Despite giving the order to head to the Vault, Fritz was the last to arrive there. He had to collect a few Treasures, scavenged from various thugs, from his closet-armoury first.

A few of the items he had stashed away were ones he was familiar with, as they were spoils from the bloodbath that was the first defence of the Refuge. The more numerous others were collected from the bodies of villains such as the Rat Cleaver or other thugs too stubborn to surrender. And then there were those that Bert had gathered from the aftermath of the last battle.

He bundled the Treasures up in his arms and made his way down from his room.

The Vault was a small room, sturdy cabinets of both wood and steel rested in front of the stone walls, most could be locked, though some were for simple storage. There was a table in the centre, the perfect surface to sort and catalogue the various goods and Treasures that they had acquired.

"Out of the way," Fritz called out.

The team parted, but not without comment.

"Spire's Spite! What's all that?"

"Good gosh!"

"Huh?"

"Is that a sword?"

"That's quite the number of Treasures, Fritz."

Fritz set down his burdens and they marvelled at all that he had brought.

"Where did you get all those?" Cal blurted.

"Did you go on another Climb or somethin'?" Rosie asked.

"These are not stolen, are they?" Jess asked with some trepidation.

"Stolen? I can't be sure, though their owners won't come looking for them," Fritz said.

"And why is that?" Jess asked, the worry in her tone only rising.

"Well-earned spoils from protecting the Refuge," Bert explained.

"The what?"

"Nevermind. To be brief, these were taken from murderers, vagabonds and all manner of ne'er-do-wells. In self-defence, mind you."

Jess's face paled further, her eyes glancing over the arrayed items as she counted up the bloody toll each must have cost.

If she knew the true price, all that death, she might have fainted. Even Fritz, though he knew that he'd had little choice in the matter, that it had been him or his assailants, felt nauseated when he considered that each one had come with the cost of at least one life.

Bert slapped him on the back; obviously, he'd been letting his dismay and disgust show.

"The city is better off without them," Fritz stated, more to himself than to the watching, wary eyes.

"True as the rain," Bert agreed. "Let's see if there's anything good."

Fritz put the macabre thoughts from his mind, then surveyed the items before him. To his small surprise, some of the objects, Treasures that had already been on the table when he had entered, had sheets of paper beneath them. Neat glyphs were written upon them, displaying the names of the Treasures and the Abilities imbued within them.

"What's this? Have these already been noted?" Fritz asked, motioning to the knuckle duster returned to him by the Refuge.

"That's right," Lauren said primly. "Did you think that our lovely Quartermaster and I were simply tending the ledgers down here?"

"Thought you were doing more than that, to be honest," Bert said.

"Mr. Dale! Whatever you are implying would be highly improper. It is unbecoming for you to suggest as such," Jess reprimanded, affecting a teacher's voice and frowning deeply.

She glared at him for only a moment before he showed any remorse.

"My apologies, Ms. Redoubt, I hope you'll forgive me," Bert said, giving a small bow.

"Very well, but pay a mind to the dignity of those you hold as friends and associates. It would not do to go insulting or insinuating so often, lest you develop a habit of it and slip into it at an inopportune time."

Fritz smiled at the lecturing and Bert's false repentance, that was, until he was noticed doing so.

"The same goes for you, too, Francis. Your time in the districts has roughened those edges that ought to be smooth."

"Yes, Ms. Redoubt," Fritz intoned while Bert returned that same taunting smile from out of her sight.

"We had all these unassessed Treasures, and so Lauren and I Noted them and wrote down their Abilities before the glyphs faded from the cards," Jess continued.

"We've also been to the Treasury," Lauren provided. "We wanted to compare the Treasure for trade or sale to the ones we have here so we could approximate their value."

"Anything particularly valuable?" Fritz inquired. Looking over the notes.

"As far as Treasures go? Not really. Though that doesn't mean they're not worth a small fortune, similar to our supply of Sirensilk," Lauren said.

"And how is that selling?" Fritz asked.

"Well enough, we're still dealing it out in batches so as not to draw too much attention or flood the markets," Lauren replied as she began sorting the merely magical items from the Treasures. Jess joined her in the endeavour while the rest of the team watched the quick efficient pace they set.

"Which was the right strategy," Jess added as they sorted. "Who knows what kind of powerful merchant's ire you could have attracted if you had sold your ridiculous haul all at once."

She shook her head, apparently still in disbelief at their good fortune. When she had been shown the luxurious fabrics for the first time, she had almost collapsed; the store of silks had contributed much to her decision to join the team as their Quartermaster.

It turned out that almost half of the items Fritz had brought down were magical rather than true Treasures, and those were ones he was the least interested in anyway. They consisted mostly items of clothing and pieces of armour, though there were also buckles, sheaths and scabbards, and small engraved tools of various uses, from fire-starting to lockpicking. Then there was a dagger, a club and a mana-lantern.

They were all set aside, put into one of the cabinets for now.

Fritz returned his gaze to the pile of Treasures, specifically the newest ones.

There was the Rat Cleaver's cap; the engraved metal disk Sylvia had given him; two rings, one of dull steel and another of green glass; a pair of silver earrings in the shape of six petalled flowers; a heavy, pitted bracelet of dark metal; a shirt of garishly golden chainmail; a braided band of hair; a punching dagger that gleamed with a jagged glitter; a nearly three foot long club of granite, and lastly, a sabre of steel polished to a mirror sheen, one George was eagerly eyeing.

Most of these Treasures were from the last defence, though some came from other enterprising, idiotic thugs who had ill intentions, either on the refuge or the women, urchins or beggars that survived in the districts. They had been rebuked thoroughly, then deposited in the gutter where their bodies would float out to the sea. After anything of value had been taken from them, of course.

It was quite the collection, though he had little idea what everything did. Many of Fritz's opponents never got to show off the powers Imbued. They never saw him coming after all.

"Well, this ring is obvious, another minor barrier," Lauren observed, picking up the ring of dull metal. "The King has a six-hundred-gold bounty on them."

"That much?" Cal asked.

Lauren nodded.

"Seems a lot. You could get a bunch of healing potions for that instead," Cal said.

"Yes, though you would run out of them quickly. These can be refilled over and over," Lauren explained.

"And it's best not to be hurt at all, if you can help it," Fritz agreed.

"If the ring is worth so much, are these other things worth more?" Rosie asked.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Possibly, if you can find a buyer," Jess said.

"Treasures are more often traded for other Treasures rather than bought and sold," Lauren explained further. "This staff, for example, can create a Globe of Illumination or a sudden Flash. These are relatively weak Abilities for a staff, rod or wand one of them being utility and the other merely a momentary distraction. It wouldn't go for more than three hundred gold. There's also the fact that it's quite bulky, reducing its value. And generally, Climbers will want staves with potent Striker or Controller Abilities, not Support. Unless it's a Healing Treasure, in which case its worth is, obviously, priceless."

"Three hundred triads is still a lot of gold," Cal said.

"Yes. I suppose it is," Lauren agreed. "And that's why Treasures are traded. Part of that is the transport of all that gold, as the truly powerful objects could fetch a King's ransom. Or more. The other reason is that there might just not be a suitable or payable price. There are powerful Treasures out there worth more than the Royal Palace and everything in it. I've heard that the King's golden staff is one such Treasure, though that could be merely an exaggeration."

"I could believe it," Fritz said, recalling keenly the King's conjured river.

"Can we start already?" Bert complained. "Fritz, give me a No-note, I want to know what Ability this punch dagger got me with."

"Fine, fine," Fritz said, flinging the man one of the white cards, then handing one out to each of the other members of the team. "Pick a Treasure and Note it."

"Wait!" Jess said suddenly. "I need to set up my inks first so I can record what's on the Know notes."

"If you would hurry, that would be well," Fritz said. "We're all eager to see what we have here."

"Right, of course," she said, unpacking her writing satchel, then sitting on the only chair in the room. Soon she was ready, having cleared a small space to be as neat as any scribe's desk, save all the odd objects that were still on the table around her.

"Is that my brooch?" Fritz asked, noticing the squid-shaped brooch of jet among the woman's quills and inks.

"Why, yes. Lauren said I could borrow it," Jess said.

Fritz turned a knowing glance and a sly smile on Lauren, who narrowed her own eyes in response.

Her thoughts couldn't be more clear, "Don't you give me any grief after what you gave away."

"It's quite useful," Jess continued. "We found it had a secondary effect. That, when submerged in fresh water, it slowly, drop by drop, transmuted the liquid into black ink."

"What?" Cal asked.

"You heard," Jess said. "It takes almost three days to change even a small inkwell full of water, though that still saves me plenty of silver."

"Treasures can do that?" Cal asked, keeping Fritz from having to ask the same.

"Some can. Strange effects like that aren't common, though they're not unheard of," Jess said.

"It's like Fritz's mana lantern," Lauren said. "It has Imbuements and magical effects."

"Does the magic still drain its capacity?" Cal asked.

"Yes, just more slowly than an Ability, which in the brooch's case is an Ink Spray," Lauren provided.

"And just how did you discover this?" Fritz asked.

"A few experiments," Lauren said.

"Experiments," Bert said, his face blank.

"There are some basic tests all aspiring appraisers should be aware of. Of course, my mother had me learn them," Lauren stated politely.

When they stared at the two women, Jess coughed and said, "Go on, get to Noting. I'm ready to write."

They did so.

"Rending Strike! That's what got me," Bert declared, having Noted the punching dagger. "No wonder it hurt so much. Really messed up my insides for a while."

"Ghostbane Sabre. Disruptive Strike," George called out next. "This Ability disperses those with insubstantial or elemental bodies, harming them."

Fritz grimaced at that description, as was thricely glad he wasn't struck by the sabre the man was holding.

Not to be left behind in the scramble to Note an item, Fritz quickly picked the metal disc off the table and applied the trembling white card to it. Black glyphs sizzled into the paper's surface and he read:

---------

Treasure

---------

---

Circle of Potent Reflections

---

Alignment: Illusion, Light, Water.

---

Capacity: 6/12

---

---------

Abilities Imbued

---------

---

Watery Reflection

The face within the mirrors, the man within the streams, leaves the rivers seldom, and is less than what he seems.

A pool of water consolidates into a controllable simulacrum of the Treasure's wielder.

Alignment: Illusion, Light, Water.

Cost: Six.

Duration: Three minutes.

Refresh: Three minutes.

---

Aqueous Burst

Deep within the water, raindrop, lake or sea, lies a power waiting, wanting to be free.

Up to a gallon of water explodes with great force.

Alignment: Water.

Cost: Three.

Duration: None.

Refresh: One minute.

---

---------

Fritz could immediately appreciate the great power in the small disc and silently thanked Sylvia. Though both the Abilities needed to be tested to truly know, he could already tell this was a potent Treasure. It said so in the name.

Fritz handed the Know-note to Jess, who readily received it, then he swiftly took up another object that intrigued him, or at least held a mystery he wanted solved.

He touched the note to the Rat Cleaver's cap and read the following.

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Treasure

---------

---

Worn Warning Cap

---

Alignment: Mind, Sense.

---

Capacity: 2/9

---

---------

Abilities Imbued

---------

---

Threat Sense

What is there? Who seeks us harmed? We know you hunt us, we are alarmed!

This Treasure detects ill intent toward its wielder and warns them once.

Alignment: Mind, Sense.

Cost: Two.

Duration: Six hours.

Refresh: None.

---

---------

This Treasure was less useful than the first. Though it provided another Sense, its cost was steep and it only worked once per Activation, or so he read. Again, this would need testing. Fritz wasn't keen to wear this cap, not just because it overlapped with his other Senses, but because it truly was hideous.

Dark brown flakes of dried blood fell from the cracked leather, then the lingering rotting stench reminded him of what he had to go through to attain it. He almost tossed it to the other side of the vault. He had to restrain himself, merely throwing it in one of the cabinets where it wouldn't offend him any longer.

While the team waxed and whined about the various Imbuements on their chosen items, Fritz reached for another Treasure. The pile was substantially smaller; in fact, there was only a choice of the green glass ring and the thick bracelet left. He took up the metal bracelet and Noted it swiftly, hoping it was a better match for his powers than the cap had been.

---------

Treasure

---------

---

Anchor's Iron Link

---

Alignment: Arcane, Space.

---

Capacity: 0/12

---

---------

Abilities Imbued

---------

---

Anchor Strike

Blinking, hopping, jumping, is forbidden in my grasp. Struggle, fumble, falter, I will hold you 'til the last.

Your strike inflicts dimensional anchoring on contact.

Alignment: Arcane, Space.

Cost: Six.

Duration: Strike: Six seconds, Affliction: Nine minutes.

Refresh: None.

---

---------

Fritz blinked. He had little idea what the Ability entailed, though, seeing as he hadn't come across something like it yet, that meant that it was rare. Though the rhyme did give some hints as to its purpose.

"Do you know what this 'dimensional anchoring' means?" Fritz asked, handing the Know-note to the next most knowledgeable person, Lauren.

"Not precisely," Lauren said, only glancing over the glyphs. "Though I do remember it being mentioned in one of Sir Needle's lectures."

"Dimensional Anchoring prevents teleportation or shifting planes," Jess said simply.

"Oh, that sounds useful," Fritz said.

"It would prove powerful against potentially slippery opponents," Lauren agreed.

"The only question is, do we keep it or trade it away?" Jess mused. "The Scale Guard could use a Treasure like that. Their Captain might pay a great amount for it. It could help wipe out that debt of yours. We should have it appraised at the Treasury."

Fritz nodded, thinking over the options, before saying, "We'll keep it hidden for now."

The truth was that he didn't want to lose sight of a Treasure with the power to catch him while he was phased. Though he knew there were other items, like that sabre, that could do the same, he wasn't in the habit to go selling weapons to those who could eventually become his enemies.

"Ah, this is stupid!" Cal said as he dropped the shirt of golden chainmail on the table. "Bloody useless."

"What does it do?" Bert asked.

"Something called Irritating Glow," Cal groused.

"More specific, if you would?" Lauren asked.

"Here," he said, sliding the Know-note to her.

"It's a mild taunting Ability. Decent for a defender, though it's indiscriminate, which makes it more difficult to use effectively," Lauren summarised.

"Well, they can't all be deadly and fearsome," Fritz said.

"Yeah, this one is skulgslime, too," Rosie said, slipping the loop of woven hair over her head. "Gives a resistance to itchiness."

"That is rather specific," Fritz said.

"Probably not worth the hassle of trying to trade it away," Lauren said as she adorned herself with the silver earrings.

"My, they look lovely on you," Jess complimented. "What have they been imbued with?"

"A perfume Ability, one that has a choice of three scents, roses, lilies and lavender," Lauren said with a smile.

"You should go with lilies," Jess said.

"Or we should save our gold," George said, still appreciating the sabre. "No reason to be spending it so frivolously."

Lauren frowned only slightly, then nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, this glass ring is interesting, it has a Sound Resistance boon," Bert said, then he slipped the ring on. "I like it."

"Come now, we're here to sort the Treasures, not claim them all for ourselves," Fritz said.

"Huh?" Rosie asked, having somehow found and put on the Rat Cleaver's cap. She held the chainmail, seeming about to wear that too.

"Rosie," Cal said with some exasperation.

"What?" She argued.

"Stop just grabbing everything and putting it on," Cal said.

"Why?" Rosie asked.

"You look ridiculous and they're not yours to take," Cal said.

"Aw, can't I have just one of them then?" She asked.

"The Treasures are to be secured here until we know how we're going to make use of them," Fritz ordered gently.

There were grumbles and false threats of mutiny from he whole team. Fritz held up a hand. "Fine, pick out one Treasure each. And only if it suits your Role."

He knew it was overly generous, but he couldn't help it, they were his team and he was fond of all of them. Each had earned his trust in some way or another. It was not entirely altruistic decision, the right Treasure could make them more powerful, and when they climbed the Rain Spire they would need all the power they could get.

There was also that disdain he had for the nobles who had great vaults filled with such treasures, but simply hoarded them. Fritz didn't want to emulate that example, lest he lose his way and become just like them.

Rosie dropped the chainmail and pulled off the woven amulet, keeping the ugly cap. George smiled wide and kept hold of the sabre, as everyone knew he would, while Lauren sighed removed the earrings and picked up the staff of illumination. Cal lifted the granite club with a grunt, letting it rest upon one strong shoulder.

"Your choosing that hunk of stone?" Fritz asked with some interest.

"Yeah, it has an Ability that makes it twice as heavy," Cal said. "It will go well with my toss and Momentum."

Fritz nodded, he could see the synergy, especially if you could use its power over and over. He was about to ask if that was the case, but his question was answered before he could.

"It can be used more than once, but it only adds its base weight each time," Cal explained.

Bert removed the green ring and took up the discarded band of hair. "Hate being itchy."

Fritz, of course, held onto Sylvia's gift.

Jess hesitated, then smiled weakly, seemingly not considering the order was meant for her as well. Fritz knew that wouldn't do; if she was going to be a part of the team, that meant she needed to feel it. Even if she didn't Climb, for now, she was one of them.

"Take the barrier ring," he offered.

"What?" She asked.

"The ring, it would ease my nerves if you had something to protect you," Fritz said. "I'm sure that goes for the rest of the team, too."

"I don't plan to put myself in any peril," Jess said, uncomfortable at the very prospect.

"Then pick something else," Fritz said.

"May I have the brooch? It was only lent to me," Jess asked. "And it's both helpful and could be used if I were in danger."

"Go ahead," Fritz said.

Jess smiled.

Suddenly, a noise sounded from above. A familiar thud-thud-thud from the front door. Then a barking boom of a voice.

"Lord Hightide, open up! I know you're in there, we must speak at once!"

Some of the team jumped, some looked up with some fear.

Bert, upon recognising the voice, grinned at Fritz. "Looks like someone found out about your duel."

So soon? Fritz grimaced, then made his way up the stairs of the vault to meet his fate.

Thud-thud-thud.

Fritz waved away a startled Cassandra, signing that he'd deal with the man himself.

It was obvious that Adam was not in the mood to wait.

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