Jeze walked across the crowded Hall to retrieve Ziplocke from the robed Guild official. She faced down demons, scaled towering city walls, conquered the trial course, and fought legionnaires. Being the focus of scrutiny from her fellow adventurers as she made her way through the narrow spaces in between the rows of tables was the hardest thing she had ever done. The recent image of the shocked looks from Dunar, Helga, Rolfe, and Mikal sat in her chest like a seething pit.
The Guild official holding Ziplocke had shoulder-length gray hair and wore dark red robes that were parted down the middle with golden thread along its edges. Underneath, she wore tanned traveling pants and a dark shirt. Upon approach, Jeze saw gentle Runes etched along the edges of the robes and on the thin bracelets the official wore. A Rune caster, the teenager recognized.
"Are you aware that Bonded companions need to be registered?" The Guild official asked in a booming voice.
Jeze flinched from the question and avoided looking back at the Frostsworn. How could a thin woman just a little taller than her speak so loudly? Jeze wondered. She simply shook her head in response.
"Show me your papers," the official demanded.
With horror, Jeze realized that her certificate was in her pack at the table she just left. She would have to go back to retrieve it! Her body trembled with anxiety. Everyone was looking at her! Did someone snicker? She scowled, the anger helped reduce some of her embarrassment, but was not enough to empower her to walk back.
"Miss Heng, she was with me," Irvin stated.
Relief flooded through Jeze''s body like a refreshing breeze. The staunch official handed her pack to her and the teenager noticed the look of worry etched clearly on Irvin''s face. What was happening? Jeze wondered, and with trembling hands, she retrieved the certificate. Miss Heng studied it with dark, narrow eyes.
"It is not listed here that you have a Bonded companion,'' Miss Heng observed.
To Jeze, it felt like an accusation. The thin woman continued to study Jeze''s Guild papers. She glanced once at Jeze before turning to leave.
"Come with me," Miss Heng ordered.
The teenager was so embarrassed that she failed to notice that the crowd in the Hall of Heroes had returned back to their conversations, games, drinking, and eating. That it was only a moment that they had paused to pay attention to her. But to Jeze, she felt like everyone was looking at her. The embarrassment turned to frustration and then anger toward this official named Heng for putting her through this. Jeze stood firm and resolute.
"Why?" The young girl demanded.
Miss Heng arched an eyebrow in surprise. In that moment, Ziplocke escaped and scurried up to Jeze''s shoulder.
Irvin gave the young girl a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. "You are not in trouble, Jeze." He said and glanced at Miss Heng.
The staunch official''s voice lacked the confidence and vigor from his earlier discussions, and this gave Jeze little comfort.
"We can run," Ziplocke whispered in her ear.
Where? Jeze glanced around the tightly packed room.
"Why did she lie to you about her Rune casting ability? Her papers only list Darkness, Life, and Earth aspects. Nothing about a Bonded Demon," Heng asked, ignoring that the Goblin escaped her grasp.
"I was not the official that gave her the field assessment," Irvin replied.
Heng studied Jeze’s papers. "You must come with me," she directed.
"No," Jeze growled.
The gray-haired official sighed and glanced at Irvin. "Can you explain to her what I represent?"
"You best go with her," Irvin gently stated to Jeze.
"I ask again. Why?" The teenager growled.
"Miss Heng represents the Amber Guard," Irvin answered.
"So?"
Miss Heng stated, "I''m losing patience."
"A moment please, she is from the fringes of civilization and unaware of many things," Irvin pleaded.
Irvin turned back to Jeze and hurriedly explained, "The Guild has many thousands of members across all the nations. Every member is truly exceptional, like I told you earlier, we represent the best of the best. But even the best can be lawless, so the Guild created the Amber Guard to keep the peace."
"I did nothing wrong," Jeze snapped.
"You lied on your registration," Irvin explained.
"I did not!"
"You were asked to list your abilities, and you failed to mention that you had a Bonded Demon," Miss Heng hissed through clenched teeth.
"That''s not lying!" Jeze shot back.
Miss Heng made a single hand gesture that was so precise and quick that Jeze was impressed. Heng was a highly talented Rune caster, and Jeze felt her body stiffened. Jeze pushed back with her Will, but it was like pushing up against a solid mountain. Like pushing up against the Night Mistress''s Summoned shadows! Jeze reflected.
"What aspect is that?" Jeze asked through gritted teeth.
"Mind, she Summoned thoughts and is shaping them in your head," Ziplocke whimpered.
Jeze was able to slightly nod. If she discovered these Shaped thoughts then she could untangle them? This was the first she ever heard of the Mind aspect, but all aspects were similar in the sense that you needed to Summon, Shape, and Control them.
"That won''t be necessary," Irvin started.
Miss Heng ignored the staunch man and ordered, "Come with me."
Jeze felt her body move on its own, and she followed the Amber Guard out of the Hall. The teenage girl pushed her Will against Heng''s Mind aspect every step of the way. To Jeze it felt like trying to Shape a real shadow, but she kept it at with the pure stubbornness of a bear. Eventually, her vision went white, and she collapsed.
Miss Heng''s face softened ever so slightly, "You truly are a disciple of the Old Hunter."
Jeze was dizzy as Irvin and Miss Heng helped the teenage girl back to her feet. Jeze wobbled and the two steadied her to prevent her from falling again.
"You knew Raynor?" Jeze mumbled. How did everyone know the old man? She wondered.
"Yes, he was famous in his youth," Miss Heng replied.
"Why are you arresting me?" Jeze asked.
Miss Heng chuckled. "I''m not. I''m taking you to be assessed. You see, Rune casters that are worth their salt are very rare. Summoning and Bonding to a Demon is a demonstration of talent, and we could use someone like you for the upcoming Spire."
"Why didn''t you just say so from the beginning!" Jeze cried.
"You lied on your application," Heng snapped.
"I agree with the young girl on this one," Irvin added.
"No one asked," growled Heng.
The official led Jeze out of the crowded central chamber and down a narrow passage that was illuminated by magical torches. One that Jeze failed to notice when she first came in. They entered a stairwell and climbed up two floors. The sounds of the central chamber turned into a distant hum. They encountered other officials, like Irvin, who nodded in passing. Everyone was so busy! Jeze reflected and imagined that the Guild was such a massive operation that it required hundreds of clerks, laborers, and the Amber Guard to maintain its daily operation. This made her feel small. The sound of gears turning caught Jeze''s attention and pulled her out of her brief malaise. Miss Heng had led them to a corner where people stepped onto caged platforms that lifted them up!
"What is that?" Jeze cried.
"We call them Lifts," Irvin replied.
"How do they work?" The teenager marveled.
She spotted the Runes etched along the edges, but was gently pushed aside as an official step inside the cage. A safety banister closed and the official shot up to the higher floors.
"You tell me," Miss Heng said while crossing her arms. The Amber Guard directed the line of officials to wait for another carriage. They grumbled complaints but complied.
"This a quiz?" Jeze asked.
Heng shrugged and remained where she stood.
A part of the teenager wanted to refuse, but the other part wanted to study this interesting use of Rune magic. The latter won, and Jeze examined the next carriage to arrive. There were two in total, and the line of officials filed into the next carriage, which allowed Jeze to study the other. There were so many interlocking Runes that it nearly caused Jeze''s head to spin. They were engraved along the cage, the ropes, and among the gears. Within the jumbled patterns Jeze was able to recognize the Earth aspect along the metal gears. Something caught her attention, something that seemed familiar, and the teenager withdrew the tome from her pack.
Miss Heng arched an eyebrow and unfolded her arms as she leaned in. "Where did she get that?" The Amber Guard asked.
Irvin shrugged, and Jeze answered without looking up. "From the Pyramid."
"Where?" Heng inquired.
Jeze shushed her as she tried to locate the similar pattern. It was difficult due to the old language in which the book was written. In moments, with Ziplocke''s aid, she spotted it. The Goblin rested on her shoulders and pointed with a thin finger. The tome spoke about the construction of the glowing globes that mixed Light and Fire aspects. The Fire aspect was used to power up the Light runes. The Lift had a similar relationship where the Fire aspect was used to power up the Earth aspect, which was embedded into the steel gears. There were other aspects she didn''t recognize, and Jeze explained her findings.
Heng nodded, and a slight smile appeared on her stern face. "Very good. You are full of mysteries, child. You come from the fringes of civilization, yet you understand advanced Rune mechanics. Who trained you?"
"The Old Crones."
Miss Heng tapped her chin. "They sound familiar. Why is that?"
Irvin shrugged his broad shoulders.
"I''ve answered your questions. Now it''s your turn. What do you want from me?" Jeze demanded.
The teenager remembered she was to meet up with Rainbow and Swordslayer and was becoming anxious that they may think she left them and find a replacement member. At the same time, she also had other options. She could travel with the Frostsworn, if they would still have her knowing that she had a Bonded Demon. These thoughts swirled like a maelstrom in Jeze''s mind and Miss Heng''s response snapped her out of it.
"Come with me, and I will explain," the Amber Guard said and entered the carriage.
Irvin, Jeze, and Ziplocke, who remained on the teenager''s shoulder, followed Heng inside. The gray-haired lady waved her hands over a pair of Fire Runes, and the Lift rattled before shooting upwards. Jeze nervously grasped the banister. They were in some sort of vertical shaft that went up hundreds of feet before stopping at another floor. The cage opened into a wide chamber that was brightly lit from the sunlight that streamed through tall glass windows. The room was packed with people and all manner of mechanical contraptions. Jeze paused to marvel at her surroundings as Miss Heng continued walking without a word.
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"You are fortunate, Jeze. It could take the average Initiate months, even years, of completing assignments before they are allowed into the Training Facility," Irvin said.
"What are they training here?" Jeze wondered.
"To disarm traps, of course," Irvin replied and scrunched his bushy eyebrows at Jeze. "It says you are a Scout," he recalled from Jeze''s certificate.
"I can disarm Rune Traps. I have little experience with mechanical ones," the teenager replied.
"By little, she means none," Ziplocke retorted.
Irvin grumbled and shook his head that marked his disapproval. "Can you at least spot a trap?"
"A Rune trap, I can."
Irvin wiped a hand over his face. "A Scout that can''t spot traps is a dead scout or a dead team."
Ziplocke snickered as the Demon imagined the looks of surprise from a team as a lethal trap exploded.
"Hey! I can pick locks!" Jeze countered.
Miss Heng returned and the teenager was surprised to see the Amber Guard''s face turn red that nearly matched her robes. "Please, follow me," Heng said through gritted teeth.
"You best go," Irvin urged.
They followed the Amber Guard through the long, brightly lit chamber and passed trainees tinkering with blocked-shaped machines filled with pulleys, gears, and cogs. They passed another group that were working on several different types of doors with intricate locks. Jeze wanted to try her skill on those!
"You wouldn''t be able to pick any of them," Ziplocke snickered.
Jeze stuck her tongue out at the Goblin in response. She fed him a chili pepper, and the Demon eagerly slurped it up. Eventually, they left the chamber and entered a hallway with the tall windows to their left. Jeze glanced out and saw the city of Angston splayed out before her where the people appeared as ants. What she saw made her stop. Ringing the Guild courtyard were hundreds of legionnaires that blocked off all the roads and avenues leading in. They were uniformed soldiers armed with shields and spears with the Empire’s Rising Sun emblem on their chests. About twenty yards across from them was a complete contrast. A line of Guild guards armed and armored in a wide assortment of gear ranging from heavy mailed knights to leather armored spearmen. The Legion outnumbered the Guild nearly five to one! Jeze thought.
"Are they going to fight?" She exclaimed.
"No, this is standard practice during any Wandering Spire event," Irvin answered.
The legionnaires stood at stiff attention. Each soldier was fearful of being punished by their captains. Across from them were the louginging Guild guards. Season adventurers that were confident in their abilities. They joked and laughed with each other as if they were on a holiday.
"This is necessary to maintain law and order during such a chaotic event," Miss Heng added.
"It seems like the Empire is trying to bully the Guild," Jeze observed.
Irvin nodded in agreement, and Miss Heng arched an eyebrow.
"The Empire brings stability. They support the Guild by ensuring that the riff-raff does not enter our compound," Heng stated.
Jeze snorted. She recalled how the soldiers mistreated the farmsteads earlier. Also, how Drake and his men attacked her and Raynor unprovoked all to protect the Emperor''s secret that he was not immortal.
Miss Heng''s already stern face hardened. "This is not a joke, child. The Wandering Spire is a global problem where thousands of monsters are unleashed into our world. It is necessary that we are prepared and organized to prevent that. Otherwise, small villages and towns all around will suffer at the claws of bloodthirsty beasts."
Irvin stepped in between the two and rested a gentle hand on the Amber Guard''s shoulder. "She does not know," he said.
"Know what?" Jeze demanded.
"You know nothing!" Heng snapped.
This caused Ziplocke to cower and hide behind Jeze''s head.
"When the Spire appears, it is like a war. The Guild, in partnership with the nations, must form battle lines to stop the incursion of monsters. It is usually a week of fighting before the teams can attempt entering the levels," Irvin explained.
Jeze did not know this. She wondered why her brother didn''t write that. Maybe he didn''t know either? Did he even make it inside the tower? Jeze wondered with a pang in her heart.
"How many people survive?" She asked.
Irvin''s eyes were moist. "There are often many losses."
"That is why we need to ensure the best are among us. The most qualified and the Empire supports that cause," Miss Heng stated, passion in her voice. The Amber guard spun around. "Enough talk, we have work to do."
The next chamber the group entered was the same size as the previous one. Instead of dozens of mechanical contraptions, this one was filled with glowing Rune patterns and shimmering portal arches. Thresholds, Jeze recalled the term from Archon. Dozens of Rune casters milled about scribing and completing gestures that caused portals to shimmer or blink out of existence. Others studiously wrote down notes in large ledgers and tomes. Miss Heng led them to a table where a short man with a thin goatee and leather goggles sat behind. The goggles magnified the man''s eyes into giant orbs and he looked up upon their approach.
"We need to register this girl''s Bonded Demon," Heng stated.
"I have a name!" Ziplocke hissed but was ignored.
"Don''t you have your own offices to handle this?" The man with the goggles responded. His black hair was incredibly spiky, Jeze thought.
Miss Heng sighed and rubbed her temples. "I repeat, she has a Bonded Demon."
The man raised his goggles to rest on his head. "It is the Amber Guard''s job to process unregistered Bonded companions, not ours."
"What is this place?" Jeze asked.
The man turned to look at her as if noticing her for the first time. He turned back to Miss Heng. "We are very busy," he stated and lowered his goggles to return to work on his ledger.
The Amber Guard closed the tome, and the man removed his goggles again.
"This is highly irregular," he grumbled.
Heng leaned over the table and explained, "She is a new Initiate with the skill to Summon and Bond with a Goblin."
The spiky haired man''s eyes glanced back and forth as he processed the information and then his face lit up. "Oh, we could use her!"
Miss Heng nodded with a scowl on her face.
Before Jeze could object, the man was talking and moving rapidly at the same time. He paused and extended a small hand to Jeze.
"Sorry, I should introduce myself. We have so much to do in a short amount of time. I am Seb, with the Runic Research Division. RRD."
"Jeze," the teenager replied. He talked and moved so quickly that she felt a nervousness in her chest. Irvin and Miss Heng were forgotten as Seb whisked Jeze away. He thumped his head and returned back to the table.
"Are you registered?" He asked
"Yes," Irvin answered.
"Of course, she is silly me. Let me look you up real quick," Seb said and rummaged around his cluttered desk for a ledger. He skimmed through it.
"Name?" He asked.
"Jeze Zanchi," she answered.
"You have a brother named Daverius?" He asked.
"You knew him!" Jeze exclaimed.
"No, I just saw the two most recent Zanchi entries. Okay, I have your information; allow me to add that you have a bonded Goblin. Very impressive by the way for one so young," Seb rapidly said and jotted the information that was magically shared across all the Guild ledgers.
The spiky haired man escorted Jeze away so rapidly that she had lost sight of Miss Heng and Irvin. Did she have time for this? She wondered. She needed to meet up with Rainbow and Swordslayer at the Diamond bank. What about the Frostsworn? Things were happening so quickly that she stopped and stood firm. Seb realized she was not following and turned around to face her.
"I have to meet up with my team," Jeze stated.
"Aww, I see. Well, normally we are pretty flexible with allowing Guild Members to choose their assignments. However for Initiates we do reserve the right to assign you to an important task," he explained.
"You can''t force me," Jeze said and folded her arms. A part of her was interested in learning more about what they were working on here, but she also didn''t want Rainbow and Swordslayer to think that she left them. Too much was happening too fast.
"The punishment for lying on your application could be immediate expulsion from the Guild," Heng stated. Her sudden appearance surprised Jeze. She was still here? The teenager wondered.
"I didn''t lie," Jeze growled.
"But you also did not register your Bonded Companion," Seb added.
"I didn''t know I needed to!" Jeze cried.
"Was she given the bylaws?" Seb asked Heng.
Heng, in turn, looked to Irvin. The staunch man shrugged.
"I was going to give them to her. The circumstances of her arrival were unique. She had passed the Field assessment before the Physical test. Plus, she arrived through the sewers under unusual circumstances," Irvin explained.
"She what?" Miss Heng growled.
Irvin blushed and shrugged. He probably should not have mentioned that to an Amber Guard.
Seb waved his hands rapidly. "Okay, none of that matters now. We have a talented Rune caster and much work to do." The small man dug around his numerous pockets and produced a small booklet that was as thick as Jeze''s fist. He gave it to her.
"What is this?" She asked.
"The Guild Bylaws. You are responsible for knowing them," Heng answered. She glared at Irvin, and the staunch man tried to make himself invisible. He didn''t succeed.
"Come, we have much to do," Seb said and waved for Jeze to follow.
The short man led her to a table where other Rune Casters were reading tomes and inscribing Runes with chalk on the smooth sandstone floor. He grabbed a tome and placed it before Jeze.
"You need to familiarize yourself with these Portal aspect Runes. Years ago we discovered how to manipulate the portals within the Spire. This allows us to anchor portals to Safe Spaces on each of the Floors. We can evacuate wounded Adventurers and transport in needed supplies so that the teams can continue up without the need of traveling on foot all the way down." Seb rapidly explained.
Jeze nodded, but before she could ask questions. The man continued.
"Your job will be assigned to a team that will need to maintain the Runes so that our portals remain operational. The levels of the Spire are filled with monsters and the Runes can get damaged and the portals will fail. We can''t have that. Study these Runes so that you are able to repair them when needed. In any given floor we can have over a dozen Safe Spaces that need supplies and transport for rescue missions. What you will be doing is very important work," Seb explained.
Jeze was about to object, but she recognized the Runes. She had worked on similar ones in the Pyramid. But for a different purpose. When Jeze worked on them, it was to seal a Threshold to prevent Demons from entering this realm. What the Guild wanted to achieve was the opposite. They wanted to open portals. Jeze removed her tome and turned to the pages her Ziplocke used to seal the Threshold.
"Where did you get that?" Seb asked, and he put on his goggles to stand beside the teenager.
Jeze shared her story about the Pyramid. She omitted the part about Drake. Jeze didn''t know who she could trust, and she suspected several Guild members were loyal to the Empire. Like Heng.
"The Deep Wood, you say? Where is that?" Seb asked.
"Narcadia," Jeze answered.
"Too bad the Spire is about to appear, I doubt I can organize an expedition to head over there," Seb said.
“No need, I got this tome,” Jeze said.
Her and Ziplocke found the Runes and with effort she was able to repair the Rune circle and a portal snapped into place. The other Rune artists looked up in shock.
"That was impressive!" Seb applauded and added, "You are definitely hired!"
"I told you, I have a team," Jeze stated.
Seb tapped his chin. "This is your first time attempting the Spire? Of course, it is! You are too young to have done the previous ones. Let me explain something to you. The Spire lasts for many months, as long as two years. No one knows for certain why, but the only way to advance to the next floor is to go through portals, and only five will be allowed to travel together. Any more and the sixth person will be teleported to a different area. Which is very dangerous! Anyways, each of the floors are enormous and teams work to find the portal to the next level. This is often guarded by a Floor Guardian. Those are nasty things."
"Have you traveled the Spire?" Jeze asked.
"Of course! This will be my third time."
"Have you fought a Floor Guardian?" The teenager''s eyes were wide.
"Heavens, no! This is what I''m trying to explain to you. Once a Floor Guardian is defeated, teams can advance through the portal that leads to the next level. Remember, each level is enormous, and oftentimes, the previous level is still filled with monsters and undiscovered treasure. That is where we come in! We establish safe zones within the floors so that Adventurers can rest and portal out as needed to resupply or to find new teammates," Seb answered.
"New teammates?" Jeze asked.
"Because their previous ones have died!" Ziplocke cackled with glee.
Seb nodded, "Bingo! Your morbid companion is correct."
"What does this have to do with me?" Jeze asked. The fast-talking man was confusing her.
"Your team can help you with your assignments by establishing and maintaining Safe Zone portals. Once you complete your weekly quota of assignments, you are free to explore and loot the Spire as you please. Until the next week, that is," Seb replied and scribbled a bunch of things down on a piece of parchment. He handed it to her.
"What is this?" Jeze asked.
"Your assignments!" The spiky-haired man answered.
Jeze''s eyes went wide. The Spire didn''t arrive yet and she had a lot of logistical tasks such as creating Channeling tools for easy management of the Portal aspect.
"Before you complain, there are perks for working with our Safe Zone Squads," Seb said.
"Oh yeah?" Jeze asked. She was not sure about all of this.
"You get access to our amazing Training Facility! Normally, there is a waitlist, especially now with the upcoming Spire. Many will not even be allowed in until after it leaves. But you get automatic access!"
This interested Jeze. She tapped the paper. The first thing on her assignment list was to become familiar with the Rune patterns. She already demonstrated that.
"Since I can repair the Rune circle, can I take the rest of today off?" Jeze asked.
Seb looked at the paper and nodded in agreement. "We will see you tomorrow!"
The small man was off to work. Talk about being passionate about his duties! Jeze reflected. She searched the room to find Irvin and was glad to see that Miss Heng had left. He was across the room waiting and waved at her.
As Jeze made her way over, a commotion from below caught her attention. From her high vantage point, Jeze looked out through the windows, and it appeared that the Legion was about to get into a scuffle with the Guild Guards. Curious, she went over to the window along with others.
The situation appeared tense, with obvious shouting from the Legion and taunts from the Guild adventurers. Irvin did say that the Guild represented the best of the best, and even though the guards were outnumbered, they were very confident. Jeze herself had faced off against legionnaires without much trouble, and she was small! The adventures below appeared quite formidable in their expensive armor and magical weapons.
"What is happening?" Jeze asked another observer, a young woman in her mid twenties.
"It looks like a Legion captain is trying to enter the compound with his soldiers. But only Guild members are allowed in," the lady answered.
Jeze saw the armored figure of the Legionnaire, and her heart froze. The man was allowed to enter alone and left his soldiers behind. Even from a distance and with the burn scars on his face, Jeze recognized the Emperor''s agent, Drake.