World Sphere - 193 -

Chapter 193:

“So, what did you find that you want in the auction?” I asked the two as I used the cleanliness spell on Kiara and me.

Aelyn retorted, “What did you find at the top of the super-secret reward chamber in the dungeon? You remember the one you wanted to do by yourself.”

I shook my head at her irritation. “Just a spell book. A powerful spell but Orion, the elf dungeon expert, thinks it is a warning that the dungeon entrance will move if the World Walker shows up.” Aelyn was stunned, and Freya didn’t understand the implications and instead pointed at the auction book.

“There is a blue dragon egg with an affinity to lightning,” Freya said excitedly.

“No, it would eat Monty. I already have a lightning dragon, anyway. What else did you find?” I put an end to any begging for a dragon egg. Dragons were not pets. They were much too smart and unpredictable. Drakes could be trained by a skilled beast tamer, but dragons? No.

Freya frowned, slightly upset I wasn’t willing to play her game. They had probably been planning on how to manipulate me in the hours I had been clearing the bridges. I guessed she was obviously starting big and planning to get something more reasonable at the end. Aelyn brushed off the dungeon problem and made their pitch next, “Some dungeon textiles are being sold. Brilliant colors from the Dreamfog Dungeon.” I narrowed my eyes, thinking the two were tag-teaming me. One was starting high, and the other was starting low and planning to meet in the middle.

“Are these for making clothes for you or a marketing opportunity in Skyholme?” I asked cautiously, wary of a trap.

“Both,” Aelyn said with a mischievous grin. “Maybe some new underclothes from red silk spray spiders?”

“Well, good luck with your merchant’s endeavor then,” I returned the smile, not falling for her trap. Aelyn has her own funds to draw on and didn’t need mine.

“I will cut you in on half the profits,” she pressed, sighing. She was leading me on so I would be financing the whole endeavor. 

“Is that before or after you raid the stock for your own wardrobe?” I asked, arching my eyebrow. I was not opposed to her sly provocation but best not to give in so easily. I sat across from them and turned the auction registry toward me.

Aelyn huffed, “Fine. I will pay for whatever I take in samples. The bid should cap around twenty-thousand gold.” I arched my eyebrow. Fashion was expensive, and Skyholme was becoming a hub of fashion, but then again, fashion changed with the air currents. I did not care to participate in riding those winds, profit off it, yes.

“Okay, if it passes twenty-two thousand, then no. How many lots for sale?” I looked for the entry in the book. The two had been busy as the auction book had been scribbled on every page.

Aeyln came and sat next to me and turned to the page. It listed the merchant, the itemized goods, and the starting bid. Four identical lots were shown, each with one thousand square yards of fabric woven from various plants and creatures in the faraway dungeon. Aelyn leaned into me, resting her hand on my thigh. “I think they will be a steal since everyone is focused on the World Walker. You can probably buy two lots for forty thousand.”

I reviewed the entries and slowly nodded. I wished Remy was here as he would have been able to give me a clear picture of the potential profit. With skyship traffic increasing we could always hold the textiles until someone met our required price. “The auction is in four days?” I asked. Freya nodded emphatically, ready to read her next request off her notes, probably a step down from a dragon egg. “Good. I need some rest. We can talk about whatever is on your paper after, Freya. Aeyln, you can have them stop transferring my daily fee to Skyholme. If they decide to allow me to continue working on the array, that should give us 160,000 gold for the auction.”

Aelyn could read my mood and stood. She took a reluctant Freya out of the room, who followed under silent protest. “Come, I will feed you,” Aelyn informed the phantom cats who followed her and left me alone. I didn’t see Bleiz, but I assumed he was resting somewhere as well as it had been a long day.

I paged through the auction book, taking my own notes. It was almost twice as thick as the last auction registry, and I assumed the taxes that Myththrone was collecting were needed to pay for the shield array. King Nirhaan also said the city was also posting a number of items in the auction as well to raise funds.

There were a lot of tier-one dungeon essences being offered in small lots. Since I had the gold, I might as well get some for the Wolfsguard on the Black Spire estate. It was a relatively small expenditure to me to reward them for their service. Physical enhancement essences were probably the cheapest of the tier-one variety, coming in between one and five thousand gold each.

It was a small fortune to an individual and maybe more than most citizens of Skyholme would make in a lifetime. Tier two dungeon essences would be too expensive to get in quantity. Essences for strength, endurance, and dexterity were the cheaper physical essences. The more expensive ones were constitution and quickness.

Although there were beast essences offered, Adrial and Kiara were still recovering from their first ones and I had one left over. Still, I noted a few interesting ones to possibly bid on if I had some extra gold. The last thing I focused on was the spells being offered, and there were a lot. Due to the nature of the monthly auction, only tier three and higher dungeon spell books were in the registry. There were some lots of ten total spells, tier one and two spells mixed together. If they were all dungeon spells in the lot, I noted them. Adding a number of dungeon spell books to my new magic emporium at the Dungeon Academy was probably a good idea.

It was going to be a massive auction, and to emphasize this, the schedule showed the expected length to be almost an entire day, not including the six-hour pre-auction for socializing and making side deals. I eventually closed the book, having burned a significant amount of time.

I reclined on the sofa and asked Kiara to vacate our link. I actually woke her resting in the other room.  Aelyn and Freya were sleeping and I probably should be as well but I was expecting the king. Kiara broke the connection, and I inspected the belt the dungeon awarded me. The heavy, dense leather that made up the runic device felt silky under my hand. I slowly closed and buckled the belt to attune it.

The flood of aether I was suddenly pulling from the environment was intoxicating. I felt drunk as my aether core stirred, and I focused inward on the enhanced flow to control it. It was so powerful my anchored spells were being swept out of their positions on my core. I had expected as much and focused on adjusting to balance the flow while my body started to sweat. I started to bleed off aether from my core as I adjusted to the increase. I think my aether core configuration made the aether belt even more effective.

It took me a few hours, and at one point, I was surprised to find Kiara at my feet. She looked up at me expectantly, and I shook my head no. Was she becoming dependent on our mental bond? It was something I would have to address in the future. Eventually, I retreated from my inward focus, but my core still felt a little unsteady. I had no doubt that with some time, I could stabilize and was not concerned. 

If I removed the belt, it might take a few moments to stabilize my core again. I reached down and rubbed Kiara’s head, feeling her lock in the mental link again. She started purring, her vibrations shaking the entire couch. “Father. Safe. Now?”

It was touching that she had been concerned, even though there had not been any concern on my part. “Yes, I am fine. I will need you to break the connection again so I can check in with Skyholme.” Kiara growled, discontented, but did as asked.

I was about to do my daily check-in with Sana when a solid knock struck the door. It didn’t take long for King Nirhaan to enter with two of his royal guards. He looked troubled, and I already knew why as I had been expecting his visit. “Master Artificer Storme, I have just come from a meeting with the City Council.” I waited for him to continue.

He found a seat and looked at the auction book on the table distractedly before continuing, “As you are aware, the dungeon is trying to communicate with us.”

“Are you here for the spell, then?” I asked. I had figured they would want it and planned to sell it to them, but due to the circumstances and how stressed and exhausted King Nirhaan looked, I was ready to hand it to him. I brought the spell book out and placed it on the table between us.

He briefly looked at the book and waved his hand, “No. We have ways to find the Cavern of the Thunder Witch if it moves its entrance. I am here to make sure it doesn’t happen. We need you to finish the shield array in haste so the dungeon does not move. Rebuilding Myththorne would take a century. Orion told me about the belt.” He pointed, thinking it would solve my slowish pace.

I slowly inhaled, doing the math in my head. “Yes, I just acclimatized to it. It is a powerful artifact, and it has created some volatility in my aether core and channels.” Seeing King Nirhaan’s consternation, I continued, “I would have enough aether to complete two towers in a single day, but I don’t think I could continue that pace for long without risk to myself.”

“Fifteen towers are remaining, not including the central array. Can you complete the array in eight days then?” he stated, hopefully ignoring my hesitation.

“No. There is no way I could work that much aether over eight days. I can try to do two towers tomorrow, but I cannot keep up that pace. Did you find anyone else who could work the adamantine?” I asked the King.

“We called for anyone able to manipulate adamantine, but we are not the only city trying to prepare defenses against the World Walkers. We were fortunate no one else knew of your ability, Master Artificer. We might be the only ones who have a chance of succeeding. Redstone is trying to construct a massive aether cannon, which will probably only anger the World Walker and ensure its destruction.” King Nirhaan smiled weakly. “I will let you rest so you can start your work when you are ready. All our hopes are on you.”

I realized I hadn’t negotiated for more gold for my work but it seemed petty to be doing so with the city hanging in the balance. King Nirhaan left and his two guards followed. Kiara looked at me for an explanation of what just happened. “In a minute. I need to talk with Sana.”

My talk with Sana was lengthy. I told her I was suspending the forty thousand daily gold I was sending her daily through the Adventurers Guild. Still, she was more interested in the rare aether recovery belt and how the dungeon had communicated with us. She also wanted to study both the belt and spell book when I returned. Her news from Skyholme hadn’t changed. The Progenitor Dungeon was still sealed, but it looked like it would not be moving its entrance. The hunt for the Shifter was at a standstill, but they had uncovered four other shapechangers on the islands. Some had been living there peacefully for years and Loriel was undecided on what to do with them.

The Dungeon Academy project was going exceptionally well by Sana’s excitement. I could tell it was like she was fulfilling her dreams, albeit with my gold. The number of instructors she had locked up was approaching saturation. The only other topic was Toblin and the attempt to open the Black Spire. He was trying tomorrow. Everyone still on my estate would be loaded onto the Night Wraith and moved out of range before he attempted it. I just hoped he didn’t destroy the whole capital island.

The only other news was Shiny Platinum Delving. They were in the lowlands trying to make a profit while the Progenitor Dungeon was sealed. The were doing an adequate job and procuring items to seed the Progenitor Dungeon when it opened again. Sana had only glimpsed Remy’s reports, but she said I had nothing to worry about.

The delving operations were more than self-sustaining. Mostly because they were equipped with the runic gear, I artificed. I just hoped they were smart and didn’t become targets for unscrupulous delve teams. At least the dungeons they were delving into were only allowed in small groups. The real danger would be massive dungeons like the Cavern of the Thunder Witch, where multiple delve teams could enter at a time and interact.

Breaking the connection, I was still concerned but grateful to have Sana and her recruited instructors in Aegis City. I moved to the bedroom and woke Aelyn. I figured if I was going to be spending forty thousand gold on cloth, I should get my gold worth for the favor.

The next day, I made my attempt at completing two towers in one day. The mathematicians had been busy and had prepared four towers, and all I needed to do was check their work. The first tower had no errors I could find, so I pushed through it. Although I was tired I moved onto the second tower immediately.

Doing my due diligence I found six mistakes in the chalk and quickly got frustrated. Then I figured out the problem as I had the wrong schema for this tower. The mathematicians had left the wrong pages behind. As I waited for the runner to return with the correct ones, Kiara growled.

Bleiz appeared, smiling as Kiara had detached his approach. “How he asked?”

Kiara told me and I relayed it to Bleiz, “She detected the air pressure change when you came through the archway. Is there any news?”

“Only that the city a Flameheart fell yesterday to a World Walker. It settled over the city this morning, and the dungeon sealed itself after a few hours. The Magma Vault is one of the older dungeons in this region of the Sphere. I heard rumors it may be a year or two before it shows its entrance again.” Bleiz said as he handed me some meat sticks. “You are losing weight.”

I gave him an annoyed glance but ate the offered sustenance anyway. It was a spicy sweet marinated meat. Bleiz knew what I liked. “So, why else are you here? Shouldn’t you be delving with Freya?”

“Yeah, about that. When we exited this morning, Gareth was in the Adventurer’s Hall with his delve team,” Bleiz responded.

My heart raced a little. “How is he doing? Is his new delve team meeting his benefactors expectations?” I had been a little hurt that he sought an outside benefactor but could understand it.

Bleiz nodded. “He said he didn’t want to disturb you but would talk to you when you had time. I told him the best time to talk with you was at the auction in three days. That is actually why he is here.” I looked surprised. “He is not buying but selling. His group got their hands on a fairly useless tier three dungeon essence.”

I nodded. “Let me know what it is. I will make sure I drive up the price for him. He is still my friend.” Bleiz shrugged, and it looked like he had expected my reaction.

The runner returned with the correct schema, and Bleiz vanished. Doing the second tower today started to become unpleasant. I had the available aether and was recovering fast enough to continue, but my aether core hadn’t adapted, and I felt exhausted by the flow in and out. When I finished, the cats flanked me, and the royal guard escorted me back to the palace to rest. It was hard to stay alert and observe the people as I walked through the city. The bed greeted me and I passed out.

I ended up sleeping half a day but felt ready to tackle two more towers. I pushed through and returned to the palace, and instead of resting, I started work on the control array for the twenty-three towers. With twelve towers complete, I could start laying the runes for the control array and attuning the towers. It was not the correct order of work, but attuning the alignments took a lot less metal shaping.

The central room in the palace was secure and quiet except for Adrial, who liked to patrol the perimeter, and Kiara, who was surfing my memories through our link. I didn’t get a lot done, but I laid the groundwork and improved my understanding later.

After an unrestful sleep with the geometric patterns of the runes played endlessly in mind, I moved to continue work on the towers. Halfway through the second tower of the day, Sana contacted me. “Storme? You listening?”

The tone was urgent through the messaging ring. “What happened?” I asked worriedly.

“Toblin managed to destroy…” She paused there, and I didn’t appreciate her teasing me. I didn’t fall for it and just waited. “He took down most of the runes. He somehow funneled away the aether, powering them long enough to break their workings. He just needs to rest a day or two and will be into the upper floors. There may be other defenses inside, but he cracked the door. Don’t worry, I have six of my instructors watching him all the time. Two of them have worked with Toblin before and know his tricks.”

I relaxed. “Any other news?”

“The central building of the Academy reached the ninth floor today. Still, a lot of interior work to do, but it towers over Aegis city, and my future office is going to have a nice view.”

“It is only your office as long as you administer the Academy, Sana,” I stated. You could feel emotion through the powerful rings, and we were clearly teasing each other.

Sana got more serious. “Hurry back, Storme. I sense something brewing here. I don’t know if Toblin triggered something by cracking the Black Spire or not, but I can feel something.”

“The Shifter? Is the ghost elf still in the islands?” I asked.

“He left a few days ago. It might be the Shifter. Everyone seems to think he left the islands, and that is why they can't find it. I have my doubts—the Black Spire would be a tempting target.” Sana noted.

“Toblin is going to wait until I return?” I asked anxiously.

“That is the plan. Like I said, we are keeping track of him.” Sana finished and broke the connection shortly after.

I finished the second tower of the day extremely distracted, which slowed my work. I returned to the palace for some rest, and Aelyn and Freya woke me up for the auction. They were much more excited than I was, as I was feeling the aether exhaustion from finishing six towers in four days.

It was supposed to be a surprise, but Bleiz had already told me. When I walked into King Nirhaan’s box at the auction, Gareth was standing there with his familiar grin. He looked different, older, and maybe more mature. But perhaps that second part was too much to hope for. “Stormy, you look like goblin shit.”

“Thanks, Gareth.” I moved into him, and we hugged and started to catch up. 

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