The Crystal Tower

“Kesi?”

Another round of sharp rapping against the crystalline door filled the brightly lit halls of the mage tower.

“Kesi, please open up, I need to speak with you,” there was a hesitation before finishing her sentence, “Ford sent me.”

There cam a shuffling from behind the door, muffled footsteps plodding closer. The sound of numerous locks and fasteners being undone crept underneath the door. Janice took a step back as the crystal passage swung open.

An amazonian looking woman, at least seven feet tall, with a darker, desert farer’s complexion. She grabbed Janice by the sides and immediately ushered her into the room hastily, before swinging the door shut once more and locking it up tight.

“You’re Ford’s boss, right?” the massive woman said as she turned around, her royal purple, silken robes flourishing as she did so.

“That is correct ma’am. Janice Demi,” Jan replied, reaching out her right hand invitingly ” nice to make your acquaintance.”

“Spare me the formalities, no offense, but if Ford sent his boss, I assume he’s unfit to make it himself. What happened?”

Jan’s faked enthusiasm and politeness drained away in an instant, her arm falling back to her side, vanishing beneath her black overcloak. Her gaze fell to the floor with a sigh.

“He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re thinking. He got banged up during his last mission, but not any worse than what he’s been through before. Difference is, this time the meds he’s taking are a lot stronger. Serious alchemy. Docs had no choice but to put him on bedrest – I seen him try to walk on those prescriptions, it ain’t pretty,” Jan said, beginning to pace about the room, every step she took echoing throughout the vibrant blue living quarters. The walls seemed to shift with every blink, the gleam and shimmer of the crystalline material that the entirety of the mage tower was constructed of beginning to dizzy her. Mages …

“So he’s fine then?”

“Yeah. Yeah, he’s good. Ford’s a tough one, he’ll make it. But that’s not why I’m here. Like I said, Ford sent me to … retrieve you.”

“Retrieve?” Kesi spat back indignantly, almost offended by the word. Her golden locks fell in front of her face as she stepped forward towards Janice.

“Look, look, it ain’t like that. You and I both know you can take care of yourself, but, well …” Jan said, attempting to retract her statement while gesturing with her eyes, flicking them to one side of the room, towards the crystal wall.

Kesi noticed, and with a flick of her hands, a small bubble of arcane magic surrounded them, the magenta glow of it encapsulating them.

“I know you mages have every room in the tower tapped with audio monitoring spells, and before you go and get all fired up, it’s not a bad thing. I know it’s a necessary evil to keep students from practicing the darker schools – necromancy and the sort. Heh, wasn’t too long ago they had visual spells too … I still remember the storm that sparked when it broke to the public.”

“Get to the point. Ford’s injured and he obviously needs my help. What’s the situation?”

Janice shifted in her spot, before chuckling nervously under her breath. She reached beneath her overcloak, unclasping one of the large tactical pockets on her jet black SI:7 uniform, and pulling out a tan dossier. She held it out to Kesi, smiling almost in spite of herself.

Kesi glanced at the thick folder, her eyes widening as she noticed the golden symbol imprinted on the folder; the seal of paladins.

“Heh, you’re not gonna believe this one.”