The Wandering Spire

Jeze lowered her weapons and walked in between Rolfe and Helga. Her teammates watched her with shocked silence as she broke their formation. In front of her were the pointed spears of the elite Legionnaires, the angry glare from Miss Heng, and Drake with his smug smile.

"I can fix this. Allow me and my team to enter and we will repurpose the Portals and establish the Safe Zones," Jeze announced.

Miss Heng's eyes narrowed with barely contained fury. The Amber guard hissed, "Even now, you still know nothing. You know nothing of what you have done. We have teams helplessly struggling to find their way out. They have no safe zone, no portals back, no way to resupply or to pull out their wounded."

"Then let me fix it. Let us enter the Spire," Jeze demanded.

"For Glory!" Dunar roared in his deep voice.

"Hurrah!" The Proven shouted back.

This drew the attention of the other Frostsworn, and Jeze saw the large forms of the Carls jog toward them. Unfortunately, more elite Legionaries marched forward in a uniformed battle formation. The sound of their heavy armor and weapons echoed ominously as they approached like the drum beats to an impending doom.

"You have demonstrated that you can not be trusted," Drake said.

That snake! Jeze thought.

Miss Heng nodded and stated, "You need to be held accountable for failing to perform your duties as directed as an Initiate ranked member of the Guild."

The Carls arrived and joined the ranks of Dunar and the Proven. Across from them were the battle-ready lines of the Legion, with Drake and Miss Heng at the forefront.

"I can not be held responsible for an entire program. Where are the other Safe Squad Members?" Jeze asked.

"They are not here!" Miss Heng cried and waved her arm, "Due to your defiance! They could have been killed in the Waves. Or putting their own interests above the Guild's needs."

"There is no proof of that! And yet, here I am, ready to do my duty, and you want to punish me for the actions of others with or without proof," Jeze snapped back.

The teenager was happy to see nods of approval outside the Legionnaires and the Frostsworn. The people were supporting her. Miss Heng even appeared to consider her words, but Drake whispered something in her ear, and the Amber Guard's face hardened.

"I say this one last time. Turn yourself in and have the Frostsworn stand down, or suffer the consequences," Miss Heng ordered.

Jeze turned her words to the collective crowd of adventurers that have gathered. She spoke out, "Fellow Guild members, I am speaking to you. Many of you know of me and of the Frostsworn. Have we not performed bravely?"

"I will give you a count of three," Miss Heng growled but was cut off as the crowd responded.

"Aye, we heard how you saved Station 28," someone shouted.

Jeze was emboldened, and she continued, "They would have had me sit out of the Monster Waves. Why? To keep me safe. As adventurers, do we seek out safety?"

There was a collective laugh among the crowd of hardened Guild members.

"Did we join the guild instead of the army to follow orders?" She asked.

"No! We joined for Glory!" Helga roared.

"Stop what you are doing," Miss Heng hissed, but Jeze felt that the power behind her words had faltered.

"I ask you, fellow adventurers, should the Proven be allowed to challenge the Spire? Should I be allowed to establish a Safe Zone on the first floor?" Jeze spoke out to the crowd and ignored Miss Heng.

Jeze was relieved when she heard a collective "yes" from the gathered adventurers. Miss Heng appeared conflicted over what to do next. Drake whispered in her ear again, and the Amber Guard nodded.

“Sieze her,” Miss Heng ordered.

The Legionnaires advanced forward.

"Hold!" A powerful voice boomed from the Carls.

The Legionnaires and Miss Heng paused. Stepping forth was Berserker Orn.

"Miss Heng, I believe you and I can speak on this with civility and come to an understanding, no?" Orn asked.

Miss Heng nodded to acknowledge the Berserker and stated, "We can. Your adventurer disobeyed a direct order and, as a result, has placed many lives, including the Frostsworn, in danger."

Orn's eyes twinkled as he responded, "You know the ways of our people well enough to know that we do not fault her for seeking Glory over following orders. By all accounts, she fought bravely with the Proven."

"Berserker Orn, though I appreciate the customs of the Frostsworn, I know that even you must acknowledge the need for order, for Glory can not be achieved without discipline," Miss Heng said.

Orn nodded his bearded head and offered, "I hear you, Miss Heng. Your words are true. Here is what I propose. We allow the Proven to enter the Spire and for Jeze to establish a Safe Zone. That will benefit all of us. I do not disagree with you about punishment, just the severity of it."

Miss Heng crossed her arms and asked, "What do you propose?"

"She was not alone in her infraction and it is not fair for her to suffer it alone. I propose a simple payment should suffice," Orn offered.

"What?" Jeze demanded but was silenced by a cold look from the Berserker.

Words, once spoken, can not be taken back. Jeze recalled his wisdom and closed her mouth from speaking further.

Drake whispered into Miss Heng's ear, but she waved him off. That gave Jeze some hope.

Miss Heng replied, "Berserker Orn, your wisdom and words are much appreciated. I believe an arrangement could be made that benefits the Guild and will put this matter to rest. Here is what I propose," the Amber Guard turned toward Jeze and said, "You have one week to establish a Safe Zone. Or die trying. If you fail, then you will be fined one hundred gold ducats each day this is delayed."

"100 hundred gold ducats!" Jeze exclaimed.

"That seems fair," Orn said.

"We are in agreement," Miss Heng acknowledged.

“No we are not!” Jeze snapped.

Orn narrowed his eyes and asked, "You do not think you are capable of this request? You are a part of the Proven. Your team have ran with the Dire Wolves through the Deep snow. You think this is above your abilities?"

The Berserker aimed his question at Jeze's team.

"We will do this!" Dunar exclaimed.

"For Glory!" Helga roared.

"Hurrah!" Jeze and the others shouted back. She couldn't help herself.

Orn, a twinkle in his piercing blue eyes, nodded with a smile on his bearded face. Jeze had watched a master use words and emotions with skill and ease as if he had swung his axe to split a Dragon's skull. She had one week to find and repurpose a portal in order to establish a Safe Zone. Or go broke.

"Looks like we have an agreement," Orn stated.

Miss Heng smiled, which appeared unnatural on the stern woman's face. The two Adept ranked adventures shook hands. Drake looked furious, and that gave Jeze some joy. On command, the Legionnaires departed. Dunar and the Proven visibility relaxed from the tense situation.

"You were lucky!" Rolfe boomed after the departing soldiers.

Helga barred her teeth and roared after them. Mikal shook his head and rubbed his temples. Orn and the Carls approached.

"You have my thanks, Berserker Orn," Jeze said with a bow.

"Nonsense, I see you headed my advice well. You controlled your emotions and timed your words wisely," the Berserker observed.

Jorgenson placed a firm grip on Dunar's shoulder. "You have a big task ahead of you. One I am sure you could succeed in. May you find your Glory!"

"You have my thanks. I am honored to have trained under you. We will not let you down," Dunar replied.

"All of this talk but no action! We have a week, and Jeze could lose a lot of money. Money that she would otherwise use to buy me my paste! So lets move people!" Ziplocke roared.

"Aww, he is so cute!" Helga beamed.

"He is hideous," Mikal muttered.

"So is your face!" Ziplocke snapped back.

Dunar cleared his throat and stated, "We need a plan." The Proven team leader turned toward Jorgenson and asked, "Have you been inside?"

The Carl nodded and answered, “On each level there is a chamber with the Floor Guardian. In that room there are two portals. One portal leads to a random location on the next floor, and the other portal leads to the previous level’s Guardian’s chamber. For the first floor the portal is the exit from the Spire.”

"Do you have a map?" Dunar asked.

"We did our best. As you know, inside the Spire covers many miles. What we have, maybe, but a snowflake in a snowstorm," Jorgenson responded.

"We will take it and ask the other teams," Jeze said.

"That is wise," Jorgenson nodded, and he handed Dunar a piece of folded parchment that was an incomplete map.

For the next hour Jeze and the Proven traveled around the growing camp to ask the other teams that had braved the first floor. What they heard was disturbing with regards to the dangers that lay within.

"It is an endless maze of hallways and intersections lined with traps and guarded fiercely by the trapped souls of adventurers who have lost their lives before us," one woman described.

"We will be facing the undead?" Dunar asked.

"Aye, and angry spirits. I can not tell you which is worse, the traps or the spirits," the adventurer replied.

From a team of Shamans from the Tribal Council, they received another map. It did not connect with the maps they have received thus far and it was starting to appear that they have puzzle pieces from different parts of the puzzle that do not connect with each other.

"It may take a week alone just to get information out here. Sorry, Jeze. Looks like you are going to be broke," Mikal observed.

Jeze was getting nervous about losing all of her hard-earned money. "Do we have enough to go on?" She asked.

Dunar shook his head and replied, "No, not yet. There are more groups we can ask."

What they discovered was that there were over a dozen teams that have not returned yet. It is certain that some teams are on the second floor or higher.

"The good news is that the Floor Guardian was defeated already. That is one less thing for us to worry about," Jeze observed.

"What? That means someone else stole our chance at Glory!" Rolfe whined.

Helga nodded in agreement.

"This is no time to jest. By all accounts, the first Floor is dangerous. We will need supplies to manage the undead, especially the ghosts," Mikal said.

"We were not jesting!" Helga complained.

Dunar was writing a list of supplies that they should get. "Holy water and silver weapons for the undead. Anything else we need?"

"Any magic that can detect traps?" Mikal suggested.

"We will need to rely on Jeze's skill for that one," Dunar replied.

"Doomed! You are all doomed!" Ziplocke cried.

Jeze bopped the Goblin gently on his head.

They completed a few more purchases and talked with a few more teams. Dunar checked off the list he created on a piece of parchment. He studied it for a moment and then turned to his team.

"I believe we have done all that we could. It is time for us to enter the Spire," He said.

"About time!" Helga cried.

"Agreed! I have never been more ready in my life," Rolfe stated.

Jeze nodded, and they made their way over to the shimmering portal. No teams were coming out or entering at the moment. All eyes were upon them as they stood just outside the Threshold. This was it, Jeze thought. She was about to enter the Spire like her brother so many years earlier that it felt like another lifetime. She trained hard for this and overcame many challenges, and here she was. At this moment, she was about to embark on the journey she had started five years earlier when she trained with Daverius in the courtyard of the Old Crone's school.

Jeze and the Proven knowingly approached danger. They did this because they were adventurers. When others flee from the horrors of the world, Jeze and the Proven run toward it, because they are never content with where they are in life. For they need to seek new challenges as that is the food that nourishes them.

“For Glory!” Jeze roared.

"Hurrah!" Her teammates shouted back.

As one, they entered the Wandering Spire.