Tay's body ached as he hung onto the cliff's ledge, his arm throbbed with pain from catching himself before he plummeted to his death. He could hear the roaring of his spirit's flames as it fought with the monster. He desperately tried to grab the ledge with his other hand, but the strike from the Fey had left him a broken mess.
He cursed at himself for charging the thing alone. He cursed himself for yet again forgetting his familiar. He let his emotions guide his actions, and he almost died because of it.
He tried again to pull himself up, trying to ignore the pain, but his body screamed louder than he could handle and he went limp. The monster had become quiet now, probably done with his familiar. Odd, he thought, that he didn't feel its destruction. Perhaps it had gone back into the summoning spell to wait for him to reawaken it again. He thought it funny that a brand new spirit was pulling more weight than himself, it's summoner.
His grip faltered, his fingers growing tired. Below him was a near-pitch-black darkness. Even if he had evolved, he didn't think it could survive that. He then heard the clanking of armor coming towards him, and he was pulled by his wrist away from the ledge. He managed to get his feet under him and steady himself. He saw the suited man that helped him. He was a tall figure, standing a few hands above Tay. He wore heavy grey armor and had a large, long sword dripping with blood. The Fey was lying motionless on the ground behind him, a huge gash going from its mouth atop its head to its legs.
Tay saw the flickering form of Orby on the ground next to the monster, fire flowing from a large crack in its shell, and was depleting quickly. The man nodded to him and Tay rushed to help his familiar. He let magic fill the summoning spell to feed into Orby. It pained him as his mana was almost all gone. The effort was just enough as the leak stopped and the crack healed.
Tay fell to the ground, his mana completely drained. "You shouldn't be up here on your own, you know." Tay jumped, remembering the armored man. "Easy. I ain't going to hurt you." He said, his voice was young and deep. Tay stood as straight as he could, only then realizing that his sword had gone missing, and somehow wound up in the man's hand.
"Probably want this back?" He said as he gave Tay his weapon hilt first. Tay cautiously took it and felt instantly better. "Who are you?"
"Names Alexander Bouma. It's a pleasure." Alexander extended his hand for Tay to shake, which he took, sword at the ready. "Although, you probably wouldn't know that name. So to really answer your question, I'm an adventurer." Tay took a step back towards Orby. "Should I know it?" He asked.
"Not really." He answered. "You're far too new to actually know adventurers." Tay looked at him suspiciously. "On come now, I'm not someone shady, I promise." He made a helpless gesture. "I've just been around long enough to know who is and isn't in the business. "
"...And can tell that you're a freshly minted level 1. Call it the perks of being stronger." He took off his helmet, revealing him to be of mixed race. On the right of his head, just behind the ear was a horn that curved forward to the corner of his eyebrow. His face was covered with white markings that bore a resemblance to that of an Oltian. He moved to the dead Fey and took a sighing seat.
The monster's body was already starting to fade in places, turning into dust. Soon it would only a few basic materials that could be exchanged for an almost innumerable amount of things. Tay decided to put his weapon away, it would provide no benefit if the Half-Oltian, Alexander Bouma wanted to kill him. Tay guessed him to be level 3, which annoyed him slightly. He couldn't have been a year older than himself.
"What's someone like you doing in this tower? Why haven't you moved on?" He asked as he sat on the hard stone ground beside the still-unmoving Orby. The man sighed in frustration as he leaned back. "Many reasons, really." He started. "But mostly it's because of our team captain."
"They're not here?" Tay interrupted. Alexander didn't seem to mind it as he made a defeated "Huh" sound. "She's been...grounded, I guess you could say." Grounded? Tay heard of people being suspended by the Association, though usually that meant the entire team was too. "So why are you here?"
"Practice." He said easily. "...and why haven't you moved to higher-level towers?" Tay asked trepidatiously. "Her father. He's a bit of an odd one, you see. Thinks she's still not ready for the world." He jumped up in his seat, arms extending to the heavens. "But she's stronger than half the damn team!" He cried. Tay kept a relatively straight face, even though he was feeling extremely out of place.
"Does he even know how strong his daughter is?" He asked Tay who gave him an uncertain shrug. "She's level 4, going on 5!" He shot up to his feet and started pacing. "Most people leave this stupid little tower middle of the way through level 2! What in Gholroc's name are we still doing in this annoyingly quiet city?"
Tay sat in silence as Alexander rambled. Only after cursing another three people did he stop himself. "Anyways," he said. "Where are you headed to?" He asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
Tay pondered lying, but he saw no reason to. The man obviously had no intention of killing him anytime soon. "The fifth floor, then I'll be going back down."
"Well then," he clapped his hands. "Why don't you join me? It's still another level, and from the looks of it you could use some help." Tay instantly got defensive, instinctual grabbing the hilt of his sword, but he was far too late. Alexander had already got him by the collar and was dragging him up the cliff path.
"No arguing." He said. "This will be a great learning experience!" Tay struggled, arguing that he couldn't leave his summons, but Orby was following them, connected by a hair-thin piece of string to the hilt of the Half-Oltian's weapon. Tay decided to give up and follow him after realizing he wasn't getting out of this.
-
Alexander was a monster of a man. He cleaved through the level 2 Fey like they weren't even noticeable, and simply ran past the level 1's. His magic, string magic, was shockingly effective against the creatures, being able to cut off the tentacles with ease. During the impromptu team's ascent up the tower, Tay was given, or more accurately, forced into fights with the Fey, alone. Orby was still unresponsive, which Alexander assured him to be normal after almost losing his form.
He only ever managed to kill one of the level 2 Fey that they found on the fourth floor, and he had to drink his healing vial afterward. His H-tape was running low after using it on himself at the ravine once he was dragged away, and his food was almost gone. He realized quickly that he never would have gotten to the fifth floor alone, and he hated the fact.
Against his better judgment, he remained cautious of Alexander, the man who had saved his life. He had the nauseous sensation he always had when he was fighting with someone. It felt as he a knife was being held at his back every time he looked away. But when he turned to face Alexander, he was simply observing, making sure he wasn't in serious danger.
Tay sighed to himself and let his mana and body run loose against the short monsters around him. Even on edge, he was able to find a groove when fighting the level 1 Fey. Soon after finishing off the group of monsters, he felt a tinge of something in the summoning spell.
Orby was floating in its usual guarding circles, apparently having awoken while he was otherwise engaged. He felt a surge of reassurance with the little spirit's company, and soon, he found himself at the final elevator of the day.
His vision went dark as the tower performed one of its core functions. His body felt like water as mana followed through it, pulling him to his destination. The fifth floor was as unimpressive as Tay had guessed, having no discernable difference from those before it.
"This will be you off then?" Asked Alexander. Tay nodded as he collected himself. "Are you planning to go back down through the elevators?" Tay nodded. "Then why don't you use my beacon?"
Tay stared at the man for a moment before grunting. "Didn't know you had one." He said plainly. "Right. Stand here." He pointed to a spot beside him. His horn began to strobe gently, and his markings lit with intricate patterns. Tay felt the familiar sensation of teleportation envelop him. Alexander turned and gave Tay a slight nod. "Until next time, friend." And then he was gone.