After three days, Cinister woke up in an unfamiliar room on an oddly comfortable bed.
"Huh?" he said in a half-awake state.
"Cinister!" a sharp voice rang through the room as Alya quickly hugged him.
"What happened?" asked Cinister.
"You were in a coma for three days!" she yelled.
"Really? And stop shouting, I can hear you," muttered Cinister.
"Anyways, where is the rest of the team?" Cinister asked calmly.
"They're out shopping," Alya replied.
"Shopping? Aren't we in the Tower?" Cinister exclaimed.
"Well, yeah, but the locals said the creatures here were smarter than the ones on the other floors, so instead of fighting, they formed an alliance," Alya explained.
"That's convenient for our situation," Cinister muttered.
"Yeah, but be happy that's how it played out," Alya responded with a slight smile.
"Hold up, are you okay?" Cinister questioned, concern creeping into his voice.
"Yeah, just a few scratches. Nothing much," Alya assured him.
""That;s nice anyways I'm going to stay a bit more in a bed" stated Cinster
Alya stood up and replied "Okay I'm going to make Lunch now"
"It's 12 o' clock already" Cinister said as he sat on the bed
"Yeah sleepyhead" Alya said as she went to the kitchen
"Open Status" Cinister said
[Cinister status]
[Damage: +5]
[Health: +7]
[Speed: +9]
[Ignivar: Spells]
[Fire Ball: Damage spell]
[Fire Ring: Support spell]
[Sun Dance: Damage spell]
[Sun Dance: Pyroclasm: Damage spell]
Cinister said "I really need another support spell". Then he looked to the little cabinent next to the bed and sees a scroll
"Oh this must be from the boss I guess Ragna left it here but why something is wrong this feels too convenient" said Cinister in his head
Cinister grabs the scroll and the book quickly opens up
[Ignivar Support spell: Ashen Veil]
The user creates and semi-sphere around him, around 5 meter wide. In the semi-sphere every Primal Nexus that isn't Aqaulith or DustBreaker get a 10% damage buff and allies that are in the semi-sphere get passively healed and lastly it enemies outside it can't see what's in the semi-sphere.
"This spell seems good" Cinister thought.
"Lunch is ready," Alya called from the other room.
"Coming," Cinister replied.
As he stood up from the bed, he quickly went to the kitchen and saw a massive selection of food.
"You made all this?" Cinister asked.
"Yup, but don't eat it all the others will be back soon," Alya replied.
As Cinister started eating, Alya put some coins on the table and said, "Go buy something for yourself."
"Oh, but why are you being so nice?" Cinister asked.
"If it wasn't for you and Ragna, we'd all be dead," Alya said.
Cinister finished eating and exited the house. As he stepped outside, his eyes widened at the plethora of buildings, shops, and people bustling around. Just then, an alien bumped into him.
"I apologize," the alien said.
"Wow! You're an alien? I thought you guys weren't real," Cinister replied, shocked.
"You must be new here. But I've got to get to work — bye!" the alien said, hurrying off.
"That makes sense why this floor is so peaceful," Cinister muttered.
After wandering around the city for a while, Cinister spotted a large department store. Curious, he stepped inside and noticed that it was divided into sections for different classes. Without hesitation, he made his way to the Mage section.
The Mage section was filled mostly with accessory items, but two caught Cinister's attention: a blue cloak without a hood and a small floating orb that pulsed faintly with magical energy.
Then a dagger in the Assassin section catches my eye and Cinister puts it in the shopping cart.
Intrigued, he took them to the checkout counter. As he approached, a figure suddenly bumped into him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said the mysterious stranger.
"It's okay," Cinister replied.
"Here, take this as compensation," the figure said, handing him five coins before quickly running off. The only thing left behind was a single red string lying on the floor where the man had stood.
"That was weird," Cinister muttered, eyeing the string before continuing to the counter.
Strangely, when the clerk tallied up the price, Cinister had just enough to buy both items—but he realized that without those five coins, he would have come up short.
"I have to thank him later," Cinister said, quietly pocketing the red string before leaving with his new gear.
He puts on the cloak and he realizes he has to make a pact with the orb. Cinister goes back to the clerk and asked about the pact
"There are 3 diffrent contracts a Master/Servant/Friend contract" the clerk explained
"Well I want to make a Friend contract then" Cinister replied
"Sure no problem" The clerk said as she casted a spell that make the Orb and Cinister into a Friend contract
As Cinister opened his status again he saw
[Cinister status]
[Damage: +9]
[Health: +5]
[Speed: +12]
[Ignivar: Spells]
[Fire Ball: Damage spell]
[Sun Dance: Damage spell]
[Sun Dance: Pyroclasm: Damage spell]
[Fire Ring: Support spell]
[Ashen Veil: Support spell]
[Mage Cloak] – Reduces magic damage taken by 50%, but increases melee damage received by 50%.[Flying Orb] – Boosts Ignivar magic by 30%, but increases stamina consumption while casting.
"So these are good but they're kinda like a double-edged sword," Cinister muttered, examining the items in his hands.
"Well it's time to find the others" Cinister signed
At a random bar, the squad was drinking like a bunch of single dads. Cinister stood there, disappointed in them.
After a while, he carried them back to the house.
"What happened?" Alya asked.
"Well, they were at the bar, drinking their livers away," Cinister said with a sigh.
Cinister and Alya carefully helped the others into their beds.
"Hey, Alya."
"Yeah, Cinister?"
"I bought this for you."
He handed her a pair of finely crafted daggers.
"This is for me?" Alya asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Cinister replied quietly.
Alya smiled and hugged him. The moment was warm and tender—until a pair of eyes silently watched them from the shadows nearby.