The brilliant glow of the second moon, Nox, was still visible even miles away from the capitol. Almost like a guiding light for lost souls out in the ashen plains.

The three adventurers slowly walked through a ravishing dust storm on their way to the tower. Leon's wing like a cloak, swung wildly in the air as the storm winds howled.

The three decided to take a momentary rest to wait out the storm in a nearby stone garden. Taking refuge in its mourners' shack.

They walked past the tens of hundred of stone like statues, everyone of them being extremely detailed.

The mourners' shack was small, it could mostly house five or maybe seven people at a time. It was painted in the usual ceremonial colors of black walls and white symbols.

This was a resting ground for those with the Gorgon's sleep. Those whose bodies had been forever turned to stone by a sickness that rose with the fall of the ancients.

The cabin was cold as all it had was a small candle, not lit, placed to the side of a large tome.

Before sitting down, the three paid their respect to the sick by giving a deep bow and giving them a small prayer to guide their sleeping souls.

"Oh may the watchful snake and the lazy whale help your journey for hope whilst the minstrel sings you their song." they prayed.

Then, after sitting down, Damien asked his new, and possibly temporary, teammates.

"By the way, do you have some sort of strategy for beating towers like these? Like any formations or combo attacks that I should know about?"

Leon and Alice looked at each other, a kind of embarrassed look plastered on their faces.

"I mean, if we are talking about bigger or harder enemies like the ruin lords, then usually it's just that I and Ursula run in and start hitting the enemy. Keeping its focus on us whilst Alice runs up and bashes them with her hammer. Change it up a bit each time, but that's usually it." Leon told him.

Damien sat dumbfounded.

"U-ursula?" Damien asked.

"I thought it was only the two of you? Or is there someone I haven't met yet? Are they waiting for us at the ruin?"

"No, it's a lot stupider than that." Alice said, taking a sip out of her flask.

Then, out of nowhere, Leon stood up and slammed his sword into the ground.

"This is Ursula!" Leon proudly exclaimed.

Damien gave his crimson sword a closer look.

"Oh so is it like an ego weapon? But I thought you said Leon didn't have any magical weapons or artifacts." he asked.

"I dont!" Leon announced.

Damien gave him a confused look.

"Then... what is it?"

"Just a regular sword!" Leon exclaimed again.

"A simple blade, with a bit of personal adjustments, made out of whither steal." Leon said proudly.

"But if it is just a normal sword, then why is it named?" Damien asked, his mind now filled with all sorts of questions about who he had chosen to travel with.

"If you ask me, I think he went crazy when he was out adventuring on his own before he joined the guild. I mean he started this when he was 15 so probably just got lonely." Alice whispered not so quietly to Damien.

Leon seemed annoyed by this, apparently knowing what Alice had whispered.

"No, as I have said, it's a family tradition that we forge our own weapons and then give them names." Leon explained, his pride now dampened by annoyance.

"Yeah, sure, why don't you just come clean and accept that you are just weird." Alice teased.

As the two argued, Damien started to focus on his growing worries about who he had partied up with.

"No wonder these two haven't been successful. Their attack planning is at the level of a greenhorn. No wonder why people don't want to party up with them." he thought.

"No, wait a second, those guys at the guild said they have completed all their previous ruin runs solo before partying up. But then why are their plans so... basic?"

"Hey, from before you formed parties with anyone, how many ruins have you explored and conquered?" Damien then asked, breaking up the petty argument the two adventurers had.

They turned their attention to the curious Elixerist and spoke.

"232 ruins explored, 104 conquered." Alice said.

"300 ruins explored, 298 conquered." Leon stated.

Damien was dumbfounded.

"Over 200 explorations both! and they still use tactics a greenhorn would use?" Damien tried to wrap his mind around their statements.

"Wait hold on. Leon, you almost have a perfect streak! How come you haven't found any magical artifacts, and what happened to those two you failed in?" Damien asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

However, Leon didn't say anything he simply looked out the window and said.

"Oh look, the worst seems to be over. Let's get going." ignoring Damien's question.

"W-wait Leon my-" Damien started, but Leon was already out of the shack at this point.

"D-did I bring up some bad memories?" he asked Alice who was still inside the shack with Damien.

Alice patted Damien on the back, trying to reassure him that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Dont worry. He isn't very talkative about his personal life. I know stuff about him that others don't, but why he always seem to get pissed off when people mention those two attempts? There, I am as much in the dark as you." Alice explained.

"And he has found some magical artifacts, usually when he gets there, though, they get stolen by someone else who was sneaking through each floor after Leon completed it solo in order to steal the artifacts under his nose." Alice told him.

"However, he has found map shards. I think it was a total of six map shards after all his expeditions so far." she added.

"I guess they really are just unlucky..." Damien thought.

The three continued their path, and in the distance, they saw it. A tall spike like spire, the stones it was made from twisting into a helix that reached out to the heavens. Around it, dust and stone circled. Dancing around it with the howling winds as their melody. The space around the spire was different from the crumbling plains that surrounded the capitol.

It had its own domain of flourishing wildlife, the ground was green with grass and flowers. Birds sat and sang on trees not yet dead. There where also small shacks built around the small domain, mostly inhabited by other adventurers or chefs and blacksmiths supplying for the men and women preparing to enter the tower. But there where also a few shacks with common folk.

Those who had nowhere else to go, those who simply wished shelter for the evening, and those who wanted to experience how the world felt back in ancient times before needing to leave that peace when the ruin is conquered.

As they reached the edge of the spire's domain, they where stopped by a guard of the guild.

"Reason for entering?" the guard asked, his brown and tangled beard clashing with the colors and pristine of the guard uniform.

"We are here to conquer the ruin." Leon spoke proudly.

The guard didn't seem to care and just continued speaking in his monotone voice.

"Guild identification."

Leon took of his locket that hung around his neck and handed it to the guard. His locket was scratched and worn. It looked like it had been through a lot, but still the moon engravment on the front was still visable.

Alice and Damien did the same.

The guard opened each locket one at a time and looked inside. His eyes going from the notes inside and back up to the group. After a solid minute, he handed them back and let the three enter.

"Good luck." the guard then mumbled.

As they got closer to the tower, there where more and more adventurers. Some seemed to recognize Leon and Alice, whilst others didn’t seem to care.

Whispers spread throughout the public as they got closer to the stone gate.

“You need anything? Rations? Herbs? Water?” Alice asked Damien.

Damien opened his small bag, looking through it. Inside there was a thick book, rations, small vials of different liquids, and his water skin.

He also checked the vials and bottles that lined his belt.

“No, I think I should be good. It’s just eight floors, so shouldn’t it take about a day at least to complete?”

“Yeah, but since the Lord seems to be guarding something special, it might take a bit longer. Always better to be over packed than under packed, you know.” Leon told him.

“I should be fine. I have enough elixirs for about two days, and I don’t eat much.” Damien told him.

The two smiled, and then Leon proudly exclaimed.

“Then let’s head in!”

They arrived at the giant gate that kept the nightmares inside the ruins locked in.

On it the words “Wretched be thy name. In virtue, I curse thee never to know the light of day again. In virtue, I curse thee to be stuck in the maw of our Lord.” where etched into the stone gate.

Leon then stretched out his arms and exclaimed.

“Open thine gate and let us free you from your chains, oh wretched Lord.” his voice is commanding and strong.

By his command, the doors opened with a brilliant glow. The three then marched into the calming glow as they were swallowed by the tower.