By the time the sun had begun to set we had made good progress over the hill-laden plains, but we still had too much distance to go to make a night time trek safe. Instead we set up a quick camp, as Wendy and her friends even put up a few tents. The Wolfe brothers ended up offering to take the first turn at nightwatch, and so Kuzu and I picked up the second half.

 

Through the night there were no incidents, and when we broke camp in the morning our meal was light. We headed off once more for the mountains, though as we grew closer to it we began to rely on the compass to find the portal.

 

At one point I found myself near Wendy. “So you said your mother taught you how to speak orc?” I asked after my curiosity about her won out over any concern for stealth. After all our group was fairly large and only a blind man wouldn’t see us coming.

 

Wendy let out a quick laugh, one that sounded similar to a bark. “Yup, she was an orc if that’s your next question.”

 

“I thought most orcs killed any children they have with the other races?”

 

“Normally they do, but ma lost to father in a fight.” Wendy flashed her teeth at me in a grin. “He ordered her to marry him.”

 

It was news that made me stumble, a move that caused Kuzu to look at me in concern. I lifted a hand up to sign that everything was fine before I returned to my conversation. “I can’t believe there’s a man alive who’d want to marry an orc.”

 

“Better not let Lance hear you say that,” Wendy nudged me with her armored elbow, “he’s been trying to net me for years now.”

 

After that our conversation steered to how she’d grown up surrounded by humans, a youth that ended up being far easier than I’d expected. Given the bigotry of the first floor it seemed the twentieth floor had grown quite tolerant. I could only guess it was a side effect of living and trading with the orcs.

 

When we reached the mountain range all we encountered were gnomes. Small parties patrolled the various pathways that ran between the cave entrances. Each time we ran into one it was a clear victory, so easy that at times all it took was Lance to wipe out their tiny groups.

 

We found the portal not long after that and Wendy’s group used it first. Their members used the checkpoint gems to head back to the twentieth floor, although they had a hard time getting Tricks to use it given his blood loss. Before she left Wendy and Lance walked off to the side to talk, and then away she went and he rejoined us.

 

“Alright, we’re all set for the next floor,” Adam let us know once Lance had rejoined us, “you said you needed to make a detour?”

 

“Yes, I’ll be stopping by the citadel,” I said, “you’ll need to take us to a safe spot to camp at while I get what I need.”

 

“I know a few good spots, we’ll have to see where the portal drops us before I can pick one,” Adam said before he walked over to the portal, “see you on the other side.”

 

---

Floor 25

Citadel of the Warlocks

---

The clouds were thick and blotted out the sun, while lightning raked across the sky in continuous flashes. Cold rain pelted down onto a landscape that was rocky and barren. It was an inhospitable floor that offered little in the way of usefulness for most.

 

Adam had led us to a cliff with a bunch of holes in it. We’d found the deepest one and set up temporarily in it, a small campfire already lit to help warm us up. Kuzu had already started to work at cleaning her tail, while the brothers had squatted down near the fire.

 

I peered outside and glanced at the distant city on the horizon. A city that had already fallen into ruins long before I was originally born sat like a skeleton. Stone buildings and walls had collapsed, with only a few of them still standing after so many years. Vines had reached up to strangle away at what remained.

 

I put down the canvas and duffel bags I carried nearby Kuzu. “Alright, so you three are going to stay here while I do this,” I told them, “Kuzu, make sure these bags stay untouched and safe.”

 

Kuzu flicked one ear in my direction, her eyes on the Wolfe brothers. “Try to get back soon.”

 

“You crazy? You ain’t really doing that by yourself?” Lance asked as he stood up.

 

“You’ll slow me down.” I pulled my sword and pistol out and put them down on the bags, before I cracked my neck. “All I need you to do is to keep an eye on Kuzu.”

 

“It seems unwise to head out there without a weapon,” Adam commented as he warmed his hands at the fire.

 

“We all have our skills,” I replied mysteriously as I walked out of the cave.

 

As I stepped out I pulled my hood up to try and ward off the rain and wind. I realized before I even reached the ruins how pointless that had been, as the rain came in at a harsh angle that ignored my hood entirely.

 

Ahead of me at the center of the ruins rose a shining golden tower. Gold lines ran up the stone walls, while something similar to steel consisted of the base section. Before one could even reach the tower they would have to get past the large gate that stood in front of it, a gate that had dozens of gnomes standing guard even in the downpour.

 

I lifted my empty hands up while lightning started to crackle down the length of my arms. In the distance a couple of the gnomes caught sight of me and shouted to their companions. Their response was quick as the lax guards went to attention, spears and swords prepared for what they perceived to be an easy fight.

 

Before they could grow wise enough to escape I threw my hands forward. From each of the fingertips emerged arrows of lightning that burst at the gathering of gnomes, generating a explosion of electricity that melted metal and incinerated the little men. Even the gate that stood behind them took some damage, as a chunk of it melted due to the heat of the lightning.

 

I walked confidently through the group of gnomes, my boots crunching loudly on some of the skeletal remains. As I passed through the gate I did a quick check around the base of the tower and saw no other gnomes nearby. So I looked upward at the total height of the building, and thought about how I needed to reach the top floor.

 

Why the Wolfe brothers had considered my idea to attack the citadel insanity was due to how you would normally reach the top floor. A grueling climb up a spiral staircase, with every floor in turn housing either gnomes or warlocks, would be the normal approach. I had another way of getting to the top floor.

 

A few seconds later I had begun my ascent, as lightning crackled out from beneath my boots. I rode it upward at a somewhat uncomfortable speed, my hood already pushed back by the ferocity of my ascent. As I began to near the top I gave one push of magical ascension and cut it, my own momentum more than enough to carry me up to the final floor.

 

Before I could enter the tower I’d need to get past the window, and so I pointed one hand at the tower and let loose a bolt of lightning. I gripped the lightning, something normally impossible, and was dragged at the window at a high speed. The gear I wore was more than enough to stop any cuts from happening, but the exposed skin such as on my face picked up a few scrapes.

 

When I hit the floor on the inside I rolled for a short distance, and then quickly came to my feet. What I saw when I stood up was within my expectations, a small cluster of warlocks had gathered in a circle around a pedestal upon which glowing objects sat. Their gaunt hands reached out to that light as though it was sustenance. Even with the noise of my arrival they didn’t break from the trance they were in.

 

I took advantage of that and lunged at the two nearest warlocks. Each of my hands gripped a head tightly, and then lightning coursed out and ran through the warlocks bodies. When I released my hold both bodies crumpled to the ground.

 

The three remaining warlocks hissed as they realized I was there. They drew away from the crystals on the pedestal and lifted their skeletal hands. Fire gathered around their fingertips as they prepared to unleash their magic on me.

 

I leapt back to avoid the streams of flames as I grabbed the hidden knives in my vest. A spark of electricity was the only warning the warlocks had before I threw the knives at two of them, the magic I’d used enhancing not only the speed but also the destructive ability of the mundane weapons.

 

While the two warlocks collapsed with holes where their heads had been the last one had already begun to back away. It made a dash toward the archway that lead to the main stairs, strange hisses and clicks coming out as it spoke in the odd way the warlocks always had. Before it could escape I threw one more of my knives at it.

 

With a period of silence I took stock of my current situation. I’d used a lot of magic in the climb, but I should be well enough to not worry about exhaustion yet. The cuts I’d gained from the window were minimal, and so I’d worry about first aid when I was back at the cave.

 

Instead I scooped up the three gems that sat on the pedestal. Each of them glowed while emitting a small amount of heat. The energy crystals were shoved into my shirt, as I didn’t want to chance them falling out of a pocket. The rough edges of the gems pushed uncomfortably into my skin but it was a small price to pay for what I would gain.

 

I could hear the sound of the gnomes as they began to climb the stairs, their voices crying out in alarm even as a couple warlocks clicked out commands. Before they could reach the top floor I ran to the window and jumped back out, letting gravity pull me down to the ground once more.

 

As the ground grew closer I realized I’d forgotten about how I wasn’t wearing a suit, and that I’d need to slow down myself. Much like how I’d done with entering the tower I once more summoned a lightning burst and grabbed it, using a very small upward burst of speed to try and counter my dangerous descent.

 

The end result was that when I hit the ground only my right foot hurt, a light cracking sound easily heard. I winced at the pain, gritting my teeth in the process, and then started to limp away from the tower. A throbbing sensation in my right shoulder warned me that I’d slightly damaged it while it became obvious to me that I’d broken my ankle.

 

By the time I saw the cave that the other three were in I had already grown woozy from the bloodloss. With each step a bit of blood came up out of my boot, and when I staggered into the cave Kuzu’s response was immediate.

 

“You idiot!” she declared as she ran over to me, supporting me with her own body. She lead me over to a drier and thankfully warmer section of the cave where a blanket had been lain.

 

“You actually made it,” Adam said, a note of surprise obvious in his voice, “did you get what you needed?”

 

“Of course,” was my cranky response as I pulled one of the three crystals out from under my shirt.

 

“Ain’t never seen one of those,” Lance admitted as he crowded in close to look at the gem.

 

“That’s because the warlocks need them to live,” I said as I put the crystal gently into Kuzu’s hand and whispered to her, “she’ll show you what to do with it.”

 

“You seem a bit battered though, things went bad for you?” Adam inquired as he handed me a canteen.

 

I accepted it and drank until it was empty, before I handed it back to him. “I overestimated my abilities a little,” I replied honestly, “I think my ankle is broken. Can one of you wrap it up?”

 

“I got ya,” Lance said with a grin as he removed my boot with a lot more care than I’d expected, “I’ve fixed up Adam lots.”

 

“Usually because you started a fight I had to finish,” Adam said as he removed his monocle and cleaned it, “so I take it with this broken ankle we’re calling your current dive a failure and returning home?”

 

“Don’t be silly,” I said as I watched Kuzu open up the canvas bag behind them, “all I’m going to need is stick.”

 

“Ya but ain’t ya useless in a fight now?”

 

My reply to that was to lift up one hand and release a small bit of electricity. I’d had no interest in showcasing my magic to the brothers, at least not yet, but I wanted to dissuade them from stopping our expedition.

 

“First a magical kitsune and now this,” Adam let out a sigh, “what’s next?”

 

There was no warning when a small figure dashed past Adam and Lance and dove at me. Small thin arms reached out and wrapped around my neck as a little body hung onto me in a hug. Adam and Lance had already pulled their weapons out, an act that had caused Lance to abort his bandaging of my ankle.

 

“Put them away,” I told the brothers as I held up a hand to ward off any potential attacks, “allow me to introduce to you the fifth member of our group. My daughter, Lisa.”