Kai squinted up at the Archine Tower.
When he saw it yesterday, Kai couldn’t help but look fixedly at the structure of the tower. Today, there was little to no difference; the only thing was that the tower was extremely close to him. The details he saw through [Hawk eyes] were now an arm’s distance away.
The runes that were etched to the surface garnered his attention immediately. The lines and arcane symbols on the tower clearly protected it from magical attacks and provided a sheen of physical defences, but he had to examine it closely to know what type of spells might be able to break it.
It was far from the best work, but it was still done intricately, making him respect the Mage who had etched the runes.
He noticed the material itself shimmered faintly, giving out a glow. He wanted to extend his arm and know how the material felt against his skin, but shadows of two figures came from behind.
He slowly turned around to see two relaxed faces.
It was amusing. The entire time they had been around him, they maintained facades of normalcy, but now there were smiles on their faces. Klan, who’d always looked as if he was born with a permanent scowl on his face, looked as good as a Mage who had discovered the way to harness the power of the moon.
"Lord Arzan." Jacks bowed, his voice dripping with (forced) politeness. "We are ready to proceed."
Kai nodded at that. His eyes fell somewhere else when he noticed how the courtyard before the tower was unusually crowded.
He was too focused on the tower to notice it before.
Carriages like he saw while on his way to the capital were there— different designs lined the periphery. He doubted all of them belonged to nobles which meant they were of Mages.
Was this a usual occurrence? Or was something else afoot? Are there always so many Mages in the tower?
Klan looked in Killian’s direction before clearing his throat.
"Knight Killian needs to stay here," he said.
"We’ll go in with you," Jacks was quick to follow up.
Kai nodded to Killian who immediately understood.
"I’ll be by the carriage."
"Yes, this might take a while. Jacks, why don’t you suggest a nearby tavern for Killian? He enjoys a good stew."
Jacks looked flustered as he nodded. "There are a few good taverns in..." he pointed out the nearby taverns, gesturing at the faraway streets and which way he would have to go.
The Mage looked like it was below him to give directions to a tavern, but he handled it well before turning towards Kai.
"Excellent. Then shall we begin?" He gestured towards the towering entrance.
Without another word, Kai stepped through the imposing archway, the cool stone walls enveloping him in a sense of hushed reverence.
The interior of the ground floor was a vast, circular chamber, its spaciousness emphasised by the high ceilings that seemed to disappear into the shadows above.
Polished marble tiles gleamed underfoot, reflecting the soft luminescence emanating from strategically placed magical crystals. Plush armchairs and ornately carved tables were arranged in conversation nooks around the perimeter.
Quite a nice place in terms of ambience. It’s probably just to give a show of wealth and prosperity to anyone stepping through, but it’s not bad.
His keen eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail before they fixed on the walls.
Commanding statues stood there.
"See those statues?" Klan asked in a low voice. "That’s Merlin Mydran himself in the front, first Tower Master. He was one of the few Maguses in our history and had been known to take on a serpentine hydra by himself in a bottle." His eyes glimmered as he pointed at the statue of a man with dead eyes and a long beard. "That book he’s got? It’s known as one of the foundational books in understanding magic that he wrote and is treated as one of the rarest and strongest spell books all over the world."
Jacks chimed in with a curt nod towards the woman beside Mydran. "Elara Nightsong," he said, his voice laced with awe. "They say she could summon a storm with a flick of her wrist. See that orb in her hand? Pure elemental magic, bottled up for eternity."
He tried to think if had heard of them, but they were another two names that had been forgotten by even history books.
Their eyes swept over the remaining figures. "The others," Jacks continued, "aren’t as well known among the commoners, but their deeds are whispered in hushed tones throughout the tower’s halls. Each one a legend, a master of their craft and all of them had been associated with our tower at some point."
As the platform lurched upwards, carrying them to the seventh floor, he again felt the difference between the Mages of this era and him.
It wasn’t bad per se, but as magic had been limited to only nobility and other wealthy and connected individuals, society hadn’t developed using magic for a wide number of tasks and the innovation had happened at a snail’s pace.
However, he guessed it’s how things developed over centuries.
The seventh floor was a distinct disparity to the lower level.
The hallway they entered was quiet, the only sounds of their footsteps echoing on the polished stone floor.
The air here felt stagnant, devoid of the vibrant hum of magic that had permeated the rest of the tower. Finally, they reached a large, wood-panelled room. Inside, rows of cushioned chairs stood arranged in a semi-circle, facing a vacant pedestal at the head of the room.
"Please, Lord Arzan," Jacks gestured towards a seat in the front row. "Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. The interrogators shouldn’t take long. They are usually busy, but should be on their way here."
"How long will they take?"
"Probably a few minutes."
With that information in mind, Kai surveyed the room, his face a neutral mask, but he didn’t forget to show a bit of nervousness in it.
He felt an unsettling gaze on him once he had entered the seventh floor, but he didn’t mention it, compiling with the Mages and taking a seat.
Jacks scurried around, returning with a steaming cup of tea and a plate piled high with pastries. "Capital delicacy, Lord Arzan," he announced, his voice laced with a forced cheer. "Do try them. A true taste of the city."
Kai eyed the refreshments for a beat longer than necessary, taking in the unfamiliar pastries and the swirling steam rising from the teacup.
A subtle grimace appeared on his lips, quickly masked by a polite nod. "Thank you," he said, accepting the plate.
Kai eyed the tea and pastries with suspicion. Despite their inviting aroma, a faint discordant note warred with his senses. He’d anticipated this, a sour twist in his gut confirming his doubts. Nevertheless, he raised the cup to his lips, the sweet liquid coating his tongue. It wasn’t unpleasant, but a subtle edge lingered, a metallic tang that he easily recognised.
It wasn’t poison per se, but it was used in quite a few paralysing agents.
He forced himself to swallow, the warmth spreading through him.
A prickling sensation began at his fingertips, crawling its way up his arms, a foreign energy attempting to burrow into his mind.
But he sat calmly as he waited and soon, the energy was met with resistance.
A countervailing force, cool and familiar, surged within him, pushing back the unwelcome intrusion. If he wasn’t being spied upon, he would have a smirk on his face.
The potion of Blursage was working, and as expected, the Tower Mages tried to force a truth potion on him. In a way, things have progressed better than he had expected since a truth potion was one of the easiest to dispel.
If it was a mind-scrying spell, he would be in a lot more trouble and would have to show off a bit of his strength to pull out of it, but mind magic was hard and mysterious, so he had crossed it out from the possibility.
He had still prepared for it, but as he expected, they had gone for a much more common method.
As he sat and waited for the truth potion to dispel completely, a soft click echoed through the room as the heavy oak doors creaked open.
Kai’s mind was still foggy, and he knew it might only last for less than a minute before he gained his clarity again. Still, he pushed past it to focus on his "interrogators".
Three figures entered, their strides measured and their expressions unreadable. He didn’t focus on the two on the sides as his gaze locked on the Mage in the middle.
She hadn’t bothered to mask her magic. Maybe as a show of strength, but as she entered, a jolt of energy passed by him, telling him all about her.
Her wrinkly hands and face showed her age, but he knew a tremendous power was hidden in her core. Her black hair was tied up in braids and she walked with authority.
Kai’s eyes momentarily moved towards her necklace and he realised that the interrogation might just be harder than he had expected.
After all, the woman wasn’t an adept or a savant.
She was Magus Veridia; Master of the Archine Tower.