The Proven walked through lines of merchants'' stalls hawking all manner of adventuring gear, and Jeze''s eyes went wide at the ingenuity. Just weeks earlier, she had seen many of the same contraptions, but they were way out of her price range. Now, she had money and could afford nearly all of it, from portable cabins that collapsed into a cube and could fit in a traveling pack to throwing axes that exploded upon impact.


    "I think we should spend time thinking about upgrading our equipment," Mikal said.


    "Ya!" Helga exclaimed. She stopped to watch a merchant that held a two handed axe that dripped with frost energy. The merchant placed the axe back on a rack and the steel returned to normal.


    Jeze shook her head and explained, "These weapons require charges and run out of power quickly. Also, see this here?" The Scout pointed to a line of intricately carved Runes along the haft of the axe.


    Helga nodded, and Jeze continued, "If any of these get damaged for any reason, the enchantment is destroyed."


    "No more ice magic?" Helga asked.


    "That''s right. That is the drawback of enchanted weapons. Rune Magic requires perfection, and any deviation from that will end the spell," Jeze answered.


    "But, Jeze, these Runes are etched into the steel," Rolfe pointed out.


    "Still could be scratched. But it does not need to be damaged to lose its enchantment. It could be dirt or blood getting into the ridges," Mikal replied.


    Jeze nodded at what the dark-haired Healer said. "That is correct. Rune magic demands perfection," she mentioned again.


    "Oh ya? Well, then, why do people buy this?" Helga asked.


    "Because hitting something with an ice axe is cool," Jeze answered.


    Dunar approached and studied the weapon and added, "This is good for short excursions. But for longer journeys we need something that is more reliable like our Frostsworn crafted weapons."


    "Nothing beats Frostsworn craftsmanship!" Rolfe boasted.


    Jeze had to agree. The axe that Carl Jorgenson had given her had held up true against Hellhounds, Thralls, and Swamp Demons. Helga was still not convinced and she picked up the ice axe.


    "How do I get the magic to work?" The Warrior maiden asked. The axe was a normal axe in her hands, and of less quality than the one she owned.


    The merchant, a beefy man with a thick red-haired beard, approached. "You tap the haft and make these shapes with your hand," he said and shaped two Glyphs in the air with his fingers.


    The axe head flared with white frost energy, and Jeze felt the cold from where she stood a few feet away. That was impressive magic, she thought. Helga''s eyes went wide.


    "You try," the merchant said. He deactivated the enchantment and handed Helga the axe.


    Helga tried the Glyphs and failed. The red-bearded merchant''s face crunched, and he asked, "Have you worked with Rune magic before?"


    Helga shook her head and a look of surprise showed on the merchant''s face. "How are you able to survive the Spire?" He asked.


    "I have Micky and Jezie here for Rune magic," Helga answered.


    "Not even to use tools?" The merchant wondered.


    "Only priests and sages use Runes in the Frozen North," Dunar explained.


    For Jeze, even in Narcadia, the backwater outskirts of the Empire, the people there used Rune magic in everyday life. The Frostsworn did not use enchantments? To live in the harsh frozen weather without everyday Rune magic? No wonder they were so tough.


    The merchant scoffed, but the sight of the large warriors caused him to reconsider his remarks. "Well, it''s easy enough to learn. This axe will serve you well for a mere three thousand ducats."


    Helga put the axe back on the rack and shook her head. The Proven moved on, and Jeze turned toward the dark-haired Healer.


    "Mikal, you never taught them?" She asked.


    "One can only teach those that want to learn," the Healer answered.


    "I want to learn," Rolfe stated.


    "Oh ya! Me too!" Helga chimed in.


    "Mikal and I will teach you," Jeze promised.


    "What? They wouldn''t be able to understand the complexities and patterns; we have better uses of our time," the Healer replied.


    "Everyone can learn," Jeze said. A gentle memory of how she taught the Old Hunter resurfaced briefly in her mind. It was followed by a brief moment of sadness that was like a soft spring breeze.


    Mikal became serious. "It takes years of training to be able to channel the Will into the Runes. I do not want them to get a false sense of aptitude. It will fail them at the worst moment."


    Ziplcoke laughed, and Jeze knew that the Demon had just pictured the look of shock on their faces when the Rune magic did not work and a monster ate them.


    "I won''t use it in combat, Micky. I do not think we should rely only on you or Jeze to use basic items, like the Water Bricks," Helga said.


    Rolfe agreed with a nod of his blonde head.


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    Mikal crossed his arms and snorted. "When we were younger, you all used to tease me for reading while you practiced axe fighting," he accused and added, "Now you want to learn from me."


    Dunar clasped the Healer''s shoulder in a firm but gentle grip. "We do," and he turned to the others, "But not now. We have wasted enough time already. Let us get what we need."


    The team replenished their Water Bricks and other provisions. Jeze purchased what appeared to be six circular stone tablets covered in Runes with a clear coin-sized crystal in their centers. They were the size of her two hands combined, and she gently wrapped them in a special cloth and placed them in her pack for easy access. The merchant called them Security Discs and the stone was made from the grinded bones of Imps. Jeze understood their complex overlapping Rune patterns, and if she had the proper materials and about three weeks of time, she could probably make one herself.


    "What do they do?" Rolfe asked.


    "They create an enchanted perimeter that is a little bigger than our camp. Anything entering the perimeter would be frozen in ice, like Mikal''s spell," Jeze answered.


    "What about when we are on the ice level?" Helga asked.


    "It should still work on the Demons there. The magic gets really cold, but I also have a Security Disc that generates a wall of fire," Jeze answered.


    That appeased the two Frostsworn warriors. The team debated over buying a Portable Cabin. It was the most expensive item that they had ever looked at, and it was a sizable chunk out of their savings. Jeze had seen these earlier when she was in Angston. The enchanted item was a cube-shaped box the size of her chest. It was layered with Runic enchantments and made from the hide of a Goreraptor. The Runes were infused with the blood of a Rover. This was an extremely complex Runic contraption made from rare and expensive Demon parts. When activated, it will create a small cabin with a firepit.


    "We are from the Frozen North. We can handle the cold," Rolfe argued.


    "Ya, let us save our money for weapons!" Helga added.


    "Fools! We live in longhouses with fire pits. Those who sleep outside end up dead," Mikal stated.


    Rolfe snorted. "Berserker Orn sleeps outside and stays warm with his Deep Breathing."


    "Ya, he once withstood a blizzard with nothing but his pants," Helga said.


    "Those are just tales!" Mikal snapped back.


    "No, they are true. I once saw Orn swim under the frozen ice of Lake Mjorns," Rolfe stated.


    “We are not Berserker Orn!” Mikal cried.


    Dunar stepped in between them and stated, "I am with Mikal on this. It is best that we be safe and have this Portable Cabin. We may be injured and need a warm place to heal."


    Jeze nodded in agreement. This was mainly because she wanted to study the complex magic item. Ziplocke snickered from her shoulder. He loved it when the mortals argued. With a vote of three to two, the Proven purchased the Portable Cabin. Jeze was delighted to see that her Heat Box could warm the cabin. The team needed to purchase Mana Crystals to fuel them, just in case Mikal and Jeze were incapacitated.


    "Rolfe, Helga, and I will need to learn how to shape the Runes to activate these tools," Dunar stated.


    The Mana Crystals would fuel the enchantments, but they still needed to complete the Glyph patterns to activate. Jeze recalled from her brother that in the cities in the heart of the Golden Empire, every citizen knew basic Rune patterns to activate all the enchanted items that they used for everyday life. From frozen containers to store food to magic-powered wagons. The Frostsworn chose to live in the old ways. Maybe that was why they were so strong? Jeze wondered. Narcardia had cold winters, but her family used Heating Ovens to warm their homes and dry their clothes. The Proven headed back to the Safe Zone within the Dungeon on the Third Floor.


    "What do you think we will find in the dungeon beneath the Dragon Bones?" Rolfe wondered.


    "I told you! Even mighty Dragons are defeated by the Wandering Spire! You all are walking toward your doom!" Ziplocke shrieked from Jeze''s shoulder. The team ignored the Demon.


    "Did the Dragon die protecting the Dungeon or trying to get into it?" Jeze asked.


    Helga rubbed her hands together with a wide smile on her face. "Oh ya! There has to be something really good in there!" The warrior maiden exclaimed.


    "Anything connected to Dragons will be dangerous and a great opportunity for us. We must be careful and maintain our discipline," Dunar stated as they neared the Portal.,


    Rolfe nodded and said, "I have been thinking about the tales about Mount Dragon. They say the Dragon can walk in the shape of a man. What if it is the other way around?"


    "What are you talking about?" Mikal asked with a scowl.


    "That it is an Elite ranked adventurer with the power to shapeshift into a mighty dragon," Rolfe replied.


    Mikal scoffed. "Don''t be ridiculous. The Dragons were here before man and the Frozen All Father had to battle them in order to pave the era for mankind. That is why we celebrate and give thanks every Solstice. It is to honor the Frozen All-Father and the First Kings for their bravery and sacrifice."


    "What about the Queens? Do women not exist in your religious texts?" Jeze asked.


    Helga laughed out loud. Her bosom heaved with the effort.


    "The Daughters of the All-Father taught us how to prepare meals and create a home," Mikal explained.


    "Figures," Jeze snorted. She preferred Rune magic and fighting.


    The Proven arrived at the Portal and were shocked to see that it was not operated by a Guild perfunctory, but instead, it appeared to be guarded by Legionnaires. There were four soldiers who barred the entrance with spears.


    "This Portal is off limits by order of the Empire," a plate-armored Legionnaire stated when the Proven approached.


    He appeared to be an officer and was equipped with better gear. The other three soldiers wore hardened leather armor and were armed with spears and side swords. Jeze guessed the plate-armored Legionnaire to be Initiate ranked and a member of the Empire''s Special Forces. The other soldiers appeared to be Prospect-ranked and not full-fledged members of the Guild.


    "We are not in the Empire," Dunar responded.


    "Use another Portal," the officer growled.


    The lower-ranked soldiers appeared nervous by the close proximity of the tall and powerfully built Frostsworn. Except for the officer, Jeze admired that man''s bravery, but she wondered if things were so bad for the Guild that the Empire was able to move in and take control over certain Portals. In response to the officer, Dunar simply nodded to Rolfe and Helga, and the two moved into action from the unspoken command. Helga grabbed the officer and easily tossed him to the side as Rolfe shoved the remaining three soldiers. They toppled like dominos to the floor, and the way to the Portal was clear.


    "How dare you!" The officer roared, spittle flying from his lips as he rose to his feet. He was about to draw his two-handed sword when Helga''s axe blade came within inches from his face.


    "No, no. Be nice and don''t move, ya?" She growled.


    Rolfe snarled, and the other three soldiers scrambled away. Two even left their spears behind, and Ziplocke laughed at that. Without further dialogue, the Proven walked through the Portal and into the wide chamber where upon their arrival, dozens of Empire Legionnaires turned to face them.


    "You are not allowed here," another plate armored officer stated.


    The surrounding soldiers leveled their spears. These were the Empire''s Special Forces, and they were all at least Initiate ranked.


    "We should have seen this coming," Mikal muttered.


    "Proven! Form up!" Dunar barked as he unslung his shield and drew his axe.


    The team readied their weapons and moved into position with disciplined ease. Rolfe, Dunar, and Helga stood in front and they thumped their shields, the sound resonating throughout the chamber.


    "Do not be foolish. You are outnumbered!" The armored officer sneered.


    “For Glory!” Dunar roared.


    "Hurrah!" The team loudly chanted back.