“Yeah, I brought back the weapons,” Lindyss said. “Let’s head to a training ground, and I’ll show them to you. The tower’s really creative with what it calls a weapon meant for magicians.”
“Okay…,” Tafel said as the grassy spider moved its legs, following after Lindyss. “But what about the zombie? Why did you bring back a zombie?”
Lindyss continued walking, but she turned her head and raised an eyebrow at Tafel. “Haven’t you ever heard of a thing called privacy?” the cursed elf asked. “Aren’t I allowed to have some?”
“I mean, yes, you are,” Tafel said, glancing at the so-called zombie dressed in bandages. There were bloody specks on the bandages, and one of the specks was growing in size with every step the zombie took. “But who wouldn’t be curious after seeing something like this?” She leaned over and poked the zombie’s head. “Hey, can you speak?”
There was no response.
“I guess it isn’t as smart as Mr. Skelly, huh?” Tafel asked before readjusting her position in her seat. She glanced at the zombie again before deciding it wasn’t worth bothering Lindyss over. If problems arose because of it, then the cursed elf would be the one to take care of it. Despite the lackadaisical tone she usually took, Lindyss was actually a very responsible adult; that’s why Grimmy had sent her with them to the tower.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the training ground on the second floor. There was an arch built into a wall, and beyond the arch, there was a space even larger than the area the buildings had been located. There was even a sun hanging overhead, and people were smacking straw targets with weapons, sweat pouring down their bodies. A few people turned to look at Tafel and Lindyss as they entered the area, but they quickly turned their attentions back onto the targets in front of them. Although the straw targets were cheaply made, and there was practically no privacy, that didn’t mean usage of the field was free.
“Hello.” A man stood by the entrance. He wore a full suit of plate armor, and a crest with a droplet of water on it was emblazoned on the center of his breastplate. The man’s visor was raised, revealing his mustached face. “It costs one thousand geums per person to use the field for an hour. How many hours are you planning on staying?”
Tafel raised an eyebrow. “We have to pay to use a public field?”
“That’s correct,” the man said. “As you know, the tower’s rules are created by people and enforced by people. It costs manpower to ensure no violence occurs on the field. For the sake of peace, please pay the toll, so us guards aren’t forced to work for free. Of course, if you’re a guild member in any guild that’s a part of the elemental alliance, the fee will be waived.” He scanned Lindyss and Tafel from head to toe with his eyes. “I don’t see a crest on either of you, so if you are a member of a guild, please identify yourselves.”
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“We don’t have any geums,” Lindyss said and flashed the guard a smile. “How about you pay the fee for us if we promise not to make any trouble?”
The guard shook his head. “I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to. You see … I’m broke.”
“You could always close your eyes and look the other way as we pass through,” Tafel said.
“Yeah, I suppose I could do that,” the guard said and nodded. Tafel and Lindyss glanced at each other before moving ahead. A second later, the guard’s eyes widened. “Hey! Why would I do that for you!? Get back here, and pay your toll!”
“Noisy.” A muffled voice came out of the grassy spider, and a hand made of earth rose out of the ground. The hand wrapped around the guard, and its earthen thumb covered the guard’s mouth, preventing him from speaking. The bulbous portion of the spider split in half, and Vur sat up, his eyes still closed. A few spheres of water appeared in front of his face, and he opened his mouth. They floated inside his waiting mouth, and he swallowed them one by one before lying back down. The spider’s abdomen closed, sealing Vur inside once more.
“Alright,” Lindyss said and continued ahead. She glanced back at Tafel. “What are you waiting for? It’s not like the guard can stop us now.”
“We’re just going to leave him like that?”
“If you feel bad, you can release him after we’re done,” Lindyss said. She glanced around before stomping her foot. A circular wall of earth rose up, sectioning off a part of the field. She pointed at it. “We’ll go over there.”
Tafel scratched her head as the grassy spider followed Lindyss. “Did you help her do that?” Tafel asked, looking down at Diamant.
“No,” Diamant said. “She’s good at geomancy. Of course, she’s not as good as me, but she’s better than most earth elementals. It’s almost as if she’s an earth elemental at heart.”
“Or she probably had the soul of one stuffed inside her,” Tafel said. The grassy spider’s eight eyes turned upwards to look at Tafel. The demon shrugged. “Don’t look at me. Grimmy’s the one who does stuff like that.”
“Less yapping, more walking,” Lindyss said, ignoring the glances of the people within the field. As she approached the enclosed area, a section of it fell to the ground, creating an entrance for her. Her root bracelet shone with an amber light, and she unceremoniously littered the ground inside the enclosure with oddly shaped weapons.
Tafel entered the enclosure, and the portion that had sunk into the ground rose back up, creating a relatively private area with several straw dummies inside of it.
“You can test out those weapons,” Lindyss said. “If you have any questions about them, you can ask the zombie.”
“You’re not going to test them with me?” Tafel asked and glanced down at the variety of items. Some were wooden, some were metal, and some were made of substances she wasn’t quite sure what to categorize them as.
“No,” Lindyss said as she took a seat. Her shadow opened up, and a few bones and piles of flesh appeared. “I’m going to create a body. Don’t disturb me.”
“Oh,” Tafel said, her nose wrinkling at the smell. “Um, okay. Have fun.”