The Tower in the Shadows

Trixis' return was seen.

Trixis' return was felt.

She had left the surface building of the Dungeon, not bothering to hide, and was spotted by the Adventurer's Guild personnel. They had called on her to stop, but she ignored them. One of them had tried to get in her way and stop her physically as she walked. She had continued and approached the broad man, looking him in the eye. He jumped aside as if an electrical charge had hit him.

She walked no longer opposed across the floodplains.

The guards on the palisade saw her coming even through the darkness. A light didn't herald her approach, but by the force of her presence. She walked without the hesitancy that she once had. It was as if she were a completely different woman.

The Watch Sergeant on duty, named Ajax, had not seen her leave through the gates but suspected who had allowed her to pass. He was preparing to go and rip that particular member of the Watch, and is solely to blame for breaching protocol. Her approach, however, changed everything. He knew he had to send a message. He descended the palisade, scribbling down a message on a piece of foolscap.

"You!" He snapped at a messenger who was assigned to the gate. The poor boy jumped in terror at being singled out. "Get to the Watch Command House. Report to the captain on duty and hand over this. Don't let the desk sergeant slow you down, tell him it's a Shadow Alert message."

The boy grabbed the foolscap message and ran as if all the hounds of hell were chasing him.

Sgt Ajax positioned himself at the open gates. It was nearly midnight, and they were about to be closed. He knew the woman approaching even in the weak moonlight. He knew his duty and planned to stand and hold the woman until his superiors arrived.

The city was quiet this time of night, as the northern palisade was quiet, and there were few civilians around. Further into the city, where there were taverns and other distractions, it would have been busier. Ajax was happy that things were quiet, as it gave them a chance to try to contain the situation without causing a scene. He needed to hold on until the officer of the Watch got here.

As she approached, he felt her presence, and he began to doubt he could do it. He started sweating under his armour. He dug his heels in and was prepared to do his duty. Other members of the squad assigned to the gates and the palisade were gathering around to watch the confrontation.

Fires were arranged along the palisade and around the gates in specially made fire holders, which helped push the light out into the floodplain. They were the best source of light at night, and she now entered their range.

She was about to reach the gates, and Ajax lifted his hand with his palm facing her. "Hold in the name of the Watch."

Trixis walked a bit further and stood a short distance from him. In the light cast by the fires around him, he could see her face. She was calm and had an almost serene look on her face. It was her eyes, however, that drew his attention and caused him to shiver and sweat even more.

They were blazing not with power but purpose.

"I wish entry, Sergeant," she spoke, and there was a change in her voice. He had heard her speaking about her new cult in the city before. She did not have a bad speaking voice, but lacked the power required of a great orator. Now she had it.

"Ma'am, you entered and exited the Dungeon without permission from the Guild. I'm required to hold you here until this issue is resolved."

"I have broken no law of the city, only ignored the Guild's requirements. I shall pass."

She spoke with no hostility or anger, only certainty. Sgt Ajax was a veteran of walking his Path and had gained much in the means to control or resist those who were stronger than he. The simple words shattered any illusion that could stop her. Her aura crushed any ability he had.

The force of her will pushed him, and he stepped aside.

He tried to resist, but she was just too strong.

She continued to walk forward now that he was no longer blocking her. The member of the Watch under his command who had let her through in the first place fell to his knees in awe. The others quickly got out of the way.

She continued into the city.

What would come next, no one knew.

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Ranus was awoken in the dead of night to a pounding on his door.

He was startled for a few seconds but quickly understood what was happening and got out of bed, almost running to the door, where he opened it.

"What?" He snapped—fear was building within him.

Danrum was outside of it and had a look of extreme concern on his face.

"My Lord. Trixis somehow entered the Dungeon without being noticed and just returned to the city."

"Gods dammit." He exclaimed, but looking at his Watch Commander, he realised there was more. "And?"

"She is changed." That was all he said, but those three simple words heralded something else.

"What do you mean?" Ranus asked, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

"I cannot fully explain it, but you need to come with us; you are needed. Tensions in the city are building. Rumours are spreading and people are gathering even at this hour."

Ranus dressed hurriedly and followed his Watch Commander into the night, flanked by more guards. As they walked, he was filled in on what little was known.

There were far more people on the streets than usual at this time of night, even taking into account the taverns and inns in the city. As they entered one of the poorer areas of the city, the numbers increased, with more people on the streets forming into crowds. As they moved deeper into this part of the city, the murmur of conversation grew.

As he walked, he counted the number of religious followers increasing. Many openly carried the symbols of their faith in their daily lives, and he was now seeing them held aloft or held closely.

Tensions sat heavy in the air, and this could be a disaster in the making.

They turned down a street, and it was almost packed. Danrum had his Watch amassed here. Half were holding a corridor open through the street, while the other half were holding the larger crowd back from a smaller one outside a house further down.

"Trixis lives here. The people outside are her followers." Danrum informed them as they moved through the narrow lane that the Watch had opened.

With the occasional shove and yell, Danrum got into the other group. They were far fewer in number but were adamantly holding their ground. The Watch were keeping the two sides apart. There was yelling of questions and accusations, which were met by stony silence or the occasional counter yell.

Ranus stood before Trixis's followers. "I wish to speak to Trixis."

They looked at each other, all of them recognising him, and with a nod from one, they parted, allowing him to pass through with Danrum following. He entered the house and made his way through the crowded hallways. He was receiving different looks as he progressed. Most were curious, some were hopeful, and a few were hostile.

The door before him was her room.

He knocked, and the door opened.

A small woman was on the other side. She nodded to him and stepped aside to let him in. Danrum followed and closed the door. The room was small, and everything was neatly put away. Trixis was sitting in a chair with another person across from her, as they were visitors. The room was crowded with the four of them.

The chair was rough as he sat on it. He looked at her, and things changed.

He had met her in the past, but the woman before him was a different person.

She looked the same, but her posture had changed. In the past, she was very hesitant and unsure of herself. He had heard that this had changed in recent years as she became the leader of her cult. Now, before him sat something else.

Her eyes were blazing with faith, and he could feel the aura it was creating within her. Yet he had heard of this before: someone having a religious revelation and being completely changed. What concerned him was that these revelations created Heralds, and Heralds were never good news. They often cause as many problems as they solved, as they believed so hard that they became blind to everything else that was not part of their faith.

"Lord Goldwind." She greeted him. He shivered slightly, listening to her voice as it had changed. She had an orator's voice now. It held power and confidence.

"Trixis." He returned her greeting. "I've been informed that you have recently visited the Dungeon."

A small smile played on her features. "I have."

"I am not going to bother to lecture you about the rules regarding access to the Dungeon. What I will ask you is what happened when you were in there?" He knew he had to be very careful with how he handled the situation. The numbers outside could turn this street into a battlefield.

The slight smile never wavered. "Yes, I knew you would come and ask."

The reply was slightly disconcerting, but he knew that he had to stay on track and not be distracted. If she were indeed a Herald, then there would be numerous problems from the religious groups within the city. A Herald of a not-recognised cult had never gone well. As part of his education on different cults, due to the existence of hers, he had learned that if they reached a certain threshold and produced an influential religious figure, such as a Herald, things escalated quickly. According to all the reports, hers was nowhere near that level yet.

"Then tell me what took place."

She paused for a few moments, thinking about what had happened to her or what to say to him. Which one he was not sure of.

"When the Dungeon saved my life and freed me from my bondage, I was changed. In time, I learned what that change meant to me, and I began to speak of it to others and my belief in the divinity of the Dungeon." He remains silent, waiting for her to tell him what he wanted to know.

"Others listen to my words and heard the truth of them. I reflected and studied how the Dungeon worked and how it interacted with others. From that, I learned the tenets of the faith I had discovered. But as time progressed, I realised that I had reached a point where I needed more. I had questions. The means to find the answers to these questions was simple: I had to return to the Dungeon."

The room was quiet as she spoke, the air heavy.

"With my task clear, I made my plans. I was patient and waited until the time was right, and I returned to the Dungeon. Accessing it was far easier than I expected. I entered the surface building and went up the stairs. I descended to the last floor, and there I met my God."

At those last words, she fell silent, looking at him. Outwardly, he was trying to stay calm, but inside, he was panicking and sweating hard under his clothes. The possibility of disaster was impossible to miss.

"What happened to you there, Trixis?" He asked again.

"Revelation, Lord Goldwind, revelation. So much was shown to me and explained. All the questions I had to know the answers to have gone, and I know what I need to do."

"And what is that?" He asked, dreading the answer.

The smile on her face changed from a small one to a full one, full of kindness and conviction. "That is simple, Lord Goldwind. I am to strengthen the faithful and wage war against the Void as my God does."