Good Evening, thanks again for reviews so far. The action's picking up a bit in this chapter.
Standard Disclaimers Apply: The Dragon Quest series is created by Squaresoft.
Chapter VIII: The Tower of Trades
The six got up the following day for the trek to the tower.
Arianna wasted little time in ensuring her group's supplies were holding up.
"Who's to say our herbs have not gone bad yet?" said Trent.
Alicia shook her head"We may need to buy fresh ones soon. Equipment is going to be a problem as well, we all might need better armor. My stave and your sword can only last for so long"
The Celestrian shrugged"We should be able to go a few more days on what we have. There might be some odd jobs down the road we can take if needed."
The group left Alltrades Abbey and headed east.
"How far is the tower, Sasha?" said Conrad.
The Martial Artist replied"It's only a short walk from the abbey. What are you so worked up about, anyway?"
"Just trying to strike up a conversation" sighed the male brunette.
In front of the group, Trent spoke to Arianna"You know, this vocation change business sounds interesting. Like Conrad, I too had heard about it."
"I wonder about that... Most of My people held little interest in the Protectorate, save for the regions they're guarding. I never heard much of Alltrades Abbey before the quake and the lightstorm" said the Celestrian.
"Hey, perchance our leader is as 'human' as the rest of is?" smirked Raymond.
"Very funny. Celestrians weren't made of stone" sighed Arianna.
Soon enough, they came to a tower, huddled against an impassable mountain range.
Arianna stepped forward to inspect the tower enctrance.
"What does it look like?" said Trent.
The Celestrian stepped back"There is enchantated writing on the door. Some kind of rune is carved upon it... Oh, of course! It's a runic seal."
"How do we open it?" inquired Sasha.
Arianna replied"Says here, we just need to bow. The door's runic seal spell should fade so we can enter the tower."
"So why couldn't Sasha break it, then?" sighed Conrad.
The Martial Artist scowled somewhat"For your information, the seal is powerful enough that it might take more then one person to break it. Honestly! It's not the type of lock you could just pick."
"Let's just try doing what the runes say" said Arianna.
The group bowed before the door, which magically reacted.
To their surprise, the door seemed to go fade upwards, revealing a blank doorway.
"Abbott Jack is there, right?" said Sasha.
"Of course, my Intel is perfectly accurate" bragged Conrad.
The six entered the building into the tower's first floor.
"According to what I've heard, this tower is up to six or seven stories tall" murmered the Martial Artist.
"All right, gang. Let's be sure to keep our weapons ready, Trent, Sasha and I will take point" spoke Arianna.
The climb up the first two staircases were uneventful.
"It's too quiet" sighed Conrad.
"Look, up ahead" said Raymond.
Several monter shrooms appeared.
Trent cut down two, but the other five Mage Shrooms cast spells at the team.
Alicia quickly cut down the damage with Buff spells, while Arianna healed her comrades.
Raymond shot back at the Shroom Mages with Bang, stopping them.
"There may be more" grimaced Sasha.
"Let's keep climbing" said Arianna.
The next floor contained some Drackyamas and two Badboons.
Raymond made ready to cast another spell, but Sasha interjected"Don't, we might need magic on the upper levels. I want to display the fruits of my training."
"There are too many" protested Conrad.
"Do not underestimate my family's karate style" said Sasha.
The monsters charged at the group. Arianna and Trent cut down three Drakyamas, while Sasha unleashed multifist on the two Badboons.
The irritated mosters countered, only for Sasha to mow them down with her battle staff.
The rest of the Drackyamas tried to chomp on the Martial Artist, only to be met with a potent Wind Sickle attack.
"That's very impressive" said Arianna.
"Thanks" said the Martial Artist.
The next floor had four Badboons and two Shroom Mages.
Trent and Conrad diced the two shrooms, while Arianna and Sasha engaged the Badboons.
The ape-like monsters were tough, but were eventually brought down.
When the heroes made it to the sixth floor, they encountered a horde of undead monsters called the Walking Corpses, and several slime knights.
"BANG!"
Raymond's spell demolished some of the Walking Corpses, but two more countered with poison attacks.
Alicia cast Squalch on her allies, while Sasha, Arianna, Trent and Conrad dove at the remaining enemies.
The brawl lasted for almost a minute, as the Walking Corpses were easily taken down.
The Slime Knights proved more of a challenge, as Trent and Arianna dueled two of them. Sasha bashed down three more slimes.
Conrad ducked beyond one Slime Knight and stabbed it in the back.
The other two Slime Knights were eventually defeated.
"Bet that takes care of the infestation" said Trent.
"I wouldn't count on that. Monsters are persistant these days" responded Sasha.
Arianna sighed as she and her group went through their supplies and healed injuries incured in the skirmish"Hopefully the Abbott is safe. How he could've gotten this far could be very well questionable."
The group marched onto the final floor, and soon came to a chamber on the other side.
"I hear a voice" said Arianna.
"Door's locked, how do we get through?" pondered Trent.
"Leave it to me" said Sasha, looking around for a boulder, then using it to smash the lock.
On the other side, they came accross an old man in robes, who was currently chanting something.
The moment he turned around, the man spoke"Hm?"
"Are you Abbott Jack?" inquired Arianna.
The man seemed to respond, but it seemed as though he were posessed"Hm? Who might you be? No matter, perhaps you shall be the first to test the power I've obtained."
The aura emitting from the Abbott seemed to unnerve Arianna"Don't tell me... The fygg?"
A bolt descended from the air to crash onto the old man. The room shone bright as he began to transform. The six had to cover their eyes.
When it was clear again, standing in the old man's place was a demon with sharp pointed blades and wings. The voice of the man spoke"Hm, not quite what I expected. No matter, I shall simply change my name from Jack-of-Alltrades to High Jack! Hm, no, that's no good. Ah, I shall now call myself the Master of Nu'un! Now, to demonstrate my power."
"He's gone mad" gasped Alicia.
"Must be the 'Fygg'. Arianna, you said that fruit is very powerful, right?" said Trent.
Arianna nodded grimly"We don't have much choice. We have to defeat him in battle."
The Master of Nu'un cast an area-of-effect lightning spell, blasting the group.
Sasha doffed her staff and countered with a flurry of punches.
Master of Nu'un countered with a slash type attack, which the Martial Artist dodged.
Arianna and Alicia buffed and healed their teammates as they fought their Fygg-driven opponent.
After taking an unlucky blow with one of the monster's blades, Conrad gasped"Sorry, I have to sit this one out."
"Coward" said Sasha, focusing on her inner energy before throwing a knucke sandwhich at the Master of Nu'un.
The monster countered with another lightning spell, which was then countered with a Crack spell from Raymond. Alicia administrated a medicinal herb to Conrad.
Standing firm before the storm, Arianna channeled her own inner power and performed a magic dance ritual.
Trent and Sasha felt power coursing through them via the Egg On chant.
The Master of Nu'un cast lightning again, which Trent and Sasha withstood.
"How could-?"
Sasha immediately landed another quick flurry of punches, while Trent leapt ahead and swung his sword down twice in a Falcon Slash.
Raymond finished the job with a Bang.
The pressure proved too much for the Master of Nu'un, whose body became engulfed in a bright glow. When it disappated, Abbott Jack stood in it's place.
"W-what happened to me?" gasped the old man.
"You regained your senses?" said Arianna.
The Abbott spoke"Hm, I remember eating a strange fruit, which bestowed upon me great power. But it seemed it was too much, I thank you for opening my eyes."
"Long as you're okay, so I guess the Fygg is gone, then" said Arianna.
"No, look" said Alicia, pointing behind them. A yellow fruit appeared.
Abbott Jack spoke"This belongs to you then? Anyway, I must be back to the Abbey. What is your name, young woman?"
"It's Arianna" replied the Celestrian.
The Abbott smiled"You and your friends can change Vocations anytime you wish. Just come to the abbey."
As Abbott Jack left, Arianna picked up the yellow fruit, which had mysteriously appeared.
"If it was eaten, how could it just rematerialize?" wondered Sasha.
Arianna shook her head"Dunno, there are things that even Celestrians don't know or understand. I will hold on to the Fygg, the remaining six I will hold in my inventory bag as we find them as well."
"What? You don't trust us?" said Trent.
The Celestrian replied"It's not that I don't trust you. You see, the Fyggs are obviously very powerful, if they could change a man like Abbott Jack into a monster like what we fought just now. Now, gang, let's get back to the abbey."
At Alltrades Abbey, an hour later, the group paid a visit to the Abott.
The old man was pleased to see them"Ah, thanks again. Now, do you wish to change your vocations? By doing so, you can realize the full potential of your inner strengths and learn new skills."
"I am honored by your words" said Arianna.
Alicia spoke"Your Holiness, I am training to become a sage. My brother wishes to empower himself to truly become a master swordsman."
Abbott Jack looked thoughtfully at her"Hm, you seem to be on the right track, young one. However, the way of the Sage is not a road easily traveled, your healing abilities appear to be in the early stages. The Mage has the potential to become a Sage as well, but his strongest spell is at the first stage. The two of you should hone your spirit in your current Vocations first."
"And me?" inquired Trent.
The Abbott replied"You show promise to become a great warrior, young swordsman. With the proper training, you can master a select variety of weapons, as your sister and her boyfriend can with spells."
"How do you know about that?" said Alicia.
"Heh, I only surmised" chukkled the abbott.
He then turned to Arianna"And you?"
"I am a humble Minstrell, but right now I aim to protect others with not just support skills" said the Celestrian.
Abbott Jack blinked"Then the Paladin and Luminary Vocations would be perfect for you. However, you must advance farther in your training, so one of you will become a Warrior. Trent, Arianna, you two wish to change vocations?"
"Yes sir" said Trent.
The Abbott closed his eyes"Oh, Almighty! Guide Trent and Arianna to new paths in lives."
Trent felt power coursing through him, Arianna felt herself growing stronger as well.
"What is this?" gasped Arianna.
Abbott Jack replied"I have bestowed upon you two the powers of the Gladiator and Warrior. I wish you good luck. Perhaps one among you will soon have the potential to become a Paladin."
"Thank you" said Trent.
The six went downstaris and paid to stay the night.
"Well, at least we have some insight on some of the more powerful vocations" said Alicia.
Trent nodded, then turned to Sasha"What about you?"
Sasha replied"Conrad thought he should keep his vocation for a while longer. As for myself, the path of the Martial Artist is perfect for me, but I'll consider changing my vocation sometime. Arianna, I'd like to accompany you on your quest."
"Really?" said Conrad.
The Martial Artist nodded"I believe Master Johansan would be honored if I use my skills for the good of the world. Arianna, do you know what we're up against?"
"No, but I feel that there is a deeper connection to the events at the Observatory and this world. Sasha, welcome to the group, there is a small guild at Stornway you can officially sign up with if you wish, after we gather the six remaining Fyggs" said Arianna.
"I will be honored to aid you with everything in my power" said the Martial Artist.
Arianna nodded"Well, good night everyone. Tomorrow, we head south, I think there is a town there we should check next."
"Agreed. We'll discuss our next course of action tomorrow" said Sasha,
Okay, another chapter done. Sorry if it wasn't detailed, I felt kind of rushed. To explain things here, the prerequisits for changing/unlocking vocations requires doing certain quests in the game, but I don't think I can make that work in a fanfic.
Gameplaywise it makes sense, but storylinewise, it might ruin it a bit.
Please feel free to review.