Sun set in the distance. Rowan watched it fall, one hand on a tree. “Crazy how they fit a whole star inside the Tower.”

“The Tower is mysterious, and no one fully understands how it functions. However, science's best guess is that the Tower is, in fact, a linked set of interdimensional gates, and each of the Tower’s floors is its own plane of existence,” Kaidu replied.

Rowan rolled his eyes. “I know. Everyone knows that. It was a joke, Kaidu. I’m not stupid.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Kaidu said, not quietly.

Rowan shot him a look. "I know I blundered through today, but is it really my fault that information about the Tower is so hard to find? Aside from random trivia like that, which is useless to actually climbing it. I mean, I used to live in the library, and I don't know the first thing about Floor One, not even what it was called internally. Why the hell do combat classes hoard that information so much, anyways? Seems like someone could make a good buck selling information on the Tower's floors."

"People do," Kaidu replied. He inspected a stick, then whittled it down with a few practiced strokes of the straight razor. "They don't last long."

"Why not? What's going on with that?" Rowan asked.

Kaidu shrugged. "Only one person can make it to the top."

"So we kick down everyone else as hard as we can? Actually... that tracks," he admitted, pinching his chin. "But seriously, I read the Hero-King's biography so many times I've practically got it memorized. I can recite his party by heart, their favorite skills, the color of a sunrise on floor five... but I don't know anything about Megafauna Forest?"

Kaidu grunted. He whirled the stick in his hands, narrow end stuck in an indent he'd carved in a second stick, tinder coiled in the hole. "That's because you're looking for information like a nerd. You'll never get anywhere like that."

"Like what, like a nerd? How else am I supposed to look for information? Like a jock?"

Kaidu ignored him, focusing on the stick.

Rowan sighed and collected a few dry leaves, helping feed tinder into the friction. "Back before the System, there used to be something called the Internet. Something that connected the whole world and let people access all kinds of information for free. Since the System came, it's been dead. No one uses it or adds to it anymore. What happened to that?"

"System replaced it. Obsoleted the old tech."

Rowan shook his head. "No, I mean... the mindset. The idea of sharing information freely. Where did that go?"

"Back to the same place it was before that Internet thing," Kaidu grumbled, annoyed. He held up his hand. Rowan passed him a handful of tinder, and he fed it into the smoking hole. A spark lit up, then a flame.

"We need to bring that back. If we keep pressing ahead without any idea where we're going, we're not going to get anywhere fast."

Kaidu snorted, cutting his eyes at Rowan. "That's a you problem."

"It's a you problem, too! If I knew about the ant lions, I wouldn't have charged into the meadow, and we wouldn't have fallen into that sand trap! If I knew about the ants, I wouldn't have stepped on one! Shouting things at the last moment isn't the way to work as a party."

Bent over the small fire he’d built, Kaidu ignored him. He fed it a few more twigs. The tiny flame winked in and out, there one moment, red-hot ashes the next.

Rowan sighed. He plopped down beside Kaidu. If I'm not lucky enough to have a combat class for a father, I don't deserve to know anything, huh? He stared at his feet, quiet, watching the fire. After a few moments, he said, "I'm holding you back, aren't I?"

Kaidu shook his head. After a moment, he nodded. "But I expected that. It's impossible to climb the Tower alone. I needed a party. The combat classes wouldn't look at a support class like me, no matter what I did. No support classes are crazy enough to take on the Tower. One person can make it to the top, but you need a party to get there. You're my only chance for a long-term party. My only chance."

"Oh," Rowan muttered. You didn't need that emphasis on 'only.'

"You do need to get stronger. And get your head out of your ass," Kaidu added.

"Wow, thanks."

He shrugged. "You're an investment. If you survive the First Floor, level a few times, and still want to climb on, I'll tell you more of what I know. I'm not going to give my secrets away to just anyone. They're the one advantage I have left."

"Your one advantage. Not counting being super strong and the most combat-competent support class I've ever seen?" Rowan asked.

"That means nothing. You know as well as I do that a combat class my level could take me out without blinking," Kaidu replied flatly.

"Not counting your massively successful salon business?"

"That's all bullshit. I couldn't care less."

The flame flickered up. Rowan jumped up and grabbed small, dry sticks, passing them to Kaidu. He fed the flames carefully, mindful not to overload the small fire.

Quietly, Rowan sighed. I need to calm down and think. Put my strengths to use. I can't hold Kaidu back any longer.