World Sphere - 198 -

Chapter 198:

“No.” I stared down Loriel. “The Black Spire and everything on the estate is mine as per our arrangement.”

Loriel was relaxed. “Maybe you need reminding that the Heartstone was lost due to your negligence. Skyholme needs defenses, and reestablishing the anti-teleportation array could solidify our defenses.”

“Then purchase a new Heartstone. I have repaid for the Heartstone and the mithril ten times over.” You could feel the tension in the air, and the battle of wills was making the others uncomfortable. Even Sana looked unsettled.

Sana stepped forward, intervening. “Let’s calm down and step back. I have reviewed the title of the Black Spire in detail. Storme is entitled to everything within and below. The Heartstone has not been recovered but is deep within the island.” Sana said, trying to mediate.

Prince Consort Antioch had been a semi-ally for me and spoke to moderate as well. “I reviewed the documents as well. Sana is correct; the Heartstone is contained within the Spire, so it belongs to the High Mage.” Loriel gave her consort a sour look. Antioch continued, “Perhaps Storme would be willing to artifice the chains that were—lost.” It was no secret that I had taken them. I meticulously copied the runes and gave Sebastian a copy as well.

I considered the compromise offered. With my skill, it would only take about two days to artifice the runic chains that drew aether from the Heartstone. “Agreed, but you will supply the mithril.” Loriel’s jaw clenched, and I was certain she was not acting.

“Fantastic!” Prince Antioch accepted on her behalf. He knew how to spin a situation. I might have just been duped into doing twenty thousand gold worth of runic work for free, but the effort was minimal on my end and I doubted Skyholme had the mithril.

They tried a few more times to get me to abandon hunting the shifter. I listened patiently, but in the end, it was my prerogative and maybe my hubris that had me set on the path. I left the audience with Sana. She didn’t stop trying to convince me as we walked, “Storme, you are still young and foolish. There are some fights you can’t win. Toblin was an experienced adventurer and died.”

“I will not be alone. I promise I will not go if Relik doesn’t agree to accompany me.” That seemed to satiate her concerns some. When we returned to the Shiny Platinum, I walked the upper floors that were now mostly empty. Sana left to return to the Dungeon Academy and expected me to tour the construction soon.

A slight staleness hung in the air the I rectified with my cleanliness spell. The cats served as my guardians as we walked. I found Remy in his room, “Why didn’t you head down to Goldreach?” I asked him. He was buried in paperwork but smirked at me.

“Too many things going on. Arriving ships have dropped by a quarter, and I am looking for alternatives.” He said wearily.

“Our finances are a problem?” I asked. Loriel had noted skyship traffic was down 40%, but I didn’t believe her.

“No, no.” He shook his head. “We have sufficient funds for two years as long as Sana doesn’t make too many more requests.” He said it jokingly, but I understood his frustration. I had given Sana free reign to rebuild the Academy. He searched through his papers, “We have secured building contracts for the remaining structures, and the builders are trying to back out for more lucrative contracts elsewhere in the islands. Fortunately, I included a penalty clause.” Remy smiled devilishly.

I retrieved the 200,000 gold in mithril. The adamantine was reserved for the Maelstrom. “This is for the Academy operations budget, but if you need more coin for other projects, just reallocate it.” Remy was a brilliant mathematician and had earned my trust over the last two years. I knew he piggybacked on transactions he made for me to make his own coin and was wealthy in his own right. To his credit, he didn’t flaunt his wealth.

Remy carefully counted the coins before secreting them away. “I am still 350,000 gold short for the construction projects planned at the Academy but Sana has spaced the construction over the next year.”

“That is just one good pirate ship bounty,” I noted with a smirk. I couldn’t believe I mainly had funded the Dungeon Academy and construction from the trip to Myththorne. I wondered if I could find out if they were successful from the Adventurer’s Guild. The World Walker would have reached the city by now.

Seeing me lose focus, Remy asked, “The dungeon skyship is ready for artificing.”

“It's done?” I asked surprised, but then I realized how long I had been away. Still, Rippon had been with us, and I thought Remy needed his help.

“Four seats and places for two full-grown phantom cats,” he said proudly. “I'm not sure if the dungeon would take kindly to mounting small aether cannons on it, so I skipped those. But I left enough space for aether shielding runes.” He got a little nervous, “I was thinking if it works well, maybe we could invest in a few to use in the islands. They would be quicker than most skyships, hopping between islands. They couldn’t carry a lot of cargo but I have a second configuration with one pilot and six passenger seats—like an air carriage of sorts.”

“Have you done the potential revenue from such a ship?” I asked skeptically.

Seeing his face, I could tell he had. “At a gold per passenger, they would have to transport two hundred passengers daily to cover for maintenance and two rotating pilots. That is the ideal price point. The biggest issue is not all the islands have been opened fully to outsiders and few Skyholme citizens can afford the fee.”

I considered for a long moment. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, as I thought. The problem was the cost of maintaining this fleet of skiffs. The aether crystal to power them and the metal in the runes would be a huge investment. “How much does it cost to build each of these sky carriages?”

Remy’s eyes brightened, “Less than eight thousand in materials. The metal for the runes and the aether crystal would be around twenty-five thousand.”

Remy needed a project, and I was paying Rippon to maintain my three skyships. The old shipwright liked to complain, but the busier he was, the happier he was. “Build ten. I am not saying I will artifice them, but I will if I get some aether crystals from pirate skiffs or small pirate skyships. Also, add an additional seat for a guard behind the passengers. They will be too valuable and easy to steal, not protected.”

“Really?” Remy sounded a little surprised. “Ten?”

I imagined the little sky carriages flitting between the islands. I had other ideas for artificing into the mini-skyships. A communication stone network and some artificed tracking device. “Ten,” I confirmed.

“When will you artifice the dungeon skyship?” He asked eagerly.

I tempered his enthusiasm. “Thank you for your work, Remy. I still need to finish the repairs on the Maelstrom, kill one of the most fearsome creatures in the Sphere, tour the Dungeon Academy, and review the treasures in the Black Spire. Do you know if there were any metals in the tower?” I asked hopefully, thinking perhaps there might be adamantine to finish the Maelstrom.

“I have not been part of the inventorying process. Sana’s instructors have been handling the cataloging of what was found.” Remy replied, and I was slightly concerned. Sana may trust her acquaintances, but I didn’t know them. Toblin had been more than willing to sneak behind everyone’s backs to check out the Spire unattended as well. I just pushed down my anxiety.

“I purchased a few mixed lots of tier one dungeon essences for the magic shop. They should make the Dungeon Academy popular.” I said as I shocked Remy again. “You can figure out pricing.” I patted him on the back. There was no such thing as a useless skill, you just needed to get creative. I left a beaming Remy as he began planning on the minor change to the small ship and using the communication stone to contact Bleiz for details on the dungeon essences.

The cats joined me on the Maelstrom as we raced to the capital island and the Black Spire. The Skyholme fleet was like a cloud as it patrolled around the capital island, looking for the escaping shifter. I would have thought Loriel would have called them off by now to let the creature flee. I circled over the Skyhold, and with all the Navy ships in the sky, the docks were mostly barren. My skyship, the Night Wraith, was docked here as my contract for possession of the Black Spire required its presence. Maybe next time Loriel needed something reasonable, I could get that requirement removed.

I moved and circled the fields and the Black Spire, seeing no one left behind. This was good as I had ordered everyone to the lowlands. I would have to make amends to Fera and Mera’s family for the loss of the children somehow. I moved to the Progenitor Dungeon and its entrance was still closed. Then I hovered over the Duskhunters fortification and there was almost no activity here as well.

I landed outside the gates and secured the Maelstrom by cutting the mithril feeds to the aether crystal. It would be quick for me to reestablish but difficult for anyone without metal shaping to repair. If the shifter was having trouble fleeing the island, it was not taking the Maelstrom.

Jasper, Relik’s delve team scout, walked out of the gates waving. I was briefly on alert until he greeted me. “Storme! Good to see you back. We were closing the guild residence and getting ready to return to Llorth until the dungeon reopened.”

“So, you have stopped hunting the shifter?” I asked, disappointed.

“We were only supporting the Maven Seekers. When they abandoned the hunt, we retreated back here. There are hundreds of miles of tunnels and chambers within the island. It would take a lifetime to search them all. The shifter is crafty and has covered his tracks too well with magic.” Jasper said as we walked into the small fortification. The cats trotted behind us, and the Maelstrom was secured but unattended.

We went to the central building, and I found Relik, Marigold, and two others from his delve team resting. The dark elves nodded to me as I entered, showing respect. Relik stood to greet me. “Storme, I hear your efforts in Myththorne have succeeded.”

“What did you hear?” I asked interested.

“Galaeron said the word had come the World Walker struck the shield and has been turned. It is not certain if it will circle around and try again or be drawn to another dungeon entrance yet, but word has come of the success.” Relik said smiling and patting me on the shoulder heavily. That actually was more like solid blows than a pat.

“Thank you for the news. King Nirhaan has been honorable to me. I am actually here to talk with you and try to convince you to join Hyperion and me in hunting the shifter.” Relik eyes widened in surprise at my words.

“You convinced the elf to hunt the shifter?” Relik said skeptically. I winced internally as I hadn’t figured to pay Relik nearly as much as Hyperion. “That elf has to be the biggest enigma I have ever met. One moment, he is selfish and the next selfless.”

“Well, I agreed to return ownership of the Prancing Eagle to him.” I supplied the truth, not wanting to get caught in a lie in the future.

“I knew he wanted that ship back!” Marigold said from her seat.

“Well, what do I have to offer you for your help?” I asked Relik.

His delve team went silent as they waited for Relik to talk. The tall, broad-shouldered, dark elf considered his words before replying. “I am at a disadvantage in the tunnels. I can’t swing my favorite sword easily.” He began. “Also, I wouldn’t risk my companions hunting something so unpredictable.” My heart sank. Delvers liked the predictability of dungeons. Even though they were dangerous, the dungeon rarely changed, and if it did, it was by small increments.

“Well, I appreciate all you have done, and once the Progenitor Dungeon opens, you can resume training your guild mates,” I said, offering my hand.

He looked down at it, “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to join you.” He held up his hand to stop Marigold from saying something. “My team can remain in here if they want but will not go into the tunnels.” His tone was an order and not a suggestion. “As for what I would want?” He looked past me at the Kiara and Adrial. I was about to say no when he continued, “A pair of phantom kittens and two artificed swords of my choosing.”

I was shocked the requirement was so light. Finding the kittens wouldn’t be easy, but I could pay someone else to collect them. I assumed they were for Lorae and her growing menagerie as a beast tamer. “Agreed,” I said firmly and held out my hand.

His delve team did not look happy. “This is a personal task outside my guild obligations.” As he shook my hand, he looked at his companions.

“Well, I needed to stretch my legs, and I heard there are miles of tunnels inside the island.” Jasper stood and started stretching.

“No, Jasper. Not this time.” Relik tone hardened before the others could find a flimsy excuse to join him. “If something happens to me, look after Lorae.”

The exchange made me feel a little guilty, and then a nightmarish thought occurred to me. What if Relik wanted weapons artificed from adamantine? With the size of his weapons, that would be millions of gold worth in adamantine. “Whatever weapons you want, I just ask you to supply the materials.”

Relik’s eyebrow arched, and then he smiled, maybe reading my mind. He laughed, “Of course.”

“I am going to tour the Dungeon Academy, and then when Hyperion returns, we can begin,” I said, relieved. Relik had been almost as fast as me with my lightning reflexes spell. With Hyperion holding the shifter in place, we should make short work of it.

Relik had a simple contract drawn up, and I signed it. The only stipulation was his fees would transfer to his daughter if he died, and I did not. I left in the Maelstrom to go see what over a million gold bought you in Skyholme these days.

In a short time, I circled high over Aegis City using my telescopic sight. The massive Academy building jutted out of the city like a thumb. Most of the surrounding blocks had been leveled for the future construction. I used the adamantine communication ring to talk to Sana. I really should have had Freya take it with her as planned. “Storme?” Sana voice appeared in my head.

“Sana, am I able to land the Maelstrom on the Academy?” It had been constructed to support the weight but I wanted to make sure.

“You could, but the flight permissions have not been approved by the governor,” she replied. “It is not that he is not going to approve them, it is just the paperwork was not dated for the start of the school year. The building was completed faster than anticipated.”

I considered for a few moments. Generally, you could only approach the city from the docks and land there. You were not allowed to fly over large cities, and only land at the ports on approach. But screw it, I was the High Mage of Skyholme. “I am landing then. You can explain to the governor.”

I activated the aether shielding just in case I was fired upon, but the Maelstrom was the most recognizable skyship in Skyholme. I descended rapidly in a controlled corkscrew and watched the defense towers on the outskirts of the city. No one fired upon me, and I settled the Maelstrom on the stone roof. It felt solid as I landed.

As the ramp came down, the cats flanked me as I descended. Sana Velin was there to greet me, shaking her head but smiling at my boldness. “Welcome to your Dungeon Academy, Storme.”

I followed Sana on the tour. The upper floors were offices and hers had an amazing view of the city all the way to the skyship docks. I could even make out the top of the Shiny Platinum by the gardens on the roof. The woodcraft in her office was exquisite as well but she had paid for it herself, a sign that she might be planning on staying for the long term.

Labs and classrooms dotted the middle floors of the tower. A few libraries looked empty, and that was because they were constructed much larger than the previous libraries. Sana mentioned something about the need to hire librarians and scribes. There were almost an infinite amount of books in the Sphere, but the languages varied. The Sphere had a common tongue, but not everyone used it. So it was necessary to have books transcribed.

“The tower has a skeleton of aether stone. It was too expensive to make the entire building out of aether stone. We have also woven durability, anti-fire, anti-lightning, and anti-scrying runes into the walls,” Sana said proudly.

The lower floors were cavernous combat rooms, fitness training rooms, and one massive cafeteria. A delver ran on his stomach, supplying some of the best food in the islands was part of the master plan. The kitchen still had yet to be artificed. As we toured the lower floors, Sana told me about the instructors. “Two of the satellite buildings are supposed to be new dorms for the students, but I have paused the construction in favor of Remy’s magic shop.”

“How many students?” I asked.

“The new year is two months away, but we have a full class. I don’t think many of them will remain enrolled after they find out the work involved. But the goal is to start with a full class every year and let them cut themselves or fail out.” Sana explained. I nodded as this was an opportunity for the young men and women of Skyholme. The education was free and included room and board, but you needed to constantly prove you belonged by working hard.

We walked the block, and Sana pointed out the future buildings. A residence for the instructors was half finished. The magic shop was a bulkier building for added security. It was going to have a lot of runes embedded in the walls to protect the artificed goods, spellbooks, and dungeon essences contained within. There were already a number of guards in Shiny Platinum uniforms walking the grounds. I was sure Maya would increase that number when the school year started.

After a lengthy tour, we returned to Sana’s impressive office. Kiara was impressed with the massive building and tour overall and went to the massive window to look out on the city. Adrial was less impressed and lay down by the door. Both cats got a lot of stares on the tour and seemed to like the attention. “So, Storme, what do you think?”

“It is amazing. Do you think it will raise the people of Skyholme?” I asked looking up at the tall, massive central building.

“In the Sphere, this Academy would be considered top tier. But it is the students that make it powerful. We need to recruit further afield if you truly want to develop true talent. Not everyone has your potential,” Sana said seriously.

“I thought we had open citizenship?”

Sana shook her head. “No, that is what you wanted. It is still stuck in bureaucracy. Even with the islands being massively underpopulated, there is still resistance to allowing a massive influx of outsiders to become citizens. Even more with non-human races.” Sana explained patiently.

I frowned. My Dungeon Academy only took citizens of Skyholme, but I had thought to get around this by allowing a quick path to citizenship. “I guess I need to talk with Loriel,” I said, slightly exasperated.

 “It won’t be a problem for a year. There is no rush. With your permission, I will send out recruiters to find talent. It will cost some coin.” Sana said, grinning.

“Of course it will,” I said sardonically. “Fine, hire a few recruiters. I will deal with Loriel and the Prince Consort.”

Sana nodded happily. She was definitely enjoying this. “You said you got a dungeon spellbook from the dungeon?”

“Yes, it is a dungeon locator spell.” I retrieved the unique spellbook for Sana. She turned it over in her hands and opened to the blank page. She smirked a little at there being no words on the page.

“Do you know what this is?” She asked secretively.

“A spellbook?”

“Yes, you could learn the spell or claim a page of a codex.” Before I could question her, she ripped out the blank page, and the spellbook crumbled to dust. My eyes widened as she handed my the page and complex writing formed on the page that seemed to move. “Don’t try reading it. You need all pages of a codex to do so. It is not the only codex page you have either. The Black Spire had more.”

“What is it a codex for?” I asked, getting dizzy from the moving lines.

“I am not certain if anyone knows. The pages can only be claimed from dungeons, and there is more than one codex. I have been collecting pages for the Tertiary Codex. My mentor thinks that one completed, a codex will give unrivaled power. Others think it is a way to control the dungeons. Others think it tells of a way to harness the ley lines.” I looked up sharply as that is what had fractured the islands, the mage of the avian race tried to harness the power of the ley lines. She shook her head. “The codex in the Spire is incomplete.”

Before we could continue, a loud thud sounded above us. Another skyship had landed at the Academy. We looked at each other, confused, and went to the roof. The Prancing Eagle was nested next to the Maelstrom, and Hyperion waved and smiled brightly from his deck. His minotaur companion stood behind him. “Thought that was your ship Storme. I am ready to hunt a shifter!”

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