The Wandering Spire

Station 28 slowly returned back to normal after the Howler attack. The merchants rebuilt their stalls and market stands. Wagons that left earlier were now coming back. It was reported that the Wandering Spire had materialized and the monster waves were ending. That meant the adventurers in the field had defeated monsters and earned treasure to sell. They needed a place to do their transactions. Dunar and Rolfe were awake and slowly moving.

"Be careful, you do not want to reopen your wounds. If you do, I will not close them," Mikal stated.

"I couldn't move fast even if I tried," Rolfe responded with a grimace.

"Aye," Dunar agreed.

Jeze supplied them with a recovery broth that she had infused with the Yelith root. Mikal nodded in approval.

"Eat that. It will help with your recuperation," the Healer commanded.

"I want a real meal!" Rolfe grumbled.

Dunar accepted the potion without complaint and drank from the bowl. Rolfe sighed and did the same. The large man smacked his lips.

"This is not bad! Can I have more?" He asked.

Jeze smiled and poured him another bowl from the boiling pot over the campfire.

"I hear we owe Jeze our life," Dunar stated.

"Yes, yes you do," the teenager replied.

"Except she was supposed to be watching over us when we were recovering, and instead, she wandered off," Mikal snorted.

Jeze placed her fists on her hips and stated, "I saved your lives!"

"It was a group effort," Helga said.

The warrior maiden hefted the spiked mace she took from the Howler Elite. It was made out of blackened steel, and the handle was as long as her Dane axe. To Helga, it had a similar weight distribution.

"Your new toy?" Dunar asked.

Helga nodded and explained, "I think this will do nicely against armor, no?"

"They call that Devil's Steel," Irvin said when he and Lady Kalina arrived.

The Amber Guard nodded silently to the others.

Ziplocke snickered and added, "You won't be able to find that here. The iron was smelted in Hellfire!"

Dunar squinted at the blackened steel ball on Helga's weapon. He rubbed a hand over it and observed, "I feel no difference. It is like regular steel."

"It looks more ominous," Mikal pointed out.

"Oh, ho! That is true! I like it! Strike fear and break bones!" Helga exclaimed.

"Any news?" Dunar asked Irvin and Lady Kalina.

"Preparations are being made to start the next phase," Irvin said.

"Phase?" Jeze asked.

"The first phase was the monster waves. They end when the Spire fully materializes. The next phase is to travel through the Wasteland that accompanies the Spire. Phase three will be adventuring within the Spire. Phase four is evacuation for when the Spire returns to the Abyssal plane," Irvin responded.

Dunar turned to Jeze, "That is where the Carls are now. They want to be the first to venture through the Wasteland. It is said that there are many crypts and hidden dungeons that are often rich with treasure."

"And danger!" Ziplocke shrieked with a wide grin on his small green face.

"Many teams do not enter the Spire and mainly spend the time exploring the Wasteland," Lady Kalina explained.

"Not us. We will venture into the Spire!" Rolfe declared.

"Oh, ho! We will make it to the top!" Helga added.

Irvin and Lady Kalina gave each other a silent look and nodded.

"Oh, to be young again," Irvin observed.

"Young and misguided," Lady Kalina added.

Mikal nodded to the Amber Guard and said, "Welcome to my life."

"Any word on the Empire's treachery?" Jeze asked.

"The official statement was a miscommunication from command, and the appropriate leaders have been disciplined," Irvin replied.

"I still feel it was something else," Lady Kalina said and looked at Jeze. "Irvin told me about the attempt on your life. The Empire is up to something. I just don't know what."

"The gift of Immortality is a myth. The Empire wants to keep that a secret," Jeze responded.

"To what end? No one outside the Empire cares. I'm sorry, Jeze. You and your secret are not that special," Mikal snorted.

"They did make an attempt on her life," Rolfe interjected.

The others nodded in agreement. That meant what she knew was important enough for someone to want her dead.

"Are we not sure it is because she is annoying?" Mikal asked and exclaimed, "Oh!" When Jeze punched his arm.

Ziplcoke cackled with joy.

"None of that matters. The Spire's true purpose is to invade our realm, and we must make it to the top floor to repair the Seals and lock away the Fiendish Lord. Otherwise, they will claim this realm as their own," Jeze stated.

"The Empire is trying to sabotage this event. With Seb's death, the attempt on Jeze's life, and the recent allowance of the Howler to destroy two Stations. We need to stop them!" Lady Kalina exclaimed. It was a shock to everyone to see so much emotion come out of the normally impassive woman.

Irvin shook his head and said, "I feel I am obligated to say that I believe your judgment is impaired regarding the Empire, due to you being from the Iron Kingdom."

Lady Kalina glared at him but crossed her arms to listen.

Irvin held up his hands and continued, "Now, I am not saying they are innocent, but I think we might be putting more on them. Seb's death was very likely an accident, and the recent events with Howlers could be due to military incompetence. The Legion is very large, and these types of mistakes do happen."

"What about the attempt on my life? The murder of Raynor?" Jeze cried. Tears formed in her eyes.

"I believe that was to keep the secret that the Emperor may not be immortal. Seb's death or the recent Howler incident does not add up. The Wandering Spire is a lucrative time for all the nations. The Empire stands to lose a lot of profits by sabotaging the efforts of the Guild," Irvin answered.

"Because the Spire arrived within the Ironfist Kingdom's borders, the Kingdom is expected to make the most profits. The Empire's sabotage is to limit their rivals," Lady Kalina added.

Irvin nodded and conceded that possibility.

Dunar rose slowly to his feet and said, "We need to plan for the Wasteland and eventually the Spire."

Rolfe clapped his hands, "Yes! I am eager to test myself."

Mikal snapped, "Not until you two are fully healed! I swear to the Frozen All Father, I will not aid you if you do something stupid."

Helga laughed and then grimaced as she clutched her ribs in pain.

"Yes, I agree. That is what you young adventurers should be doing. Do not let us old timers bog you down with our silly politics," Lady Kalina said and turned to look at Jeze, "I promise I will keep investigating. I will warn you if I find anything."

"Thank you," Jeze said and bowed.

Lady Kalina excused herself.

"I understand you all made some good coin from the Rover parts. I suggest not only do you buy provisions, but you should consider upgrading your weapons. Or maybe invest in more magical equipment," Irvin said.

"Like what?" Jeze asked.

Irvin shrugged and waved his arms around. "Shop around! There will be no shortage of merchants."

"We are in no condition to train, so we might as well walk around," Dunar said.

The team walked together through the numerous merchant stalls that offered a variety of goods.

"Any idea how far the Wandering Spire is from the Wasteland?" Jeze asked.

"Berserker Orn says two days travel," Rolfe answered.

Mikal rolled his eyes. "That means about a week for the rest of us."

"Safe Zones and Merchants will be stationed through the Wasteland," Dunar said.

"I wouldn't count on that," Ziplocke muttered.

"Would we be able to find food and water? It is still our realm, right?" Jeze asked the Goblin.

"No. Think about how your Summoning of an aspect works. When you Summon Earth, you bring dirt from another realm. After a while, when the magic wears off, the dirt will vanish. The Wandering Spire is an extremely powerful and complex Summoning where it brings a portion of the Abyssal plane to this realm," Ziplocke answered.

"What type of food can we eat from the Abyssal plane?" Rolfe asked.

The Goblin snickered and replied, "I can show you."

Rolfe shook his head. "No, thank you. I'd rather we purchase provisions."

"We know we can eat Bloodlings," Helga offered.

Rolfe perked up and said, "They were delicious!"

Mikal stopped a stall and talked with the merchant, who had a round body and a bald head. The Healer returned and said, "We should buy these blocks of water."

"Buy ice?" Jeze asked.

"No, they are disposable Rune blocks that, when activated, will Summon water," Mikal said.

"I have heard of those," Jeze added as she walked over to examine the gray bricks.

"They cost a fortune! Can't you Summon water?" Dunar asked.

Mikal rubbed his face and answered, "I can only Summon water for a few minutes before it disappears."

"That is plenty of time for us to drink it," Rolfe said. He did the math in his head and was fairly confident that he was correct.

"The body needs at least four hours for the water to be absorbed and turned into waste," Mikal replied.

"You mean when we pee?" Helga asked.

"Yes! And It won't provide any nourishment. These bricks have a strong enchantment that can last for a few days, more than enough time to be absorbed and used by our bodies," Mikal answered.

"How are they made?" Jeze wondered. She saw the Rune patterns, and she figured it was the materials that gave it the extra lasting power.

"We take the bones from Bloodlings and other Demons and grind them into a fine powder. Afterward, we mix it with water, and it turns into clay. We overlay it with several Rune patterns that have been in my family for generations and bake the clay into bricks. All you need is a drop of water, it could be Summoned water to activate the enchantment, and each block will generate five gallons of water that can last up to three days. We sell the buckets as well," the chubby merchant explained.

"It's totally worth it!" Jeze explained.

"If you buy four, you get the fifth one free," the merchant offered.

"Why can't we just carry water in waterskins?" Dunar suggested.

"Those are heavy! These are lightweight, see?" Mikal said. He couldn't believe he was in agreement with Jeze.

"Dunar, we can get these and save money on food as I can buy the raw ingredients and craft Recovery broths using these bricks for water," Jeze explained.

"Those were delicious!" Rolfe exclaimed.

"Ya, but at some point, I would like a steak," Helga said.

"I suppose you would also like us to pack ale while we are at it," Mikal muttered.

"Oh, Micky! You know me so well!" Helga beamed at the Healer.

"They are easy to stack in our packs," Dunar agreed.

"Oh, I'm gonna need a new pack, too," Helga stated.

"Why?" Dunar asked, his eyes narrowed.

"I need one that can hold my new Devil Mace," Helga said.

Jeze and Mikal went ahead and ordered the Water Bricks.

Dunar scratched his head and asked Helga, "How many weapons are you planning to carry?"

"Are you counting my shield?" The Warrior Maiden asked.

"Yes."

"Well, my shield, my sword, my axe, and my Devil mace," Helga answered, holding up her fingers.

"Can I get a Devil mace?" Rolfe asked.

"Why do you need so many weapons?" Dunar asked.

"I love my axe. And, I love the idea of crushing things with the Devil mace. Especially things in heavy armor. My axe did no good against the Goreraptor," Helga answered.

"She wants utility. I can respect that," Jeze said.

"Yes! Like we face Rovers, I chop them up with my axe. If we encounter a Goreaptor, I crush their hard skull with my Devil mace," Helga explained.

"Okay, fine. We can shop for a new pack for Helga, but remember we still need provisions," Dunar said. He was doing the calculations in his head.

"Ooh! We need this!" Jeze cried and pointed to a self-heating cooking pot.

"We have a pot, and you can Summon fire," Dunar said.

"But what if she gets killed? We still need to eat," Mikal teased.

Jeze stuck her tongue out at the Healer. She turned to Dunar and said, "Fire creates light and draws attention. We may want to remain hidden."

Rolfe perked up and added, "If we are inside a dungeon, fire makes smoke. That is not good for our lungs."

Mikal laughed, "You charge Goreraptors, and you are worried about smoke?"

Rolfe's face hardened. He was a very large and muscular man. Mikal coughed and added, "But he is right. Good lung health is crucial for adventuring."

"Okay, fine! We will get the pot and then provisions and no more!" Dunar said.

They nodded and purchased a Rune-powered self-heating pot. They walked on in search of provisions.

"How did they discover that crushed Demon bones will allow for water Summoning?" Rolfe asked.

Mikal slapped his forehead and said, "This is my life."