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// 45 - Gotta Keep Pushing! 
// Story: Bind on Pickup 
// by David Silver 
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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."