The Wandering Spire

Jeze awoke back at her camp. She saw Mikal checking on the sleeping forms of Rolfe, Helga, and Dunar. The dark-haired Frostsworn looked haggard and more pale. Did he get any sleep? Jeze wondered. Her body ached, but her exhaustion was from Channeling her Will into the Life aspect. She came out healthy from the fight with the Goreraptor.

"How are they?" Jeze asked.

Mikal looked up at her, and she saw bags under his eyes. He answered, "They have stabilized. Dunar and Rolfe suffered grievous wounds and lost a lot of blood. Helga has several broken ribs. I have mended them, and she should be fine by tomorrow morning."

“And Dunar and Rolfe?” Jeze said, and she rose to check on the two warriors.

"I will say at least a week or more. I did what I could to repair the damage to their flesh. The organs are a little more challenging, but their bodies are strong. We just have to monitor for fever and infection," the Healer answered.

Rolfe and Dunar laid with their eyes closed and they looked calm. Jeze touched their foreheads, and they were warm to the touch. She determined that they were recovering and needed more rest.

"They look peaceful," Ziplocke said from the shadows beside Jeze and sighed. "So boring!"

Jeze patted the Goblin's head and asked, "What are we to do?"

"We? I will care for my teammates until they are fully recovered. I do not care what you do," Mikal snapped.

Jeze held her anger in check. The Healer was tired and had not slept. Even when rested, Mikal was cranky, but she recognized that he had worked hard to keep their teammates alive.

The Healer's face softened, and he added, "You did good work with the Life aspect. Without your aid, Rolfe and Dunar would have died on the field yesterday. I have known them since I was a child. They are my close friends, and I thank you."

That was kind of Mikal, Jeze reflected, and she was glad that she didn't snap at him. Words, once spoken, can not be taken back. She recalled Berserker Orn's wisdom. When she was able to manage her emotions, it had served her well. Jeze came over and hugged Mikal. The dark-haired Healer was shocked in the moment and then gently patted her back.

"Get some rest. I can watch over them," Jeze offered.

Mikal nodded and laid down on his bedroll. In seconds, she heard the Healer snoring. Jeze felt it was proper that she offered to help, but in reality, she didn't know what to do. All she knew was how to Shape flesh with the Life aspect. Jeze knew nothing of fevers or mending bones. Among her teammates, Helga looked the most healthy and rested. The warrior maiden slept soundly and looked so comfortable that Jeze envied her.

"Irvin came to check on you," Ziplocke stated.

"Really?" Jeze perked up. She was excited to hear from her friend.

"You were asleep. Can I have some paste?" The Goblin asked.

Jeze chuckled and fed him his favorite snack. She checked her teammates one last time and then went the short distance to the large tent that was Station 28. Her camp was in a clearing surrounded by Pine trees. The area around Station 28 was bustling with activity, which surprised Jeze. She figured everyone would be on the battle lines to prepare for the Spire's arrival.

"Has the Spire arrived yet?" She asked Ziplocke.

"How should I know? I've been here with you!" The Goblin snapped.

Fair enough, Jeze thought and patted Ziplocke on his bald green head. Around the tent, Wagons arrived in the dozens. Merchants began to set up stalls that sold all manner of adventuring gear and food. Her stomach rumbled at the delicious scents, and Jeze decided she would eat first. Between enchanting armor for Hannah and selling Rover parts, Jeze had plenty of coin in her purse, and she treated herself to a bowl of noodles and meat. She slurped them up as she returned to the Station 28 tent.

The Spire's arrival was a huge economic draw for many traders and merchants. An entire city was being built before Jeze's eyes. Bankers and craftsmen arrived to manage the flow of resources, money, and merchandise. Adventurers were rich and needed to purchase expensive enchanted gear. In addition, they had many resources to sell, such as the monster's skins and parts that could be used for crafting and potion-making. In addition, the more advanced Demons held treasure and enchanted weapons. It was also rumored that the Wandering Spire had rooms for full precious gems if a brave adventurer could find them and survive the traps. These were goods that needed buyers, and so the Spire economy was formed. Jeze's heart began to beat faster, and she was eager to enter the Spire. There was so much opportunity!

Jeze entered the Station 28 tent and it was crowded. The replica that served as a map and provided real-time updates hummed with constant activity. The scribes were frantically reading the scrolls, updating the replica, and writing out messages to the teams. Jeze's face lit up when she spotted Irvin. The staunch official with white hair was working hard and gave orders to the scribes. Jeze had so many questions, but everyone was too busy to even notice her. She found a corner to stand in and watched.

"We have a squad of Ogres on the field! Do the other Stations have any Adept ranked teams?" Irvin demanded.

Scribes scribbled notes onto the enchanted Communication Scrolls and read the responses.

"Station 25 states that you have the Frostsworn and Berserker Orn," A scribe responded.

"That is not enough for a squad of Ogres!" Irvin cried.

"What are Ogres?" Jeze whispered to Ziplocke.

The Goblin scowled and answered, "They are the commanders for the Fiendish Lord's armies. They are giant brutes, powerfully built and have a natural affinity with the Affliction and Fire aspects. Despite their brutish nature, they are clever and are noted for their skill in combat."

Jeze nodded.

Ziplocke continued, "They are also known to carry valuable gems and own well-crafted weapons and armor made from the most precious metals that could only be found within the Abyssal plane. That is why the higher-ranked adventurers wish to fight them."

Jeze pictured the excitement on Orn's face to have a squad all to himself to fight. Based upon the urgency in Irvin's voice, Jeze was a little worried for the Berserker and the Carls. This might be a battle that was too difficult for them.

"Orn and his team have engaged with the Ogres," one of the Scribes read from a Communication scroll.

The tension in the room could be felt like an oppressive heat from a hot oven. Jeze didn't know much, but she had enough experience on the battle lines to know that if Orn and the Carls failed, the Ogres would smash through the armies. In the distance, she heard the faint, familiar howls from the Howlers. Ziplocke had told her that during the final days of the Wandering Spire's arrival, armed units of Howlers emerged. Her hands itched toward her weapons, and she craved to be in the battle. Could she join up with another team and aid the soldiers against the Howlers?

"Irvin," Jeze called out.

The older man immediately came to her and asked, "Jeze, how are you feeling?"

"I'm healthy and can fight!" She replied, eager to join the battle lines.

Irvin glanced around and hurried Jeze out of the tent. "I know you can fight and would be useful on the frontlines, but I think it is best for you to stay here," he told her.

"Why?" Jeze demanded.

"Jorgeson told me about the attempt on your life. It would be too risky if you were to go into the field without your team. The assassin is still out there," Irvin replied.

Jeze was about to say something when Ziplocke interjected, "He is right."

The calmness in Ziplocke's voice surprised Jeze.

"What can I do?" She asked, wanting to be useful.

Irvin gripped her shoulders and sighed. "Stay with your team while they recover. The Wandering Spire will appear at any moment and teams will be soon heading in. Once that happens, you will be plenty busy with establishing the Safe Zones."

"I'm to just sit on my hands and do nothing?" Jeze growled.

Irvin tapped his chin in thought, and his eyes twinkled. "How quickly can you learn the Runes to operate the Communication Scrolls?"

The scowl on Jeze's face vanished in an instant. "I am a fast learner," she promised.

Jeze became extremely busy over the next few days and she learned quite a bit. Jeze learned that the Communication Scrolls were actually crafted using the rubbery skin from a Rover for its affinity to Rune magic and durability. The words that appeared on the scrolls were not from ink, but from the Rover's innate camouflage ability. This fascinated Jeze, but she was not able to ask further questions due the urgency of the fighting outside.

The Communication Scrolls were powered by the Life aspect and overlaid with the Nature, Light, and Water aspects. It was very complicated, and Jeze didn't need to understand the details. Her role was to repair the Scrolls as the Runes would become damaged from use. There were piles of inoperable Communication Scrolls where she needed to correct the Glyphs with precise adjustments so that the magic would snap into place. The next step was for Jeze to power the scrolls with the Life aspect, which was not her strongest ability. It quickly taxed her Will, but Jeze felt it was good training. Ultimately, this would make her better at healing her teammates on the field of battle.

Being in the Station 28 tent, Jeze received firsthand the updates from the field and got a pretty good idea on what happened. Orn and the Carls were victorious, but the armies struggled against the organized Howler onslaught. Plus, Hellbats were seen on the field, and they threatened to pass the Battle lines. There was a moment of panic that the flying Demons would be arriving at their camp. Jeze and other Initiate-ranked adventurers were quickly organized into a hasty defense. But what could they do against the flying Demons that were reported to have the ability to breathe fire? Luckily, the Hellbats were taken down by some Adventurer-ranked teams. Everyone in the Station 28 tent cheered when that was discovered.

So it went on, and Jeze repaired Scrolls, and she listened as the updates came in through the Scribes. Irvin acted as a liaison between the Guild teams and the Iron Fist and Golden Empire armies. A scribe reported a potential breach in the Battlelines.

"By what?" Irvin asked, and the Scribes scribbled the question on the Communication Scrolls.

"Howlers," another Scribe answered.

"Alert the available Initiate team, Iron Defenders, and send them out," Irvin commanded.

Jeze discovered that each team had a name. Her team was known as the Proven. Or the Frostsworn. All the Initiate teams reported to an Adventurer ranked member. In her case, the Proven reported to Carl Jorgenson. Before being in the tent, Jeze knew none of this, and having spent several hours in Station 28, she quickly became impressed with the level of organization. She got to see how the assignments were distributed.

"How are we doing with the scrolls?" Irvin asked.

This snapped Jeze out of her daydreaming. "Almost done," she replied.

"Knucklehead," Ziplocke hissed with a shake of his head.

A scribe, an older woman with gray hair, next to Jeze gasped as she read an incoming alert from one of the scrolls. The older lady rushed over to Irvin to share the report. He listened, and his face became grave.

"Attention everyone!" He barked loudly. The scribes and officials in the tent paused to listen.

"Station 27 is being overrun. We anticipate the enemy forces to be here within the hour," Irvin said.

There was a shocked silence.

"Alert every available fighter. We must prepare for battle," Irvin stated.