sweating it right now. Kinda part of why they're on edge. One little report from you could maybe get this place in trouble."

"I wouldn't do that!" She didn't dare leave the perceived safe bubble around Smolder. "Let's... just enjoy the food."

"And the music." Smolder swayed her arm, taking Sandra's hand with it, trying to get her moving to the beat. "It's not bad, right?"

The food, as it turned out, was quite good, even if Smolder took a few notes of spices to liven up her future cooking endeavors. "Who says you can't have fun and learn at the same time?"

"How did I never hear of this?" Sandra was sampling hers with appreciative noises. Her tension had faded once they were in a booth, able to partition off the rest of the room from her little safe place with a friend. "These aren't tastes you find anywhere."

Smolder waved a fork at Sandra. "You need to get out of your safe space more often then. You're an adventurer, a bold tower challenger! You should, at the least, be ready to raid the kitchens across the lands to see what's worth eating."

"If it isn't Pella's little pup." It was the round chef, moving up on their table with a sly grin. "Don't think I didn't recognize you. Only reason I took that excuse you threw out."

Smolder burst into laughter. "Hey, thanks. You know her? She'd been talking the world about your cooking."

He slapped her back. "And now you got to try it for yourself. Better than she said, right?"

"Totally. Oh." She gestured at Sandra. "This is Sandra. We're on the same adventur--"

"Yeah yeah, I know that." The bird waved it away, hand going behind his back and coming out with a platter. "Don't tell her I said it, but Pella gloats about you. You're making her real proud."

That got a new round of laughter out of Smolder, her eyes on the platter. "Aw, that's sweet. She's a great teacher. I was going to harass her for more tips, actually."

Down came the platter, nudging several other plates out of the way as it was lowered. "Do you understand the importance of accessories, little pup?"

"Hey, pal. Dragon? At least use proper insults." She stuck out her tongue a little, but her eyes were still on the platter, curiosity undiminished.

"You want me to go away, hatchling? Or you gonna shut up and let me show you something." When Smolder didn't fire a retort, the bird-man smiled confidently, raising the tray up, steam billowing out and carrying the scent with it. "Warriors worry for shields and swords. Spellcasters, like your human friend here, obsess over the pretty little balls on their equally fretted staves."

Sandra leaned forward, drawn by the reveal almost as well as Smolder. "Smells great."

"And it should." He raised a finger. "Because I added that little extra. You have your knives, hatchling, but you're missing your shield."

Smolder raised a hand. "Hold on a second. Are you--" Suddenly there was a mildly feathered hand over her snout.

"I am a chef, nothing more," insisted the bird man, drawing his hand back. "Really, adventuring is another world. The tower can rot for all I care. But, you, little hatchling, you want to go challenge it. You need a shield." He brought down a finger on the edge of the platter, tipping it dangerously. "Finish this. No drinks."

"No drinks? What is it, spicy?" She rolled her shoulders. "You know fire doesn't hurt me, right?"

"Spices bring heat that will set your cheeks on fire and melt your tongue without any warmth involved," assured the chef with the utmost of confidence. "But there is more to it. Eat, and take note. The entire thing was prepared at once, at the same temperature, from the same meat. It should all be just as good."

"Which is pretty good from over here," noted Sandra, a little out of the conversation. "Excuse me, you seem to know what you're talking about. Do you have any hints for--"

"Silly girl." He brought down a hand on Sandra's shoulder. "I am a chef. You're a spell throwing sort. My advice won't do much for you, unless you want to help your friend."

"I do!" Sandra sat up. "How can I help her?"

The avian glanced aside to where Smolder was starting to cut into the meat. "Take note of each bite, in your head, hatchling," he ordered firmly before looking back to Sandra. "You want to help? You're in her party, right?" When Sandra nodded, he leaned in. "Then here's a way you can help. Stop destroying her meat!" He bopped Sandra right on the head. "You can make her job easier."

Smolder made her culinary exploration, each bite seeming like an entirely different experience with different spices. Some of them were good in wildly different ways, some had her wanting to grab the water she wasn't allowed. Some had both properties.

Sandra was focused on the chef. "Show me how. We're a team. If I can help her, I want to."

"Good attitude. You're listening, exactly the sort of thing they say humans are terrible at. Now keep those ears open and I'll go over the basics." He began to explain how to tell if one was hurting the odds of useful meat resulting from any monster's demise, and how to skew the odds in her favor. "I'll be asking your friend if you're doing better or not, so don't waste my time."

It was an evening of learning and tastes.

Author's Notes:

That got awkward for a bit there, but a happy ending was had, yes?

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49 - Divine Guidance

Spike made his way through the streets of the city. He was aware he was getting looks, but he powered through it. He was on a mission: a friendship mission.

Smolder had Pella. Garble had that guy that was in the arena. Spike didn’t know his name. Sandra had that guy on the side of the street, and Tabitha, and… he didn’t even know who else! She probably knew even more people!

Spike didn’t know anyone.

But that’s fine! It’s fine. Spike didn’t know anyone yet. He had tons of friends. Twilight, Rarity, the other girls… And Ember! And Thorax! And Gabby!

And even Smolder and Garble, probably.

Not that he should count his party members. The point is he was ready for this. Time to meet someone, make a friend, get a teacher.

And the only place he knew of to do that was to head out to the guild hall, where all the adventurers were. He could find someone who was another Divine Lord, and he’ll just turn on the ole Spike charm, and he’ll have it!

For sure.

He arrived at the guild and went up to the front counter. The guy behind it was actually smiling at him and Spike was a little confused. He was used to bored, or putting up with, but… smiling? "Hiya. How's it going?"

"Good day. Left your party at home?" He glanced past the dragon as if searching for the rest of the group.

"Just me." Spike took up his staff and raised it. "Actually, I was hoping to learn more about being a divine lord. Can you help with that?"

"Not me, personally." He ducked down and came up with a tome. "But we do have a list of members and their favored classes. Did you know you can register yourself if you think you have hints to give?"

Spike's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? That's super nice! Yeah, if you can, check if there are any divine lords that could give a few pointers." His stance became easier. This was all going so well. "Silly question, but you seem… happier today."

"If we're being honest." He was flipping through the book, searching for a matching entry. "Sandra's a bit of an issue, and your friends are loud, one of them quite violent. Of the lot, you always seemed the least troublesome and most polite."

"Huh…" Sometimes it paid to just be a good person, Spike decided. "Sorry if they were causing trouble."

"See, exactly that." The secretary seemed satisfied with their view on things. "Now…" He handed a list of potential mentors to Spike, who received it with a little bounce.

Flipping open the book, he started looking at the names. The list was… not as long as he was imagining. He guessed that a list of mentors for a class people knew a lot about would be like… more than ten, for sure. But instead there were like six, and two were crossed out.

And right at the bottom of the list was a name he knew. Tabitha. Why was she on the list? What could a bully like that have to gain?

His finger hovered over the name. It was a dumb idea to pick her. It was.

But… he was very good friends with Starlight, who froze him in a block of crystal when they first met and destroyed the world, although it didn’t really count because of time travel. And Ember, who didn’t like him at first. And Thorax, although Thorax was always a good bug…

And he was the best at friendship, and being a good pony-er, creature.

So he made his decision. "So… Tabitha?"

"Tabitha," repeated the secretary. "A fine adventurer, making good progress with her party. She takes great pride in her class." He reached to take the list back. "Shall I send her your way?"

Spike shied his hand away with the list. "Um, yeah, but let me see these too, if it's not a big deal?"

"I can make a copy." With that, Spike let him take it. "Just a moment. He cast a little spell, barely more than a word, and where there was one page, then there was two, and his journal didn't need to be separated. "Here you are. Follow her directions and you'll be on the right path."

"Isn't he a martyr build?" asked another adventurer that was walking past. "I thought those stopped being a 'thing' years ago."

The secretary was fixed on Spike. "I'll tell her you're looking for her."

"Okay, great! Wait." He imagined Tabitha knocking on their door, and the responses of his roomies. "How about I meet her here? Just tell me when to be here and I'll come running."

The secretary raised an eyebrow. “I suppose. Come by nearer to five, hopefully i’ll have good news by then.”

“Okay!” Spike said, balling his claws into fists. “I got this. I’ll do this!”

The secretary blinked with an amused smile on his face. “You… sure will, I guess.”

Spike took off to find something to do until the time comes.

Spike came out at the time prescribed, heading into the common room, straight to the secretary. He looked around, and Tabitha was nowhere to be found. “Is… she coming?” Spike asked.

The secretary nodded his head. “She said she’d be here. She’s very professional about these kinds of things. A model to adventurers, even.”

Spike blinked and thought of her meanness. Didn’t she do it in front of the secretary, too? It left him uneasy. He sat down at one of the seats, like he was waiting to be served by the secretary, and the uneasiness continued. This… might have been a bad idea. There were many options, he could probably have asked the secretary for other ones.

But, he thought, This was what he chose, because he’s a good friend and it’s time to be a good friend to a bad friend! I could--

“Hi,” came the voice from behind him, causing him to jump in fright, whipping around. It was Tabitha alright, a serious look on her face Spike couldn’t quite place.

“It’s you, you came,” Spike said, mildly astonished.

“I said I would,” Tabitha replied. “I said I would give advice to someone who asked for it, too, so here I am.” She reached out and placed a finger right on his draconic beak. "Besides, I'm tired of you dragging the name of divine lords through the muck in your blinding ignorance." Despite her caustic words, a bright smile lit her face. "Assuming you're ready to learn, we'll fix that."

"H-hey!" He hopped to his feet, frowning at her. "We've been pushing through the tower, making progress." He hefted his staff tall. "Look at what we've found."

"Not bad." She casually brushed it aside. "But why a staff of all things? Ah, that's right. Martyr build." She wriggled a few fingers at him. "You know, divine lords are great tanks. We can wade right into the thick of things. Why weigh yourself down with that twig instead of something with actual heft?"

"It gives me magic." He twirled the staff with a smile. "It makes my healing and powers stronger. I can keep my friends healthy and hurt the monsters real good. What's wrong with it?"

"We have a lot to go over." She turned to the left and began walking. "They have a gymnasium in here, just for us adventurers. We're going to figure out what you've learned, so I know what I need to fix. I swear, a dragon divine lord. It'd be a joke if it wasn't behind me."

"Look, I know a lot of folks around here have, like--" He gestured wildly as he followed after her, his staff hanging on his back. "--a lot of hangups about not-humans doing anything, but--"

"Not that." She turned on him, pausing their travel. "The divine lord was renowned in no small part for his heroic stand against dragons. Specifically dragons." She pointed at Spike. "Much larger than you or anyone else in your party dragons. The kind that could set an entire town on fire without much effort." She leaned in close, face an inch from him. "Dragons. Get me?"

"So... adults?" Spike lifted into the air on flapping wings, bringing their eyes on even ground without her leaning over him. "Huh, must have been a tough character to win a fight like that."

Tabitha shook her head as she twirled, resuming the journey. "Just like that? Wait, you're a, what, baby dragon?" She glanced over her shoulder. "So where are your parents? Shouldn't they be keeping an eye on you?"

Spike rubbed one arm with the opposing hand, looking away sheepishly. "The closest thing I have to a parent, my adoptive sister really, is kind of really far away right now." His expression lit up, confidence returning. "Kind of why I need to get to the top of that tower! So, you going to help with that?"

"Didn't Sandra summon you?" She shrugged. "Whatever, figured you were rushing to get her whatever stupid thing she wanted." They were entering the gym proper. Small groups of people trained, sparring with lessons given and received. Tabitha hiked a thumb. "You are the bulwark between your friends and pain. You get that, right?"

"Yeah!" He landed lightly next to her, shield springing into being on his arm as he raised it defensively. "I do that all the time, from the front and the back."

"Divine lords aren't back material," she grunted as if the very idea of it were ludicrous. "What even gave you that idea?"

He tugged at his clothes. "Well, for one, they let me wear this." He reached back for his staff. "My guildchain doesn't stop me from holding this. So, you know, someone thinks this is alright."

She drew her shield and a heavy mace that glowed with scintillating hues. "Just because you can doesn't make it a good idea." She pointed at Spike's face with the mace. "This draws attention. One good hit with this gets a monster thinking about you, and doing that takes no magic. I can bash things all day, leaving my magic for more important things than just keeping attention on me."

"Oh!" Spike almost hopped in place, bouncing a bit on his legs. "Do you think I use a lot of big flashy things, like, uh, this one." He waved his staff at her, green light exploding outwards in a display of his might.

"Well, yeah? How else are you keeping their attention? You're an unarmored, low-offense nothing. Why would anything waste its time with you?" She shrugged expansively, then raised shield and mace. "Go on, show me. Make me not want to hit the test dummy behind you."

She barely gave him a moment before she was lunging in, mace raised high. Spike swung his staff in the way, the length of it going a dull green an instant before it struck the mace, sparking and lashing with that energy. Tabitha flinched back with surprise. "What was that?" She wobbled her mace at his staff. "Seriously, what was that?"

"Got your attention," Spike noted with a smug smile. "Look, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not exactly the biggest thing in the room. Carrying a big hammer isn't going to be my style." He wobbled his staff at her. "This lets me work with my magic, my spirit. And, make all the fun you want, but my spirit's been tested. It's big enough."

Confusion played across her face before a little smile began to creep out. "Alright... sure. They say the original divine lord was both." She pointed at him, mace wavering. "Strong in spirit." Then she tapped it against her shield. "Strong in body. We're both pale imitations, if you think about it too hard." She laughed, a lone little guffaw. "Part of why I love being a divine lord. We have such big shoes to fill. So, let's get to it."

She slid into a ready position. "Unlike your summoner, I plan to rise towards the impossible, not run and hide. Show me your spirit. I'll show you my body."

Spike pondered the phrasing of that line, but took a ready stance. They had training to do.

Author's Notes:

Tabitha has things to teach Spike, and perhaps a few things to learn in kind. Expect more of their training time to come.

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50 - You're Doing it Wrong

The next day, the group scattered, with only Sandra and Smolder sticking together. They all seemed to have something they wanted to do, and set off in pursuit of it. Garble didn't even bring up trying to scale the tower on his own.

An improvement, in the eyes of the others.

Spike hurried back to the guild, jogging with his staff held in both hands as he went.

"I almost didn't expect you to come back." Tabitha was already there, making idle swings of her heavy mace in preparation. "You're just a dragon full of surprises."

"I didn't ask for help just to quit." He took a fighting stance, green magic glowing around his edges with readiness. "Let's learn something."

"She is too damn lucky to have you," she spat in what could have been a compliment. "Now, I've seen your spirit."

Spike's stance faltered. "Yeah?"

"And I'm alright with it." She nodded softly. "Not my style, but we're not here to train me, are we?" She swung her mace towards him. "What did you learn as we fought?"

"You're really hard to hit." He waggled his staff at her. "I mean, not, like, at all. I can do that. But it bounces off half the time."

"Because you didn't learn." She let her mace drop to the ground, thudding heavily as she reached into her clothes and pulled out a sheaf of paper and offered it towards him. "Did she even tell you about this?"

Spike accepted the paper with a skeptical look, but began to read over it. "What?! Seriously?!" He staggered back, his staff clattering to the ground to join Tabitha's mace. "There's a list?!"

"Duh." Tabitha leaned forward, hands on her hips. "Every known class has their skills recorded, barring the new ones. You discovered a new one, didn't you? Congratulations on that." She leveled a pointing finger at him. "Speaking of that, I'm taking it. The least you can do for the training is to show me it."

He began to slap at the paper. "Hold on. All this time all the spells and where to get them were just… there?"

"Look, kid." She reached out, patting him on the shoulder. "This is how Sandra rolls. I tried standing up for her, I did, but she fell through. Quitting is the only game she's got down. When you're busy running away, why would you bother learning about this?" She waved at the list. "Back to you. You're not a quitter, right?"

"No!" He clutched the page all the firmer. "I want to learn these!" His eyes fell to the paper. "I think I have most of the ones you can just buy…"

"I'd wonder if you didn't." She reached for her mace, hefting it up, shield at the ready. "Some are on rare equipment you can’t find easily, but some you can only learn in a fight."

Spike blinked with confusion, but it dawned. "You'll show me? Great!" He snatched up his staff. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Phrasing," she chastised, entirely ignorant of the turn of phrase she had used just the day before. "Let's go."

Spike brandished his staff, for a moment before stopping. “Er… I’m showing you Life Transfusion, so...what target should I use?”

An eyebrow raised in inquisition. “Are you serious? You’ve got a target right here.”

Spike blinked. “You… is that alright?”

“You’ve been throwing spells at me for two days now!” Tabitha frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re holdin’ out on me now. Whatever is it is probably not going to do anything to me that a healing spell won’t fix, so get on with it.”

Spike held up his staff, holding it in two hands. “Life Transfusion!” He flicked it at Tabitha, the line of energy sending out and striking her, a little energy pulled away and back to him. Which did nothing because he wasn’t hurt, but it was clear by her wincing it accomplished something.

Tabitha shook her head and shoulders a little, and then started looking from right to left, not at any particular thing. She wiggled her jaw from right to left, clearly in thought. “Okay, again.”

Spike sent another beam of life transfusion, causing Tabitha to wince again, gritting her teeth, followed by more thinking. “Again.”

Another blast of greenish energy, Spike feeling the rush of energy entering but doing nothing into him. She grit her teeth once more, thinking again. “This is more of a… regular spell than something that you’d come up with in the middle of a fight, isn’t it?” She opened a pack, putting her mace away, pulling out… what appeared to be another mace, except instead of a flanged head it had a lumpy head and a round glowing orb.

Spike tilted his head.

“What? You don’t think I had a magic weapon?” Tabitha said. “It’s not as good as my main one, but I swap it out for healing.” She shook her shield. “I ain’t givin’ this up though.” She held the scepter out, pointing it up like Spike did with his staff. “Life Transfusion!” She sent her own blue stream of magic onto Spike, who grit his own teeth at the rather strange feeling of his vitality being sucked out. It really felt like a reverse-heal, and once it was done he simply felt bad. Not hurt anywhere, but he was sore a little everywhere.

“Ha!” Tabitha said, holding up her scepter. “Got it in one. Nice.”

“Yeah that… was pretty quick,” Spike said.

Tabitha shrugged. “I could tell pretty quick it was an application of the magic diverting ability the class has, just instead of being used as a blast or added to a weapon strike, being used for a heal. It’s pretty clever, though. I don’t think I would have thought to combine it like that.”

Spike twitched his ear frill. “Magic diverting?”

Tabitha exhaled in an amused face. “I guess you wouldn’t know about that either. Divine Lords specialize in diverting magic. Normal builds use it to stop attacks from hitting themselves or their allies. The whole basis for the martyr build is to divert magic from attacks from your allies to you, and then divert that back to the enemies.”

"Oh!" Spike brightened at the explanation. "Yeah, that makes sense, sure." He twirled his staff, little flecks of greenish energy almost shedding from it as he mended the aches, returning to top form. "That's better, now you were going to show me something, right? Trade for a trade."

Tabitha suddenly jabbed him with a finger in the chest. "At least you get that. A favor for a favor, that's how adventurers go. It's not like we're mercenaries, but keeping the karma wheel turning is how you keep people honest." She grunted with obvious annoyance.

"You… want to talk about it?" He planted his staff and leaned against it, watching her face. "You sure seem to have a lot of pent up everything about that."

"We're not here to talk about that!" she almost screamed, though she lowered her voice quickly, quieting before her sentence was even done. "We're here to train. You asked for a trainer, I accepted that duty. I will not fail at what I set out to do."

"And I do appreciate it, really." He stood up, staff held firmly in two hands, each separated from the other along the length of the magic device. "But adventurers give and get. Just consider that an offer to give an ear."

"You are the strangest little dragon I ever met," she noted flatly before shaking her head. "At least you seem like an alright divine lord. Let's make you better." She pointed to a dummy and moved in front of it. "Hit it. I promise I will never touch you. I won't distract you. But you won't hit it. Blast it, slap it with your stick, whatever you got. I won't let you."

Spike got himself ready, licking his lip in concentration, and immediately sent the same attack he just sent several times just a moment ago.

The mote of green light, attached with it’s lines, sped at Tabitha, who brought her shield up, which struck it not head on, but on it’s side, and there was a glow on the shield as she easily bat it aside. Spike frowned. He pulled up his staff, starting to run around her, pelting her with his life blasts, which she bat aside with her shield one by one as she circled the target dummy between them.

He grit his teeth. She didn’t have to move as far as he did. He could get the upper ground, though! And he flapped his wings, taking up to the air. His armor was… actually surprisingly heavy. He hadn’t done a lot of flying in it. But it was good enough to get above her and start shooting.

She had to extend more to block the hits, but she was still able to. They seemed to do very little to her, neither exhausting nor hitting her shields hard. Spike grit his teeth. He summoned up the biggest blast he could. He had a plan, and was ready.

Letting it fly, he shot his biggest blast down at her, while he stopped flapping and dove down at her, his staff starting to glow with a smite.

She grit her teeth, and held up her shield, the first attack bat away, and brought up her scepter, which collided with the staff’s glowing smite. The staff was stopped in its tracks, and the magic of the smite was thrown to the side, the remnants of the magic blasting to the ground beside Tabitha, although at least some hit her armored legs.

“Alright, that’s good,” Tabitha said, stepping back, shaking her leg. “Can you figure out what I was doing.”

Spike thought, and looked at the ground around. Scorch marks from his magic littered the area. “You… were just deflecting my attacks, like you said divine lords do.”

“That’s right.” Tabitha nodded.

“Can you really just… deflect everything? Be completely invulnerable?”

“Ah well,” Tabitha kinda looked sheepish. “No. Actually defending with this technique is all dependent on your skill at using it. But, well,” she smiled a smug smile. “I also have been teaching you for two days, and I was pretty confident you wouldn’t be able to overwhelm me. That last one had me struggling. BUT!” She stepped away from the dummy, swinging her scepter. “Whether or not you can beat it is not really the point. The point was can you do it?”

Spike released the staff with his left hand, his shield springing into being. "I was always trying to put it right between…"

"But you are a deflector," she reminded with a wagging finger.

"And I need to deflect," continued Spike, seeming to get it. "Yeah! Taking it dead on is doing it all wrong. Make it… bounce. Make it go away. Don't try to be a rock."

"I can see the wheels turning," almost sang Tabitha, looking delighted in the understanding dawning on her student's face. "Now, are you ready for some boring homework?"

"Huh?"

She thrust a thumb towards the exit. "You get to head out to the starting fields, but you're not allowed to attack anything. Let them come, and learn to block properly. Make deflection a second nature. Think you can do it?"

"Yeah! But…" His right hand dropped, staff swaying in the limp grip. "You didn't teach me a new spell. You said you would."

Tabitha reached out and tapped him on the nose. "One thing at a time. This is more important. Learn how to deflect and you'll take a real step towards being a better divine lord. You can do this, right? Don't let me down now."

"I won't!" he hastilly assured. "Alright. I'll practice it, but you still owe me a spell!"

"Show me you deserve it." She made a soft shooing motion. "And don't give up."

Author's Notes:

Training, the best part of isekai... right?

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51 - Speedy Service

The group pressed through the cloying field of undeath. They already knew which way to go. Aiden burned away the weakest of them as Smolder grabbed the copious supplies left behind. Sandra's training was showing dividends, those subdued by her spirit power becoming just what she needed about twice as often, and that was reaping immediate dividends.

To say nothing of Smolder's new spices bulging from her belt. "Speed salt!" She dashed the food as they went. "For every occasion, a spice to match." She was grinning with new confidence, in control of the hectic situation.

Garble sped past, his rhymes and his footsteps forming a beat he cut to. It wasn’t an unbroken flow, but it was clearly doing something, as he cut down enemies with flashier blasts more often.

Spike, however, for his part, licked his lips and concentrated his best. A fiery bolt of magic came blasting at him, and he brought up his staff, swinging at it. He missed and the fire bolt hit him harmlessly. Spike swore under his breath. Tabitha had warned him that deflecting magic with his staff would be tougher, and indeed it would be much tougher to deflect magic in “the field” than in a sparring match. But every chance to fight a monster was a chance to get better.

At least, that’s how Tabitha saw it, and Spike saw the wisdom in that attitude.

He glanced at Sandra out of the corner of his eye, as he thought about Tabitha. He had intended, perhaps, to mend their friendship, but he felt like talking to Sandra about it before he knew any more would be… bad. It was too early, probably.

He shook his head to put it out of his mind. Fighting! Tower! He could do friendship problems later.

They burst past the waves of undead, breathing firmly, but none of them looking as worn as they had the past two times they had tried. Garble slapped Spike hard enough to send him staggering. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Sandra and Smolder met with a mutual high five and Spike shot a thumbs up, morale high with the fruits of their efforts. "Hey," noted Spike as they walked. "You seemed to be kinda overflowing with food. Not complaining, just noticing."

Smolder thrust a thumb at Sandra. "She learned how to support me better with that, and I learned how to cook better. Put the two together and we're a mean team!"

Sandra giggled softly, a big smile on her face and her steps light. "It made such a difference… We can do this."

"We can do this," echoed Garble. "Keep that attitude. Nowhere but the top!"

They rode up the elevator and Spike crossed his arms. "Alright, now we have to get past other actual people."

Smolder sat down suddenly, putting her eyes even with Spike. "About that. I have an idea, and I bet you do too."

"They aren't real?" Spike posited.

"In one." Smolder nodded softly. "Too convenient. If they had to get real people in here, we'd have to wait all the time until there were enough people. These aren't people, they're just…"

"Magic," finished Sandra suddenly. "Like summons, er, normal summons, not you summons." She laughed nervously. "Summons don't usually work that way, you know that."

Garble looked back and forth to the two of them. “So… what does that actually mean?”

“Well, for one thing, we don’t need to feel bad or try not to actually kill them,” Sandra said.

Garble blinked at her. “Was I supposed to?”

“Garble!” Smolder hit him lightly.

“What?! I’m not feeling bad for some guy preventing me from winning, especially if he is trying to kill me.”

Spike sighed. “If they’re just magic things they’re probably nowhere near as actually tough as an actual adventurer. They probably don’t have fifty abilities like an adventurer, and they’re probably not as sneaky as an adventurer.”

“That’s right,” Smolder said, back to ignoring her brother. “It means they’re probably dumb.”

The announcer began to give the play by play, eerily similar to the first time they had arrived. Spike pumped a fist. "They're just monsters that are shaped like people. Learn the patterns, take them down, that's it."

Garble nodded as if that had been obvious the entire time. "Stick together, use what you learned, let's show those morons what's what."

"That doesn't mean be careless," added Sandra. "Even monsters can be bad if we let them."

"'Let' having a lot of options," chuckled out Spike, staff and shield ready. "Let's do this."

"Here comes team three." The door slid open, allowing them to see the two teams clashing down below the slope of the hill. In an eerie replay of the first time, the two teams shifted attention towards them as they arrived. Just as the time before, they struck at one another when given good opportunity to do so.

Spike caught an incoming sword, glancing off his staff in a moment of perfect imperfection, the blow sent wide. "Yeah," he congratulated himself, thrusting the glowing staff forward to crash both physically and magically with the chest of his combatant.

Garble roughly shoved the nimble rogue towards his sister. "Catch!"

She was happy to do so, with the ends of her cooking knives puncturing the fake-human. She belched out a great plume of fire, cooking them in a non-culinarian approved way as she wrenched the blades free, leaving them to collapse in a miserable pile. "We got this."

A heavily armored combatant closed with Sandra. "Your positioning is sloppy," she mocked, blade raised in ready position.

"You thought I was the weak spot? Summoner's Union!" She twirled her staff horizontal to the ground as Crystal flowed into her, her form rapidly becoming craggy, eyes shining with the crystal lustre of her golem. "Face me."

Sharp blade met unyielding stone with a loud ring, sparks flying even as her hand came down with all the unstoppability of an avalanche. She grabbed the sword, but her hand kept going, wrenching it free of the warrior and slamming it into the ground.

Garble came down on the surprised warrior, his blade slicing with the flow of gravity and his ready strength on their exposed back, as prone as they were from the abruptly yanked blade. She went down with a great clatter of metal armor. "You have no rhyme, you're out of time, prepare to be beaten to a pulp."

"Team #4, charging in!" came the excited announcement, but no fourth team was in immediate sight.

Spike looked around worriedly before craning his head back just in time to squeak and charge ahead, greenish magic exploding free of him in all directions. An instant later, team four arrived, landing in the middle of the fracas from above.

The others were thrown back roughly, but their injuries were superficial, absorbed by the quick action of Spike. That didn't stop them from being tossed, though the other two teams suffered similarly. The fourth team was on them without a pause, blades and spells filling the void created by their arrival.

The new team came at our heroes aggressively, another wave of green magic washing over them, blasting them back until they were over a ridge in the strange rolling stone hills inside the tower.

The magus didn’t just run at them, but floated above them, green smoke trails streaming from his fists as he grinned madly. “We will be making it up the tower now!”

He sent a blast of magic, which Spike moved to intercept, swinging his staff too early to deflect. It slammed into his chest, and he grimaced. “Plan B!” He grabbed the magic that struck him, as other blasts did, and sent it back at the mage, knocking him down a few feet.

Garble hopped forward, putting himself between Spike and the twin swordsmen that were there, both in banded mail armor with single swords, like mirror images of each other, and pressed at Garble, cutting him one by one.

From behind them, a single archer was in the back, and like a machine was letting arrows fly one by one at any target that presented itself.

The party, the fake party, pressed at the real party with coordinated teamwork, the two swordsmen working as one, with the magus blasting and disrupting from above, and the archer laying down as many arrows as he could.

With a shuddering slam of stone against stone, Sandra brought her heavy hands together so forcefully, she ceased to be unified, the shards flying out with the wave of force, peppering her enemies even as she brought back at hand that gathered burning flames, calling Aiden back from the void. "We're not giving up!"

Despite her bold words, her sudden lack of amoring proved swiftly painful as arrows pierced her and sent her backpedaling, though her spirit screeched, spreading flames eagerly from its spread wings.

Spike thrust his entire body between the swordsmen and Sandra. Their cocky looks faltered as his deceptively small beam of energy began to hungrily devour at their essence, sending it out to his needing team. "Don't give them a second!"

"Didn't plan on it." Garble caught an incoming sword meant for Spike on his heavy blade, the two sparking with a loud ring of steel on steel as he twirled it towards the enemy and brought it across in a wicked slice across the warrior's front. "Your music's off key. Your footwork's a mess. You wouldn't agree, but I'll make you confess!"

"Team four's momentum is being slowed. What's this? Team one's suddenly rejoining the action. No, wait, they aren't fighting, they're taking everyone with them!"

One of the magicians, forgotten for defeated, was glowing powerfully, their hands raised to the sky.

Sandra's eyes went wide. "Self destruct!"

Smolder hissed. Could people do that? Apparently they could. The way the glow was increasing, it would hit its apex all too quickly. They had to move fast, and she was the fastest they had. "On it."

She pushed off with her legs, slipping underneath the swords of the twins and sidestepping the archer’s counterattack, who didn’t even try to turn his attacks to the self-destructing wizard behind him. As she ran, the words of Pella, just a few days ago, came to her.

“There’s more than one, or even two cooking support classes, you know. The Wonder Waiter serves up horderves from a distance, the Sorcerous Saucier spends lots of time preparing and simmering and puts it to work like a healer might in the back line, but Combat Culinarians?” She chopped lightning quick, mincing the already cooked meat and wrapping it in hot dough to hit the grill again. “We cook up quick dishes that are made to order. I couldn’t be anywhere but here, out on the street, preparing the meals directly.”

Smolder looked on in awe as Pella rapidly assembled her meal, the one she knew only had to hit the super hot heat just long enough to cook through.

She gestured with her knife. “In combat it’s the same. You aren’t hitting your potential if you just cook for others. You get in there, and it’s speed attacks are custom built just for that. And sometimes… you gotta really put the speed on. Something is happening and you gotta be there. And there’s a technique for just that kind of occasion...”

Smolder pumped her legs as she darted across the field, building up speed, and building up heat. She could feel the heat from her weapons, as ripples of hot air trailed behind her, and she finally made it to her destination.

“Searing Strike!” She called out, a rarity for her, bringing her knives, now red hot up, slashing directly across the self-destructing wizard, huge hot waves of air and magic criss crossing his torso. He cried out, limply falling down, his magic dispersing harmlessly.

Author's Notes:

They are pressing through the arena room, confident that they're not murdering actual people, but simple mirages of people. That's better, right?

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52 - Magical Princess

Smolder smirked as the wizard slumped on the ground, and the smirk got bigger as he dissipated into magic motes, just like a monster. “That’s right, fake. Can’t beat the real deal.” She held up her blades, but as they sizzled she opted not to put them away just yet.

She turned around to head back to her party, when a heavily armored fighter with a mace and shield stood ahead of her, raising it. She looked back, and found that she was now surrounded by the remnants of the fight on three sides.

Meanwhile, Garble was not having the time of his life. Between the twin swordsman and the archer, he was hit by something basically all the time. He could feel healing pulses from Spike, and could hear explosions from behind him. He actually needed help damnit, where was that pipsqueak?

That pipsqueak flumped on the ground, with Sandra helping him up. Ahead of them the green glowing magus grinned widely. He wasn’t doing any damage, but those explosions were annoying. They knocked people back more than did damage, but they couldn’t get up to Garble… Spike grit his teeth.

Smolder raised a hand to her mouth. "Team 2s gonna win!"

It was a desperate ploy, one that likely wouldn't have worked as well on real players, but the constructs seemed to get confused, focusing on the few who belonged to the numbered team. It was a blissful moment of reprieve, and all they needed.

Including distracting the magus for a critical moment.

Spike bounced to his feet and thrust his staff at Sandra. "Do it!"

"Already on the case." Heat gathered in a point of light, exploding outwards with the unfolding of wings. Aiden didn't create an explosion like the magus and didn't knock anything away. The magus, now right by the firebird, simply burned and screamed, and that suited both spirit and master just fine in that moment.

Spike darted ahead, no green blasts incoming, and intercepted a strike destined for Garble, grinning as he successfully directed the blade into the ground.

“Took you long enough,” Garble said, gritting his teeth as he blocked an attack from the other swordsman.

“Get the archer! I’ll keep these busy!” Spike smacked at the sword still in the ground, trying to stop the wielder from retrieving it.

Garble smirked. “Awesome,” He said, and he ran past the line, his sword behind him to the side. “You should have fled, ‘cause you’ll soon be dead!” He made a beeline, slashing across the archer, who cried out in pain.

The available swordsman moved at Spike, slicing at him with his thin blade, which Spike back stepped out of. Pursued, Spike deflected another blow, not embedding it in the ground, but striking him much less hard than if he had to block it. Two more attacks came, one blocked, one deflected like he learned. He grinned at himself.

And then the other swordsman came at him. Spike raised his weapon to deflect, managing to do it, and the other swordsman attacked, Spike rushing to block again.

Their assault was brief, but relentless, as they constantly kept him busy and it was all he could do to defend himself. Soon, their swords began to gain purchase on him, and one pulled back, shouting “Puncture!” thrusting his rapier at Spike while he was busy trying to defend himself against his twin.

It smashed to the ground, crushed beneath Garble's great weapon. He lashed out a foot, catching its wielder and knocking them back. "Picking on my friend, asking for the end." He emphasized the last syllable with a great leap, coming down with his sword in both hands down on the prone warrior, dispelling them into so much magical vapor, parts and loot dropping to the ground where there was once a warrior.

The other swordsman was taken aback, stunned, and Spike moved in, slamming a glowing rod into his abdomen, knocking him off his feet, where he stood crumpled to the ground.

Sandra came up from behind them, Crystal bowling over the warrior. “The floating magic guy is done for. What are we missing?”

“We are missing my sister!” Garble said, pointing over the ridge she had disappeared behind. “Hurry up!”

The three of them ran up to the crest of the hill, to see Smolder running around in circles, two warriors left running after her. They could not catch up, but they were also heavily, heavily armored.

Smolder saw, somewhat distant, the rest of her friends, and immediately turned, making a beeline for them. “Hey guys, come help me beat up these jerks!”

For their part, Garble and Spike started running full speed to meet her, and as she approached, she slowed to a stop, turning around to look at the enemies as her allies sped past her, colliding weapon first with their foes in a resounding clash. She simply spun her daggers as she sauntered at the two stunned foes, panting just a little.

The three of them were a whirl of blades and staves (and crystal punches), and the two remaining enemies were thusly vanquished.

The three of them panted, Smolder plopping herself on the ground, and Sandra walked up to them. “Is that it?”

"Team three snatches victory in a stunning upset," roared the announcer. "Everyone is down, the round's over!" As if summoned by the announcement, huge chests snapped into being, dropping heavily on the ground.

"Spike!" came a new voice, Twilight's. "I think I have it worked out, but I need you to reach to me, just a little."

Spike blinked at that, the others joining him, proving that her voice was audible to more than jus him. "Uh, alright, how?"

Garble hiked his thumb at the obvious loot. "Hey, horse princess, we got loot to divvy up. Is this the best time?"

Sandra bounced up towards the source of the voice. "Princess Twilight, was it? Hello!"

"Hello again… Sandra, I recall?"

Sandra smiled hard enough for her cheeks to squeak in the effort. "That's me. What do you need us to do?"

"I've noticed moments when you--"

Smolder threw open a chest with bright flashes, different things spilling to the ground with different colored glows based on their rarity. "Ooo, a purple!"

"Yes, that!" exclaimed Twilight excitedly. "Let me get my--"

Garble got the next chest open. "Aw man, buncha greens and a white?"

"Ready! Do that again."

There was only one chest left. Spike jogged over to it. "Dibs." The other two dragons respected the sacred oath of the dib, and he got his hands on it. "Ready?" He threw it open, hoping for good loot, and to help Twilight somehow.

There was a flash of light as he opened it, and he heard a “Yes! Yes! Whatever you’re doing now clarifies the signal!” A few hoofsteps. "Can you do that again?"

Sandra waved at the three vanishing chests, their contents littering the area. "We're out of chests to open, sorry. So, what are you up to?"

"Trying to help," she replied miserably. "I'll just have to keep working. I'm closer, I know it!"

Spike reached for a blue-glowing sword and jogged over to Garble. "Hey, this might be your thing."

"Ooo, thanks." He snatched it up and held it high, squinting at it just so to reveal its statistics. "Mmmm, nah. Our smith did a good job with the one I got." He lightly punched Spike in the shoulder. "Thanks for checking though."

Sandra was fixated on the invisible but audible spot. "Say, I have an idea."

Something fell over. Some books. "What's that?" asked Twilight, her voice approaching.

"Right now, you're basically just a voice in our world, a spirit, if you will, so…"

Smolder suddenly slid in front of Sandra. "You're kidding."

"I'm not kidding." Sandra put her hands on her hips, looking to Smolder, then past her to the unseen point that held Twilight. "If you accept my help, you can visit us, and help us!"

Smolder turned to face Twilight's voice. "But you'll be her summon, her pet."

"They are not pets!" Sandra stomped a foot. "They could leave any time they wanted, so Twilight can go home if she doesn't like it, but she could also help us."

“It sounds like I’d be making a link with my magic? I’m right now just talking into my horn, more or less… but if I were too… hangon!”

The silence hung over the four people in the party, looking at each other for the voice they weren’t even sure was coming back.

“Okay I got it!” Twilight’s voice resounded from nowhere.

“Got what?” Spike asked.

“An astral projection spell! It normally allows you to just sort of float around as a spirit somewhere, although usually it’s pretty easy to dispel. If I use this I might be able to make whatever link Sandra is looking for.”

“See, Twilight is fine with it!” Sandra said, shooting a quick glare at Smolder. She then calmed down, starting to focus, trying to find it out.

“Oh, uh, start casting it, Twilight!” Spike announced.

“You don’t have to shout I can hear you just fine,” the disembodied voice replied. "Now if I… Oh, oh! Perfect." Unseen, she dove between worlds, well, just a part of her, barely a fragment by many measures.

Sandra could feel the presence of a spirit, purple, with soft fur and a bright smile. Big wide wings and a long pointy horn. "Twilight?" she asked in that mental space of hers. "Is that you?"

"It would appear so." She looked left and right in that strange empty space. "Where are we?"

"We're, um… inside me? In my head, I think. We have to make a deal." She thrust forward a hand. "I promise to respect your power and wishes and help protect your friends. I ask that you help me do that, so they can get home, to you."

Twilight stepped forward, her hooves making not a sound on the ground that wasn't even a surface. "That seems like a fair deal, but you also sound like there's something else there." She inclined her head faintly. "I hope we can learn each other, so you share that with me. For now, I will agree to these terms."

Sandra wilted as the possibility of being discovered for her flaws came up, only to brighten as Twilight pushed right past them. "Then I call you."

She opened her eyes and ran her staff in a circle, tracing a perfect circle of purple. "Come forth, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic!"

Emerging from the hovering circle, Twilight burst into being as if caught mid-leap, hitting the ground with a firm clop of all four hooves.

Spike and Smolder both cheered, charging their friend. Garble looked a bit muted compared to them. "Oh, Pony Princess, welcome aboard."

But Twilight said nothing to them, though she gently embraced her wayward little brother and student. She stood up and pointed to her throat, then shook her head.

Sandra blinked. “You are adorable!” She almost ran up to hug, but stopped and coughed. “I mean. Good. Good.”

“I don’t think she can talk,” Spike said, looking up and down. “And she also looks… a little different?”

Twilight spirit nodded, and then looked at herself. She was the same color as always, except that she had a faint glow about her, the color of her magic. Her hair and tail was slightly translucent, and she couldn’t see that change, but her pupils were gone, replaced entirely with that color.

Sandra waved at the representation of Twilight. "It's not… exactly her, but it's her, inside. Outside, she's my summon. I bet she can do all kinds of things."

Twilight turned on her summoner, horn glowing. Sandra could hear the thoughts that were otherwise silent, "I am in your magic. I will be limited by what you can do. But I'll do my best to help us all get through this."

Author's Notes:

Hi Twilight, we missed you. Onwards! We have so many more floors to crush.

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53 - For Us, It's a Tuesday

Sandra released the magic and Twilight looked surprised for the moment before she vanished in a fit of sparkles.

Spike blinked at the empty space. "That looked unpleasant. Is she alright?"

"I'm still here!" came Twilight's voice from nowhere. "That felt strange. At least I can talk now. Alright, so, when I'm doing that, I fall unconscious. So, make sure I'm somewhere comfortable before accepting that call."

Garble marched past the voice. "If you plan to help, why'd you go? It's time to get on to the next floor." He hiked a thumb at the obvious elevator waiting for them. "Nothing else to see here."

"I just wanted to be sure that worked normally." Sandra traced the circle in the air, calling for Twilight.

It was different that time, with a moment of delay before the alicorn burst free of the pattern to join them. "I wanted to be sure I was already on the ground before I passed out," could be heard in Sandra's mind. "Let's do this."

Their team, ready, marched for the marble platform with golden rails. Smolder hopped onto it first. "Fancy. At least they treat the winners with class."

Garble leaned against the rail with his back, facing the others are they got on. "So we have Pony Princess with us? Can she even fight? The only time we mixed, she ran away, with you." He thrust a finger at Spike with a smirk.

Spike let out a chuckle. “Oh yeah. Twilight is great at fighting. She’s the most powerful magic user I’ve ever met! No offense, Sandra.” The platform began to raise of it’s own accord.

“None taken,” Sandra said. “But, if her magic is limited to my magic…” Sandra tapped her chin. “She won’t be able to do almost any of those things.”

Twilight blinked, moving her head. She moved her head again, making a face.

“I bet Twilight’s trying to say something smart right now,” Smolder said.

“Well, good thing she can’t,” Garble said, belting out a laugh. “If we had to start from ground zero, so does she.”

Twilight looked thoughtful, but got distracted by the lights dimming as they entered the next floor. It was patterned after the marble and golden rails, with fountains and light coming from… somewhere up above.

But most importantly, with treasure chests. Each on a podium in their own little niche.

“Ha! They do treat the winners with class!” Smolder said, hopping up. “It’s a whole reward floor.”

Garble grinned ear to ear. “Awesome. Dibs on the first chest.” He sped off to the nearest podium with a chest on it. He got up to the chest while the rest of the party was still approaching, and he quickly slotted his guildchain into the box.

Instead of the box opening, though, the wall behind it began to grind and open. Garble’s eyes widened, and he grabbed at his guildchain, but it was stuck to the box. "Dang it, what's goin' on?!"

The others caught up with him. Twilight pawed at the stuck chain even as Spike yanked on it, joining in the struggle, but it wouldn't move. The wall opened wide, allowing a heavy stone form to step free with glowing green eyes.

Sandra pointed at it with her staff. "Company! More fighting, less chest playing."

"No argument there," agreed Smolder, surging forward so fast she seemed to blink from the ground to on top of the lumbering stone figure. "See how you like a little knife play."

Her small swipes didn't seem to impress it, bright sparks dancing from where metal struck stone. It brought down a great fist on Garble with the groaning of bending rocks, but the blow never arrived on him directly, caught with both Garble's great sword and Spike's shield. The fist slid suddenly off of them, smashing into the ground beside them. "Did it!" excitedly cried Spike, successfully deflecting the blow away.

Sandra wasn't entirely sure how her new summon worked, but tried to go with the flow. She directed her staff at the enemy, sending the mental urge to attack she usually did with the investment of her power.

Twilight was backing away with wide eyes from almost being flattened by a stone fist. "Are you crazy?" echoed in Sandra's mind.

"Welcome to our world," said Sandra out loud. "Your friends need you. If you can't fight, I have to change summons."

"No no! Alright." Twilight took a calming breath as the golem reached up to pluck Smolder free of itself. "I'm on it!" She launched herself forward, springing off a purple plane that appeared just long enough for her to leap from, its form decorated with countless intricate runes and her cutie mark worked into it in places.

Twilight blinked and looked down. That was an awful powerful jump. She yelped, a strange raspy noise, not too like her usual voice, as the rock creature was turning to face and punch her. She flapped her wings and swooped around him, raising up her horn. She could feel the magic, but it was… different. She could still concentrate it, and concentrate she did, firing off a starry cutie mark missile, not a beam as she was used to.

It struck the rock creature in it’s shoulder, knocking it back a little. There was a crack where her missile struck it.

"Woo!" called out Spike as he charged to join the melee with a bright green spark where his staff slammed into the side of the thing's leg, adding to the small cracks. "Don't let it hit you, but it's not invincible."

"My partner gives pro details." Garble slammed his great blade on the other side, striking the opposing legs with a low grunt. "Kinda obvious, even if that sinks your sails."

"Big words coming from the pinned one," laughed Smolder. "My knives are just not up to this task. Bash this thing open so I can get at something important." She began to bounce down, winged flight bridging the gaps as she quickly descended.

“I’m on it!” Spike announced, swinging his staff into position but not making contact, instead drawing its vitality free in a brilliant burst of glittering green magic that began to wash out over the party, even if they weren't yet injured.

“Don’t count me out!” Garble said, hefting his sword above his head. “I’ll make you pout!” He brought it down, expecting a crash of elemental energy that didn’t come. “Make you… pout!” He swang it down again, nothing. Frowning, he spun around, trying it the other way, “Rolling Crescent.”

No swoosh of energy came, no crackle of a sword, no icy wave. Garble frowned, looking at his sword, and a rocky hand swatted at Garble, knocking him away.

Twilight’s eyes widened as the first real injury was suffered by the party. The rest of the party was still moving. None of them had panicked. Spike hadn't even stopped what he was doing, draining the golem.

She felt an urge. Sandra was directing her staff at the golem, their empathic link ringing clearly in Twilight's ear. Attack the crack she had started. "Alright," she thought to herself with an audible whinny, stamping the air that flared in temporary platforms of purple, lightning sparking from where her hooves touched.

She had to attack. She was just a… mental projection. She couldn't be hurt, in theory. She had to protect her friends! Magic gathered at her horn, like usual, but she could tell it was… different. Not even a little different, a lot.

But there was no time to ponder that, there was a fight on! Magic was still usable, and it formed a magic star, and she forced the missile at the enemy, blasting into its torso with a shattering impact of broken stone, knocking a great chip out of it.

Garble was on it, leaping up and bringing his sword down where the broken stone fracture was. "Mess with the best, get a sword to the chest!" Green swirling energy leeched at the point as Spike directed his magic, joining in the effort. The stone was flaking away, battered and broken.

Smolder flew up and dived at the golem even as it moved to wine up for a fresh punch. "Perfect, good--" She didn't get to finish her words, half-crashing into the front of the golem and digging with her knives at the glowing interior behind the cracks. The golem began to spasm and twitch, its innards rapidly failing at the precise assault.

With a craggy roar, the rock monster began to flail, and Smolder hopped off of him, the monster largely in place but with his torso in one place. Sandra called out, “Twilight!” Verbalizing her command.

Twilight felt a surge in magic. Not her own magic, but the strange new magic. Sandra’s magic. Whatever she did was causing a surge in magic coming to Twilight. So she raised her horn up to the sky, the magic forming at her command. It was instinctual, partway, and without concentration stars and magic circles appeared leading up to the vaulted marble ceiling. Twilight could feel the magic, ready to shoot, and she brought her horn down, pulling a star through the magic circles, blasting through the torso of the monster, which fell down.

Twilight whinnied and nickered in excitement hopping up and down. The monster was dead, but Garble just walked straight up to the chest, licking his lips. It was glowing like it should, and his guildchain popped out with a little acquisition noise, and he threw it open, reaching in with glee. Smolder looked around, and Spike began to cast a spell on Garble as he pulled something out of the chest.

Twilight stopped hopping, opening the mental link with Sandra. “Is this… alright? Everyone is so normal.”

“Oh! This is your first fight,” Sandra said aloud. “Good job, Twilight. It looks like there are…” She looked around. “Three more on this floor.”

“One for each of us!” Spike announced. “When we get to my chest you’ll have to be ready to fight faster because I won’t be around to heal you.”

Garble laughed. “Don’t think we rely on you that much, pipsqueak. When I get my attacks back I’ll be crushin the monsters.”

Twilight looked out as they bantered and started heading toward another chest basically without hesitation, even Sandra. She turned back. “You’re coming, right Twilight? Except for the one with my chest we’ll need your help.”

"Spike?" Twilight trotted up to be at his side, but her words did not reach him.

Sandra shook her head. "Twilight, he can't hear you. Summons don't talk, um, out loud." She laughed a little at that. "To their summoner, yeah. I've talked to all of my summons now."

Spike looked to the side where Twilight was walking with him, looking a bit frazzled, then over to Sandra. "Is Twilight alright?" He smiled up as his adoptive sister. "Everything's cool. Thanks for that last move, good job!"

The others shared general agreement, giving thumbs up at Twilight's effort. It was a shame she didn't seem to agree. "He's been facing dangers like this so much he doesn't even see it anymore?"

"Do you?" retorted Sandra with a little smirk. "Spike mentioned the things you got up to, and it didn't sound peaceful to me."

"Well, I mean, most days were peaceful." She softly whickered, able to make equine noises at least if not actual speech. "Once in a while, something came up."

"And you handled it." Sandra reached to pat the side of her summon's great barrel. "Just like we are. Come on, Smolder’s turn next."

"Be something good!" Smolder cried as she slotted her guild chain into the slot and the battle began. There were no cries of surprise or fear, just a determination to win through the battle.

Author's Notes:

Twilight learns what it's like to be an adventurer in a world seemingly with less breaks than Equestria gets. Where are the breaks on this thing?

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54 - Nailed It

Garble shoved open the big doors, a prideful grin on his face. “Nailed it!”

The party was all smiles as they headed through the portal, and Garble put his guildchain into the white pillar of light, and it glowed. He wheeled around. “Toldja we had it this time.”

Smolder cackled with a teasing grin. “You didn’t say we had it, you just complained loudly we had to leave after the fourth time.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because we coulda had it that time, so obviously I had the faith we could do it this time.”

“There was a whole extra phase though!” Spike protested, also going up to the portal. “We never got to it before.”

“And good thing too,” the sourceless voice of Twilight rang out. “I’m not sure that it would have been as easy to run during that last phase, it was so chaotic…”

Sandra pat Twilight on her head. “Don’t worry, every other time we were able to get out, if it was too much we would have gotten out that time too.”

Lost in thought for a moment, Twilight plopped down on her rump. “Do you think maybe the tower doesn’t want us to not be able to ascend it? We have been able to escape more or less when we wanted, if things got too hard.”

“Who knows what the ‘tower’ thinks,” Smolder said. “It’s a place not a person, Twilight--er,” Smolder looked back, a little sheepish. “Professor.”

Twilight waved her hoof. “I already told you, there’s no need for formalities here.”

That was when Spike saw him, the older human he had seen several times before. Not even waiting to see that his friends likely couldn't see the man, he hurried over. "Hey."

"Hello yourself. You have reached another grand point. The tower acknowledges you as a proper challenger now." He nodded softly, eyes resting on those behind Spike, chatting animatedly and not seeming to notice his presence. "Do you have a question?"

"More than I can count," admitted Spike easily with a little smile. "Without using a question, don't suppose you could tell me how many I get, is it just one?"

"Just one, and I won't count that." He leaned forward, hands coming down on his knees. "You interest me. Ask."

"Just one… just one." He looked over his shoulder at the others. "Hey, if you had one question…" He trailed off, turning back to the man. "If I ask them, you'll take that as the question." The man smiled, but said nothing. "I'm getting the hang of this. Alright. We're headed to the top. We want to go home, and do it properly. If we get to the top, can we go home?"

"You can go home, certainly, but will you, at the top? That remains to be seen. Many roads spread before you. You see only one, but it branches on branches, and I watch and wait. Press onwards, little dragon. I await you on thirty."

Smolder set a hand on his shoulder. "Who are you talking to?"

Spike turned, pointing at the man. "Oh just…" But the man was gone when he looked back. "Nothing…"

The five of them walked out of the tower into the town proper, Twilight deciding to stick around a little more. Smolder squinted, the light of the setting sun across the town making it hard to see.

Twilight took in the sight of the exotic city and its many biped inhabitants. Unlike Equestrian High, most of them appeared well in their adult years, with only one child being led by a larger in sight, a parent perhaps? Most were human with strangely uniform coloration in shades of brown instead of the many hues of Equestria High.

That was the world Spike and the others had been living in, a city, alien and wonderful. Twilight felt warring urges to study and hide. She had seen them to safety, a break might have been in order. But as she was going to wave her farewells, a figure approached. “Well well well…” The familiar feminine voice said.

Tabitha stood ahead of them, clapping her gauntleted hands. "How'd it go?" She was looking directly at Spike. "Did you rise up to be a true divine lord? Or are less savory elements still holding you back?"

Garble folded his arms with a sneer. "Shove it. You're looking at a bunch of winners that don't have time for this."

Sandra looked on, the familiar depressed resignation hitting her. Tabitha was here to make her life miserable, and maybe she deserved it. But did it have to come right after they succeeded? It’ll be over soon and they can forget about Tabitha again…

Spike, however, folded his arms and looked proud. “That’s right. We cleared the boss of the twentieth floor.”

Tabitha strode up to Spike, confidently patting his shoulder. "I knew my training and your resolve would come together. Congratulations, anyone that makes it to 20 is real stuff."

Smolder hiked a brow. "Including me?"

Tabitha's eyes made a mighty roll. "Including you, Combat Culinarian. Even if you're using a strange class, making it to 20's a big deal." She crossed her arms under her chest. "It means you've encountered most of what the tower has. It only gets harder, but not different, get it?"

Sandra's fingers clenched around the ornate features of her staff as she stepped forward. "What about me? I did it too."

Tabitha turned away with a loud grunt. "It's the job of any good Divine Lord to carry and bridge the way forward, no matter what team they end up with. So long as they keep pushing, the Divine Lord will be the spear's tip." She thrust a hand up into the air, just to clench it into a fist at the apex of the motion. "Something we've both now done."

Garble lifted his shoulders, a puff of smoke escaping him. "Right, so you're done with the whole 'dragons ain't adventurers' thing, now?"

Tabitha waved the comment away, turning back towards them. "Obviously you dragons are adventurers, you made it to twenty." She hiked a brow. "But I'm still pretty sure you're not dragon dragons, those things are way bigger than you, and don't sign up for adventuring guild duties. Whatever, adventurers, you're those, demi-human or not."

"She has a troubled feel," echoed Twilight's thoughts in Sandra's head. "I've seen ponies like her before. Not that she's a pony, but that doesn't change much. Why is she avoiding you?"

"Because she hates me," replied Sandra out loud, glaring at Tabitha. "I did it, Tabitha. I made it. I got to twenty too," she almost growled out, a strange new sense of anger welling up in her. "You told me to give up--"

"--You told you to give up," interrupted Tabitha, finally looking at Sandra. "I tried dragging you. I tried convincing you. You gave up, not me! And you dragged us along for the ride along the way."

“What was all this crap about how I shouldn’t be an adventurer!” Sandra’s voice cracked.

“You shouldn’t! You had all the damn advantages.” Tabitha started extending her fingers, one by one. “Your parents are famous powerful adventurers. You had your first class when you were younger than anyone else I know, and the training to match! You have the magic to back up that, too. You are here and you almost never have to worry about money, because, once again, famous parents. And I gave you nearly a dozen chances.” She got up closer to Sandra, anger unseen contorting on her face. “And you threw it back in my face, time and time again.”

Sandra tried to put up a fight. “W-well that’s not an excuse for how you’d talk to me.”

“Are you aware of what I went through for you?” Tabitha’s voice was grave. “My name was mud. I kept trying to start new groups and the word got around that I was unreliable. I couldn’t make anything work. I had to get newbies from out of town to trust me. And that day you didn’t show up… I just told them that I guessed someone welched on me. We went out, and had a successful day. A long day.” She paused, letting that settle a little. “That day, for the first time, I felt like the bridge that was bringing a party together, instead of someone making excuses for her friend.”

She stepped back, gesturing to her party. “And here it is, yet another new chance. Another spoon in your mouth. A whole party, inescapably yours, ready to drag you over the finish line.”

"I'm not useless." She had meant to state it, nice and evenly, but it had come out more as a shrill call that had everyone in the area looking at her. Her cheeks darkened with a combination of rage and embarrassment. "I've pulled my weight. I'm helping." She gestured to the surprised magic-horse standing beside her. "I have their precious friend right here, and I'm going to reunite them at the top of that damned tower!"

Garble huffed at the exchange. "Whatever. She's helped us a lot more than you have, jerk. You're just lucky they don't allow fights in the middle of the street. Get out of our faces. We have a celebration to do." He marched right past her, almost running into her friends.

"Pardon me," Tomás deferred, dancing to the side. "I hear my team-mate is making people scream over here."

"I was doing no such thing," defended Tabitha with a bit of a pout. "They got to twenty and--"

"Congratulations!" interrupted Tomás with a bright smile. "This is a great day then. Tell the guild, they will throw you quite the party."

The dragons looked to Sandra questioningly. Sandra blinked. "What? I never got to twenty myself…"

"It is true," insisted Tomás, moving to slap a hand on her shoulder as if they had long been friends. "Just tell them and let them do the work. Everyone will want to know the news." He turned just as suddenly on Tabitha. "We will come, assuredly."

His unspoken challenge was heard clearly. "No, thank you." Tabitha folded her arms tight. "I already congratulated my student. Good job." She about-faced, walking away briskly.

Tomás made a disappointed face. He looked back. “Well, I will be there, at least.” He waved and jogged to catch up at Tabitha’s pace.

The five of them watched Tomás and Tabitha leave, turning the corner. Smolder turned to Spike. “Her student?”

Spike laughed weakly. “I needed some help with being a Divine Lord… and her name was on the list. I kinda thought--”

“That you’d go behind our backs, huh?” Smolder said, huffing out a bit of smoke.

“I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell anyone!” Spike protested. “Yet. I mean tell anyone yet.”

“You do realize Tabitha has been awful, right?” Smolder said, anger in her eyes.

“S-she was cool without Sandra around. She was helpful.”

“You’ve seen what she did,” Smolder held her hands out. “And how she treated our friend and now you’re taking her side?”

“I’m not-I’m not taking her side,” Spike protested. “I thought I could help!”

Smolder got up closer to Spike. “Well fine help you were. Watching her be a jerk to Sandra, right here. If you were so chummy with her, why didn’t you do anything?”

“I-I’m not her best friend now!” Spike said, holding his hands up defensively. “I was just trying…” He looked at Sandra. Her expression was hard to read, something mixed of frustration, betrayal… she turned away, walking away as briskly as Tabitha did.

Spike reached out. “Sandra!”

Smolder stopped him and flew out after Sandra, leaving Spike there with Garble and Twilight.

Twilight moved over to Spike, nuzzling him in comfort, and he smiled.

Garble just looked down, his eyebrow raised. “Wow you really screwed this up, huh?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but only a soft nicker escaped before she vanished in a purple haze of sparkles.

Author's Notes:

Social dynamics, in my adventure?!

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55 - Getting Over It

Sandra breathed heavily as she laid against the wall of the alleway. Smolder was above somewhere, calling out for her. She slid down to the ground, sitting down.

She didn’t know why she ran away when Smolder called for her. She just… didn’t want to talk with her.

What was she doing? Hiding from a friend after another former friend yelled at her? She didn’t want to be found. She didn’t want to have to think about it.

There was a tug on her magic, the summons. One of her summons was asking for attention? Maybe it was a good idea. She pulled back on the tug, and Twilight Sparkle popped into existence next to her.

Oh. She made a displeased noise.

Twilight tilted her head, making a soft horse noise.

“I don’t wanna talk about it, Twilight.”

“Why not?” Twilight’s voice rang in her head.

Sandra frowned.

There was a moment of silence, and Twilight broke it. “Spike was… just trying to help, you know?”

“You ask him about that?” Sandra murmured.

“Well, no, but I see no reason to disbelieve that he was being honest about it.” Twilight smiled. “I’m not sure if he thought going behind your back was good, but he probably shouldn’t have.”

Sandra made a groaning noise. He probably was trying to help. Even if it was a little rude. But… “I dunno. I dunno what I think about it.”

"You want to reach the top of the tower." Twilight looked to the tower that loomed high over the city. "But why?"

"Huh?" Sandra peered at her summon as if she had lost her senses. "That is what adventurers do."

"Clearly not all of them." Twilight looked back to Sandra, her wings fidgeting on her back. "Reaching twenty is considered a big event. That implies, to me, not everyone does it. Do they stop being adventurers?"

"Well, no…" Sandra worried her fingers together, hands touching. "Some do other things, I suppose. Why?"

"That is my question." She directed an equine hoof at Sandra. "Why do you want to get to the top? Don't say Spike and the others. You wanted it before you met them, did you not?"

"My parents… They made it up so far." She let out the last part in almost a sigh of a statement, looking alone.

But she was not alone, Twilight gently pressing her snout to Sandra's forehead. "How far?"

"Ninety-nine," she pointed up at the tower. "They were sure they were just about to reach the end… They said I'd be the one. Each generation pushed further. If they got to that, surely I could bring it home…" She threw her hands up in the air. "And then I messed it up. I messed it up for everyone that got stuck with me."

"So, out of tradition then?" asked Twilight, one ear up, the other drifting to the side. "I have a friend who would strongly empathize with that. I'd bring her, if I could." Her unspoken but heard voice laughed gently in Sandra's mind. "But what stopped them, your parents I mean? If they were so close…?"

Sandra recoiled, but behind her was a wall, causing her to awkwardly bump into it. "What do you think happened?! They died. They tried their hardest and paid the biggest price you can. You get that high, the tower stops wanting to see you struggle, and starts trying to end you." She just as suddenly turned to the side. "Not that they even died in there."

"Wait, you were just… How did they die then, if it wasn't the tower?" Twilight sat on her haunches, a little whicker escaping her. "I'm not trying to pry," she assured even as she pried. "I want to help."

"They were more than tower climbers. They were soldiers, heroes… They made a lot of friends, and a lot of enemies. One of those caught up to them… I was there, getting under their feet at the worst time…"

"You're their foal," argued Twilight. "I feel certain they didn't want you anywhere but safe."

"Well… they got that." She threw up a hand. "I'm alive and they're not."

Twilight inclined her head to the left as she rose up to all fours. "And you got scared." Sandra winced. "But who wouldn't?" Sandra looked to her confusedly. "I'd be a little rattled if my parents just… did that for me… But, that was some time ago, I get the impression?"

"Yeah," she miserably allowed. "Look, Twilight." She pointed way up towards the top of the tower. "If you get to the top of the tower, you get a wish. You can remake this lousy world. I thought… maybe I could save them. I could get there, wish for them back, pay them back for all the work they did for me, you know?"

"You are making progress," noted Twilight in a cheerful tone. "And you're surrounded by--"

"Twilight," screamed Sandra suddenly. "You don't get it! One wish. One party, one wish." She kicked a bottle that smashed against the far wall, exploding into glass shrapnel. "I either fix the mistake I made and send your friends home or I rescue my parents, not both."

Twilight's cheerful expression broke, ears sagging, tail going limp. Her entire frame seemed to deflate a little. "Oh…"

"There you are." Smolder touched down, dodging bits of broken glass. "Eeesh, they haven't cleaned this place in ages. So what are you two whispering about?" She noticed Twilight and Sandra both hurriedly trying to compose themself and arched a brow. "Am I interrupting something?"

Twilight tried to reply, but whickers carried little of her meaning.

Sandra lifted her shoulders. "Sorry, I was being dumb. Spike's trying to get us to the top of the tower, that's all he was doing."

Smolder emphatically thrust up a thumb. "Oh, all good? Oh, wow, were you given a friendship lecture? She's good at those," she laughed in sympathy. "Well, we're already away from the boys, so how about a girl's night out?" It suddenly hit her. "Actually, what about that party they're supposed to throw us?"

"Yeah…" Sandra turned, pointing. "The guild's back that way, guess we should go report in."

"I'm here," came Twilight's gentle mental voice in Sandra's head. "We can always talk."

"Yeah," she sighed as she got to walking. "Always."

"Always what?" Smolder followed along, hands behind her head as she walked easily. "Hey, look. Spike's a bit of an idiot, but a good one. I know he wasn't trying to hurt any creature." She thrust a hoof at Twilight. "I mean, seriously, she's his big sister and she's the literal Princess of Friendship."

Twilight smiled in a horse-like fashion when Sandra looked at her. "She's not lying."

"You're a magic talking horse, but you're still a horse," gusted out Sandra, throwing her hands up. "Horses and dragons do not make each other."

Smolder blinked slowly. "I am missing most of this exchange, but, please, do continue…"

Twilight snorted softly, nostrils flaring as her voice echoed in Sandra's mind, "We're getting distracted. He's an adopted brother and I love him very much. Now, Tabitha, why are you so angry at her?"

"I'm not angry at her," Sandra suddenly shouted as they emerged onto the street in time for people to stare at her outburst. "I mean… Look, just seeing her makes me feel like a horrible person."

"Harsh." Smolder came up between Twilight and Sandra. "What's all the badness about? So you didn't rock the tower the first time in. Neither did we, but we got better, right?"

"It's more than that…" Sandra rubbed behind her head a moment before raising her staff, shoving it behind her back where it hung out of the way. "Look, when we met, she thought 'Oh boy, I get to adventure with the daughter of two amazing heroes. This is going to be great!' And I was, you know, nothing like she imagined. I let her down, and I let me down, a lot…"

"You got better," noted Smolder before her lips turned in a smirk. "Sure, it was after she was gone, but you got better. Not everyone can work with everyone else. You needed some dragons in your life." She ribbed Sandra from the side. "Who doesn't?"

Sandra smiled, returning the wry grin. "I can't argue that. A few dragons can make any day a little better." She rolled a hand as they walk. "Provided they aren't trying to burn your things."

"If I burn something, you deserve it," noted Smolder with a sandpaper dry edge.

"She doesn't mean that," quickly added Twilight, trotting behind them. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Sandra paused, causing Twilight to crash into her and almost sending them both tumbling, but she caught herself to a skidding stop. "Yeah… A little. I, look alright." She turned towards the two, Twilight and Smolder. "I owe her an apology, a real one."

Smolder hiked a brow. "What for, and who, Tabitha?"

"I blew her off." Sandra crossed her arms. "I did that. I have to live up to it. I got better, good, great even, but that doesn't undo what I did!"

"So, what? Gonna get her a makeup gift?" Smolder lifted her shoulders high. "A sorry card?" She snorted as they walked. "Sandbar got me one of those once. I razzed on him for days… But it was kinda nice."

"You did not!" But Twilight's alarmed expression didn't travel as well as the words that only reached Sandra.

"Something like that, but a card wouldn't work." Sandra frowned, facing ahead and resuming her journey. "She's a woman of action, that's what made her so mad in the first place, my not acting… How can I say sorry for that?"

Smolder suddenly smiled. "The same way you can patch things up with Spike."

"Hm?"

Smolder grabbed Sandra by the shoulder. "Convince Spike to give up something he got that's really shiny, maybe not the best stats, but fits their class. They both have the same class, right? Give that to her. Promise her you'll get something for her from each boss we punch in the face until we get to the top, as a thank you for putting up with your nonsense."

"That hardly seems fair," muttered Twilight. "It wasn't an entirely one-way relationship, was it?"

Sandra held up a lone hand at chest height. "No, you have a point there. That's action. That's putting up instead of just talking." She grinned. "Besides, we're going to get to the top, and I get to show off by raining little gifts on her every ten levels."

Smolder's teeth were quite sharp as she spread a wide smile. "Now you're getting it. You get to apologize and show off at the same time. Wins all around."

Twilight applied a hoof to her face loud enough to create a low thunk of a clop as she vanished, her connection between worlds snipped in a moment of complete exasperation. If they needed her, they could call her.

Sandra was smiling and laughing, directing their movement back towards finding Spike. They had an apology gift to give, and a party to set in motion!

Author's Notes:

She will build a bridge made of sweet loot and walk across it, to victory!

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56 - Hirrah!

"What is this?" Tabitha peered at the crown, more of a tiara really, glittering bright on its red cloth square. "You don't owe me, and I'm not buying."

Sandra spread her hands at the gift. "This is a token, of my sincerity. Every ten levels, expect another one."

Smolder grinned from Sandra's side. "And don't even start thinking we won't go through with it."

Tabitha's brows fell, peering at the two of them. "It's alright, I guess, for twenty…"

Sandra grinned as she took the cue given to her. "Which is why you'll look forward to thirty, fourty, and onwards. We are going to the top. Look… I messed up, that was me. I'm not going back to that."

Smolder shrugged softly. "And she could say that all day long, so we'll go with proving it instead."

“Uhuh,” Tabitha said, sounding not very convinced. “And you’re going to give me one of these every ten floors?”

“That’s right.”

Tabitha looked back. Tomás was behind her, and motioned back to Sandra, mouthing something, and Tabitha looked back, frowning. “And what do you… expect from me?”

Sandra felt a little sinking feeling. She kinda hoped for a better response. “Nothing, not now. I’m going to show that I’m not going to give up.”

Tabitha continued to look unamused, crossing her arms. “Do what you want, then.”

Sandra turned around, trying to keep her face like stone, and walked away. Smolder waited until they were out of earshot, saying, “See, she kept the crown.”

“And was completely unmoved by it,” Sandra said, sighing.

“Sure, but we knew she wasn’t gonna come around immediately, it’s better than it was before.” Smolder got up conspiratorially close to Sandra. “It’s already working.”

“If you say so.”

"I know so." Smolder slapper her on the shoulder. "If this was a week ago, she would have laughed in your face and made fun of you."

Sandra colored, easily imagining that situation. "That does sound right…"

"This time she basically invited you to give it your all." Smolder shrugged. "She's off your case. You have a chance to show what you got."

“Yeah… yeah this is what I wanted,” she said, convincing herself as much as Smolder. “This is better, she’ll come around.”

“That’s exactly what I just said, Sandra,” Smolder teased. “We’ll get there. Same as the tower.” She looked up forward. “Speaking of which--” she smiled. “We have a party to attend.”

Garble picked at his outfit, which was not actually his armor but was a tight fitting shirt, buttoned up. “Why do I have to wear this again?”

Sandra looked back to him, wearing something closer to what she used to wear, street clothes, albeit nice ones, instead of an opulent adventuring robe. “Because we weren’t supposed to wear armor, so we gotta dress down.”

“Speak for yourself,” Spike said, adjusting his bowtie. “I never get a chance to be fancy anymore.”

Smolder, wearing her own shirt, shuffled a little uncomfortably. “Yeah… but why can’t we wear what we want to, which is nothing?”

“Nobody wears nothing,” Sandra said. “Even if that’s normal for you, it’s not normal for us, so let’s go.”

Spike shot double guns at his fellow dragons. "Hey, clothes can really accent what you're trying to say." He thought of the fair Rarity, a whimsical smile on his face. "The right color, the right cut, and they'll hear exactly what you're saying.

"Yeah yeah." Smolder moved for the door. "Let's get celebrated at! It's catered, right?"

"Food and drink," assured Sandra, moving to go with. "Not a soul leaves without a full stomach unless they want to. Expect a few speeches and some pomp, but mostly it's a bunch of happy people congratulating you and promising they'll be next or daring you to catch up with them."

The four of them headed out, heading through the city and its bright street lamps. It was already becoming dark, the party scheduled for the evening when everyone, or the most possible, people would be back from their work to attend.

A sign hung above the guild's door. "Twenty Bash and Recognition," it read with bold colors and spiky font, daring anyone to miss it, if they could.

Garble huffed, a little smile forming. "Yeah, they got us on their minds."

"You made it," came the enthusiastic call of Tomás as they opened the door. "They're here!" He wore a big grin and soon there were others crowding around them, urging them further inside.

A deep laughing preluded a huge slap to Garble's back. "I remember when I hit the big two zero," boomed a female voice, a big amazon of a warrior, the axe on her back gleaming and cruel in its jagged edges. "How long ago was that?"

A clear wizardly man raised a hand to run along his wispy bears. "We've been past twenty for ten years."

Spike's eyes grew wide. "Ten years?! And you haven't reached the top yet?" The others looked over, equally as curious to that answer.

The wizard held up a hand. "Though we do try, our efforts have largely gone to other things beyond the tower. We stopped at sixty."

The mood of the room shifted with the mentioning of the new number, somber.

"Cowards." Tabitha emerged from the crowd. "Just when things get tough, you shrank away?"

The large female warrior leveled a meaty things at Tabitha. "You're just getting there. You'll see. Don't go judging us until you've experienced it yourself."

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "Experienced what?" She snatched a tasty little morsel off a provided table. "What's so bad about sixty? Just more of the same, right?"

"Wrong," boomed the warrior, crossing her arms under her chest.

A sharp set of claps drew attention to the secretary at their desk. "Today is a day for celebration, not worrying about that."

That was enough to turn conversation back to more pleasant things. A group approached the celebrated ones. "We almost got there!" exclaimed a young male with potions adorning his body everywhere. "Almost! Next time!"

Sandra smiled gently. "Next time," she gently agreed. "Trust your friends, and work together. You all want to reach the top, right?"

"Yeah!" echoed all of them, minus one. A male, perhaps in his forties, that frowned.

"Once we get to fifty, I'm out," he clarified. "That's more than enough to qualify for most any position."

Garble turned to the big warrior. "Hey, lady." He hiked a thumb upwards. "You've been up there. Why'd you quit? What's the big deal?"

"They asked us to play nice," she replied in a far quieter tone. "Look, you hit sixty, things start to change. The tower judges you. No, that's not right… The tower has already judged you. You hit sixty's stairs and everything changes."

The wizard thrust forward a cup into Garble's hands. "A drink, for a victor," he declared loudly before his voice lowered. "We have to at least pretend to be celebrating. What happens at sixty is very personal to the group. Some simply find a dead end and nothing more. They were judged and found wanting. Others push past, but the rules are changed. The tower is no longer testing your perseverance and basic ability. It will kill you if you make a mistake."

Another lady, clad in glittering chain, nudged past the wizard. "These two are leaving out an important part. Sixty is where it starts, but not always sixty, that's just when it could happen. Any floor after that, the tower can declare the first test over, for good, or bad. You'll know when it happens, trust us, we did.

Garble waved a hand at the new lady. "Hey! She's wearing armor, and looking ready for a fight. Why couldn't I wear my armor? C'mon!"

Laughter erupted, garble's question doing a remarkable job of defusing the situation. The large warrior threw an arm over Garble's shoulder, leading him away. "So, they say you claim you're not a demi, but you look like a demi to me. What's the deal with that?"

"Not my fault you're blind," scoffed Garble, though he did go with her. "I am a dragon." He puffed a little bit of fire as they walked. "Scales, tail, fire, wings, what more do you want?"

Smolder slipped up behind him. "Don't forget the horns." She flicked one of the horns that jutted from his tail. "They count."

Garble snatched for Smolder, but she danced away with a laugh. "Ugh, sisters."

The large warrior gave a non-committal huh of a noise. "Aren't dragons usually… larger?" She brought her hands together just to spread them out. "And less open to sharing drinks."

Garble huffed, flame escaping. "I'm still growing. I'll be bigger than this building, eventually." He shrugged softly. "We dragons aren't rushed about that."

"Makes sense to me." She plucked a horn from her beltline. "Most demis don't reach twenty, let alone ask questions about sixty, so, yeah, sure, I'll drink to that!" She crashed her horn to Garble's cup and swigged whatever was inside her horn with a loud cheer.

Garble took his own swig, the fluid burning his throat, but clearly not in a hot way, but he let out a bit of fire as he exhaled out of it. It was a little spicy, a little bitter, he wasn’t sure how to describe the taste. “Woah, that was… somethin’ else.” His insides felt just a little warm, too, downing the last of whatever he had in the glass.

The warrior woman laughed. “Is this your first? You drink like an expert.”

“‘Course I do,” Garble said. “I’ve been drinking all my life.”

The woman just smirked. “Sure you have, kiddo.” Gesturing over to the side she pointed at someone helping organize. “Another one for the newbie!”

A cheer rippled over the crowd as the festivities got back into the proper swing with talk of the higher floors set aside. Speakers arrived to take their turn. "Not every adventurer reaches this far," explained the old matriarch that had overseen Sandra's fateful roll. "Some whispered that Sandra would be one of those, oh, but look how wrong they were proven."

Sandra's cheeks lit up a bright red as eyes homed in on her.

"When I helped her perform her summon, never did I imagine what the result would be. Three strange new recruits and a new group to reach twenty. Let that be a lesson! Anything is possible if you keep trying." She nodded once firmly as the group erupted into cheers.

Tabitha took the stage, scowling at someone behind the curtains before composing herself. "I was in Sandra's group… a few times… We never got past ten." Her teeth clenched powerfully. "She… Do I have to say this?!" She spun to face someone out of sight. "God! You owe me!" She turned back to the crowd. "She got over herself, okay!" She pointed directly at Sandra. "You better not be faking! That dragon of yours has the heart of a divine lord and if you hurt it, I will make you regret it!" She stormed off, not giving anyone a chance to reply as she vanished back behind the curtain.

"When first I had met," Garble's teacher hadn't been heard or seen until he was already there, speaking. "Waves crashing with hot fury. The tower should fear." He looked across the field of bodies. "I watch to see how high this wave will reach."

Polite applause rippled before the next person up poked her long-eared head out, jaw set and her nervousness obvious. "You sure this is alright?"

Smolder's voice rose above the others, "Hey!" She was waving wildly, rising above the crowd on her wings and darting closer. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"They said I had to be," admitted her rabbit tutor. "And what's a demi to do?"

Pella climbed onto the stage, turning around. “So, I met a girl looking for a class to specialize in. And I had suggested my class to her, and I hadn’t realized that, offering to let someone learn to cook under me would result in her passing twenty on the tower!” She looked down at Smolder. “I’m not sure I would believe it if I hadn’t lived through it.” She raised a cup. “It’s fantastic, Smolder. Great job.”

There was a bit more applause at that. Smolder elbowed Sandra who was mid-clap. "Where's your teacher? The crazy summoner dude?"

Sandra reached a hand up behind her head. "Did Tabitha count as my mentor, or Spike's? I'm honestly not sure."

"And finally, the truth is made clear." The teacher of the summoner class stepped up onto the stage with a smug look. "I had been scorned, but now, with one of mine reaching twenty, you know it is a true and proper class, worth adding alongside the others." He brought his hands together in a sharp clap. "Summoning will become the true star it was always meant to be. Why, my student may be the first to reach the top." He leveled a finger at Sandra. "Go forth, and let the spirits guide you!"

Author's Notes:

Sometimes you just need to celebrate!

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57 - In the Zone

"Powers of four," declared both Spike and Twilight, though the latter could only be heard in Sandra's head as both danced in place in victory. Spike pressed a stone block forward with a satisfying click, allowing them past the bedevilling puzzle.

"You thought you had me." Garble brought down a sword, catching a monster falling from above. "What a laugh." He continued the motion, sending the monster into the ground with a painful sounding thump. "Now I'm crushing you badly. Cutting you all in half," he rhymed, emphasizing the beats as he stomped forward to finish the job.

An arena where they were the first in and waves of enemies rushed at them came up, requiring all their skills to put them down before the next group was allowed in, but it was Smolder that truly won the day, providing restoration to their flagging energy with snacks that started with the first group's defeat. As a team, they could not be stopped.

“Yes!” Spike cried as his blast hit the already pummeled head of the second statue, knocking it’s block off.

The second statue staggered back, but did not fall over, instead grabbing the severed arm from it’s twin, jamming it into its own head socket, where it came to life, gripping it’s sword with increased fervor.

“Aw come on,” Spike cried.

The strange now three armed statue brought it’s three swords together, then down together.

Finally, after tried and tried again, the then puzzle pieced together frankenstein of a statue monster stopped moving, the whole party looked at it, swords raised in preparation for it to pick itself up yet again and use it’s own rubble to somehow slam into them, and finally breathed a sigh of relief as it collapsed down onto the ground.

"So, this is just another day," came Twilight's voice, only heard by one of them. "I suppose the only way is forward." Even unheard, the others were already moving. The next floor awaited.

But Spike wasn't with them. "Hey."

"Hello, small dragon." There was the man he had met three times before. "Do you have a question worked out?"

"Actually, I do!" He puffed out his chest, looking proud. "What do you get out of this? Not like 'I don't trust you' kind of thing, but, really, you're not just here for laughs, I'd think. What's your deal?"

"You don't want to know more about your fate, and how to reach it?" He watched Spike for a heavy moment, but no revision to the question came. The man smiled gently. "Well, you've made me ask a question. I will give a good answer in reply." He gestured to the left, and the others seemed to freeze in place. "This will take a bit longer."

"Creepy, but also kinda cool," Spike allowed, admiring his frozen friends from afar. "Alright, I'm listening!"

"Many come to challenge this tower." He brought his hands close together, a spectral tower appearing between them. "Though none are remembered, a few made it to the top. There is a catch, a great price. Some simply refuse to pay it, others do, and never return the same. Either way, the legend of the unbeatable tower remained."

"And you're one of them and no you won't tell me what the catch is unless I use a question on it," guessed Spike with a wry smirk.

"You are learning well." He inclined his head faintly. "I am the only one that watches the tower. You could even say I am the tower. I watch every challenger. You, little dragon, caught my eye. Dragons have a special place in this world's history, even if you are not a part of that."

"A good part?"

"A complex part," he allowed, not counting that as a question. "Perhaps you can break me from this cycle, I do tire of it."

"Spike?" Sandra was looking at him, Twilight also facing him, all of his friends clearly unfrozen. "You alright?"

Spike glanced between her and the man, but the instant he looked away, the man was gone. "See you on fourty," he said under his breath, hurrying to catch up with the team.

The trap door finally was triggered, and Garble, Spike, and Smolder all tumbled down into the pit. Sandra looked over it, trying not to laugh as the three of them were stuck in some kind of green goop, all grumbling and trying to pull it out.

Garble tried to sarcastically laugh, only to succeed at producing grumbles from his mouth, trapped in the gunk.

“Okay okay, let me try to think of something.” Sandra tapped her chin. Trying to pull them out is probably a bad idea. She wondered… “Let me try something… Aidan!”

The explosion rocked the walls of the tower.

Sandra set down a jeweled scepter, heavy enough to serve easily as a mace. "A treasure worthy of a proper divine lord." She leaned in. "That's you."

"I figured," replied Tabitha, peering at Sandra suspiciously. "Past thirty, huh?"

"And already working towards fourty." She patted her own sides lightly. "Keeping my promise. I'm done, flaking out, alright? Sorry… Really… sorry."

"My life--" Sandra looked up at Tabitha's words. "--it got better, when you left." Tabitha stood up slowly. "I'm not saying that to be mean, it's just the truth. The very day you ditched me for the last time, when I gave up on you, things started getting better…"

Sandra mentally flailed, considering what to say in response. "Good," came out. Tabitha seemed surprised. "I mean it, good… I wasn't ready to give you what you needed, and deserved. I'm glad you found friends, who could… I don't expect you to just… forgive me, but I'm not giving up, not again, alright?"

"Yeah…" Tabitha walked off, no scornful words on her lips.

With great grinding noises of stone against stone, massive blocks slid free of the walls, crashing down around them. Twilight fired upwards, intercepting blocks that would come crashing down on her friends with star-shaped beams. "Sandra, tell them, tell Garble. I think he's the answer."

"Garble, get in gear!" she squeaked out. "We need some battle beats!"

"Against what!" he complained, bringing down his sword to cleave a brick in half. A loud ring filled the air. "Oh." That was all it took. He started to aim for specific blocks, creating a song and a beat with the pattern of his destruction. "Yeah!"

They managed to not be squashed that day.

They circled along great platforms that shook and fell beneath them. Monsters came in waves, needing to be destroyed quickly to reach the next platform before it collapsed down below. Sandra was on fire, merged with Aiden as she washed the area in flames, weakening the crowds as her friends did battle.

"Hop!" called Spike, deflecting an incoming blow and returning it with a sharp thrust of his staff. They scrambled onto the next platform, not even time to pant as Smolder stuffed monster-snacks in their mouths.

"Almost to the top," shouted Garble, shoving aside a gibbering monster right off the edge. "Stick together, we got this."

The giant wooly quadruped roared, a deafening bellow, causing Garble to wince and ultimately cover his ears, along with Smolder, also next to the creature. The creature flailed it’s beefy furred legs, smacking both of them away.

Spike ran up, immediately beginning the process of healing, when the monster roared again, a wave of pain rushing up his ears, and he immediately dropped the spell, the shockwave of the roar coming to knock them back.

He blinked his eyes open, a loud ringing in his ears, above which he distantly heard Sandra yelling. “We’re leaving!” The shell of light was forming over them, and they popped out.

After the three of them got their hearing back, Garble wasn’t happy. “What gives? We were barely there.”

“The monster was knocking us around really badly, you were already hurt, and we couldn’t even really heal.” Sandra said, her arms folded. “We have to have a strategy ready.”

“Well, um,” Spike said. “Why don’t we just use earplugs?”

Sandra frowned. “Earplugs are really expensive, though. You have to give up a lot of gear to have earplugs.”

Spike blinked. “... What?”

Tammy raised her visor. “Oh yeah, earplugs are hard to get. The worse the roars are the better the earplugs need to be, too. You gotta have several different items in order for it to work.”

“Can’t you just--” Spike gestured at his frills. “--Stuff something in your ears.”

“Nope!” Tammy said with maybe a little too much satisfaction. “The magic goes straight through it, you gotta build a helmet and armor or jewelry.”

Spike’s ear frills wilted. “Okay, so how much to make a full set, then?”

Tammy grimaced. “Well…”

“Why are soft cotton monsters so hard to kill?!” Smolder yelled, stabbing another one, which didn’t wince or react in any way as the dagger sunk into it’s soft fluff, but it did whirl around, a fluffy soft tail brutally colliding with Smolder much harder than she thought it could.

Aiden was pelting them with flames, which did indeed seem to cause them to not just burn, but also panic a bit. Sandra grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. Maybe you could try those heat attacks from before?”

Smolder darted up, trying to get some distance, only to collide face first into a soft ball of fluff, which bounced her back into a ring of other fluffball monsters. “Crap.”

The huge monster roared with all it’s might. And oh, Garble could still hear it, through the thick helmet that covered his ears, with the fluffball jewelry supporting it. But it was just a normal roar. He gave a look to Smolder, who was also watching this monster roar itself horse, and gave each other a fist pound, running at it to finish the fight.

Spike looked around expectantly. "You there?"

"Is that the question you wish to ask?" came the voice behind him despite his searching. Spike twirled to see the man had just… appeared. "You moved faster this time."

"Heya." Spike wriggled a few fingers. "No, that's not my question." He examined the older man curiously. "So, you're the tower... You're watching us go, watching us learn." He smiled a little. "And I think you like what you see."

"Those are not questions," he noted, waving a finger slowly at Spike. "Are you trying to cheat?"

"Who, me? Never." Spike rocked on his feet. "So… You mentioned a price, and that some people didn't pay it, and others did. What is the price?" He rolled a hand in the air. "I mean, I'm curious about you too, but I really kinda need to know that if we're trying so hard to get to it."

"Perfectly reasonable," allowed the old man, raising his staff and bringing it down. From the point of contact, four spectral adventurers rose with it, two warriors, a wizard, and some manner of cleric. "Adventurers brave, greedy, clever, or just stubborn make it to the top, if they seem worthy."

Spike nodded quickly. "Yeah, got that. They get up there, and…?"

"The question is asked." He leaned over the small figures, addressing them, "What do you wish, and are you willing to pay the price?" the figures turned to one another, whispering in little chirps of noises. "The grander the wish, the greater the price. If some fool went through all this trouble to ask for a sandwich, I would send them home with a full belly and their face coated in mud. None have been quite that petty."

"So they usually ask…?"

"A second question?" the man smirked at Spike.

"C'mon, that's still part of the same question!" Spike spread his hands out with a mighty pout.

The man took a slow breath, considering. "For you… Most wish for riches and power, great things, but temporary things. For such a request, we require a sacrifice." He pointed to the figures. "Which of you will pay, and which will benefit?" Two figures raised their hands. Lightning arced from the old man's extended finger, striking them to ash. The other two figures walked off, a bit larger, glowing with powers. "And two heroes are born, but what is a hero that accepted the death of a friend? They don't speak of this."

"Woah…" Spike blinked, enough of a lapse. The man was gone, and his friends were calling. "See you on fifty…"

Author's Notes:

20 floors without drama!

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58 - Halfway

Tabitha ran a finger along the gauntlet that lay on the table before her. "Not bad. We're pressing on sixty right now, so you know." She hiked a brow. "I heard them, saying most people quit there. I don't plan to. I will protect my team all the way to the top. Does it scare you?" She met Sandra's eyes evenly. "Will sixty be good enough?"

Her shoulders shrugged softly. "Sixty's pretty respectable. I couldn't make fun of you for that. You could get a job anywhere doing almost anything…" Her nails clicked against the metal. "You get to sixty, I have to admit I was wrong."

"This isn't about making you wrong," Sandra spread her hands. "I'm not here to show off."

"I didn't think you were." Tabitha pushed to her feet. "You get to sixty, I admit I was wrong. I'll wish you all the best, and I'll never bother you again."

"You... This doesn't sound right." Sandra rubbed at one arm with the opposing hand. "Will… we be friends?"

"We won't be enemies," corrected Tabitha. "We'll be fellow adventurers. I'll nod as we walk past each other. Just two adventurers. No complicated past." She clapped her hands as she turned away. "All forgiven, like you wanted." She walked off, leaving a stunned Sandra behind.

"Sandra." Spike flew in just behind her, floating at her shoulder. "I have a question."

She glanced back at him. "Sure, why not?" She didn't see how any question from Spike could make her day worse. "Looking for a shop?"

"Huh? No. It's about you."

"Me?" She paused and Spike crashed into her, the two rocking forward before they recovered, facing each other. "What about me?"

"Your parents…" He rubbed at an arm as Sandra had not that long before. "They were called heroes, right?"

"Yeah…" She thought back to those final moments. "They went out like them too, protecting me…"

"Just like they wanted," he barely whispered out, looking away.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Spike held up his hands. "Sorry, didn't mean to tug at old memories. You're doing great."

As Spike fled the conversation, Sandra watched him, but where she might have shrugged it off before, she narrowed her eyes.

Garble walked slowly, carefully, his arms out to his sides. Step by step he made his way across the perilous thin stone walkway. Underneath were spikes, tipped with some kind of nasty green substance Garble did not want to discover what was. Above were more spikes, so it’s not like he could fly… Ahead was his sister and Sandra, behind was the runt.

He stepped slowly, carefully, until he was on the next platform, and he let out the breath he was holding. Smolder and Sandra both politely clapped.

Spike bounded across the walkway, not losing his balance even once.

Garble glared at him.

Blinking in confusion, Spike said, “... What?”

“Maybe you should be the one with the daggers up in front, buddy,” Smolder said, slapping Spike on the back. “Cmon, we got more jumps and stuff.”

The four of them continued to make it across the claustrophobic spiked pits.

Sandra stood off of the raised stone sigil, breathing heavily. “Okay, so one more try.” She turned to Twilight. “You’ll have to go out, we know the targets will light up, and you have to hit all of them before they close.”

Twilight nodded. “Right,” her voice echoed in Sandra’s head. “I saw what they were before, some were really specific angles, and I have to hit them really fast.”

“Alright… everybody else should be on their targets for now, let’s do this.” Sandra stood on the sigil, and it depressed and lit up. The lights dimmed and next to Sandra several targets lit up, which she started to pelt with tiny bolts of magic. Twilight didn’t stay around to watch, and simply headed out.

Out in the center room, what appeared to be nearly a dozen targets were lit up, and Twilight went to work.

One by one she shot her stars at the targets, running to make sure the angles were right, and then at the end the aperture opened up, the biggest target, and Twilight raised her horn to the sky, bringing down the big star from the sky, slamming into the last target at full force.

The lights came back on, the door opened, and Twilight, her magic allotment spent, disappeared back to her world, the summon running out.

“You did it, Twili--” Spike said, running out. “... Where is she?”

Sandra came out from behind her own target area. “She ran out of magic. She definitely hit all the targets first though…”

Spike frowned. “Did the floor know exactly how much magic she would have to exhaust her?”

With unease they proceeded to the next floor.

They emerged from a door, expecting a boss, but finding instead howling wind. They were outside the tower on platforms. With a sudden shudder, the platform beneath them began to retract dangerously quickly. "Run!" Sandra pointed ahead as she broke into a sprint. They began running from one platform to the next.

Garble snorted, leaping into the air, his wings carrying him aloft. "This is stupid, most of us--" One of the defensive turrets that Spike had encountered so long ago opened fire, forcing Garble to dart out the way, another lancing up just in front of him. He landed with an angry snort, the warning clearly working. They would have to run and not fall to complete that boss encounter.

A great crash sounded ahead of them, a spiked ball hitting the platform ahead of them and rolling towards them. "Aw, nuts," muttered Smolder. There seemed there would be no fights in that boss encounter, but that didn't mean it would be easy.

"Jump!" Spike jumped off the side, the others at his side. They could feel the pull of their wish to recall as the ground rushed at them, racing between gravity and the magic that could save them.

They arrived at the last recall point, screaming and heaving.

Smolder pointed to the door they had just gone through. "I demand a rematch! We were surprised. This time, we'll know how to do it."

Catching their breath, the team was ready to try again shortly. Twilight nosed Sandra to get her attention. "This seems to be every day for you. Does everyone live like this? Even by my standard, this seems like a bit… much."

Sandra gave Twilight a tired smile. "Just us tower climbers. You want your friends back, right? This is how we do it."

"Yeah!" Garble shoved the door open. "Let's go, and be ready to run."

The door shut heavily behind them. "Only… five times," announced Spike, but there was no reply. Looking left and right, the others were frozen in place, time halted for them. "Oh." He didn't seem as surprised as such an event could possibly merit, instead looking around in a slow circle. "There you are." He hurried by the recall point, where the elderly man awaited him. "We made it to fifty."

"If you make it to the top, perhaps it will end." He tapped his cane against the floor. "A lot of things could end."

Spike pointed at him accusingly. "You, the tower, whoever. You… took Sandra's friends."

"I won't argue that." He hadn't disagreed. "What will you do with that possibility?"

"You plan to do it to us, if what we're asking for is too much, but you won't tell us if it is or not until we actually ask." The old man watched him, saying nothing. Spike had learned how to converse with the man a little. He got one question, and none of that was a question.

"She wants her parents back." He gestured to the frozen Sandra, caught mid-wheeze from their long sprint. "We want to go home. Only one of us can probably get that, and either could be enough to need one of your sacrifices. Man, look, that isn't cool." He pointed back at Sandra. "She's just a kid! She's just a stupid kid."

"Like you."

"Yes, like me!" Spike shouted, anger getting the better of him a moment. "If we fail… Twilight will keep looking. She'll figure it out, eventually. She can't make dead things not dead. She can't do Sandra's wish, ever. But she is ready to give that up, for us." He waved at his dragon friends. "They aren't even thinking about it. Maybe Smolder, maybe, but she isn't stopping. We'll get to the top, she'll just give it up, all up, for us… the dragons she never even asked for…"

"Because…" He licked over his lips, puzzling through things as quickly as his thundering heart allowed. "Because, even confused, and scared, and alone, she's…. She's a hero. The child of a hero… which is a hero." He pointed at the man. "Tell me I'm wrong!"

“Heroism is a heavy burden,” the man said. “Not always the same burden, but always weighty. --"

"--And heroes only go out one way."

"Two ways," corrected the man with a wry smile. "They die a hero, or live long enough to become something far worse. Now… clever dragon, you have avoided asking a single question. You have learned the rules well. Now, I must insist, ask your question. You have more floors to scale."

"You said you were interested in us. Why us? What do you get out of us dragons climbing your tower?" He stomped a foot. "You have all kinds of creatures trying every single day to get higher in this tower, so out with it."

“Dragons are always of portent. I am not like the people of this world, skeptical to the true nature of your existence, dragon.” The man seemed to rise up, his voice becoming louder. “The potential of ancient years, the strength of the scales, the power of fire… but more important, the covetousness. This very tower is like a dragon in itself, it gathers adventurers, relics, magic. It tempts adventurers, greedy to get the spoils, and the magic flows up into the tower. The tower has had many dragons in it, over the years. Some still live within its walls, collecting like the tower does, while feeding the tower. The affinity the tower has for dragons is undeniable. None have been denied entry, and all of them are talented climbers, if they enter.”

Spike was blinking, trying to take in the somewhat circuitous answer.

“But naturally bringing an ancient wyrm would be difficult. Large things are much harder to move around than small, and why would an ancient wyrm want to help a hero? No, if I wanted my hero to have the help she needed, after alienating all the locals, it would have to be something other than an ancient dragon. Something smaller, perhaps more than one somethings. With their own reasons to climb the tower, spurring a hero stuck in the first part of her story to finally move forward, perhaps.”

Spike’s blood began to run cold, staring up at the man as the implications of his confession clicked. “You… you set this up? You’re the one that brought us here?! The whole reason we’re plucked from Equestria is for… for your own plan?! For whatever it is you want us to do here?!”

“Placing new pieces into her story was not too hard, heroes often have special companions, special people that move their story forward.” The man raised a hand, gesturing to Spike. “I only have limited vision and control outside of the tower, except for the lives of those the tower still influences, and I thought long and hard about how to solve this problem, and I do think my solution is working out quite well.” He chuckled. “Never did I imagine it would produce a good conversationalist.”

“D-don’t treat this like it’s a joke!” Spike shouted, swinging his staff in the air angrily. “You messed with my life, with Garble and Smolder, and even Sandra’s life. She didn’t need to be a hero!”

The man’s chuckling stopped and his face turned to a frown. “Believe you me, these events were set in motion long before you were part of this plan.” He began to fade away. “Sandra will be the hero she is born to be, and I will get what I want.” His voice echoed in the empty hall of the fiftieth floor.

Smolder finally turned the corner, looking back down. “You alright, little guy? You were shouting.”

"No…" admitted Spike, deflating. "I'm really not. Let's… head back." He raised a hand to the recall point, accepting the arrival at the end of the fiftieth floor be officially recognized. "We… maybe we should talk."

Garble stormed up, swatting the recall point defiantly. "What are you whining about? We smashed through it, like everything else. Let's--"

Smolder put a hand on his arm, watching Spike. "Bro… chill." Not an expert in friendship, even she could see something had rattled Spike, though what it was, she struggled to get a grasp on. "Spike, we'll head back. When you want to talk, we're here."

Author's Notes:

Well, that escalated, but the curtain is drawn back. Not everyone is ready to see how the sausage is made.

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59 - Equivalent Exchange

Spike swung his feet off the side of his cot. All eyes were on him, waiting. "I know you all need to hear this. That isn't even… slightly in doubt."

Twilight approached on her strange cloven hooves, nuzzling the side of her lost little brother. "Aw, thanks." He patted the side of her snout, her meaning clear without words. "It's just… wow, we had some things wrong, a lot of things." He looked to Sandra. "First, an apology. This wasn't your fault, not even a tiny little bit."

Smolder hiked a brow. "I was done being upset at her like at the first floor." She shrugged expansively. "What even brought that on?"

"I'll double that." Garble thrust a finger at Spike. "Start spilling the details!"

“I just… it’s heavy stuff, and dangerous stuff, and maybe… I might have not talked with you guys about it but knew stuff about it for a while?” He winced down.

Smolder’s like, “Spike! We already had a thing where you did this and we hated it then! Why would you do it again?”

“I’ve been not talking about it since before that,” he said.

“Spike!” Smolder exclaimed.

“Stop,” Sandra said, sterner than her voice had been before. “It’s fine, Spike. You were trying to figure it all out before you said anything?”

Spike rubbed the back of his head. “Also it’s sorta weird, and I didn’t want people to think I was crazy.”

“Oh my god!” Garble exclaimed. “Get on with it! We all wanna hear it, just say it!”

There was a slight pause, and Spike finally said, “I’ve been talking with the tower.”

“... What?” Smolder said. “Like… talking to the walls?”

“No!” Spike looked back up at her. “Like a spirit guy, he said his name was Logue and I’m the only one that can see him and I’ve been asking him questions every ten floors.” He looked back down. “And I figured it was crazy and the answers wouldn’t be too important until the past ten floors or so.”

“After you asked me whether or not my parents were heroes,” Sandra said.

Spike nodded. “That’s… that’s right, you figured out something was up, huh?”

Sandra smiled at him. “It’s fine, I figured if you didn’t come clean sooner or later I’d have to pull it out of you, and here we are.”

Spike laughed halfheartedly. “That’s right…”

Smolder brought her hands together with a soft paff. "Alright, guy named Logue, mentioned something about Sandra, keep going."

"Yeah, we haven't gotten to the part you'd drag us out of the tower for." Garble rolled his shoulders, looking put out. "Ain't heard anything yet."

“Well, I was trying to figure out what to ask about the tower, and I wound up finding out that when you make a wish… it extracts a cost.”

“What kind of a cost?” Smolder piped in again. “Like, if we asked for a million bits what would the cost be.”

“I dunno, I didn’t have that many questions, I just know that some of them required the sacrifice of people… er… probably.” Spike shook his head. “Look I tried to get extra info by not asking questions but a lot of them were vague.”

Garble rolled his eyes. “So it’s nothing? You haven’t said much yet…”

“Garble,” Sandra said, casting an angry glance at him. “Let him finish. Interrupting all the time isn’t helping.”

“Th-thanks,” Spike said. “There are… multiple parts. I learned you have to sacrifice stuff to get wishes, then it was uh… implied and kind of stated that Sandra’s parents did that? And wished to be heroes.” He looked up, trying to gauge her reactions.

She reacted. “So… they’re not… really heroes? They’re not impressive or anything?”

Waving his hands in protest, Spike said, “No no! It’s not that it’s like… I don’t know why they asked for it, but whatever they did they made the wish and lived the life of heroes. And that means…” He looked around. “It means dying like heroes.”

Sandra seemed sobered by that, her expression falling a little.

“Hold up, how do you figure,” Smolder interrupted. “Why does heroism mean dying like a hero?”

“It’s a… it’s a story thing,” Spike said. “In stories, heroes die tragically, facing off against a villain, fighting something… saving something-”

“Like saving their children…” Sandra said. “From a monster that shows up out of nowhere.”

Spike nodded solemnly. “And if they asked to be heroes it wouldn’t just make them stronger it would make their lives into ones that fit heroism.”

Silence fell on the party, and Sandra eventually said, “So that’s it, then. My parents made it to the top and made a wish…”

“Ah uh… no that’s not all.”

Sandra blinked. “It’s… not?”

“Okay, so--” Spike hopped up, gesturing up. “So the guy in the tower was bound there or something, and he wants to leave, and he thinks you--” he pointed at Sandra. “Can release him by making it up the tower.”

“Me?! A-an adventurer who let down somebody who tried very hard to convince her to go? Someone who was too nervous and didn’t want to be an adventurer before this whole thing?”

“Well, he said he didn’t have a whole lot of control over stuff outside the tower unless it had links to something it affected. Like if a wish was trying to direct the course of someone’s life…”

Sandra blinked. “I’m… I didn’t make a wish, my parents made a wish.”

“Well, no, but the children of adventurers, who had their parents die in a tragic accident…” Spike grimaced. “I mean it sounds a lot like a hero…”

Sandra opened her mouth as if to respond, but sorta just… left it open, attempting to process what she heard.

“And um, here’s the last big one, because I asked him this one directly,” Spike said, a grave expression on his face. “I asked him what interest he had in me. And he said that… me, and Smolder and Garble--” he gestured to them “--were of interest because the tower likes dragons, and lets them up frequently, and he needed a new plan to get Sandra in the tower… and so a group of young dragons that needed Sandra’s help explicitly in the tower would be a good way to jump start her failing adventuring career.”

Smolder picked up this first. “Wait, what’s he saying? He’s not saying what I think he’s saying.”

“Saying what?” Garble said.

Spike nodded. “He admitted that the plan to bring dragons through from another world was his plan.” He looked down, kicking his feet. “He’s the reason why we were pulled from Equestria here.”

A sudden equine snort cut the tension. Twilight was frowning as she pawed at the ground with a soft clopping. "I thought… How dare it?! Tell them I'll find another way to get them home," her voice raged in Sandra's mind. "This game ends now."

Sandra looked between Twilight and Spike. "Twilight said she'd find another way, to… stop climbing."

Garble suddenly brought down a hand on Spike's shoulder. "And we're not doing that."

"We're not," echoed Spike, his voice sounding determined, even if his face was haunted. "We can't."

Smolder threw her arms wide, ."Woah, wait. Spike, you alright? This sounds like a great reason to stop climbing and every part of me says you should be agreeing with not climbing, but you're agreeing with Gar Gar. Fill me in?"

Twilight nickered, shaking her head and looking equally as ready to hear that answer.

"Twilight." Sandra smiled awkwardly. "I need to talk to your little brother a bit, call you later." Twilight's face became surprise as she vanished, dismissed without choice. "She's nice, really nice… But this is about us." She waved her fingers at each of her dragon friends. "We have to make this choice."

“Look,” Spike pointed at Smolder. “Think about what happened to Sandra before this? Firstoff she had a tragic past, probably made by this hero story stuff? And then finds Tabitha who was super driven and is definitely good enough to climb the tower? And that failed and a new plan which brought us all the way from Equestria here?” Spike lowered his eyes at her. “Sandra probably can’t escape this, and if she can’t, I’m not running away.”

“We don’t know that!” Smolder said. “What if the tower, knowing Sandra knows, gives up this time?”

Garble lifted his shoulders. "Which it won't do because we ain't giving up." All eyes turned on him. "What? I can put the pieces together," he huffed defensively. "We give up--" He pointed at Sandra. "It does something to give you a 'hero's end' right when you're not expecting it. Maybe you get to look great, or awful, the moment we're out of sight. Something dramatic, I bet."

Smolder snorted and rolled her eyes. “Well why am I the one wanting to bow out.” She smirked. “I’m in, I’m definitely gonna save a friend.”

All three of them then looked to Sandra, who kind of tried to match their looks, though was doing a poor job of it. "Look, you don't… have to." She threw her hands wide. "I'm in this for you in the first place. I… already put it aside, my wish…"

Spike hopped down to his feet, but never made it, his wings carrying him as he flew over to Sandra's side. "That part isn't fair either, but we appreciate you, you know, doing that."

Smolder gave an emphatic thumbs up. "You wanted to get your parents back, right? Man, I'd… I dunno… If someone I cared about went out like that, and I could get them back… It'd take a lot to get me to stop." She reached up, scratching her cheek with three fingers. "Just thinking about it…"

Garble suddenly elbowed his sister. "Who do you care about that much you'd go through all this trouble?"

"You, moron." She punched him swiftly in the side and turned away, huffing little bits of flame in her irritation.

"Either way." Spike crossed his arms. "We're pushing on, but we need a plan." He pointed to Sandra. "We get to the top, and we're going to be asked what we want."

"We already know what we want," huffed Sandra, tapping a shoe on the ground. "That isn't the question."

Smolder threw up her hands to shoulder height in a shrug. "And we know what the price will be, probably."

"I'll pay it," spoke Sandra without giving much chance for others to cut in.

Garble's brows went up together. "I'm still figuring this out, but you're ready to bite it for us?" He snapped the fingers of his right hand with a sharp crack. "Like that?"

Sandra took a slow breath. "Why not?" She ventured a little smile. "I don't have a lot waiting for me. You're all the best thing I have, and you're leaving… so.. Sure, then the stupid tower gets what it wants… All the heroes, handled…" She looked from one face to the next. "I'm glad I got to meet you."

Her moment of peaceful acceptance was interrupted by a scaled fist connecting with her cheek, forcing her face to deform to the side. She was sent spinning to the ground, Garble over her form with a heavy scowl. "That is… No, think harder. You're supposed to be one of the smart ones."

Spike raised a hand, staff held firmly as he got to soothing the hurt of the sudden friendly fire. "You alright?"

"No, but yeah…" Sandra sat up, glowing with Spike's healing magic as she gathered herself upright. "Look, we're not stopping. That much we all agree on."

Smolder turned to face Garble, watching him huff as she had just been doing. "That much," she murmured in agreement, walking to his side. The siblings marched out of the room together without any spoken words.

Author's Notes:

The team talks it out like mature adults. Pfft, maybe not.

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60 - ... Right?

Sandra held Spike's right hand between both of her own. "I'm the one that brought you here."

"No, really… you were just… Not even that, really." He lifted his shoulders in a bit of a shrug. "Look, stop looking down like that. You're a friend, that much is for sure." He pulled his hand away just to get it under her chin, raising her view. "And we don't give up on friends."

"Even when they ask you to," she continued with a little smirk. "Stubborn dragons."

"Stupid humans," he returned fire, though they were smiling at each other with confused feelings. "Don't you know? Dragons don't surrender what is theirs, and you're ours, our friend."

"Oh, woe is me," she jokingly cried. "Seriously, how do you plan to get past the tower? The others aren't giving up."

"And I won't either. I just need you to not give up either. You with us?"

She gave him a flat look. “I asked you a question.”

“That-that was my answer,” Spike said, avoiding her gaze.

“It wasn’t much of an answer… you just said not to give up.”

“Well, um.” Spike rubbed the back of his head. “The reason why is because we don’t exactly… know what is going to happen? I’m not quite sure what Logue’s actual plan is. I don’t know how to beat a plan we don’t know about.”

“He’s still going to show up at sixty for a question, right?”

“... Maybe?” Spike made a dubious face. “Unless he doesn’t, or unless he tries very hard to not answer the question usefully, or I need more questions than he gives me to figure it out.” Spike’s expression became more panicked with each suggestion. “How can we beat a plan we know nothing about? Nothing about what the enemy can do, nothing about what he’s going to do…”

“Spike,” Sandra laid her hand on Spike’s shoulder. “Relax. We have a while… maybe rather a while, to think about it. We aren’t even past sixty yet… Asking him what his plan is might be the best idea, the most direct question to the answer.”

“He had to have thought about this and has a good answer,” Spike said. “He has to know we are going to try to stop him. If we do what he wants he’ll win for sure, he can’t not have a plan.”

Sandra smiled a little. "Well, so what?" Spike looked at her with sudden fresh confusion. "I mean if. If we rise against him, that's still pretty heroic. If he's… decided I'm one of those, which, well… maybe my parents did, whatever, doesn't matter. I got that, maybe I have to act it, one way or the other. If I don't do it my way… I do it his way."

"Can't say I like his way," admitted Spike with a rueful smirk. "So let's do it our way."

"Our way," she echoed, grabbing his hand, not between her own, but in one, firmly, shaking it.

Sandra hoisted up her latest tribute to Tabitha: a glittering shield. In order to make it, her party had to take a few side jobs, but those were becoming more common anyway. Apparently that was how it went as the tower got more challenging, to keep up you wanted materials from outside of it.

She wondered, idly, if they should get more aggressive about that after they passed floor sixty. A question for later, she supposed.

She came back into the agreed upon meeting place, a back room in the guild. Tabitha was sat down, a dark countenance on her face, mindlessly thumbing a gauntlet removed from her hand.

“Uh… hi?” Sandra said, and Tabitha looked up bleary.

“You’re here.”

“Yeah… I am, and so are… you?” Sandra said, confused.

Tabitha held out her hand. “Well, do you have it?”

“... Yeah,” Sandra said, presenting the shield. “We reached floor fifty, and it’s only ten more floors and I’m done with the thing, you’ll see I’ve done it.”

“Yeah…” Tabitha said, looking over the shield listlessly. She didn’t even really move to leave.

“... What’s wrong?” Sandra said. “This isn’t the normal flavor of surly.”

Tabitha scowled a little at that. “No, it’s not. I reached floor sixty.”

“Well congratulations!” Sandra clapped her hands. “This is a cause for celebration, right?”

Tabitha glared at Sandra, as if debating about what to do. “There was no stairway up. Where there should have been a door there was just a fancy plaque. Had some nice jewelry for us, but no stairs going upward.” She sat herself back in her chair. “I can’t climb the tower any further.”

Sasha mouthed a few silent words before her voice returned, floundering, "No! No… You… You're supposed to keep going."

"You think I don't know that?!" Tabitha snapped. "You think… I haven't… They… They left, all of them. I thought they were with me, to the top." She ran a finger over the table towards the shield, but not touching it. "They were smiling, gloating, smugly satisfied. 'Look at us, we got 60, we can do anything…'"

"They couldn't do anything," Sandra murmured. Tabitha hiked a brow. "What? Obviously they couldn't get up to the top."

Tabitha smirked at that. "Rubbing that in my face too?"

"Tabitha, seriously." Sandra set her hand on the table. "Stop it. I know I messed up before, but we're past that. Even if you're ready to shove me aside when I hit sixty, I consider you a friend. I care, alright? Maybe I don't even deserve to do that, but too bad, get over it."

"The irony is thick enough to die on." Tabitha sat up in her seat. "You, of all people, telling me to get over something? How far have I fallen…?" She grabbed the shield suddenly and violently threw it aside to bounce off the wall with a loud metal clang. "Are you going to be happy at sixty?"

"I can't," whispered Sandra, licking her suddenly dry lips. "I have to keep on, to the top, the very top."

"And if there are no stairs?" growled Tabitha. "What will you do then?"

Sandra knew, from what Spike had said, the odds of that were basically none, but that also wasn't the answer to give in that moment. "I'll look for another way. I owe them."

"Owe who?" she barked. "Who? You have no family. You owe nobody anything. What are you talking about?"

"My friends, the dragons?" Sandra looked genuinely baffled at the confusion. "I owe--"

"You summoned them. Yes, I get it, they're adventurers, great, free will, also cool, but free will also means they can do what they want. Why do you owe them anything?" Tabitha pointed at Sandra with each pause, thrusting at the air between them, clearly agitated. "Especially enough to insist 100 is your goal."

“No!” Sandra said, her hands slamming on the table. “I owe them because they are my friends. Because they have a life to get back to outside of all of this and I need to give it to them, and because in service of that they have not stopped helping me. They would help me to the tower and I will help them because that’s the only way we know to do it!”

“You don’t owe them!” Tabitha stood up, the chair clattering behind her. “You went up, they went up, you got gear, they got gear. If at sixty they can’t go up and you can’t go up you let them go!”

“If it’s so clear and you think nobody owes anyone anything, why are you in such a bad mood because your party was fine with leaving!”

“It’s not like I stopped them. They’re gone, I didn’t try to stop them. So what if I’m in a bad mood because I am forced to accept that I’ll never go up the tower.” Tabitha grit her teeth. “So what if I was kinda hoping that we’d make it all the way or at least they’d be as disappointed that I was that this bid for greatness ended like everyone else.” Her eyes got hard and she composed herself. “I just forgot the lessons I learned from you.”

Sandra leaned back, something feeling cold inside of her. “The lessons.. From me?”

Tabitha cursed under her breath. “That nobody owes anyone anything else! You don’t drag people to places they don’t wanna go, you don’t ‘hold out hope’ they’ll get better. You do things that benefit each other when you do, and as soon as it’s not what you want you leave.” She made a tch noise. “This friendship crap you’re on is bullshit.”

Sandra blinked, her eyes searching, like trying to figure out what to say. “So… so… none of your party even asked you to come with them? Nobody said that they had something lined up and you could come?”

“... It isn’t the tower.” Tabitha said, coldly. “It’s just random jobs, it’s not the tower.”

"It isn't," admitted Sandra in a hushed whisper. "You really want to see the top."

"You're just noticing that? Tell me something else." Tabitha crossed her arms, glaring sideways at Sandra.

"What… was the wish you wanted to make?" The anger Tabitha had was not echoed at her, the question gentle. "You don't owe me that answer. I'm asking as a friend, if you can believe anyone means that."

"I… It would have been good," She snapped, partially at herself, admitting that she never thought that far. The wish was just a goal, and that had been enough to drive her forward. "It would have been the stuff of legends." She banged down on the table, making it jump under her fist. "A legend you're going to take."

"I made a promise." Sandra put a hand to her chest. "And I'm done breaking those. I will get them to the top, and from there, home, to a magic place that's better than here. I'll say goodbye, and never see--"

Tabitha's finger was on Sandra, touching her face. She was feeling a running tear. "Why… are you crying about winning?" Her tone was not one of accusation, but growing confusion.

Sandra swallowed hard, taking a breath. Should she say anything, it didn’t feel like it was something there.

"Fine, I don’t need to get it," fumed Tabitha, denying Sandra the chance to answer. "But it's important?" Sandra nodded. "On a scale of 0-10, where 0 is you got a papercut and 10 is the world is reduced to dust, this would be…?"

"A solid… 7? 10 for the people involved." Sandra crossed her arms, trying to figure out that scale. "It's very personal."

Tabitha grabbed Sandra by her collar with both hands, one on either side of her neck. "Will people tell stories about this?"

“I uh… I…” Sandra grimaced. “To be honest… p-probably not?” She looked away from Tabitha’s intense expression. “People don’t even know that my parents made it to the top…”

Tabitha’s grip only intensified. “And then they were talked about forever, how is that not people telling stories?!”

Sandra finally grabbed Tabitha’s hands, futilely trying to push her arms away. “I’m sending away literally every bit of evidence that anything is happening. Nothing… nothing will be left to tell.”

“You’ll still be left!” Tabitha nearly shouted.

Sandra’s expression was conflicted, looking back at Tabitha with fearful eyes.

Tabitha finally released Sandra, backing up. “Just what do you think…” She staggered back a step. "You'll still be there…" But Sandra didn't have the confident look that she expected.

"Gotta go." Sandra fled rather than face Tabitha, fleeing outright from her estranged friend. "Later!"

Author's Notes:

A lot of feelings all up in this chapter.

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61 - Your Worst Fear

The party looked at each other and nodded and pushed open the door to the fifty first floor. The fancy marble interior gave way to dilapidated ruins, much like the marble floor they just left, but destroyed and overgrown.

As they made their way into the first room, rattling movements brought their attention upward. Above them, crawling on the walls were lizardmen, far far on the side of the bestial side of beast tribes, some with bows, others with swords and shields.

The enemies jumped down and battle was begun.

Spike cast soothing healing spells as they ascended further through the floors. The trap door to the next floor opened up at the top of their elevator, opening up to bright lights and a roaring crowd. The same voice as twice before came on, “And now, for their third outings in the arena… the dragons and a human!”

The crowd erupted into a louder roar, cheering for them. Immediately Garble stood up, his fists above his head, hearing the roar get higher. “Heh, that’s right,” he muttered.

“Calm down, bro,” Smolder bumped him with her elbow. “It isn’t real, right?”

“That just means I should enjoy it more.” He raised his sword up, calling out. “That’s right, and we’re making it to the top.”

“Bold words from the challengers, bold words,” the voice rang out. “He hasn’t even seen his opponents yet, and speaking of it, here they are now!”

The opposing group rose from their own platform, not even ten feet away, which is far less mysterious now that they know these were not real adventurers, but just very fancy magic monsters.

And what rose up was dominated by a huge silhouette. Some kind of huge gray skinned beast tribe member towered over the rest of his group, holding a huge spiked club. Sitting on his shoulder, a smaller winged member gripped a magical staff.

There was another well-armed person ahead of him, and behind him some manner of wizard, and he raised his own club up, in a mockery of Garble’s pose, and bellowed a roar.

Smolder's eyes narrowed, recognizing one of the beast folk. A member of her mentor's party, brought back to life to serve as their challenge. "Well, shoot," she muttered, not entirely sure if putting them back down would put a smile on her rabbit friend's face or not. "Maybe I'll keep this one under my hat."

There wasn't time to muse on that for too long, the two parties coming into a violent clash. Spike's chinting litany of protective magic drew their attention even as he dulled their blows. His lessons from Tabitha were displayed as he turned their blows aside, crushing impacts turned into mild grunts of discomfort.

Garble couldn't resist, coming down on the side of the largest enemy, but his sword left a small mark instead of the great gash he had been hoping for. "Die," ordered his opponent with a shove that felt instant, but his impact against the wall felt like it went on forever, Garble wheezing as he struggled back to his feet, Spike's green glow already hastening his recovery. "One free hit, all I give."

Spike did his best to prevent or heal the damage, and he was doing well, but the opponents seemed unharmed, no matter how much damage they did. “I’m not sure I can keep this up forever.”

“Well they can’t either, right?” Smolder said, slicing at her assailant.

“Have you ever seen tower monsters run out of gas?” Spike said, blocking another huge spiked mace strike with his staff, which was almost surprisingly easy. The magic did most of the work.

“I’ve seen them run out of life.” Garble sliced across the large beastman’s leg, causing a cut that disappeared in short time. “But what is up with this.”

Sandra had summoned Twilight and was directing her to blast the enemies on the ground, but began looking around. Something was going on with their three opponents. Weren’t there four? And she finally looked up to see one flying assailant, unnoticed, sending green energy orbs at her allies.

“Twilight! In the sky!”

Twilight looked up, and a wordless, “I see it” came from her, and she sent a star blast into the sky, the flying healer dodging it, sticking out her tongue as she sent another heal to her party.

Twilight sent blazing bolt after bolt, careening wildly in a chase after that healer. Her target veered to the left, then jinked to the right, but that was the way Twilight had aimed, an accidental strike that allowed a star burst to smack the flying woman, who recovered, and touched herself with her own wand, the bruise disappearing, and she dodged out of the way of the next hit.

“We have to get rid of that, Sandra said. “We’ll never make any progress.”

“Well, there is the one thing you haven’t tried. I know you did it with the other summons…” Twilight’s wordless voice trailed off.

Garble clambered up, abandoning his fight to try to reach the healer, but she was so far away. "Get down here!" he fruitlessly yelled at their nemesis.

"It's time for strength." Sandra dodged just to the left of the huge club that pierced and smashed the ground she had avoided. "Magic." She hopped back as bolts of power peppered the ground in front of her. "And the power of friendship."

Garble made a little gagging noise in defiance.

Twilight vanished with a flash of her cutie mark, only for it to flare out brightly from Sandra. Sandra brought up her staff, parrying that great sword that had been about to crush her in a dome of fierce magic. "Time to go," sternly demanded the composite of Sandra and Twilight's voice, her ears growing long and furry as a tail burst free of her, becoming as much pony as human. "Leave my friends alone!"

Ascending on new wings, Sandra soared towards the healer, leaving purple trails behind herself, her new tail whipping in the wind. "This is kind of great," she said without talking, though Twilight could hear her.

"Can I talk?" she actually said out loud, but it was Twilight, cheating in their union. "Woohoo!"

Sandra's face twisted in surprise and a moment of visceral disconcerting concern at having something else speaking through her lips. "Please don't do that without a warning. Let's smash that thing."

"Yeah!" Twilight replied, out loud.

They had two eyes, or at least two minds working with the same pair of eyes, following the jinks and swerves of the flying healer. "I got left."

"I got right." Which of them said which was impossible to tell from the outside. They raised their hands, rainbow beams with stars at the end firing rapidly out. Each hand directed by a different person, they swerved, trapping the darting one. The instant one solid hit was landed, the other hand was locked in, rapidly bashing the healer with little time left for administering their own wounds.

They closed, hands outstretched in a rapid barrage until the instant they swung a heavy two-handed blow, knocking the priest towards the ground with a squeak. They vanished before even making contact, defeated.

"Woo!" called out Spike from far below, batting aside an incoming blow with well-trained practice. "Now we can finish this. Garble, you're up!"

"You didn't need to remind me." He jumped down from where he had climbed, his massive sword coming down to finish what he had started, confident they wouldn't be shrugging off their attacks.

"Congratulations." Garble jumped just as the platform ahead of him turned a bright blue. "You're officially infected with pony cooties."

"That's not fair." Sandra sprang to a yellow platform, wobbling in place a moment. "It was amazing."

"It was pretty cool." Smolder landed just as the platform went purple. "Spike, you're up."

"On it." His wings flapped, carrying him the extra little distance to land, the party, hopscotching along the bright colors as they made their way through the puzzle. "We'll get it this time."

"Envision the worst possibility," read Smolder off writing on the wall. "Overcome and reach your goal."

"The… worst thing?" Spike shrugged. "Twilight gone mad with power?"

Twilight snorted wordlessly. She knew there was worse than that!

The room trembled beneath them. Light bathed them from above as the roof was sheared free as if some great hand had wrenched it off. "My faithful student," came a deafening call as a strange not-right Celestia leaned in over them all. "It is time for a test. You haven't studied, but I have faith in you."

Her horn glowed, firing deadly beams all around them. The battle had begun.

The five of them walked through the floor, another basic floor shown to be more of a boss fight, with Garble laughing. “See! I knew ponies were no match for dragons.”

“You are aware it wasn’t really Celestia, right?” Spike nearly spat, with him and Twilight having the same sour expression. “It doesn’t mean you beat up actual ponies.”

“Which is why I did nothing wrong even by you,” Garble laughed. “The fact that all this stuff is fake means you’re not allowed to be mad at me for beating her senseless.”

Twilight snorted, but said nothing and the five of them stomped onward quietly.

“... I really liked the song she was singing,” Sandra said.

Twilight whinnied and groaned.

As they moved their way up, right before the boss floor, floor fifty nine, they found a large ornate door with four very obvious slots to insert some kind of orbs, and four other doors. Well, not exactly doors, more like chambers that had room for exactly one person to stand in, and a visible area behind them where everyone could see corridors that seemed to be empty, but were no doubt filled with traps and monsters waiting to ambush the entrant.

At the end of each corridor there was a brightly glowing dot, generally too far away to make out what it was sitting on.

“Look,” Spike said. “More instructions.” He walked up to the sign in the center. “Mastery of each class must be proven, one by one. Show the tower you are truly a master of your craft, and only then you will be allowed to proceed.” He leaned up closer to read smaller text at the bottom. “The doors are two way, there is no shame in fleeing, the challenge will remain.”

“Psh.” Garble pushed Spike aside. “Says you.”

“No, that wasn’t me,” Spike pulled himself up. “It was the si--”

“I was talking to the sign!” Garble blurted out, and walked up to the door that had a curved sword above it. “I’ve been doing this for months now. I won’t need more than one turn.” He cracked his knuckles, pulling his sword out. “Imma show this tower what I’m made of.”

He stepped into the chamber, the doors rotating around it so that he had access to the corridor for his class.

The four other party members rushed to the window to watch.

Garble held his sword up, heading down the corridor. From the ground, three thin shadowy monsters appeared, all of them pulling out claws, and he slashed at them. His sword went through, and they were clearly all hit, but they didn’t fall.

Garble redoubled his effort, twisting around. “Rolling Cresecent” and the slash of energy banished the two.

Immediately, in front of him another shade appeared, larger, and he raised his sword in turn. “You stand in my way, and you’re going to pay!” Bringing it down in an energy laden crash.

Another wave, he crashed into with a rhyme, and bird monsters appeared, divebombing him, which he dodged and countered. The enemies continued to appear, and he used

Three appeared in a row, and he spun around again. “Your life is forfeit, my win is surefeit,” spinning to hit them with a rolling crescent, but they did not fall this time, and he backed up, and his next wave appeared, another group of fliers.

His rhythm faltered, but he picked it up. “You’re pretty tough, but my sword is harder!” He spun, and a weak blast emanated from his sword for the non-rhyme he used. He cursed, trying to hop back out of the range of the birds, only for several to score a hit.

The third wave appeared, a giant ogre shadow, which he knew he had to use one of his high crash down attacks, but now there were three waves. “Even in a gang, you all will hang!” he said, landing the rhyme and rolling crescent the lot of them, but only finishing off the first group.

The ogre brought it’s fists down, slamming the ground, stunning Garble. He pulled himself up, only for the birds to divebomb him, knocking him back again.

As the shadows coalesced, Garble didn’t even wait for the next wave, and turned tail and ran back to the exit door, the doors revolving, spitting him out back at his party.

Spike folded his arms, raising an eyebrow. “First time, huh Garble?”

“Shut up!” he spat. “That was hard. I made like, what, one mistake and it ate me alive! And not even a mistake, the enemies were just getting harder.” He flumped down onto the ground, panting hard.

“It’s alright, bro,” Smolder said, dishing out a piece of impromptu jerky from before. “Give yourself some time to rest. It’s supposed to be hard, right?”

“Sure, yeah, I guess,” he said, panting on the floor.

Sandra looked back into the room. “It’s resetting. We all have to go through a thing like that?”

Spike looked ready to proceed, but thought better for it. "Go on, Sandra. Show us what you've learned. You're the best summoner there is!"

Author's Notes:

We are so close to the next question. What will Spike ask? Could you face Celestia as an end boss?

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62 - You Got This

Sandra stood in her test chamber, standing right in front of a caged area. In it there was a dais with a raised panel with two footprints and another raised panel with a crossed out circle in it, ahead a hallway with a channel headed to it where the caged dias was.

The implication seemed clear, she was to enter the cage and ride it to the end… where only her summons were allowed to fight the monsters and protect her in the cage. She stepped into the cage, alone as none of her summons fit in it, and gripped her staff, trying not to show her nervousness.

Sandra called out, “Aiden!” and with a flourish the flaming bird appeared outside of the cage, ready to fight, and she stepped onto the panel in the center of the cage, causing it to sink with a heavy stone clunk. The cage began to stir beneath her, moving with a rough grinding that spoke of its mineral origins.

The monsters came for her with hungry cries. Great swarms along the ground Aiden could set ablaze, huge monstrosities Crystal had to hold back long enough for her to slide by, and flying enemies that were too strong for Aiden to deal with individually that Twilight could handle better.

It was all about using the right tool for the job, but it felt… easy, almost too easy. She only had three summons, so there wasn't a lot of room to try the wrong one, and there hadn't been any curveballs thrown at her yet. The cage ground to a halt next to a huge circular disk over inky blackness and it swung open without a word.

The next part of the test?

She stepped onto the new disk, the meager protection offered by the cage gone, and so was her own helplessness of being trapped. Not that she could do very much to fight on her own. It began to rise upward, and she looked up to find that toward the top was the gem, inside it’s own cage, the roar of monsters brought her back to reality. A large group of apparitions, the sort that’d be set ablaze, but larger and more numerous.

She was close, close enough that she had to exhaust her summons. And she was able to act, so there was just one power that hadn’t been tested yet, called out, “Union!”

Wreathing herself in flames, she spread her arm-wings wide, sending fans of flames as she began to dance around the enemy strikes. Their teeth and claws, while she did her best, could not all be avoided, slashes and marks allowing thin red lines across her form. Despite this, the dance of fire did not abate. "I can do this," she quietly reminded herself, teeth clenched against the pain as her enemies dwindled by the moment.

Not that the challenge would be the last. As she felt the flames leave her, her form returning to normal, if a bit ragged, a great slam made the ground beneath her lurch, a statue composed of perfect circles raising a fist of stone at her. "Union!"
Her fist covered itself in stone as she raised her own fist up, feeling the rock swell beneath her, the unbroken chain of energy channeled into her own fist as the statue brought it’s fist down onto hers, a terrific clash of energy and rock that stung far more than she wanted to admit. The statue pulled it’s fist up, ready to slam down again, and something inside Sandra knew she shouldn’t try to out sturdy it. She put her hands to the ground, and as it brought its fist down, shifted the floor under its feet, turning the massive swing into a stumble, landing fist first, it’s own head available for pummeling.

Which the union of Sandra and Crystal absolutely obliged, channeling all of that stone energy into her punches.

The rocks fell away from Sandra and she fell down to her knees. Crystal didn’t have the magic left for her to sustain her form, and she wondered if the same thing was happening to her own magic. What was the line between her magic and her summon’s, anyway? But if there was any pattern to this…

A sparkle appeared in the air in front of her, and a gigantic moth with sparkling angry violet bands on black fuzzy wings.

Sandra couldn’t pull herself up in time, but still shouted. “Union!”

The surge of energy was much stronger than with her other summons, which another thought inside her chimed in “Of course, Twilight Sparkle brings her own font of magic beyond what the other summons would.”

The moth’s bands were glowing and a beam of energy lanced at Sandra’s new union, which she raised a force field to block, and pulled herself to her feet. "Let me take a turn," gently whispered Twilight in her head. "Recover." Twilight spun away from the gnashing mandibles, keeping her and Sandra aloft on their shared wings. "I got this."

Sandra felt comforted, safe, despite being immensely unsafe just before the presence of the hungry beast. She let go, surrendering to Twilight. Fur exploded over her form, purple as her hair took on Twilight's preferred mane look. "You're going down," announced Twi-Sandra, though Twilight was in charge.

Sandra lost track of it though, fading off into a little nap. She would never see the battle between Twilight and the moth, but she felt it was in good hands, er hooves.

She woke on the ground. How much time had passed? She sat up and scrambled to her feet, looking around in a panic, but nothing was attacking her. Nothing was lunging for her. There was nothing but a simple pedestal with footprints in front of it. It was the next step of the challenge? She assumed it was. Twilight had let her recover. She wasn't batting at 100%, maybe a good sixty? More than she had to start, and she whispered a thanks as she approached, reaching out her hands. "Hope I'm near the end."

She placed a hand on the middle of it, easily able to reach it. It glowed softly, a pulse of power that ran down to the base. She vanished, appearing an instant later next to the others who were cheering. Garble rolled his eyes. "We were wondering if you were just going to sleep forever."

"Great job," Smolder bursted with a double thumbs up. "You used all your summons like they were a part of you."

Sandra laughed at that. "They… kind of are, even your friend, my friend too now…" She looked to Spike. "You're it. I know you have this under control. Shoot… you got advice from Tabitha, how can you go wrong?"

Spike chuckled at that, though perhaps not entirely echoing the sentiment. "You two alright?"

"Go on." She gave him a shove forward. "Can't let me take all the glory."

Spike stepped into his chamber, breathing deep to steady himself. As he stepped in, the room had another hallway, like he saw Sandra in, and inside it there was a small baby dragon statue with glowing rings on its hands, feet, and one around it’s forehead, on a rail. At the end was his goal, with a place for the statue to slot into.

As Spike examined the statue, with a grinding and clunking noise it began to move of its own accord, and an archer shade materialized, drawing back her bow, pointing at the statue, and Spike sprung into action, managing to bat away the magical arrow as it flew at the statue.

Another archer appeared, this time on the other side of the statue, nocking her own magical arrow. Spike hopped to the other side of the statue in time to deflect the new hit, the arrow hitting the wall behind him.

The two archers walked down the hallway with him, firing the arrows one by one. Spike hopped back and forth, batting them away best he could with his staff, but one or two struck the statue, the red rings absorbing the hits, but glowing a bit less brightly for it.

Spike grit his teeth. They’d finish the statue by a thousand cuts at that rate, and no doubt there were more monsters on the way. He lit up his staff, shooting a bolt at one of the shades, which was knocked back, fumbling. He wheeled around, ready to intercept the other just to find its arrow already coming at him. He stepped into it, taking the shot himself with a low grunt. "That all," he muttered, his shield gleaming as he advanced with his statue.

A crack from the ceiling came just before two heavy stone slabs shattered against the ground, two knights riding them with swords raised. They sliced not at Spike but for his statue. The first was met with his staff, turning it aside even as his shield bashed the other away. An arrow thudded into the statue. "That isn't even fair." Still, if it counted as something to defend… A tether of bright green reached from his staff, attaching him to the statue in a volley of sympathetic magic. "We're getting through this, together."

The warriors gave no quarter, pressing the attack despite his efforts. The lancing spike of pain that came with the martyr's magic at least told him the spell was working, even if the statue wasn't, technically, alive. "Get away." He thrust his staff forward, the tip flaring in a swirling nova of angry green magic at the instant of impact, knocking that fighter back. "We're coming through."

Another arrow lanced at the target, spike intercepting it with his shield, tongue stuck out in focus. The bolt bounced off his shield, deflected into one of the two warriors, blasting apart a fair bit of it’s armor. Spike halted for just a moment. That was much more effective than his normal attacks. So was his martyr attack, now that he had thought of it.

Okay. New plan.

A warrior came bearing down on his charge, and Spike deflected the sword, attempting to hit the other warrior. A scuff on the leg wasn’t very good, but it was something.

The fight began again, Spike trying to find every opportunity to turn the enemy’s attacks against them. Bit by bit they were taken apart instead, until finally he lanced the last archer with a blast, destroying the rest.

There was still a bit of hallway to go, though, and directly in the path a robed figure spawned, looming over the track. It raised its hands up, gathering power above him, and Spike shot first, trying to block the attack, but his magic shot, normally at least a decent hit, seemed to do nothing.

There was a distinctly voiced roar, the figure threw its arms wide to its side in a dramatic gesture, and the chaotic spinning energy began to expand, becoming a field of deadly bolts engulfing the entire hallway.

Spike grit his teeth, and immediately started the heals on himself, and tried healing the various red rings, their glow replenishing. Quickly he used every regeneration and shielding spell he knew, which admittedly was more shields than regeneration, and threw up his martyr bond.

He stepped nervously forward, watching the statue inch toward the zone of energy, and stepped in only when it did, the assault of both the bolts hitting him and also the bolts hitting the statue causing him to cry out in pain.

But he had to absorb as much as he could, as he stepped closer and closer through the roaring storm of magic to the sorcerer, the attacks assaulting him, his own healing staunching as much as he could, as his staff glowed brighter and brighter.

Closer he came, step by step, until finally he touched the tip of his staff, shining so bright it was hard to see to the sorcerer, a tremendous crack rang out and the sorcerer was blown all the way to the end of the hallway, leaving a crack in the stone, and Spike fell to his knees.

Nocreature had implied the tests would be easy.

Author's Notes:

Late in the day but still on time!

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63 - You Call This Cooked?!

Spike limped his way out of his test chamber, the shining gem in his pocket, raising it up. “Got it!”

“Spike!” Sandra rushed up to him. “Are you okay? Why haven’t you healed yourself.”

Spike laughed weakly. “Well, I think I’m mostly out of gas.”

“Hah,” Smolder belted out a laugh. “That won’t be a problem for much longer,” She flipped up another juicy bit of magic food. “I’m actually kinda running low, we need a few.”

“You should go next, you’re the last one,” Spike said, taking a bite of the juicy meat.

Smolder looked over her shoulder at her brother. “I dunno maybe we should let Gar-Gar take another try.”

Her brother looked up from his pacing and muttering. “What? Me? Now?” He looked back and forth. “You haven’t gone yet, right? You go. I’ve still got stuff to do.” He turned back away, mining a sword slash with his hands, muttering, “The cut of my blade, then you’ll be slayed,” he nodded. “Yeah, that one.”

Smolder looked back at Spike, giving a shrug. “Alright, I guess.” She smiled her trademark easy smile. “I’ve got this down pat, I’m sure it’ll give me no trouble.”

Spike laughed weakly again. “Yeah, I’m just gonna… rest for a minute.”

Sandra sank down next to him. "Good idea, let's get our breath back." Her fingers played over her staff. "You know, Twilight… She's really special."

"Yeah," agreed Spike on his way to thumping down on his butt. "She really is."

"You're lucky to have her."

He smiled at that. "Best sister a dragon can ask for."

"Hey!" Smolder gave Spike quite the glare. "I'll show you best dragon sister. I'm going in." And she stormed towards her chamber with a trail of irate smoke.

She had seen the other challenges, all grueling matches of their abilities in unfavorable situations, stretching them to their very limits. She brandished her knives, ready for whatever the dungeon would throw at her.

She did not expect a sudden harsh light being shone down on her as lively music began. "Welcome to Cook Match," boomed the same announcer they had heard in every arena match they'd had so far. "A true test of culinary skills." The light began to spread, showing an audience in all directions, cheering wildly. "Now with more audience participation! One member of the audience can be called for each round. Be ready!"

Smolder's hands fell, knives hanging limply. "Wait what now? No… fighting?"

A fluffy bear of a person in a sharp suit approached. "Of course there will be fighting! A battle to the death… in the kitchen!" He gestured dramatically as a wizard was lit up. "Your opponent. He knows a thousand hexes, each with their own flavor. They promise to curse your tongue and bedevil your belly. Bring it together for Witchhazel!" The crowd roared deafeningly in encouragement.

In a twirl of magic, a shade appeared over a set of cooking equipment, with a billowing dress, but also a broad brimmed chef’s hat, adorning a faceless head. It bowed, but said nothing, summoning a spatula with a star at the end of it.

The crowd clapped for it, the shade posing with it’s spatula, and Smolder puffing out some smoke. A second spotlight lit up another cooking station, which Smolder took a place at. “Let’s get this going!”

“Our challenger is eager to start the competition, but is she truly ready? Let’s bring up the first ingredie--I mean audience participant!”

The light shimmered and expanded, showing that there was an audience of a variety of monsters, more set up in a pit than seats. “Firstup… we’ll have pork!”

The monster that ambled up were two huge boar monsters. “Well, begin gathering materials!”

Smolder set out, hitting the boar monster with a flurry of slices, who responded with thrashing and attempts to maul Smolder. Mostly they missed, but there was a hit or two that scored. She looked at her opponent out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other boar was… pretty much just sitting there. Witchhazel was just channeling something as the boar stood there and took the magic.

Smodler grit her teeth, no luck that she’d get it harder than that, and she sliced her last slice on the boar, it disappearing into a poof and her working her magic, which turned it into a whole slab of boar tenderloin. “Nice!” she cried out.

“Our challenger has finished gathering her ingredients, and ahead of Witchhazel,” the announcer voice rang out. “But that’s not the whole story, is it.”

Quickly, Smolder ran over to her grill, ready to plop her tenderloin down, only to find that there was no seasoning provided, nor oil. And the magical ingredient was hardly seasoned itself… across from her, the Witchhazel’s boar popped into the same tenderloin, and it used it’s spatula-wand to levitate it over to the pan, the heat having already started and placing it directly on, no oil, no seasoning.

Smolder quickly trimmed her meat, and blew fire onto the pan until she was sure it was ready to sear, plopping her meat on it.

After she was done, the Witchhazel turned it’s faceless head, and raised the spatula, brandishing it like a wand, casting a spell at Smolder, which nailed her as she wasn’t watching.

“What?!” Smolder hissed as the spell stung, but worse than that, she started to feel… bad. Oh no, a status effect. She usually handled those, with a surplus of healing snacks from the dungeon. Snacks that she no longer had. She wheeled around, if she could attack her enemy chef then… she darted over, slamming almost face first into a magical shield.

“Ah ah ah,” the announcer announced. “No direct attacks against your opponent.”

“What?! She directly attacked me,” Smolder protested.

“Unfortunately, status effects are indirect attacks, as per the rules, you’ll have to weather it out.”

Smolder cursed under her breath.

“But fear not, ingredient two is on it’s way! Are you ready for some bread!”

What ambled out from the crowd was not bread, but was a dough monster of some sort, waddling with rolls of what could be confused for fat, but were more plant-like, one hoped. “Fine,” Smolder spat, wincing from the damage from the poison effect. She set out to the monster, starting to slice at it’s amorphous form, blowing flame on it when needed.

The Witchhazel continued its peaceful no violence magic of turning it into it’s ingredients.

“Dang it,” Smolder said under her breath. “I’m hurtin out here, and I don’t think I can make it the whole fight without that. Did I already mess up?” her eyes wandered, the amorphous monster not actually being as dangerous than the poison, and in the crowd she saw it. The serpentine lamia is the exact kind of monster she’d use to make an antidote food. What if she.. She looked over at the opponent. She wasn’t told the rules but… She went to the side of the arena, finding no wall, no opposition, and set off, barreling through the crowd, which occasionally cheered, and occasionally took slices at her.

“Oh, and our challenger has set off into the crowd, perhaps she has another ingredient to procure?”

She increased her speed, and blasted through the lamia at max speed, “Searing Strike!” It popped into a little grilled skewer of snake meat, and Smolder popped it into her mouth. Now to get back to the game… but the announcer said ingredient.

She didn’t want to go slowly, but as she was running back, there was a rock monster. A cloudy white rock monster. A monster that looked like it was made of salt. And boy did she need seasoning… So she stopped, and turned her knives onto this monster, too.

Outside the competition, the others watched on curiously. Sandra gestured at the display. "That looks both more and less stressful than I went through."

"I'm gonna have to agree there."

Garble looked least impressed. "She doesn't have to actually fight. You two did that. I don't get it…"

"Yeah, she's just struggling without being allowed to fight. That's the challenge," Spike argued. "Ooo, nice cut." He pumped his fist, watching Smolder surprise a monster, turning it from living to ingredient in a flash. "You can do it!" he cheered, Sandra joining him in a chorus of encouragement, even if they couldn't be heard.

Smolder was hard at work, trying to balance keeping herself vigorous even as she prepared her meal, forced to bounce between supplemental ingredients and the main course. "Bonus." She sent a sprinkle over her cooking meat, having just enough extra to add some flavor. "I got this."

And, best part, she had all the flavor and the Witchhazel will have none. Vinegar for the greens. Wine for the sauce. Pepper for the.. Uh… everything. Herbs, onion, oil, butter! Everything she’d need.

Soon she had a veritable feast, prepared just by herself. It felt like an hour of cooking crammed into just a few minutes, and the announcer’s voice rang out. “Spatulas down everyone, it’s time for judgement!”

Smolder put down her cooking implements but gripped her knives harder, now what?

The ground began to tremble as the audience mobilized. They were all approaching the completed meals with low grunts and reaching hands. This would be no delicate sampling. "Wha?" Smolder scooted out of the way of the crowd. "Is this how it's supposed to work?"

"Of course!" came the unseen announcer. "A true culinarian has to please all manner of clients." With great gnashing and feasting noises, the two preparations began to dissolve under the united hunger of the crowd. "While you went for a specific flavor profile, our defending champ played it safe, hoping for a higher average rating. Which will pay off?!"

"Aw, c'mon!" Smolder threw up her hands, knives still held. "Anycreature has to taste my stuff's better even if it isn't their specific thing."

"We'll let the audience decide that. Return to your seat and place your judgments!" Beside each chair, on each armrest, sprang a dial to rate the tastiness of each chef's cooking. "There can only be one winner, and you all get to help pick it!"

Smolder snorted and shut up as the crowd returned to their seats and started fiddling with their knobs. Dammit almost all of them were giving the Witchhazel decent scores, because of course they were. And not all of them gave her good scores, usually the stranger the beast the worse the score. No, a plant monster might not like a meal that has butter on everything. But more than a few were rating her well, and some gave her max scores.

She grit her teeth, waiting for them to finish.

“Alright, here it is, the final judgement…” There was a drum roll coming from somewhere. “The winner iiis… The challenger!” Smolder exhaled a breath of relief. “It seems her gambit of putting flavors on everything did indeed pay off, tune in next…” The announcer’s voice trailed off, and even the roar of the crowd faded as they did. The Witchhazel turned to Smolder, bowing and shimmering away, leaving a floating shining gem where she used to be.

Smolder wasted no time launching forward and up to grab the jewel with a triumphant cry. "Yes! Oh, wow, she is going to be so proud." Visions of her mentor in her mind, wide-eyed as she told the story of the day. "Yeah!" With a pump of a fist, she looked around. There, a little exit sign with an arrow, as one might expect in a television studio. "Coming on out," she called, assuming the others were watching her do her victory strut.

Author's Notes:

Smolder could get me to watch some cooking TV.

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