If Nameless had eyes, they would have gone wide at the sight before him. Tameal was massive. A city sprawling over the hills like moss on a tree. The buildings ranged from mudbrick to polished stone, from crammed shanty towns to gleaming spires of opulence. Tameal had it all.

“I don’t recall cities ever being this large,” Nameless said.

Sinora was large, and Tameal was massive.

Elora squinted at Nameless and said, “I wonder how old you are.”

“If I were to guess, I would say Nameless’s soul is nearly a century old at the very least,” Zel stated.

“What makes you say that?” Karl wondered.

“A simple deduction. Nameless was not surprised by Sinora, and that city was considered one of the largest a hundred years ago.”

“I wonder what you have been doing for the past hundred years,” Elora mused.

“Goodewin mentioned that there was a mad mage that lived in a tower in the rocky mountains to the west on the border of the Imperium and the Wasteland. During the war with the Wasteland, the Imperium and the Wizards of Tameal had offered a bounty to get rid of the mage, and many failed. The survivors that were able to flee the tower reported an imposing Black Knight armed with a two-handed sword,” said Karl.

“Could Nameless be that very same Black Knight?” Elora wondered.

“I did come from a tower,” Nameless said with a nod.

“I suspected as much, based upon your general lack of common knowledge,” Zel observed, adding, “no offense.”

Karl’s eyes went wide. “Really?” He asked.

Nameless nodded his great helm head.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Elora demanded.

Nameless shrugged. “Nobody really asked, plus my memory comes to me in bits and pieces. If what we think is true, I’ve been dead awhile.”

“Yea, cut him some slack!” Zel snapped.

Karl glanced at the necromancer and then asked, “how come you have an ax instead of a sword?”

Nameless looked at the Dane axe that was magically attached to this back armor and shrugged. “I prefer swords,” he replied.

The four approached the high, wide gates to the city. It was crowded, and Karl had to slow down. Many eyes were on them, as there were very few magically enchanted carts. Most travelers were on wagons pulled by horses, and dozens or so were on foot. Elora had hopped off to talk amongst the crowd and returned with lots of information.

“People are beginning to wonder why there are no travelers from Sinora. It is usually much more crowded around this time,” the elf explained.

“Any idea who we can talk to?” Asked Karl.

“We can try the guards at the gate,” answered Elora.

Karl carefully guided the wagon through the slow-moving crowd as they entered through the gates, and he moved toward a squad of six guards that were lounging lazily in the morning sun. They were red tabards over mail and were armed with short spears and heavy shields.

“Hail Legionnaires! We bring news from Sinora,” Nameless greeted.

The guards stirred and glanced up at the wagon.

“Oi, I reckon we need to confiscate that armor and ax,” a heavy-set guard responded.

“Yea, that there is against regulations,” another replied.

The others laughed as they eyed the wagon and its occupants. Elora lightly jumped to the ground.

“Good sirs, we are from the Academy in Sinora with an urgent message. The city was under siege by Prince Zaverick,” the elf said.

“Say what now?” The heavy-set guard stuttered.

The men just noticed Elora’s pupilless eyes. At the mention of the Academy, they all did superstitious signs to ward against hexes. Zel found that amusing, and the necromancer leaned forward.

“We need to bring a message to the Wizards of Tameal that Zaverick may be in possession of a Demon Heart,” Zel said.

“That’s rubbish,” the heavy-set guard declared as he regained his composure. His colleagues appeared less nervous.

“Hey now, look at that fellow. He got some disease or something. I say we haul them to the captain,” one guard observed.

The heavy-set guard nodded in agreement and turned to look at Elora, “that’s right, you best come with us. Leave that wagon over there.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Elora nodded, and the three followed the legionnaire a short distance to a giant squat building where they could see other soldiers entering and leaving. Nameless recognized it as a barracks. The odd trio received many stares along the short walk. However, being in a city with the Wizard’s university, many people were used to seeing oddities.

Karl admired the paved streets and the magical lighting infrastructure even though they were off during the day. The polka-dotted Ooraki ran a hand along the smooth texture of the barracks building. He recognized the enchantments in the walls that allowed the building to regulate temperature to ward off the brisk autumn air outside. This was something he envisioned himself working on one day.

Inside, the Barracks was expansive and filled with hundreds of empty cots. Nameless knew it would be largely vacant during peacetime and currently only accommodated a small force to keep the peace. The heavy set guard led them through the dormitory and through a door. They went down a hallway lined with offices and entered through one.

“Hey, Sarge, these fellows bring news that Sinora is under attack by Prince Zaverick,” the guard said.

The sarge was a thin man with green eyes and a pale bald head. He wore scale armor under his red tabard and scowled. He had a face made for frowning as he studied the three.

“Troublemakers, eh? Send them to the brig,” the sarge said with a wave.

Nameless shrugged the heavy set guards’ hands off, and the other soldiers reached for their weapons.

“Sir, we are from the Academy, and we have documents to prove this. We bring dire news, and we must have an audience with the Wizards of Tameal,” Elora exclaimed.

The sarge cackled, “you think you can have an audience with the wizards?”

The other guards also laughed.

“Who do you think you are? You think you are important enough to get an audience?” The sarge growled.

Elora and Karl were aghast, and Zel shrugged their shoulders.

“I know I would get an audience,” the necromancer observed, unfazed by the situation as they studied the nails on one of their hands.

“Take them away,” the sarge ordered.

“I demand to speak with your captain,” Nameless roared, his voice guttural, and it reverberated through their great helm.

The other guards took a step back from the sudden outburst from the knight. The room was tense, and, luckily, a captain arrived.

“What is the meaning of this?” A man in silver plate armor demanded from the hallway. He held a great helm, similar to the one Nameless was wearing, under an arm.

The guards turned to salute the newcomer, and even the sarge rose from his chair.

“Nothing, sir, we are just taking these troublemakers to the brig,” the green-eyed man answered.

The captain eyed Nameless and asked, “for what reason?”

“They are spreading rumors that Sinora was under siege,” the sarge said.

“And something about demons,” the heavy-set guard added.

“Explain yourselves! Why are you making such claims? Why are you wearing a mockery of the templar’s armor? And by the gods, what is wrong with your skin?” The captain demanded, his last question directed at Karl.

Elora stepped forward. “Sir, we are from the Academy of Sinora, and what you see before you is a result of our magical studies. However, we also bring important news. Prince Zaverick has laid siege to the city, and we were tasked by the head mage to inform the Wizards of Tameal that the prince is in possession of a Demon Heart.”

“How come the master mage did not come?” The captain asked.

Karl looked to the ground and answered, “because they were killed.”

The captain nodded their head and said to the sarge, “let them go.”

“But, sir?”

“You heard me!” The captain exclaimed and turned toward the companions. “I will have Rolf escort you. Good luck.”

The captain departed to their corner office, and the heavy set guard, named rolf, grumbled, “follow me.”

The green-eyed sarge rose from their chair and placed a hand on the guard’s shoulder. “I will escort them. You return to your post,” he said.

The heavy set guard saluted and left as the sarge beckoned the others to follow him.

“Thank you. What is your name, sergeant?” Asked Nameless.

“Snel,” the soldier answered with a scowl that cut off further questions.

Nameless, Elora, Karl, and Zel boarded their wagon as Snel got a horse from the stables.

“Follow me,” Snel said as he led them through a wide boulevard.

The road was crowded with horse-drawn wagons and even an occasional enchanted cart like the one they rode in. All manner of people traveled the crowded street, from laborers to merchant caravans and, in one instance, a noble family that rode in a wide luxurious carriage. They rode at a steady but slow space alongside the other travelers, and Elora was able to engage in some small talk.

“Wagons, carts, and horses are only allowed on the boulevards that intersect through the city,” the elf shared what she had discovered.

Elora continued, “this boulevard is known as the Mage Lane as it leads directly to the Wizards Tower.”

The elf pointed ahead of them, and in the distance, up on the hill, they saw a tall tower with jutting spires and various buttresses that extended outwards from the massive central citadel. Karl whistled at the marvel of engineering that allowed such a structure to remain standing. The Ooraki squinted to see if they recognized any of the markings and enchantments that lined the smooth stone surfaces.

After an hour of slow and steady travel, Snel reigned in their horse and directed them to follow him off the boulevard.

“Where are we going?” Karl asked.

“You must park your cart, for only vehicles with special permits can continue toward the tower. You will need to go on foot. I recommend that you stay at the Crooked Wand,” the sergeant said while motioning to a two-story tavern located on the corner about a block and a half away from the boulevard.

Karl eyed the narrower side streets that led to the tavern.

“They have spots to park your cart, and they offer the most reasonable prices for lodging,” Snel said.

“That is good because we are limited in funds,” Zel said.

In addition to supplies, Mayor Ned also gave them some coins. Not a lot, but hopefully enough to afford accommodations.

“Very well, we will see about getting lodging at the Crooked Wand,” Karl stated.

“Thank you, Snel,” Elora said.

The sergeant nodded and spun their horse around to ride off.

“That’s odd,” Elora observed.

“What is?” Asked Karl as he began to carefully navigate the cart down the narrower side streets toward the tavern.

“Snel did not ride back toward the barracks,” the elf replied.

“Probably using this as an excuse to grab a drink or visit a mistress,” Zel said with a nod.

“Hmm, maybe,” Elora said.

Karl found parking outside the Crooked Wand, and they went inside to see about prices.