FORTY-FIFTH FLOOR OF THE SAGE’S TOWER
“Whoa!”
The instant Mark reached the top step, flames erupted toward him. He’d been expecting something like that, so he had snuck up carefully to peek inside. Thanks to his caution, he was able to avoid the burst just in time, with only minor burns to one hand and one leg. I healed him quickly with a potion.
The boss on this floor was a drake. It might have been smaller than a dragon, but it was still a formidable enemy. I did have one question, though: Was the fire that dragons breathed considered a physical attack or a magical one?
We retreated down the stairs, out of the drake’s range, to regroup.
“Hey, I have a question. Does dragon breath count as a physical or magical attack?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, it’s neither,” Leaf said. “Physical attacks are delivered by mass and acceleration. A dragon’s flames are a phenomenon of heat and radiant light without mass, so they don’t count as physical.”
“And their fire and other types of breath aren’t created with mana, so they don’t count as magical attacks either,” Leon said.
“Which means…” I began.
“Our rings can’t protect us,” Lynn finished.
We both looked down at the rings on our middle fingers, matching except for the color of the gem.
“Lady Daisy, you would almost certainly die if you took even a single breath attack,” said Leaf, shaking his head. “As your guardian, it’s not my place to tell you what to do, but I cannot allow you to proceed, as you are a Beloved Child.”
“And Lady Lynn, if you took even a few hits in a row, your life would be in danger,” Leon said, lowering his gaze.
“I only have my archery and my holy, light, and fire magic,” Ariel said, biting her lip. “Ordinary arrows can’t seriously wound a drake. And since my light spells operate by heat and radiance, I doubt they’d have much effect against a creature that breathes fire. I don’t have enough health to just withstand it, either…”
“My and Letia’s gear isn’t fire-resistant, and we don’t have any weapons designed for fighting drakes,” said Mark. “So if we try this, it’ll just be a battle of attrition until Daisy runs out of potions.” He rested his hand on my head. “This is it, Daisy. I’m drawing a line here, and I won’t budge. Got it?” His voice was kind and patient, as if explaining the situation to a child.
“But it’s so frustrating,” I whispered. “We’re so close to the top floor!”
Mark’s warm hand stayed on my head.
“This place is called the Sage’s Tower, right?” I continued. “I thought there must be something up here Mages could use. I just wanted to do something to help my father and my siblings. I want to help my family.” I clutched the hem of my robe with both hands.
“I know how you feel, Daisy,” he said gently. “But would your family want you to get hurt because of it?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry for being selfish and causing everyone trouble.”
“No worries,” Mark said, patting my head. “Everyone makes mistakes and has regrets. But if you die, that’s the end. I don’t want to lose anybody.”
“Daisy.” Lynn stepped in front of me and rested both of her hands lightly on my shoulders. She rubbed them in small circles like a mother comforting her child. “I’ve got my forging, and you’ve got your Alchemy. Why don’t we work together to make the gear we’ll need to take down the drake? We have that kind of power, don’t we?” She slipped her arm around my waist and the other cradled the back of my head, pulling me into a hug.
I closed my eyes and bit down on my lip, frustration welling up inside of me.
“Okay, we’ll retreat for today,” Mark said. “But someday, we’re gonna come back and beat it. That sound good to everyone?” He looked around for confirmation, and we all silently nodded.
Once everyone had agreed, we turned around and began the long descent back to the first floor.
The sun had completely set by the time we emerged from the tower.
Mark and Letia began pitching tents and started a campfire. I decided to unload a mountain of the bread that Miina had packed for us for dinner. Everyone was really worn out tonight, so we deserved it.
Once we finished eating, we all flopped down together on the grass, spread-eagled. The sky was overcast, covering up all the stars. There was just a hazy moon hanging beside the Sage’s Tower, casting a faint, almost triumphant glow—as if to say the tower had won this time.
The clouds almost felt like an expression of our feelings, gray and impenetrable.
“Man, we really have nothing to show for this, huh,” Lynn’s voice broke through the silence.
“We did get something out of it, right?” Mark sounded like he was trying to lift everyone’s spirits. He must have meant the ring we got from the undead king.
“True. Once the ring’s repaired, it’ll be incredible,” I said. It held a power like the rings of protection we wore ourselves.
“I wish I could have been more useful to you, Lady Daisy,” Ariel sniffled through her tears.
“You were the one who worked hardest of us all, Ariel,” Letia said, reaching over to tousle Ariel’s hair.
“I’m just glad everyone came out alive. That’s enough for me,” Mark said. He swung his legs up and pushed himself upright. “Still…I want to get stronger!” he shouted up at the cloudy sky.
Mark seemed like the most levelheaded person in our party, but here he was acting like an excited kid. It was enough to make everyone laugh.
“Yeah, me too!” Letia said, chuckling softly as she nodded.
Someday, all of us would conquer the tower together, I vowed to myself as I crawled into our tent.