Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

Chapter 144 – Floor 13: Part 5

A month passed in the capital of Londinium. It was a month filled with balls, parties and festivities. At the centre of attention for each event was the Crown Prince, Aiden. His remarkable abilities made the rumour mill continue to turn, even as those who were willing to physically challenge him dwindled.

But that didn’t stop a few disgruntled Nobles from scheming. House Rosen led the crusade against the returned Prince, constantly questioning his suitability and background. Aiden responded with indifference to their plots.

It was as if Aiden didn’t care about his reputation at all.

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Daphne walked through the wide halls of the university. The campus stretched for miles, with buildings dedicated to various scholarly and martial pursuits.

There were the training grounds for the Knights, where they would focus on swordsmanship and combat tactics. However, most of the buildings in the university were dedicated to the mundane, such as history, etiquette, and law.

Daphne ignored these areas as she travelled through the corridors and open grounds to the most remote and secluded part of the campus.

The Mages were separated from the rest of the campus by a gate. Although it was left open and there were no guards present to restrict entry, students who were not mages were dissuaded from entering by subtle charms and enchantments.

These methods did not hinder Daphne at all as she passed through the tall archway of the gate and set her sights on the most prominent and, in her opinion, beautiful structure of the University. The Central Mage Tower dominated the sky; its peak reached hundreds of feet into the air.

An architectural marvel, it was heavily enchanted. Daphne had heard that the Mage Tower would be the refuge for the city's elite if the rest of Londinium were ever to fall to the tide of Demi-Beast invaders. From there, they could wage war across the island.

Entering the Mage Tower, Daphne greeted a few of her fellow students that she recognized. The Mages of the Tower were a small and tight-knit group. She had been a student here for years but was still decades away from being acknowledged by its members.

The first level of the Tower was completely open, a round space that could be housed for gatherings and a meeting place for students. Classes were sometimes held in this area, and the curved walls held bookshelves and desks for their use.

Daphne reached the central pillar, a large piece of stone that stretched from the ground to the ceiling and was present in each of the Tower’s levels. Runes and Glyphs were carved into it, and a glow of mana suffused the stone.

There were no stairs or elevators for travel in the Tower of Mages. No, to reach one of the upper levels, a person merely needed to touch the appropriate symbol, and they would reach their destination through the use of the pillar's magic.

Her early classes in history had told her that Aether fueled the magic of the Tower, a large piece of crystal discovered by Merlin in the time of Arthur. Dug out from far beneath the earth of Anglia, Merlin had placed it here in Londinium and built the Tower around it.

She remembered how long it had taken her to study and learn the runes here when she first arrived. No student could progress very far as a Mage without learning them. Some of the slower students spent years on the first level, their studies hindered by their lack of understanding of the obscure glyphs. I

Only when one traveled further up the Tower did a person truly begin to walk the path of the Magus.

Daphne looked at the pillar for a moment, studying its runes, before pressing her palm against one. The pillar tended to change, its runes shifting depending on the planets' alignment, the moon's phases and the stars' position in the sky.

A flash of white light covered the pillar, touching her hand and travelling up her arm. When it completely wrapped around her body, Daphne disappeared.

She rematerialized on one of the upper levels. Through the large, arched windows, she could see the University campus far below her, and the city stretched outwards. Daphne took a moment to enjoy the view before turning away from the window and making her way through the maze of corridors, offices and small libraries before she reached a closed door.

Knocking politely, she waited for the door to open. In less than a minute, the wooden portal opened, and she was let into the office of one of the most powerful Mages in Anglia.

Archmagus Enalious, one of only three Archmagi of Anglia, stood looking out the window. Behind him, one of his apprentices was diligently taking notes, transcribing runes into English on the desk. Standing against the far wall were nearly a dozen of her fellow students, men and women who ranged from their early twenties into their mid-thirties.

Daphne bowed politely to the Archmage, who didn’t seem to notice and took her place with her fellows. A male student next to her, who was the youngest amongst their number by two years, smiled and nodded as she walked beside him.

“Cutting it close, Daph.” The young man said with a smile.

Alfred, Prince of Anglia and the second son of Albrecht and Margrit, was dressed in grey Mage robes like the rest of them. He had long, dark hair that reached his shoulders and was kept out of his eyes by a silver metal headband.

He was frail and thin, his robes hung from his frame, and Daphne doubted he had any fat on him. His cheeks were sunken and hollow. But his eyes were the brightest green she had ever seen, filled with life and intelligence.

Alfred was a natural Mage; he made up for what he lacked in physical strength with his wits and mana. Unfortunately, spellcasting placed a huge burden on the body, as much as the mind, limiting his progress in the magical arts.

At eighteen years old, Alfred had earned his place amongst his peers. But as to why he was here at the request of the Archmage, Daphne had no idea.

They had been told to gather for an important announcement, but none had been told anything about what it was about. When the last few students had entered, making their number an even two dozen, Archmagus Enalious turned away from the window and assessed their group.

Clearing his throat, he spoke.

“Prince Aiden will be heading North with a number of Knights and a force of reserves. He will be leading their training, and once they are ready, he intends to clear the last of the Demi-Beasts from their strongholds in Alba before retaking the Orkneys.” Enalious stated, and the silence after he finished was deafening.

Everything North of Hadrian’s wall belonged to the Demi-Beasts, and numerous attempts to finally rid them from Anglia had failed. Ultimately, the King reinforced the old Roman walls and let the Demi-Beasts have most of Alba.

Daphne was stunned at the Prince’s desire to go into battle with the Demi-Beasts so soon after returning. It had only been a month!

She snuck a glance at Alfred, wondering if he had known about his brother’s plans. From the look of shock on his face, the young prince evidently had no idea Aiden would be moving so quickly.

“With that goal in mind, I have summoned you here. The Tower of Mages will be required to support the Prince’s ambitions. Twenty-four of you students with exceptional talent and potential. You will all train with the Prince, and when you are ready, you will join a cadre of Mages that will participate in the liberation of the North.” Enalious ordered.

Daphne looked at the other students. Many of them showed excitement and eagerness to prove themselves. Several looked like they were going to be sick, the worry of engaging the Demi-Beasts already on their minds.

Before they could focus too much on the news, Enalious dismissed them.

“Alfred, Daphne, both of you stay a moment.” Enalious commanded as the others left the office. Even his apprentice closed his book and departed, leaving them alone. The Archmage waited until the doors were firmly shut before speaking.

“I have a special task for the both of you.” Enalious said, looking at the pair. Alfred looked uncertain of his place here and spoke up.

“Sir, should I be going North? I fear I may be a burden.” Alfred confessed he was about to continue to voice his concerns when Enalious raised a hand to stop him.

“The King has commanded it. You have nothing to fear; your brother has sworn to protect you, and he has the strength to do so. As for being a burden, you both should have no worries about that. Your special task is to act as advisors to Prince Aiden. As you may know, he is unfamiliar with our ways. You will be on hand to counsel him.” Enalious explained.

“Counsel him?” Alfred asked. He hadn’t met his brother yet; his parents had forbidden it until things became more settled. He had only heard rumours about his sibling, some so outlandish that he couldn’t believe them.

“Yes. Prince Aiden is quite eager to liberate the North, and the King fears that he may alienate many of the Knights and Lords. Aiden has been very…indifferent to their opinions. It is our hope that you may be an ally in easing any tensions.” Enalious said, looking at Daphne, who nodded in response.

She had seen for herself how Aiden approached problems. The image of Reginald lying on the ground, unconscious, with Aiden shouting at the Rosens came to her mind.

“And Alfred, being around your brother may also benefit your constitution. As you know, hardship and experience strengthen the body and mind. You may learn things from Aiden that could surprise you. The North holds many herbs and medicines that we have lost access to since the Demi-Beast invaded.” Enalious said.

After speaking for a few more minutes about what would be expected of them, the pair left the Archmage’s office. He stared at their departing figures for a moment before turning back to look out the window.

The gods themselves were now involved in their campaign to free the North. All he could do was give ‘Aiden’ all the support he could by training the new generation that would assist him.