Chapter 230: Tower Masters
Across the country, to the west of the Archipelago, an elf woman sat in her chair, looking at a letter in her hands that was delivered from the Blue Magic Tower. She wore a red mage uniform with a fire insignia that represented the tower she was from, the Red Magic Tower.
"Hmmm. What’s she playing at?" The red tower master wondered. She was kept in the loop on what happened to the Blue Magic Tower and knew what happened to it.
She also knew what happened to Elyn and was sure that she was not in any position to host a banquet.
"Her daughter, maybe? With Master Elyn no longer being able to use magic and being critically injured, she is most likely stepping down as the Tower Master and is hosting a banquet to show that the blue tower beat that Carlito guy, and to tell everyone that her daughter is taking over." An assistant assumed based on the information they had.
The red tower master nodded, slightly agreeing with what her assistant said. "But, it’s too early. Think about it. The blue tower was taken by surprise with the attack, lost most of their sorcerers, their tower master became a cripple, and when they did manage to take the tower back, they hosted a party."
The assistant also found it odd. "You would expect them to do a clean-up first. Repair their tower, get rid of all traces of Carlito, and prepare Lady Abigail to take over the tower."
"Exactly. That would take at least a few months, but they send out an invitation in just three days? Either something else is going on, or she’s desperate."
"Master Aleah, with all due respect, anyone would be desperate in a situation like this."
"You have a point." Aleah leaned back in her chair and thought about every possibility.
"Alright, we’ll attend the banquet and take a few notable sorcerers with us as well. Prepare a gift, one that has meaning behind it, and make sure to dress nicely. If this is an opportunity, then we’ll strike; if not, then we’ll continue as if nothing happened.
"Yes, master Aleah."
---
Over at the northern part of the archipelago, where the winds were strong and the tides were high, sat the White Magic tower. Each magic tower correlated to a main element, and this one was wind.
Inside a room filled with destroyed walls, high amounts of mana, and food pills sat a man in the center of the room, cross-legged while meditating. His furry tail wrapped around his legs on the ground, and his furry ears slightly moved each time he felt a gust of wind.
Suddenly, the sounds of creaking interrupted the man’s meditation, and annoyance riddled his face as he stood up to see who opened the doors.
"I remember telling everyone that I didn’t wish to be disturbed during my closed training." The beastkin growled.
"M-My apologies, Tower Master Galen, but something important has come up during the past month. I’m positive that you will want to hear this."
Galen took a deep breath and grabbed his shirt. "This better be worth my time, or you’re paying the price."
"I would never waste your time, Master Galen."
The two of them headed to Galen’s office so they could speak in private.
"Now, tell me what you think is very important."
The assistant cleared his throat. "While you were gone, the blue tower had been taken over by the Carlito."
"The man who was supposed to be the tower master but was found dabbling with dark magic?" Galen asked
"Yes. He attacked the tower and killed anyone who didn’t take his side." The assistant went on to explain everything that happened after that and showed him the letter that was delivered to them not too long ago.
"Hahahahaha! That Elyn must be desperate if she’s hosting a banquet like this! Good, good, I’ve always hated that bitch. We’ll take this opportunity to force the Blue Tower under our control."
"Shall I prepare a gift?" The assistant asked.
"One with a double meaning." Galen clarified.
"As you wish."
"Heh, looks like I need to wear my best suit."
---
"Interesting. Very interesting. This is a gold mine ready to be stripped of its ore. We cannot let such an opportunity pass." To the south of the archipelago was the Green Magic tower.
"Master Tharn, this is exactly what you said would happen! You’re very wise!"
"Of course I am! When it comes to gold, there’s no other race that can predict how money will flow better than a dwarf. The moment I got word that Carlito took over and Elyn was critically injured, I knew she would call for help. And now," He waved the invitation. "She did."
"Master, what type of gift should we prepare? Maybe something sentimental?" The assistant asked.
"Hmm. No, that’s too obvious. We need to do something basic, something that the other tower masters wouldn’t expect. We’ll give them gold." Tharn smirked.
"Genius! You’re an absolute genius, Master! What they really need right now is money, not some fancy gift!"
"Exactly. Then, in private, I’ll have Elyn sign a contract that will bind her to the Green Magic tower, forcing her to give up...50% of their profits over to us! I’m willing to negotiate that percentage."
"Your wisdom is unmatched, master!"
Tharn rubbed his nose with pride. "I know. Even I’m surprised by how smart I am."
"Master, we’re forgetting one critical piece of information!"
"Huh? What is it? Spill it!"
"Master Elyn is most likely going to make Lady Abigail her successor. Doesn’t this mean we’ll be able to use her to our advantage because of her lack of experience?"
"This is why I pay you well. You’re an amazing assistant! Absolutely, we’ll take advantage of her inexperience! That’s classic business 101. But we have to be careful. Elyn may be out of the picture when it comes to being the tower master, but she’s not dead. She’ll be in Abigail’s ear every step of the way, so we have to phrase everything as if we’re helping her."
"Then, we have her slip up on something that may seem minor, but is actually really big, and boom, the blue tower belongs to us!"
Tharn bellowed with laughter. "Exactly! Hahaha! I’m glad to know that we’re on the same page. Quickly, prepare the gold and make sure to wear your finest suit. We have a banquet to attend."
"Yes, Master Tharn!"