Chapter 50 This Book Should be Banned.

 
The first sight of the city was a blaze of colorful hues behind the huge docks of the city. Many ships of all different varieties were moving about the waters like large drunken ducks. I am not sure how the captain knew where to go, but that wasn't in my realm of concern. I needed to prepare myself mentally for landing in an unknown area with my family members who would need protection from who knows what. Nothing to worry about.
As the ship pulls up next to a dock I find that Max has come up to me while I was trying to discern information of the city. “Uh, Druss, I found your old Guild membership card, but it is expired. I also found your discharge papers, and the permit for our business. Do you have anything else That ma help?”
I stare at my oldest friend in confusion. I have no idea where he would have kept any of that, or why we would need it. I had never needed papers of those nature when entering a place before, and I had no idea why we would need them now. “Max,” I ask, “What are you talking about, why would we need to show any of that? And where were you even keeping that?”
Waving his hand dismissively he responds, “I brought them with me out of Cherwood, and the captain wanted us to bring it out so we could get into the city. Did you not know we would need it? We need to show who we are to get in.”
I stare at him in confusion for just a moment before the ship comes closer to the dock, where a massive force suddenly pushes down on me. Physically I am pushed down by the weight of some invisible hand, and Mentally I can hardly think anymore. I can see others struggling with the same problem, although I know not how they are coping with it. Only Geno and Marda were not as afflicted as the rest of the ship, although I could tell they had still noticed the difference. Geno had been here before, so whatever phenomenon this he would know of it. Why Marda wasn't affected I had no idea.
“The force you are feeling is the Raw magical power leaking out of the city.” Geno was explaining. “With all the magic flying around here, some of it gets away from the spells if it isn't properly protected. It bleeds into the air, and permeates into everything, causing the force we are now feeling. Give it a few minutes, you will get used to it.” Why Marda was used to it I had no idea.
As the Captain of the ship stepped forward I see that someone has taken up position on the dock waiting for us. A gold Dragonborn stood there in front of several other individuals, all wearing the same the armor. A Single plate covered their chest, With a large ornamental pauldron on the right shoulder. Gold Leather, sturdy yet flexible lay under the single plate. This armor would have allowed the user to move quicker than most fighters in heavier armor, and the guards wearing the armor all had the same pose, official but ready to pounce. The Dragonborn was clearly in charge as his pauldron had several ribbons attached it it, and detailed scroll work on the leather. “Business or pleasure?” The leader asks in a deep purr.
Before our Captain could open their mouth, a voice spoke from behind. “We are here for a Vacation! May I know your name Captain?” it was pronounced cap-ee-tan. An old man stood behind us, bald, thick glasses and beard. Slightly hunched over, and a cane in hand, he started forward, giving us all a wink. Where the hell did he come from- oh. It's Yun. Shit.
“I am Captain Larkin of the city guard.” The rumble of the voice was like great stones rubbing together. “I have not seen your ship before, or one of it's like. As this is not a vacation destination this should be an easy decision to turn you back, Mr...?”
“My name is Marcus Darwinstien. And we are here to learn about the dragon lore of the island!” I must say, it was said with a large great Gusto, and I simply folded my arms and covered my face with one hand to hide. Wether it was to hide my expression, hide my incredulity, or hide from the world in general I knew not. Of all the tiems for Yun to find his voice, this may have not been the best time. I only look back to catch the absolute dumbfounded look that the Captain Gayle and Bellia both share. Missing what other conversation had continued, I heard 'Marcus' say something about the pleasure of learning be more vacation like than work, and how it was clearly a land of beauty and paradise. I didn't seem to be swaying the guards, so luckily Gayle took that time to step forward and introduce themselves as the Captain of the ship. Explaining it as a new type of ship, she agreed to hand over the paperwork of everyone aboard and get this routine procedure done quickly. Stepping forward, Bellia explains that she is here on behalf of Holden Cockswell and is here to start negotiations for Airship travel with the Island.
After waiting for some time, we were told we could stay in the city for fourty eight hours. Any longer and we would have to file a petition for the Lord of the realm, Radian Ro'gair, the Adult Gold Dragon. If we want to go anywhere else outside of the city, we also have to ask permission to go there as well. I breifly wondered how they got messages so fast while we were escorted down the dock to the officail city gates, but then it hit me, almost literally.
Magic. I could smell it now that we were inside the city itself. That and the smell of People. I had noticed a sharp, tangy smell when Yun had cast spells before, but it was so quick I was never able to pin point it. Now, within this city, I knew it had to have been magic. Tremendous towers advanced into the sky, as if they could connect to the stars in the night sky, forming a bridge to them. I couldn't see the tops of them as a Haze of energy warped them, enshrouding them in colorful clouds, like rainbow mountain peaks. Bridges and ropes and walkways all sprouted like branches from the mighty trunks leading off to the next tower, and the next. The whole system seemed to be connected in some way, and I couldn't see a tower from where we were that was on it's own. People were everywhere, and I could only hope that everyone had simply left the towers empty to fill the streets. It boggled the mind to comprehending the amount of people in the city should the towers still be full.
Geno had assured the guards that he would be able to get us to where we needed to be and soon enough he led us into a petition agency. Not entirely sure what that was, I suppose it was some sort of service that went to the Lords and were there to present the case for you? As we entered the building, it was mostly empty of people, save for a few behind a small counter. Across the small square foyer from them was a wall completely full of paper. Some of it in different colors, some in different languages, some covered almost completely in dust. As we looked closer, they were forms that covered nearly all possibility such as Race, Profession, veteran status, how many personalities one may have, even Pets. Most of this would have been asked the the gates of any town I may have visited, but I suppose this way it was documented, and kept for some period of time, and could be referenced at a later time.
I found that some of the paperwork was used much less than the others. The pile that asked for petitions for staying in town had less use than requesting going to other territories. People that came to the Island were not here to stay, but instead unload cargo and pick up new goods. We all found the proper paperwork for each person, Max even finding Minotaur was something used more than Melfina's. It had taken her some time to comb through all the possibilities, Finally ending with a group of papers that were listed with the Title 'Celestial'.
After looking at the seven or eight pages we all had to fill out with every possible bit of information from number of fingers to what my favorite meal was, (I saw Max had put cinnamon rolls after crossing off buckwheat flapjacks), I was a little overwhelmed. “Hey instead of filling all this out, can I just stay on the boat?” I asked the group jokingly.
“No Druss,” Melfina replied, missing my sarcasm. “You are needed here with us. We don't know what may happen, we may have to leave quickly.”
Marda quickly explained that I was joking, and we all set down to filing out the forms. I had to get up a few times to take a few deep breathes, but we eventually finished, and as the forms were bundled at whisked into tubes like the one in the sanctum outpost, we waited to hear if we could stay. While the wait seemed agonizingly long, it was probably less than two hours. Everyone had been granted permission to say for two weeks, and we could extend that for longer if we needed to. We still were not allowed to leave the city, and if we wanted to we would have to do more paperwork for every territory we wanted to go through. I suppose it made sense. If I had wanted to go to Laketown from Cherwood, It would be nice to let them know I was coming in case they didn't want me there. The only reason we couldn't do that was the message would take far too long to get to our destination. With the use of arcane magics, I am guessing it could be sent at a much faster rate. I just had no idea how it was done. With the paperwork out of the way for now, we needed to find a place to stay while we searched for information about a Soulstone.
While Geno hadn't stayed on the Island, he knew about a few places that we could get safe information about places to eat and stay. He knew about a nice bed and breakfast type place in one of the towers that may be available, so we started on our way there. It turned out it was part of an apartment on the thirtieth floor of one of the towers. While I would have preferred to stay closer to the ground floor, beggars couldn't be choosers I suppose. Getting into the tower proved to be no issue, as most of the base of the tower was composed of various shops selling potions, robes, mundane items and candy of all things. To'Li had perked up at that. All the shops had access to something they called an elevator, which Geno told us was sort of like a fancy lift. Two doors opened to a room that looked similar to a closet, with railings all around the walls. With a couple other people pushing us on, we all entered, and the doors closed. Geno had positioned himself nearest to some sort of control panel with buttons and dials, none of which I could fathom what they did. With two buttons pushed, one for us and one for the other group with us, the closet started to move. I could feel my body being pulled down, and knew that I was moving. Had the force been much stronger, I feel like my knees would have buckled. Only a few moments of this feeling before the doors opened and Geno announced, “Floor eighteen! I'll hold the door.”
I had no idea what he meant. There was no way we had just traveled that far in just a few moments. Walking up that many stairs would have taken at least half an hour! But as the doors were open I could see it was an entirely different hall we now looked out on, and different smells were wafting through the air. Aromas of sweet treats and street meats were wafting through the air, and while we had agreed to go eat after finding somewhere to stay, the last meal we had consumed was on the ship this morning. We had skipped lunch while waiting for the petition results. Or maybe that was just the paperwork stage. I wasn't really sure at this point. All I knew was it couldn't hurt to get a small appetizer before going to eat.
Thirty minutes later, we were getting back into the elevator Max with a handful of sticky buns and meat pies, and To'Li sucking the filling out of three fruit turnovers. I had opted for a small meat hand-pie, which had taken the edge off the hunger now gnawing at me. With another short elevator ride, we found ourselves wandering around the thirtieth floor, and in front of a friendly looking door. Renting out a large portion of the available rooms, we will have enough space for the five of us, plus Max, Bellia and To'Li. Someone would have to sleep on a couch, but we were all set otherwise. We even had a balcony, which overlooked a part of the city, and it was a wonderful view of the ground, so very far away. One warning we were given was to avoid opening any bags or chests that may contain extra planar portals. Marda's haversack would be dangerous inside a tower, as with all the other magics swirling around it could cause an explosion. Or worse.
Once we were all settled, Geno suggested a nice place he knew of on the top of a different tower. Asking the proprietor how to get there, we were given the directions that included crossing three rope bridges, going up and down several levels, and possibly jumping a small gap. With absolutely no confidence on how to actually get there, we asked someone again once we got to the ground floor. While the first way would probably have been faster, we now waded through the the crowds and shops along the ground through the vast forest of the mages towers. Most of the quick sale stores occupied the ground floors of the towers. Looking up into the vast web in the sky, other small shops can be seen hanging off the side of the bridges, and some floating in place, attached to great big balloons. This would probably let them move to other locations when business slowed. Some balloons were so large that they couldn't possible come up to a bridge, or else they may crash. Those balloons seemed to contain traveling exhibits, hauling great barges underneath. One seemed to have a whole garden growing inside, while another seemed to have a great clear water tank underneath, complete with fish swimming about.
When we finally reached the tower that contained the restaurant, we spied an antiques store in one corner of the tower, complete with a sign that went up a few levels of the structure reading “Gene's Wayfair”. Since we hadn't seen any other base level shops with signs that large, it may have been a good bet that the shop belonged to someone important to the tower, if not the owner. While we were all hungry, a short visit wouldn't hurt anything, and we had to get to the elevator in the tower somehow to get to the top.
Entering the shop, I immediately gravitate to the old arms and armor. I could tell as soon as I entered that it was all superior quality, and I would have been proud to make any one of them. Chain and Plate mail shone among the older artifacts in the room, and leather armors, detailed with all sorts of patterns and designs. I even saw some Prosthetic arms all hanging together on a back wall, although none of them would have fit my frame. One of the chain shirts had clearly caught Yun's eye, as he waved me over to look at it.
A fine Mithril Shirt, made with peculiar motif that made it appear like the complete bone structure of a humanoid torso. There seemed to be such a wide variety, but something did seem to be missing, and while Yun was asking the proprietor about the cost of the armor, I examined the selection again. Chain, Plate, leather, all the normal materials, even wood and grass was there. But no dragon scale. I couldn't think of seeing dragon scale on anyone in the city. Except for Marda and I. Hm..
“Nine thousand gold?!” Yun Blurted out, pulling me from my thoughts. “that may be a bit steep for me today. Let me go eat first, think on it while I digest.”
“Come now, it was worth that much and more to the last user,” Gene says in a silky manner. The problem was that it had that tone that told me he would try to sell me my own pants if I didn't watch him. “Where are you going to eat tonight my fine patron?” He finished.
“We are going to eat at the top of this very tower, at the buffet.” Yun answers simply enough.
“Oh wonderful!” Gene preens, “I will tell you what. If you simply write a review for the restaurant, and post it with Squeal, I will give you the armor.”
I instantly felt the oil that exuded from this person, and how bad this deal was going to be. No meal Review is going to be worth Nine thousand gold. And giving away top quality armor like this is not something anyone would have done. But I didn't have time to tell Yun it was a bad deal.
“Deal. How do I write it.”
“Simple. There should be a little Kobold that roams around in a official Squeal Barge. Just write down what you think, and he will make sure that is it shared with everyone else.” Just like that, the deal was struck.
“You know,” Yun said and turned, “ I think I would like to change for dinner before we go up.” Turning, they went to a small booth just off the walking path. It seemed like an odd booth to have available to anyone. It was a mostly glass booth, with a small booth that went across one side. I couldn't fathom what it would be used for as it didn't seem very private. When Yun went in however, the view changed as the glass glazed over, like it had been hit with a hard frost, and I could no longer see through it. A few minutes later, an Elderly Orcish gentleman strolled out, complete with a tall hat, a monocle and cane. Taking a few steps forward, he strikes a familiar pose, cape billowing out behind him. Yun had once again taken a new form, this one I don't think we have met before.
Once he reached the rest of us I asked, “Who should we have the honor of dinning with tonight?”
Once more posing heroically, fist on hip, he states in a stiff voice, “Snaglak Snarrlespusf.” While it was an uncommon name, the character seemed to match it. Feeling a bit under dressed myself, I changed into my nicer dress vest, which did not cover the dragonscale arm guard, and we moved back through the shop into the elevator beyond. Marda had purchased a new bag for herself, and had paid to get her name sewn into it, which we would pick up after we ate.
Getting into the elevator, Geno asked us if we were ready, then pushed a button again. Instead of the pressure of going up, this time the whole elevator seemingly turned upside down, and we started falling towards the ceiling. As well fell, the elevator fell too, so we were all just suspended for a time, room and inhabitants falling at the same pace until everything slowly turned the correct way. It felt as if we had been caught by a huge pillow that slowly brought us back to our feet, the elevator coming to a halt, and we found ourselves looking into the large dinning area of the restaurant.
It occupied the whole top of the tower, and had windows all the way around so you could see the Island. The whole level is slowly rotating, and currently we can see the lush wilderness that meets the walls of the city. Almost like a great carving knife had cut civilization from the tangled growth, one territory stops in the same area the next one starts. Further out, a prominent volcano can be seen, red rivers of molten stone flowing away from the summit. A great disturbance could be seen near the volcano, reds and deep oranges blending in a turbid mix, with heat distorting vision even from here.
Raging red clashed with verdant green, with a smaller city much further away, a waterfall falling into it, though I could not see the source. As the room spun slowly, we could look out over the ocean surrounding the Island. Some large creature swam in the water, and the sheer scale of it boggled the mind to near incomprehension.
Looking back inside, we could examine the layout of the buffet. Three long tables held every variety of food, from fresh and roasted vegetables on one. Seared and juicy meats, casseroles and noodles covered in gravy, all of it sauced and spiced were kept on the middle tables, with cakes and puddings covering the third. Asking about the Squeal member, Snaglak is told that the Kobold should present himself, normally wearing a suit. He normally stops by once an hour or so, to collect reviews and to talk with the patronage.
We quickly paid, and found sets for the meal. Grabbing dishes, we set about finding all matter of food, a good amount of it different kinds of seafood, and ate. I was worried at first, as I have seen the food that Geno eats, and I wasn't sure about the quality of such an establishment. How fresh could fish be when you are so high up from the water? Everything turned out to be surprisingly delicious. I had worried that the food would have been cold or congealed, but some sort of spell was keeping the food fresh, as if it was just cooked.
I had just sat down with my second plate when some of the other diners started rushing over to one side of the restaurant to oogle at some commotion outside. I couldn't imagine anything happening all the way up here, until a great shadow blotted out the light. Fork frozen in awe and fear, I slowly looked out the window.
A golden Wingtip disappears from view, and a grand cacophony can be heard outside. Looking at the others in confusion, it takes a few minutes to figure out that it is cheering. Getting up, we walk over to the windows to find fireworks going off in the sky. Odd symbols flash in the sky, Geno telling us they are alchemical symbols, and other designs appear as well. Images of a large Sea creature appear among the fireworks, and as the last of the colorful display goes up, three more images show clearly in the sky. A bridge, an egg, and a Dragon. As Snaglak asks what is happening, other customers say that their patron has appeared, Radiant Ro'gair. The city seems to really like him. Better watch out what we say or do. I find myself subconsciously rubbing the dragon scale guard on my left arm.
Once we had sufficiently filled ourselves with sustenance, Snaglak writes his review. Having summoned the little Kobold, who had appeared in an outfit very similar to Snaglak's, the thoughts on the food and atmosphere were given. With a new review to copy, the little Kobold tipped his own little hat, replaced his monocle, and went on his way.
Quite unsure what to do next, and full up to the crest, we got in the elevator to go back down and report our success. As the elevator flipped us around a few times, it did not slow much as we entered the ground floor, and instead kept going down, Geno reporting we were going underground, although he didn't seem to know when we would stop. It didn't take long, as we found it stop five levels below the antiques shop. I briefly wondered if there was going to be some great cavern that the doors were going to reveal to us, but as they opened, we found a dark room, with the armor Yun had wanted suspended in the middle of the room by a single source of light, with an odd book under it. I had dismissed the book as some other artifact, not connecting it with the armor. It seems they were a pair. This could be some sort of wizards work space, but none of us really wanted to leave the elevator.
Asking Yun if there was anything they could do to reach it from here, they summoned a floating hand, and tried to move it out of the elevator. As soon as it passed the doors, it vanished, and a look of consternation appeared on Yun's features.
“I don't like this Yun,” Marda said from the back. “I don't think you should go in there.”
Nodding my head I agreed with her. “Yeah,” I say. “This whole deal seems off;. Just wrong.”
Walking forward, Melfina motions for us to wait, and move out of the center of the elevator. As we scrunch ourselves against the walls, the tall woman pulls her sacred dagger out, connected to the chain. Hurling it with all her might, she manages to wrap it around what looked to be a rib bone. With Geno helping, she managed to pull it out of whatever was holding it in place, and it plunged into the darkness. The the two of them pulled, it seemed like the shole end of the chain had been lost to the darkenss as they pulled, and pulled. As sudden as the magic hand had disappeared, the armor and the end of the chain, complete with dagger were pulled out from the darkness into the elevator.
I hadn't been able to be close enough to touch it, and now I see it may very well be bone and not metal. It really did seem to be a skeletal torso, complete with bone arms and hands. While I was close enough to touch it, I found myself not wanting to. At all.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Summoning my axe, I square up, only to have everyone duck down as the book comes flying at us! Hitting the back of the elevator, it flops around a few times, then stops. The book seems to be covered in some sort of unusual flesh, with one great eye frantically spinning in a grotesque socket. As Yun picks it up, the color of the eye matches the moon elf's, and as Geno touches it, it quickly shift to the goblins eye, before swirling back to Yun.
As we ride the elevator back up, they both try reading it, but neither can. I look at it as well, but it doesn't make sense. I can read the words, but it's all gobbledygook. Reaching the ground floor, Yun dons the armor, hefts the book and defiantly walks out into the cities streets. Marda collects the bag she bought, and we leave that strange, possibly malicious shop. Picking up some additional food for those back at our lodgings, we make our way back.
It takes some time to get back to the tower, whether from us taking a few incorrect turns, or walking a bit slower, but we eventually get back, Yun having taken out a couple of outfits from his little box. With the same properties as Marda's haversack, it wouldn't be safe for him to open it in the tower. Once inside our rooms, we all start getting comfortable, removing outer layers for some, armor for others. With a soft exclamation from Yun, we look their way to see them hold up their hand, a tattoo on the finer with today's date in clear black letters. The eye in the book now holds a piercing gaze, one that looks eerily similar to Yun's Eye.
“I think I should take a look at your new acquisition Yun,” Geno started as he moved to his bags, pulling out the candles and tools he normally used to figure out what was what. As Geno looks at the armor first, Yun starts looking into the book again, finding that now that it has taken his Eye color he can read it.
“This book belonged to someone named Vaughn Varegoth.” they say. “It seems Vaughn was a pretty powerful wizard, and it has a good amount of notes in it. Here in the middle it says that he has left a powerful Soulstone with Bloody Charring,” The book is closed with a soft thump. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“That,” Geno starts, after finishing up with the armor, “is the Great red dragon that controls that hot bit over yonder what we saw from the top of the tower. He isn't the nicest, but we will need his permission to go anywhere in his realm. Let me see that book.”
After a few more minutes, where I looked in on To'Li to make sure she was sleeping, Geno was ready to tell us what was going on with the armor and the book. “The Armor is normal Mithril Armor of a superior quality, magical to the point where it will offer slightly better protection than just normal Mithril. If that is a thing. But it is bound to this.” He then gestured to the book. “That's what is odd. The binding is now connected to Yun. There seems to be some necromancy about the set, and it now pulses between the three parts. Armor, Yun, and the book. It seems that if the book were to be damaged, it will draw whatever life it needs to heal itself from the individual it is bonded to. Also, the only one that can read the book is Yun now that the bond is complete. That's why we couldn't understand it earlier. None of us were bonded.”