"The meritocratic conditions ordain that you are afforded a revelation," the sinister voice continued, dripping with ancient hate. "The stairway on this Floor is locked. Keys are not needed, but the seals are. Seize them through diligence or treachery, the six knights are grateful to those who report their fellow trespassers. Be warned, each seal will grant passage to only one bearer. Decide your own fates, survive if you can, and don't look back."

A wave of paranoia, intrusive and alien, rode upon the words, seeping into Fritz's spirit and subtly twisting within. He could feel it attempting to incite his mistrust, could see his own wariness, fear and fury reflected in the eyes of those around him.

"Was that the Spire?" Trudge choked out.

"Only six?" Reed hissed.

"What did it mean by report trespassers? Does it mean us?" Bucket thought out loud.

In the low, flickering lantern light of the stone storeroom, the crew stared at each other. Worry and suspicion flickered over their faces, and the faint motes around their heads mirrored those emotions in a spill of darkly discordance. It wasn't natural, no, it was the same as the irritating globe on the first Floor. The Spire's voice had inflicted an infectious doubt, sowing seeds that would soon bloom into violence or the treachery it spoke of.

Cheater, Fritz accused silently.

"Grateful knights?" Mel said. "Does that mean they'll give us a seal if..." she trailed off, not finishing the obvious conclusion.

"If we report one of our own," Toby said, grimly affirming the assumption.

"Will that really work?" Barge asked foolishly.

Again, the crew stared at each other, tightening their hold on their various weapons and glancing toward the door that was the only escape.

Fritz couldn't help remember the last time the Spire had spoken, the sudden madness that had fallen upon the two crews as they scrambled to be the first out. It had mentioned the meritocratic conditions then, too.

Could this same power have been present then as well? On reflection, he was sure it was. Though they hadn't needed much prodding back then, they had been ready to bloody each other before the Spire had made its game known.

With all the Dusksong he could pour into his voice, Fritz called out, "Stop the doubting, cease your ire, forget the warning, ignore the Spire!"

He watched as the sound washed over the crew, disrupting and dissolving the dizzying array of irrational lights that flitted around and between them.

"What?" Nail demanded.

"I said, don't listen to what the Spire said. They are lies, told to quicken us to quarrel," Fritz explained.

"Spires can't lie," Bucket said.

"Yeah, they can only tell the truth," Mel agreed.

"No, they only tell part of the truth," Fritz argued.

"Are you trying to tell us it's lying to us by telling the truth?" Bucket asked incredulously.

Fritz nodded, then he continued, "Yes, it likely left something telling out of its 'revelation.' Toby, you remember the last time this happened?"

"What, in the sinking library?"

"Library?" Fritz asked.

"Yeah, we were told we needed to find some keys," Toby said.

Fritz blinked. "What?"

"You didn't hear the same warning?" Toby replied.

"I certainly did not," Fritz said curtly.

"Oh," Toby said. "We did. Don't know why you didn't. Maybe only the first ones in get the message?"

"Maybe," Fritz half-agreed, then he realised that they had digressed, and to a potentially perilous subject, too. "Well, that's not what I was referring to. I was referring, of course, to the time we split ways down here."

He was attempting to be diplomatic, not wanting to spit out the words ' you betrayed Bert and I', but the underlying, undeniable venom in his tone said it all for him.

Shame slid down Toby's face and he scowled. "Right, yeah, I remember."

"What's that got to do with anythin'?" Nail interrupted.

Fritz sighed internally, and he, aided at parts by Toby's own recollections, explained the warning and his escape from the Floor. He didn't mention the fairies, as he needed them to believe him.

"So it lied," Clover stated.

"Not exactly, it merely misguided," Fritz said. "If we had stopped to think about its words and what they truly meant, we would have figured out its trap. It also never mentioned anything about Hidden Doors or perhaps more Doors elsewhere, or maybe a stash of secreted seals. Just as this one didn't."

Clover nodded.

"Can't believe it's playin' the same trick again," Toby said. "Does it think we're stupid enough to fall for the same thing twice?"

Fritz shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we're like skulg to it. Even if some are more slimy or warty, they look the same to our eyes and sound alike to our ears. Perhaps it thinks we're just faceless, furless vermin."

"That's if it thinks at all," Toby said.

Fritz inclined his head, acknowledging the point.

"So, what do we do now?" Bucket asked.

"Now, I scout. Wait here," Fritz said.

"What if you just run off? Leave us behind, huh? Who's to say you'll come back?" Nail accused

"The Spite," Fritz said simply. "And the boss. They don't want me to lose too many of you after all."

"Right. Okay," Nail grumbled, his argument thwarted.

"I'll be back in fifteen minutes," Fritz stated, striding to the door.

Toby joined him, signing a question just out of sight. "What do you want me to do if they try to leave?"

Fritz considered for a moment, then settled on a way forward that would glean them more knowledge of the floor. "Let them. If they want to split off and avoid Spite, they will have to take three. They'll make our hard choice for us."

Toby thought, hesitated, then nodded once. Fritz could see he wasn't pleased, but wasn't willing to dispute the order.

"What's wrong?" Fritz continued signing, slipping into their old crew's cant.

"Doesn't feel decisive. If we're gonna kill them anyway, we shouldn't wait for them to harm us first. Waiting and watching feels cowardly. Like we're drawing it out."

Fritz smiled wanly. "How far we've come. You used to tell me to slow down and be more careful, now you want me to murder without thinking of the future Floors. And it's not cowardice, it's caution."

Toby matched his smile, then nodded. "Very well. Good luck."

With that, Fritz opened the storeroom door, slipped through and closed it.

He found himself in a narrow stairway, lit by dim lanterns set into the walls. Climbing quietly, he soon reached a hallway above.

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The stone brick was bare, grey and brown, function over form. The halls were large enough that nine men could stand shoulder to shoulder, while the roof was twelve feet tall. That, he knew, was an omen of the great height of knights, for why else would such a sparsely ornamented castle be built so grandly?

There, set into one of the walls, was an arched, glassless window. Light poured through, and thin icicles hung from its ledge. A crisp, cold breeze whistled across the hall, setting Fritz's cloak to flutter.

After glancing each way and finding nothing amiss, Fritz slunk forward to peer through the open pane. It was the view, rather than the freezing wind, that took his breath away.

The air was clean and clear, pristine snow-capped peaks filled his vision, an endless mountain range stretched into the horizon. The sky was a bright, pale blue, cloudless. He stilled for a moment, bewitched by the beauty. Strangely, there was no sun, but he didn't let that small fact unsettle him.

Fritz was interrupted by the soft ring of metal on metal from around one of the distant corners of the hallway. Armour of plate and mail, he guessed. He retreated to a small, shadowy side room, one without a door. Most seemed to lack them.

There he watched as a hunched figure trudged slowly past on powerful legs. It was tall, at least nine feet in height if its shoulders weren't so bent forward, and it wore a faded grey tabard over a dull iron breastplate. In one huge, three-fingered hand, it bore a halberd while its other arm was strapped with a kite shield, a black spire emblazoned on its lustreless surface.

A shirt of chainmail hung to its knees, and swayed as it lumbered forward. Its head was, thankfully, concealed within a helmet that resembled a bucket. Endlessly patient and entirely dim eyes stared out from the horizontal slit set into the metal, watching its long-patrolled path.

What surprised Fritz most about the hulking Man-alike was not its size and armaments, but the quiet with which it stepped. Its footfalls were almost entirely silent, which was a feat considering it was wearing thick sabatons.

The calm clinking and slight scraping were all that could be heard as it passed by, and those notes were easily lost in the sudden, if sporadic, gusts of whining wind.

While shrouded by his Cloak of Dusk, Fritz couldn't be seen by the man-alike knight, though it also had no attention to spare for any of the rooms that lay upon its route. He concluded that the creature should be easy enough to avoid, so long as he and the crew weren't caught unawares.

Fritz risked following in its wake for a while, searching it for any signs of a seal. It was only when it reached the end of its path and it turned, that he saw a circle of dark red wax stamped upon its old tabard, and hanging from it a thin length of parchment covered in a scrawled, crazed litany.

His Awareness tingled when he looked upon it, and with the assumption he had found what was likely a seal, he ceased shadowing the knight. He then began scouting the rooms and halls, mapping the keep's layout. Again, he found himself cursing Craig for not teaching him the mind map. It would have been invaluable here; the bare walls and near identical masonry left little in the way of landmarks to guide himself surely.

Still, Fritz found much of what he was seeking, and further perils that he hadn't discovered through his Door Sense. There were squads of lesser man-alikes, they were thinner and far shorter than their knightly brethren, and were garbed in chain, held crude shields and wielded cruder spears. They marched by loudly, not nearly as easily missed.

It was by following one of these patrols that he found the vault, or that's what his Senses told him, as did his eyes. There it was, a Silver Chest, right behind a heavy, iron portcullis. He wondered exactly how to open it, as it had no lock, handle or lever, until he noticed three indents on one of the metallic cross bars. They were about the right size and shape of a seal.

Three lives to open the vault, is it? What a price, Fritz mused to himself.

He didn't actually believe the Spire's claim that the seals were the only way to gain passage, but it was worth bearing in mind what the price of the Treasures beyond was meant to be. Your very own crew.

This Spire was a hateful thing, cruel and cunning. Fritz couldn't help but smile at its machinations. It would tempt you, test your heart and even if you succeeded in attaining the chest, it would cost blood. Or appear to.

He left the vault behind, searching for more information and secrets, be they hidden doors or passages. Fritz found a few such passages, sliding walls that would reveal tunnels and stairs when a lantern's brace was pulled. They led deeper into the castle, into rooms long abandoned. There were no chests within, but there were crates, desks, wardrobes, cabinets and barrels.

Most were empty, though he did discover some materials he knew would be worth plenty on the outside and even more on this Floor. Smiling, he carefully made his way back to where he had left the crew, a sack of goods slung over his shoulder.

Fritz was late, he had been away for at least an hour and a half. He wished he had remembered to take the message stone that was paired to his own from Bert, but it had slipped his mind. That, and he wouldn't have trusted anyone, excepting Toby, with it in the first place.

Still, it would have saved him some worry, being able to relay his orders rather than keep the crew ignorant and waiting. It was a shame that they would have to wallow in irritation, and perhaps worry, for their gallant, dashing Captain.

He crept down the storeroom's stairs, so alike to many he had run across during his explorations, then heard a hissed argument.

"We should go," Reed said. "No use waitin' any longer. Just gives the others a head start."

There was the sigh of someone long suffering. "The Shade said wait, so I'll wait." Toby's voice grumbled.

"It's been too long, he said fifteen minutes. It's got to be at least nine times that now," Reed argued. "Trudge? Aren't you worried for your brother?"

He got no answer, but Fritz could hear the shuffling of feet.

"Mel, do you really want to stay down here? Our captain might be dead. Are you going to wait until we starve?" Reed entreated.

"I dunno," Mel said. "But the Shade is pretty tough. I don't think he's dead."

"He gets... distracted," Toby said. "Always has."

"Clover?" Reed asked, without much hope.

"No. I think... I think I trust him. He'll be back," Clover replied.

"Alright, I'll wait then too," Reed said. "Let's see if your trust is well placed."

Fritz knew that was his cue to make an entrance, and so he attempted to sweep open the door and stride through. It only moved a few inches before it struck a crate barring the way. He heard them jump from the sudden thumps.

"Who's there?" Mel shouted.

"Who else but your Scout and Captain," Fritz proclaimed, pretending he wasn't foiled by a box.

"Finally," Reed muttered.

"Let me in, would you? I have much to tell you all," Fritz said.

They quickly obeyed, and soon he stood in the store room, noting who was missing.

"Nail, Bucket and Barge are gone," Clover said. "I tried to tell them not to go, but they wouldn't listen."

Fritz nodded sombrely. "Yes, that can happen."

"Did you see them out there?" Trudge asked, ringing his heavily calloused hands.

Fritz shook his head. "Not a hair of them, I'm afraid. Though I was able to thoroughly scout the place, I even found the vault."

"The vault!?" Reed and Clover cried.

"Alas, the gate required three seals, and I couldn't slip within and steal the Silver Chest," Fritz lamented.

"Silver!?" they cried again.

"Treasure is all well and good, but what about the Stairway? Did you find that?" Mel asked.

Fritz nodded. He had a vague feeling of where it was and knew he could guide them there easily.

"Alright, then what's the plan?" Toby asked. "Are we likely to be able to get into this vault?"

"Yes. And we only have to hunt a single knight, if all goes to plan," Fritz replied.

"Alright, let's go then," Reed said eagerly.

"Yes, let's," Fritz agreed. "Quietly now."

The crew picked up their packs, as did Fritz.

Before they left the storeroom, Trudge walked up to him and asked," Um... my brother is out there with Nail and Bucket, will we look for them?"

"Did they steal anything?" Fritz replied.

"Uh... no, but what if they're in trouble?" Trudge asked.

Fritz pretended to be concerned, but only for a brief moment. "I'm sorry, we can't go after them. We have to look out for ourselves. They chose their path, and they must walk it. For good or for ill."

The man looked down, and his lower lip quivered. Fritz put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"If there's a trail to follow, I'll find it," Fritz said. Whether he would point it out was another matter entirely, but he didn't let that thought show on his face.

"Thanks, Shade," Trudge said. "You're real nice. Not at all as mad as they say."

Fritz smiled. It was, like his apparent concern, false. He wished that the three fools would die out in the halls and he would be rid of them. It would save his hands from being stained further and would ease a lot of his frustrations.

Somehow, he felt that end was too good to be true. He hoped he was wrong.

---

Fritz stalked the knight down the hallway, Toby and Mel crept at his sides, while the rest of the crew lay in wait. The others were too loud to ambush the Man-alike, so they would attack in the second wave, if they were needed at all.

Kneeling, then aiming his crossbow, Fritz wove Lethargy over the knight and wrapped a bolt in coiling shade. After a moment, breathing out slowly, as he'd been taught, he loosed. The string snapped near silently, and the black wreathed bolt flew. With it, the two figures by his sides darted forward, daggers and shortsword drawn.

There was a dull clang as the bolt bounced off iron; he'd missed the gap between helmet and breastplate.

The knight spun. It wasn't a slow, lurching movement as he had suspected from its gait and stature, but a swift response. The shield came up, and the halberd swept along the ground, threatening to sever legs or break them on contact with the weapon.

Mel and Toby were adept enough that this didn't catch them off guard. They leapt the shaft and blade with ease. With blades glowing with their magic, they made to rush in and stab the vulnerable, vital spots between the man-alike's plate armour.

Toby was almost upon the knight when its shield battered him out of the air with a brutal bash. Mel then nearly suffered a kick to the chest, one that would have caved in her ribs. She dodged the brunt of the blow by inches. The armoured boot instead caught her shoulder and sent her spinning, then tumbling.

She hissed rather than screamed, and the knight raised a leg to stomp her.

Fritz dropped the crossbow, strap and all, then rushed forward himself. He cast his Illusory Shadow over its helmeted head, where it stuck like a cloud of squid ink.

Mel rolled, yelling as the metal boot missed her narrowly.

Drawing Quicksilver, Fritz charged, then slid into a long lunge. The black point gracefully slipped into a knee joint, then pierced thick, grey flesh. The knight bellowed, and Fritz pushed forward, plunging the blade deeper until it tore out the other side. He twisted his sword, shredding what was left to sever.

Danger Sense warned of the knight's flailing response before it even started. Fritz danced gracefully through its clumsy attacks, but had to retreat when he felt the premonition of a deadly cold.

"Back!" Fritz shouted.

Toby obeyed. He had recovered swiftly and had been in the creature's shadow, stabbing while it was blinded, but upon hearing the order, he darted out deftly. Mel crawled, clutching a shoulder while tears dripped down her furious, agonised face.

Fritz, stepping forward for just a moment, seized her by her collar and dragged her back. Just in time, as the knight let out another roar, this one as hollow as the sky.

It was loud enough to send Fritz reeling, then cold, far more biting than the wind, washed over him.

The man-alike glowed a pale blue, its armour was suddenly coated in the creeping white of ice, and its tabard froze solid. Frost sprung up over the stone, covering the bricks around it. Even the knight's foul brown-grey blood, that had been pouring from its knee and numerous other wounds, stilled and was made solid.

Thankfully, the circle of ice stopped just at the edges of Mel's boots, and whatever the knight had done had rendered it motionless, for now. It creaked and cracked ominously.

"Reed, stay back. Trudge, Clover, Bolt it," Fritz ordered.

Stones and rippling air struck the frozen knight. While Trudge's Stone Bolts bent armour and broke flesh where they struck, it was the Concussive Bolt that truly proved deadly, warping the iron and shattering limbs like they were made of delicate crystal.

Fritz nodded approvingly, but warned, "Don't strike the seal."

"You don't have to worry about that," Toby said. "I snatched it as we pulled back."

"Good man!" Fritz praised, then he turned to the two 'mages'. "No need to be careful, break it to pieces."

They nodded, and soon the knight was a heap of icy, grey chunks.

"That was easy," Clover said, surprised.

"For you maybe," Mel hissed.

"Oh, sorry, Mel," Clover apologised before dropping to her knees by the woman's side. "Where are you hurt?"

"Shoulder. Think it's broken," Mel said through clenched teeth.

"We'll have to get you to a Well," Trudge said. "Unless someone has a Healing Potion."

"Don't be an idiot, no one here is rich enough to afford that," Reed said. "And even if they were, they wouldn't waste it. Shouldn't waste it."

Fritz silently agreed. While he didn't enjoy watching the woman's pain, she could endure it for now. There was a Well that would heal her up without him needing to give away his only Healing Potion. It felt cruel, but he knew he needed to be rational and not give in to his more compassionate nature.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I just thought that..." Trudge trailed off. He gazed at Fritz, and when their eyes met, he looked away.

"The Well can wait," Fritz said. "Can't it, Mel?"

"Yeah, it can wait. I want to see the vault," Mel said. "I want to see this silver chest."

Fritz nodded, then handed the woman a vial.

"What's this?" she asked suspiciously.

"A tonic to dull the pain," Fritz said. "Will leave you drowsy and slow, though."

She narrowed her eyes, then, choosing to trust, pulled off the lid and drank down the clear, acrid remedy.

"Urgh, that's foul," she spat, then rinsed her mouth with water.

Fritz turned his attention to the more pressing matter. "May I see the seal?"

Toby handed him the seal, parchment and all.

"Yes, this will do. This will do very well."

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