Gardener sent Ryan and Lisa home early, saying he was going to go report what had happened. Half a dozen other Climbers went with him. Lisa bought Ryan a pastry at a stall before she, too, headed off. By the time he had stepped outside the Guild, every corner, every door, every flight of stairs, all the railings were manned with Guards, all looking inwards as if they expected something to step out. And by the next day, everyone in the city heard that something had happened.

From the rumors Ryan heard in class, nobody knew what. Tensions were high anyway, at least in his community. All the other kids’ parents were freaking out. Everyone in the city at least tolerated the Tower because they were aware of its dangers and they chose to whether them for profit.

But this? This was new.

Ryan sat on his bench and wondered if he would be allowed inside anymore, or if this would be the stepping stone his and other parents would use to sanction the schools about children entering the Tower. The other kids were talking about it and fabricating wild rumors of what had happened. Nobody knew any details so the stories went as everything from “Monsters attacked”, over “The sea shook”, to “People tried to bring the Tower down and were smitten by the gods.” Ryan eyed the kid who had said that carefully. Believers, here?

He was chewing the inside of his cheek and wallowing in his thoughts when he realized it didn’t smell like flowers. He turned in his seat. His gaze wandered up the long benches. There, near the back, Flower Boy was missing.

Huh, Ryan thought. Is he late again? Or sick, maybe?

His desk neighbor smelled … unsanitary to put it nicely. Darren. Ryan scooted away a bit and resisted the urge to pinch his nose.

Ryan couldn’t find Gardener at school afterward. He technically had class, but nothing he did at school was mandatory. He couldn’t bring himself to hear the bad news the teachers were bound to give him, so he skipped instead. Someone pointed him towards the Climber’s Guild and Ryan made the trip into the city.

The Guild was still armed to the teeth and the Climbers still inside the building followed suit, but otherwise, nothing was different. The mood was still the same. People were casual, cheerful, the Bazaar was as crowded as always.

A receptionist told Ryan that Gardener was in a meeting and led him into a waiting room on the second floor. Ryan felt uncomfortable. He hadn’t been there all that often before, after all, only in the foyer and the courtyard. It was a whole different world inside the building, one where Climbers and employees worked and lived. They had restaurants, bars, baths, and shops here Ryan had never even seen.

He sat down on a chair in the waiting room and considered meditating, but he was too nervous. After a while, he heard shouting. The door to the waiting room flung open and Linda stormed in. The usually cheerful receptionist looked piss angry and began to pace and chew her nails before she noticed him.

“Oh,” she said.

“Hello, Linda,” Ryan greeted her awkwardly. “Is something the matter?”

The woman looked at him, a wary look on her face before she sighed. She rested her head in her hands when she sat down.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.” She didn’t look like she wanted to talk about it. Usually, Ryan would want to be polite, but now …

“Is it about the cave in?” he asked. He couldn’t help himself. “Will the Tower be closed?”

“No,” Linda replied flatly. “It will not. They’re giving it the A-OK later today. People have to work, after all. The city depends on the Tower, after all.”

“You don’t seem particularly happy about that?”

“It’s just,” she sighed heavily, “a boy is missing. Actually, eleven people are unaccounted for but he was the only one present in the first floor, near the- ” She shot him a glare. “Not a word of this to anyone, do you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ryan replied instantly.

“There was an explosion in the Tea-cup Salamanders’ Den. It pretty much wrecked the place and people aren’t allowed in because some idiot architects said that it’s unstable. As if they understood the first thing about the Tower. Not that anybody else does ...

This boy entered the Tower for the first time yesterday and I’m afraid he got caught up in the explosion, that he might still be alive under that rubble or somewhere in the Tower. I wanted to ask if we could search it for him, but they wouldn’t hear it. Dozens of people go missing in the Tower every day, they said. They couldn’t afford to search for one child.”

Suddenly the woman broke down into tears. “And they won’t let me hire anyone to search the rubble either! I can’t do anything to help!”

Ryan didn’t know what to say, what to do. Adults weren’t supposed to cry. They were the ones that consoled other kids when they cried. They didn’t.

He got up and sat down in a chair near her, looked around, pattered his legs and tried not to whistle awkwardly. Then he quickly put one hand on her leg and patted her knee.

“Everything’s going to be alright,” he said. She looked up at him. “You tried your best. I mean, you did everything you can.” Ryan didn’t know if he was doing it right, consoling her, but it was what his parents always told him when he screwed up.

Linda looked unconvinced. Actually, she looked uncomfortable and Ryan quickly pulled his hand back.

“I can keep a look out for him,” he offered on a whim. “And I’ll tell the other students and Climbers I know, too. If he really is alive somewhere on the first floors, we would be the ones to find him, right?”

Now Linda’s eyes lit up and she sat up straighter. He’d done something right after all.

“That’s a great idea!” she said. “Thank you, Ryan. You’re such a proper young man, you know? The total opposite of Micah.” She let out a rueful chuckle.

“Micah?” The name seemed familiar, but Ryan couldn’t place it. “Is that his name?”

“Yeah,” Linda said. “He’s about this high … “ She proceeded to give Ryan a description of the boy and it irked him how familiar he seemed. Was he another Early Bird at the school? Maybe a new student he had recently seen around the Guild? He whistled a frustrated shrug and let it go. He had bigger worries right now.

Linda also told him about his [Cantrips] Path at the age of thirteen, right about when Ryan had discovered his. He must have been extremely reckless to head into the Tower on his own, and yet, Ryan couldn’t help but think that he had to be brave, too. He couldn’t imagine himself going into the Tower alone when he first started his training.

Ryan snorted and despaired. The boy apparently didn’t even have that. He had gone into the tower to earn money for training. And of course, Ryan had to go ahead and give Linda false hope. He was probably dead. Ryan groaned on the inside all the while he smiled at her reassuringly.

Eventually, Linda had to go back to work. She left looking more like her usual self and it helped a little to soothe Ryan’s worries.

Gardener came to pick him up a bit later.

“The Salamanders are off limits,” he grunted. He didn’t even comment about Ryan skipping class. Ryan pumped his fists in his head. Yes! No more Salamanders. “So we’ll be doing wolves instead. I believe you’ve been there before?”

No! His mental fists fell.

Now that Ryan thought about it, he probably hated all monsters.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Mr. Brecht,” the students said in unison.

Ryan mumbled his good-morning while he stifled a yawn. He was tired from fighting wolves all day yesterday and could barely keep his eyes open. They’d cleared two whole packs before he got home and his parents yelled at him for skipping class. So many extra chores, he thought. I’m never going to get any sleep. He was relishing the five minutes of shut-eye he got from his teacher’s delay. The genuinely old man had arrived late this morning. Even now, he stood in front of the class and seemed to be doing a … a headcount? Ryan didn’t care. He just wanted to sleep.

Usually, he couldn’t wait until classroom was over and he could run off to school, but today he didn’t particularly want to go back to that fog-covered forest and its weird background noise. He could still hear it even now, almost like a kettle in his ears. A really, really far off kettle in his ears. It just kept on tingling throughout the day, driving him crazy. If it was a bird making that sound, Ryan wasn’t going to mimic it. He was going to kill it, fry it, eat it.

… his stomach growled. He was hungry.

“I have some bad news this morning,” the teacher said. Ryan forced himself to pay attention and not yawn. “And a request to ask of you.

The Stranyas approached me yesterday after class. It seems, Mr. Stranya hasn’t been home since last Sunday and they’re worried. Has anyone seen him lately or does anyone know of his whereabouts?”

Ryan rubbed his eyes. Who was missing?

“Flower Boy?” some kid asked.

What?

“He probably dozed off somewhere,” someone else said.

“Yeah, he always falls asleep in class after all.”

“At chores, too.” They laughed.

Their teacher smiled ruefully.

“Those were his parents’ first thoughts, too, actually. But since it has been almost two days now …” he trailed off. The laughter died out. “Does anyone know where Mr. Stranya might have gone or what he might be doing?” he asked.

People frowned and shuffled about.

Ryan didn’t know. All he knew about Flower Boy was that he liked to sleep, stare out windows and that he smelled nice. Not even like flowers, really, that was just his nickname. He usually smelled like honey and herbs. He changed it up from time to time. Maybe he was in trouble? He seemed pretty … simple-minded, to be honest. Maybe someone had taken advantage of him? Not all parts of the city were as well organized as their community.

“Uhm,” a voice at the end of Ryan’s own row stuttered. He leaned forward to look past Darren and saw a young girl who was trying to speak up. She was beet red and had her hand half-way in the air.

“Yes, Ms. Lane?” the teacher asked.

“I see him sometimes on the weekends,” she said. Ryan frowned. Flower Boy had a girlfriend? “I mean, I spot him. On the streets. He likes to collect fruit and herbs outside of the city. I help my family there so I see him when he walks past.”

“Did you see him outside on Sunday?”

“No.” The girl shook her head.

“Hmm, I will tell his parents anyway. Thank you. If anyone else does see him, please tell me as soon as possible so I can pass it on. His parents are very worried.”

“He probably just got lost,” someone said.

“Or he’s skipping class.”

“Flower Boy has a girlfriend?” someone else echoed Ryan’s earlier thoughts.

“No! We’re not-” Uhm … the girl stammered. Ryan had already forgotten her name, but what she had said reassured him. The teacher would tell … Stranya’s … parents about him foraging and they would go and find him. Problem solved. Ryan leaned back and tried to get some rest before class truly started. He had bigger worries, after all, and Flower Boy had to be alright.

A small part of him couldn’t help but wonder, though. If he’d went foraging for his parents, why didn’t they already know about it?

Ryan cut through a cloud of fog and brought up his shield to block the wolf that followed. It clawed at the heavy wood and he shoved at the same time as a burning staff came cracking down on its head. The wolf whimpered, but the staff followed up, low to high, and sent it flying. It burst into smoke a few feet off the ground.

“Are you sure you don’t have [Greater Strength]?” Ryan asked while he raised his shield again. Lisa backed up against him and they turned a slow circle, trying to spot the next wolf to jump them. [Enhanced Senses] helped, but only a little.

“Maybe one day,” she said.

Ryan wanted to let her cheer him up, but it was a difficult chore. Beyond her chuckles and the sounds of battle, his own blood pumping, his ragged breath, the snarls of the jumping wolves, Ryan could still hear the all too familiar ringing of something in the distance. He was still tired from yesterday and exhausted by today, and he couldn’t get that fucking sound out of his head. It was driving him insane.

After he bashed away the next wolf, Ryan mimicked a buzzard and screamed into the woods, hoping to shut whatever bird that was up. If it was a bird. The call echoed through the foggy cavern, but all it did was give the wolf before him a moment’s pause.

Ryan took what he got. The ringing continued. Short bursts, consistent. Had it been there the very first time he’d entered the wolves’ den? It hadn’t for the first hour today, but it started up now. Why?

Ryan cut the wolf before him and kicked it down a slope. It burst even as it tumbled and Ryan immediately regretted his decision. He knew from its weak charge that it was unmade, now he would have to climb down that slope to collect its crystal.

Ugh. Great job, idiot.

“Scary,” Lisa commented behind him. Did she mean him?

“Bite me,” Ryan said. He wanted her to cheer him up, not be a bitch.

“Ooh, someone’s grumpy.”

“Are you going to be here all week?” he asked and stabbed a wolf for her. It turned into fog and Lisa shrugged a quick apology before she swiveled and batted, presumably, the real wolf out of the air behind them. That one turned into fog as well. They huddled up, back to back, and rotated as things, real and false, circled them in the woods.

The wolves were a lot like Salamanders in the way that they tried to run at you and eat you. That was about where the similarities ended. They hunted in packs in a fog-covered forest and were faster, stronger and heavier than the Salamanders, even if most of them were unmade. They could also breathe out fog copies of themselves. Ryan had seen them do it once. It was less like breathing and more choking up a hairball made of wriggling white worms. It was disgusting.

To survive the Wolves’ Den as a beginner, you needed at least one person to watch your back. Whenever you blocked, you had to worry that you might just be hitting an illusion, that the real wolf was right behind you with its jaws around your neck. Or worse, around your calves and ready to drag you off before anyone could grab your flailing hand.

Lisa was a life-saver. She didn’t only watch his back for him, she’d erected a low ring of flames around them so the wolves couldn’t go for their legs or rush them. Fighting with her made things so much easier than when he fought with Gardener, but it also made things a tad bit frustrating.

“Yep,” she said. Ryan could hear how cheery her smile was. “Don’t worry, I got your back, Rye.”

“You said you have a big test coming up?” he asked. A wolf hit the barrier of flames and turned to fog instantly. Huh, that hadn’t happened before.

“At the end of the week.”

“Isn’t this a bit too basic for you, though?”

“Ha!” she said and laughed. “No. No, basic is just what I need. I never really learned so now things are kind of piling up.”

“Sounds stressful”, Ryan said and heard deep growl a moment before the next attack. Two wolves jumped at him over the flames at once. It seemed they were done testing their defenses.

Real or fake? Ryan thought. He couldn’t risk calling a bluff. He raised his arm up and slammed his shield into the left wolf before he shifted and thrust his sword right. It impaled the second wolf through the chest. The first one turned into fog. The second one didn’t even burst. Its weight slammed Ryan into Lisa. He fell and hit the ground hard.

Around them, the whole pack howled.

Ryan pushed the wolf’s body off and tried to scramble up, but his right hand hurt, and his heart was pumping too quickly to make a sense of things. Something jumped at him from behind. He ducked into a ball under his shield and pushed up, sending it on tumbling. More were coming. Lisa’s barrier was down. Ryan scrambled up and searched his surroundings. Lisa had put her back to a nearby tree and was calling for him. He ran at her, leaving his sword behind.

A wolf came up on his right, Ryan had to twist his body to block it and fumbled his steps. When it hit his shield it turned to fog. He realized his mistake and threw himself into a roll. He didn’t know if he even had to; if he had even dodged something. He just kept on running and yelled as he went into a sprint.

Lisa saw him coming from where she was fending off a wolf. She stood aside when he reached it, and he lifted it up with his shield and slammed it against the tree. It burst immediately. Its crystal clinked against the wood and continued to as it fell to the ground.

Ryan heaved to catch his breath.

“Sword?” Lisa asked, already pulling out her spare dagger. Ryan shook his head. They’d put the tree behind them.

“In the wolf?” he said. “Hurt my hand.”

“Come closer, then. Just defend. I’ll follow up.”

Ryan huddled up and together they fended off the rest of the swarming pack. The pain in his right hand was a constant reminder to be more careful. He felt impotent, fending wolves off with a shield while Lisa did all the work, but he had to suck it up.

In the end, there were only four more real wolves left, though there might be stragglers, and all of them were unmade. Only the one Ryan had impaled was truly real. It had nearly gotten them killed, too.

Gardener came down from a nearby tree when they were finished. He said he’d keep watch while they collected the crystals. As they began piling up in Ryan’s hand, he had a stupid thought and called to Lisa. She looked over and Ryan held up his cupped hand.

“‘Piling up.’ The good kind, though.”

“Ha! Yay for that.”

A while later they were headed back. Gardener had given him a swig of healing potion and a few drops for his wrist. It felt a little tender, but it was good enough to yank his sword back out. The teacher made Lisa carry the wolf’s corpse, though. To build muscle and character, he said. She groaned but otherwise didn’t complain.

“At least its money will help with stress management,” she said.

“Stress management?”.

“Eating. Shopping. Drinking.”

“Must be nice,” Ryan said, “being able to spend money. Half the tiny reds I collect pay off part of my tuition. The other half my parents are saving up for when I move out or marry.” He grimaced. Lisa laughed.

“Marry? Are they old-fashioned?”

“Yeah,” he said and rubbed his neck in embarrassment. He tried to speak quietly so Gardener wouldn’t hear. He didn’t want his opinion on the topic. “I’m pretty sure they’d give my in-laws a dowry.”

“Oh man,” Lisa said. “I’m in the same boat as you, though, Rye. Most of what I earn in the Tower goes to my tuition. The rest I’m supposed to be saving for equipment. I keep spending it on little things, though, especially when exams are near. I just can’t help myself.” She gave a desperate chuckle. “It’s just so frustrating.”

Ryan frowned, remembering her chuckles even as the wolves swarmed them.

“You don’t seem frustrated,” he said. Lisa turned and gave him a wide smile.

“Thank you, Ryan.” He was confused, but he smiled a little in kind, even as the forest yelled in his ears.

“You’re welcome.”

They walked a bit in happy silence. Then the sound was just too much.

“And you really can’t hear that?” Ryan asked.

“No! I told you, I have no idea what you mean, psycho!”

He groaned and dug his ears. Lisa just laughed at his plight.