Jeze and her new companions stopped at the edge of the forest that overlooked a wide plain where, in the distance, the city of Angston sat. It was rows upon rows of squat brown buildings that were intersected by paved streets that bustled with people and surrounded by a tall wall. From Jeze''s vantage point, they looked like tiny ants.
In Angston''s center were tall towers made of polished stone and glass that reflected sunlight in a dazzling display of color. A wide river meandered through the plains and ran alongside the city. Jeze''s eyes followed the rippling silver water to the Southwest and saw that it linked up with a range of snow-capped mountains. Among them was Mount Dragon, where the Wandering Spire was set to appear.
The three traveled through the woods and avoided the main road that trickled with light traffic toward the city. The open plains between the forest and Angston were dotted with small hamlets and farmsteads that bustled with activity in the mid-afternoon.
"It smells," Jeze observed and crinkled her face.
"It will be worse when we get closer," Swordslayer commented.
"First time near a big city? You''ll get used to it," Rainbow added.
"Can we go around it?" Jeze asked.
Her two companions shook their heads. "That will take too much time," Rainbow answered.
"And we need supplies," Swordslayer said.
"Plus, we still need to recruit two more people for our team," Rainbow said.
Jeze''s eyes lit up. Only five can enter the Spire, and they included her in their calculations!
"Maybe three more. I''m still not sure about her," muttered Swordslayer.
"Don''t listen to him. He is still sour about his spilled ale," Rainbow told Jeze.
"That was my favorite drinking spot!" Swordslayer exclaimed.
Rainbow rubbed her multi-colored hair and crinkled her face. "That ale was horrible," she observed.
"What do you know," muttered Swordslayer.
"We can''t find supplies and teammates in the Ironfist Kingdom?" Jeze asked and added, "It seems risky for us to remain in the Empire."
"Most teams are fully formed by the time you get the Spire," Rainbow answered.
"Stop talking like you are with us," Swordslayer grumbled at Jeze.
Jeze sulked and Rainbow sighed.
"Let''s make an official decision. I vote we invite Jeze to the team," the multi-colored-haired lady said.
"She''s young and inexperienced," Swordslayer countered.
"But talented. We watched her fight…" Rainbow started.
"Her fighting was meh at best," the swordsmen interrupted.
"You said I could fight!" Jeze reminded him.
"I was being polite," he responded.
"She is advanced in Rune casting," Rainbow added.
"What? I saw her cast two spells before she spilled my ale!" Swordslayer cried.
"She has a Goblin familiar," Rainbow pointed out.
Jeze looked up, surprised. She knew about Ziplocke? Jeze wondered and wanted to find a way to introduce the Goblin. In a way, this was a relief that they knew.
"A Goblin? Where?" Swordslayer asked, his hands reached for his blades.
Rainbow nodded to the shadows made by the trees. Ziplocke materialized and scampered to hide behind Jeze''s knee.
"Oh well, that settles it! There is no way she can come with us!" Swordslayer cried.
"Why not? I am a valuable asset." Ziplocke asked.
Swordslayer laughed. "An asset? That''s rich!"
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"It is no easy feat to make a contract with a demon. This only speaks to her talent," Rainbow said.
"Does the Goblin count as a teammate?" Swordslayer asked, he was concerned about losing a slot.
"No, they are bonded. We get two members for the price of one," Rainbow stated.
"Just to be clear, I strictly operate in a consulting capacity," Ziplocke explained.
"Sounds useless to me," Swordslayer grunted.
Jeze scowled at the man and was getting annoyed. "Well, maybe I don''t want to join your team. I''m sure I can find better companions in Angston," she said.
Swordslayer''s eyes went wide. "Yeah, right! No one is better than us. If you think otherwise, you are crazy!" he roared.
"So, are we settled then? We welcome Jeze in our group?" Rainbow asked.
"No!" Both Jeze and Swordslayer answered at the same time.
Rainbow shook her head. "Fine, let''s work together to figure out how to get into the city without getting arrested," she said.
The three studied the situation before them. Swordslayer pointed out a fast-moving rider with a familiar dark blue jacket and said, "That''s our officer."
"He had a horse?" Jeze asked. The three ran fast enough to catch up to the rider.
Rainbow shrugged and answered, "We should have followed him."
"I didn''t see that they had horses!" Jeze exclaimed.
Swordslayer shook his head and said to Rainbow, "See? This is why we can''t have her. She is such a rookie."
Jeze snarled at the man like an angry dog. Ziplocke hissed from behind her knee.
Rainbow explained to the young girl. "The legionnaires dismounted from their horses up the road so that they could sneak up on foot to Maddies. After our fight, we didn''t consider that and left through the forest."
"We could have had horses," Swordslayer added.
Rainbow shook her head and replied, "The roads would be too risky. We chose the woods to stay out of sight."
"I never rode a horse," Jeze stated.
The sword fighter slapped his forehead and gave Rainbow a knowing glance. "An inexperienced country girl is what she is," he said.
Jeze curled her hands into fists, and Rainbow stepped in between the two. "We don''t have horses, so that is not an issue. Now, let''s focus on how we can enter the city," she said.
"We can''t go through the front gates. They will be looking for us," Swordslayer said.
"Great observation, genius." Jeze snorted, and Swordslayer glowered at her.
"We also can''t stay here. They will be sending out more legionnaires to look for us," Rainbow added.
"Let them come! We will slaughter them all," Swordslayer stated with his fists raised into the air.
"If they are looking for us, how can we be safe in the city?" Jeze asked.
"Rookie," Swordslayer snorted.
The other two ignored him, and Rainbow answered, "See the large tower? That is the Adventurer''s Guild branch office here in Angston. The Guild has offices in every large city, and during the time of the Wandering Spire, the office locations become neutral ground."
"We will be safe in there?" Jeze asked.
Swordslayer laughed and shook his head. "So clueless," he said.
Rainbow smiled gently and explained, "The Golden Empire can not arrest us there. We will be protected by the Guild and the other nations as it is neutral territory. But the Empire could still send bounty hunters and assassins, so we will still have to be careful."
"Only guild members will be allowed in," Swordslayer added.
"I''m a member!" Jeze replied and showed them the certificate she received from Drake. This brought back dark memories that she quickly shoved aside.
The two looked at it. "We could use a scout," Rainbow observed.
"She hasn''t even completed the physical yet!" Swordslayer cried.
"I need to find a test site," Jeze explained.
"What backward town did you grow up in where there was not even an examination course?" The man asked.
Rainbow placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders. "There will be a course in Angston, and her certificate is enough to let her in. It is impressive that you made Initiate Rank at such a young age," she said.
Swordslayer snorted and said, "It''s not official until she passes the physical."
"Which, I have no doubt she can. You saw how she kept up with us through the forest, and we were running pretty fast," Rainbow observed.
The sword fighter snorted but conceded the point.
"What are your role classifications?" Jeze asked.
"Striker and Protector," Swordslayer grunted.
"Leader and Healer," Rainbow responded.
"Enough of this! How do we get to the branch office? This forest will be swarming with the legion soon enough," Swordslayer said.
"I thought you said you would ''slaughter'' them," Jeze said and imitated the man by making her voice deeper.
Swordslayer scowled at her. "I could, but I wouldn''t be able to protect you two," he said, his bravado more subdued.
"We will have to sneak around and climb the outer wall," Rainbow said.
Swordslayer squinted and pointed to a section of the city. "That is Ratstown. I know that neighborhood and can lead us to the Guild office from there," he said.
Ratstown looked like it was strung together with sticks and rocks by a giant child. Its streets appeared like a maze, and the shantytown looked like it would collapse into rubble at any moment. Or did it already collapse? Jeze thought. It was such a contrast to the rest of Angston, with pristine stone buildings and avenues.
"We won''t have to worry about the legion, but we will have to worry about cutthroats and murderers," Rainbow stated.
"Fun people!" Swordslayer said with an evil grin.
Jeze looked up at the sky and saw that dusk was approaching. "If we wait a little longer, we can sneak through the shadows," she said.
Rainbow nodded and recalled, "You know the Darkness aspect."
"I suppose that could be helpful," Swordslayer grudgingly stated.