Chapter 31: Briefing

Chapter 31: Briefing

Sakura / Landar

Sakura

Witch Edna eventually stopped cackling, and the crowd of young teens eventually calmed. As it turned out having a half mad cackling woman nearly as powerful as the sovereign of the entire region cackling happily, was not conducive to a calm student body. I doubt she realizes just how much she affected us with that cackling.

No, she knows. King said, annoyed. She just thought it was funny.

That . . . that would fit, actually.

Everyone, get in your groups. One of the guards will be assigned to each group, and will explain to you what you should expect to see on the entrance level to the dungeon. I mean tower. It is a dungeon, but the fact it's in the shape of a tower throws me off every time. So strange . . . She said the last bit as if to herself. Ill be around to each of you just before it is your turn to enter and test your mettle against the threats of the tower.

It didnt take long for the guard to arrive at our group. He was tall, and wiery. But his armor was filled with power that seemed to amplify his aura. And in some ways contain its effects to the immediate area around him.

I am Junior Knight Maxiumus of his grace's house guard. It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Now, do you have questions? Or would you prefer me to give you the general rundown that all new recruits into the house guard get before they try the tower. I have been instructed, he gave Edna a werry look from across the room. To only do one of the two. Answer your questions or provide you a general briefing. Your choice.

I turned to my team, and we began to discuss what was ahead of us and the best path forward.

***

Landar

Careful lad, Gragon said. The elders like to ask this kind of question, just to trip you up.

I think I got it, dont worry. I reassured my dwarven friend before turning back to the knight. Ill ask you some questions, if you dont mind. I smirked and the short, bulky man smiled.

Go ahead then kid. Ask away.

What did you learn in your initial training? The knight grinned from ear to ear, then slowly shook his head.

I knew one of you would ask that. Glaring loophole if there ever was one. Alright, I'll give you the basics but nothing more than that, and let you figure out what to ask about after. Fair? I nodded in agreement. Alright. There are over one hundred levels to the Silver Tower. Each level is harder than the last. The Silver Tower is a genus loci, meaning it's a dungeon. And dungeons are great for training, and gaining resources. But its goal in the process is to get you to use up as much mana and stamina, and spill as much of your own blood and sweat and tears in there as possible.

Good luck sister, Rayce said with a bow, then he gave me a friendly smile and a wave before leaving to follow edna through the double doors.

Weird to see and elf, and not try to kill it. A black clothed swordsman from Sakuras team said, with an air of aw. The rest of her team agreed, save Victor.

I dont know about your homeland Sakura, Victor chimed in. But along the western borderlands the elves are nearly pacifistic. Most of them refuse to do so much as defend themselves. Very few leave their homes, and those that do often only for short trips under armed guard. To see one dedicated to a young man's protection is . . . well, bloody weird id say.

I nearly died fighting a woman like her just a few months ago, Sakura said, her voice wistful and eyes glazed over as if caught up in the memory of the fight. I had seen that stare before, soldiers telling stories of fights they never really wanted to remember. The prince saved me. Put a lance right through her heart.

They staked one of our uncles, and left him alive, One of the trio of easterners in Sakuras group said. He wore a multi-hughed robe that was predominantly purple. The sun burned him, desiccated his body under the heat and used healing spells to keep him alive. I . . . I saw him when we tried to launch a raid to save him. But they ambushed us. It was all we could do to put him out of his misery before we left.

A silence fell then. And I could tell Victor looked as deeply uncomfortable as everyone else there. That . . . I cant imagine the level of pain you all must have gone through against a foe that would do something so evil. He said, his face going slightly red. But . . . I also cant imagine the elves here doing anything even remotely like that. They must be truly different cultures. If not race, of people.

Perhaps, the black clad swordsman said, his eyes hard.

I cleared my throat and everyone looked at me uncomfortably. Expectantly. You better appreciate this Victor, I thought as I dusted off my diplomacy skills earlier then I thought I'd have need of them.

My brother in law here, Roland, I pointed at Roland and the goofball actually waved. Is a cleric. Which means hes a member of a priesthood. The leader of a priesthood, another cleric, nearly killed me as a child. He wanted to take my sister, and a bunch of other kids from the slums, and use them as breeding slave stock to prevent his power from slipping away here in the capital. For years I thought he had won, and I hated him. I hated him so much that for a few years my happiest dreams were ones in which I murdered him with my bare hands.

My team, including Roland, looked at me with concern. My brother in law put a hand on my shoulder. Thanks. Look, in my past there were bad clerics. They abused us, used us, and sought to do that to a whole hell of a lot of other people I cared about. And some of them did get hurt. Hell, I hear my dad lost an arm. I grinned. He got better but . . . well thats not the point. The point is they, clerics, holy knights, and priests did a lot of really shitty things. I even killed some of them for it. But, there are other clerics, priests, and religious people who have also helped me out a lot as well. Who honestly seek to help and to do good.

Youll find bad people in any group. Just like youll find good ones. The archer from Sakuras group smiled, chiming in for the first time. Our mother was a priestess. And she was a ray of sunshine especially on sad days.

Thats exactly my point. I think, I hope, that elves are like that too. Youll find good, and bad in every group. And some groups are worse than others. Hopefully, this peaceful group of elves? Hopefully theyre like Roland here. He might be a goofball,

Hey, Roland grinned and released my shoulder.

But hes loyal, and loves my sister with everything he has.

A silence filled the space between the groups for a long time, as people considered what had been said.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but the double doors creaked open and edna emerged. Sakura, your group is next.