Although the fighting was all but done, the operation the knights conducted continued for three more days. There were a few holdouts because of the unimaginable size of the Black Tower. The scale of clearing out the demon worshipers had exceeded the size of the force that Varis had brought. Still, the size belongs to the tower only. There were only a small number of mages inside that were in league with the tower master; Former tower master that is.
Elysia had stayed by her side for all of those three days. The numbing grip on the young girl's heart was warmed by the happy, one-sided conversation the battle mage gave her. Elysia was having a wonderful time. With the fighting clearing the tower was tedious. Thanks to Ravina, she was able to relax.
Ravina for the most part stayed inside the tent. It took awhile but eventually, she allowed Elysia to help her into the dress. She struggled with it not because of any fear or aversion to dressing but because it was the dress given to her by lord Braymore. That is, by Aster. It was a special present for the young girl, right before… It was recovered from the tower, it fit her well, after all, it was Ravinas. She didn't know why only one of the two dresses the girl had was recovered. Only that the dress felt heavy on her than it did for Ravina.
The young girl slept most of the time, she was still recovering from the stabbing. Still, there was little for her to do. The knights insisted she remain in the tent and her only saving grace was talking to Elysia. The woman mostly talked about superficial things, like the fashion trends in the capital and how different and impractical they were compared to her city, and food. Mostly food. One of the things Elysia wanted to do when she got back was eat at some of the finer restaurants. These talks could have something to do with the rations they continued to eat day after day, but that was only a guess.
Still, these little conversations were a source of comfort for Ravina. It centered her, allowing her an anchor to this familiar, unfamiliar world. It also made her a little hungry. After a good meal perhaps, everything would be okay. A hope that quivered her heart. Soon enough she felt ready to leave the comfort of the cold tent, just in time because it was then that it was time to leave.
Then the day came for them to leave. Whatever the knights were there to accomplish, they succeeded. Ravina was now following Elysia out the grand door of the Black Tower. It was a majestic grand archway that rose up high. The black doors were rusted open. The garden outside was beautiful. It was filled with simple grass and a few trees but the charm lay in the intricate stonework that wound around the entire place. Redstone wrapped around, creating a web of roads, while perfectly cut grey stone framed them, separating grass from tile. Taken with the garden she turned around and saw the tower for the first time. It stole her breath away, and not in a good way.
The Black Tower’s imposing silhouette stood as an ominous monument against the sky, the towering structure reaching such staggering heights that it seemed to pierce the very heavens, far from the eyes of mortal men. Its structure challenged the very limits of human comprehension. Carved from obsidian stone, it bore a seamless circular body. Its exterior walls were so smooth, so perfectly honed, they mirrored the sky above. It was a testament to a reality beyond common understanding, a symbol of power, mystery, and uncharted magic. It alone gave man pause, fearful of the powers behind its creation. The first tower of magic.
Ravina trembled at the sight. Part of her would always see it as a monument to evil, even if it was once a propelling force of good. She would never be able to see anything as sinister as the black tower in that light. It was in that tower she was killed.
Ravina.
Perhaps the girl had taken her life as well, perhaps the surgery was a success and she was now in a world without magic, with a feature so bright, the neon lights never turned off. Perhaps she could believe that. Perhaps. But some small part of her knew better.
"Ready to move?" Varis' voice drifted to her from behind, snapping her out of her somber contemplation.
There were hundreds of knights rushing around, making some last minute preparations for the trip. Most of them were staying behind to overwatch the tower as it transitioned into another mage’s hands. However, a few were going to travel with Varis and give a report directly to their master. All Ravina knew was that she was going to a city. Away from this cursed tower and far, far away from a village nestled deep within an emerald wood.
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Knights had no need for comfort. At least that's what the brass would tell them. In truth, it all came down to cost. Moving a lot of people required planning. Moving them quickly required more planning. Planning costs money. You even needed to spend money on figuring out how much money you would spend planning. It was a vicious circle. One that would ensure a single horse was made to pull a carriage designed to fit a dozen men.
This cheap troop transport had no roof, no shocks and certainly no comfort. After all, knights have no need for comfort. Well, the men have their own ideas on such things. So when a lady needed a ride they were more than happy to rip up more than a few of those transports. Taking out years of anger and resentment on the cheap, poorly made wanna be wagons.
They did manage to stop themselves before completely destroying them and managed to scrounge up enough scrap to cobble together a makeshift carriage. Fit, not for a queen perhaps, but it was far better than the knights were given.
Its interior was embellished with pillows and blankets pilfered from the tower. The knights had strived to instill a touch of luxury within its confines, turning it into a comfortable travel abode amidst the ongoing operation. There was even a delicate ornament that was made by a man named Fisher. He whittled away at the scrap wood and fused some rubble black stone into it to make a delicate looking bird.
With it, the carriage for the young lady was ready and the men proudly marveled at their work while the young lady in question was walking to it with their commander. They stood at the ready, watching the girl approach excited to hear what she thought of their… avant garde craftsmanship.
Varis offered Ravina a hand after the makeshift door was pulled open by one of the knights standing beside it. Ravina hesitated for a moment, but accepted it and then stared at the carriage. The door stood at a height that caused her to crane her neck and with it an awkward challenge. With one hand held by the knightly Varis, Ravina placed her free one on the carriage floor, trying to figure out how exactly she was going to hop inside. She had just decided to jump, trusting Varis to steady her as she did so, when suddenly she found herself rising smoothly off the ground. It was a miracle, she was flying.
“Excuse me,” his words came a little too late as the swift and unexpected movement made her yelp in surprise. Her hands found his broad shoulders and clung tightly to him. Soon enough she was placed inside the surprisingly well decorated carriage.
“We’ll have steps made later,” Varis commented, enticing a murmur of understanding from those around him. Fisher was just standing there, waiting for her to spot his ornament. Ravina smiled shily.
The lift into the carriage was not as embarrassing as she had assumed, in fact, it was quite enjoyable. “Thank you, Sir Varis,” She replied, giving him a little bow from within the carriage.
“Of course,” he said simply and then closed the door. Trapping her inside the makeshift room.
"A bit of conversation wouldn't hurt," Ravina muttered. She looked around the carriage, the light barely pouring in the makeshift curtains she soon found were nailed into the door. It wasn't exactly luxury but it had a roof over her head and plush looking seats. She pushed one with her finger. “Ohh, soft,” she muttered as she sat down, sinking into its unexpected softness. "Wow," she murmured, a flicker of surprise dancing in her eyes, "this is more comfortable than I anticipated."
She bounced on the cushion, testing its softness. She amused herself with it for a while before calming down and waiting for them to get going. She was looking forward to her trip, the first in a long time. However, reality hardly ever caters to the wants of man. Poor, sweet, unsuspecting Ravina was so taken by the immediate comforts that she didn't realize the original purpose of the makeshift carriage. To ferry heavily armored men to and from the battlefield. It was built for cost-effectiveness, not luxury. Built with one horse pulling it instead of two.
“Move out.” The loud call rang sharply into the air, causing her to flinch. It was followed by some softer yelling and soon enough a whip cracked into the air. With a jolt, the carriage trembled terribly horrible. As two pack warhorses stepped forward the wagon turned carriage was forced to follow. The wooden wheels scraped against every rock, bump, crack, and anything else it could to jostle the wagon's frame.
In a panic, the young girl grabbed whatever she could. Tightly gripping the blanket covering the windows. She couldn't tell if she was trembling or if it was the entire cart. Worse yet because of the knight's hasty construction job, they hadn't thought that a terrified young girl might grab onto the curtains to hold on for dear life. The result was that the young girl's weight was enough to pull away the curtain, causing her to tumble down onto the carriage floor. Nevertheless, she clung tightly to the churten as she tumbled in the carriage, uneven able to pray for the swift ending of the journey.