The group returned to the ground floor and continued searching. The group ended up going through the second exit they had passed by and found that there was actually a small tower just outside. As they looked above them, they could see that the small tower was connected to the main tower by a rope. The group ascended to the top of the small tower and found the rope went inside the main tower.
"Looks like we're going to have to get across this rope," said Ron. "Everyone have their buckles ready. It won't do you good to fall."
The group used their climbing gear to get across the rope back into the main tower. They found a room with a descending staircase. The group went back down to the ground floor and found another Traveler's Gate.
"Damn it, not another one!" complained Alice.
The group took the Traveler's Gate and found themselves in a plus-sign shaped room, with a set of ascending stairs on each part of the plus-sign besides the one they had come in on. The group took the stairs to their right first. They came to another room with only another set of ascending stairs. After this set, they were in a small room with a chest in it. Alice checked the chest to find it was actually a monster.
"Another trap?" asked Thomas.
The group returned to the plus-sign and took the stairs directly across from the Traveler's Gate. This one led to an odd crescent shaped room that had two more sets of ascending stairs in it. The party took the ones to the right and found themselves in another room. Inside this one, however, were two large goat-looking creatures.
"Giant cattle!" Ron shouted, laughing as he did so.
Two of the large goats charged at the group while the other two hung back. Alice sent a stream of fire at them only to find two of them resist the effects of the spell, one that was charging and one that had hung back. Suzanne finished off the burned one while avoiding its horns.
Ron took some horns to his arm but returned with a strike that took one horn and part of the creature's skull off. Although badly wounded, the creature was still able to fight. Thomas, however, came up and made the creature unable to fight and dead by stabbing it in the midsection.
The two that hung back had both been casting spells. Two streams of fire engulfed the group and gave them burns of their own. Alice stayed back and decided not to use the magic on another spell while the other three ran up to finish the goats. Ron and Thomas finished one off while Suzanne gave the other goat a good slash to the ribs though she was unable to kill it. The creature took its horns to her leg but was soon finished off as Suzanne stabbed it through the head.
Alice chuckled as Thomas went on his healing rounds, "Of course they'd put magic-users in their test."
"Yeah, it'd be silly if we didn't get burned while we went through here," Ron answered sarcastically.
The room they were in had been empty besides the goats. The group went back down the stairs to the crescent shaped room. They took the other set of stairs in the room and came to an L-shaped room with more stairs going up. This in turn led to more stairs going up. This time, the group found themselves in an open room with another rope leading to another part of the tower.
"Looks like we've got another rope to traverse," said Ron. He got out his buckle and was about to hook it to the rope when Suzanne stopped him.
"Wait! There's something coming!" warned Suzanne. She pointed in the air where a large creature was flying towards them. The odd thing was that the creature did not seem to have wings but looked to be a large serpent of some sort, slithering through the air as though it were ground.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked Ron.
"It's a dragon!" gasped Alice.
"Be on your guard guys! You've heard the stories!" yelled Suzanne.
The dragon slithered towards the group. As it came within range, Alice sent an exploding fireball at it. But the dragon shrugged it off as though it were nothing. The dragon pulled up just before entering the room the group was in and reared its head back.
"Take cover!" yelled Suzanne.
The dragon let out a burst of flame at the group. The four managed to avoid the most of it, though all of them still took serious burns in the blaze. Ron, Suzanne, and Thomas ran at the beast with their weapons, careful not to fall out of the tower. They managed to score good hits to the creature's midsection.
The dragon returned by biting Ron in the midsection. Alice sent a bolt of ice at the beast while Thomas healed Ron's wounds. Suzanne and Ron managed to finish the dragon off with slices to its head. The dragon fell from the sky.
"Oh my goodness!" exclaimed Alice. "Do you guys realize what we just did? We just fought and killed a dragon! How many people can say they've done that?"
"Rather coincidental that it was flying by just as we came up here," observed Thomas as he healed the group from their burns. "I'm guessing that's the guardian of this tower."
"Hey, I don't think we visited that part of the tower," observed Suzanne, pointing to where the creature fell.
"There is one staircase we haven't tried yet," said Ron. "Maybe it would lead there?"
The group proceeded across the rope to the other side of the tower. They found two staircases, one going up and one going down. The ascending staircase led to a chest with an iron helmet in it. The other one led to a dead end. The group backtracked all the way back to the plus-sign shaped room on the ground floor and took the staircase they hadn't taken yet. After going up another flight of stairs after that, they came to a chest with some more gold in it.
"Well, that's all the stairs. We still haven't gotten back to that room we saw across the pit with the stairs and chest in it," said Ron.
"Let's return to the floor where we fought the dragon. I swear we haven't been in the area it fell yet," Suzanne suggested.
"Of course, with all the Traveler's Gates and staircases going up and down, it's hard to tell where we've been," said Thomas.
The group returned to the floor where they had fought the dragon. The dragon's corpse was still on the top the spire between the two spires they had been on.
"Alice, can you take some rope and use your magic to fall to that floor? Then we can all get down there safely," suggested Suzanne.
Alice did as she was told and soon the whole group was on the top of the middle spire of the tower. The middle spire was completely open to the sky. The group found that there were three small grey figures huddled around the dragon's corpse.
"Are those slimes?" asked Alice.
"They look like they're encased in metal," observed Ron.
The slimes heard the group and immediately turned around. Two of the grey slimes ran away immediately and jumped off the tower while one cast a spell and sent a fireball at the Suzanne. The group quickly got their weapons out to defend themselves from the small creature. Alice sent an exploding fireball at it but it did not seem to affect it at all. Ron, Suzanne, and Thomas took their weapons to it only to find their strikes glanced off the slime, which was indeed encased in metal.
The last metal slime hopped away from the group at great speed and jumped off the tower as well. The group went to watch its descent, thinking it was going to splatter as it hit the ground. However, the slime hit the ground and hopped away at the same great speed as though it were nothing.
"That was strange," said Ron. "But I guess they probably didn't want to fight us anyway. The one probably only stayed back to cover the others' escape."
"Those were metal slimes!" exclaimed Alice. "This tower is full of wonders!"
"Don't get so excited, we've seen plenty of enemies that are little more than stronger versions of other enemies," replied Ron.
"No, you don't understand. Metal slimes are incredible. Ancient legends say that whoever can slay metal slimes will be given great power. According to the books, people used to obsessively hunt the creatures, hoping for power," explained Alice.
"Well, they don't seem interested in fighting much," replied Suzanne. "Unless they really try to kill us, I say we just leave them alone."
The group
checked the top of the spire. There were no stairs but there was another crack in the tower leading down. Once again, Alice used her magic to descend and bring the rope down so the others could follow. Now they were in a large room with one descending staircase. As they went down, they found themselves on the other side of the gap they had not been able to cross before next to the chest they could not reach.
"Looks like we were supposed to fall off that rope," said Suzanne. "Interesting design."
Alice checked the chest and opened it. Inside was a book that looked as though it had just been printed yesterday. The book was written in an old language that the group could not read. Alice, however, recognized the title.
"I saw this in the libraries," she gasped. "The title says, 'Satori.' This is it! This is the book of Satori!"
The group returned to the Temple of Dhama with the Book of Satori in their possession. After some studying of the book, Alice found that the most important aspect of being a sage was the pursuit of knowledge. Since no other member of the group was as dedicated to learning as she was, the group decided it was she who should become a sage. Alice took the book to the high priest of Dhama and, after a short ceremony, she officially became the first sage since the First Great War.
With just under three months to spare still, Alice studied and honed in her new skills, with the help of the rest of the group. It was like Alice was back in school all over again, with the rest of the group as her teachers. She remained the group's best arcane magic user and continued to study that as she had been.
Ron and Suzanne taught her how to fight with heavier weapons and in heavy armor. Thomas taught her how to use some basic spiritual magic. They even gave her the iron helmet that they had found in the tower, though it looked silly with her cloak of evasion. The group decided they would get her a sword and armor of her own the next time they went shopping.
Chapter 12: Reconnaissance
"It is said that whoever can gather the six orbs can travel anywhere they wish without a ship," said the man at the shrine. "It's a Portogan legend that has faded from the minds of our people since the Second Great War."
After the group had their first, short voyage on the Mad Hound, the ship that King Saldor of Portoga had given them, the group had stopped by a shrine to the south of the castle town. The ship's captain, Captain Marbeley, had insisted on stopping by the shrine as it was custom to pray there for a day before a long voyage.
Besides that, Alice had wanted to conduct some advanced magical spells that would make their journey with the ship easier. Alice managed forge a link between herself and the ship so that if she cast a teleportation spell, she could take the ship along with her and drop it in the nearest spot of water connected to the ocean. This proved to be her first act as a sage as this was apparently a common incantation for sages to make in ancient times.
"Kind of strange for a nation so focused on the sea and on ships to have a legend encouraging other means of transportation, isn't it?" asked Alice.
"In ancient times, our culture was not so focused on ships as it was on exploration. Because of the Second Great War, our people turned from the old ways and have since favored more militaristic views," the man said sadly. "We have forgotten our legends and traditions and instead focus on building warships and improving our navy. Don't get me wrong, it's important that we protect our land from threats. But it depresses me that we have sacrificed some of our culture to do so."
"Tell me more about this legend," pressed Suzanne. "How does one travel anywhere without a ship?"
"I'm afraid that that piece of information was either never known or lost," apologized the man. "Nor do we know what these six orbs are or how they are used. I'm sorry I cannot tell you."
"Hey!" called a high-pitched voice from the back of the room. "We're all ready to depart when you are!"
The call came from Captain Marbeley. The man did not look like your typical ship captain. He was slight of build and short of stature. His voice sounded less like the tough voice of a seasoned explorer and more like a whining teenager. The group had heard that he was ridiculed among other sailors and was said to have been given his name because he "lost his marbles."
"Indeed," Ron had laughed. "It'd take a sailor without all his marbles to offer to follow us around on a journey like ours!"
That had been one of the strange things about the captain. The group had come to find out that he had volunteered for the job when the king had been forced to make good on his promise. When asked about it, the captain had answered much the same way as the man the group now talked to, "We used to be a nation of exploration. Now we focus more on weaponry and armor. I don't mind fighting, but it's not my favorite thing to do. I want to see things. I want to hear things. I want to go where no man has gone before."
"Of all the unprofitable excursions. I know I'm being paid to do this, but you guys could still make it easier on me. That, or you could increase my salary," came a familiar voice as the group approached the Mad Hound.
The group found that they were in need of someone to handle their finances. They needed someone to keep track of inventory, including what they acquired from slain monsters that could be sold, and someone to pay the crew of the Mad Hound. The group had hired their old friend Bill to not only handle their finances but to also give them financial advice. They hoped that in doing so the cost of paying him would be outweighed by the money he saved them. Besides that, everyone but Thomas was glad to have the merchant on board.
"It wasn't completely unprofitable," said Suzanne with a smile. "We heard some interesting stories and may have found the answer we're looking for."
The question that Suzanne was referring to was how to pick up intelligence on the Archfiend's doings. The group thought that they could get Portoga to join the Romalian Empire and Isis if they could show King Saldor the Archfiend's forces. However, the eastern side of Tarasia was almost completely surrounded by the Necrogond Mountains. The small portion that was not blocked off by the mountains was cut off from the rest of the region by a river. The only way to get eyes on the Archfiend was to climb the mountains and none who had made the attempt had returned to tell the tale.
"In some old legend?" asked Thomas skeptically. "That legend was probably nothing but a nursery rhyme."
"That's funny because that nursery rhyme we heard in Isis ended up helping out. People can store important pieces of information in the most innocent places. You just need to have your eyes, ears, and mind open," Alice replied.
"I'm sorry to break up your interesting conversation," cut in Bill with a hint of sarcasm, "but time is money. Shouldn't we be on our way?"
"You're quite right Bill," said Suzanne. "Give them the signal Ron."
"Hey Captain!" shouted Ron. "Time to head out!"
The group had decided to take a look at Tarasia right away. If they got attacked and things went south, they'd only need to hold their own long enough to separate themselves from the monsters and teleport away. Of course, if they were set upon by an army of monsters, it would be impossible to escape once they had been engaged. Thus, the group would need to be careful to watch for large groups of monsters.
One of the men in the shrine had also mentioned the city-state of Jipang far to the southeast. The city was almost directly east of Baharata, but would require the team to sail around Tarasia and then around the southern side of Dalmath, the continent to the east of the Romalian Empire on which was Baharata. The team planned to spend about a day or so checking out Tarasia and then would continue on to Jipang. If their maps and information were accurate, the city was about 11 days away.
Captain Marbeley had warned the team that they still had to be ready for battle even on the ship. Monster activity had dramatically increased on the seas, making sea travel difficult. The captain assured the team that between the archers and the wizard they had on board they could definitely keep the monsters from damaging the ship. But the monsters tended to take to the ship's deck after taking a few shots and the
crew was not skilled in melee combat. If boarded, it would be up to the four to defend the Mad Hound and her crew.
"Captain! We have squishies!" called one of the crew. The other men did not need to wait for the captain's order. All the men on deck quickly grabbed their bows, arrows, and throwing weapons and went to the sides of the ship. The ship's wizard came up from his cabin with a spell on his lips.
"What are squishies?" asked Suzanne to the captain as he readied his own bow and arrows.
"Groups of marine slimes and men o' war," answered Captain Marbeley. "The marine slimes are mere distractions. They do little damage on their own but their tough shells and resistance to magic make them difficult to kill. The men o' war are the true threats in such a group. They're white slimes with tentacles. Their touch can numb a man, though they can't deal much pain."
"Just like those giant bees around Kanave," remembered Ron.
"The group tries to overwhelm crews with numbers and the men o' wars numbing abilities," continued Marbeley. "Or they show up with more powerful foes."
The group took out their weapons and waited to be called upon. Alice offered to help the men defend the ship, but Suzanne called her back, saying that they'd need her magic to bring a quick end to any fight on deck should the monsters manage to board. After a few minutes, it did not seem as though the four would need to fight when a call came from one of the crew.
"Help! They're crowding this side!" called the man. Then they heard him groan, more in frustration then in pain, as he dropped his bow and one of his arrows overboard, his arms having gone numb. The man had been overwhelmed by three men o' wars while four marine slimes, probably having blocked some of the arrows shot at the less armored men o' wars, were already going after a nearby crew member as he started to retreat.
"Alice, you heard the captain. Take out the men o' wars!" called Suzanne.
Alice sent a stream of fire at the men o' wars and sent two of them to their fiery deaths. One had managed to resist the attack and was rounding on the group. The four marine slimes also took notice of the group. Suzanne charged the remaining man o' war and sliced the creature in half, but not before taking a shocking touch to her sword arm. She felt the arm trying to go numb but succeeded in fighting the numbness off.
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