Fates of Grenora: Return of the Night

Suffice to say, Folos wasn't as nearly as busy as Lor-Vold was as they walked through the lower street level. Although Evie had stated that the lower levels were the gateways to get to the higher tiers of the towers that housed the shops, apartments, and other businesses. There was also a tower meant strictly for Adventurers, which held the guild. Unfortunately, they had to steer clear of that at all costs for the time being, since they were unsure how Aldrin would get in unhindered. The protection enchantments would immediately flag him as a threat, thus alerting all Adventurers in the current vicinity.

Still, the marvel of how the High Elves seamlessly blended their buildings into the rocky hills with the help of Dwarven terraforming intrigued Aldrin. There was still a lot in the world that Aldrin had yet been privy to explore.

"When we arrive at Master Waesmenor, I will do the talking," Evie said, bringing everyone's attention together. Jared partially listened since he was busy trying to navigate the warhorses around people lest they get a little hungry and try to snack on some poor fellow.

"He specializes in utility enchantments and specialty gear. He is an old friend of my father from when he used to go on adventures long ago, so he can be trusted," she said.

"Then that is when we will take our leave," Eddock announced. "Adventuring and dungeon delving isn't something my brother and I have ever had any luck with. So we will meet back up with one of our cousins that do business here to carry us the rest of the way home," he finished.

"What does your cousin or cousins do business in?" Aldrin asked.

Eddock and Cannor shared a quick glance before Eddock shrugged his shoulders. "Simple trading in textiles."

"Like materials or crafts?" Aldrin asked.

"A bit of both," Eddock answered, purposefully being vague.

"So if you ever need anything, just look for a shop or a warehouse called Blue Worthington," Eddock gave a small smile.

Evie pondered the name for a bit. "I can't say that I have ever heard of it."

"We deal with select individuals, the motto says somewhere in there," Cannor sheepishly replied.

For the rest of the short ride, the group had descended into idle chatter to pass the time. Once Evie had looked out the window of the carriage, she had asked Jared to pull to a stop next to one of the busier spiral towers. Stepping out, Aldrin did not dare threaten to take a breath as the tantalizing scents would overwhelm him. The Elves' blood often smelled of dessert pies, Humans of different grilled meats, and Dwarves of hearty stews.

Realizing he subconsciously categorized what fresh blood of the Races smelled like; he would need to get a journal to write down the various scents each gave off in order to better understand where his taste lay. Still, he was glad that the streets weren't packed, although he had yet to see the upper levels of the city in order to fully grasp the situation. Moving from that train of thought, he heard Jared and Evie talk about where to put the warhorses and carriage.

"I need you both to be on your best behavior for the time being," Aldrin told the warhorses, patting them along their flanks. They snorted and growled their displeasure at being told to behave. "I'll try to come see you and bring you meat for you to try," he bribed them, which they flicked their ears at and sent contentment over their bond.

Looking around, Aldrin saw that there were no guards or anything patrolling the streets, which he viewed as strange. There was nothing that sent off alarm bells to him, but he chalked it up to the city being considerably safe.

"Cannor and I will stay with the warhorses until you guys get back," Eddock offered.

Aldrin nodded thanks before setting off with Pierre, Jared, and Evie, who led the way into the tower. Inside was bigger than what he expected. There were crowds of people using enchanted large flat stones to move from level to level with levitation. Along the walls, slanted ramps shaped along the spiral tower for the people who had carts or didn't want to wait for the stone platforms to come back. Vendors in alcoves along the ramp were shouting and trying to get people's attention to buy their products. Oval-shaped windows big enough for decent-sized birds to fly in and out of dotted upwards in intervals. The windows also helped let the light in and keep the haziness from the food stalls cooking, helping ventilate the smoke. Large glowing crystal clusters bobbed up and down every other level, which garnered light for the rest of the tower that the windows couldn't produce.

All of this had reminded Aldrin of what an anthill might look like on the inside. Inside, he could see guards who were patrolling up and down the spiral tower. "Is every tower like this?" Jared asked in amazement.

"More or less," Evie giggled as she continued to lead them towards the ramp. "Master Waesmenor's shop is on the 17th level of the tower."

"How many levels are there for each tower?" Aldrin asked.

She stopped for a second to think, "I want to say around 40 to 50 levels." She tapped her chin in thought.

Jared's shoulders slumped. "My legs," he groaned.

Evie laughed again. "Don't worry, we all won't be walking. We will take the lifts." She pointed to the queue of people waiting for a platform, making Jared perk back up.

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"And then we will snake back down to get our supplies," she finished.

All of them walked up to the waiting line, taking in the scene, while Evie looked at each of them with a smile. She was used to being around people who already understood the world. For her to be around people who have yet to experience all the world in its entirety was a breath of fresh air.

Reaching the front of the line, they all stepped up onto the platform, feeling giddy at the thought of getting magical gear. Slowly, the platform began its ascent through the levels. It would stop on each floor, letting people on and off before coming to a stop at the tenth, at which Evie told them they would need to take another to get to Floor 17. Each floor was as diverse as the one beneath it. Shops and restaurants filled each floor, and every shop was usually catering to at least a few people that meandered inside.

Aldrin saw one that held books and wondered if perhaps that he could learn something about Vampires and the Wars but a part of him knew that it wouldn't be that easy otherwise, everyone would have known. However, knowing how Elves were, with their love for knowledge and history because of their long lifespans, there might be something.

Evie cleared her throat. "The higher we go, the better shops there are. But Master Waesmenor prides himself on quality at fair prices."

"Would he be ok with all of us coming in?" Aldrin asked.

Evie nodded. "He's a friend of the old ones, don't worry. And I doubt that he would care. To him, you would be something he would be eager to study, given his Profession."

"What do you mean?" Pierre asked.

"Oh, you'll see," she beamed.

Evie was right. The higher they went, the higher the quality of the shops became. Aldrin saw groups of Adventurers coming out of weapon and armor shops with new gear. He saw the excitement bloom on their faces when they shared what they got from the Dungeon runs. Eagerness bloomed in his chest, knowing soon that would be him and his group fawning over their new weapons and armor. Upon reaching the 15th floor, however, supply shops for Dungeons also started becoming more common.

"How long do dungeons take?" Jared asked, peering at all the shops that catered to dungeon divers.

"Depends on the rank of the dungeon," Aldrin answered.

"Rank 1 can range from a few hours to two days, depending on your pace. Rank 2 is a minimum of a day and a half. Any higher, we are looking at weeks for Tier 3, then months and maybe sometimes years for Tier 4 and above. However, Tier 4 and up dungeons require teams of Adventurers to tackle and are reserved for those of equal rank to the dungeon." Aldrin said.

"There are cases where wild Dungeons do appear and have to be reported back to the Guild so they can be assessed, but that is rare on this continent nowadays."

"Folos only goes up to Rank 3 dungeons, and the Guild doesn't monitor these. They are free since a lot of crafters and merchant Classes usually come in with paid teams to get materials." Evie added.

"Wait, we have to pay to get into Dungeons?!" Jared bewilderedly asked.

"It depends on the city since it's a way for them to keep it running. If you are part of the Adventurer's Guild, it usually is free. Luckily, Folos is so busy with trades that they can afford to make their Dungeons free." Evie said as they stepped off on Floor 17.

They chatted along the way, paying no mind to the Adventurers that gave them strange looks when they walked by. Then they came to a stop at a literal hole in the wall that said Waesmenor's with a blue light illuminating the golden letters above it. There were no doors or windows, just a simple black hole in the wall. Aldrin's senses screamed at him not to enter.

"Is there a sense of dread for any of you?" Aldrin asked each of them, who were all puzzled by his question.

Clarity bloomed on Evie's face once she understood. "OH! That! It's meant to detect any magic that hides someone's true self. Given your duality as a Vampire you're probably feeling it, but don't worry! I'll go in first and explain, and then I'll come get you." She said as she stepped through the inky black hole.

The three of them stood around out front, taking in the sights of the portion of Folos. "I wonder what the upper city is going to look like," Jared said as he looked upwards at the other floors.

Pierre shrugged while Aldrin let his mind wonder the same. "He's ready for you!" Evie said, half of her body sticking out from the door, then disappeared behind it.

One by one, they each stepped through the door, the feeling of wrongness seeping into their bones as pitch blackness blinded them. They moved forward slowly at first until there was a pop and they were spat out into a multilevel library of sorts. Aldrin peered around, seeing Imps fluttering about, carrying supplies to little cubby holes. Screeching and chittering echoed further in the shop when an Imp bigger than the rest fluttered to them. It was wearing a necktie, rings on each of its four long gnarled fingers, and ankle bracelets that looked like they would fall off any minute from the way they dangled. Pitch-black eyes assessed each of them before landing on Aldrin. Its gaze widened in surprise for a moment before it bowed with a toothy grin marring its red scales.

"News that Kilinos had enacted the ritual was true after all. Isn't that right, Master Aldrin?" It grinned wider, tilting its head forward.

Aldrin's undead heart seized at the name. Fangs and claws bared, he roared, launching himself at the imp that scuttled back in surprise. Its small wings flapped furiously to escape the reaching grasp of Aldrin. Pierre and Jared lunged after Aldrin to restrain him but were swatted away. Alarmed screeches blared as the Imps from their cubby holes flew into the air, creating a humming buzz as they gathered in a circle above everyone.

The buzzing gave Aldrin pause as he looked up to see the swarm of imps whipping themselves up into a frenzy. Obscene curses bombarded Aldrin in their guttural demonic language. Waesmenor remembered himself before he floated to be eye level with Aldrin from a safe distance.

"I meant no disrespect, but should you take another step towards me and Kilinos will have to wait another century to find a new Progenitor of Vampires." Waesmenor threatened with a sick smile showing all of his needle-like teeth.

Evie observed the exchange as she was helping Pierre and Jared off the ground. Aldrin lowly growled at the imp, his red eyes promising pain. "Aldrin," Evie whispered, carefully stepping forward.

Aldrin whipped around, growling at her. Surprise briefly flickered across her face before her resolve firmed as she took another step forward with her hands in front of her, like she was trying to calm an animal. "It's ok, he is a friend. I promise." She gently cooed, inching closer.

Pierre nodded to Jared, who carefully and slowly pulled out his bow as they both watched Evie attempt to calm Aldrin down, who eyed them each with a predatory hunger. Waesmenor gleefully cackled behind them, "My, my, my, to hear it through the whispers of the Planes is one thing, but to see it in the flesh is a different entirety altogether."