Predictably, Lowki was the only one disinterested in exploring the elven city. Tallos was veritably leaping towards the door when I asked the team who wanted to check things out. Tallos explained he would give us a brief tour before heading out alone. He wanted to visit some old friends rumored to be in the city. Like us, this was Tallos' first time in Quarris, but he was intimately familiar with how the platform city operated as his hometown of Kelewithe had the exact same architecture.
“If Lowki does decide to come out after his… cat nap, will there be any issue with him roaming the city by himself?” I asked our resident expert. “More than likely, he will come straight to us, but he is naturally curious.”
“Most folk already know of him, as well as each of us. We were the talk of the town yesterday evening, as you can imagine. At the very least, all the city guardians know of him since I’m sure Commander Wallace spread the word. I’m sure he’s fine to wander alone if he decided to,” Tallos replied confidently. He was certain of his words, so I let my worry evaporate as we walked outside.
“From the last we saw of him, looking quite comfortable in your silk bed, I doubt he’s going to go anywhere,” Stella laughed.
Still, I pondered how the massive panther would get outside if he got up. That was a question I didn’t have a ready answer for. “Let’s at least prop the door open,” I offered after visions of a giant cat attempting to jump out of a pan of glass swam in my mind. The answer became apparent after seeing multiple nearby homes with open front doors. Unlike a human city, I doubted elves worried about petty theft, so I figured we could follow their lead. Those homes could be shops, which would naturally have their doors open wide, but we would be safe. Even if thievery was a concern for the city, we always carried all of our properties on our persons or in our bag of holding.
The sheer number of platforms around was truly staggering at first. Seeing the city from within was completely different from seeing down at ground level. From the forest floor, I soon realized that many of the reinforced platforms were blocked by a line of sight, either behind the giant redwood trees or other platforms. Something else we soon learned, there wasn’t a single crown of foliage at the top of the forest.
From outside the forest, when we first approached on horseback, it appeared only the very top of the sequoia trees contained a dense layer of trees creating a massive canopy. I had been mistaken. Like the hundreds, if not thousands, of platforms ranging in height throughout the city, so too did the natural awnings, creating a pleasant contrast of red trees and vibrant green leaves.
Seeing successive layers of walkways, catwalks, footpaths, and promenades was truly inspiring. It reminded me of side-scrolling video games where the main character could jump from one platform to another. As far as I could deduce, the only overarching theme for the varying heights of the platform’s placements seemed to be dependent on where natural tree hollows formed. Wherever a cavity appeared, the elves built a platform, thus creating a myriad of bases throughout the city.
A healthy number of the cavities, we soon discovered, were not used solely as places of residence. To reach other platforms, long spiral staircases going up or down allowed citizens to easily access different levels, though there was still a good number of smaller elevators available to achieve the same feat. Coming across my first elevator, as Stella described earlier, the magic allowing relaxed transport from one platform to another was quite sublime. The wooden structures varied in diameter, some allowing groups of people to move up and down, while others allowed one, perhaps, two people at a time. All were operated by a simple lever in the middle of the elevator. Whatever magic had been imbued into the wood made the elevators incredibly stable. It was so smooth if you weren't paying attention as your elevation changed, you would fail to notice you were moving at all.
As Tallos guided us to a section of the city containing various merchants, armorers, and the like, he enlightened us about the basic layout of Quarris. Essentially a sister city to his home city of Kelewithe, the lower levels, those closest to the forest floor, were generally reserved for barracks, horse stables, and archers. That way, the city’s guardian force could quickly respond if a threat appeared.
Most of the free-standing buildings within the city’s middle layers were made of merchant dwellings. Quarris had nearly every type of crafter imaginable, from smiths with billowing forges, to bowyers, leather armorers, and everything in between. There were also a number of mages selling enchanted gear. I would be looking forward to inspecting those later. As expected, the city’s top-most levels, the most defended section, contained the majority of houses, residencies, and schools, both magical and non-magical. Per Tallos, elvish citizens were allowed to choose a craft, professional, whether mundane or not. No one was held back from finding a life best suited for them.
The very highest sections of the city, we learned as Tallos led us through dozens of different platforms, helping us become familiar with at least the area surrounding our home away from home, which was reserved for the top officials and the council chambers. Glorious wooden mansions with towering spires reached beyond the forest's crown, allowing some wonderful sights of the wooded countryside. We were surrounded by incredible beauty and architecture of the finest quality. These elves worked to perfection in everything they did, which showed on each square inch of the city.
While we didn’t visit any of the mansions, they were only accessible by invitation, we would be able to see them tomorrow when we met at the elder’s council. Such invitations rarely reached outsiders unless a great deed was performed or significant aid was given to the city in some notable way.
As we walked, Tallos talked at great lengths regarding everyday citizens' regular comings and goings. Learning more about the race was exciting, and most of what was shared fell in line with my expectations from my previous life. Long living, innately talented and supreme dedication were only a few of the attributes we witnessed everywhere we looked.
One question did nag at me as we explored. “Where are the guardrails? Aren’t people worried about falling off?” I asked our friendly guide. “We’ve gone up and down dozens of platforms and ridden elevators, and I haven’t seen a single one the entire time. We’re a few hundred feet off the ground, so I doubt anyone could survive such a disastrous fall, at least not without the aid of magic in some way.”
Tallos chuckled, not at all surprised at my pointed question. If I didn’t know any better, it seemed like the fear of falling off the side was like worrying about being caught in a rainstorm.
“It is a hazard, certainly, but for the elves living so many years here, everyone is more than careful to avoid a tumble off the edge. There are no guardrails because there is simply not a need for them. Plus, it would cost more to source reclaimed wood without bringing any benefit to the city. We do have some guardrails, as you call them, but those are reserved for the highest tiers, mainly for the children coming and going to school and their homes. Still, even our children are taught early on to respect the edge of tiers, and by the time they reach adolescence, the risk is negligible. While someone does fall, an exceedingly rare situation that happens perhaps once every three years, it is more often than not an outsider, even with the vast number of platforms around us. Even if someone were to fall, let me show you. It’s unlikely someone will perish.”
With an inviting wave of his hand, we approached the boardwalk's edge. Tallos’ last comment hit the nail on the head. If you were daft enough to fall off the side, the most you could fall would be twenty to forty feet. With the numerous great platforms spread randomly through the tree city, more often than not, a person walking off the edge would crash into a lower wooden boardwalk than reach the forest floor. The levels were so numerous that there was little line of sight to the ground level far below.
“I suppose that’s good to hear,” I commented, though still plenty wary of getting too close to the edge myself. Falling even twenty feet wouldn’t be pleasant, but thankfully, it was highly unlikely to be fatal, especially with healing magic so prevalent in this world. As Tallos said, growing up here allowed the elves to build a strong mental awareness of the city’s layout, so walking around was no different from staying on sidewalks in a human city. Back on Earth, how often did you accidentally fall into a roadway knowing the real risk of passing cars nearby, creating what was also a persistent threat?” I shrugged before another thought struck me. “What about when people go drinking?”
I wasn’t sure if public intoxication was as much of a thing for elves as it was for humans, but a little inebriation could easily send a drunkard off the edge.
“I’d be happy to show you one of the few bars within the city later on,” Tallos replied, again without much concern in his voice. “Elves don’t usually drink in excess when we enjoy some ale. Plus, most of the bars are up near the housing levels, so ‘guardrails’ mostly stop anyone who enjoys a bit too much drink. Not only that, but most bars have watchful doormen who are wary of letting someone, more often an outsider, walk out if they are that drunk. Instead, they would be directed to a room to sleep it off, for a small additional fee, of course.”
As we continued exploring more of the city, Tallos helped us understand the numerous shop signs advertising the store's wares and services. The cool breeze and soft rustle of leaves once more took me aback at the striking nature of the forest city. Even with the ever-shifting canopy around us, enough light reached even the lowest levels to accentuate the tranquility practically radiating through every facet of the glorious city. One of the more interesting sights was when we found a gorgeous fountain with jets of pristine water shooting out of the mouths of wood-carved elks, deer, eagles, and several aquatic animals. With even a delicately close inspection, there was no way to determine where the water originated. We were at least three hundred feet above the forest floor, but it didn’t take away the impressiveness of the wide public fountain. Though the line was short, many elves carried buckets over to collect enough water before going about the rest of their day. Most, if not all, waved to us and called out greetings, enhancing the comforting experience that was Quarris.
There was not an ounce of stress in the city, even with the blatant destruction of life and property Duke wrought the previous day with his fiery blasts of magic. I was most pleased to see little of the damage he caused remained. Tallos explained that many elves were talented in nature-affiliated magic and could coax the giant redwood trees to regenerate.
“There you have it, welcome to Quarris,” Tallos said with outstretched hands, inviting us to soak in the wonderment bound into every fiber and knot of wood. “You should have a good feel of the city now. I’m going to visit some old friends but will meet up with you tonight. If you have any questions as you go about the day, any of the watchful guardians would be happy to help. You need only ask. As you can see, everyone is happy to help one another which is a defining attribute of any elvish city. Be careful, though, as you walk around,” he said with the barest hint of a joke forming on his lips. “I would hate for you to take a tumble.”
Wishing him luck finding his friends, we waved at Tallos as he departed. We planned to meet a little before sundown as a group, having decided to attend the burial scheduled for that evening. We each agreed we wanted to honor those lost in the struggle against Duke. They had been kin to Tallos and, in a way, even me. The loss of even a single person in this city was felt far and wide. We wanted to be there to offer our support as so many lives had been irrevocably changed by Duke’s actions.
Looking at Stella and Ripley, I asked if either of them had anything in particular they would like to visit first. As expected, our tall skeletal companion shook her ivory head in response, more than fine to follow me. Stella stated it would be nice to unload some of our old gear before we looked for upgrades, so suggested either a jeweler since we had a good number of magical rings, or perhaps a wizard’s shop. Within our bag of holding was a plethora of goods, most notably from the results of the dwarven siege a week ago now, not to mention my previous armor set.
“Plus, we should be able to find some new spells, though I bet most will be nature-themed. Then again, we might get lucky,” she shared helpfully, mirroring my own thoughts. Stella had long since returned to her customary position on my shoulder, so I only needed to give a slight nod in her direction to signal my agreement.
“A good idea as any,” I agreed, the matter settled. Not long after, we spotted a jeweler’s placard, a series of ten conjoined rings, so we sauntered towards the front door. “I’m glad Duke wasn’t able to do any lasting harm to the city,” I remarked as we neared the open door. The place looked packed inside. “The number of spells he sent shooting around so recklessly had we worried he would burn the entire city to the ground.”
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Stella sensed I had more to say, so nudged her snout against my cheek.
“Sorry, I was contemplating how long we should stay in the city,” I remarked before moving to the building’s side as Stella pressed the matter. My self-doubt and fear of causing more elven deaths weighed heavily upon my shoulders. “This city has been nothing but incredible to us so far. The thought of staying for any length of time, leading to even more deaths, has me worried. Even if the council continues to offer their protection, I’m not sure I want to risk it. I'm not too fond of the thought of more elves dying trying to defend us. It should be the other way around.”
“Friends support friends. This is how the city sees us. Plus, having their help could make all the difference when we confront Duke again,” Stella commented. She had a good point. The city’s guardians were aware of the threat Duke posed and understood the peril it could bring to shelter us. Perhaps, with the council’s consent, an army of elves at our backs could allow us to actually take him down. Twice now, Duke escaped with only temporary injuries. As we continued to level, we closed the distance to be able to take him head-on, but he had years to develop his skills, spells, and not to mention his powerful armor.
Stella sensed my hesitation, so she continued, “Let’s at least wait to decide on what we should do next until after our meeting with the elders. We can make the best decision for us, as well as the city, when all the cards are on the table.”
I was confident we could wait that long, at least for right now. Plus, I didn’t want to make any decision without having a chance to check with what Tallos wanted. There was the distinct possibility he would decide to remain in the city when our path eventually took us beyond the city’s limits. After his near-death experience during our fight with the dwarves, he had signaled he might not carry on with us after reaching this city. I would miss him dearly if he chose to remain behind, but I also wanted what was best for him. As far as I was concerned, Tallos owed me nothing. Friends helped each other because that’s what friends do. Regardless of his decision, Tallos would be a friend until my dying day. If he ultimately chose to stay behind, we would be nothing but happy for him.
As far as how much time we had before Duke’s threat rematerialized, we were not entirely sure. From what I understood from Stella’s comments earlier, Duke couldn’t do much of anything until he linked with a new Accelerator. Destroying Felix to escape certain death at either our hands or the elves he attacked, Duke was now no different from a regular non-player character.
My last thought caused me to pause and consider my words. Stella said losing his AI caused Duke to lose access to his skills and spells, but we knew for certainty that regular people could still use them. Even without seeing the elves sling mighty spells at our nemesis, Tallos, technically an NPC himself, learned a spell and could use it. I needed to clarify that irregularity with Stella before we continued.
“Stell, when you said Duke wouldn’t be able to access his abilities, are you sure? I ask because there are a lot of people in this world who regularly use spells and skills, just like a Hunter can. They’ve never bounded with an Accelerator, so how does losing one cause Duke to lose his?”
“Oh, Duke still has them all, as well as the potential to use them,” Stella answered swiftly, not at all bothered by the pointed question. “Think of it like this, imagine you got into an accident. Say, falling off the edge over there, and when you hit the lower level, you broke your back. Magic can repair the damage, but even in our world, it's possible that the body would need to relearn how to do something as simple as walking. For Duke losing his Accelerator, it's something like that. Without his Accelerator, he would find it difficult, at best, to manifest his powers by himself, having never done so a day in his life since becoming a Hunter.”
Stella allowed me a moment to consider her words before continuing, “We have at least two days, at the bare minimum, before Duke would even consider returning. Plus, we have no idea how far away he teleported himself. We might learn where he whisked himself off to after meeting with the elder council tomorrow. Then, we’ll better understand how much time we have before he may show up again.”
Nodding at her words, the matter was settled in my mind, at least for the time being. After our meeting tomorrow, then we could put some serious consideration into what our next move would be. “Thanks, Stella,” I whispered after letting out a long breath. For now, we would enjoy the hospitality and opportunities staying in such a wondrous city would bring. Without more information, there was no sense stressing over what Duke may or may not do.
“Alright, enough chit-chat. Let’s go check out this store, yeah? Perhaps we’ll be lucky and find a nice upgrade for one of us,” I said while rubbing my hands together. Motioning us forward, we walked around the corner and went inside. On my shoulder, it was clear Stella was as excited as I was to find something thrilling.
Acquiring loot was one of the many benefits of being a Hunter, and was somewhat a good distraction away from stress. As long as you didn’t ignore the stress outright, which I learned long ago did more harm than good, especially over long periods, a good distraction now and again did a body good.
Like every other building, even though built within the massive tree cavities within the expansive redwood trees, the jeweler's store was constructed entirely of reclaimed wood. As far as I could tell, not a single nail had been used. Instead, notches had been carved into each piece of lumber, allowing for a secure connection as the two-by-four similar pieces of wood were laid atop one another. Every piece of wood had the now familiar red tint. The hardwood timbers were cut with amazing precision, as if each handcrafted work of art was instead created through the use of great machinery like those back on Earth. Such was not the case in this world, magic and practiced hands, it would seem, were more than capable of creating long pieces of lumber with the same machine-like precision.
Halfway into the store, the stained flooring shifted to a tiled mosaic depicting beautifully cut gems against an earthen-tone background. Each tile was only one inch to the side, meaning it must have taken considerable effort to create such a fantastical piece of artwork. The store was busier than I had been expecting, not only with elven patrons. For the first time today, we spied several humans, a pair of dwarfs, and a fair number of half-elves. All were customers, and, at first, I thought we would be hard-pressed to grab either the shop owner or one of their worker’s attention. We didn’t have to wait long, as it turned out.
Nearly wall to wall along the outside edge of the square building, with enough room for a store owner to work with a customer, were glass display cases. Each came up to our waist and held countless shining pieces of jewelry. Glancing around, at least three or four workers bustled about, assisting inquiring customers and pulling out requested rings, necklaces, or other fine jewelry. In the middle of the room were dozens of tall display cabinets, mostly made of large panes of glass. Multi-tiered displays allowed customers to easily see the shop’s goods, not to mention a fair bit of loose-cut gemstones ranging in size from a pea to an avocado. The amount of wealth on display was impressive, to say the least.
Ample overhead skylights, similar in construction to the magical windows in our guest home, allowed plenty of natural light into the store. Artificial spotlights were also generously placed across the store’s ceiling, shining their brilliant light onto the shop’s many display cases. Knowing we had a small array of rings to sell, I headed to an unoccupied section of the shop with a wide display ring of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Gold, silver, and platinum rings shone, doing their best to catch a customer’s eye. There was no way that I could tell if any of the rings were magical, but that would come later. For now, we had stuff to sell and gold to acquire. I was confident we would be spending nearly every dime we had over the course of a pair of days.
Not long after we rested against a glass display case, a slender elf meandered over with a bright smile on her face. “Hail, travelers. Welcome to Miss Tee’s. I’m Earien. Have you ever had the pleasure of visiting us before?” the young maiden asked.
Earien looked to be in her early twenties, yet with elves guessing their age was exceedingly difficult given their extremely long natural lifespans. Radiantly beautiful, the elf maiden had wavy brown hair which was accented by large golden hooped earrings. She had a dazzling necklace with an assortment of beautiful sapphires and one or two rings on each slender finger.
I wanted to start by selling all of our loose accessories, rings, and necklaces, so I started by asking if they would be interested in buying enchanted jewelry. We were in luck, and Earien was more than happy to look over each piece. With each new ring we pulled out, the tall elf used what I assumed was a magical eyepiece to judge the quality of each. The meager enchantments with the ones we were alright parting with were nothing of particular note but still held value as magical items were not as commonplace as mundane items. Soon, we came to an agreeable price for the lot, a nice amount of gold and silver pieces. We asked Earien about any enchanted wares they might have.
Unfortunately, most of the jewelry on display was non-magical and carried no enchantments. The shop did have several pieces on hand, though Earien needed to point us to a specific corner within the storeroom. Following her to the other side, I was mostly disappointed in the low volume of enchanted pieces for sale. There were many other stores throughout the city, but I hoped our first encounter was not indicative of what was to come. I had been hoping for more, though perhaps this place was an outlier, or so I hoped.
Pushing the worry out of my mind, there was at least one item that grabbed our attention. It was a small bracelet with a single dark-colored gem at its center. Earien gave a brief description of the item's magical properties, and unless she was mistaken, it was unlikely that the bracelet enhanced illusion-based spells and effects. At first, I was dejected as we didn’t have any illusion spells, but something nagged in the back of my mind, like I was forgetting something. I took a moment to recall all of our party’s abilities, and realization soon followed. Lowki... Lowki could use illusion magic!
Lowki’s racial ability allowed him to create a displaced image of himself near where he actually stood. It was an illusion through and through, and I hope the bracelet would work with more of an innate ability instead of something that was actively cast by a magician.
“Wait, can you tell me more about what the bracelet can do?” I asked the young elf with hope brimming in my voice. If it could work with his ability, it would be quite the find. Lowki’s displaced image was one of his best defenses to avoid being hit. Enhancing it could expand his defensiveness to new levels and make a world of difference in his overall combat prowess.
Jackpot!
Speaking with Earien, and with Stella’s confirmations, we indeed found the ‘bracelet of illusionary double’ would work for the cat. The bracelet would allow our friend to create a third illusionary copy of himself, akin to a non-corporeal form of a giant cat. Better still, Lowki would be granted the insanely powerful ability to instantly swap places with one of his illusionary clones. Without the bracelet, normally, Lowki could only create a single version of himself, while at the same time bending light around himself to act as a sort of camouflage. With this simple-looking bracelet, Lowki’s innate ability to be modified to create two illusionary doubles of himself. It would cost him the ability to bend light around himself, thus allowing enemies an easy way to see him, but it was still worth it.
Being able to swap places with an illusionary copy of himself destroyed any disadvantage the bracelet would bring to Lowki’s lethal arsenal. The gem in the bracelet would need a short amount of time between teleports, absorbing ambient magic in the environment to recharge the feature, but creating two copies of himself, each being fully capable of moving around undependably, though ultimately at Lowki’s control. It was a fantastic item and worth any price.
“How long of a delay is there between each use of swapping places with one of the created illusions?” Stella asked, almost disinterestedly. She didn’t want to clue the merchant into the fact that we desperately wanted the item. We hoped the delay wasn’t overly long in between uses of the incredible feature. This unassuming band could amplify Lowki’s hit-and-run tactics to new heights. Teleporting from place to place on a battlefield was an incredible boon.
“It varies depending on the distance of the illusion you wish to swap positions with,” the Earien answered professionally. I couldn’t tell if she realized how badly we wanted the band for our panther friend. She was playing it cool, the same as Stella. My excitement would be on easy display, so I would let Stella handle this negotiation.
“If you are within a few feet of the desired illusion,” Earien continued. “The band can be used reliably every five seconds.” Pulling out a folded piece of parchment which had been wedged beneath the miniature display cushion, she answered what would have been my next question. “At exactly five feet, the recharge time doubles to ten seconds and doubles for every additional five feet after that.”
“So, it would be twenty seconds of recharge at ten feet, forty seconds at fifteen feet, and a minute twenty at twenty feet,” Stella counted off from my shoulder, motioning with her paws as if she was counting off fingers. “What’s the maximum range?”
“Fifty feet,” the merchant answered with one last glance at the sheet in her hand. “Are you interested in acquiring the bracelet?”
Stella ignored the question, at first. Instead, looking at me after having done the mental math to determine the item’s maximum cool down if used at max distance. Fifty feet was an impressive distance. “Just over eighty-five minutes to recharge at maximum range.” It wasn’t horrible, but the fact it doubled the recharge time for every five feet of distance quickly compounded the necessary amount of time to be used again.
Though I doubted Lowki would need to teleport at such long distances, it was an incredible ability nonetheless. Lowki would more often than not use the teleport while he was within feet of his illusionary doubles, considering he fought primarily in melee range. While five seconds was a long time in combat, the ability to ‘jump’ away from an attack when he was already prodigious mobile would greatly increase his combat effectiveness. He was going to be ecstatic, granted we could afford the damn thing.
Now, the only thing to determine was the price, and trying to negotiate so we didn’t lose every single gold coin we had been able to amass. Chances were, most would be spent in our very first shop, but we had a lot of other enchanted gear to sell, so it shouldn’t be too bad.
In the corner of her eye, Stella saw a worried twinkle on my face. She understood her role in securing the best deal for us, but in the end, we wanted to walk out of the store with this bracelet. She put on her best smile, and I had no desire to intervene in this next part. I was having a hard enough time not jumping up and down in excitement. Never let the other party know how badly you want something they own when buying something expensive. Doing so would only cost you more.
“We are interested in the bracelet, Earien, my dear. I hope we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement…” she started as I disguised a smile as a casual rub against the side of my cheek.