Asher slowly opened his eyes, barely recognizing his surroundings as he began to regain his senses.
"Your lucky I was there Asher. Your blood had begun to turn to mud from the earth magic of Birtle. Your body had begun to burn and blister, you were dying." Stated Neve as Asher attempted to move. "Fortunately, troll blood makes a great potion and a far more powerful spell, and I am the Great White Witch. Otherwise, you would be nothing more than a puddle.
HAHA, the audience went wild as I charged down the stands and used feather fall to float down into the arena. It became sheer chaos as Birtle's owner tried to claim his remains and Pharod tried to move in to see if you died. No one was sure who had won as I gathered the troll's blood and infused your body with its healing properties.
I know, I know, its hard to imagine such a vile acid healing anything, but trolls blood possesses the rare ability to regenerate the body of the troll it flows within. Witch's, alchemists, and sorcerers have managed to develop techniques to harness that power to create powerful potions or spells.
The guards blocked the gates, and once they saw your condition stabilize, they named you the victor. I of course could not allow your spoils to go to waste, so I placed yours and Birtles weapons and armor into your bag. For good measure I put Birtles corpse inside as well. His regenerative abilities quickly closed the wounds. With his talon through his heart, the body can't come back to life.
Birtle did drop a relatively powerful earthen crystal. It was the source of his power and is extremely valuable. I put it in your bag as well."
Asher carefully moved his right arm. He vividly remembered losing control of the arm when Birtle's talon had severed his shoulder. To his surprise it moved with ease. Was it not for the large scar now showing where the wound had been, he may have thought he imagined it, as everything moved as good as new?
Neve smiled in seeing Asher's surprise. "You owe me one, and I know just how you can repay it. I'm a witch, and now I have my staff and spell books back. But what I don't have is a laboratory. Many powerful wizards have rings or amulets that allow them to access a secondary dimension that they place a laboratory in. If you get me one, I can use Birtles corpse to create more potions. I have a feeling your gonna need em."
Asher chuckled at the proposal. They had both in essence saved each other's lives. Did he truly owe her anything?
Ba, it didn't matter, Neve had a valid point, and he needed the security those potions could provide.
Asher carefully looked around as he rose to his feet. Surprisingly he now stood within the Pharod's palace.
Neve smiled as she spoke to Asher's confusion. "You were out for two weeks. Even with the troll blood as a reagent for my spells, mud blood, an infected wound deep enough to hit bone, and burns from troll blood are hard to treat, let alone attempt to cure. Seriously though, Pharod had to know Birtle could kill you. Be wary of him."
Asher gathered his things from his bag, carefully equipping his armor and weapons.
He then strolled toward the door. As the door opened a guard ran swiftly toward Pharod's rooms.
Asher casually strolled after him.
Pharod soon appeared in front of Asher, clearly disheveled, as though he had dressed quickly.
He blearily addressed Asher. "Young Asher, I am glad to see you among the living. You will be glad to know, your chainmail is already in construction by Flint Stormshield as promised. Though, it will take him a year to complete it. You're quite the big boy, it will have to be custom made.
Salamar Argith was quite distraught with losing a year of Flints smithing, as well as Birtle and his corpse. Neve was quite insistent that it belonged to you. Fortunately, the arena master agreed with her, though I now find myself wondering, what will you do with a troll corpse?"
Asher infused his voice with rage as he responded. "What I do with my winnings is none of your concern. It is, however, your concern that you tried to have me killed. Nearly succeeded too. Now you're going to give me a portable laboratory for Neve enchanted within a ring. Make it a pretty ring, and a fully equipped laboratory. Anything its missing, you will provide, to her full specifications. This you will provide Neve for free, as a thank you for keeping me alive.
I will only say this once Pharod, if you try something like that without discussing it with me again, I will kill you, just like I killed Birtle."
Pharod gulped as he removed a diamond ring from his own finger. "This is a tower of wizardry. I am unsure of what resides within, but if Neve requires anything, let me know and I will gladly supply it."
Asher took the ring and turned to walk away.
Pharod found himself wondering if he would ever recoup his losses from this one.
Though he did find himself grateful that he had brought a second wizardry tower today. Though, had he realized what Asher would request he would have chosen a lesser grade one, preferably and empty one that he had explored, unlike the one he gifted Asher…. Ah well, at least he managed to remain alive and keep his own tower.
Asher flipped the ring to Neve as he spoke. "Let me know if you need anything else."
Neve looked at Asher in shock as she placed the ring on her finger. She quickly grabbed Asher's arm as she opened the tower and moved them both inside.
The duo found themselves transported outside an extravagant marble tower. It was unlike anything Neve had been described before. Land surrounded it on all sides as far in the distance as she could see. She could see no roof above her. The world was so open she felt rather vulnerable.
She found herself more focused on the land than the tower, did this mean the tower existed on Pax? Or was there land in the secondary dimensions? With a normal tower, one would typically find themselves within the building when they opened the transportation spell within the ring or amulet it was bound to. What did this mean?
While Neve contemplated her surroundings, Asher analyzed the architecture of the building. The marble ebbed and changed colors from moment to moment. It changed from green and blue, red, and yellow, all the colors of the rainbow were contained within each piece of marble. Gargoyles were intricately carved within the alcoves of the tower as he glanced ever higher. The top was not visible, as it rose above the white puffy things above them.
The duo was completely out of their element as they moved toward the door to the tower.
As they approached the eyes of the statue above the gate brightened with a deep blue light and spoke. The statue looked almost human, though it bore a thick plate armor reminiscent of the dwarves.
"Who dares to approach the tower of Skammlauss? Speak or be consumed."
Neve raised her hand containing the ring and continued to move forward, carefully turning the handle on the door and opening it.
"You bear the masters seal!! You may enter, though you do so at the risk of Skammlauss's wrath."
Asher and Neve carefully entered the open doorway. The inside was nothing like they imagined from looking at the outside.
It was far more massive. The room they now found themselves within was made from a substance they had never seen; it was as beautiful as it was mysterious.
Neve's eyes sparkled with joy in the realization that this was clearly the work of a master wizard. Already it far exceeded her own expectations.
She quickly found herself wondering which direction the alchemy lab would be in.
As she considered, the scenery around them instantly changed.
Asher drew his weapons as he became completely disoriented.
Neve looked around herself, admiring some of all to familiar equipment of an alchemy lab. Neve was unable to determine what species had crafted the delicate equipment, yet she found herself admiring their craftsmanship as she moved from beaker to beaker, admiring and cataloguing the ingredients she recognized in her mind, anxious to explore those she didn't recognize and determine their uses and origin.
Asher stood still as he watched Neve roam around the lab. He sheathed his weapons and attempted to relax. Magic was a foreign concept and travelling instantly was quite disconcerting.
Neve admired the multitude of beakers and vials, crucibles bowls and flasks. Never had she seen so much variety.
When her eyes alighted upon the mortar and pestle, retort, calcinatory, and alembic her eyes bulged, and her heart felt ready to burst. They had been intricately crafted by the most delicate of hands, masterful equipment for producing masterful potions. This set of equipment alone was worth far more than all the magical supplies she had lost when she had been taken captive.
Asher gently cleared his throat to get Neve's attention. "Why don't I give you the corpse of the troll and return to the palace. That way you can freely explore this place for as long as you desire."
Neve turned a bit red in embarrassment as she looked for a good place to put the corpse.
As she wondered about this, she found an area in the corner with rods of an unknown metal sticking out of the ground. She had Asher impale the troll corpse on the rod, and she inserted the needles attached to glass tubes that resided beside it.
Once the needle penetrated the corpse of the troll, blood began to flow through the tubes slowly dripping into a beaker nearby.
She smiled at Asher as she returned him to Pharod's Palace.
Asher found himself extremely disoriented yet again. Though at least he recognized his surroundings. He now stood within the room, he and Neve had originally left to go into the ring.
His bed lies nearby. He carefully returned to it and went back to sleep. The day had already been rather taxing upon him.