Amelia looked on in shock as the rest of the party were resting on a bench near the blacksmith. Even the side streets in Kries were far bigger than the dingy backstreets of Haelshire, although they were almost completely deserted. Now the buildings were closer together, the towers felt even taller than they already were.
“How the hell did you beat me here?” She asked incredulously.
“Because we went in the opposite direction,” Grey told her matter-of-factly. “You’ve just circled the entire city.”
“How…” Amelia trailed off in confusion, before glaring at him and walking into the blacksmith, which had the same sign as the one in Heartily. “Let’s just get some damn gear.”
The blacksmith here was a walking suit of armour, magical laylines covering it's surface. The room was much cooler than the other blacksmiths the party had visited, and also much smaller. The fire burned blue and there was no anvil in sight. It seemed smithing with magic was a very different process than smithing with tools.
Blacksmith
----
Shortsword:
Parry Blade: +5 DEF, 500 Gold
Striker Edge: +10 STR, 1000 Gold
----
Shield:
Rash Assault: +10 STR, -5 DEF, 800 Gold
Barrier Plate: +10 DEF, 1000 Gold
----
Armour:
Plate Armour: +10 DEF, 800 Gold
Mage Armour: +10 DEF, +5 DEX, 1500 Gold
“At least some of these are different this time,” James said. “Still, not much choice.”
“Fill up whatever gear slots you don’t have right now,” Grey suggested.
“Yeah, we understand how numbers work,” Patrick said. He selected a new hat that immediately replaced his old one, with a purple trim and a star decal.
Trident743
Hat of the Night Sky
+10 SPL
1000 Gold
“I’ve got enough gold to buy out this whole place,” Amelia said, examining the choices intently.
“Which means you’re going to be the one buying potions,” Grey told her, “Us three only have one gear piece each, and you have two.”
She scowled, annoyed that Grey was right. She chose a new set of armour, and a light copper plate appeared in place of her old clothes.
GlassAngel
Light Copper
+10 DEF
1000 Gold
“I’ll go find the potion shop, meet you back with flyboy,” Amelia said as she closed the menu and walked out.
“She’s seen enough of the city, she’ll know where it is,” James muttered as he selected a new set of armour. It had the same colours as his old one, but had blue magic runes engraved on the surface.
Cieth
Magic Armour
+10 DEF, +5 DEX
1500 Gold
“You’re really splashing out,” Patrick said. His robe was replaced with a cloak covering his right side, with his left arm covered in leather armour.
Trident743
Practical Mage Robes
+10 STR
1000 Gold
“I had literally no money the last time we brought this stuff,” James replied. “At least give me this.”
“And I didn’t buy gear the last time you guys got stuff because all my money went to potions,” Grey reminded him as a cross medallion appeared around his neck.
Skibabylon
Hanging Cross
+10 SPL
1000 Gold
James just ignored him. A new shield appeared on his back, a circular one which shimmered with magical energy.
Cieth
Barrier Plate
+10 DEF
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1000 Gold
Finally, Grey picked out a new staff, a marble white one with a crystal orb on the top.
Skibabylon
Arcane Rod
+5 STR, +5 DEX
1000 Gold
When the party was done, they returned to the centre of Kries, where Delarius and Amelia were waiting.
“Now you have returned, we can visit the Baroness,” Delarius said.
“He just said literally the same thing to me in exactly the same tone,” Amelia added.
“You got the supplies?” Patrick asked. Amelia held up a potion bottle and waved it in his face.
“Where is the baroness?” Grey asked Delarius. “Is she in the tower?”
“Hardly! That would be far too obvious. She lives in her own estate in the square.” He pointed at one of the towers that had a large spider over the entrance. “It’s that one, over there.”
“Completely obscured from notice. Let’s visit her.”
“If she’s evil, won’t she just try to kill us?” James asked.
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Patrick said. “We can take her if she does.”
The group walked over to the baroness’ tower and Delarius knocked on the door. A few moments later, a maid opened the door.
“Do you have an appointment with the Baroness?” The maid asked.
“Regrettably not,” Delarius said. He pulled the letter he had found in Haelshire. “My name is Delarius Skyshear. These are the heroes of Sable. We are here to ask her about this.”
The maid examined the letter and nodded. “Come in. I’ll arrange an audience.”
They entered a large reception area with wood panelling and fine furniture, clashing with the darker exterior. There was a spiral staircase in the middle of the room, and several housemaids and butlers cleaning.
“Wait here, I will alert my lady to your presence.”
The maid skipped up the spiral staircase and vanished into the rooms above.
“This looks less like a house and more like a manor,” Patrick said.
“There’s a lot of staff around here for just one person,” James said.
“Pretty typical of the upper class,” Patrick replied.
“Kiula Web is not only the Baroness of Kries, but also one of the Grand Mages of the Tower of Night,” Delarius stated. “It is natural that she would have so many serving staff to assist her in her duties.”
“I’m going to guess the Tower of Night is the big thing in the middle of the city?” James asked, and Delarius responded with a curt nod.
“It’s the centre of magical study in our country,” Delarius expanded. “All the best mages in Corinth research and commune there, studying artefacts and making fine new spells. They exceptionally powerful and intelligent people, and they all command great respect.”
“Even from you?”
“I am a great believer of technology, but that does not stop me from being a great believer in magic.”
“Where I come from, they’re oxymorons.”
The maid descended from the staircase and beckoned the group up. As they spiraled upwards, the room’s décor started to change from the posh oak to black stone, likely the same as the tower’s exterior that just wasn’t covered on these floors, and magic sigils started to take their place. The rooms got smaller and smaller and the number of sigils increased, and several wooden mannequins were being dusted by the maids. They eventually reached the cone shaped room at the top of the tower, which was currently completely empty other than a single woman looking out of the only window in the building, a very nice stained glass window.
“The heroes of Sable, ma'am,” The maid said. She bowed and exited.
Baroness Kiula Web turned to meet them. She was a tall woman with raven black hair down to her waist, pale white skin, and was wearing a white backless dress. She was a head taller than anyone else in the party, and was holding a glass of wine in her hand. Delarius bowed to her. The rest of the party followed suit, Patrick more reluctant than the others.
“Pleasure to meet you all,” Kiula said in a silky smooth voice. “I had heard you’d arrived at last. As a dedicated archmage, it is an honour to meet people who come from outside Sable.”
“We’re just here to save your world,” Patrick replied.
“We’ll see how that goes. I hear you might be facing some formidable foes this time round. Valzekt is gathering power, and he may be stronger than he ever was before. And this is your guide?” She looked over at Delarius and raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. “He doesn’t look like the heroic type.”
“Delarius Skyshear is perfectly capable,” Grey said. “He gives us intel about these regions. We can handle the rest.”
“I’m glad he does his job so well. I’d heard from other barons that he was quite an…unusual individual.”
“Let’s just cut to the chase,” Amelia said bluntly. “You’re evil and we’re going to beat you up.”
She chuckled. “Straight to the point, I see. What evil acts have I partaken in?”
“We have proof of you hiring a group of mercenaries to assassinate the Haelshire Garrison,” Grey explained. “A letter with your seal on it, and a drug in the guard’s bloodstream to knock them unconscious when the mercenaries arrive. Quite damning evidence.”
“Interesting. Does anyone else know of this…evidence?”
The party glanced between each other as Kiula continued, picking up on what was about to happen.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Kiula continued. “And, may I remind you, you have brought all of the evidence of my crimes into the study of an archmage?”
Delarius chuckled nervously, having not picked up what the others had. “What exactly are you implying?”
The party drew their weapons, preparing to leap into combat. Before they could, the sigils scribbled across the walls began to glow before they sent out jets of fire, and the room burst into flames.
Entering Dungeon
Web Estate
Recommended Level: 4
James Stats: Level: 5 VIT: 300/300 STR: 15 DEF: 25 DEX: 10 SPL: 15 INT: 1
Amelia Stats: Level: 5 VIT: 200/200 STR: 25 DEF: 15 DEX: 10 SPL: 5 INT: 0
Grey stats: Level: 4 VIT: 150/150 STR: 10 DEF: 15 DEX: 10 SPL: 30 INT: 0 Healing Pool: 600/600
Patrick stats: Level: 3 VIT: 100/100 STR: 30 DEF: 5 DEX: 15 SPL: 25 INT: 0 Mana: 250/250
