>>6313518>Turn 9/40>Floor 11/40>“This is…surprisingly nice.” The field before you is flush with life. You seem to have stumbled into some sort of dream world depiction of a farm, filled with all sorts of livestock and greenery. There are no monsters or enemies in sight, and you feel a calm soothing sensation just being here. Was this one of those reprieves Kosmas had mentioned you might encounter?“I can’t believe we’re still in the tower…” Saoirse says in awe as she walks up to an apple tree and runs her hand against its bark.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve noticed you all smell terrible, and are covered in soot and twigs.” Crowley says, shaking his head. “What exactly were the floors you went through like?”
>“Thanks for the appraisal. And yes, they were quite shitty. What was Floor 9 like?”“It was a dingy castle.” Crowley says. “A little scary, but nothing like this.” He says with awe as his head moves on a swivel. “This is only the third floor I’ve been on, but I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. It’s incredible.”
“Alright, I’m hungry again.” Butch announces. “If we’re about to go fight some badasses, I’d prefer to do so on a full stomach.”
>“Hungry? You just ate!”“That was 9 floors ago!” Butch argues. “If I wanna keep my strength up, I’ve gotta eat way more than that! I’ll be right back.”
As you watch Butch walk off to wrestle away some livestock, you strike up further conversation with your team’s latest acquisition.
>“Say, why haven’t these Gallowglass guys moved in on you yet? You’ve all been in Morfis for a while, no? And then there was the first stage of the contest where they could have killed you. What’s the deal there?”“Believe me, they’d love nothing more than to do so. The Yasha have been keeping them in check for the most part. I’d kept my distance from them on the way here, and the Yasha have imposed a strict policy against violence in Morfis. They knew better than to attack me out in the open.” Crowley says. “But killing me isn’t their only goal. They’re also looking to retrieve Vaj-.”
Crowley cuts himself off with a click of the tongue, and you get the impression he might have revealed more than he would have liked.
“Sorry, it’s a foreign name that would mean nothing to you.” He chuckles. “But, in short, they wish to retrieve the treasure I’d reclaimed. You see, it is of great significance to my lineage. They won’t kill me until they can be certain they know its whereabouts. The two of them expected I’d bring it with me to compete. But seeing as how I’m twice as cunning as those fools, I did no such thing! I’ve hidden my treasure in Morfis, and plan to collect it once we leave this tower and those two are taken care of.”
