Chapter 19: The Tower

It was immediately apparent that the interior of the tower was far less ornate than its exterior. The walls themselves were plain, smooth stone, and the foyer a simple, great room with a metal spiral staircase rising up it's center. There was nothing terribly stunning about it, as one would expect from the outside, although there was certainly something that made the space stand out- frightening eagle-lion, servant-beasts aside.
In each of the room's five corners, there stood different marble statues of the same nude woman in various poses. Ivan flushed when he saw these statues, trying his hardest not to look at Jnii or Euphrasia. The others thought little of the nudity, but were slightly perturbed to see that one had a missing arm, that another”s belly had caved in, leaving a gaping hole, and that another had been entirely decapitated. The red velvet carpet beneath their feet was ripped in many places and seemed to be dry and bubbly, as if the room had been flooded at some point in time. The tapestries on the walls were similarly warped, ripped and faded, though through the layers of time one could still depict certain images: knights charging into battle, a pleasant city scene, and animals -- including, ironically, an eagle and a lion. Everything was covered in dust.

So enraptured was the group with the inside of the tower, that it was hardly noticed when its great doors swung shut behind them without even a touch.

“There is a bath downstairs,” Gareth”s deep, hollow voice rung around the room, “The men may go wash up while I tend to the woman’s arm.”

Gareth motioned with his head toward Euphrasia, who cradled her injured arm gingerly.

“When you are ready, perhaps slightly rested from your travels,” he continued, “Dool the Malignant shall receive you.”

Oliphant stepped forward quickly, his beard still smoking slightly from his encounter with the tower door.

“I would not leave my lady alone,” the knight said, his chin held high but his voice noticeably wary, “Not when she is injured.”

Gareth lowered his head as he spoke, regarding Oliphant coldly with his sharp animal eyes.

“If this is a matter of trust,” he grumbled, “I assure you, Sir Knight, that I mean none of you any harm, nor will I allow harm to befall any of you while you rest in this tower. Now, if this is simply a matter of duty,” his eagle eyes scanned the group, “The other girl looks well enough to aid her, should she need it.”

Oliphant glanced at Jnii, mouth floundering slightly.

“No offense to Miss Jnii,” he began, turning back to Gareth, “Or to you, sir. But if you mean to say that I can be so easily replaced by a woman. Then-”

“Would you follow her into the bath as well, Sir Knight”” Gareth”s voice became a growl, “Or would you agree that a knight”s duty only goes so far?”

GT let out a quick laugh at this, immediately composing himself with a hand over his mouth. Jnii dug an elbow into his side. Oliphant and Euphrasia were both flushing visibly, the knight’s mouth twisting uncontrollably now.

“It is alright, Sir Oliphant,” Euphrasia said calmly, “He”s right. The sooner we can make ourselves presentable, the sooner we can speak with Dool and be on our way again.”

Oliphant grunted, “Yes, m’lady.”

Gareth turned and began walking towards the stairs, not waiting for approval. The others followed slowly and in complete silence, splitting up into two groups at the stairs. Ivan watched in awe as Gareth pawed his way up the steps, his body just small enough to twist along the metal spiral, and then he disappeared into the ceiling. Jnii aided Euphrasia up the stairs, her ladyship being unable to grasp the railing on her own. The men watched them from far below, and Ivan noticed Jnii give a final glance of partial fear back down at them before they disappeared into the darkness after Gareth. Still silent, Oliphant led the others downwards as soon as the women were out of sight, followed by GT and then Ivan. Ivan descended a few steps and then turned back to look for Mirathan. The cloaked skeleton was looking up and down the stairs. “You coming?” Ivan”s voice cracked through the room.
The skeleton glanced at him, and then pointed a bleached finger upwards. Ivan supposed that the undead magi had no use for bathing.

“Alright,” he said, “But don’t get lost.”

Mirrathan nodded, and then began carefully climbing the stairs after the others, having no desire to get his various footbones wedged in the grating. Ivan continued on his way as well, realizing after he had gone down a few steps that the room above him, which had just a second ago been very well-lit by torches, was suddenly entirely dark. He shivered.

“I don’t trust that thing,” Oliphant was muttering.

The three men, (or two men and one scrawny boy, as GT pointed out) sat around a very large bath that dwelled deep within the depths of the tower. It was a nice bath, not in quite the same state of disrepair as other parts of the tower, and the water was somehow acceptably warm. It flowed in gently through a large, grated hole in the wall that was set a few feet above the bath, and then out another grated hole at water level on the opposite side of the bath. The pool of water itself took up the space of an entire side of the bottom level of the tower, and was separated from the dry half by a short, sturdy wall. The dry half contained a few tables and chairs, upon which, currently, the three men”s clothes and weapons were resting, as well as Oliphants armor. The water was clear, but the men still tried to stay close to one another in the bath, as if a tentacle could reach out and grab them if they drifted out too far.

“Gareth,” Ivan peeped in reply, “His name is Gareth.”

“How dare the beast insult me like that,” the knight went on, unchecked, “Me! a knight! A guest in its master’s home.”

GT sighed, “Calm yourself, Oliphant. He meant nothing by it. Besides, he is merely a beast, as you say. He cannot be expected to uphold the same standards as an honorable knight such as yourself.”

Oliphant brought up his chin thoughtfully.

“I suppose you are right, Beurel.”

“I certainly am right,” GT smiled, lying back in the water, “So just enjoy the bath, relax a little, and you”ll be on your way home in the morning.”

“What more do you know about this place, Beurel”” Ivan chimed in.

GT”s smile faded, and he kept silent for a long time before replying. For a while, Ivan thought he had been ignored again. It almost startled him when he finally received a reply.

“As I mentioned before, I”ve heard a lot of things in my travels,” he said, “But most of the truly ludicrous things I dismiss, so it”s hard to remember exactly. Dool himself is said to be immortal, a benefit of his magic expertise- Life Magic. I heard he kind of” lost it” several years ago and began creating things to serve, entertain” and simply accompany him.

“Creating??” Oliphant gasped.

“He is said to be one of the greatest that ever lived in his field of magic,” GT shrugged, “Able to- well- do things that you and I could never imagine, I”m sure. Take Gareth, for instance.”

Oliphant”s mouth began twitching indignantly once more.

“Creating is something best left up to the Gods, I”d say,” he said, fuming, “I don”t like this. No” not at all.”

The bath was not terribly relaxing after Trout”s story. The men dried themselves as best they could and slipped back into their clothes, the legs of which were still rather filthy from the swamp traveling. Then they ascended the stairs just as the ladies were descending. Euphrasia insisted that she was well now, flexing her arm and briefly describing the process of soaking her arm in warm water mixed with a strange poultice and drinking a colored, foul elixir. Jnii remained relatively speechless. But the women went on without them to the bath as the men continued up, Gareth supposedly waiting for them in the “library.”

Ivan soon began to take a great interest in the tower”s lighting system. Oliphant and GT did not seem so taken by the effect, nor did they seem much aware of it at all, but the young boy noted rather amusedly that the torches around him would light as they approached and extinguish as they left. But the truly strange part about this was that he could never seem to catch them in the act. He would stare and stare at a lit torch as they climbed, and the moment he lost sight of it at a distance, usually when he was circling the large beam that the stairs twined around, the torch would snuff out. Then he would turn to look for another torch and that one would be out too, the others further along simply lighting up in their place. Ivan decided then and there that he approved of magic quite a bit.
The group continued like this through the familiar foyer area and arrived at the next level up, which they assumed was the library from the shelves upon shelves of books. These shelves extended all the way to the ceiling, several times Ivan”s height, from what he could figure, and layered themselves in a circular pattern from the center all the way back to the wall. Oliphant, GT and Ivan stepped off on this floor, seeking a path through the rows of books in search of their host. Against the wall they found Mirrthan, hunched over a desk within dim lamplight, with Gareth standing to his side, looking over his shoulder. The three men stopped cold for a moment, reluctant to approach the odd pair, but it was Ivan that finally stepped forward, heartily enticed by curiosity. He saw that the mage was reading through a book.

“What are you reading?” he said, coming up to look over Mirrathan”s other shoulder.

Gareth glanced at the boy, and seemed to raise an eye in interest before turning back to the book himself.

There were several other books stacked up on the old wooden desk, but the one that Mirrathan read looked to be thicker and a little more aged than the rest. The skeleton turned to Ivan as he came near, and pointed to a few lines on the page.

Ivan shook his head, “I”m sorry, I can”t really read.”

“It”s a biography, of sorts,” Gareth filled in, “It tells of the exploits of Mirrathan, as told by Dool the Malignant himself.”

Mirrathan began frantically flipping through pages, and as he came to a page with a drawing, he held it open for Ivan to see. There depicted was a scene that looked like a giant Kraken, rising over the ocean waters with lighting flashing all around, and a man sitting astride the beast wearing a flowing cape and an expression of little concern. Ivan”s eyes lit up. The image was very familiar. Mirrathan rattled with approval.

“Is there anything we should know before we meet with Dool”” Oliphant said, still standing a distance away from the others, with GT.

Gareth kept his eyes focused on the book, the picture, as he spoke.

“It is best you meet him first, before we discuss anything else. Although I will say this: he is not the same man that Mirrathan, here, knew so long ago. Much has changed.”

Mirrathan turned towards Gareth at this, as if in great concern. His eagle eyes glanced away though, in his best effort to ignore further discussion.

“But perhaps, Sir Knight, as we are waiting for the ladies you might like something done about those burns on your face?”
Oliphant puffed out his chest, “They are hardly burns, and they are certainly worth bearing for my folly. Though, I must admit my armor was slightly scuffed in the blast.”

Indeed, the knight”s armor looked to be almost black in some places.
“I believe there might be something upstairs you could polish it with,” Gareth pondered, “Come with me. The rest of you may wait here.”

Gareth pushed his way past the two men and loped towards the stairs. Oliphant gave a nod to GT and followed the beast, the two of them moving quickly out of sight. Without a word, GT then sidestepped down an aisle and began looking over the various books, leaving Ivan and Mirrathan alone. The boy watched the skeletal hands set aside the biography and pull forward some of the other books on the desk. Among them were books on magic, magic theory, herbalism, spirits, death” the mage flipped through them all, Ivan only catching glances here and there of diagrams. There were many drawings of human shapes, with specific points labeled. He also saw a number of strange creatures and interesting depictions of persons being consumed in fire, swallowed up into the earth, torn apart by trees, and completely ravaged by pointy-toothed ghost creatures. Ivan never once felt himself fill with fear, or even flinch at the sights. And every now and again he seemed to notice the great Mirrathan glance at him with amusement.
After what felt like only a few minutes, Ivan suddenly heard an eruption of commotion coming from behind him. It was Trout and Jnii, arguing” again. The two of them approached the desk, with Euphrasia not far behind. GT was carrying with him a book.

“It sounded a lot to me like human footsteps,” Jnii was saying loudly to Trout.

“Look, for the last time,” he replied, softly, “I was up here looking at books the entire time with Ivan and the Mirra-thing. Wasn”t I, Ivan?”

“I don”t know where-”

Trout glared at the boy fiercely.

“-where you could have been, other than right here. I mean, you were within my eyesight almost the entire time, from what I recall, that is.”

GT rolled his eyes, “Thanks, Ivan,”

“Beurel,” Jnii gasped, “If you were peeping-”

“It”s alright, Jnii,” Euphrasia interjected, “I”m sure the noise was just our imagination. The mind often makes up things when it is frightened.”

Euphrasia continued past the two, to stand next to Ivan and Mirrathan. Her eyes quickly grazed over the books on the desk and then with a smile to Ivan. She put a cool hand on Ivan”s head and scruffed his hair slightly.

“And how are you, Ivan””

“Very good,” Ivan smiled in return, pleased at the sentiment, “Just looking at some books with Mirrathan.”

“So I see,” she said warily, “And would you know where Sir Oliphant went off to?”

“I am here, my lady,” the knight”s voice boomed from behind.
Oliphant approached from the stairs, his armor more sparkling than it had been in some time. The knight's face seemed to beam in direct accordance with that metal on his chest, and he strode forward to take Euphrasia's arm.

“Gareth informs me that Dool the Malignant is ready to see us,” he said, “I hope you are well rested, Euphrasia, because it looks to be a long climb.”

She nodded to her champion and the two of them strode forward.

“I believe I am ready, Sir Oliphant,” she said, glancing at GT and Jnii as she passed them, “Everyone coming?”

GT and Jnii looked rather nervously between each other, and then wordlessly followed. Ivan trailed the pair without having to be told, and Mirrathan fell in place at the end, trying to walk next to the boy despite the fact that he still seemed very content to keep away from the mage. Thus the group began ascending the stairs together, Gareth nowhere to be seen to escort them.

The next floor of the tower proved to be another section of library, although with more scrolls and papers lying about than books. After that came some sort of guest sleeping quarters, from what Ivan could gather. It looked as if that particular floor of the tower was divided up into four enclosed sections with doors, each one likely its own room. The floor after that looked much the same, with four more different rooms. After that came a bizarre floor with shelves containing various vials and bottles, a fire pit near a window, as well as several doors (most of which were closed) leading to small, ominous chambers. The floor after that was very stark, although manacles of drastically varying sizes seemed to adorn the walls and tufts of colorful hair littered the floor. To one side of the room there was a huge bale of hay, a section of which seemed to be matted down more than the rest. Ivan wondered if that was where Gareth slept, he did not know what to think about the manacles.

After that, Ivan's legs became very tired and the other floors of the tower drifted into a blur in his mind. One seemed to be filled with strange contraptions, many more contained rooms that could not be examined without stepping off the stairs and opening the doors. What lurked in those rooms was beyond the imagination of anyone among the group, except possibly Mirrathan, who seemed to take little interest in the surroundings. Finally, just to take his mind of the climb, Ivan began examining the book that Trout had picked up from the library that he still carried under his arm. It was large and a dark red color.

“What is that, anyway?” Ivan said between breaths.

GT looked over his shoulder at the boy, then down at the book with a smirk.

“Just a text on ancient relics that looked interesting,” he said, puffing a little himself, “I thought I”d ask old Dooly if I could borrow it for a while, or at least copy a few things.”

“You actually think he”ll let you borrow it”” Jnii cut in.

Trout only shrugged.

“Looks like you marked a page,” Ivan noted, “What”s that about?”

“Mind your business, Applesmith,” the minstrel growled in just the right way to quiet the boy, but it also gained the attention of Oliphant and Euphrasia. The two noted the exchange over their shoulders and then gave each other a concerned look.
Finally, the group came to a section of the tower that was very different than the rest. The stone around them funneled down into a narrow cylinder, such that there was no room at all between the railing and the wall. Jnii began to sweat visibly.
“Oh my,” she said, “I suspect I might be a little afraid of tight places.”

There was a gap in the railing at one point that looked as if it was supposed to lead to a door, but there was merely more stone. Ivan noted the spot curiously. After another floor or two worth of climbing, the group came within sight of what looked like an open room- and sunlight. It was the fiery orange of a setting sun, and it hurt their eyes as they emerged upon what appeared to be the top floor of the tower. It was, at the very least, where the curving metal staircase came to an end.
Rubbing their eyes, the group gaped in wonder as they took in the sight of the personal chamber of Dool the Malignant.
There were two massive holes in the wall of the tower- one to the west and one to the east, the one to the west being responsible for the waning sunlight. There before them to the west was the shadow of the beast, Gareth.

“I apologize,” he said, “The Master had the stained windows taken out years ago, for the benefit of his experiments. If you step to your left you might see a little better.”

The group did as directed, until they were all within the shade of the stone.

They could then see that the room was adorned with furniture that looked as if it had once been very impressive. There were high-backed chairs with cushions, a comfy looking couch, intricately carved wooden tables and stands holding an array of delightful looking liquors, the bottles twinkling in the light. GT”s eyes widened in particular at this sight. But, all of these things were tattered, like the items downstairs. And here too, there was carpet and tapestry, faded and ripped, dulled by the sun” yet there was one thing in that room that looked that is was as pristine as the day it had been made. There before them on the north wall, larger than life, stood a prodigious painting of a man that could have been no one other than Dool the Malignant.

He looked to be middle-aged and balding, though for the painting he had clearly combed his black, wispy hair over his head such that he looked to have more of it than he actually did. He had blotchy, green-yellow skin, dark eyes, and, living up to his namesake, the face scowled in the painting, clearly taking no liking to the artist that had been in front of him- or probably anyone that ever visited his chamber. It left one to wonder indefinitely whether the artist at hand was later made into an experiment to the great sorcerer. After this portrait, the last thing everyone took to heart in the room was the breathtaking view of the eastern horizon, the skyline hovering way off over the treetops of the forest below. What the group could not help wonder though, regarding this sight, was why one of the exquisite cushioned chairs from the center of the room had been placed in front of that huge eastern window.

“Where is your” Master”” Oliphant was the first able to regain his senses and comment.

Gareth's eyes became forlorn and distant, and his gaze sunk to the ground. The creature pawed his way across the room, towards the eastern window, and stopped to take the chair in his powerful beak and turn it to face the others. Instinctively, the group moved forward to see, squinting to see through the shadows cast about by the sunlight. Euphrasia was the first to gasp, then Jnii. GT only shook his head and Ivan cocked his head to one side, to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Oliphant never really seemed to react, but simply stared. And Mirrathan, of course, rattled thoroughly.

Before them was, quite clearly, none other than Dool the Malignant, but he was very, very small. No taller than an average man's hand. He wore grayish robes, his face bore a most unkempt beard, and he looked balder, but it was indeed Dool. He squatted against the back of the chair, staring forward, and his head perked up slightly as he caught sight of his guests.

“Ah! Visitors,” his little head piped, “Gareth! Fetch them some chairs.”

“Certainly, master,” Gareth grumbled in reply, though he made no motion at all.

“Good then!” Dool said proudly, standing up, “A pleasure indeed to have all of you-”

The little man very suddenly collapsed entirely and started snoring a sharp, peeping snore. The entire group jumped a little. Silence reigned for many seconds as all heads came up to meet Gareth.

“I take it he wasn't always this size,” Trout smirked, scratching his head.

“Or this sleepy”” Jnii said.

“Yes, I know,” Gareth sighed, “You all deserve an explanation. Please, sit down.”

Gareth took the chair in his jaws again and brought it over to the center of the room, with the other furniture. The rest of the group took seats around the room, Oliphant, Euphrasia, and Jnii on the couch, Ivan and GT in two of the chairs. Mirrathan seemed content to stand beside the chair of his old friend, Dool, looking at the tiny, sleeping body with hollow eyes.

“I hate leaving him near the window, anyway,” Gareth said, sitting down regally on the floor beside the chair, “Someday a bird is going to eat him. I came in one day and found a kestrel perched right in the window, staring at him.”

Gareth paused, taking a deep breath, “It was about two hundred years ago, when Dool began creating” pets” of a sort, to occupy his time. Apparently it amused him," the eagle head turned and seemed to scowl at the sleeping mage, “It started simply, as such things go, frogs with ears, snails with legs, then the hobby became more complex: bears with gills, cats that could spit poison and spin webbing. And though his feats were indeed amazing, he could never seem to master a way of making his creations live as long as they should. Most would perish within a year or two of their creation. An exceptional few, rare anomalies, would live a little longer. But Dool wanted more.

“He fancied the idea of making a personal legion of monsters, a squadron of super warriors. So he began to set his sights on a greater task: creating animal hybrids with the rational thought of humans, soldiers that would follow commands. He lapsed into almost a hundred years of magical study, trials and errors- sometimes very hideous errors- wanting nothing more but success. Eventually he found it. He made four super creatures, with supposed human lifespans, and made them his children. The first of his soldiers.

“But in never occurred to him, in his rush to test the boundaries of science and magic, his bizarre quest for power, that his children might not want to be his soldiers, slaves, or even his children. He did not foresee that some of those creations would use that human intelligence to loathe their very existence. And so one day, some time ago, all but one of those creations rose up against him, defeated him, and then left him to forge their own paths in the world,” Gareth's voice became very somber at this, “Those were my siblings. My brothers and my sister. And only I remained.”

“Why did you stay?” Trout butted in at the pause, obviously having heard perhaps bits and pieces of this story before.

Gareth's body heaved with a sigh.

“I was angry, like the others- but I realized that, essentially, the choice that Dool gave us to exist was no different than the choice any other creature in the world has. That is, nothing truly chooses life. Did it make it wrong that it was given to us by unnatural means? I don't know. But I can only try to make the best of it.”

His eagle eyes narrowed, and something in the expression led at least Ivan to believe, anyway, that there was something else to the story that Gareth was not telling. But then Euphrasia spoke up and the demeanor quickly vanished.

“I don”t understand,” she said, eyes flitting over the tiny mage's body, “Did the others cast some sort of spell on Dool?”

“No,” Gareth said thoughtfully, “The story takes a different path there. Dool became disgusted by his creatures after this. Those that did not escape during his combat with the others he soon released, and very few stayed. His pursuits began to take a different taste, leaning towards combining his magic with inanimate objects to create life, as truly “living” things became a bother to him. He was very bad at it at first, making contraptions and the like, but his mind certainly had a knack for creation. The trouble really started, though, when he became hellbent on discovering a way to fly.”

Gareth extended his wings slightly at this comment, stretching them for effect.

“After much deliberation and a few tumbles down the tower, he decided that the only means for man to fly would have to come about through some sort of gas being contained in a bubble. He burned many things and attempted many chemical experiments, trying to find something that would allow for controlled levitation. Long story short, he magically designed such a gas, built a light vehicle that it could lift, and then promptly crashed the vehicle into the woods. The bubble containing the gas popped open against the trees and caused everything in a small area to whither terribly.”

“Are you saying he actually flew?” Oliphant scoffed, “Piloted some sort of flying ship?”

“I was there, Sir Knight,” Gareth responded, his voice very low, “Believe me, it happened. After the crash I swooped in to see what had transpired, and I immediately noticed that while Dool had survived, his mind was a little... out of focus, no doubt as a side effect of breathing so much of his strange gas,” his head turned towards Dool again, “I didn”t notice he was starting to shrink for at least a month later.”

“This is absurd,” Oliphant muttered and started to rise, but Euphrasia pulled him back down.

“So what you”re saying, Gareth,” Trout then sat forward in his chair, “Is that Dool will be of no help to us””

“In his current state” no,” the creature replied, “From what I can tell his magic is almost entirely useless in his state. He has several disorders of the mind: multiple personalities, paranoia, violent mood swings, dizzy spells... sleeping sickness. But there is more than that, actually... why I brought you inside at all... I need your help.”

Mirrathan threw his arms up in the air as Gareth was speaking, and began digging around for something in what appeared to be his cloak- in fact he was fumbling around in the contents of his rib cage, a place he had begun to use for storage.

Oliphant almost spoke, but Euphrasia cut him off, “How can we aid you””

“I have tried many things to cure Dool,” he said, “It has been very hard. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to work in a human world without tiny human hands? I can hardly grasp anything at all. Nothing I have tried has worked. I have learned in study, though, that there are Clerics in the northern lands with the power to cure very serious ailments. I would have gone months ago, but I suspect they would not react kindly to a creature such as myself. To be completely honest, I've been waiting for someone to come along that might be able to help.”

“You want us to go to north and find a way to save “Dool the Malignant?"" GT said, raising an eyebrow, “I have to admit, that”s a little far out of the way from where I was planning to go.”

“... and where exactly would that be?” Jnii crossed her arms and stared at Trout.

He brushed the comment aside, “What's in it for us?”

“He will die, otherwise,” Gareth's eyes flared with his voice, “I have every reason to suspect he will keep shrinking until he is no more, and though the great Dool has lived many years, I doubt even he could survive such a fate,” his voice calmed, “Although if you greedy humans must know, Dool has a great vault of treasure contained here in this tower. Only he can open it. If he is saved then you will naturally be rewarded.”

“I'm up for it,” GT spurted out before Gareth was even finished with his sentence.

The beast nodded in some sort of partial approval, while Euphrasia and Oliphant started muttering to each other. Mirrathan, who had been paid little attention thus far, suddenly thrust a piece of parchment in front of Gareth that he had been scribbling upon. His eagle eyes scanned the paper quickly, then he turned to the magi.

“Shortly after Dool started going mad,” he began, “He took it upon himself to... set fire to several rooms in the upper tower- including most of the storage rooms. The wyverns blood and swamp kraken beaks were lost, along with many other important spell components.”

Mirrathan rattled a most offensive word, but swiftly composed himself.

“I can show you what little is left later,” Gareth continued, “Mostly minor components. If Dool is brought back to his old self, I”m sure he will be able to help with your reconstruction. Will you come?”

Mirrathan nodded firmly, stuffing the piece of parchment back into his ribcage.

“I want to go!” Ivan blurted out.

Gareth regarded Ivan for the first time since he had arrived at the tower. His golden, predatory gaze easily able to make a boy feel like he was about to be eaten. Just when Ivan thought he could stand the eyes no longer, Jnii followed suit insisting she would go as well and Gareth turned his head to her. The beast cocked his head slightly and then turned to GT.

“Don”t worry,” Trout insisted at the skeptical glance, “It's actually good if they come. We'll look like a family when we're traveling, maybe get a wagon and stick you in the back. No funny questions.”

“Yes. I see,” he replied, “Very well.”

Focus turned toward Euphrasia and Oliphant, who trailed off and stopped as they noticed the attention in their direction. A discussion sprung forth on the matter of whether they would be going- something to the effect of questioning other obligations and possible dangers upon the adventure. Although Ivan found that he could not be kept concerned with this conversation as he was very quickly distracted by a nearby noise. Perhaps it was not even a noise as much as a feeling- that sixth sense he had developed in life that seemed to spark the warning: people are definitely after you.

Ivan slid out of his chair and moved instinctively towards the western window, the sun sitting low enough on the horizon to allow him to see better than before. He walked fearlessly right to the edge, shading his eyes to get a view of the landscape. But Ivan did not have to look far to see that men in the gleaming armor of the Justice Knights were steadily approaching the tower- very many of them very quickly. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat and then turned around amidst a heated discussion going on between the others.

“Hey! Hey- everyone... um,” he kept saying, over and over.
“Ivan, what IS it”” Jnii finally responded loudly, causing most everyone to quiet slightly.

“The- ah-” Justice Knights. They”re outside.”

Ivan was not entirely convinced of the rationale by which duties were hastily divided among the group upon the discovery of Justice Knights at the doorstep of the tower, because somehow, he was the one that ended up with the task of carrying Dool the Mailignant. Gareth had apparently fashioned a comfortable little pouch for the mage that could be tied about the waste, and so GT, upon being handed the sleeping-man-pouch, immediately tied it around Ivan”s torso. There was a hasty murmur of agreement, at this, and despite Ivan”s fairly vocal misgivings, it was firmly agreed upon that he would be responsible for carrying the mage as the group began descending the stairs.

He kept glancing down at the pouch as the group moved, checking now and again to see if Dool had woken. But he stayed fast asleep. It made Ivan very nervous, but Trout somehow seemed worse off. The book still under his arm, he kept cursing on his way down the stairs. “How could they have gotten here so fast”” he would say, many times in a row, “They”re not supposed to be here yet.” Ivan found himself wishing he could magic GT into a potato and throw him out a window.

Once they had reached the floor with the guest bedrooms, Gareth flung open the western-facing door with his head and approached the window therein, the others close on his heels. “Who are you”” Gareth shouted down in a very familiar tone.
“Aha!” a voice called back up, “Men, you may all stop touching the door, someone is here!”

Faint and plentiful groans of approval rose up into the air.
“I am Sir Guy Gerteau,” the voice started up again, “And we, my good man, are the Justice Knights. If you'd let us in, we would like to have a word with Dool the Malignant.”

The group stood about listening eagerly, their eyes focusing on nothing in particular and their minds wondering how they would reply if it was them in the window instead.

“State your business first,” Gareth growled.

“Very well,” Guy replied, pausing, “Jacques! Fetch me the scroll. No the other scroll. With the thing. Ah yes, here,” he cleared his throat and recited loudly, “Lord Gulliden, a most lawful Lord of the Kingdom of Tusc, has given us full authority to enter wherever we may please in order to find and capture the diabolical scoundrel known as The Greasy Trout, whom we know for a fact resides in this tower right this moment,”
The entire group turned sharply to glare at GT, still known to most as Beurel. Gareth even turned around and knew immediately who to snarl at. Oliphant and Euphrasia, in particular, shared a very disgusted expression, looking thoughtfully to one another. The Knight's hand quite blatantly shifted towards the hilt of his sword. Trout flustered, his own had subtly doing the same.

Gareth turned back to the window, “What has this Greasy Trout done””

“That is none of your business!” the voice spat back, “But if you must know he has, just yesterday, slain one of our men in cold blood. A scout of great personal relation to myself.”

“What?” GT said harshly, though in a whisper, most everyone agreeing with similar comments, “I did no such thing!”

“Yes,” Guy continued voluntarily, his voice very sad, “Francois tells it most poignantly, how the abominable brute of a man coldly drove his sword right through the chest of his incapacitated, unarmed friend. So cruel.”

“The “minstrel” does not lie,” Euphrasia whispered to Gareth, “At least... not about that. It never happened.”

“So you must turn over the Trout,” Guy continued, “So that he might be fairly punished! Submit him to Justice!”

A weak chorus of the word “Justice” followed the statement.

Gareth grumbled.

“There is nobody by the name of The Greasy Trout here,” he shouted down, “Nor anyone else for that matter. Look for your game elsewhere. Dool desires no visitors.”

GT shook his head, mumbling, “Well that certainly ought to egg them on.”

Sure enough, Guy shouted again, “I”ll have you know, whoever you are, that the Justice Knights answer to no one, not even a renowned magician such as Dool. Lord Gulliden insisted that the fugitive intended to come to this tower, accompanied by someone very close to the Lord. He worries for her. This being the case, he would not entirely object to our entering your tower by force to save her.”

“They never came!” Gareth almost roared, “Perhaps they perished in the swamp!”

“Nevertheless,” Guy said, very calmly, “You will either let us in, or we shall enter by other means starting at dawn, so we can see for ourselves,” he paused, and then began again, his measured voice obviously reading words aloud, “Dool the Malignant and those that serve him will be spared. The Greasy Trout will be taken prisoner and tried for his crimes against Justice. A Lady Euphrasia and a Sir Oliphant will be extracted and returned to Lord Gulliden. And any others that reside inside, which we suspect there are, will be tried and then executed immediately. That is all. You have until dawn.”

~Peace